Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Non-renewable groundwater use and groundwater depletion: a review

Population growth, economic development, and dietary changes have drastically increased the demand for food and water. The resulting expansion of irrigated agriculture into semi-arid areas with limited precipitation and surface water has greatly increased the dependence of irrigated crops on groundwater withdrawal. Also, the increasing number of people living in mega-cities without access to clean surface water or piped drinking water has drastically increased urban groundwater use. The result of these trends has been the steady increase of the use of non-renewable groundwater resources and associated high rates of aquifer depletion around the globe. We present a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art in research on non-renewable groundwater use and groundwater depletion. We start with a section defining the concepts of non-renewable groundwater, fossil groundwater and groundwater depletion and place these concepts in a hydrogeological perspective. We pay particular attention to the interaction between groundwater withdrawal, recharge and surface water which is critical to understanding sustainable groundwater withdrawal. We provide an overview of methods that have been used to estimate groundwater depletion, followed by an extensive review of global and regional depletion estimates, the adverse impacts of groundwater depletion and the hydroeconomics of groundwater use. We end this review with an outlook for future research based on main research gaps and challenges identified. This review shows that both the estimates of current depletion rates and the future availability of non-renewable groundwater are highly uncertain and that considerable data and research challenges need to be overcome if we hope to reduce this uncertainty in the near future.
Incidence of blindness during the Onchocerciasis control programme in western Africa, 1971-2002.

BACKGROUND Infection with Onchocerca volvulus is associated with the prevalence of severe visual impairment and blindness. However, longitudinal studies of the incidence of blindness caused by onchocerciasis are scarce. METHODS The relationship, at the individual level, between infection with O. volvulus microfilariae and bilateral blindness was examined, by use of data collected, during the Onchocerciasis Control Programme in western Africa (OCP), from 2315 villages in 11 countries. The data were analyzed by Poisson maximum-likelihood techniques with adjustment for overdispersion. RESULTS A total of 297,756 persons were eligible for follow-up in the cohort, and, during 1971-2001, these persons accumulated 367,788 person-years of follow-up without blindness. A total of 673 bilateral cases of blindness occurred during this period; 29.7% were caused by onchocerciasis. After ivermectin therapy was introduced (during 1988-2001), only 19.6% of cases were caused by onchocerciasis. The incidence of blindness was significantly and positively associated with increasing microfilarial burden (P<.001). Overall, female subjects had an ~40% lower risk of becoming blind than did male subjects (P<.001). After an initially high incidence of blindness at the beginning of the OCP, the rate of blindness from causes other than onchocerciasis remained approximately constant during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrate, in a comprehensive data set and in both sexes, a direct relationship between microfilarial load and the incidence of blindness.
Testicular teratocarcinogenesis in mice — a review

Spontaneous testicular germ cell tumours in humans and mice are remarkable for their diverse composition. These tumours are usually composed of an extraordinary variety of cell and tissue types including muscle, skin, bone, cartilage, and neuroepithelia. Their diverse composition reflects their origin from totipotent primordial germ cells at about Day 12 of fetal development. Although much is known about the development of these tumours, remarkably little is known about the genetics of the mammalian primordial germ cell lineage or about the genes that control susceptibility to spontaneous testicular germ cell tumours in humans or mice. Conventional genetic analysis of susceptible 129/Sv mice is difficult because of the large number of susceptibility genes and their low penetrance. We are taking advantage of the Ter mutation to simplify the genetic analysis. Various evidence suggests that Ter is neither necessary nor sufficient for tumourigenesis. Instead, Ter acts as a modifier, dramatically increasing tumour incidence from ˜1% in +/+ males, to ˜17% in Ter/+ males and ˜94% in Ter/Ter males. Segregation analysis suggests that Ter increases tumour incidence by requiring some, but perhaps not all, of the 129/Sv‐derived susceptibility genes. With standard crosses that segregate for the Ter mutation, identification not only of Ter but also of these 129/Sv‐derived susceptibility genes should be possible. In this paper, we review the genetics and development of germ cell tumours in 129/Sv mice, summarize the status of Ter mapping, and provide evidence that different genetic pathways lead to unilateral and bilateral tumours.
Role of dynamin and clathrin in the cellular trafficking of flotillins

