Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An investigation of the radiative heat transfer through fibrous thin sheets

QASHOU, IMAD. An Investigation of The Radiative Heat Transfer Th ough Fibrous Thin Sheets. (Under the direction of Dr. Behnam Pourdeyh imi and Dr. Hooman Vahedi Tafreshi.) Fibrous materials possess desirable heat transfer c hara teristics and are used in many thermal applications including thermal insulations. Radiant heat transfer thru such materials is very important even at moderate temper atures. Thus, a fundamental understanding of the radiative heat transfer throug h such materials is necessary and allows better evaluation of its insulation capabilities. D ue to the complex mathematical formulation of the theory of radiative heat transfe r, the solution of its equations is consequently as complicated. Computational fluid dy namics (CFD) simulations provide a practical method to understand the response of fibr ous media to this electromagnetic irradiation. In this study, for the first time, the Surface-to-S urface model is used to investigate the response of fibrous materials to radiative heat tra nsfer. The unsteady state heat transfer equations are solved for the temperature and heat f lux in and around the fibers that constitute a nonwoven fibrous media. Of particular interest here is the effect of fiber diameter, fiber conductivity, and material’s Solid Volume Fraction (SVF) in heat transfer through the material. For a fixed fiber diameter an d for SVF = 5 -15% considered in this study, it is shown that the larger the solid volume fraction, the lower is the material’s temperature. It is also shown that the fiber conduc tivity has a significant influence on the radiative heat transfer in nonwoven materials. Our simulation results indicate that the average fiber temperature is directly influenced by SVF, fiber conductivity, and fiber diameter. However, SVF has been observed to have th e greatest influence followed by the fiber conductivity, and lastly fiber diameter. Fibe r thermal conductivity considered in this study are 0.25 20 W/m.K and fiber diameters of 20 4 μm were utilized. The web thickness effect was also simulated (340 740μm web thicknesses were considered.) The material’s average temperature dec reased with increasing thickness for fixed SVF and fiber diameter. Experimental work has also been conducted to verify the simulation results. Comparison between curve fittin g of simulation and experimental data showed a relatively good correlation. An Investigation Of The Radiative Heat Transfer Through Fibrous Thin Sheets by Imad Mohammed Qashou A dissertation submitted to the graduate faculty of North Carolina State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Fiber and Polymer Science Raleigh, NC 2009
Lactose Intolerance: Lack of Evidence for Short Stature or Vitamin D Deficiency in Prepubertal Children

ABSTRACT Background The health consequences of lactose intolerance (LI) are unclear. Aims To investigate the effects of LI on stature and vitamin D status. Hypotheses LI subjects will have similar heights and vitamin D status as controls. Subjects and Methods Prepubertal children of ages 3-12 years with LI (n=38, age 8.61 ± 3.08y, male/female 19/19) were compared to healthy, age- and gender-matched controls (n=49, age 7.95±2.64, male/female 28/21). Inclusion criteria: prepubertal status (boys: testicular volume <3cc; girls: Tanner 1 breasts), diagnosis of LI by hydrogen breath test, and no history of calcium or vitamin D supplementation. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] <50 nmol/L. Gender-adjusted midparental target height (MPTH) z-score was calculated using NCHS data for 18 year-old adults. Data were expressed as mean ± SD. Results There was no significant difference in 25(OH)D between the LI and non-LI subjects (60.1±21.1, vs. 65.4 ± 26.1 nmol/L, p = 0.29). Upon stratification into normal weight (BMI <85th percentile) vs. overweight/obese (BMI ≥85th percentile), the normal weight controls had significantly higher 25(OH)D level than both the normal weight LI children (78.3 ± 32.6 vs. 62.9 ± 23.2, p = 0.025), and the overweight/obese LI children (78.3±32.6 vs. 55.3±16.5, p = 0.004). Secondly, there was no overall difference in height z-score between the LI children and controls. The normal weight LI patients had similar height as normal controls (-0.46 ± 0.89 vs. -0.71 ± 1.67, p = 0.53), while the overweight/obese LI group was taller than the normal weight controls (0.36 ± 1.41 vs. -0.71 ± 1.67, p = 0.049), and of similar height as the overweight/obese controls (0.36 ± 1.41 vs. 0.87 ± 1.45, p = 0.28). MPTH z-score was similar between the groups. Conclusion Short stature and vitamin D deficiency are not features of LI in prepubertal children.
Spatial Genetic Structure Patterns of Phenotype-Limited and Boundary-Limited Expanding Populations: A Simulation Study

