Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Snow-Patch Influence on Soil Biogeochemical Processes and Invertebrate Distribution in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica

Abstract The McMurdo Dry Valleys is the largest of the ice-free areas in Antarctica. Precipitation events in excess of 1 cm of snow accumulation are rare. During the winter, snow is transported by strong katabatic winds blowing from the polar plateau, and deposited into the lee of topographic features (e.g., stream channels and other topographic depressions). At the start of the austral summer (early October), as much as 10% of the valley soils may be covered by distributed snow patches. Because liquid water is the primary driver of biological, physical, and chemical processes in this polar desert, quantifying fluxes of water from snow patches is important to understanding the influence of hydrology on soil biology and nutrient cycling. During the austral summer of 1999–2000, four snow patches that had developed during the previous winter in Taylor Valley were studied. We measured snow-patch area, depth, and snow water equivalent, as well as subnivian (under snow) and nearby exposed (control) soil temperature, light intensity, soil moisture, invertebrate abundance, soil organic matter content, and 95-d labile pools of C and N. Subnivian soils differed from exposed soils being as much as 26.8°C colder than exposed soils; average soil moisture ranging from 6.9 to 13.6% compared to 0.4% in exposed soils; soil invertebrate populations exceeding 7900 individuals kg−1 dry soil versus less than 1200 individuals kg−1 dry soil in exposed soils; and soil invertebrate species richness values greater than 2 taxa, compared to 1.3 taxa in exposed soils. The results of this study show that these seasonal, sparse snow patches may be an important source of moisture and control habitat of soil ecosystems in this extreme environment.
Impact of Secretory Immunoglobulin A Level on Dental Caries Experience in Asthmatic Children

ABSTRACT Objectives To assess the association between different factors in saliva and dental caries experience in children with bronchial asthma. Materials and methods A total of 60 asthmatic children and 60 healthy controls of both genders with age ranging from 4- to 12-year-old. The asthmatics were grouped according to disease severity into mild, moderate, or severe asthma. All the children were clinically examined to assess their dental caries experience (deft/DMFT), and stimulated saliva samples were collected to measure the saliva pH, flow rate, ά-amylase, and secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA)-level changes. The data were statistically analyzed using the SPSS program (v. 23) to test for significance at p ≤ 0.05. Results Asthmatic children presented significantly higher deft mean value (6.77 ± 1.69), as well as significantly reduced stimulated saliva flow (0.82 ± 0.2) and sIgA (29.42 ± 6.31) when compared to healthy control. The sIgA of asthmatics showed statistically significant negative correlation with deft and DMFT. Severe asthmatics presented significantly the lowest sIgA mean level (23.61 ± 5.33) and the most reduced saliva flow rate (0.64 ± 0.20). Conclusion The reduction in saliva flow rate and secretory immunoglobulin A render asthmatic children more prone to increased dental caries progression mainly of primary dentition. How to cite this article Arafa A, AlDahlawi S, Hussien A, et al. Impact of Secretory Immunoglobulin A Level on Dental Caries Experience in Asthmatic Children. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2019;12(5):414–418.
Characteristics and outcomes of interhospital transfers from level II to level I pediatric intensive care units*

