Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Application of an innovative process for improving mesophilic anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge

Over the last 18 years, different sludge pre-treatment processes have been used to improve the performance of sewage sludge anaerobic digestion efficiency. Some of these pre-treatment technologies, notably the Thermal Hydrolysis Process (THP), has significantly increased the sludge throughput and allowed more efficient utilisation of treatment assets without adversely impacting the biology of the anaerobic digestion process. However, the expected increase in Volatile Solid reduction (VSr) and the consequent increase of biogas production have not been fully realised. Specifically, to address this poor performance when the THP process is used and to overcome its limitations, its application as an Intermediate Thermal Hydrolysis Process (ITHP) was studied. The ITHP process configuration consists of a first stage conventional Mesophilic Anaerobic Digestion (MAD) followed by THP and then a second stage MAD (i.e. MAD+THP+MAD). The main aims of this research were therefore to evaluate the impact of the ITHP configuration on an already digested sludge constituents, namely, carbohydrates, proteins and lipids degradation and the extent of their conversion to biogas. The sludge constituents’ degradation as a result of thermal hydrolysis and Anaerobic Digestion (AD) followed a stepwise process where the initial faster degradation was followed by a second stage slower degradation process. The sludge constituents’ degradation kinetic rate constants showed that the use of ITHP can further enhance the already digested sludge degradation reducing the sludge mass and increasing its conversion to biogas. Furthermore, the ITHP configuration showed a significant impact on sludge Extracellular Polymeric Substance (EPS) content. The results obtained from laboratory scale experiments showed that the ITHP process configuration resulted in an overall average VSr of 62% in comparison with the THP configuration which provided a VSr of 47%. As a result, the overall biogas production from the ITHP process was found to be in excess of 478 m3/tonne dry solids (TDS) fed, compared with 345 m3/tds feed from the THP digestion configuration.
Measuring the diffusion of an innovation: A citation analysis

Innovations transform our research traditions and become the driving force to advance individual, group, and social creativity. Meanwhile, interdisciplinary research is increasingly being promoted as a route to advance the complex challenges we face as a society. In this paper, we use Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) citation as a proxy context for the diffusion of an innovation. With an analysis of topic evolution, we divide the diffusion process into five stages: testing and evaluation, implementation, improvement, extending, and fading. Through a correlation analysis of topic and subject, we show the application of LDA in different subjects. We also reveal the cross‐boundary diffusion between different subjects based on the analysis of the interdisciplinary studies. The results show that as LDA is transferred into different areas, the adoption of each subject is relatively adjacent to those with similar research interests. Our findings further support researchers' understanding of the impact formation of innovation.
Repeatability of manual subfoveal choroidal thickness measurements in healthy subjects using the technique of enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to investigate the repeatability of manual measurements of choroidal thickness in healthy subjects imaged on spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) using the enhanced depth imaging (EDI) technique. METHODS Fifty consecutive, healthy, young, adult volunteers with no known eye disease were enrolled prospectively. Two good-quality horizontal and vertical line scans through the fovea were obtained for each eye. Using the manual calipers provided by the software of the proprietary device, two experienced OCT readers measured the subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) of the horizontal and vertical line scans for all eyes. The readers were masked to each other's readings. Intraobserver, interobserver, and intrasession coefficients of repeatability (CRs) were calculated. RESULTS Mean (standard deviation [SD]) age of the study subjects was 38 (5) years (range, 30-49 years). Mean (SD) subfoveal choroidal thickness was 332 (90) μm (right eyes) and 332 (91) μm (left eyes). Intraobserver CR was approximately 23 (95% confidence interval [CI], 19-26) μm, whereas interobserver and intrasession CRs were greater at 32 (95% CI, 30-34) and 34 (95% CI, 32-36) μm, respectively. There was no significant difference in SFCT between all pairs of SFCT measurements except for the two intrasession vertical line scans. CONCLUSION A change of >32 μm was likely to exceed interobserver variability in SFCT. Future studies are required to estimate the repeatability of SFCT measurements in patients with chorioretinal pathology.
Stenting as a Rescue Treatment After Failure of Mechanical Thrombectomy for Anterior Circulation Large Artery Occlusion