Range expansions may create a unique spatial genetic pattern characterized by alternate genetically homogeneous domains and allele frequency clines. Previous attempts to model range expansions have mainly focused on the loss of genetic diversity during expansions. Using individual-based models, we examined spatial genetic patterns under two expansion scenarios, boundary-limited range expansions (BLRE) and phenotype-limited range expansions (PhLRE). Our simulation revealed that the genetic diversity within populations lost quickly during the range expansion, while the genetic difference accumulated between populations. Consequently, accompanying the expansions, the overall diversity featured a slow decrease. Specifically, during BLREs, high speed of boundary motion facilitated the maintenance of total genetic diversity and sharpened genetic clines. Very slight constraints on boundary motion of BLREs drastically narrowed the homogeneous domains and increased the allele frequency fluctuations from those levels exhibited by PhLREs. Even stronger constraints, however, surprisingly brought the width of homogeneous domains and the allele frequency fluctuations back to the normal levels of PhLREs. Furthermore, high migration rates maintained a higher total genetic diversity than low ones did during PhLREs. Whereas, the total genetic diversities during BLREs showed a contrary pattern: higher when migration was low than those when migration was high. Besides, the increase of migration rates helped maintain a greater number of homogeneous domains during PhLREs, but their effects on the number of homogeneous domains during BLREs were not monotonous. Previous studies have showed that the homogenous domains can merge to form a few broad domains as the expansion went on, leading to fewer homogeneous domains. Our simulations, meanwhile, revealed that the range expansions could also rebuild homogeneous domains from the clines during the range expansion. It is possible that that the number of homogeneous domains was determined by the interaction of merging and newly emerging homogeneous domains.
A Roadmap to Clinical Assessment and Evaluation of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Medical/neurological evaluation is mandatory. • Head circumference (e.g., microcephaly in Rett’s), dysmorphism in syndromic ASD (e.g., phakomatosis, mitochondrial encephalopathy) • Electroencephalography ‐for epileptiform discharges or seizures (typically bimodal, 8‐21.5% have epilepsy and more in females)[3] also indicated in regression and Landau–Kleffner syndrome • ENT evaluation should be done using audiometry • Genetic testing includes FMR‐1, TSC, and MeCP‐2. Array comparative genomic hybridization detects deletion/ duplication syndromes and copy number variants identifying 7%–10% of ASD • Aberrant eating (food selectivity and abnormal stool pattern in 70%) and sleeping patterns (polysomnography might be indicated) should be noted and finally dental hygiene should be checked. Lead level might be measured with suspected pica.
The periaqueductal gray and Bayesian integration in placebo analgesia

In placebo hypoalgesia research, the strength of treatment expectations and experiences are key components. However, the reliability or precision of expectations had been mostly ignored although being a likely source for interindividual differences. In the present study, we adopted a Bayesian framework, naturally combining expectation magnitudes and precisions. This postulates that expectations (prior) are integrated with incoming nociceptive information (likelihood) and both are weighted by their relative precision to form the pain percept and placebo effect. Sixty-two healthy subjects received heat pain during fMRI. Placebo effects were more pronounced in subjects with more precise treatment expectations and correlated positively with the relative precision of the prior expectation. Neural correlates of this precision were observed in the periaqueductal gray and the rostral ventromedial medulla, indicating that already at the level of the brainstem the precision of an expectation can influence pain perception presenting strong evidence for Bayesian integration in placebo hypoalgesia.
Shades of fungi – A review of pigments from endophytic fungi