Objective: To examine the characteristics, resource utilization, and outcomes for transfer admissions from level II to level I pediatric intensive care units (PICUs). Design: Retrospective study. Setting: A 16-bed level I PICU in a tertiary care children’s hospital. Patients: All transfer admissions from level II PICUs from January 1, 1997, through December 31, 2003; admissions for cardiac surgery were excluded. Patient characteristics, resource utilization, and outcomes were described and then compared across predefined strata (low <5%, moderate 5–30%, and high >30%) of predicted probability of death. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: Of 168 transfer admissions, 45%, 30%, and 25% were in the low, moderate, and high mortality risk groups, respectively. Length of stay at the referring PICU was shortest for the high-risk admissions. The most frequent diagnoses among all risk groups were respiratory failure (49%) and sepsis (14%). High-risk admissions were more likely to receive advanced therapies such as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (41.5% high risk vs. 39.2% moderate vs. 6.6% low risk, p < .01) and renal replacement therapy (34.2% vs. 17.7% vs. 2.6%, p < .01). The high-risk admissions had longer PICU length of stay and the highest death rates (34% vs. 10% vs. 4%, p < .01) when compared with the moderate- and low-risk admissions, respectively. Conclusions: This study highlights significant differences in patient characteristics, resource utilization, and outcomes across mortality risk-stratified groups of critically ill and injured children transferred from level II to level I PICU care. Further studies are warranted to investigate decision making that prompt inter-PICU transfers.
Monitoring and detecting CO2 injected into water-saturated sandstone with joint seismic and resistivity measurements

As part of basic studies of monitoring carbon dioxide (CO2) storage using electrical and seismic surveys, laboratory experiments have been conducted to measure resistivity and P-wave velocity changes due to the injection of CO2 into water-saturated sandstone. The rock sample used is a cylinder of Berea sandstone. CO2 was injected under supercritical conditions (10 MPa, 40°C). The experimental results show that resistivity increases monotonously throughout the injection period, while P-wave velocity and amplitude decrease drastically due to the supercritical CO2 injection. A reconstructed P-wave velocity tomogram clearly images CO2 migration in the sandstone sample. Both resistivity and seismic velocity are useful for monitoring CO2 behaviour. P-wave velocity, however, is less sensitive than resistivity when the CO2 saturation is greater than ~20%. The result indicates that the saturation estimation from resistivity can effectively complement the difficulty of CO2 saturation estimations from seismic velocity variations. By combining resistivity and seismic velocity we were able to estimate CO2 saturation distribution and the injected CO2 behaviour in our sample.
Reflectance properties of grey-scale Spectralon® as a function of viewing angle, wavelength, and polarization

ABSTRACT The remote-sensing community uses grey-scale Spectralon to evaluate the performance of instruments designed to observe geologic surfaces with a range of reflectance values. This article presents the normalized biconical reflectance factor of a series of grey-scale Spectralon targets taken at viewing angles ranging from 10° to 80°. The darkest Spectralon standard, when illuminated at nadir incidence with s-polarized 1064 nm light, first undergoes a decrease in reflectance factor with increasing viewing angle, then encounters a minimum, after which the reflectance factor increases with increasing viewing angle. When progressively brighter Spectralon samples are measured, the reflectance factor dip at lower emergence angles becomes less pronounced and the slope at higher emergence angles is more gradual until, for the 20% Spectralon sample, the curve dips downward at the highest emergence angles. Measuring the grey-scale Spectralon set of targets using p-polarized incident light, the same trends described above are seen, except for the darkest Spectralon target, which monotonically decreases in reflectance factor. The data show a total decrease of 44%. The reflectance factor curves observed at 852 nm are similar to those seen at 1064 nm in that the same number of inflection points and the same sign of slope is seen at both wavelengths. However, comparing two different incidence angles using 1064 nm s polarized incident light, the slope of the reflectance factor curve does change significantly. For the brightest Spectralon target, the slope is positive for = 60° and negative for = 0° at all viewing angles measured. For the darkest Spectralon target, the slope is larger for = 60° than for = 0° at all viewing angles measured. At = 60°, the data show a total increase of 1360% in reflectance factor.
Paleoenvironments of Early Theropods, Chinle Formation (Late Triassic), Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona

Abstract Three localities in the Chinle Formation (Late Triassic), Petrified Forest National Park (PEFO), Arizona, provide insights into the paleoenvironments frequented by primitive North American theropods. At the Dinosaur Wash locality, an undetermined theropod is preserved in paleosols that indicate a transition from wet to dry conditions on the floodplain. Coelophysis bauri remains from the Dinosaur Hill locality are preserved in a filled channel scour. The paleosols at this locality contain carbonate nodules intimately associated with Fe and Mn oxides, indicative of alternating alkaline/acidic conditions around roots in response to a semi-arid climate with strong seasonal precipitation. At the Dinosaur Hollow locality, Chindesaurus bryansmalli is preserved in a setting similar to those encountered at Dinosaur Hill. The paleosols exhibit vertic features, such as pseudoanticlines, and are indicative of water-deficit periods during the year. The most complete theropod remains at PEFO are predominantly preserved in distinctive blue-colored paleosol horizons showing depletion in iron and aluminum, and exhibiting features such as localized Fe concentrations and mottling. These are interpreted as A-horizons of redoximorphic paleosols developed in wet areas of the floodplain where the degree of water saturation fluctuated. Preservational conditions of PEFO theropod localities indicate they are time-averaged attritional mortality assemblages representative of contemporaneous organisms. Comparison of these localities to the well-known Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, Coelophysis quarry reinforces the idea that the quarry represents unique preservational conditions.
Modification of stratospheric circulation by trace constituent changes

The effect on the quasi-biennial oscillation of diabatic heating due to volcanic aerosols is investigated. A diabatic vertical velocity of the order of 0.2 km month−1, corresponding to a localized tropical heating rate of the order of 0.1°C/day, has an effect on the QBO similar to that observed in 1963–1965. Easterly shear zones are relatively cold at the equator; their descent is retarded by the diabatic circulation. When all other factors are assumed constant, the dynamical link between Agung and the QBO requires tropical confinement of the aerosol cloud and a radiative heating rate of the correct order of magnitude. There is evidence that these requirements may have been met at least in the first 2 years following the Agung eruption. In this case, the effect of the Agung aerosol cloud in 1963–1965 is seen to be dynamical as well as thermodynamical, resulting in an anomalously long QBO period.
Substratum‐Associated Microbiota

Methods Abundance and activity. Advances were made in the enumeration and detection of fungi, bacteria and viruses. Schmidt and Dilcher (2007) demonstrated that aquatic fungi may be over-represented in amber because of fungal growth in water droplets within pre-amber resin. Leucine incorporation method was successfully applied to the measurement of productivity of periphytic bacteria on the roots of the floating macrophyte Eichornia crassipes (Miranda et al., 2007). A polyphasic approach, applying the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of dsr gene fragments, sulfate reduction rate measurements, serial ______________________
MSTIDs impact on GNSS observations and its mitigation in rapid static positioning at medium baselines

Total electron content (TEC) fluctuation in the ionosphere is one of the main unresolved problems degrading ambiguity resolution and thus affect the reliability of satellite positioning. With regard to conditions prevailing at mid-latitudes, the impact of the upper atmospheric layers is primarily associated with the occurrence of medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDs). This study contains the combined analysis involving MSTIDs patterns observed in raw phase data and their impact on rapid static positioning. The first part is aimed at discrepancies in wavelike MSTIDs signatures detected in time series of high elevated measurements. It was demonstrated that the differences in slant ionospheric delays at medium baselines often exceed 0.5 TEC units and more importantly, the detected MSTIDs patterns were highly mutable. The next section presents the impact of MSTIDs on double differenced ionospheric delays and performance of rapid static positioning. The positioning was executed using two approaches. The first one adopted as a benchmark strategy was the geometry-based relative positioning model with weighted ionosphere and troposphere parametrization. The second approach was the improved version of the former. It used the rate of TEC corrections, which allowed the mitigation of MSTIDs through the reduction of epoch-wise ionospheric delays to one parameter for each double-differenced arc. The comparison of results for both strategies indicated significant improvement of positioning performance after the application of proposed algorithm.
Family Cluster of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Infections, Tunisia, 2013