Background and Purpose— We hypothesized that permanent stenting may be a rescue treatment for stentriever-failed anterior circulation large artery occlusion. We compared the outcomes among patients with permanent stenting and those without stenting after stentriever failure. Methods— We retrospectively evaluated 208 patients who underwent stentriever thrombectomy for anterior circulation large artery occlusion between September 2010 and September 2015. Modified thrombolysis in cerebral ischemia 2b-3 recanalization was achieved with stentriever alone or in combination with Penumbra device in 155 patients (74.5%). An additional 8 patients (3.8%) obtained modified thrombolysis in cerebral ischemia 2b-3 with urokinase or glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor infusion. Of the remaining 45 patients (21.6%), 17 underwent stenting (stenting group; mean age, 68 years), whereas 28 did not undergo stenting (nonstenting group; mean age, 72 years). The rate of modified thrombolysis in cerebral ischemia 2b-3 in stenting group was assessed, and clinical outcomes were compared between groups. Results— There were no differences in clinical and laboratory findings, initial National Institute of Health Stroke Scale score, location of anterior circulation large artery occlusion, and onset-to-puncture time between groups. Modified thrombolysis in cerebral ischemia 2b-3 was achieved in 14 members (83.3%) of the stenting group. Stenting group had more favorable outcomes (modified Rankin Scale score 0–2, 35.3%) and less cerebral herniation (11.8%) than nonstenting group (modified Rankin Scale score 0–2, 7.1%; cerebral herniation, 42.9%; P<0.05 for both). Symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage and mortality rates did not differ between stenting group (symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, 11.8%; mortality, 23.5%) and nonstenting group (symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, 14.3%; mortality, 39.3%). Conclusions— Permanent stenting may be a rescue modality for stentriever-failed anterior circulation large artery occlusion. A large prospective study is necessary for confirmation because of the small sample size of this study.
Contrasting effects of urbanization and agriculture on surface temperature in eastern China

The combined effect of urbanization and agriculture, two most pervasive land use activities, on the surface climate remains poorly understood. Using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer data over 2010–2015 and forests as reference, we showed that urbanization warmed the land surface temperature (LST), especially during the daytime and in growing seasons (maximized at 5.0 ± 2.0°C in May), whereas agriculture (dominated by double‐cropping system) cooled the LST in two growing seasons during the daytime and all the months but July during the nighttime in Jiangsu Province, eastern China. Collectively, they had insignificant effects on the LST during the day (−0.01°C) and cooled the LST by −0.6°C at night. We also found large geographic variations associated with their thermal effects, indicated by a warming tendency southward. These spatiotemporal patterns depend strongly on vegetation activity, evapotranspiration, surface albedo, and the background climate. Our results emphasize the great potential of agriculture in offsetting the heating effects caused by rapid urbanization in China.
Fabrication and Characterization of W-Re-Os Alloys for Studying Transmutation Effects of W in Fusion Reactors

Tungsten (W) is a candidate material for plasma-facing components in fusion reactors. Large amounts of solid transmuted elements of W such as Re and Os will be produced under fusion neutron irradiation. In order to investigate the effects of transmutation products, a series of W-Re-Os alloys were fabricated by an arc melting method. The nominal compositions of these samples were selected based on theoretical predictions of changes in chemical composition for the transmutation of W to Re and Os. Significant hardening, an increase in electrical resistivity and changes in the lattice constant were observed as a function of the Re and Os content. Microstructural observations revealed the existence of the a phase precipitate, which did not significantly affect physical properties and hardness compared with solid solution effect. The main objectives of this work were to demonstrate the processes of material fabrication and to study unirradiated material properties.
Dyslipidaemia in the elderly: to treat or not to treat?