Endophytic fungi are a unique group in the Fungi kingdom as they spend the majority of their life cycles within the living tissue of the host organism without causing apparent harm. The endophyte-host relationship is typically commensalism or mutualistic, with pathogenicity an issue only when either party is under stressed. The contribution of endophytic fungi to the host is mostly in the form of chemical protection – secondary metabolites with bioactivities against invading organisms which may harm the host and consequentially threaten the survival of the endophyte. Many of these chemical compounds have been found to be pigments. Due to easy visual identification, many pigments from fungal sources have been isolated and characterised. This review highlights the potential of endophytic fungi as a source of pigments; with additional focus on significant bioactivity, major chemical classes and biosynthesis. Existing and potential commercial applications of natural pigments by endophytes are also discussed.
microRNA-199a-5p mediates high glucose-induced reactive oxygen species production and apoptosis in INS-1 pancreatic β-cells by targeting SIRT1.

OBJECTIVE Hyperglycemia-induced pancreatic β-cell loss is a pathologic hallmark of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study was conducted to clarify the function of microRNA (miR)-199a-5p in high glucose-elicited β-cell toxicity and associated molecular mechanisms. MATERIALS AND METHODS INS-1 rat pancreatic β-cells were cultured under normal (11 mM) or high (30 mM) glucose for 16-72 h and examined for miR-199a-5p expression. Gain and loss-of-function studies were performed to determine the role of miR-199a-5p in high glucose-induced apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Additionally, the involvement of SIRT1 in the action of miR-199a-5p was checked. RESULTS High glucose caused a significant upregulation of miR-199a-5p in INS-1 cells compared to cells under normal glucose conditions. Pre-transfection with anti-miR-199a-5p inhibitors prevented the reduction in cell viability and inhibited ROS generation in INS-1 cells after high glucose treatment. In contrast, overexpression of miR-199a-5p significantly reduced cell viability and promoted apoptosis and ROS formation in INS-1 cells, which was coupled with a downregulation of SIRT1. Knockdown of SIRT1 led to apoptotic death in INS-1 cells. Moreover, enforced expression of SIRT1 blocked miR-199a-5p-induced ROS generation and attenuated high glucose-mediated apoptosis in INS-1 cells. CONCLUSIONS miR-199a-5p is upregulated in pancreatic β-cells in response to high glucose and promotes apoptosis and ROS generation by targeting SIRT1. The miR-199a-5p/SIRT1 axis may represent a promising target for the treatment of T2DM.
Melting and nonisothermal crystallization behavior of polypropylene/hemp fiber composites

Melting and nonisothermal crystallization behaviors of polypropylene (PP) and PP/hemp fibers (HFs) composites was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) technique. The results show that the incorporation of HFs increases both the melting temperature (Tm) and crystallization temperature (Tc) of PP. Moreover, in comparison with PP/HF(70/30) composite, the addition of maleic anhydride-grafted PP (PP-MAH) results in a slight decrease in Tm but a significant increase in Tc of PP. The higher Tc of PP in the composites implies that HFs could act as nucleating agents for the crystallization of PP. Nonisothermal crystallization kinetics analysis was performed using Avrami and Mo models. The values of half-time (t1/2) and rate constant indicate that the crystallization rate increases with the increasing of cooling rate for all the specimens. However, the crystallization rate of PP/HF(70/30) composite is found to be lower than that of PP at a certain cooling rate. Additionally, the composite containing PP-MAH has the lowest crystallization rate. Lower overall crystallization rate of PP/HF composites compared to PP is probably due to sufficiently high density of nuclei, which hinders the transport of PP molecular chains to crystal surface during nonisothermal crystallization. The crystallization activation energies (ΔE) determined by Kissinger method are 207.4 KJ/m2, 218.5 KJ/m2, and 220.4 kJ/m2 for PP, PP/HF(70/30), and PP/HF/PP-MAH(70/30/5), respectively.
Ambient seismic wave field