Flotillin‐1 and flotillin‐2 are highly conserved, membrane‐microdomain‐associated proteins that have been shown to be involved in signal transduction, membrane trafficking and cell adhesion. Upon growth factor stimulation, flotillins are tyrosine phosphorylated and become endocytosed from the plasma membrane into endosomes from which they are recycled back to the plasma membrane. Although a role for flotillin‐1 in the endocytosis of certain cargo proteins has been suggested, it is not known how the growth‐factor‐induced endocytosis of flotillins is regulated and which endocytosis pathway is used. However, this is likely to be different from the pathway used by flotillin‐dependent cargo. In this study, we have addressed the mechanistic details of flotillin trafficking during growth factor signaling. We show that dynamin‐2 activity is required for the uptake of flotillins from the plasma membrane upon epidermal growth factor stimulation, and inhibition of dynamin‐2 GTPase activity impairs flotillin endocytosis. Surprisingly, recycling of flotillins from endosomes to the plasma membrane appears to require both dynamin‐2 and clathrin. Upon overexpression of dynamin‐2 mutants or depletion of clathrin heavy chain, flotillins are permanently trapped in endosomes. These data show that clathrin and dynamin are required for the endosomal sorting of flotillins, and the study provides a mechanistic dissection of the thus far poorly characterized endosomal trafficking of flotillins.
Endoscopically Assisted Biplanar Forehead Lift

The standard subgaleal coronal incision used for brow lifting is limited to patients with low foreheads. The subcutaneous hairline brow lift used for patients with high foreheads has a high rate of vascular complications. However, the main advantage of the subcutaneous approach is preservation of sensation posterior to the incision line. The subperiosteal approach, on the other hand, allows a better periorbital remodeling. I have combined the subperiosteal and the subcutaneous approach to take advantage of and minimize the disadvantages of each individual approach. The advent of the endoscopic technique has allowed more accurate and controlled periorbital dissection and brow depressor muscle modification. The operation is indicated in every patient in whom the anterior hairline incision is indicated. It is a good method for decreasing the height of the forehead. The dissection is done initially in the subcutaneous plane, and about halfway on the forehead slit incisions through the galea-periosteal layer and through the temporoparietal fascia are made to continue the dissection in the deep plane. The periosteal dissection and release at the arcus marginalis is done under endoscopic control. Likewise, the brow depressor muscle modification is done under endoscopic magnification. Deep anchoring sutures fix the brow in the elevated position. Trimming and closure of the cutaneous layer are done with minimal tension. The biplanar subperiosteal-subcutaneous forehead lift has been used in 24 patients with very satisfactory results. Complications have been of a minor nature. Patients have maintained sensation posterior to the hairline incision. The height of the forehead has been decreased in every case. Frontalis muscle function has been preserved.
Alignment and statistical difference analysis of complex peptide data sets generated by multidimensional LC‐MS

A method for high‐resolution proteomics analyses of complex protein mixtures is presented using multidimensional HPLC coupled to MS (MDLC‐MS). The method was applied to identify proteins that are differentially expressed during fruit ripening of tomato. Protein extracts from red and green tomato fruits were digested by trypsin. The resulting highly complex peptide mixtures were separated by strong cation exchange chromatography (SCX), and subsequently analyzed by RP nano‐LC coupled to quadrupole‐TOF MS. For detailed quantitative comparison, triplicate RP‐LC‐MS runs were performed for each SCX fraction. The resulting data sets were analyzed using MetAlign software for noise and data reduction, multiple alignment and statistical variance analysis. For each RP‐LC‐MS chromatogram, up to 7000 mass components were detected. Peak intensity data were compared by multivariate and statistical analysis. This revealed a clear separation between the green and red tomato samples, and a clear separation of the different SCX fractions. MS/MS spectra were collected using the data‐dependent acquisition mode from a selected set of differentially detected peptide masses, enabling the identification of proteins that were differentially expressed during ripening of tomato fruits. Our approach is a highly sensitive method to analyze proteins in complex mixtures without the need of isotope labeling.
Suicide in Children: A Systematic Review