ABSTRACT Introduction: The elderly population (i.e. aged ≥ 65 years) is increasing worldwide. Ageing is associated with a higher incidence and prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Areas covered: The prevalence of CVD risk factors including type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension and dyslipidaemia also increases with advancing age, contributing to the higher absolute CVD risk observed in the elderly. The present narrative review comments on the associations of dyslipidaemia with CVD as well as the effects of lifestyle measures and lipid-lowering drugs on lipids and CVD risk with a special focus on the elderly population. Individual treatment goals and therapeutic options according to current guidelines are also reviewed. Finally, we discuss special characteristics of the elderly that may influence the efficacy and safety of drug therapy and should be considered before selection of hypolipidaemic pharmacotherapy. Expert commentary: There may be a greater CVD benefit in older patients following drug therapy compared with younger ones. Treatment goals and therapeutic options should be individualized according to current guidelines. Specific characteristics that may influence the efficacy and safety of drug therapy in the elderly should be considered in relation to dyslipidaemia treatment.
Tropospheric NO 2 concentrations over West Africa are influenced by climate zone and soil moisture variability

Abstract. The annual cycles of soil moisture and NO2 have been analysed across the climate zones of West Africa using two satellite data sets (OMI on AURA and ASCAT on MetOp-A). Exploring the sources and sinks for NO2 it is clear that the densely populated urban cities including Lagos and Abuja had the highest mean NO2 concentrations (> 1.8 × 1015 molecules cm−2) indicative of the anthropogenic urban emissions. The data analysis shows that rising soil moisture levels may influence the sink of NO2 concentrations after the biomass burning. The results also show significant soil moisture changes in areas of high humidity especially in the east equatorial monsoon climate zone where most of the Niger delta is located (4 %/yr.). A decline in NO2 (0.9 %/yr.) was also observed in this climate zone. Beyond seasonal linear regression models, climate based Granger’s causality tests show that tropospheric NO2 concentrations from soil emissions in the arid steppe (Sahel) and arid desert climate zones of West Africa are significantly affected by soil moisture variability (F > 10, p 0.8 %/yr). The results demonstrate the critical sensitivity of the West African emissions of NO2 on soil moisture and climate zone.
PROCESSING OF ALUMIX 321 PM ALLOY AND ITS CORROSION BEHAVIOUR IN 3.5 WT% SALINE SOLUTION

Effect of processing parameters on corrosion behaviour of Alumix 321 PM alloy%%%%Aluminum powder metallurgy (PM) parts have found applications in automotive, aerospace and transportation. Sintered aluminum parts have been developed and compete with traditionally fabricated ingot metallurgy (IM) products for specific applications. To extend the range of application of (PM) alloys which offer the advantage of net and near net shape production, processing parameters and corrosion behaviour of the aluminum alloys need to be improved. In this research, processing parameters and corrosion behaviour of a commercial Al-Mg-Si aluminum alloy (Alumix 321) were investigated. This alloy is the PM equivalent of wrought AA6061. Four sintering temperatures (610 °C, 620 °C, 630 °C, 640 °C) and two pressing pressures (200 MPa, 400 MPa) were used and the optimum pressing and sintering procedure was selected. In addition to different processing routes of aluminum powder metallurgy alloys, a series of electrochemical experiments on both (IM) and (PM) aluminum alloy was performed with the aim of correlating corrosion behaviour with production techniques. As a modification step, post sintering treatments and surface alteration techniques were applied. Hot rolling, hot swaging, repressing, resin impregnation and shot peening were performed and their effect on corrosion behaviour was investigated; their effect on density, hardness, and microstructure was also studied. Hardness after hot swaging and hot rolling increases and near full density was achieved (? 99%), while for resin impregnation and shot peening surface nature and roughness were affected, respectively. Electrochemical techniques such as open circuit potential (OCP), Tafel extrapolation (TE), cyclic polarization (CP) and stair step polarization (SP) were performed on the ingot, wrought, and post sintered alloys immersed in a 3.5 wt% NaCl solution. Electrochemical experiments show that corrosion current decreases as a result of post sintering treatments. The electrochemical experiments also show different corrosion mechanisms that were later confirmed by the metallographic analysis. The corrosion product and corroded surfaces of the alloys were characterized by optical microscopy, scanning microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), wavelength dispersive spectroscopy (WDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Results show that pitting is the main corrosion mechanism of the wrought alloy. However, powder metallurgy alloys show pitting, crevice, and intergranular corrosion.
Irregular Shape of Intracranial Aneurysm Indicates Rupture Risk Irrespective of Size in a Population-Based Cohort

