Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
FIBER-TYPE EFFECTS ON THE PERFORMANCE OF STEEL FIBER REINFORCED CONCRETE

The paper reports the results of an experimental study on the relative effectiveness of different types of steel fiber in concrete. A constant fiber volume fraction of 2 % was used throughout this investigation. The fresh fibrous mixes were characterized by their slump, inverted slump-cone time, and subjective workability, and the hardened materials by their compressive and flexural load-deformation relationships. The overall workability of fresh fibrous mixes was found to be largely independent of the fiber type, with crimped fibers producing only slightly higher slumps. Hooked fibers were found to be more effective than straight and crimped ones in enhancing the flexural and compressive behavior of concrete. Under flexural loads, crimped fibers were slightly less effective than straight ones in improving the strength and energy absorption of concrete.
Absolute broad-band polarization behaviour of PSR B0329+54: a glimpse of the core emission process

In this paper we report multifrequency single-pulse polarization observations of the PSR B0329+54 normal mode using the Giant Metre-wave Radio Telescope at 325 and 610 MHz and the Effelsberg Observatory at 2695 MHz. Our observations show that towards the central part of the polarization position angle traverse there is an unusual 'arc'-like structure, which comprises a broad-band 'kink' and a frequency-dependent 'spot'. The features are intimately connected with the intensity dependence of the core component: the stronger emission arrives earlier and its linear polarization is displaced farther along the 'kink'. Moreover, at high intensities, the circular polarization is -/+ antisymmetric; the nearly complete positive circular is characteristic of the weaker, later core subpulses. We find that the 'kink' emission is associated with the extraordinary (X) propagation mode, and hence propagation effects do not appear to be capable of producing the core component's broad-band, intensity-dependent emission. Rather, the overall evidence points to a largely geometric interpretation in which the 'kink' provides a rare glimpse of the accelerating cascade or height-dependent amplifier responsible for the core radiation.
New insights about cloud vertical structure from CloudSat and CALIPSO observations

Active cloud observations from A‐Train's CloudSat and CALIPSO satellites offer new opportunities to examine the vertical structure of hydrometeor layers. We use the 2B‐CLDCLASS‐LIDAR merged CloudSat‐CALIPSO product to examine global aspects of hydrometeor vertical stratification. We group the data into major cloud vertical structure (CVS) classes based on our interpretation of how clouds in three standard atmospheric layers overlap and provide their global frequency of occurrence. The two most frequent CVS classes are single‐layer (per our definition) low and high clouds that represent ~53% of cloudy skies, followed by high clouds overlying low clouds, and vertically extensive clouds that occupy near‐contiguously a large portion of the troposphere. The prevalence of these configurations changes seasonally and geographically, between daytime and nighttime, and between continents and oceans. The radiative effects of the CVS classes reveal the major radiative warmers and coolers from the perspective of the planet as a whole, the surface, and the atmosphere. Single‐layer low clouds dominate planetary and atmospheric cooling and thermal infrared surface warming. We also investigate the consistency between passive and active views of clouds by providing the CVS breakdowns of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer cloud regimes for spatiotemporally coincident MODIS‐Aqua (also on the A‐Train) and CloudSat‐CALIPSO daytime observations. When the analysis is expanded for a more in‐depth look at the most heterogeneous of the MODIS cloud regimes, it ultimately confirms previous interpretations of their makeup that did not have the benefit of collocated active observations.
UvA-DARE ( Digital Academic Repository ) Sustainability , accountability and corporate governance : Exploring multinationals ' reporting practices

Recent years have seen a rapid increase in accountability pressures on particularly large global companies. The increased call for transparency comes from two different angles, which show some (potential) convergence in terms of topics and audiences: accountability requirements in the context of corporate governance, which expand to staff-related, ethical aspects; and sustainability reporting that has broadened from environment only to social and financial issues. This article examines to what extent and how current sustainability reporting of Fortune Global 250 companies incorporates corporate governance aspects. Many multinationals, particularly in Europe and Japan, have started to pay attention to board supervision and structuring of sustainability responsibilities, to compliance, ethics and external verification. While detailed disclosures are not yet common, some notable practices can be found. Underlying dilemmas and complexities for managers in dealing with accountability to shareholders and stakeholders, and the role of auditors, are indicated.
Spatiotemporal Interpolation of Elevation Changes Derived from Satellite Altimetry for Jakobshavn Isbrae, Greenland

