Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Isotopic Fractionation at the Base of Polar and Sub-Polar Glaciers

Abstract The melting of ice and the subsequent production of regelation ice from the melt water in a large-scale closed system beneath sub-polar and polar glaciers produces progressive fractionation between the melt water and the regelation ice derived from it. A theory is developed which predicts the change of isotopic composition in regelation ice in a subglacial zone of freezing and in the water from which it is derived. The theory is tested against data from the Byrd Station bore hole in West Antarctica, and applied to explain features of the isotopic composition in several other glaciers where thick sequences of regelation ice have formed. The principal conclusions are: 1. Basal isotopic profiles can be used to reconstruct important features of a glacier’s hydrological system. 2. Isotopic profiles in basal regelation ice do not simply reflect isotopic characteristics of ancient atmospheres but also, by using the theory, some of the isotopic characteristics of the normal glacier ice which was destroyed by melting and subsequently produced regelation ice can be reconstructed. Basal regelation ice at Byrd Station reflects an original ice source isotopically colder than the overlying normal ice, and may have formed during the penultimate glacial period, equivalent to stage 6 of the oceanic record. 3. The subglacially derived debris typically found in basal regelation ice gives a complex strain response to a changing pattern of stresses produced by flow over an irregular subjacent bed. Thus, complex tectonic structures in this ice produce highly variable isotopic profiles. However, its gross isotopic characteristics can still be used to reconstruct some of its history. A sharp change in isotopic values tends to occur at the upper limit of basal regelation ice, the nature of which depends on the style and thickness of tectonic disturbance. 4. Isotopic profiles in basal ice can be used to distinguish normal glacier ice from regelation ice, and give strong support to the view that regelation is the major process by which debris is incorporated into the base of a glacier.
Patients Hospitalized for COVID-19 in the Periods of Delta and Omicron Variant Dominance in Greece: Determinants of Severity and Mortality

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been a pandemic since 2020, and depending on the SARS-CoV-2 mutation, different pandemic waves have been observed. The aim of this study was to compare the baseline characteristics of patients in two phases of the pandemic and evaluate possible predictors of mortality. Methods: This is a retrospective multicenter observational study that included patients with COVID-19 in 4 different centers in Greece. Patients were divided into two groups depending on the period during which they were infected during the Delta and Omicron variant predominance. Results: A total of 979 patients (433 Delta, 546 Omicron) were included in the study (median age 67 years (54, 81); 452 [46.2%] female). Compared to the Omicron period, the patients during the Delta period were younger (median age [IQR] 65 [51, 77] vs. 70 [55, 83] years, p < 0.001) and required a longer duration of hospitalization (8 [6, 13] vs. 7 [5, 12] days, p = 0.001), had higher procalcitonin levels (ng/mL): 0.08 [0.05, 0.17] vs. 0.06 [0.02, 0.16], p = 0.005, ferritin levels (ng/mL): 301 [159, 644] vs. 239 [128, 473], p = 0.002, C- reactive protein levels (mg/L): 40.4 [16.7, 98.5] vs. 31.8 [11.9, 81.7], p = 0.003, and lactate dehydrogenase levels (U/L): 277 [221, 375] vs. 255 [205, 329], p < 0.001. The Charlson Comorbidity Index was lower (3 [0, 5] vs. 4 [1, 6], p < 0.001), and the extent of disease on computed tomography (CT) was greater during the Delta wave (p < 0.001). No evidence of a difference in risk of death or admission to the intensive care unit was found between the two groups. Age, cardiovascular events, acute kidney injury during hospitalization, extent of disease on chest CT, D-dimer, and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio values were identified as independent predictors of mortality for patients in the Delta period. Cardiovascular events and acute liver injury during hospitalization and the PaO2/FiO2 ratio on admission were identified as independent predictors of mortality for patients in the Omicron period. Conclusions: In the Omicron wave, patients were older with a higher number of comorbidities, but patients with the Delta variant had more severe disease and a longer duration of hospitalization.
Mapping and measuring social capital : a conceptual and empirical study of collective action for conserving and developing watersheds in Rajasthan, India

Social capital is a popular current concept in the development literature and in development agencies. But is it real enough to be measured in the field and validated with reference to the achievement of desired outcomes of development programs? Is it something that could be purposefully increased? This paper reports on the observed relationship between capital and development outcomes in 64 villages of Rajasthan, India. All of these participated for the last seven years in an Indian government and World Bank-funded program for watershed conservation and development. They provide an empirical basis for evaluating whether social capital can be identified and evaluated in quantitative terms. The authors find that an index of such social capital variables is related positively and consistently with superior development outcomes both in watershed conservation and in cooperative development activities more generally. In addition to social capital, they found two variables--political competition and literacy--also having some significant associations with the measured developed performance. Other factors that were expected to be associated with superior outcomes based on theories and hypotheses in the literature are not, however, confirmed by data analysis using correlation, regression, and factor analysis techniques.
Household Food Security and Consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages among New York City (NYC) Children: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of 2017 NYC Kids’ Data