The objective of this study was to provide a review of studies on suicide in children aged 14 years and younger. Articles were identified through a systematic search of Scopus, MEDLINE, and PsychINFO. Key words were “children, suicide, psychological autopsy, and case-study. ” Additional articles were identified through manual search of reference lists and discussion with colleagues. Fifteen published articles were identified, 8 psychological autopsy studies (PA), and 7 retrospective case-study series. Suicide incidence and gender asymmetry increases with age. Hanging is the most frequent method. Lower rates of psychopathology are evident among child suicides compared to adolescents. Previous suicide attempts were an important risk factor. Children were less likely to consume alcohol prior to suicide. Parent–child conflicts were the most common precipitant.
Ubiquitinated-Protein Aggregates Form in Pancreatic β-Cells During Diabetes-Induced Oxidative Stress and Are Regulated by Autophagy

Diabetes-induced oxidative stress can lead to protein misfolding and degradation by the ubiquitin-proteasome system. This study examined protein ubiquitination in pancreatic sections from Zucker diabetic fatty rats. We observed large aggregates of ubiquitinated proteins (Ub-proteins) in insulin-expressing β-cells and surrounding acinar cells. The formation of these aggregates was also observed in INS1 832/13 β-cells after exposure to high glucose (30 mmol/l) for 8–72 h, allowing us to further characterize this phenotype. Oxidative stress induced by aminotriazole (ATZ) was sufficient to stimulate Ub-protein aggregate formation. Furthermore, the addition of the antioxidants N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) and taurine resulted in a significant decrease in formation of Ub-protein aggregates in high glucose. Puromycin, which induces defective ribosomal product (DRiP) formation was sufficient to induce Ub-protein aggregates in INS1 832/13 cells. However, cycloheximide (which blocks translation) did not impair Ub-protein aggregate formation at high glucose levels, suggesting that long-lived proteins are targeted to these structures. Clearance of Ub-protein aggregates was observed during recovery in normal medium (11 mmol/l glucose). Despite the fact that 20S proteasome was localized to Ub-protein aggregates, epoxomicin treatment did not affect clearance, indicating that the proteasome does not degrade proteins localized to these structures. The autophagy inhibitor 3MA blocked aggregate clearance during recovery and was sufficient to induce their formation in normal medium. Together, these findings demonstrate that diabetes-induced oxidative stress induces ubiquitination and storage of proteins into cytoplasmic aggregates that do not colocalize with insulin. Autophagy, not the proteasome, plays a key role in regulating their formation and degradation. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration that autophagy acts as a defense to cellular damage incurred during diabetes.
Ubiquitination of α-Synuclein in Lewy Bodies Is a Pathological Event Not Associated with Impairment of Proteasome Function*

Lewy bodies are intracellular fibrillar inclusions composed of α-synuclein. They constitute the pathological hallmark of Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and other neurodegenerative diseases. Although the majority of Lewy bodies are stained for ubiquitin by immunohistochemistry, the substrate for this modification is poorly understood. Insoluble, urea-soluble α-synuclein was separated from soluble fractions and subjected to two-dimensional gel electrophoresis to further characterize pathogenic α-synuclein species from disease brains. By using this approach, we found that in sporadic Lewy body diseases a highly modified, disease-associated 22–24-kDa α-synuclein species is ubiquitinated. Conjugation of one, two, and, to a lesser extent, three ubiquitins was detected. This 22–24-kDa α-synuclein species represents partly phosphorylated protein. Furthermore, no generalized impairment of the proteolytic activity of the proteasome was detected in brain regions with Lewy body pathology. Because unmodified α-synuclein is degraded by the proteasome in a ubiquitin-independent manner, these data suggest that accumulation of modified 22–24-kDa α-synuclein is a disease-specific event which may overwhelm the proteolytic system, leading to aberrant ubiquitination. Accordingly, carboxyl-terminal-truncated α-synuclein, presumably the result of aberrant proteolysis, is found only in association with α-synuclein aggregates.
A novel self-starting ultra low-power and low-voltage two-stage DC-DC boost converter for microbial energy harvesting

