Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Could maternal serum MFG-E8 level predict adverse first trimester pregnancy outcome? A preliminary study

Background/aim Milk fat globule-epidermal growth factor 8 (MFG-E8) is expressed in the endometrial epithelium and its expression increases during the implantation process. Due to this knowledge, we aimed to investigate the maternal serum MFG-E8 levels on both healthy pregnant women in the first trimester and pregnant women complicated with missed abortion and threatened abortion in the first trimester. Materials and methods This prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted in a tertiary referral hospital, department of obstetrics between July 2020 and February 2021 after ethical committee approval. The study population was consisted of 30 healthy pregnant women (HP) in the first trimester, 30 pregnant women suffering from threatened abortion (TA) in the first trimester and 30 pregnant women suffering from missed abortion (MA) in the first trimester. Maternal serum MFG-E8 levels were analyzed with enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Delivery and neonatal outcomes of the study population was evaluated. The continuous variables were compared among three groups with variance analysis with post hoc tests. The categorical variables were compared with chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests where applicable. Results The mean age of the study population was 29.36 ± 5.31 years. There was no significant difference among three groups for parameters of age, body mass index, parity number, and gestational week. Despite being within normal ranges, the mean neutrophil and international normalized ratio values of the three groups showed statistically significant difference (p < 0.05). The mean maternal serum MFG-E8 levels of MA, TA, and HP groups were 270 ± 152.3, 414.7 ± 236.7, and 474 ± 222.5 ng/mL, respectively (p = 0.001). It was found that mean of MFG-E8 of the MA group was statistically significantly lower than those of the other two groups (p < 0.05). Conclusion Although maternal serum MFG-E8 level seems to be a parameter that differ between live and nonlive pregnancies, studies with large number of cases are needed to discuss our results and to determine a cut-off value for prediction
Linguistic Parameters of Spontaneous Speech for identifying Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease Linguistic Parameters of Spontaneous Speech for identifying Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease

In this paper, we seek to automatically identify Hungarian patients suffering from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild Alzheimer’s Disease (mAD) based on their speech transcripts, focusing only on linguistic features. In addition to the features examined in our earlier study, we introduce syntactic, semantic and pragmatic features of spontaneous speech that might affect the detection of dementia. In order to ascertain the most useful features for distinguishing healthy controls, MCI patients and mAD patients, we will carry out a statistical analysis of the data and investigate the signiﬁcance level of the extracted features among various speaker group pairs and for various speaking tasks. In the second part of the paper, we use this rich feature set as a basis for an effective discrimination among the three speaker groups. In our machine learning experiments, we will analyze the efﬁcacy of each feature group separately. Our model which uses all the features achieves competitive scores, either with or without demographic information (3-class accuracy values: 68-70%, 2-class accuracy values: 77.3-80%). We also analyze how different data recording scenarios affect linguistic features and how they can be productively used when distinguishing MCI patients from healthy controls.
Modified square root of time relation to predict evaporation trends from bare soil

The existing methods of calculating cumulative evaporation (CE) from water transport theory pose a problem of availability of the governing parameters of the soil and atmospheric evaporativity. An empirical relation between CE, inclusive of the constant rate stage, and its time limit is not available. We investigated relations between CE and time (t) for different evaporativities (4). Estimates of CE by using the empirical relations between CE, t and vt agreed well with the observed values: where tf is the duration of the constant rate stage which can be computed from K and E0 K is the r,egression coefficient of CE on vt and b is the intercept. The results indicated that the duration of the constant rate stage decreased with increasing E0 and increasing redistribution time (T); CE under a lower E0 can exceed that under higher E0. Evaporation rate during the falling rate stage is dependent upon E0. For the same E0, the duration of the constant rate stage was higher in silt loam than in sandy loam.
Psychometric Properties of a Spanish Adaptation of the Psychometric Properties of a Spanish Adaptation of the Expressions of Spirituality Inventory–Revised (ESI–R) Expressions of Spirituality Inventory–Revised (ESI–R)