Background and Purpose— Size and shape of saccular intracranial aneurysms (sIA) reflect the condition of the sIA wall and were risk factors for rupture in previous follow-up studies. We investigated how well size or shape identify rupture-prone sIAs. Methods— In a population-based registry, we investigated the characteristics of ruptured sIAs treated in a single neurosurgical center (1980–2014). In addition to univariate analysis, logistic regression was used in multivariate analysis, and sensitivity and specificity of size or shape were calculated using receiver operating characteristic curves. Results— Ruptured sIAs were on average larger than unruptured sIAs (median, 7 versus 4 mm; P<0.000), but location and patient background affected the size at rupture. Of the ruptured sIAs, 38% were smaller than 7 mm and 18% were smaller than 4 mm. Of those sIAs that had ruptured at a small (<7 mm) size, 87% had an irregular shape. In multivariate analysis, irregular shape had the strongest association with presentation as ruptured sIA (odds ratio, 7.1; 95% confidence interval, 6.0–8.3), with better sensitivity (91%) and specificity (76%), in contrast to smoking (odds ratio, 0.7; 95% confidence interval, 0.6–0.9; sensitivity, 28%; specificity 57%) and Population, Hypertension, Age, Size of sIA, Earlier SAH from another sIA, Site of sIA score (odds ratio, 1.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.4–1.6). Conclusions— Irregular or multilobular shape is strongly associated with rupture in sIAs of all sizes and independent of location and patient background. Especially sIAs with irregular shape should be considered as high rupture risk lesions, even if small in diameter and in nonsmoking patients with low PHASES scores.
Ventilatory function as a predictor of mortality in lifelong non-smokers: evidence from large British cohort studies

Background Reduced ventilatory function is an established predictor of all-cause mortality in general population cohorts. We sought to verify this in lifelong non-smokers, among whom confounding by active smoking can be excluded, and investigate associations with circulatory and cancer deaths. Methods In UK Biobank, among 149 343 white never-smokers aged 40–69 years at entry, 2401 deaths occurred over a mean of 6.5-year follow-up. In the Health Surveys for England (HSE) 1995, 1996, 2001 and Scottish Health Surveys (SHS) 1998 and 2003 combined, there were 500 deaths among 6579 white never-smokers aged 40–69 years at entry, followed for a mean of 13.9 years. SD (z) scores for forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) were derived using Global Lung Initiative 2012 reference equations. These z-scores were related to deaths from all causes, circulatory disease and cancers using proportional hazards models adjusted for age, sex, height, socioeconomic status, region and survey. Results In the HSE–SHS data set, decreasing z-scores for FEV1 (zFEV1) and FVC (zFVC) were each associated to a similar degree with increased all-cause mortality (hazard ratios per unit decrement 1.17, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.25 for zFEV1 and 1.19, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.28 for zFVC). This was replicated in Biobank (HRs 1.21, 95% CI 1.17 to 1.26 and 1.24, 1.19 to 1.29, respectively). zFEV1 and zFVC were less strongly associated with mortality from circulatory diseases in HSE–SHS (HR 1.22, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.40 for zFVC) than in Biobank (HR 1.47, 95% CI 1.35 to 1.60 for zFVC). For cancer mortality, HRs were more consistent between cohorts (for zFVC: HRs 1.12, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.24 in HSE–SHS and 1.10, 1.05 to 1.15 in Biobank). The strongest associations were with respiratory mortality (for zFVC: HRs 1.61, 95% CI 1.25 to 2.08 in HSE–SHS and 2.15, 1.77 to 2.61 in Biobank). Conclusions Spirometric indices predicted mortality more strongly than systolic blood pressure or body mass index, emphasising the importance of promoting lung health in the general population, even among lifelong non-smokers.
Silver Absorption on Burns After the Application of Acticoat™: Data From Pediatric Patients and a Porcine Burn Model

