Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Synthesis and characterization of kraft lignin-based epoxy resins

Epoxidization is an interesting way to develop a new application of lignin and therefore to improve its application potential. In this work, kraft lignin-based epoxy resins were obtained by the epoxidization reaction, using the kraft lignin recovered directly from pulping liquor and modified by a methylolation reaction. The methylolated lignins were obtained by the reaction of original kraft lignin with formaldehyde and glyoxal, which is a less volatile and less toxic aldehyde. 1H-NMR spectroscopy showed that methylolated kraft lignin has more hydroxymethyl groups than glyoxalated kraft lignin. For the epoxidization reaction we studied the influence of the lignin:NaOH (w/w) ratio, temperature, and time of the reaction on the properties of the prepared epoxidized lignins. The structures of lignin-based epoxy resins were followed by epoxy index test and FTIR spectroscopy. Optimal conditions were obtained for lignin-based epoxy resin produced at lignin/NaOH = 1/3 at 70 ºC for 3h. Thermogravimetry analysis (TGA) revealed that the epoxidization enhances the thermal stability of lignins and may allow a wider temperature range for applications with lignin epoxy-PF blends.
Consensus of linear multi-agent systems via event-triggered control

This paper proposes an event-triggered control for multi-agent systems in which all agents have an identical linear dynamic mode. The asynchronous event-triggered control algorithms are proposed based on the triggering time sequences of all agents. The main contribution of this paper is to extend the event-triggered control method to investigate general linear multi-agent systems. First, by applying variable substitution method, we give the asynchronous triggering conditions. Based on the conditions, the consensus can be achieved both under fixed and switching topologies. Meanwhile, all the proposed event-triggered algorithms can exclude Zeno behaviours of the closed-loop systems. Then, the asynchronous results are applied to cope with formation control problem. Finally, numerical simulations are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the part event-triggered protocol designs.
Tumor necrosis factor α-induced microRNA-18a activates rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts through a feedback loop in NF-κB signaling.

OBJECTIVE To elucidate whether the microRNA (miRNA) cluster miR-17-92 contributes to the activated phenotype of rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts (RASFs). METHODS RASFs were stimulated with tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), and the expression and regulation of the miR-17-92 cluster were studied using real-time quantitative PCR (PCR) and promoter activity assays. RASFs were transfected with single precursor molecules of miRNAs from miR-17-92 and the expression of matrix-degrading enzymes and cytokines was measured by quantitative PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Potential miRNA targets were identified by computational prediction and were validated using reporter gene assays and Western blotting. The activity of NF-κB signaling was determined by reporter gene assays. RESULTS We found that TNFα induces the expression of miR-17-92 in RASFs in an NF-κB-dependent manner. Transfection of RASFs with precursor molecules of single members of miR-17-92 revealed significantly increased expression levels of matrix-degrading enzymes, proinflammatory cytokines, and chemokines in precursor miR-18a (pre-miR-18a)-transfected RASFs. Using reporter gene assays, we identified the NF-κB pathway inhibitor TNFα-induced protein 3 as a new target of miR-18a. In addition, pre-miR-18a-transfected RASFs showed stronger activation of NF-κB signaling, both constitutively and in response to TNFα stimulation. CONCLUSION Our data suggest that the miR-17-92-derived miR-18a contributes to cartilage destruction and chronic inflammation in the joint through a positive feedback loop in NF-κB signaling, with concomitant up-regulation of matrix-degrading enzymes and mediators of inflammation in RASFs.
Spatio-Temporal Backpropagation for Training High-Performance Spiking Neural Networks

