Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Water Quality and Some Heavy Metals in Water and Sediments of Euphrates River, Iraq

Water samples, sediments from three stations in Euphrates River, Iraq were analyzed quantitatively for some physical and chemical characters and six heavy metals (Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni and Pb) using flam atomic absorption spectrophotpmeter in period Sept. 2009-Oct. 2010. The physical and chemical characters included temperature, pH, water flow, salinity, dissolved oxygen, BOD5, alkalinity total hardness, calcium and nutrients (nitrite, nitrate reactive phosphate and silicate). The results showed variation in water flow 0.05-0.40 m/sec. , according to the values of salinity 0.40%-0.60% values of the BOD5 were ranged between 0.2-4.3 mg/L. The mean concentration of the heavy metals (Pb, Ni, Mn, Co, Cu and Fe) of the dissolved phase in water were 0.13 µg/L, 0.021 µg/L, 0.31 µg/L, 4.29 µg/L, 7.78 µg/L, 6.46 µg/L and 79.04 µg/L, respectively, while their concentration in the particulate phase were 0.59 µg/g, 0.06 µg/g, 0.42 µg/g, 50.06 µg/g, 6.61 µg/g, 7.17 µg/g and 149.42 µg/g dry weight, respectively. Also the mean concentrations of heavy metals in sediment (exchangeable phase) were 0.51 µg/g,0.18 µg/g, 0.08 µg/g, 61.39 µg/g, 5.40 µg/g, 14.06 µg/g and 130.05 µg/g dry weight respectively, and 0.40 µg/g, 0.17 µg/g, 0.10 µg/g, 63.01 µg/g, 4.64 µg/g, 18.44 µg/g and 126.26 µg/g D.W. respectively in residual phase of sediment.
Mechanism of Liuwei Dihuang Pills in treating osteoporosis based on network pharmacology

Osteoporosis is a prevalent age-related disease that poses a significant public health concern as the population continues to age. While current treatments have shown some therapeutic benefits, their long-term clinical efficacy is limited by a lack of stable curative effects and significant adverse effects. Traditional Chinese Medicine has gained attention due to its positive curative effects and fewer side effects. Liuwei Dihuang Pill has been found to enhance bone mineral density in patients with osteoporosis and rats, but the underlying mechanism is not yet clear. To shed more light on this problem, this study aims to explore the pharmacological mechanism of Liuwei Dihuang Pill in treating osteoporosis using network pharmacology and molecular docking. The findings indicate that Liuwei Dihuang Pills treat osteoporosis through various targets and channels. Specifically, it mainly involves TNF, IL17, and HIF-1 signaling pathways and helps regulate biological processes such as angiogenesis, apoptosis, hypoxia, and gene expression. Furthermore, molecular docking demonstrates excellent binding properties between the drug components and key targets. Therefore, this study offers a theoretical foundation for understanding the pharmacological mechanism and clinical application of Liuwei Dihuang Pills in treating osteoporosis more comprehensively.
Source Characterization for Broadband Ground-Motion Simulation: Kinematic Heterogeneous Source Model and Strong Motion Generation Area

We estimate strong motion generation areas that reproduce near-source ground motions in a broadband frequency range (0.2-10 Hz) using the empirical Green's function technique. The strong motion generation areas are defined as extended areas with relatively large slip velocities within a total rupture area. Four M 6 class (the 1997 Kagoshima on March and May, 1997 Yamaguchi, and 1998 Iwate) and several moderate-size earthquakes in Japan were analyzed. We examine the relationship between the strong motion generation area and the area of asperities, which is characterized based on heterogeneous slip distributions estimated from low-frequency (<1 Hz) waveform inversions (Somerville et al. , 1999). We performed waveform fitting in acceleration, velocity, and displacement, then obtained the strong motion generation area occupying about a quarter of the total rupture area. The size and position of the strong motion generation area coincide with those of characterized asperities. We find self-similar scaling of seismic moment to both the size of the strong motion generation area and the rise time for a magnitude range of analyzed earthquakes. Based on our results, we propose a characterized source model for the broadband ground-motion simulation, which consists of strong motion generation areas with large slip velocities and a background slip area with a small slip velocity. Waveform modeling of the characterized source model suggests that the strong motion generation areas play important roles in simulating broadband ground motions and have the potential to be an about 10-MPa stress-release area on the fault. Manuscript received 22 August 2002.
What are the characteristics of participatory surveillance systems for influenza-like-illness?