The ambient seismic wave field, also known as ambient noise, is excited by oceanic gravity waves primarily. This can be categorized as seismic hum (1–20 mHz), primary microseisms (0.02–0.1 Hz), and secondary microseisms (0.1–1 Hz). Below 20 mHz, pressure fluctuations of ocean infragravity waves reach the abyssal floor. Topographic coupling between seismic waves and ocean infragravity waves at the abyssal floor can explain the observed shear traction sources. Below 5 mHz, atmospheric disturbances may also contribute to this excitation. Excitation of primary microseisms can be attributed to topographic coupling between ocean swell and seismic waves on subtle undulation of continental shelves. Excitation of secondary microseisms can be attributed to non-linear forcing by standing ocean swell at the sea surface in both pelagic and coastal regions. Recent developments in source location based on body-wave microseisms enable us to estimate forcing quantitatively. For a comprehensive understanding, we must consider the solid Earth, the ocean, and the atmosphere as a coupled system.
DNA plasticity and damage in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

The pathophysiology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is particularly challenging due to the heterogeneity of its clinical presentation and the diversity of cellular, molecular and genetic peculiarities involved. Molecular insights unveiled several novel genetic factors to be inherent in both familial and sporadic disease entities, whose characterizations in terms of phenotype prediction, pathophysiological impact and putative prognostic value are a topic of current researches. However, apart from genetically well-defined high-confidence and other susceptibility loci, the role of DNA damage and repair strategies of the genome as a whole, either elicited as a direct consequence of the underlying genetic mutation or seen as an autonomous parameter, in the initiation and progression of ALS, and the different cues involved in either process are still incompletely understood. This mini review summarizes current knowledge on DNA alterations and counteracting DNA repair strategies in ALS pathology and discusses the putative role of unconventional DNA entities including transposable elements and extrachromosomal circular DNA in the disease process. Focus is set on SOD1-related pathophysiology, with extension to FUS, TDP-43 and C9ORF72 mutations. Advancing our knowledge in the field will contribute to an improved understanding of this relentless disease, for which therapeutic options others than symptomatic approaches are almost unavailable.
Comparison Study of Two Semi-Active Hybrid Energy Storage Systems for Hybrid Electric Vehicle Applications and Their Experimental Validation

Both the battery/supercapacitor (SC) and SC/battery are two common semi-active configurations of hybrid energy storage systems (HESSs) in hybrid electric vehicles, which can take advantage of the battery’s and supercapacitor’s respective characteristics, including the energy ability, power ability and the long lifetime. To explore in depth the characteristics and applicability of the two kinds of HESS, an analysis and comparison study is proposed in this paper. Based on the data collected from public transit hybrid electric bus (PTHEB) with battery-only on-board energy storage, the range and distribution probability of electric power/energy demand is comprehensively statistically analyzed with the decomposing and normalizing methods. Accordingly, the performance of each topology under different parameter matching conditions but same mass, volume and cost values with battery-only energy storage, are presented and compared quantitatively. The results show that both HESS configurations can meet the electric power demand of the hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) through reasonable design. In particular, the SC/battery can make better use of the SC features resulting in high efficiency and long life cycles compared with the battery/SC. Equally, it proves that the SC/battery topology is a better choice for the HEV. Finally, an experimental validation of a real HEV is carried out, which indicated that a 7% fuel economy improvement can be achieved by a SC/battery system compared with battery-only topology.
Concerted Evolution in the Ribosomal RNA Cistron

