Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of environmental exposureto benzene : traditional and newbiomarkers of internal dose

In view of the widespread ubiquity of benzene in the environment and of its carcinogenic effects on man, this toxicant poses a public health problem that has prompt nations to undertake active measures to contain environmental concentrations below the limit judged to be an acceptable risk threshold for the general population (World Health Organization [WHO], 2000). In the occupational field, until the 1950s benzene was the solvent most commonly employed in some industrial processes, and especially in rubber, printing and shoemaking industries, because of its chemico-physical properties and low cost. This caused exposure of these workers to high benzene concentrations that induced toxic effects and acute non lymphocytic leukemia (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry [ATSDR], 2007; WHO, 1993). Due to these adverse effects, its use in industrial processes was then abandoned, replacing benzene firstly by hexane, but this proved to provoke peripheral neuropathies, and then by less toxic solvents such as heptane. In Italy the use of benzene as a solvent is banned by Law 245/1963, although traces below 2% are permitted in solvents of a different chemical nature (Italian Parliament, 1963). Benzene is still used as a raw material or intermediate product in the chemical industry, mainly to synthesize ethylbenzene, cumene and cyclohexane, and to a limited extent as a
In-silico and structure-based assessment to evaluate pathogenicity of missense mutations associated with non-small cell lung cancer identified in the Eph-ephrin class of proteins

Ephs belong to the largest family of receptor tyrosine kinase and are highly conserved both sequentially and structurally. The structural organization of Eph is similar to other receptor tyrosine kinases; constituting the extracellular ligand binding domain, a fibronectin domain followed by intracellular juxtamembrane kinase, and SAM domain. Eph binds to respective ephrin ligand, through the ligand binding domain and forms a tetrameric complex to activate the kinase domain. Eph-ephrin regulates many downstream pathways that lead to physiological events such as cell migration, proliferation, and growth. Therefore, considering the importance of Eph-ephrin class of protein in tumorigenesis, 7,620 clinically reported missense mutations belonging to the class of variables of unknown significance were retrieved from cBioPortal and evaluated for pathogenicity. Thirty-two mutations predicted to be pathogenic using SIFT, Polyphen-2, PROVEAN, SNPs&GO, PMut, iSTABLE, and PremPS in-silico tools were found located either in critical functional regions or encompassing interactions at the binding interface of Eph-ephrin. However, seven were reported in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Considering the relevance of receptor tyrosine kinases and Eph in NSCLC, these seven mutations were assessed for change in the folding pattern using molecular dynamic simulation. Structural alterations, stability, flexibility, compactness, and solvent-exposed area was observed in EphA3 Trp790Cys, EphA7 Leu749Phe, EphB1 Gly685Cys, EphB4 Val748Ala, and Ephrin A2 Trp112Cys. Hence, it can be concluded that the evaluated mutations have potential to alter the folding pattern and thus can be further validated by in-vitro, structural and in-vivo studies for clinical management.
Atmospheric pressure loading effects on Global Positioning System coordinate determinations

Earth deformation signals caused by atmospheric pressure loading are detected in vertical position estimates at Global Positioning System (GPS) stations. Surface displacements due to changes in atmospheric pressure account for up to 24% of the total variance in the GPS height estimates. The detected loading signals are larger at higher latitudes where pressure variations are greatest; the largest effect is observed at Fairbanks, Alaska (latitude 65 deg), with a signal root mean square (RMS) of 5 mm. Out of 19 continuously operating GPS sites (with a mean of 281 daily solutions per site), 18 show a positive correlation between the GPS vertical estimates and the modeled loading displacements. Accounting for loading reduces the variance of the vertical station positions on 12 of the 19 sites investigated. Removing the modeled pressure loading from GPS determinations of baseline length for baselines longer than 6000 km reduces the variance on 73 of the 117 baselines investigated. The slight increase in variance for some of the sites and baselines is consistent with expected statistical fluctuations. The results from most stations are consistent with approximately 65% of the modeled pressure load being found in the GPS vertical position measurements. Removing an annual signal from bothmore » the measured heights and the modeled load time series leaves this value unchanged. « less
The white racial frame of public health discourses about racialized health differences and “disparities”: what it reveals about power and how it thwarts health equity