Spiking neural networks (SNNs) are promising in ascertaining brain-like behaviors since spikes are capable of encoding spatio-temporal information. Recent schemes, e.g., pre-training from artificial neural networks (ANNs) or direct training based on backpropagation (BP), make the high-performance supervised training of SNNs possible. However, these methods primarily fasten more attention on its spatial domain information, and the dynamics in temporal domain are attached less significance. Consequently, this might lead to the performance bottleneck, and scores of training techniques shall be additionally required. Another underlying problem is that the spike activity is naturally non-differentiable, raising more difficulties in supervised training of SNNs. In this paper, we propose a spatio-temporal backpropagation (STBP) algorithm for training high-performance SNNs. In order to solve the non-differentiable problem of SNNs, an approximated derivative for spike activity is proposed, being appropriate for gradient descent training. The STBP algorithm combines the layer-by-layer spatial domain (SD) and the timing-dependent temporal domain (TD), and does not require any additional complicated skill. We evaluate this method through adopting both the fully connected and convolutional architecture on the static MNIST dataset, a custom object detection dataset, and the dynamic N-MNIST dataset. Results bespeak that our approach achieves the best accuracy compared with existing state-of-the-art algorithms on spiking networks. This work provides a new perspective to investigate the high-performance SNNs for future brain-like computing paradigm with rich spatio-temporal dynamics.
Functional Metagenomics of Spacecraft Assembly Cleanrooms: Presence of Virulence Factors Associated with Human Pathogens

Strict planetary protection practices are implemented during spacecraft assembly to prevent inadvertent transfer of earth microorganisms to other planetary bodies. Therefore, spacecraft are assembled in cleanrooms, which undergo strict cleaning and decontamination procedures to reduce total microbial bioburden. We wanted to evaluate if these practices selectively favor survival and growth of hardy microorganisms, such as pathogens. Three geographically distinct cleanrooms were sampled during the assembly of three NASA spacecraft: The Lockheed Martin Aeronautics' Multiple Testing Facility during DAWN, the Kennedy Space Center's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (KSC-PHSF) during Phoenix, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Spacecraft Assembly Facility during Mars Science Laboratory. Sample sets were collected from the KSC-PHSF cleanroom at three time points: before arrival of the Phoenix spacecraft, during the assembly and testing of the Phoenix spacecraft, and after removal of the spacecraft from the KSC-PHSF facility. All samples were subjected to metagenomic shotgun sequencing on an Illumina HiSeq 2500 platform. Strict decontamination procedures had a greater impact on microbial communities than sampling location Samples collected during spacecraft assembly were dominated by Acinetobacter spp. We found pathogens and potential virulence factors, which determine pathogenicity in all the samples tested during this study. Though the relative abundance of pathogens was lowest during the Phoenix assembly, potential virulence factors were higher during assembly compared to before and after assembly, indicating a survival advantage. Decreased phylogenetic and pathogenic diversity indicates that decontamination and preventative measures were effective against the majority of microorganisms and well implemented, however, pathogen abundance still increased over time. Four potential pathogens, Acinetobacter baumannii, Acinetobacter lwoffii, Escherichia coli and Legionella pneumophila, and their corresponding virulence factors were present in all cleanroom samples. This is the first functional metagenomics study describing presence of pathogens and their corresponding virulence factors in cleanroom environments. The results of this study should be considered for microbial monitoring of enclosed environments such as schools, homes, hospitals and more isolated habitation such the International Space Station and future manned missions to Mars.
Relationship of Solute Leakage to Solution Tonicity in Fruits and Other Plant Tissues.

Although essentially all plant parts and especially thin sections derived from them have been observed to leach solute upon immersion in water (17), fruits have attracted particular attention because of the concept that an increased permeability of the tonoplast may accompany or be a prerequisite of fruit ripening (3, 19, 27). Previously it was shown (9) that exposure to water causes sections of apple tissue to lose solute and water, decrease in their ability to produce ethylene, and undergo an extensive browning reaction. The changes in water content, ethylene production, and polypenolase activity were prevented by inclusion of a high concentration of various organic or inorganic materials in the soaking media, and the present communication demonstrates that solute leakage also is restricted by this condition. In fact, leakage probably is the indirect cause of many of these effects, and it occurs to a significant extent and in a closely similar manner not only in several fruits, but also in other plant tissues.
Effects of different bulking agents on the maturity, enzymatic activity, and microbial community functional diversity of kitchen waste compost