Silver dressings have been widely used to successfully prevent burn wound infection and sepsis. However, a few case studies have reported the functional abnormality and failure of vital organs, possibly caused by silver deposits. The aim of this study was to investigate the serum silver level in the pediatric burn population and also in several internal organs in a porcine burn model after the application of Acticoat™. A total of 125 blood samples were collected from 46 pediatric burn patients. Thirty-six patients with a mean of 13.4% TBSA burns had a mean peak serum silver level of 114 &mgr;g/L, whereas 10 patients with a mean of 1.85% TBSA burns had an undetectable level of silver (<5.4 &mgr;g/L). Overall, serum silver levels were closely related to burn sizes. However, the highest serum silver was 735 &mgr;g/L in a 15-month-old toddler with 10% TBSA burns and the second highest was 367 &mgr;g/L in a 3-year old with 28% TBSA burns. In a porcine model with 2% TBSA burns, the mean peak silver level was 38 &mgr;g/L at 2 to 3 weeks after application of Acticoat™ and was then significantly reduced to an almost undetectable level at 6 weeks. Of a total of four pigs, silver was detected in all four livers (1.413 &mgr;g/g) and all four hearts (0.342 &mgr;g/g), three of four kidneys (1.113 &mgr;g/g), and two of four brains (0.402 &mgr;g/g). This result demonstrated that although variable, the level of serum silver was positively associated with the size of burns, and significant amounts of silver were deposited in internal organs in pigs with only 2% TBSA burns, after application of Acticoat™.
Effect of Bilineaster Drop on Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia

Background: Hyperbilirubinemia is considered one of the most prevalent problems in newborns. Phototherapy, exchange transfusion, and herbal medicine are common therapeutic approaches for preventing any neurologic damage in infants with neonatal jaundice. However, herbal medicine is less commonly used. Aim: This study aimed to investigate the effect of bilineaster drop on neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. Method: This study was a randomized clinical trial conducted on 98 term neonates (aged 2-14 days) with neonatal jaundice admitted to Ghaem Hospital of Mashhad, Iran, during 2015. These newborns were randomly assigned into intervention (phototherapy and bilineaster drop) and control (only phototherapy) groups. Total and direct serum bilirubin levels were measured at the time of admission and then 12, 24, 36, and 48 h after treatment. Data were analyzed using independent t-test and repeated measures ANOVA through Stata software (Version 12). Results: The mean ages of the newborns at the time of admission were 6.2 ±2.5 and 6.04 ±2.4 days in the intervention and control groups, respectively. The intervention group showed higher reduction in mean duration of hospital stay, readmission rate, and bilirubin levels 12 and 24 h after the intervention, compared to the control group (P>0.001). However, the two groups demonstrated no statistically significant difference 36 h and 48 h after the intervention (P=0.06, P=0.22, respectively). Repeated measures ANOVA indicated that the intervention had no significant effect on the reduction trend of bilirubin levels (P=0.10 [total], P=0.06 [indirect]) in both groups. Nonetheless, bilirubin levels significantly diminished in both groups over time (P<0.001). Implications for Practice: The results of this study demonstrated that the use of bilineaster drop along with phototherapy could cause a significant decrease in the levels of total and direct bilirubin; however, the intervention had no effect on the downward trend of bilirubin.
On Simple Formulations of Weakly-Singular Traction {\&} Displacement BIE, and Their Solutions through Petrov-Galerkin Approaches

Using the directly derived non-hyper singular integral equations for displacement gradients [as in Okada, Rajiyah, and Atluri (1989a)], simple and straightforward derivations of weakly singular traction BIE’s for solids undergoing small deformations are presented. A large number of “intrinsic properties” of the fundamental solutions in elasticity are developed, and are used in rendering the tBIE and dBIE to be only weaklysingular, in a very simple manner. The solutions of the weakly singular tBIE and dBIE through either global Petrov-Galerkin type “boundary element methods”, or, alternatively, through the meshless local Petrov-Galerkin (MLPG) methods, are discussed. As special cases, the Galerkin type methods, which lead to symmetric systems of equations, are also discussed.