Estimation of ice sheet mass balance from satellite altimetry requires interpolation of point-scale elevation change (dH/dt) data over the area of interest. The largest dH/dt values occur over narrow, fast-flowing outlet glaciers, where data coverage of current satellite altimetry is poorest. In those areas, straightforward interpolation of data is unlikely to reflect the true patterns of dH/dt. Here, four interpolation methods are compared and evaluated over Jakobshavn Isbrae, an outlet glacier for which widespread airborne validation data are available from NASA's Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM). The four methods are ordinary kriging (OK), kriging with external drift (KED), where the spatial pattern of surface velocity is used as a proxy for that of dH/dt, and their spatiotemporal equivalents (ST-OK and ST-KED). KED assumes a linear relationship between spatial gradients of velocity and dH/dt, which is confirmed for both negative (Pearson's correlation ρ < −0.85) and, to a lesser degree, positive (ρ = 0.73) dH/dt values. When compared to ATM data, KED and ST-KED yield more realistic spatial patterns and higher thinning rates (over 20 m yr−1 as opposed to 7 m yr−1 for OK). Spatiotemporal kriging smooths inter-annual variability and improves interpolation in periods with sparse data coverage and we conclude, therefore, that ST-KED produces the best results. Using this method increases volume loss estimates from Jakobshavn Isbrae by up to 20% compared to those obtained by OK. The proposed interpolation method will improve ice sheet mass balance reconstructions from existing and past satellite altimeter data sets, with generally poor sampling of outlet glaciers.
Fatty acid composition of goose meat depending on genotype and sex

Objective The aim of this study was to compare male and female geese of two contrasting genotypes in terms of fatty acid composition, indexes related to human health, lipid metabolism and oxidative stability of the meat. Methods The experiment was carried out on total of 120 geese of two different genotypes; the native breed Czech goose (CG) and commercial hybrid Novohradska goose (NG). One-d-old goslings were divided into 4 groups according to genotype and sex, and 8 birds from each group were slaughtered at 8 weeks of age. Results The effects of the interactions between genotype and sex were observed on growth performance and carcass traits. Final body weight (p<0.001), daily weight gain (p<0.001), daily feed intake (p<0.001), slaughter weight (p<0.001), and cold carcass weight (p<0.001) were highest in NG males and lowest in CG females. The meat fatty acid composition results showed effects of both genotype and sex on the total n-6 and the total polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content, as well as the PUFA n-6/PUFA n-3 ratio. Regarding genotype, the total n-6, the total PUFA content and the PUFA n-6/PUFA n-3 ratio were higher in CG, and higher values were found in females. In terms of the lipid metabolism, Δ5–Δ6 desaturase (p = 0.006) was higher in males. The meat oxidative stability results revealed an interaction between genotype, sex and storage time (p<0.001). The highest (13.85 mg/kg) malondialdehyde content was measured in the meat of CG females after 5 days of storage and was presumably related to a higher PUFA content. Conclusion NG had a relatively higher growth rate and meat oxidative stability, whereas the advantage of CG meat is its favourable fatty acid profile characterized by a higher PUFA content.
Influence of Solvent Composition on the Performance of Spray-Dried Co-Amorphous Formulations