This paper presents a novel self-starting low-voltage step-up DC-DC converter for energy harvesting from ultra-low-power and low-voltage energy sources. The proposed structure consists of two stages: the first stage is an autonomous oscillator, which provides the self-start-up capability with low-input voltages, and the second stage is a controllable reverse conventional buck-boost converter. The converter is simulated using ORCAD 16.5 and also its laboratory prototype is fabricated. Simulation results and experimental tests confirm that this converter is able to harvest ultra-low powers as small as 40μW from a microbial fuel cell, while feeding a 510 kΩ load with a DC voltage over 2.7V.
Welfare dynamics in rural Vietnam: Learning from regular, high-quality panel data

While many studies of welfare dynamics have been conducted using panel data sets with two or three waves, much richer insights can be obtained where more waves are available. This paper analyses this issue for the case of the Viet Nam Access to Resources Household Survey, a carefully collected and high-quality data set collected over a period of eight years from 2008 to 2016. The survey was conducted over a period of impressive overall welfare improvement, but the data set highlights significant heterogeneity in this with significant numbers of households in fact becoming worse off. A panel-based econometric analysis of the evolution of different measures of welfare identifies that there are strong dynamics in welfare for all three measures considered here, but that shocks and changes in household composition are very important drivers of changing welfare levels at the household level.
Structure and hemodynamics of microvascular networks: heterogeneity and correlations.

The objective of this study was to quantify the heterogeneity of topological, morphological, and hemodynamic parameters in microvascular networks and to identify functionally relevant correlations among these parameters. Seven networks in the rat mesentery (383-913 vessel segments per network) were examined, and measurements were made of segment generation, diameter, length, and hematocrit in all segments (n = 3,129) and of flow velocity (only in 3 networks, 1,321 segments). In addition, hematocrit, flow rate, and pressure were derived for all segments from a mathematical simulation. All parameters obtained exhibit heterogeneous distributions with coefficients of variation ranging from 0.28 (capillary diameter) to > 1.5 (volume flow and pressure gradient). Several strong correlations exist between parameters, e.g., discharge hematocrit increases with vessel diameter, and shear rate increases with intravascular pressure. Because of such correlations, the extrapolation from average values for "typical vessels" to network properties can lead to substantial errors. For example, the mean network transit time estimated based on averaged quantities is 6.5 s, which is about 60% higher than the true value (4.08 s). Simplified models of the vascular bed may therefore be inadequate to describe functional properties of the microcirculation.
Person Reidentification Using Local Pattern Descriptors and Anthropometric Measures From Videos of Kinect Sensor

With development of RGB-D sensors, high-quality depth images are obtained easily. In this paper, we investigate the depth and skeleton information obtained from Kinect sensor for person reidentification and consider using inexpensive depth camera device known as Kinect camera. Using depth and skeleton information, some challenging problems in person reidentification as illumination and computation complexity are considered and new solutions are specified for the issues. In this paper, histograms of local binary patterns, local derivative patterns, and local tetra patterns are computed as features for person reidentification. Then, these histograms are fused with anthropometric features using score-level fusion. The proposed methods are applied on two database: RGBD-ID database and KinectREID database. Finally, experimental results demonstrate the validity of the proposed methods.
The Role of Nitric Oxide in Endothelium‐Dependent Vasodilation of Hypercholesterolemic Patients