Background Seasonal influenza causes significant morbidity and mortality, with an estimated 9.4 million hospitalisations and 290 000-650 000 respiratory related-deaths globally each year. Influenza can also cause mild illness, which is why not all symptomatic persons might necessarily be tested for influenza. To monitor influenza activity, healthcare facility-based syndromic surveillance for influenza-like illness is often implemented. Participatory surveillance systems for influenza-like illness (ILI) play an important role in influenza surveillance and can complement traditional facility-based surveillance systems to provide real-time estimates of influenza-like illness activity. However, such systems differ in designs between countries and contexts, making it necessary to identify their characteristics to better understand how they fit traditional surveillance systems. Consequently, we aimed to investigate the performance of participatory surveillance systems for ILI worldwide. Methods We systematically searched four databases for relevant articles on influenza participatory surveillance systems for ILI. We extracted data from the included, eligible studies and assessed their quality using the Joanna Briggs Critical Appraisal Tools. We then synthesised the findings using narrative synthesis. Results We included 39 out of 3797 retrieved articles for analysis. We identified 26 participatory surveillance systems, most of which sought to capture the burden and trends of influenza-like illness and acute respiratory infections among cohorts with risk factors for influenza-like illness. Of all the surveillance system attributes assessed, 52% reported on correlation with other surveillance systems, 27% on representativeness, and 21% on acceptability. Among studies that reported these attributes, all systems were rated highly in terms of simplicity, flexibility, sensitivity, utility, and timeliness. Most systems (87.5%) were also well accepted by users, though participation rates varied widely. However, despite their potential for greater reach and accessibility, most systems (90%) fared poorly in terms of representativeness of the population. Stability was a concern for some systems (60%), as was completeness (50%). Conclusions The analysis of participatory surveillance system attributes showed their potential in providing timely and reliable influenza data, especially in combination with traditional hospital- and laboratory led-surveillance systems. Further research is needed to design future systems with greater uptake and utility.
Prevalence, Clinical Features, Neuroimaging, and Genetic Findings in Children With Ataxic Cerebral Palsy in Europe

Background and Objectives To report on prevalence, associated impairments, severity, and neuroimaging findings in children with ataxic cerebral palsy (CP). Methods In children coded as having ataxic CP in the Central database of Joint Research Center–Surveillance of Cerebral Palsy in Europe (JRC-SCPE) and born during 1980–2010, birth characteristics, severity profiles including associated impairments, neuroimaging patterns, and the presence of syndromes were analyzed. Definitions were according to validated SCPE guidelines. Prevalence over time was estimated using Poisson regression. Results In total, 679 children with ataxic CP were identified in 20 European CP registers. The proportion with ataxic CP was 3.8% and varied from 0% to 12.9%. Prevalence over time showed no significant trend. Approximately 70% of children with ataxic CP were able to walk, and 40% had severe intellectual impairment and a high impairment index. Children with ataxic CP were mostly born at term (79%) and with normal birth weight (77%). Neuroimaging patterns revealed normal findings in 29%, brain maldevelopments in 28.5%, miscellaneous findings in 23.5%, and brain injuries in 19%, according to the SCPE classification. Genetic syndromes were described in 9%. Discussion This register-based multicenter study on children with ataxic CP provides a large sample size for the analysis of prevalence, severity, and origin of this rare CP subtype. Even with strict inclusion and classification criteria, there is variation between registers on how to deal with this subtype, and diagnosis of ataxic CP remains a challenge. Ataxic cerebral palsy differs from other CP subtypes: children with ataxic CP have a disability profile that is more pronounced in terms of cognitive than gross motor dysfunction. They are mostly term born and the origin rarely suggests acquired injuries. In addition to neuroimaging, a comprehensive genetic workup is particularly recommended for children with this CP type.
Seismic reflection character of the Hikurangi subduction interface, New Zealand, in the region of repeated Gisborne slow slip events

