Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Biodegradable compounds: Rheological, mechanical and thermal properties

Recently great attention from industry has been focused on biodegradable polyesters derived from renewable resources. In particular, PLA has attracted great interest due to its high strength and high modulus and a good biocompatibility, however its brittleness and low heat distortion temperature (HDT) restrict its wide application. On the other hand, Poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) is a biodegradable polymer with a low tensile modulus but characterized by a high flexibility, excellent impact strength, good thermal and chemical resistance. In this work the two aliphatic biodegradable polyesters PBS and PLA were selected with the aim to obtain a biodegradable material for the industry of plastic cups and plates. PBS was also blended with a thermoplastic starch. Talc was also added to the compounds because of its low cost and its effectiveness in increasing the modulus and the HDT of polymers. The compounds were obtained by melt compounding in a single screw extruder and the rheological, mechanical and therma.
Influence of Selected Factors on the Relationship between the Dynamic Elastic Modulus and Compressive Strength of Concrete

In this paper, the relationship between the static and dynamic elastic modulus of concrete and the relationship between the static elastic modulus and compressive strength of concrete have been formulated. These relationships are based on investigations of different types of concrete and take into account the type and amount of aggregate and binder used. The dynamic elastic modulus of concrete was tested using impulse excitation of vibration and the modal analysis method. This method could be used as a non-destructive way of estimating the compressive strength of concrete.
RNA-Seq Analysis of Quercus pubescens Leaves: De Novo Transcriptome Assembly, Annotation and Functional Markers Development

Quercus pubescens Willd. , a species distributed from Spain to southwest Asia, ranks high for drought tolerance among European oaks. Q. pubescens performs a role of outstanding significance in most Mediterranean forest ecosystems, but few mechanistic studies have been conducted to explore its response to environmental constrains, due to the lack of genomic resources. In our study, we performed a deep transcriptomic sequencing in Q. pubescens leaves, including de novo assembly, functional annotation and the identification of new molecular markers. Our results are a pre-requisite for undertaking molecular functional studies, and may give support in population and association genetic studies. 254,265,700 clean reads were generated by the Illumina HiSeq 2000 platform, with an average length of 98 bp. De novo assembly, using CLC Genomics, produced 96,006 contigs, having a mean length of 618 bp. Sequence similarity analyses against seven public databases (Uniprot, NR, RefSeq and KOGs at NCBI, Pfam, InterPro and KEGG) resulted in 83,065 transcripts annotated with gene descriptions, conserved protein domains, or gene ontology terms. These annotations and local BLAST allowed identify genes specifically associated with mechanisms of drought avoidance. Finally, 14,202 microsatellite markers and 18,425 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were, in silico, discovered in assembled and annotated sequences. We completed a successful global analysis of the Q. pubescens leaf transcriptome using RNA-seq. The assembled and annotated sequences together with newly discovered molecular markers provide genomic information for functional genomic studies in Q. pubescens, with special emphasis to response mechanisms to severe constrain of the Mediterranean climate. Our tools enable comparative genomics studies on other Quercus species taking advantage of large intra-specific ecophysiological differences.
Depressed contractile reserve and impaired calcium handling of cardiac myocytes from chronically unloaded hearts are ameliorated with the administration of physiological treatment dose of T3 in rats

Aim: Chronic cardiac unloading causes a time‐dependent upregulation of phospholamban (PLB) and depression of myocyte contractility in normal rat hearts. As thyroid hormone is known to decrease PLB expression, we examined whether thyroid hormone restores the depressed contractile performance of myocytes from chronically unloaded hearts.
Evaluation of Ultrasound-Assisted Thoracic Epidural Placement in Patients Undergoing Upper Abdominal and Thoracic Surgery: A Randomized, Double-Blind Study