Food insecurity is a stressor associated with adverse health outcomes, including the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). Our study tests the hypothesis that other socioeconomic vulnerabilities may magnify this effect using cross-sectional data from the 2017 New York City (NYC) Kids Survey. Households providing an affirmative response to one or both food security screener questions developed by the US Department of Agriculture were coded as households with low food security. The number of sodas plus other SSBs consumed was standardized per day and categorized as 1 = none, 2 = less than one, and 3 = one or more. We tested the joint effect of low food security with chronic hardship, receipt of federal aid, and immigrant head of household on a sample of n = 2362 kids attending kindergarten and beyond using ordinal logistic regression and accounting for the complex survey design. Only having a US-born parent substantially magnified the effect of low household food security on SSB consumption (OR = 4.2, 95%CI: 2.9–6.3, p < 0.001) compared to the reference group of high household food security with an immigrant parent. The effect of low food security on SSB consumption among NYC children warrants intersectional approaches, especially to elucidate US-based SSB norms in low-food-security settings.
Emotion awareness and cognitive behavioural therapy in young people with autism spectrum disorder

Young people with autism spectrum disorder experience high levels of emotional problems, including anxiety and depression. Adapted cognitive behavioural therapy is recommended for such difficulties. However, no evidence suggests whether emotion awareness is important in treatment outcome for young people on the autism spectrum. This study aimed to investigate the potential differences in emotion awareness between (1) young people on the autism spectrum and typically developing youth and (2) young people on the autism spectrum with and without experience of cognitive behavioural therapy. Three groups (aged 11–20 years) participated: (1) typically developing young people (n = 56); (2) young people on the autism spectrum with no experience of cognitive behavioural therapy (n = 23); and (3) young people on the autism spectrum who had attended cognitive behavioural therapy (n = 33). All participants completed the Emotion Awareness Questionnaire–30 item version. Young people on the autism spectrum differed significantly from typically developing young people on the emotional awareness measure. Young people on the autism spectrum who had attended cognitive behavioural therapy scored significantly lower on the Differentiating Emotions subscale, and significantly higher on the Attending to Others’ Emotions subscale, compared to young people on the autism spectrum who had not attended cognitive behavioural therapy. This study highlights the importance of psycho-educational components of cognitive behavioural therapy when adapting for young people on the autism spectrum.
RELATIONSHIP OF FOREIGN INSTITUTIONAL OWNERSHIP AND RELATIONSHIP OF FOREIGN INSTITUTIONAL OWNERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT INCENTIVES TO TAX AVOIDANCE MANAGEMENT INCENTIVES TO TAX AVOIDANCE

This study aims to examine whether foreign institutional ownership and management incentives can prevent tax avoidance practices in companies. The study was carried out on the manufacturing companies registered on IDX in the 2018-2020 period with 150 observations taken from 50 samples of companies. The sample selection used was purposive sampling. The data were analyzed using multiple regression. The results show that ownership of foreign institutions and management incentives negatively affect tax avoidance, which means that both factors can reduce tax avoidance. This result confirms the perspective of the agency theory used. Likewise, this study helps to enrich agency theory through the role of foreign institutional ownership and management incentives in tax avoidance, and it also helps to assist companies in considering these two factors to minimize tax avoidance practices
Changes of water quality in small reservoirs in agricultural landscape of Northern Podlasie

The hydrological regime in reservoirs is one of the factors used in control of water quality. Inflow of nutrients, water retention time and other agricultural activity within a catchment influence the intensity of eutrophication. Observed dissimilarities permit reservoirs to be assigned to two groups: PFR (with periodical stream inflow) and SFR (with permanent river inflow). Organic nitrogen forms depend on processes inside reservoirs with periodic flow. Dominating in reservoirs of the SFR type mineral nitrogen form is bound with the migration from basins with surface runoff. Slow exchange of water during vegetation season is favourable to development of the phytoplankton, which limits clarity of water in PFR reservoirs. Labile phosphorus forms (SRP, SOP) were connected to spring runoff. Important participation of dissolved organic carbon in the TOC was observed throughout the year in all reservoirs. The PFR reservoirs very intensively change water quality: produced organic compounds and reduced mineral nutrient load. SFR reservoirs have the hydrochemical character of rivers which were created on.
d-Serine Increases Release of Acetylcholine in Rat Submandibular Glands