Although several public health scholars have advocated for more clarity about concepts such as health disparities and health equity, attention to the framing of public health discourses about racialized health differences and “disparities” in the U.S., and what it reveals about power and the potential for achieving health equity, is surprisingly rare. Sociologist Joe Feagin, in his book, The White Racial Frame: Centuries of Racial Framing and Counter-Framing coined the term white racial frame to describe the predominantly white racialized worldview of majority white and white-oriented decisionmakers in everyday and institutional operations. Informed by insights from critical race theories about the white racial frame, white epistemological ignorance, and colorblind racism; critical perspectives on social class; Black feminist perspectives; framing; and critical discourse analysis, in this perspective I discuss: (1) the power of language and discourses; (2) the white racial frame of three common public health discourses — health disparities, “race,” and social determinants of health (SDOH); (3) the costs and consequences of the white racial frame for advancing health equity; and (4) the need for more counter and critical theoretical frames to inform discourses, and in turn research and political advocacy to advance health equity in the U.S.
A global portrait of hydrological changes at the 2050 horizon for the province of Québec

This paper presents the methodology and results of a vast study on climate change impacts on hydrology for the province of Québec for the 2050 horizon. A climate ensemble was first built with simulations from the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP)'s Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 3 (CMIP3) multi-model dataset, the North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program (NARCCAP) and the Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM) operational runs. Direct outputs and post-processed data from the climate simulations were used as input to the calibrated HSAMI hydrological model in order to produce a large ensemble of hydrological projections for 305 Québec watersheds. Simulations results indicate that increases in mean annual streamflow are projected for the whole province, with greater changes (up to 14%) in the north. The intra-annual distribution of streamflow also changes, with higher winter flows and lower summer flows as well as apparently earlier spring floods. The maximum height of the snow cover and the number of days with snow on the ground are likely to diminish for the 2050 horizon for the southern half of the province, while the northern half will see more snow, but a shorter snow season as well.
The Micro-Pulse Lidar Network (MPL-Net)

In the early 1990s, the first small, eye-safe, and autonomous lidar system was developed, the Micro-pulse Lidar (MPL). The MPL has proven to be useful in the field because it can be automated, runs continuously (day and night), is eye-safe, can easily be transported and set up, and has a small field-of-view which limits multiple scattering concerns. The MPL acquires signal profiles of backscattered laser light from aerosols and clouds. The signals are analyzed to yield multiple layer heights, optical depths of each layer, average extinction-to-backscatter ratio of each layer, and profiles of extinction in each layer. The MPL has been used in a wide variety of field studies over the past 10 years, leading to nearly 20 papers and many conference presentations. In 2000, a new project using MPL systems was started at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. The MPL-Net project is currently working to establish a worldwide network of MPL systems, all co-located with NASA's AERONET sunphotometers for joint measurements of optical depth and sky radiance. Automated processing algorithms have been developed to produce data products on a next day basis for all sites and some field experiments. Initial results from the first several sites are shown, along with aerosol data collected during several major field campaigns. Measurements of the aerosol extinction-to-backscatter ratio at several different geographic regions, and for various aerosol types are shown. This information is used to improve the construction of look up tables of the ratio, needed to process aerosol profiles acquired with satellite based lidars.
Transforming clinical trials: the emerging roles of large language models

Clinical trials are essential for medical research, but they often face challenges in matching patients to trials and planning. Large language models (LLMs) offer a promising solution, signaling a transformative shift in the field of clinical trials. This review explores the multifaceted applications of LLMs within clinical trials, focusing on five main areas expected to be implemented in the near future: enhancing patient-trial matching, streamlining clinical trial planning, analyzing free text narratives for coding and classification, assisting in technical writing tasks, and providing cognizant consent via LLM-powered chatbots. While the application of LLMs is promising, it poses challenges such as accuracy validation and legal concerns. The convergence of LLMs with clinical trials has the potential to revolutionize the efficiency of clinical trials, paving the way for innovative methodologies and enhancing patient engagement. However, this development requires careful consideration and investment to overcome potential hurdles.
Estimating Poromechanical Properties Using a Nonlinear Poroelastic Model

AbstractA physics-based method is proposed for simultaneously obtaining the hydraulic conductivity, Young’s modulus, and Poisson’s ratio of soil materials using the uniaxial consolidation test. A nonlinear poroelastic model is presented, and the settlement data from consolidation tests are fitted to the model at each load step with the least-squares error method to inverse the parameters. The model results perfectly fit the experimental data in the initial load steps but slightly deviate from the data in later load steps as a result of secondary settlement and a largely increased Young’s modulus. The inversed parameters are compared with those calculated from the uniaxial consolidation test and those found in the literature. The comparison results demonstrate that the inversed parameters are reasonable. The proposed method provides both an estimation of parameters and the parameter-change information during a consolidation test. The method is simple, efficient, and versatile for obtaining poromechanical p.
Provenance of Permian‐Triassic volcaniclastic sedimentary terranes in New Zealand: Evidence from their radiogenic isotope characteristics and detrital mineral age patterns