Background and Objectives The placement of thoracic epidurals can be technically challenging and requires a thorough understanding of neuraxial anatomy. Although ultrasound imaging of the thoracic spine has been described, no outcome studies on the use of this imaging have been performed. We evaluated whether preprocedural ultrasound of the thoracic spine would facilitate the process of epidural catheterization. Methods Subjects undergoing thoracic or upper abdominal surgery with planned thoracic epidural placement at T10 or higher were enrolled in this randomized double-blind study. Subjects were allocated into 1 of 2 groups for preoperative epidural placement: ultrasound guidance (group US) or palpation (group Palp). Subjects randomized to group US had a preprocedural ultrasound examination to identify pertinent spinal anatomy and make appropriate marks on the skin identifying midline and interlaminar spaces for targeted Tuohy needle insertion. Subjects in group Palp had a skin marking performed by palpation alone. Using the skin markings, all epidurals were performed using a loss of resistance to saline technique. Block levels were assessed with ice and pain scores obtained by a blinded nurse in the postanesthesia care unit. The primary outcome was procedural time from needle insertion to loss of resistance in the epidural space. Results Seventy subjects were recruited and completed the study protocol. The median time for epidural needle placement to achieve loss of resistance in group US and group Palp was 188.5 seconds (interquartile range [IQR], 79.0–515.0) and 242.0 seconds (IQR, 87.0–627.0), respectively (P = 0.188). Using ultrasound to mark the skin overlying the targeted epidural space took a median time of 85 seconds (IQR, 69–113) for group US and 35 seconds (IQR, 27–51) for group Palp (P < 0.001). The number of needle passes was not significantly different between the 2 groups (P = 0.31). The use of ultrasound assistance resulted in a decreased number of needle skin punctures to achieve loss of resistance (P = 0.005). Mean pain scores after surgery were lower in group US compared to group Palp: 3.0 versus 4.7, respectively (P = 0.015). Conclusions This is the first randomized study to evaluate the efficacy of preprocedural ultrasound marking for placement of thoracic epidural catheters. We observed that preprocedural ultrasound did not significantly reduce the time required to identify the thoracic epidural space via loss of resistance. Clinical Trials Registration: NCT02785055 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/).
The Forward Testing Effect: Interim Testing Enhances Inductive Learning

Induction refers to the process in which people generalize their previous experience when making uncertain inferences about the environment that go beyond direct experience. Here we show that interim tests strongly enhance inductive learning. Participants studied the painting styles of eight famous artists across four lists, each comprising paintings by one pair of artists. In an interim test group participants’ induction was tested after each list. In two control groups participants solved math problems (interim math group) or studied additional new paintings (interim study group) following each of Lists 1–3 and were asked to classify new paintings on List 4. In the List 4 interim test, the interim test group significantly outperformed the other two groups, indicating that interim testing enhances new inductive learning. In a final cumulative test, accuracy in the interim test group at classifying new paintings by studied artists was nearly double that of the other two groups, indicating the major importance of interim testing in inductive learning. This enhancing effect of interim testing on inductive learning was associated with metacognitive awareness.
Influence of Solidification Conditions on Microstructure and Phase Composition of a Fe-4C-12Cr-13V Alloy

Abstract The influence of solidification conditions on the microstructure and phase composition of a hypereutectic Fe-4 %C-12 %Cr-13 %V alloy has been studied. The analysed alloy consists of the following structural components after equilibrium solidification: primary MC-carbides, two types of eutectic mixtures and metallic matrix. A wide spectrum of metastable structures was found in rapidly solidified powder particles as result of cooling rate increase during solidification. Some important changes in phase composition were also identified in the material as result of different solidification conditions.
WarwickDCS: From Phrase-Based to Target-Specific Sentiment Recognition

We present and evaluate several hybrid systems for sentiment identification for Twitter, both at the phrase and document (tweet) level. Our approach has been to use a novel combination of lexica, traditional NLP and deep learning features. We also analyse techniques based on syntactic parsing and tokenbased association to handle topic specific sentiment in subtask C. Our strategy has been to identify subphrases relevant to the designated topic/target and assign sentiment according to our subtask A classifier. Our submitted subtask A classifier ranked fourth in the SemEval official results while our BASELINEand µPARSE classifiers for subtask C would have ranked second.
Sub-threshold autism traits: The role of trait emotional intelligence and cognitive flexibility

Theory and research suggests that features of autism are not restricted to individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), and that autism-like traits vary throughout the general population at lower severities. The present research first investigated the relationship of autism traits with trait emotional intelligence and empathy in a sample of 163 adults aged between 18 and 51 years (44% male). It then examined performance on a set of tasks assessing social cognition and cognitive flexibility in 69 participants with either high or low scores on ASD traits. Results confirm that there is pronounced variation within the general population relating to ASD traits, which reflect similar (though less severe) social-cognitive and emotional features to those observed in ASDs.
Mutational screening of germline RB1 gene in Vietnamese patients with retinoblastoma reveals three novel mutations