A Spanish adapted version of the Expressions of Spirituality Inventory-Revised (ESI-R; MacDonald, 2000a, 2000b), a 30-item measure of a five factor model of spirituality, was administered to a sample of 376 adults along with Spanish adaptations of the NEO-FFI personality inventory (Manga, Ramos, & Morán, 2004), the Ryff’s Scales of Psychological Well-Being (Díaz et al., 2006), and the SA-45 psychopathology symptoms questionnaire (Sandín, Valiente, Chorot, Santed, & Lostao, 2008). Reliability analyses of the five ESI-R dimension scores produced inter-item consistency coefficients ranging from . 83 to . 97. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic results are consistent with other published research and provide support for the structural validity of the ESI-R with a Spanish sample. Lastly, correlations obtained between the ESI-R dimensions and demographic, personality, well-being, and psychopathology variables generated findings that confirm the convergent, discriminant, and criterion validity of the instrument. Overall, the results of this study suggest that the ESI-R is a promising instrument for spirituality research in Spain.
Alpine and Subalpine Vegetation Chronosequences following Deglaciation in Coastal Alaska

Abstract Glacial recession is a major process in terrestrial ecosystems of the world and an obvious result of global warming. Here we describe the alpine (above tree line) and subalpine forested and wetland/peatland vegetation chronosequences in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska. We derived the results from three products: (1) deglaciation map of 50,000-, 13,000-, and 1- to 246-year-old (Neoglacial) surfaces; (2) a landcover map; and (3) a plant association classification. For the alpine chronosequence, Neoglacial surfaces are dominated by the tall shrub (>1.5 m) (Alnus and Salix), dwarf shrub (<0.1 m) (Salix and Dryas), and mesic herbaceous landcover classes. These landcover classes also dominate the 13,000- and 50,000-year-old surfaces but dwarf shrub dominance changes to ericaceous. The subalpine forested chronosequence consists of Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa and Picea sitchensis classes dominating the mid- and late-seral Neoglacial surfaces, then Tsuga mertensiana and Picea sitchensis classes dominating the 13,000- and 50,000-year-old surfaces. Wetlands/peatlands are rare on the Neoglacial and 13,000-year-old surfaces but common on the 50,000-year-old surface. Alnus is rare on the 50,000-year-old surface yet common on the 13,000-year-old surface and, we speculate, is a relict from the end of the Pleistocene.
CTA: A Correlation-Tolerant Analysis of the Deadline-Failure Probability of Dependent Tasks

Estimating the worst-case deadline failure probability (WCDFP) of a real-time task is notoriously difficult, primarily because a task's execution time typically depends on prior activations (i.e., history dependence) and the execution of other tasks (e.g., via shared inputs). Previous analyses have either assumed that execution times are probabilistically independent (which is unrealistic and unsafe), or relied on complex upper-bounding abstractions such as probabilistic worst-case execution time (pWCET), which mask dependencies with pessimism. Exploring an analytically novel direction, this paper proposes the first closed-form upper bound on WCDFP that accounts for dependent execution times. The proposed correlation-tolerant analysis (CTA), based on Cantelli's inequality, targets fixed-priority scheduling and requires only two basic summary statistics of each task's ground- truth execution time distribution: upper bounds on the mean and standard deviation (for any possible job-arrival sequence). Notably, CTA does not use pWCET, nor does it require the full execution-time distribution to be known. Core parts of the analysis have been verified with the Coq proof assistant. Empirical comparison with state-of-the-art WCDFP analyses reveals that CTA can yield significantly improved bounds (e.g., a lower WCDFP than any pWCET-based method for ~70% of the workloads tested at 90% pWCET utilization and 60% average utilization). Beyond accuracy gains, the favorable results highlight the potential of the previously unexplored analytical direction underlying CTA.
Direct measurements of western boundary currents off Brazil between 20°S and 28°S

Current measurements from three moored arrays on the Brazilian continental slope between 20 degrees S and 28 degrees S are investigated for the existence and strength of western boundary currents from near the surface down to the North Atlantic Deep Water. The Brazil Current is found to deepen southward from 100 m to more than 670 m and to strengthen its volume transport to 16.2 x 10(6) m(3)/s. Antarctic Intermediate Water is transported in a well-developed boundary current southward at 28 degrees S and northward north of Cabo Frio (24 degrees S). This result supports earlier suggestions derived from the analysis of hydrographic data that Antarctic Intermediate Water enters the Brazil Basin from the east and bifurcates as it meets the continental break off Brazil. North Atlantic Deep Water is transported southward in a weakly developed boundary current that leads to lower estimates of volume transport than expected from earlier hydrographic data analysis.
Ecology of Acidobacteria and Verrucomicrobia in the plant-soil system