Abstract Detrital mineral age patterns, Rb‐Sr age, and initial strontium isotope ratio variations are reported for metasediments of the Brook Street, Dun Mountain‐Maitai, and Murihiku Terranes (informally grouped as “central arc terranes") of New Zealand. U‐Pb SHRIMP detrital zircon age populations in Late Permian Tramway Formation, sandstones of the Dun Mountain‐Maitai Terrane in Nelson and Southland, New Zealand, show restricted Late Permian (253–268 Ma) and broader Devonian‐Carboniferous (330–373 Ma) age components in about equal proportions, with a minor (<20%) proportion of early Paleozoic and Mesoproterozoic ages. The Permian component is related to contemporaneous volcanic inputs, whereas the older Devonian‐Carboniferous component is derived from a mixture of exhumed continental crust of Lachlan Fold Belt, and possibly New England Fold Belt age characteristics. A detrital zircon age population of Jurassic Barretts Formation sandstone of the Brook Street Terrane in Wairaki valley, Southland, carries a major (75%), dominantly Middle Jurassic to Late Triassic (170–230 Ma) component derived from contemporary volcanic inputs of uncertain origin, and a minor (<25%) Middle Triassic to Late Permian (229–254 Ma) component. Rb‐Sr isochron ages (t) of Brook Street, Dun Mountain‐Maitai, and Murihiku Terrane metasediments (and their initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (i) at the time of metamorphism), reveal cooling age patterns consequent upon low‐grade metamorphism in latest Triassic and earliest Jurassic times. The (t)‐(i) data define a central arc terranes group consistently less radiogenic than Permian and Triassic time correlatives in the Torlesse Supergroup of the Rakaia Terrane. This feature suggests a provenance that includes sediment detritus dominantly from less radiogenic I‐type igneous sources in both Lachlan and New England Fold Belts in similar proportions, and with little contribution from their Precambrian and early Paleozoic hinterlands.
Focal mechanisms of major earthquakes in southwest Japan and their tectonic significance.

Focal mechanisms are investigated for 56 major earthquakes with magnitudes around 6.0 and greater that have occurred in southwest Japan since 1920's in order to clarify the relationship between seismic activity and the underthrusting of the Philippine Sea plate along the Nankai trough and the Ryukyu trench.Focal mechanisms of large earthquakes along the Nankai trough and in the Hyuganada are similar to one another, indicating a low-angled thrusting. This feature can be explained in terms of elastic rebound of the continental block which is dragged down by the underthrusting Philippine Sea plate.For very shallow inland earthquakes except those located around the Izu peninsula and in the Kyushu region, the P-axes tend to be oriented in the eastwest direction. This seismological evidence, together with geologic evidence, indicates that the E-W tectonic compression has prevailed in the crust of southwest Japan for one or two million years up to the present. The E-W compression has been interpreted to arise mainly from the subduction of the Pacific plate.Focal mechanisms of subcrustal earthquakes are characterized by systematic alignments of the T-axes. In the region from Iyonada to the southern Chubu district where the Philippine Sea plate does not penetrate into the asthenosphere but remains in the continental plate, the T-axes are parallel to the leading edge of the underthrusting plate (parallel extension). Under the Kyushu island and the northern Ryukyu arc, on the other hand, the T-axes dip westwards and are approximately parallel to the dip of the inclined seismic zone extending down to 150-200 km, suggesting down-dip extension characteristic of the intermediate-depth seismic zones. From these facts, the following tectonic model can be derived: While the leading edge of the underthrusting oceanic plate remains within the continental plate, subcrustal earthquakes with T-axes parallel to the leading edge occur as a result of interaction between the oceanic and the continental plates. As soon as the oceanic plate begins to penetrate down into the asthenosphere, subcrustal earthquakes with down-dip extension occur in the underthrusting plate by the gravitational pull.
Synthesis of a layered medium from its acoustic transmission response

A direct (noniterative) method is presented to determine an acoustic layered medium from the seismogram due to a time‐limited plane wave incident from the lower halfspace. It is shown that one side of the autocorrelation of the seismogram due to an impulsive source at depth is the seismogram due to an impulsive source on the surface. This transforms the problem to the acoustic reflections problem as solved by Kunetz. Both the deep source time function and the layering can be determined from a surface seismogram.
Effects of parent material and land use on soil erodibility