Ball-milling is usually used to prepare co-amorphous drug–amino acid (AA) mixtures. In this study, co-amorphous drug–AA mixtures were produced using spray-drying, a scalable industrially preferred preparation method. The influence of the solvent type and solvent composition was investigated. Mixtures of indomethacin (IND) and each of the three AAs arginine, histidine, and lysine were ball-milled and spray-dried at a 1:1 molar ratio, respectively. Spray-drying was performed at different solvent ratios in (a) ethanol and water mixtures and (b) acetone and water mixtures. Different ratios of these solvents were chosen to study the effect of solvent mixtures on co-amorphous formulation. Residual crystallinity, thermal properties, salt/partial salt formation, and powder dissolution profiles of the IND–AA mixtures were investigated and compared to pure crystalline and amorphous IND. It was found that using spray-drying as a preparation method, all IND–AA mixtures could be successfully converted into the respective co-amorphous forms, irrespective of the type of solvent used, but depending on the solvent mixture ratios. Both ball-milled and spray-dried co-amorphous samples showed an enhanced dissolution rate and maintained supersaturation compared to the crystalline and amorphous IND itself. The spray-dried samples resulting in co-amorphous samples were stable for at least seven months of storage.
Retrospective screening of solid organ donors in Italy, 2009, reveals unpredicted circulation of West Nile virus.

Since the occurrence of West Nile virus (WNV) infection in humans in 2008 in Italy, concerns have been raised about the potential risks associated with solid organ transplantation (SOT). A nationwide retrospective survey showed that 1.2% of SOT donors in 2009 were WNV-seropositive and demonstrated that human WNV infection is distributed throughout several Italian regions. Transmission of WNV or other arboviruses through SOT is a possibility and risk assessment should be carried out before SOT to avoid infection through transplantation.
Antiinflammatory actions of inorganic nitrate stabilize the atherosclerotic plaque

Significance Reduced bioavailable nitric oxide generated within the vascular wall is a key pathogenic mechanism involved in the formation and rupture of an atheromatous plaque, the latter leading to myocardial infarction or stroke. We show that inorganic nitrate supplementation through delivery of nitric oxide reduces systemic leukocyte rolling and adherence, circulating neutrophil numbers, and monocyte activation through direct repression of neutrophil activation and up-regulation of interleukin-10–dependent antiinflammatory pathways in athero-prone mice. These antiinflammatory effects of inorganic nitrate result in reduced macrophage content of atherosclerotic plaques coupled with an elevation of smooth muscle content, resulting in a stable plaque phenotype. Our data suggest that inorganic nitrate supplementation has antiinflammatory effects, which may have clinical utility in the prophylaxis of atheroma development. Reduced bioavailable nitric oxide (NO) plays a key role in the enhanced leukocyte recruitment reflective of systemic inflammation thought to precede and underlie atherosclerotic plaque formation and instability. Recent evidence demonstrates that inorganic nitrate (NO3−) through sequential chemical reduction in vivo provides a source of NO that exerts beneficial effects upon the cardiovascular system, including reductions in inflammatory responses. We tested whether the antiinflammatory effects of inorganic nitrate might prove useful in ameliorating atherosclerotic disease in Apolipoprotein (Apo)E knockout (KO) mice. We show that dietary nitrate treatment, although having no effect upon total plaque area, caused a reduction in macrophage accumulation and an elevation in smooth muscle accumulation within atherosclerotic plaques of ApoE KO mice, suggesting plaque stabilization. We also show that in nitrate-fed mice there is reduced systemic leukocyte rolling and adherence, circulating neutrophil numbers, neutrophil CD11b expression, and myeloperoxidase activity compared with wild-type littermates. Moreover, we show in both the ApoE KO mice and using an acute model of inflammation that this effect upon neutrophils results in consequent reductions in inflammatory monocyte expression that is associated with elevations of the antiinflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-10. In summary, we demonstrate that inorganic nitrate suppresses acute and chronic inflammation by targeting neutrophil recruitment and that this effect, at least in part, results in consequent reductions in the inflammatory status of atheromatous plaque, and suggest that this effect may have clinical utility in the prophylaxis of inflammatory atherosclerotic disease.
Gravitational-Wave Detection Using Pulsars: Status of the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array Project

Abstract The first direct detection of gravitational waves may be made through observations of pulsars. The principal aim of pulsar timing-array projects being carried out worldwide is to detect ultra-low frequency gravitational waves (f ∼ 10−9–10−8 Hz). Such waves are expected to be caused by coalescing supermassive binary black holes in the cores of merged galaxies. It is also possible that a detectable signal could have been produced in the inflationary era or by cosmic strings. In this paper, we review the current status of the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array project (the only such project in the Southern hemisphere) and compare the pulsar timing technique with other forms of gravitational-wave detection such as ground- and space-based interferometer systems.
Fabrication of SU-8 moulds on glass substrates by using a common thin negative photoresist as an adhesive layer