Simple Summary Oral administration of d-serine, but not l-serine, increased its concentrations in the rat submandibular gland and pilocarpine-induced salivary secretion. Perfusion of the rat submandibular gland with d-serine via the submandibular gland artery increased carbachol-induced salivary secretion. The proportion of the d-form of serine in interstitial fluid was higher than that in plasma or saliva. Infusion of d-serine with l-glutamate through the microdialysis probe significantly increased acetylcholine levels in the submandibular glands in an N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor glycine site antagonist-sensitive manner. Abstract d-serine has been observed in submandibular gland tissue in rats, but its functions remain to be clarified. Oral administration of d-serine, but not l-serine, increased its concentrations in the submandibular gland and pilocarpine-induced salivary secretion. In vivo microdialysis was used to collect the d- and l-enantiomers of amino acids from local interstitial fluid in the rat submandibular gland. The proportion of the d-form of serine in interstitial fluid was higher than that in plasma or saliva. Perfusion of the rat submandibular gland with d-serine and l-glutamic acid via the submandibular gland artery resulted in a significant increase in salivary secretion after stimulation of muscarinic receptors with carbachol. In vivo microdialysis applied to the submandibular glands of rats showed that infusion of d-serine along with l-glutamate through the microdialysis probe significantly elevated acetylcholine levels in local interstitial fluids in the submandibular glands of anesthetized rats as compared to that with l-glutamate alone in an N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor glycine site antagonist-sensitive manner. These results indicate that d-serine augments salivary secretion by increasing acetylcholine release in the salivary glands.
Spasticity in disorders of consciousness: a behavioral study.

BACKGROUND Spasticity is a frequent complication after severe brain injury, which may impede the rehabilitation process and diminish the patients' quality of life. AIM We here investigate the presence of spasticity in a population of non-communicative patients with disorders of consciousness. We also evaluate the correlation between spasticity and potential factors of co-morbidity, frequency of physical therapy, time since insult, presence of pain, presence of tendon retraction, etiology and diagnosis. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING University Hospital of Liège, Belgium. POPULATION Sixty-five patients with chronic (>3 months post insult) disorders of consciousness were included (22 women; mean age: 44±14 y; 40 with traumatic etiology; 40 in a minimally conscious state; time since insult: 39±37 months). METHODS Spasticity was measured with the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) and pain was assessed using the Nociception Coma Scale-Revised (NCS-R). RESULTS Out of 65 patients, 58 demonstrated signs of spasticity (89%; MAS≥1), including 40 who showed severe spasticity (61.5%; MAS≥3). Patients with spasticity receiving anti-spastic medication were more spastic than unmedicated patients. A negative correlation was observed between the severity of spasticity and the frequency of physical therapy. MAS scores correlated positively with time since injury and NCS-R scores. We did not observe a difference of spasticity between the diagnoses. CONCLUSION A large proportion of patients with disorders of consciousness develop severe spasticity, possibly affecting their functional recovery and their quality of life. The observed correlation between degrees of spasticity and pain scores highlights the importance of pain management in these patients with altered states of consciousness. Finally, the relationship between spasticity and treatment (i.e., pharmacological and physical therapy) should be further investigated in order to improve clinical care. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT Managing spasticity at first signs could improve rehabilitation of patients with disorders of consciousness and maximize their chances of recovery. In addition, decreasing this trouble could allow a better quality of life for these non-communicative patients.
Effect of Bariatric Surgery on Plasma Cell-Free Mitochondrial DNA, Insulin Sensitivity and Metabolic Changes in Obese Patients

While improvement of mitochondrial function after bariatric surgery has been demonstrated, there is limited evidence about the effects of bariatric surgery on circulatory cell-free (cf) mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and intracellular mtDNA abundance. Plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear (PBM) cells were isolated from healthy controls (HC) and bariatric surgery patients before surgery and 2 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months after surgery. At baseline, the plasma level of short cf-mtDNA (ND6, ~100 bp) fragments was significantly higher in obese patients compared to HC. But there was no significant variation in mean ND6 values post-surgery. A significant positive correlation was observed between preop plasma ND6 levels and HgbA1c, ND6 and HOMA-IR 2 weeks post-surgery, and mtDNA content 6 months post-surgery. Interestingly, plasma from both HC and obese groups at all time points post-surgery contains long (~8 kb) cf-mtDNA fragments, suggesting the presence of near-intact and/or whole mitochondrial genomes. No significant variation was observed in mtDNA content post-surgery compared to baseline data in both PBM and skeletal muscle samples. Overall, bariatric surgery improved insulin sensitivity and other metabolic parameters without significant changes in plasma short cf-mtDNA levels or cellular mtDNA content. Our study provides novel insights about possible molecular mechanisms underlying the metabolic effects of bariatric surgery and suggests the development of new generalized approaches to characterize cf-mtDNA.
The Exon 3-Deleted Growth Hormone Receptor (d3GHR) Polymorphism—A Favorable Backdoor Mechanism for the GHR Function

