Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Electrochemical recovery of rare earth metals in molten salts

Electrochemical metal extraction in molten salts is the dominant industrial method for production of Rare Earth (RE) metals from their oxides. Two major challenges pertaining to RE metals extraction using this technology are a) low solubility of RE oxides in molten salts and b) carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide generation and possibility of fluorocarbon gas generation. The primary objective of this thesis is to find new methods to overcome the problem of low solubility of RE oxides in molten fluorides in order to increase the RE metal extraction yield from RE oxides. Another objective is to study novel routes in order to prevent CO, CO2 and halogen gas generation in the RE metal production from RE oxide and RE magnet scrap in molten salt electrolysis process. In view of this, a treatment route is suggested for the conversion of RE oxide to RE chloride/fluoride using strong chemical agents. Chapters 2, 3 and 4 investigate the conversion routes for RE oxides as well as RE magnet scrap in both chlorides and fluorides molten salts. Chapter 5 investigates the electrolysis step in which iron as a reactive anode is used, preventing generation of fluorocarbon, CO and CO2 gas in the extraction process. In Chapter 6 a thermodynamic modelling of the fluoride salt using CALPHAD approach is carried out. The phase equilibria and thermodynamics of molten fluorides system can be used for optimal design of RE extraction processes.
Association Analysis of BMD‐associated SNPs with Knee Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) risk is widely recognized to be heritable but few loci have been identified. Observational studies have identified higher systemic bone mineral density (BMD) to be associated with an increased risk of radiographic knee osteoarthritis. With this in mind, we sought to evaluate whether well‐established genetic loci for variance in BMD are associated with risk for radiographic OA in the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) and the Johnston County Osteoarthritis (JoCo) Project. Cases had at least one knee with definite radiographic OA, defined as the presence of definite osteophytes with or without joint space narrowing (Kellgren‐Lawrence [KL] grade ≥ 2) and controls were absent for definite radiographic OA in both knees (KL grade ≤ 1 bilaterally). There were 2014 and 658 Caucasian cases, respectively, in the OAI and JoCo Studies, and 953 and 823 controls. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified for association analysis from the literature. Genotyping was carried out on Illumina 2.5M and 1M arrays in Genetic Components of Knee OA (GeCKO) and JoCo, respectively and imputation was done. Association analyses were carried out separately in each cohort with adjustments for age, body mass index (BMI), and sex, and then parameter estimates were combined across the two cohorts by meta‐analysis. We identified four SNPs significantly associated with prevalent radiographic knee OA. The strongest signal (p = 0.0009; OR = 1.22; 95% CI, 1.08–1.37) maps to 12q3, which contains a gene coding for SP7. Additional loci map to 7p14.1 (TXNDC3), 11q13.2 (LRP5), and 11p14.1 (LIN7C). For all four loci the allele associated with higher BMD was associated with higher odds of OA. A BMD risk allele score was not significantly associated with OA risk. This meta‐analysis demonstrates that several genomewide association studies (GWAS)‐identified BMD SNPs are nominally associated with prevalent radiographic knee OA and further supports the hypothesis that BMD, or its determinants, may be a risk factor contributing to OA development. © 2014 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Emerging Therapies for Hepatitis C

The combination of pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) and ribavirin (RBV), the current therapy for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, has saved the lives of many HCV-infected patients. Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) target several sites of HCV nonstructural proteins, resulting in the cessation of viral replication. The first NS3/4A protease inhibitors consisted of boceprevir and telaprevir, which have shown superior efficacy against genotype 1 HCV infection when combined with PEG-IFN/RBV compared with the standard therapy in both treatment-naive and -experienced patients. Simeprevir, faldaprevir, and asunaprevir are second-wave, first-generation NS3/4A inhibitors that have already been or will soon be approved. Second-generation protease inhibitors are in clinical trials. Daclatasvir is the first approved DAA belonging to the class of NS5A replication complex inhibitors. The potency of daclatasvir is very high, and this drug is an important and essential component of combination regimens for all genotypes. Sofosbuvir, the first approved NS5B polymerase inhibitor, is characterized by high potency and genetic barriers to resistance. Sofosbuvir combined with RBV achieved an interferon-free regimen in genotype 2 or 3 patients with a reduced treatment duration. It can also be used in combination with PEG-IFN/RBV in genotype 1 patients for 12 weeks. DAAs have provided new hope for curing HCV infections with a short treatment duration and acceptable adverse events.
Shifting Patterns of Pre-Service Teachersr Conceptions on Material of Colligative Properties of Solutions