ABSTRACT Aerobic composting is an effective method for the disposal and utilization of kitchen waste. However, the addition of a bulking agent is necessary during kitchen waste composting because of its high moisture content and low C/N ratio. In order to select a suitable bulking agent, we investigated the influence of leaf litter (LL), sawdust (SD), and wheat straw (WS) on the enzymatic activity, microbial community functional diversity, and maturity indices during the kitchen waste composting process. The results showed that the addition of WS yielded the highest maturity (the C/N ratio decreased from 25 to 13, T value = 0.5, and germination index (GI) = 114.7%), whereas the compost containing SD as a bulking agent had the lowest maturity (GI = 32.4%). The maximum cellulase and urease activities were observed with the WS treatment on day 8, whereas the SD treatment had the lowest cellulase activity and the LL treatment had the lowest urease activity. The compost temperature and microbial activity (as the average well color development) showed that bulking the composts with SD prolonged the composting process. The diversity index based on the community-level physiological profile showed that the composts bulked with LL and WS had greater microbial community functional diversity compared with those bulked with SD. Thus, the maturity indexes and enzymatic activities suggest that WS is a suitable bulking agent for use in kitchen waste composting systems.
Mafic forearc cumulates and associated rocks in the central high-pressure belt of the Acatlán Complex of southern México: geochemical constraints

The high-pressure (HP) Piaxtla Suite at Tehuitzingo contains peridotites, gabbros, and serpentinized peridotites, as well as granitoids and metasedimentary rocks. The HP mafic rocks are characterized by low SiO2 (38–52 wt.%) and high Mg# (∼48–70), Ni (100–470 ppm), and Cr (180–1750 ppm), typical of cumulate compositions. Trace elements and rare earth element (REE) primitive mantle-normalized patterns display generally flat profiles, indicative of derivation from a primitive mantle with two distinct patterns: (1) gabbroic patterns are characterized by a positive Eu anomaly, low REE abundances, and slightly depleted high REE (HREE) relative to low REE (LREE), typical of cumulus olivine, pyroxene, and plagioclase; and (2) mafic-intermediate gabbroic patterns exhibit very flat profiles characteristic of olivine and clinopyroxene as cumulus minerals. Their Nb/Y and Zr/TiO2 ratios suggest a subalkaline character, whereas low Ti/V ratios indicate that the Tehuitzingo cumulates are island arc tholeiitic basalts that resemble modern, immature oceanic, forearc magmas. These cumulates have high values of ϵ Nd(t) = 5.3–8.5 and 147Sm/144Nd = 0.18–0.23, which renders calculations of model ages meaningless. Our data are consistent with the Tehuitzingo arc rocks being part of a tectonically extruded Devonian–early Carboniferous arc developed along the west margin of Gondwana.
Oral cancer: knowledge, practices and opinions of dentists in yemen.

BACKGROUND Oral cancer presents with high mortality rates, and the likelihood of survival is remarkably superior when detected early. Dental professionals have an important role and responsibility in prevention and early detection of oral cancer. PURPOSE The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, practices and opinions regarding oral cancer among dentists in Yemen. MATERIALS AND METHODS A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire involving private and public dental practitioners, working in different governorates in Yemen. RESULTS Of the 800 dentists surveyed, a total of 221 questionnaires were completed and returned (response rate 27.6%). A vast majority of dentists (96.38%) identified tobacco as the major risk factor for oral cancer, and 82.8% knew that squamous cell carcinoma is the most common form. While 47.1% of the dentists agreed that they were adequately trained in oral cancer screening, the majority (86%) believed that they need further training in oral cancer screening. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that additional training and continuing educational programs on prevention and early detection of oral cancer for dentists are to be highly recommended.
Byram Derivation of the Energy Criterion for Forest and Wildland Fires