The objective of the present investigation was to find out the effect of different parent materials and land use on soil erodibility. Four types of parent materials such as andesite, basalt, alluvial, and gypsum, and three land use types such as grass, clover, and maize, all wide spread in Erzurum Province in Turkey, were tested. Aggregate stability and soil erodibility factors were determined. The susceptibility of soils against erosion decreased in the order of parent materials basalt > andesite > alluvial > gypsum. Likewise, the susceptibility of land use can be sorted as follows: grass > clover > maize.
Economic Impacts of Climate Change on Agriculture: Adaptation and Vulnerability

It is well known that agriculture is vulnerable to climate change because agricultural industries are strongly affected by climate conditions (see the summary treatment in Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC], WGI, 2007). Production conditions are directly influenced by temperature, precipitation, storms, and droughts along with the plant growth stimulating effects of carbon dioxide (CO2). They are also indirectly affected by climate induced alterations in market prices, incidence of pests and diseases, forest fire, and invasive species plus water supply. Agricultural impacts have been found to vary by region. For example, at higher latitudes, crop productivity tends to increase when temperature increases in the range of crop heat tolerance and away from ranges where cold depresses production; however, in lower latitudes, temperature increases often have a negative effect on crop productivity (IPCC, WGII, 2007). Alterations in climate will further affect livestock production since it alters fecundity and appetite plus the changes in crop yields and forage growth rates directly influence feed availability. It is extremely likely, in fact virtually inevitable that agriculture will need to adapt to climate change (IPCC, WGIII, 2007; Rose & McCarl, 2008). The momentum that society exhibits in terms of greenhouse gas emissions largely arising from the interrelationships of economic activity and energy use coupled with the lack of real progress on reducing emissions makes it likely that a substantial degree of climate change will be realized before greenhouse gas concentrations peak and begin to drop as indicated by table 3.5 in Chapter 3 of IPCC, WGIII (2007). Given these motivations, in this chapter we review knowledge on agricultural climate change vulnerability and potential means to reduce sector vulnerability through adaptation.
Utilization of anticoagulant and antiplatelet medications among geriatric patients with neurosurgical diseases

Aim: To study the utilization patterns of anticoagulant and antiplatelet medications among geriatric patients with neurosurgical conditions in the neurosurgical department at Khoula Hospital, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. Introduction: Anticoagulant and antiplatelet presumption is a worry in neurosurgical patients, that suggests a subtle balance between the risk of thromboembolism against the risk of peri- and postoperative haemorrhage. Patients taking those medications were found to have an increased risk of bleeding from traumatic and traumatic events. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study of geriatric cases admitted to the Neurosurgery Department in Khoula Hospital (KH) as an example of a neurosurgical center in Sultanate of Oman, from January 2016 to 31st December 2019. Patients demographics, diagnosis, length of hospital stay (LOS), Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), length of ICU admission, and treatment proposed were recorded. Results: The most common diagnostic category was trauma (35.4%). 16.0 % of the patients were taking anticoagulant medications. Patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) were found to have a higher rate of using anticoagulant medications (36.6%). There was a significant difference between the LOS, type of intervention, ICU admission, and the usage of anticoagulant and antiplatelet drugs (p<0.05). Enoxaparin was the most commonly used anticoagulant agent. 19.6 % of the patients were taking antiplatelet medications. This study was showed that aspirin is the most commonly used antiplatelet agent among different neurosurgical pathologies. Conclusion: Patients with TBI were found to have a higher rate of using anticoagulant medications. Decisions regarding prescription and resumption of anticoagulants and antiplatelet medications should be taken on a case-by-case basis involves multidisciplinary and holistic approaches.
Improved Formal Verification of SDN-Based Firewalls by Using TLA+

In an article published in IEEE Access in 2020, researchers present an approach to using TLA+ for the formal verification of whether a network of SDN (Software-Defined Networking) switches implements the filtering rules of a given monolithic firewall. The distributed as well as monolithic firewalls are specified with TLA+. It is shown that the correctness of the former with respect to the latter can be verified automatically by using the TLC model checker. The main contributions of this paper are the following improvements of that approach. Firstly, by specifying switches without using any variables, the time needed for the model checking is reduced significantly. For example, the verification of the same networks takes a few seconds with the new approach and does not end after several hours with the previous one. Secondly, the following problem is solved. With the latter, if a monolithic firewall allows a packet to pass through, all the paths in the distributed firewall which the packet is routed on must allow the same. Otherwise, the model checker proclaims the distributed firewall to be in error. We present an additional approach to the verification, which gives a positive answer if at least one of the paths allows the packet to pass through.