Growth hormone (GH) is a peptide hormone that plays a crucial role in controlling growth, development, and lifespan. Molecular regulation of GH is accomplished via the GH receptor (GHR), which is the main factor influencing human development and is essential to optimal functioning of the GH/IGF-I axis. Two GHR isoforms have been studied, according to the presence (flGHR) or absence (d3GHR) of exon 3. The d3GHR isoform, which lacks exon 3 has recently been related to longevity; individuals carrying this isoform have higher receptor activity, improved signal transduction, and alterations in the treatment response and efficacy compared with those carrying the wild type (WT) isoform (flGHR). Further, studies performed in patients with acromegaly, Prader–Willi syndrome, Turner syndrome, small for gestational age (SGA), and growth hormone deficiency (GHD) suggested that the d3GHR isoform may have an impact on the relationship between GH and IGF-I levels, height, weight, BMI, and other variables. Other research, however, revealed inconsistent results, which might have been caused by confounding factors, including limited sample sizes and different experimental methods. In this review, we lay out the complexity of the GHR isoforms and provide an overview of the major pharmacogenetic research conducted on this ongoing and unresolved subject.
MPCT: Multiscale Point Cloud Transformer With a Residual Network

The self-attention (SA) network revisits the essence of data and has achieved remarkable results in text processing and image analysis. SA is conceptualized as a set operator that is insensitive to the order and number of data, making it suitable for point sets embedded in 3D space. However, working with point clouds still poses challenges. To tackle the issue of exponential growth in complexity and singularity induced by the original SA network without position encoding, we modify the attention mechanism by incorporating position encoding to make it linear, thus reducing its computational cost and memory usage and making it more feasible for point clouds. This article presents a new framework called multiscale point cloud transformer (MPCT), which improves upon prior methods in cross-domain applications. The utilization of multiple embeddings enables the complete capture of the remote and local contextual connections within point clouds, as determined by our proposed attention mechanism. Additionally, we use a residual network to facilitate the fusion of multiscale features, allowing MPCT to better comprehend the representations of point clouds at each stage of attention. Experiments conducted on several datasets demonstrate that MPCT outperforms the existing methods, such as achieving accuracies of 94.2% and 84.9% in classification tasks implemented on ModelNet40 and ScanObjectNN, respectively.
GROUNDWATER PATHWAYS FOR CHLORIDE POLLUTION OF LAKES. IN: CHEMICAL DEICERS AND THE ENVIRONMENT

The purpose of this paper is to acquaint the reader with some of the evidence for road salt contamination in groundwater systems in Wisconsin, and to demonstrate how these pathways are significant vectors of salt and other potential contaminants to lake systems. The focus is on two areas in Wisconsin, the first relatively pristine and the second urbanized, and the critical similarities and dissimilarities between the two.
Teachers’ Practice of Form-Focused Feedback in Writing Classroom Teaching Writing At SMK N 1 Blado, Batang.

This study focused on the description of the teachers’ perception, plan, implementation, and evaluation of Form-Focused Feedback (FFF) in teaching writing. It employed a descriptive qualitative study that applied interviews, questionnaires, and classroom observations in obtaining the research data. The research took place in a vocational high school in Central Java and involved two teachers as well as the twelfth-grade students as the research participants. The results of the study show that the teachers mostly have the same perceptions of Form-Focused Feedback as the experts and researchers of previous related studies. The teachers’ lesson plans show that the teachers included almost all the categories to implement FFF. However, an assessment category which is essential in teaching and learning process was not covered in the lesson plan. The implementation of FFF in teaching writing show that there was only in one out of four meetings the teachers implemented the FFF. Both teachers integrated the FFF and Project Based Learning methods through group discussion. The evaluation of the FFF show that the students made good progress in the form context. It affects the text’s coherence and cohesion and helps students write more accurately. Teachers’ perceptions, planning, and implementation of the FFF have a positive relation to each other. In addition, it suggests that Form-Focused Feedback be used in writing classroom. Also, teachers need to anticipate the facts that the FFF implementation may occur along with the challenges and problems.