G.M. Byram's energy criterion for forest and wildland fires consists of two equations: one for computing the rate of flow of kinetic energy in the atmosphere due to the wind field (Pw), and one for estimating the rate of conversion of thermal energy to kinetic energy in the convection column (Pf). The derivation of the equations has remained unpublished since their introduction in 1959. Byram considered the dimensionless ratio of Pf to Pw an indicator of the vertical structure of convection over a fire and referred to the ratio as the convection number, Nc. In view of past and current interest in the behavior of large fires, Byram's derivation of the equations for Pw and Pc is presented along with a sketch and some additional wording for purposes of clarification. The assumptions and possible limitations in Byram's analysis are discussed.
Learning Multiscale Sparse Representations for Image and Video Restoration

Abstract : A framework for learning multiscale sparse representations of color images and video with over complete dictionaries is presented in this paper. Following the single-scale grayscale K-SVD algorithm introduced in [1], which formulates the sparse dictionary learning and image representation as an optimization problem efficiently solved via orthogonal matching pursuit and SVD, this proposed multiscale learned representation is obtained based on an efficient quadtree decomposition of the learned dictionary and overlapping image patches. The proposed framework provides an alternative to pre-defined dictionaries such as wavelets, and leads to state-of-the-art results in a number of image and video enhancement and restoration applications. The presentation of the framework here proposed is accompanied by numerous examples demonstrating its practical power.
EXTRACTING BIO‐MOLECULAR EVENTS FROM LITERATURE—THE BIONLP’09 SHARED TASK

This paper presents the preparation, results and analysis of the BioNLP’09 shared task on event extraction, organized to address the automatic extraction of fine‐grained information from the scientific literature on molecular biology. A representation of this information was defined taking into account both the biological and computational requirements of the task, and corpus resources manually annotated by domain experts provided to task participants. To create a basis for further progress, emphasis was placed on providing fine‐grained evaluation that isolates different subtasks and allows the analysis of different aspects of the results through various evaluation criteria. In introducing this new task to the community, we made an effort to reduce the cost of participation by making common natural language processing tools, data, and evaluation methods easily accessible. The task received community‐wide participation, establishing the state‐of‐the‐art performance at fine‐grained event extraction as well as allowing the identification of remaining challenges and suggesting directions for future improvements. All the resources and results of the shared task are publicly available and an online evaluation on blind test data accessible at http://www‐tsujii.is. s.u‐tokyo.ac. jp/GENIA/SharedTask/.
Real-Time Audio Retrieval Method and Automatic Commercial Detecting System

This study presents a robust audio retrieval method and discusses its control strategy. In the method, the retrieval target is divided into short segments, each segment is searched respectively and a retrieval window is used to maintain a list of segments that can be searched simultaneously. The method can quickly detect and locate known sound in real-time audio stream, multimedia archives or the Internet. It can maintain high performance even if large part of target is absent in the input stream. Its retrieval speed can be adjusted by the length of retrieval window and is independent on target length. Using the proposed method, an automatic commercial detecting system is developed, which is used to detect and locate advertisements from real-time TV or radio broadcast audio signal and estimate broadcast length of them. The recall rate and precision rate of the system are 100 and 99.7% respectively.
Geodetic detection of active faults in S. California

A new analysis of velocities of geodetic markers straddling the San Andreas Fault System in southern California reveals that interseismic deformation is localized along a dozen sub‐parallel narrow belts of high shear strain rate that correlate well with active geologic fault segments and locally with concentrated zones of microseismicity. High shear strain rates (0.3–0.95 µstrain/year) are observed northward and southward of the San Andreas fault's big bend, whereas the big bend itself is characterized by a diffuse low magnitude shear strain rate. Dilatational deformation is diffuse and of relatively low magnitude (<0.2 µstrain/year), with the highest contraction rates occurring in the Ventura and Los Angeles basins. Because no prior assumptions were made regarding the geology, tectonics, or seismicity of the region, our analysis demonstrates that geodetic observations alone can be used to detect active fault segments.
Empirical Principles and an Industrial Case Study in Retrieving Equivalent Requirements via Natural Language Processing Techniques