Background Gene conversion is the mechanism proposed to be responsible for the homogenization of multigene families such as the nuclear ribosomal gene clusters. This concerted evolutionary process prevents individual genes in gene clusters from accumulating mutations. The mechanism responsible for concerted evolution is not well understood but recombination during meiosis has been hypothesized to play a significant role in this homogenization. In this study we tested the hypothesis of unequal crossing over playing a significant role in gene conversion events within the ribosomal RNA cistron during meiosis, mitosis or both life stages in the fungal tree pathogen Ceratocystis manginecans. Methods Ceratocystis manginecans, a haploid ascomycete, reproduces homothallically and was found to have two distinct sequences within the internally transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the ribosomal RNA cistron. The different ITS types were scored using PCR-RFLP assays and chi-square analyses to determine the level of significance of the changes in the ratios of the ITS types. Results The relative ratios of the two ITS sequence types changed when the fungal isolates were cultured vegetatively or allowed to produced sexual structures and spores. These active changes were shown to occur more frequently during meiosis than mitosis. Conclusion The evidence presented provides concrete support for homogenization in the rRNA gene clusters found in this fungus and that the most reasonable explanation for this process is unequal crossing over.
The Phosphate Source Influences Gene Expression and Quality of Mineralization during In Vitro Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells

For in vitro differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells/mesenchymal stromal cells into osteoblasts by 2-dimensional cell culture a variety of protocols have been used and evaluated in the past. Especially the external phosphate source used to induce mineralization varies considerably both in respect to chemical composition and concentration. In light of the recent findings that inorganic phosphate directs gene expression of genes crucial for bone development, the need for a standardized phosphate source in in vitro differentiation becomes apparent. We show that chemical composition (inorganic versus organic phosphate origin) and concentration of phosphate supplementation exert a severe impact on the results of gene expression for the genes commonly used as markers for osteoblast formation as well as on the composition of the mineral formed. Specifically, the intensity of gene expression does not necessarily correlate with a high quality mineralized matrix. Our study demonstrates advantages of using inorganic phosphate instead of β-glycerophosphate and propose colorimetric quantification methods for calcium and phosphate ions as cost- and time-effective alternatives to X-ray diffraction and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy for determination of the calcium phosphate ratio and concentration of mineral matrix formed under in vitro-conditions. We critically discuss the different assays used to assess in vitro bone formation in respect to specificity and provide a detailed in vitro protocol that could help to avoid contradictory results due to variances in experimental design.
Application of D-Crustacean Hyperglycemic Hormone Induces Peptidases Transcription and Suppresses Glycolysis-Related Transcripts in the Hepatopancreas of the Crayfish Pontastacus leptodactylus — Results of a Transcriptomic Study

The crustacean Hyperglycemic Hormone (cHH) is a neuropeptide present in many decapods. Two different chiral isomers are simultaneously present in Astacid crayfish and their specific biological functions are still poorly understood. The present study is aimed at better understanding the potentially different effect of each of the isomers on the hepatopancreatic gene expression profile in the crayfish Pontastacus leptodactylus, in the context of short term hyperglycemia. Hence, two different chemically synthesized cHH enantiomers, containing either L- or D-Phe3, were injected to the circulation of intermolt females following removal of their X organ-Sinus gland complex. The effects triggered by the injection of the two alternate isomers were detected after one hour through measurement of circulating glucose levels. Triggered changes of the transcriptome expression profile in the hepatopancreas were analyzed by RNA-seq. A whole transcriptome shotgun sequence assembly provided the assumedly complete transcriptome of P. leptodactylus hepatopancreas, followed by RNA-seq analysis of changes in the expression level of many genes caused by the application of each of the hormone isomers. Circulating glucose levels were much higher in response to the D-isoform than to the L-isoform injection, one hour from injection. Similarly, the RNA-seq analysis confirmed a stronger effect on gene expression following the administration of D-cHH, while just limited alterations were caused by the L-isomer. These findings demonstrated a more prominent short term effect of the D-cHH on the transcription profile and shed light on the effect of the D-isomer on specific functional gene groups. Another contribution of the study is the construction of a de novo assembly of the hepatopancreas transcriptome, consisting of 39,935 contigs, that dramatically increases the molecular information available for this species and for crustaceans in general, providing an efficient tool for studying gene expression patterns in this organ.