This study aims to describe the shifting patterns of pre-service teachers’ conceptions on the material of colligative properties of solutions. The occurred misconceptions were then overcome using metacognitive learning strategy. The pre-service teachers’ conception status was determined by the results of diagnostic tests using multiple choice format supplemented with Certainty of Response Index (CRI). The subjects were pre-service teachers studying chemical education program at Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Indonesia. The study used one group pretest-posttest design. The obtained data were analyzed using descriptive quantitative approach. Results showed that there were five shifting patterns of the pre-service teachers’ conceptions: (1) from misconception into knowledge of correct concept 10.53%, (2) from potentially knowledge of correct concept into stagnant or better mastery 70.18%, (3) from potentially misconception into lack of knowledge 8.77%, (4) from potentially knowledge of correct concept into misconception 3.51% and (5) from misconception remained in the same category 7.02%. Keywords— shifting patterns of conceptions, misconception, CRI, colligative properties of solution
SIMULATION OF THE RESONANT INTERACTIONS BETWEEN A BOUNDARY LAYER AND AN ARRAY OF DEEP CAVITIES

We have performed numerical simulations of the interaction between a laminar boundary layer flow and an array of deep slit-aperture cavities solving fully compressible Navier-Stockes equations with a finite-volume solver CharLESX . The cavities are included in the computational domain which allows to study the full interaction i.e. the excitation mechanism of the liner and its acoustic response. The parameter space is explored by varying the cavity depth D, thus shifting the cavity resonant modes fr,m = (2m− 1) c 4D , where m is a positive integer. Four cases, with varying cavity depth were studied. In all cases, the coupling of the grazing shear layer instabilities to the acoustic standing waves inside cavities (resonant interaction) leads to the generation of large Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) rollers, scaling as λKH = Uc/ fr,1. In some cases, this coupling leads to the excitation of m > 1 resonant modes in the upstream cavities. However vortex merge occurring over the cavities switches the mode m = 1 further downstream. Overall, the results suggest that an array of deep cavities has a promising potential application for passive flow control.
Bacteremia Caused by Acinetobacter baumannii: Epidemiologic Features, Antimicrobial Susceptibility, and Outcomes

Acinetobacter baumannii bacteremia is becoming more prevalent and is associated with increasing morbidity and mortality. Escalating antibacterial resistance further contributes to therapeutic dilemmas, enhanced infection control support and poorer outcomes in patients infected with these bacteria. A retrospective analysis of patients whose blood cultures produced A. baumannii from January 2007 through January 2013 was performed. Data regarding the epidemiologic features, antimicrobial susceptibility and outcomes of patients with A. baumannii bacteremia were collected and analyzed. Sixty A. baumannii isolates each from a different patient were identified. The Charlson Comorbidity Index (≥3) was the greatest among patients with multi-drug resistance (MDR) compared to intermediate drug resistance (IDR) and pan-sensitive (PS) A. baumannii. The mean APACHE II scores for MDR, IDR and PS A. baumannii bacteremia were 21, 15 and 11, respectively (P < 0.05, MDR v. PS). Seventy-three percent of the isolates were resistant to quinolones, 44% to piperacillin/tazobactam, 45% to amikacin, 22% to imipenem, 0% to ticarcillin/clavulanate, and 0% to polymyxin. Among 28 patients with MDR A. baumannii bacteremia, 20 received inadequate empiric treatment, and 16 of these patients died (80%). Of the remaining eight patients with MDR bacteremia who received adequate empiric antibiotics, only two died (25%). The severity of underlying illness, degree of antibiotic resistance and receiving inadequate initial antibiotic therapy are associated with mortality among patients with bacteremia due to A. baumannii.
Impact of Prefrontal Cortex in Nicotine-Induced Excitation of Ventral Tegmental Area Dopamine Neurons in Anesthetized Rats