SUMMARY We use seismic reflection data to map the geometry and character of the subduction interface in the Gisborne area of the Hikurangi subduction margin, New Zealand, which experiences repeated shallow (<15 km) slow slip events. The reflection character and geometry in this area is highly variable, which we interpret to be related to the subduction of seamounts and underthrust sediments. Three zones of high-amplitude interface reflectivity (HRZ-1, 2 and 3) are interpreted to be the result of fluid-rich sediments that have been entrained with subducting seamounts. The interface above the HRZ zones is shallower than the surrounding areas by 2–4 km, due to the warping of the interface to accommodate seamount subduction. These zones of high-amplitude reflectivity and shallower interface geometry correlate broadly with locations of recorded slow slip events from 2002 to 2008. We hypothesize that effective stresses on the interface may be lower along the northeast margin in areas of high-amplitude reflectivity due to; (1) the enhanced underthrusting of fluid-rich sediment, (2) reduced overburden stresses where the interface has been warped to shallower depths to accommodate seamount subduction and (3) potential fluid flow concentration effects leading to overpressure along these shallower interface corrugations. From our observations we propose localized reductions in effective stress caused by interface structural relief may be a potential factor in promoting shallow slow slip events.
Renal function in very old critically ill patients

Purpose of review Current demographic change leads to higher number of elderly patients admitted to an ICU. Among other organs also the kidneys show age-related changes, which are associated with a decline in various aspects of renal function. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of structural and functional changes in elderly and also to specifically address the increased risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) in this population. Recent findings Ageing in the kidneys is affected by many different factors, such as low grade chronic inflammation, called inflammageing, and various comorbidities. Nevertheless, a decrease of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) occurs independent of the presence of comorbidities and a steady decline of GFR has been reported in both healthy men and women. Pharmacodynamic of many drugs is altered by these changes. Additionally the rate of diuretic resistance appears to be increased. The cause of AKI occurrence in older age is, multifactorial and includes preventable triggers (hypovolemia, hypotension, nephrotoxins) as well as changes associated with aging. Summary Age-related alterations of the kidneys were found at microscopic and macroscopic levels of the cell. These changes lead to a reduced renal reserve and subsequently to an increased vulnerability of aged kidneys when an additional stressor is added. Age is an independent risk factor for developing AKI. Physicians should take into account the altered renal function in elderly patients and take renal protective measures at an early stage.
Remediation of theory of mind in children with autism spectrum disorders: Effectiveness and transferability of training effects to behavioral symptoms

Background Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) struggle with impaired theory of mind. We aimed to evaluate the effect of remediation of theory of mind on theory of mind, face perception, and behavioral symptoms in children with ASD. Methods Thirty children with ASD were randomly assigned to two equal groups of theory of mind training and active control group. Attentive remediation of theory of mind (ARTOM) and story-telling sessions were used for intervention in the groups. Theory of mind and facial emotion recognition tests as well as Gilliam autism rating scale (GARS) were used for assessment in three baseline, post-intervention, and follow-up sessions. Repeated measures ANOVAs were used for analysis. Results The results showed improvement in facial emotion recognition and theory of mind in intervention group. The behavioral symptoms, measured by GARS, were ameliorated in the intervention group. The training effects lasted until follow-up session. Conclusions The results suggest remediation of basic components of theory of mind, without direct intervention on theory of mind, improves theory of mind skill. The results also suggest that the remediation of basic components of theory of mind improves social and communicational performance and ameliorates stereotypes symptoms in children with ASD.
Longitudinal cognitive function and brain metabolites in women receiving chemotherapy for stage 1 to 3 breast cancer: Observational study