A method for fabricating SU-8 moulds on glass substrates is presented. A common thin negative photoresist was coated on the glass slide as an adhesive layer, and then SU-8 was patterned on the adhesive layer. The presence of the adhesive layer improved the lifetime of a SU-8 mould from a few cycles to over 50 cycles. Moreover, the fabrication of the adhesive layer is quite simple and no additional equipment is required. The effects of the adhesion behavior of the negative photoresist and SU-8 on substrates on the durability of the SU-8 mould were investigated. The work of adhesion of the common thin negative photoresist on glass was 51.2 mJ m−2, which is 22.5% higher than that of SU-8 on silicon and 32.3% higher than that of SU-8 on glass. The abilities of the method for replicating high-aspect-ratio microstructures were also tested. One SU-8 mould with 60 × 60 array micropillars with aspect ratios lower than 3 could be used to cast at least 20 polydimethylsiloxane devices.
Simple Domain Adaptation with Class Prediction Uncertainty Alignment

Unsupervised domain adaptation tries to adapt a classifier trained on a labeled source domain to a related but unlabeled target domain. Methods based on adversarial learning try to learn a representation that is at the same time discriminative for the labels yet incapable of discriminating the domains. We propose a very simple and efficient method based on this approach which only aligns predicted class probabilities across domains. Experiments show that this strikingly simple adversarial domain adaptation method is robust to overfitting and achieves state-of-the-art results on datasets for image classification.
Med15B Regulates Acid Stress Response and Tolerance in Candida glabrata by Altering Membrane Lipid Composition

ABSTRACT Candida glabrata is a promising producer of organic acids. To elucidate the physiological function of the Mediator tail subunit Med15B in the response to low-pH stress, we constructed a deletion strain, C. glabratamed15BΔ, and an overexpression strain, C. glabrata HTUΔ/CgMED15B. Deletion of MED15B caused biomass production, glucose consumption rate, and cell viability to decrease by 28.3%, 31.7%, and 26.5%, respectively, compared with those of the parent (HTUΔ) strain at pH 2.0. Expression of lipid metabolism-related genes was significantly downregulated in the med15BΔ strain, whereas key genes of ergosterol biosynthesis showed abnormal upregulation. This caused the proportion of C18:1 fatty acids, the ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids (UFA/SFA), and the total phospholipid content to decrease by 11.6%, 27.4%, and 37.6%, respectively. Cells failed to synthesize fecosterol and ergosterol, leading to the accumulation and a 60.3-fold increase in the concentration of zymosterol. Additionally, cells showed reductions of 69.2%, 11.6%, and 21.8% in membrane integrity, fluidity, and H+-ATPase activity, respectively. In contrast, overexpression of Med15B increased the C18:1 levels, total phospholipids, ergosterol content, and UFA/SFA by 18.6%, 143.5%, 94.5%, and 18.7%, respectively. Membrane integrity, fluidity, and H+-ATPase activity also increased by 30.2%, 6.9%, and 51.8%, respectively. Furthermore, in the absence of pH buffering, dry weight of cells and pyruvate concentrations were 29.3% and 61.2% higher, respectively, than those of the parent strain. These results indicated that in C. glabrata, Med15B regulates tolerance toward low pH via transcriptional regulation of acid stress response genes and alteration in lipid composition. IMPORTANCE This study explored the role of the Mediator tail subunit Med15B in the metabolism of Candida glabrata under acidic conditions. Overexpression of MED15B enhanced yeast tolerance to low pH and improved biomass production, cell viability, and pyruvate yield. Membrane lipid composition data indicated that Med15B might play a critical role in membrane integrity, fluidity, and H+-ATPase activity homeostasis at low pH. Thus, controlling membrane composition may serve to increase C. glabrata productivity at low pH.
Selecting an Invertebrate Model Host for the Study of Fungal Pathogenesis

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health through an R01 award (AI075286) and an R21 award (AI070569) to EM. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Sensitivity of basinwide meridional overturning to diapycnal diffusion and remote wind forcing in an idealized Atlantic-Southern Ocean geometry