Purpose Retinoblastoma (Rb) is a rare and unique eye cancer that usually develops in the retinas of children less than 5 years old due to mutations in the RB1 gene. About 40% of affected individuals have the heritable form making genetics testing of the RB1 gene important for disease management. This study aims to identify germline mutations in RB1 in a cohort of patients with Rb from northern Vietnam. Methods Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood of 34 patients with Rb (nine unilateral and 25 bilateral cases) and their available parents. Twenty-seven exons, flanking sequences, and the promoter region of RB1 gene were screened for mutations with direct PCR sequencing. Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) was applied for patients with negative sequencing results. In the mutation-positive patients, their available parental DNA was analyzed to determine the parental origin of the mutation. Results Germline mutations in RB1 were identified in 25 (73.53%) of 34 patients (four unilateral and 21 bilateral cases). Of these mutations, 19 were detected, including seven nonsense, six frameshift, four splice-site (one was identified in two siblings), and one missense, with Sanger sequencing. Three novel frameshift mutations were discovered in one unilateral and two bilateral patients. MLPA detected mutations in the RB1 gene in six bilateral cases, of whom five had a whole gene deletion (three familial cases) and one had a partial gene deletion (from exon 4 to exon 27) in one allele of the RB1 gene. Parental testing showed five mutations originated from the fathers and one was inherited from a mother who was mosaic for the mutation. Conclusions This study provides a data set of germline mutations in the RB1 gene in Vietnamese patients with retinoblastoma. Screening of mutations in the RB1 gene can help to identify heritable Rb and contribute to clinical management and genetic counseling for affected families.
Non-dipole recollision-gated double ionization and observable effects

Using a three-dimensional semiclassical model, we study double ionization for strongly driven He fully accounting for magnetic field effects during the propagation in time. For linearly and slightly elliptically polarized laser fields, we show that recollisions and the magnetic field combined act as a gate. This gate favors more transverse—with respect to the electric field—initial momenta of the tunneling electron that are opposite to the propagation direction of the laser field. In the absence of non-dipole effects, the transverse initial momentum is symmetric with respect to zero. We find that this asymmetry in the transverse initial momentum gives rise to an asymmetry in a double ionization observable.
Children ' s Attributions in the Family : The Children ' s Relationship Attribution Measure

This study assessed children's attributions in parent-child relationships, examined their association with relationship positivity and behavior displayed toward the parent, determined whether depressive symptoms account for these associations, and investigated whether parent and child attributions are linked. Tento 12-yearold children (116 girls, 116 boys) completed several questionnaires and were observed during parent-child interactions. Children's attributions for parent behavior were related to positivity of the parent-child relationship and to selfand parent-reported conflict and observed behavior with the father. These associations were not due to children's depressive symptoms but potentially augment our understanding of the effect of depression on parent-child relationships. Finally, gender moderated the parent attribution-child attribution association. The results underscore the importance of children's perceptions of family processes.
Coronal Sealing Capacity of Temporary Restorative Materials in Pediatric Dentistry: A Comparative Study

Aims The aim of this in vitro study is to compare the coronal microleakage of three common temporary restorative materials, namely Coltosol, Compoglass, and Zonalin, used in pediatric dentistry after endodontic treatment at different time intervals (1 week, 1, and 2 months) using dye penetration. Materials and methods Access cavities were prepared in 72 intact extracted premolar teeth. The samples were divided into three groups (n = 24) and filled with Coltosol, Compoglass, or Zonalin. After thermal cycling for 500 cycles (5-55°C), the teeth were immersed in 1% methylene blue dye at 37°C for 1 week (n = 8), 1 month (n = 8), and 2 months (n = 8). The samples were sectioned buccolingually, and the linear depth of dye penetration was measured using a stereomicroscope at 16 × magnification. The data were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis test. Results There were no significant differences in the micro-leakage values of Coltosol and Zonalin or Zonalin and Com-poglass groups at 1 week (p > 0.05) or 1 month (p > 0.05) intervals, but a significant difference was noted between Coltosol and Compoglass groups (p < 0.01); Coltosol provided a more favorable coronal seal. No significant difference was found among the experimental groups at the 2-month interval (p > 0.05). Conclusion At 1 week or 1 month of use, Coltosol showed better coronal seal. At 2 months, there was no significant difference apparent between the groups. A longer time lapse was associated with an increased likelihood of microleakage. How to cite this article Milani S, Seraj B, Heidari A, Mirdamadi A, Shahrabi M. Coronal Sealing Capacity of Temporary Restorative Materials in Pediatric Dentistry: A Comparative Study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2017;10(2):115-118.
Relationship of p73 gene polymorphism and additional gene-smoking and gene-obesity interaction with non-small cell lung cancer risk