Systemic administration of nicotine increases dopaminergic (DA) neuron firing in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), which is thought to underlie nicotine reward. Here, we report that the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) plays a critical role in nicotine-induced excitation of VTA DA neurons. In chloral hydrate-anesthetized rats, extracellular single-unit recordings showed that VTA DA neurons exhibited two types of firing responses to systemic nicotine. After nicotine injection, the neurons with type-I response showed a biphasic early inhibition and later excitation, whereas the neurons with type-II response showed a monophasic excitation. The neurons with type-I, but not type-II, response exhibited pronounced slow oscillations (SOs) in firing. Pharmacological or structural mPFC inactivation abolished SOs and prevented systemic nicotine-induced excitation in the neurons with type-I, but not type-II, response, suggesting that these VTA DA neurons are functionally coupled to the mPFC and nicotine increases firing rate in these neurons in part through the mPFC. Systemic nicotine also increased the firing rate and SOs in mPFC pyramidal neurons. mPFC infusion of a non-α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) antagonist mecamylamine blocked the excitatory effect of systemic nicotine on the VTA DA neurons with type-I response, but mPFC infusion of nicotine failed to excite these neurons. These results suggest that nAChR activation in the mPFC is necessary, but not sufficient, for systemic nicotine-induced excitation of VTA neurons. Finally, systemic injection of bicuculline prevented nicotine-induced firing alterations in the neurons with type-I response. We propose that the mPFC plays a critical role in systemic nicotine-induced excitation of VTA DA neurons.
X-Ray Probing of the Central Regions of Clusters of Galaxies

The results on ASCA X-ray study of the central regions of medium-richness clusters of galaxies are summarized, while emphasizing the differences between cD and non-cD clusters. The intra-cluster medium (ICM) is likely to consist of two (hot and cool) phases within ∼ 100kpc of a cD galaxy, where the ICM metallicity is also enhanced. In contrast, the ICM in non-cD clusters appears to be isothermal with a small metallicity gradient right of the center. The gravitational potential exhibits a hierarchical nesting around cD galaxies, while a total mass-density profile with a central cusp is indicated for a non-cD cluster, Abell 1060. The iron-mass-to-light ratio of the ICM decreases toward the center in both types of clusters, although it is radially constant in peripheral regions. The silicon-toiron abundance ratio in the ICM increases with the cluster richness, but remains close to the solar ratio around cD galaxies. These overall results are interpreted without appealing to the popular cooling-flow hypothesis. Instead, an emphasis is put on the halo-in-halo structure formed around cD galaxies.
The Influence of Network Structural Properties on Information Dissemination Power in Microblogging Systems

The potential of microblogging networks to spread information, ideas, and influence via social links has been recognized. Individuals at central or critical positions in the microblogging networks are expected to play an important role in spreading information, but this belief must be tested with empirical investigations in actual information dissemination. Furthermore, it is possible that individuals with different types of structural importance influence the information dissemination in different ways. This article examines the impact of five structural properties (degree, betweenness, closeness, tie strength, and k-value) on information dissemination capabilities by tracking the dissemination of 150 messages in Sina Weibo. The results highlight the importance of betweenness centrality, which best explains the influence on information dissemination distance and coverage size. It also best predicts the information dissemination efficiency. Degree centrality is found to be a strong predictor of one’s influence among immediate followers. Tie strength negatively correlates with influence on the information dissemination distance and coverage size. These structural properties address different aspects of the information dissemination power and should be used in a complementary way when planning information dissemination strategies in microblogging systems.
A 250KS/s, 0.8V ultra low power successive approximation register ADC using a Dynamic rail-to-rail comparator