In the light of the poor culturability of Acidobacteria and Verrucomicrobia species, group-specific real-time (qPCR) systems were developed based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences from culturable representatives of both groups. The number of DNA targets from three different groups, i.e. Holophagae ( Acidobacteria group 8 ) and Luteolibacter and Candidatus genus Rhizospheria (both from Verrucomicrobia subdivision 1), were determined in DNA extracts from different leek ( Allium porrum ) rhizosphere soil compartments and from bulk soil with the aim to determine the distribution of the three bacterial groups in the plant-soil ecosystem. The specificity of the designed primers was evaluated in three steps. First, in silico tests were performed which demonstrated that all designed primers 100% matched with database sequences of their respective groups, whereas lower matches with other non-target bacterial groups were found. Second, PCR amplification with the different primer sets was performed on genomic DNA extracts from target and from non-target bacteria. This test demonstrated specificity of the designed primers for the target groups, as single amplicons of expected sizes were found only for the target bacteria. Third, the qPCR systems were tested for specific amplifications from soil DNA extracts and 48 amplicons from each primer system were sequenced. All sequences were > 97% similar to database sequences of the respective target groups. Estimated cell numbers based on Holophagae-, Luteolibacter-and Candidatus genus Rhizospheria-specific qPCRs from leek rhizosphere compartments and bulk soils demonstrated higher preference for one or both rhizosphere compartments above bulk soil for all three bacterial groups.
Late-glacial regional ice-flow patterns in eastern Ontario

Reconnaissance of eastern Ontario regions lying between the late-glacial positions of Lake Iroquois and the Champlain Sea provides new information on ice-flow patterns as represented by striae and other streamline phenomena. This is related to the distribution of ice-marginal deposits and to structurally controlled topography. Two ice lobes, Madawaska Highland lobe and Ottawa – Lake Ontario lobe, are identified, and the Oak Ridges interlobate moraine system is extended. Discussion of apparent sequences of events allows for a new working hypothesis, including the concept of a calving bay in Ottawa Valley, for the development of the Champlain Sea, and for the timing of the drainage of Lake Iroquois. It reconciles radiocarbon dates previously thought to be anomalous.
Use of the grain-size distribution for estimation of the soil-water characteristic curve

The implementation of unsaturated soil mechanics into engineering practice is dependent, to a large extent, upon an ability to estimate unsaturated soil property functions. The soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC), along with the saturated soil properties, has proven to provide a satisfactory basis for estimating the permeability function and shear strength functions for an unsaturated soil. The volume change functions have not been totally defined nor applied in geotechnical engineering. The objective of this paper is to present a procedure for estimating the SWCC from information on the grain-size distribution and the volumemass properties of a soil. SWCCs represent a continuous water content versus soil suction relationship. The proposed method provides an approximate means of estimating the desorption curve corresponding to a soil initially slurried near the liquid limit. The effects of stress history, fabric, confining pressure, and hysteresis are not addressed. A database of published data is use.
Exploring interacting influences on the silicon isotopic composition of the surface ocean: a case study from the Kerguelen Plateau