Abstract Recent numerical experiments indicate that the rate of meridional overturning associated with North Atlantic Deep Water is partially controlled by wind stress in the Southern Ocean, where the zonal periodicity of the domain alters the nature of the flow. Here, the authors solve the cubic scale relationship of Gnanadesikan to find a simple expression for meridional overturning that is used to clarify the relative strength of the wind-forced component. The predicted overturning is compared with coarse-resolution numerical experiments with an idealized Atlantic Ocean–Southern Ocean geometry. The scaling accurately predicts the sensitivity to forcing for experiments with a level model employing isopycnal diffusion of temperature, salinity, and “layer thickness. ” A layer model produces similar results, increasing confidence in the numerics of both models. Level model experiments with horizontal diffusivity have similar qualitative behavior but somewhat different sensitivity to forcing. The paper highl.
Nucleoplasmic lamins define growth-regulating functions of lamina-associated polypeptide 2α in progeria cells

ABSTRACT A-type lamins are components of the peripheral nuclear lamina but also localize in the nuclear interior in a complex with lamina-associated polypeptide (LAP) 2α. Loss of LAP2α and nucleoplasmic lamins in wild-type cells increases cell proliferation, but in cells expressing progerin (a mutant lamin A that causes Hutchinson–Gilford progeria syndrome), low LAP2α levels result in proliferation defects. Here, the aim was to understand the molecular mechanism governing how relative levels of LAP2α, progerin and nucleoplasmic lamins affect cell proliferation. Cells from progeria patients and inducible progerin-expressing cells expressing low levels of progerin proliferate faster than wild-type or lamin A-expressing control cells, and ectopic expression of LAP2α impairs proliferation. In contrast, cells expressing high levels of progerin and lacking lamins in the nuclear interior proliferate more slowly, and ectopic LAP2α expression enhances proliferation. However, simultaneous expression of LAP2α and wild-type lamin A or an assembly-deficient lamin A mutant restored the nucleoplasmic lamin A pool in these cells and abolished the growth-promoting effect of LAP2α. Our data show that LAP2α promotes or inhibits proliferation of progeria cells depending on the level of A-type lamins in the nuclear interior. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper. Highlighted Article: Lamina-associated polypeptide (LAP) 2α promotes or inhibits proliferation of progeria cells depending on the absence or presence of lamin A in the nuclear interior.
Understanding handwriting difficulties: A comparison of children with and without motor impairment

ABSTRACT The nature of handwriting difficulties have been explored in children with specific developmental disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate the nature of handwriting difficulties in children with dysgraphia, a less studied group who have significant handwriting difficulties in the absence of motor control or cognitive difficulties. The performance of a dysgraphia group aged 8-14 years was compared to a group with Developmental Coordination Disorder and to typically developing (TD) controls. Participants completed two handwriting tasks on a digitizing writing tablet. The amount and accuracy of the handwriting product was measured, plus various temporal and spatial features of the writing process. There were no significant differences in performance between the two groups with handwriting difficulties but both performed more poorly than the TD group. Individual differences in the type and severity of handwriting impairments suggest the need for a range of classroom assessments to tailor intervention appropriately.
Fracture Morphology and XRD Layered Characterization of cBN Cake

Cubic boron nitride single crystals of large particle were synthesized by static high pressure method,using Li3N as catalyst.The fracture morphology of the quickly cooled cBN cake was observed by SEM.The layered components distributing near large cBN particles were characterized by XRD.The results of SEM indicate that there are growth steps which small particles approximately melt into on the surface of naked cBN which is wrapped by melted materials;The results of XRD layered characterization shows that mesophase Li3BN2 and small cBN particles were detected in the region of the stratified interfaces on the surface of cBN crystals.It could be duced that the whole Li3N will be transformed into mesophase Li3BN2 by co-melting reaction with hBN under high pressure and high temperature;the small cBN particles were easy to aggregate and grow up by absorption of small cBN particles which diffuse to large cBN particles' surface in region of proper mesophase Li3BN2 according to the results of layered characterization.