A low voltage low power successive approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC) based on a novel rail-to-rail comparator is proposed in this paper. The power consumption of the comparator is significantly reduced through dynamic operation while the speed is augmented by using an efficient regenerative latch. No biasing circuits are needed and there are no floating nodes in the comparator throughout the conversion process. The digital-to-analog converter (DAC) is formed from a binary array of MIM capacitors. The 250KS/s ADC implemented in a 0. 18µm process consumes only 1. 35µW of power at a supply voltage of 0.8V.
Cloning and molecular characterization of the B subunit of Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin

We have constructed a plasmid containing the gene for production of the B subunit of the heat-labile enterotoxin (LT-B) from a human isolate of Escherichia coli, strain H10407. The 0.8-kilobase gene fragment encoding synthesis of LT-B was cloned onto plasmid pBR322 after sequential digestion of the enterotoxin plasmid of strain H10407 with restriction endonucleases PstI and HindIII. LT-B was isolated by agarose affinity chromatography from cell lysates of recombinant clones expressing the B subunit. The B subunit was isolated in its oligomeric form, was structurally identical to native B subunit when examined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, dissociated to monomeric B in the presence of 5 M guanidine, was immunologically identical to native B subunit in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and contained no demonstrable A subunit in any of the assays.
Deposition efficiency of low pressure cold sprayed aluminum coating

ABSTRACT Low pressure cold spraying (LPCS) is different from high pressure cold spraying because it is capable of onsite operation with compaction system and flexible spray gun. However, the deposition efficiency is much low for efficient onsite reparation, it is important to know more about the influence of spraying parameters on deposition efficiency of LPCS. To verify the relationship between the spray parameters (temperature, standoff distance, powder feeding rate, and transverse speed) and the deposition efficiency, a DYMET413 commercial LPCS system was used to prepare coating under different parameters. The deposition efficiency increases linearly as the gas temperature increases. The optimal alumina content in powders is about 30%, the optimal distance is 25 mm for the powder used in this study. The deposition efficiency of powder increases as the transverse speed of nozzle decreases. It is hard to predict the deposition efficiency by numerical methods since the deposition behavior in a composite powder system is influenced by a number of factors. The interaction between particles, the erosion effect of alumina and under critical velocity particles all can influence the deposition behavior.
Wideband Car-to-Car MIMO Radio Channel Measurements at 5.7 GHz in Typical Communication Scenarios

Using a channel sounder for wideband Car-to-Car 2 × 2 multiple input multiple output (MIMO) radio channel measurements at 5.7GHz with a bandwidth of 1GHz, we have investigated typical car-to-car communication scenarios in a variety of environments in and around the city of Berlin in Germany. Apart from the full bandwidth signal, we have additionally evaluated an extracted 10MHz signal. Among other results, we present delay and Doppler spread statistics and spatial correlation evaluations.
Mean platelet volume as a marker of increased cardiovascular risk in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD); Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH); Mean plateletvolume (MPV); Inflammation; Steatosis; Ballooning; Fibrosis; Cardiovascular RiskNonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has emerged as the most common cause ofchronic liver disease in western countries (1). NAFLD is frequently associated with obesity,diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and increased cardiovascular risk. Moreover, patients withthe aggressive form of NAFLD, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis or NASH, may be at higher riskof atherosclerosis than patients with simple steatosis due to increased oxidative stress andsystemic inflammation (2–4). Mean platelet volume (MPV) is a marker of platelet activationand a validated predictor of cardiovascular risk (5). Larger platelets are enzymatically moreactive than small platelets, produce more thromboxane A2, and have an increased propensityto thrombosis (6). The aim of this study was two-fold: first to assess MPV levels in patients with biopsyproven NAFLD, and second to determine the relation between histological features ofNASH and MPV. Our cohort consisted of 100 consecutive patients undergoing liver biopsyfor clinical suspicion of NAFLD. Patients were divided into 3 groups: NASH (n=52), simplesteatosis (n=25), and normal biopsy (n=21). We measured MPV in blood samples collectedat the time of liver biopsy. The mean age was 49.8(± 10.6) years and the mean body massindex was 31.4 (± 4.8) kg/m
Direct Measurement of Long-Range Third-Order Coherence in Bose-Einstein Condensates