Though very important in software engineering, linking artifacts of the same type (clone detection) or different types (traceability recovery) is extremely tedious, error-prone, and effort-intensive. Past research focused on supporting analysts with techniques based on Natural Language Processing (NLP) to identify candidate links. Because many NLP techniques exist and their performance varies according to context, it is crucial to define and use reliable evaluation procedures. The aim of this paper is to propose a set of seven principles for evaluating the performance of NLP techniques in identifying equivalent requirements. In this paper, we conjecture, and verify, that NLP techniques perform on a given dataset according to both ability and the odds of identifying equivalent requirements correctly. For instance, when the odds of identifying equivalent requirements are very high, then it is reasonable to expect that NLP techniques will result in good performance. Our key idea is to measure this random factor of the specific dataset(s) in use and then adjust the observed performance accordingly. To support the application of the principles we report their practical application to a case study that evaluates the performance of a large number of NLP techniques for identifying equivalent requirements in the context of an Italian company in the defense and aerospace domain. The current application context is the evaluation of NLP techniques to identify equivalent requirements. However, most of the proposed principles seem applicable to evaluating any estimation technique aimed at supporting a binary decision (e.g., equivalent/nonequivalent), with the estimate in the range [0,1] (e.g., the similarity provided by the NLP), when the dataset(s) is used as a benchmark (i.e., testbed), independently of the type of estimator (i.e., requirements text) and of the estimation method (e.g., NLP).
Obesity and life expectancy among long-lived Black adults.

BACKGROUND In samples of African Americans and the elderly adults, obesity is often not found to be a risk factor for mortality. These data contradict the evidence linking obesity to chronic disease in these groups. Our objective was to determine whether obesity remains a risk factor for mortality among long-lived black adults. METHODS The Adventist Health Study 2 is a large prospective cohort study of Seventh-day Adventist church members who are encouraged by faith-based principles to avoid tobacco, alcohol, and meat consumption. We conducted an attained age survival analysis of 22,884 U.S. blacks of the cohort-half of whom attained an age of 58-108 years during the follow-up (adult life expectancy of 84 years in men, 89 years in women). RESULTS Women in the highest body mass index quintile (>33.8) experienced a significant 61% increase (hazard ratio [95% CI] = 1.62 [1.23, 2.11] relative to the middle quintile) in mortality risk and a 6.2-year (95% CI = 2.8-10.2 years) decrease in life expectancy. Men in the highest body mass index quintile (>30.8) experienced a significant 87% increase (hazard ratio [95% CI] = 1.87 [1.28, 2.73] relative to the middle quintile) in mortality risk and 5.9-year (95% CI = 2.1- 9.5 years) decrease in life expectancy. Obesity (>30) was a significant risk factor relative to normal weight (18.5-24.9) in never-smokers. Instantaneous hazards indicated excess risk from obesity was evident through at least age 85 years. The nonobese tended to follow plant-based diets and exercise vigorously. CONCLUSIONS Avoiding obesity promotes gains in life expectancy through at least the eighth decade of life in black adults. Evidence for weight control through plant-based diets and active living was found in long-lived nonobese blacks.
Fundus Autofluorescence Imaging and Optical Coherence Tomography Analysis of Reticular Pattern Dystrophy of the Retinal Pigment Epithelium

The purpose is report a case of reticular pattern dystrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) in a 56- year-old woman with breast cancer. Images were obtained using fundus photography, fundus autofluorescence (FAF) imaging, and optical coherence tomography (OCT). The patient complained of bilateral metamorphopsia for 2 months. She underwent surgical treatment and chemotherapy for breast cancer 5 years earlier, and was receiving tamoxifen citrate (20 mg/day) for the previous 2 years. On initial examination, she had a visual acuity of 1.2 in both eyes. Ophthalmoscopy revealed bilateral, peculiar yellow-grey deposits in a reticular pattern at the RPE level. FAF imaging showed clearly defined hyperfluorescent lesions corresponding to the reticular pattern deposits, and the OCT demonstrated focal RPE thickening, called bumps. In addition, the inner segment/outer segment interface was disrupted. Based on these findings, we diagnosed our patient with reticular pattern dystrophy of the RPE. FAF and OCT were useful for demonstrating the peculiar reticular pattern and in localizing the retinal deposits in a patient with reticular pattern dystrophy of the RPE.