Few proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies have explored chemotherapy-related biochemical changes in brain regions. This observational study aimed to longitudinally assess short-term cognitive changes and brain metabolite concentrations in women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. We analyzed 11 women with newly diagnosed stage 1 to 3 breast cancer. Patients were evaluated via objective cognitive testing, and patient self-report tests. Patients were examined using single voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in the medial frontal cortex, posterior cingulate gyrus, and left thalamus at baseline and after the completion of chemotherapy on a 1.5 Tesla scanner. At the posttreatment evaluation as compared to baseline, 7 of the 10 (70%) patients reported worsening memory on the MD Anderson symptom inventory (annualized change = 1.82 ± 2.88, P = .08), while the delayed recall raw score of the Rey Osterrieth complex figure test did not change from pre- to post-chemotherapy (mean annualized change = 5.00 ± 14.38, P = .30). The annualized change in the creatine concentration in the posterior cingulate gyrus was statistically significant. The annualized change in the MD Anderson symptom inventory was negatively correlated with the annualized change in the medial frontal N-acetylaspartate (Spearman correlation coefficient [rho] = −0.78, P = .01) and positively correlated with the annualized change in the posterior cingulate gyrus creatine (rho = 0.66, P = .04). Annualized changes in the Rey Osterrieth complex figure test were positively correlated with annualized changes in choline (rho = 0.83, P = .01) in the medial frontal cortex, choline (rho = 0.76, P = .04) in the left thalamus, and creatine (rho = 0.73, P = .02) in the medial frontal cortex. Our data suggest that chemotherapy may lead to the worsening of self-reported memory function, which is associated with alterations in brain metabolites.
Conformation state‐specific monobodies regulate the functions of flexible proteins through conformation trapping

Synthetic binding proteins have emerged as modulators of protein functions through protein–protein interactions (PPIs). Because PPIs are influenced by the structural dynamics of targeted proteins, investigating whether the synthetic‐binders‐based strategy is applicable for proteins with large conformational changes is important. This study demonstrates the applicability of monobodies (fibronectin type‐III domain‐based synthetic binding proteins) in regulating the functions of proteins that undergo tens‐of‐angstroms‐scale conformational changes, using an example of the A55C/C77S/V169C triple mutant (Adktm; a phosphoryl transfer‐catalyzing enzyme with a conformational change between OPEN/CLOSED forms). Phage display successfully developed monobodies that recognize the OPEN form (substrate‐unbound form), but not the CLOSED form of Adktm. Two OPEN form‐specific clones (OP‐2 and OP‐4) inhibited Adktm kinase activity. Epitope mapping with a yeast‐surface display/flow cytometry indicated that OP‐2 binds to the substrate‐entry side of Adktm, whereas OP‐4 binding occurs at another site. Small angle X‐ray scattering coupled with size‐exclusion chromatography (SEC‐SAXS) indicated that OP‐4 binds to the hinge side opposite to the substrate‐binding site of Adktm, retaining the whole OPEN‐form structure of Adktm. Titration of the OP‐4–Adktm complex with Ap5A, a transition‐state analog of Adktm, showed that the conformational shift to the CLOSED form was suppressed although Adktm retained the OPEN‐form (i.e., substrate‐binding ready form). These results show that OP‐4 captures and stabilizes the OPEN‐form state, thereby affecting the hinge motion. These experimental results indicate that monobody‐based modulators can regulate the functions of proteins that show tens‐of‐angstroms‐scale conformational changes, by trapping specific conformational states generated during large conformational change process that is essential for function exertion.
High‐fat diet increases electron transfer flavoprotein synthesis and lipid respiration in skeletal muscle during exercise training in female mice