Correlation of arrival times of metastable helium atoms is consistent with long-range coherence to higher orders. A major advance in understanding the behavior of light was to describe the coherence of a light source by using correlation functions that define the spatio-temporal relationship between pairs and larger groups of photons. Correlations are also a fundamental property of matter. We performed simultaneous measurement of the second- and third-order correlation functions for atoms. Atom bunching in the arrival time for pairs and triplets of thermal atoms just above the Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) temperature was observed. At lower temperatures, we demonstrated conclusively the long-range coherence of the BEC for correlation functions to third order, which supports the prediction that like coherent light, a BEC possesses long-range coherence to all orders.
Exploiting pipelining to relax register-file port constraints of instruction-set extensions

Customisable embedded processors are becoming available on the market, thus making it possible for designers to speed up execution of applications by using Application-specific Functional Units (AFUs), implementing Instruction-Set Extensions (ISEs). While these processors have become available, the state of the art on automatic ISE identification is improving; many algorithms are being proposed for choosing, given the application's source code, the best ISEs under various constraints. Read and write ports between the AFUs and the processor register file are an expensive asset, fixed in the microarchitecture---some processors indeed only allow two read and one write ports---and, on the other hand, a large availability of inputs and outputs to and from the AFUs exposes high speedup. This paper proposes a solution to the limitation of actual register file ports by serialising register file access and therefore addressing multi-cycle read and write. It does so in an innovative way for two reasons: (1) it exploits and brings forward the progress in ISE identification under constraint [1, 16, 4, 19] and (2) it combines register file access serialisation with pipelining in order to obtain the best global solution. This paper proposes an algorithm for scheduling graphs---corresponding to ISEs---under input/output constraint; experiments show that by using the proposed method applications can be sped-up tangibly: speedup for low I/O constraints is 32% better on average, and 65% better at best, than that obtained by state of the art techniques.
Lens epithelium-derived growth factor fusion proteins redirect HIV-1 DNA integration

Lens epithelium-derived growth factor (LEDGF) fusion proteins can direct HIV-1 DNA integration to novel sites in the host genome. The C terminus of LEDGF contains an integrase binding domain (IBD), and the N terminus binds chromatin. LEDGF normally directs integrations to the bodies of expressed genes. Replacing the N terminus of LEDGF with chromatin binding domains (CBDs) from other proteins changes the specificity of HIV-1 DNA integration. We chose two well-characterized CBDs: the plant homeodomain (PHD) finger from ING2 and the chromodomain from heterochromatin binding protein 1α (HP1α). The ING2 PHD finger binds H3K4me3, a histone mark that is associated with the transcriptional start sites of expressed genes. The HP1α chromodomain binds H3K9me2,3, histone marks that are widely distributed throughout the genome. A fusion protein in which the ING2 PHD finger was linked to the LEDGF IBD directed integrations near the start sites of expressed genes. A similar fusion protein in which the HP1α chromodomain was linked to the LEDGF IBD directed integrations to sites that differed from both the PHD finger fusion–directed and LEDGF-directed integration sites. The ability to redirect HIV-1 DNA integration may help solve the problems associated with the activation of oncogenes when retroviruses are used in gene therapy.