This study presents six new water column profiles of the silicon isotopic composition ( 30 Si) of dissolved sili- con (DSi) from the Atlantic and Indian sectors of the South- ern Ocean and a variable depth box model of silica cycling in the mixed layer that was constructed to illuminate the evo- lution of surface ocean 30 Si over the full course of a year. In keeping with previous observations, 30 Si values ranged from +1.9 to +2.4 ‰ in the mixed layer (ML), +1.2 to +1.7 ‰ in Winter Water (WW), and+0.9 to +1.4 ‰ in Cir- cumpolar Deep Water (CDW). These data also confirmed the occurrence of diminished values for ML 30 Si at low DSi concentrations in early austral autumn on the Kerguelen Plateau. The box model was used to investigate whether these low, post-growing season values of 30 Si were related to in- put of DSi to the ML from basalt weathering, biogenic silica dissolution (with or without isotopic fractionation), the onset of winter mixing, or some combination of the three. Basalt weathering and fractionation during biogenic silica dissolu- tion could both lower ML 30 Si below what would be ex- pected from the extent of biological uptake of DSi. However, the key driver of the early autumn decrease in 30 Si appears to be the switch from bloom growth (with net removal of DSi and net accumulation of biogenic silica (BSi) biomass) to steady state growth (when slow but continuing production of BSi prevented significant net increase in DSi concentra- tions with diffusive input of DSi from WW but not decrease in ML 30 Si towards WW values). Model results also indi- cated that fractionation during dissolution has only a negligi- ble effect on the 30 Si of BSi exported throughout the course of the year. However, seasonal changes in export efficiency (e.g. favouring the export of bloom BSi versus the export of BSi produced during other times of the year) should strongly influence the 30 Si of BSi accumulating in marine sediments. Finally, the choice for the parameterisation of the mixing be- tween the ML and the WW in terms of 30 Si (i.e. constant or allowed to vary with the seasonal migration of the thermo- cline) is critical to take into account in box model simulations of the silica biogeochemical cycle. Altogether, these results suggest that as a paleoceanographic proxy, 30 Si may more reflect the dominant mode of production of the BSi that is exported (i.e. bloom versus steady state growth) rather than strictly the extent of DSi utilisation by diatoms.
Postspinel transformations in the system Mg2SiO4‐Fe2SiO4 and some geophysical implications

The high-pressure transformation in MgSiO3 and those in the spinel phases of compositions from Mg2SiO4 to (Mg0.5Fe0.5)2SiO4 in the Mg2SiO4-Fe2SiO4 system were investigated using a uniaxial split-sphere apparatus. The phase boundaries between ilmenite-perovskite in MgSiO3 and between Mg2SiO4 spinel and the assemblage of MgSiO3 perovskite and MgO periclase were determined to be P(GPa) = 26.8–0.0025T(°C) and P(GPa) = 27.6–0.0028T(°C), respectively, in the temperature range 1000–1600°C. The pseudobinary diagrams for the system Mg2SiO4-Fe2SiO4 were determined at temperatures of 1100°C and 1600°C. It was demonstrated that the magnesian spinel (with Fe/Mg + Fe < 0.22 at 1100°C and <0.26 at 1600°C) dissociates into perovskite and magnesiowustite within an extremely narrow pressure interval (<0.15 GPa at 1600°C). The dissociation pressure was found to be almost independent of iron content and to coincide to that at 670 km depth within experimental uncertainties. These experimental results indicate that the sharpness of the 670-km discontinuity may indeed be due to this dissociation in a peridotitic or pyrolitic mantle. The current status of our understanding of deep mantle mineralogy and chemistry is discussed based on recent high-pressure and high-temperature experiments.
A Holocene peat record in the central South Atlantic: an archive of precipitation changes

Peat deposits from the littoral part of the wetland 2nd Pond on Nightingale Island in the central South Atlantic have been analysed to investigate the Holocene climate development on the island and to test a hypothesis about regionally persistent humidity variations. A variety of proxies were analysed – total carbon and nitrogen, biogenic silica, diatoms, amount of organic matter, macrofossils and magnetic susceptibility – and together with the lithology they are interpreted as a record reflecting changes in humidity/precipitation. Early Holocene (10,000–8500 cal. BP) was possibly significantly drier than today, probably caused by a southerly displacement of the Southern Hemisphere Westerlies (SHW) during the Antarctic climate optimum. From 8500 cal. BP and onwards, the climate became generally more humid and surface run-off increased due to higher precipitation, possibly as an effect of increased influence from the SHW as it moved north. During this generally humid period, our data disclose a distinct pattern of recurrent centennial- to millennial-long events of increased precipitation and the results corroborate the only other study in the region with a similar humidity record. The events might represent large-scale climate oscillations in the Southern Hemisphere, such as latitudinal shifts of the SHW, but may also be related to changes in sea surface temperatures.
Exercise Responses Associated with Altitude Acclimatization Are Retained During Reintroduction to 4,3000 M,