In 2013 in Tunisia, 3 persons in 1 family were infected with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). The index case-patient’s respiratory tract samples were negative for MERS-CoV by reverse transcription PCR, but diagnosis was retrospectively confirmed by PCR of serum. Sequences clustered with those from Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.
Upregulation of micro-ribonucleic acid-128 cooperating with downregulation of PTen confers metastatic potential and unfavorable prognosis in patients with primary osteosarcoma

Objective: Abnormal expression of micro-ribonucleic acid (miRNA [miR])-128 has been observed in various human cancer types, and its validated target genes are implicated in cancer-related cellular processes, such as cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Especially, it has been demonstrated that miR-128 may play an important role in the proliferation of human osteosarcoma cells in vitro by directly inhibiting PTEN, which functions as a tumor suppressor in this malignancy. In the current study, we investigated the involvement of miR-128 and its target gene PTEN in tumor progression and prognosis in patients with primary osteosarcoma. Materials and methods: Expression levels of miR-128 and PTEN messenger RNA in osteosarcoma and noncancerous bone tissues obtained from 100 patients with primary osteosarcoma were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: Expression levels of miR-128 and PTEN messenger RNA in osteosarcoma tissues were significantly higher and lower, respectively, than those in noncancerous bone tissues (both P , 0.001). In addition, high miR-128 expression and low PTEN expression, alone (miR-128-high or PTEN-low) or combined (miR-128-high/PTEN-low), were all dramatically associated with poor response to chemotherapy and positive metastasis. More importantly, the associations of miR-128-high/PTEN-low expression with these clinicopathological parameters were more significant than miR-128-high or PTEN-low alone. Finally, miR-128 expression, PTEN expression, miR-128/PTEN expression, the response to chemotherapy and the metastatic status were all identified as independent prognostic factors for overall survival and disease-free survival. Conclusion: These findings indicate for the first time that the deregulation of miR-128 and its target gene PTEN may be involved in the aggressive progression of human osteosarcoma. Notably, the upregulation of miR-128 cooperating with the downregulation of PTEN may confer an unfavorable prognosis in patients with this malignancy. its target gene PTEN in tumor progression and prognosis in patients with primary osteosarcoma.
Building On-Track Indicators for High School Graduation and College Readiness: Evidence from New York City

Students' engagement and performance in their first year of high school offer strong signals about their prospects for earning a diploma 4 years later. These performance measures can be used to construct on-track indicators to measure a school's performance and to identify needs of specific students who are at risk of dropping out. This article undertakes a systematic reanalysis of several on-track indicators that predicted the likelihood of graduating with a New York State Regents diploma in New York City. The analytic dataset contains comprehensive longitudinal information for first-time 9th graders who are enrolled in high school between 2001–2002 and 2010–2011. The results show that the current New York City Department of Education indicator (earning 10 or more course credits in the 9th grade) offers a reliable prediction of graduation with a Regents diploma. However, an indicator based on earning 10 or more credits and passing at least one Regents exam represents a substantial improvement on the current indicator and was used as the primary indicator for additional analyses. These analyses showed that this on-track indicator has been reliable and stable across seven cohorts of entering 9th graders. The analysis also shows that the substantial increase in 9th-grade on-track rates offers a reliable foreshadowing of increases in Regents diploma graduation rates in New York City. Additionally, the on-track indicator was highly predictive for a wide range of student subgroups and helps to highlight the prominent gaps in performance along racial, gender, and economic lines. Finally, the article highlights significant variation in on-track rates across schools, that should be investigated in future research.
Sustainability of the integrated chronic disease management model at primary care clinics in South Africa