BackgroundPatients with hypercholesterolemia have a reduced response to endothelium-dependent vasodilators. However, the regulatory function of the endothelium on vascular tone is mediated through the release of several vasoactive substances; therefore, a reduced response to endothelium-dependent agents does not identify which of the factors released by the endothelium is involved in this abnormality. Methods and Result. To investigate the role of nitric oxide in the endothelium-dependent vasodilation in hypercholesterolemia, we studied the effect of NG-monomethylRL-arginine (L-NMMA), an inhibitor of endothelial nitric oxide synthesis, on basal vascular tone and on the responses to acetylcholine, an endothelium-dependent vasodilator, and to sodium nitroprusside, a direct smooth muscle dilator. The study included 33 hypercholesterolemic patients (17 men; 51±8 years; plasma cholesterol, .240 mg/dL) and 23 normal controls (12 men; 48±7 years; plasma cholesterol, <210 mgldL). Drugs were infused into the brachial artery, and the response of the forearm vasculature was measured by strain-gauge plethysmography. Basal blood flow and vascular resistance were similar in hypercholesterolemic patients and normal controls (3.1±1 versus 2.6±0.8 mL/min per 100 mL and 32.1±13 versus 36.1±12 mm Hg/mL-1 min−1. 100 mL-1, respectively). The reduction in basal blood flow and increase in vascular resistance produced by L-NMMA were not significantly different between the two groups. L-NMMA markedly blunted the response to acetylcholine in normals (maximum flow decreased from 16.4±8 to 7.0±3; P<.005); however, the arginine analogue did not significantly modify the response to acetylcholine in the hypercholesterolemic patients (maximum flow, 11.1±8 versus 10.0±8). L-NMMA did not modify the vasodilator response to sodium nitroprusside in either controls or patients. ConclusionsThese findings indicate that hypercholesterolemic patients have a defect in the bioactivity of nitric oxide that may explain their impaired endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation.
Severe functional impairment and elevated PD‐1 expression in CD1d‐restricted NKT cells retained during chronic HIV‐1 infection

Invariant CD1d‐restricted NKT cells play important roles in regulating both innate and adaptive immunity. They are targeted by HIV‐1 infection and severely reduced in number or even lost in many infected subjects. Here, we have investigated the characteristics of NKT cells retained by some patients despite chronic HIV‐1 infection. NKT cells preserved under these circumstances displayed an impaired ability to proliferate and produce IFN‐γ in response to CD1d‐restricted lipid antigen as compared with cells from uninfected control subjects. HIV‐1 infection was associated with an elevated expression of the inhibitory programmed death‐1 (PD‐1) receptor (CD279) on the CD4− subset of NKT cells. However, blocking experiments indicated that the functional defects in NKT cells were largely PD‐1‐independent. Furthermore, the elevated PD‐1 expression and the functional defects were not restored by anti‐retroviral treatment, and the NKT cell numbers in blood did not recover significantly in response to treatment. The functional phenotype of NKT cells in these patients suggests an irreversible immune exhaustion due to chronic activation in vivo. The data demonstrate a severe functional impairment in the remaining NKT‐cell compartment in HIV‐1‐infected patients, which limits the prospects to mobilize these cells in immunotherapy approaches in patients.
Polycystic ovary syndrome: infertility, cardiovascular, metabolic and obstetrical risks, laboratory and clinical outcomes—The PICOLO Study

Objectives: The primary objective of this multicenter study is to evaluate the relative impact of insulin resistance (IR) and body mass index (BMI) in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) on (1) Key hemodynamic/thrombogenic variables, (2) Oocyte quality and early embryo development, (3) Fetal growth, placental function and adverse obstetric outcome. Secondary objective: To establish a PCOS database and biobank facilitating future basic and interventional research related to PCOS. Design: A cross-sectional and longitudinal cohort study at four University Hospitals in Denmark. Population inclusion: About 200 women fulfilling the Rotterdam Criteria and 100 women without PCOS recruited from 2010 to 2012. Methods: The impact of PCOS, as well as the impact of IR and BMI on the hormonal, metabolic and hemostatic key variables will be analyzed combining conventional, molecular techniques and selected gene analysis. Oocytes will be characterized by gene expression of granulosa and cumulus cells and the early embryo development will be followed by time lapse microscopy. Fetal growth will be assessed by repeated ultrasound measurements, and the pregnancy outcome compared to maternal and fetal biochemical markers of growth and inflammation and clinical pregnancy complications. Main outcome measures: Metabolic and hemostatic risk-biomarkers, oocyte and embryo quality, adverse pregnancy outcome, fetal growth and placental function in women with PCOS.