Abstract : Following 2-3 wk of altitude acclimatization, ventilation is increased and heart rate (HR), plasma volume (PV) and lactate accumulation (La) are decreased during submaximal exercise. We hypothesized that some degree of exercise responses associated with acclimatization would be retained upon reintroduction to altitude (RA) after 8 d at sea level (SL). Six male lowlanders exercised to exhaustion (EXH) at the same relative percentages of peak oxygen uptake at SL, on acute altitude (AA) exposure, after a 16-d chronic altitude (CA) exposure on Pikes Peak (4,300 m), and during a 3-4-h RA after 8 d at SL. The EXH time was the same at SL (66.0 +/- 1.6 min), AA (67.7 +/- 7.3 min), CA (79.9 +/- 6.2 min) and RA (67.9 +/- 1.9 min). At 75% VO(2peak): (1) arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) increased from AA to CA (67.0 +/- 1.5 vs. 78.5 +/- 1.8%; P<0.05) and remained increased at RA (77.0 +/- 2.0%); (2) HR decreased from SL to CA (171 +/- 6 vs. 152 +/- 9 remained increased at RA (77.0 +/- 2.0%); (2) HR decreased from SL to CA (171 +/-6 vs. 152 +/- 9 bpm; P<(0.05) and remained decreased at RA (157 +/- 5 bpm); (3) calculated PV decreased 6.9 +/- 10.0% at AA, 21.3 +/- 11.1% at CA, and 16.7 +/- 5.4% at RA from SL baseline values, and (4) La decreased from AA to CA (5.1 +/- 0.9 vs. 1.9 +/- 0.4 mmol-l(-1); P<0.05) and remained decreased at RA (2.6 +/- 0.6 mmol-l(-1). For each individual, percent retention of acclimatization response was calculated as (RA-AA)/(CA%AA) - 100. Upon RA after 8 d at SL, the acclimatization responses were retained 92 +/- 9% for SaO(2), 74 +/- 8% for PV and 58 +/- 3% for La at 75% VO(1peak).
Is Antarctica melting?

Until recently, the mass balance of the Antarctic ice sheet was not well known. Here, I review recent progress in determining its magnitude and temporal evolution, the physical processes that control the observed changes in ice sheet mass balance, and the important knowledge gaps that remain. The results highlight that the linkage between climate change and the Antarctic ice sheet is more complex than anticipated and that major observational and numerical modeling advances will be needed before we can reliably predict its evolution in a warming climate. At present, the Antarctic ice sheet is losing mass at a rate almost comparable to that of the Greenland ice sheet, about 250 ± 31 Gt/year or 0.7 mm/year sea level rise, and the mass loss is increasing with time, at a rate slightly below that observed in Greenland, at 14 ± 2 Gt/yr2. The Antarctic ice sheet is therefore a major contributor to sea level rise and its contribution is slowly increasing with time. WIREs Clim Change 2011 2 324–331 DOI: 10.1002/wcc.110
U–Pb zircon, zircon Hf and whole-rock Sm–Nd isotopic constraints on the evolution of Paleoproterozoic rocks in the northern Gawler Craton

U–Pb zircon analyses from a series of orthogneisses sampled in drill core in the northern Gawler Craton provide crystallisation ages at ca 1775–1750 Ma, which is an uncommon age in the Gawler Craton. Metamorphic zircon and monazite give ages of ca 1730–1710 Ma indicating that the igneous protoliths underwent metamorphism during the craton-wide Kimban Orogeny. Isotopic Hf zircon data show that 1780–1750 Ma zircons are somewhat evolved with initial εHf values –4 to +0.9, and model ages of ca 2.3 to 2.2 Ga. Isotopic whole rock Sm–Nd values from most samples have relatively evolved initial εNd values of –3.7 to –1.4. In contrast, a mafic unit from drill hole Middle Bore 1 has a juvenile isotopic signature with initial εHf zircon values of ca +5.2 to +8.2, and initial εNd values of ∼+3.5 to +3.8. The presence of 1775–1750 Ma zircon forming magmatic rocks in the northern Gawler Craton provides a possible source for similarly aged detrital zircons in Paleoproterozoic basin systems of the Gawler Craton and adjacent Curnamona Province. Previous provenance studies on these Paleoproterozoic basins have appealed to the Arunta Region of the North Australian Craton to provide 1780–1750 Ma detrital zircons, and isotopically and geochemically similar basin fill. The orthogneisses in the northern Gawler Craton also match the source criteria and display geochemical similarities between coeval magmatism in the Arunta Region of the North Australian Craton, providing further support for paleogeographic reconstructions that link the Gawler Craton and North Australian Craton during the Paleoproterozoic.