Background An integrated chronic disease management (ICDM) model consisting of four components (facility reorganisation, clinical supportive management, assisted self-supportive management and strengthening of support systems and structures outside the facility) has been implemented across 42 primary health care clinics in South Africa with a view to improve the operational efficiency and patient clinical outcomes. Aim The aim of this study was to assess the sustainability of the facility reorganisation and clinical support components 18 months after the initiation. Setting The study was conducted at 37 of the initiating clinics across three districts in three provinces of South Africa. Methods The National Health Service (NHS) Institute for Innovation and Improvement Sustainability Model (SM) self-assessment tool was used to assess sustainability. Results Bushbuckridge had the highest mean sustainability score of 71.79 (95% CI: 63.70–79.89) followed by West Rand Health District (70.25 (95% CI: 63.96–76.53)) and Dr Kenneth Kaunda District (66.50 (95% CI: 55.17–77.83)). Four facilities (11%) had an overall sustainability score of less than 55. Conclusion The less than optimal involvement of clinical leadership (doctors), negative staff behaviour towards the ICDM, adaptability or flexibility of the model to adapt to external factors and infrastructure limitation have the potential to negatively affect the sustainability and scale-up of the model.
Nitrification in premise plumbing and its effect on corrosion and water quality degradation

Nitrification is increasingly of concern in US potable water systems, due to changes from chlorine to chloramine as a secondary disinfectant in order to comply with new regulations for disinfectant byproducts. The ammonia that is released from the chloramine decay supports nitrification. A comprehensive literature review systematically examined the complex inter-relationships between nitrification, materials corrosion and metals release. That analysis suggested that nitrification could accelerate decay of chloramine, enhance corrosion of water distribution system materials, and increase leaching of lead and copper to potable water under at least some circumstances. Moreover, that certain plumbing materials would inhibit nitrification, but that in other situations the plumbing materials would enhance nitrification. Experiments verified that nitrification could affect the relative efficacy of chlorine versus chloramine in controlling heterotrophic bacteria in premise plumbing. Without nitrification, chloramine was always more persistent and effective than chlorine in controlling biofilms. But with nitrification and in pipe materials that are relatively non-reactive with chlorine, chloramine was much less persistent and less effective than chlorine. In materials that are reactive with chlorine such as iron pipes, the relative efficacy of chloramine versus chlorine depends on the relative rate of corrosion and rate of nitrification. High rates of corrosion and low rates of nitrification favor the use of chloramine versus free chlorine in controlling bacteria. Plumbing materials had profound impacts on the incidence of nitrification in homes. Effects were due to toxicity (i.e., release of Cu), recycling of nitrate back to ammonia substrate by reaction (zerovalent iron, lead or zinc materials), or release of nutrients that are essential to nitrification by leaching from concrete or other materials. As a general rule it was determined that concrete and iron materials encouraged growth of nitrifiers in certain oligotrophic waters, materials such as lead, PVC/plastic pipe, glass and surfaces of other materials were readily colonized by nitrifiers, and materials such as copper and brass were very toxic and relatively resistant to nitrifier colonization.
Analyzing Change in Yellowstone's Terrestrial Emittance with Landsat Imagery

Yellowstone National Park (YNP) contains the world's largest concentration of geothermal features and is legally mandated to protect and monitor these natural features. Remote sensing is a component of the current geothermal monitoring plan. Landsat satellite data have a substantial historical archive and will continue to be collected into the future, making it the only available thermal imagery for historical analysis and long-term monitoring of geothermal areas in the entirety of YNP. Landsat imagery from Thematic Mapper (TM) and Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) sensors was used to examine change trajectories for terrestrial emittance among spatial groupings from 1986 to 2007. Trajectories of locations with known change events were also examined. Relationships between the spatial groupings and several change vectors (distance to geologic faults, distance to large water bodies, and distance to earthquake swarms) were explored. The analysis showed the strongest relationship between absolute difference in terrestrial emittance and earthquake swarms, with 34% of the variation explained. Certain known change events were reflected in the change trajectories, while the Landsat imagery was not able to detect other known events. This suggests that Landsat imagery might be a useful tool for monitoring geothermal responses in YNP, but cannot be expected to suffice as the sole monitoring tool.