High‐fat diet (HFD) and exercise remodel skeletal muscle mitochondria. The electron transfer flavoproteins (ETF) transfer reducing equivalents from β‐oxidation into the electron transfer system. Exercise may stimulate the synthesis of ETF proteins to increase lipid respiration. We determined mitochondrial remodeling for lipid respiration through ETF in the context of higher mitochondrial abundance/capacity seen in female mice. We hypothesized HFD would be a greater stimulus than exercise to remodel ETF and lipid pathways through increased protein synthesis alongside increased lipid respiration. Female C57BL/6J mice (n = 15 per group) consumed HFD or low‐fat diet (LFD) for 4 weeks then remained sedentary (SED) or completed 8 weeks of treadmill training (EX). We determined mitochondrial lipid respiration, RNA abundance, individual protein synthesis, and abundance for ETFα, ETFβ, and ETF dehydrogenase (ETFDH). HFD increased absolute and relative lipid respiration (p = 0.018 and p = 0.034) and RNA abundance for ETFα (p = 0.026), ETFβ (p = 0.003), and ETFDH (p = 0.0003). HFD increased synthesis for ETFα and ETFDH (p = 0.0007 and p = 0.002). EX increased synthesis of ETFβ and ETFDH (p = 0.008 and p = 0.006). Higher synthesis rates of ETF were not always reflected in greater protein abundance. Greater synthesis of ETF during HFD indicates mitochondrial remodeling which may contribute higher mitochondrial lipid respiration through enhanced ETF function.
Robust Perception and Precise Segmentation for Scribble-Supervised RGB-D Saliency Detection

This paper proposes a scribble-based weakly supervised RGB-D salient object detection (SOD) method to relieve the annotation burden from pixel-wise annotations. In view of the ensuing performance drop, we summarize two natural deficiencies of the scribbles and try to alleviate them, which are the weak richness of the pixel training samples (WRPS) and the poor structural integrity of the salient objects (PSIO). WRPS hinders robust saliency perception learning, which can be alleviated via model design for robust feature learning and pseudo labels generation for training sample enrichment. Specifically, we first design a dynamic searching process module as a meta operation to conduct multi-scale and multi-modal feature fusion for the robust RGB-D SOD model construction. Then, a dual-branch consistency learning mechanism is proposed to generate enough pixel training samples for robust saliency perception learning. PSIO makes direct structural learning infeasible since scribbles can not provide integral structural supervision. Thus, we propose an edge-region structure-refinement loss to recover the structural information and make precise segmentation. We deploy all components and conduct ablation studies on two baselines to validate their effectiveness and generalizability. Experimental results on eight datasets show that our method outperforms other scribble-based SOD models and achieves comparable performance with fully supervised state-of-the-art methods.
Licochalcone A induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis via suppressing MAPK signaling pathway and the expression of FBXO5 in lung squamous cell cancer

Lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is a highly heterogeneous malignancy with high mortality and few therapeutic options. Licochalcone A (LCA, PubChem ID: 5318998) is a chalcone extracted from licorice and possesses anticancer and anti-inflammatory activities. The present study aimed to elucidate the anticancer effect of LCA on LSCC and explore the conceivable molecular mechanism. MTT assay revealed that LCA significantly inhibited the proliferation of LSCC cells with less cytotoxicity towards human bronchial epithelial cells. 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EdU) assay demonstrated that LCA could reduce the proliferation rate of LSCC cells. The flow cytometric assays indicated that LCA increased the cell number of the G1 phase and induced the apoptosis of LSCC cells. LCA downregulated the protein expression of cyclin D1, cyclin E, CDK2 and CDK4. Meanwhile, LCA increased the expression level of Bax, cleaved poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase-1 (PARP1) and caspase 3, as well as downregulated the level of Bcl-2. Proteomics assay demonstrated that LCA exerted its antitumor effects via inhibiting mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways and the expression of F-box protein 5 (FBXO5). Western blot analysis showed that LCA decreased the expression of p-ERK1/2, p-p38MAPK and FBXO5. In the xenograft tumors of LSCC, LCA significantly inhibited the volumes and weight of tumors in nude mice with little toxicity in vital organs. Therefore, the present study demonstrated that LCA effectively inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in vitro, and suppressed xenograft tumor growth in vivo. LCA may serve as a future therapeutic candidate of LSCC.
Developing Grassland Ecological Animal Husbandry Is the Effective Way to Settle the Dilemma of Grassland Degradation

Based on the analysis of the dilemma of degraded grassland and the adopted measures to solve the problem that devoting major efforts to develop grassland ecological animal husbandry is the effective way to settle the dilemma of degraded grassland was put forward.The developing pattern and distribution of the ecological animal husbandry was discussed;ensuring measures to fasten the development of grassland ecological animal husbandry were put forward.