Aim The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of G4C14-to-A4T14 polymorphism within P73 gene and additional interactions with current smoking and obesity on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) risk in a Chinese population. Results Logistic regression analysis showed a significant association between genotypes of the AT allele in G4C14-to-A4T14 and decreased NSCLC risk. NSCLC risk was significantly lower in carriers of the G4C14-to-A4T14- AT allele than those with GC/GC genotype (AT/AT + GC/AT versus GC/GC), adjusted OR (95%CI) = 0.68 (0.55–0.93). We also found that the OR (95%CI) was 1.88 (1.32-2.47) for current smokers compared with never smokers and 0.69 (0.40–0.95) for obese subjects compared to participants with normal BMI. Never smokers with AT/AT or GC/AT of the G4C14-to-A4T14 genotype have the lowest NSCLC risk compared with smokers with the GC/GC genotype after covariates adjustment, OR (95%CI) = 0.52 (0.26-0.87). Obese participants with G4C14-to-A4T14- AT/AT or GC/AT genotype have the lowest NSCLC risk compared with non- obese subjects with the GC/GC genotype after adjusting for covariates, OR (95% CI) = 0.56 (0.33–0.85). Materials and Methods A logistic regression model was used to examine the association between G4C14-to-A4T14 polymorphism and NSCLC, and its interaction with current smoking and obesity. The odds ratios (OR) and 95% confident intervals (95%CI) were calculated. Conclusions Our results support an important association between the G4C14-to-A4T14 and decreased NSCLC risk and additional impact of an interaction between G4C14-to-A4T14 and smoking or obesity on NSCLC risk.
Cryogenically Cooled 1J, ps Yb:YAG Slab Laser for High-brightness Laser-Compton X-Ray Source

A prototype solid state picosecond laser is reported for single shot laser-Compton bio-imaging applications. The target specification is 1J, 1ps at 120Hz with good beam quality for precise pointing to 10 m focused 43MeV electron beam with 1nC charge. 0.1J stretched pulse is obtained from a thin disc Yb:YAG laser, and amplified through a cryogenically cooled Slab Yb:YAG module in a multipass configuration. Temperature dependent gain characteristics is analysed and concluded as the designed optimization is sufficient for long time stable operation for the laser-Compton imaging.
Human Chromosomal Polymorphism in a Hungarian Sample

Abstract In the Department of Forensic Medicine of Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary we carried out a study about human chromosomal polymorphism in a Hungarian population. Q-band method was used for the analysis of chromosomes 3, 4, 13, 14, 15, 21, 22 and Y and C-band for chromosomes 1, 9, 16 and Y. The polymorphism of the representative Hungarian population was compared to the data of different ethnic groups found in the literature, such as Central-European, Italian, Indian and Turkish data. The result shows that there is a relatively small difference between the Hungarian and Indian group, the Central-Europeans differ more, and the most distant relatives are the Turks among the populations mentioned in this paper.
Enzymatic hydrolysis of fumonisins in the gastrointestinal tract of broiler chickens

&NA; Fumonisins (FB) are among the most frequently detected mycotoxins in feedstuffs and finished feed, and recent data suggest that the functions of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) in poultry species might be compromised at doses ranging from 10 to 20 mg/kg, close to field incidences and below the US and EU guidelines. Strategies are therefore necessary to reduce the exposure of poultry to FB. In the present study, we assessed the efficacy of fumonisin esterase FumD (EC 3.1.1.87, commercial name FUMzyme®) to cleave the tricarballylic acid side chains of FB, leading to the formation of non‐toxic hydrolyzed fumonisins in the GIT of broiler chickens. Broiler chickens were fed for 14 d (7 to 21 d of age) 3 different diets (6 birds/cage, 6 cages/diet), i) control feed (negative control group), ii) feed contaminated with 10 mg FB/kg (FB group), and iii) feed contaminated with 10 mg FB/kg and supplemented with 100 units of FUMzyme®/kg (FB+FUMzyme® group). To determine the degree of reduction of FB in the GIT, 2 characteristics were analyzed. First, the sphinganine‐to‐sphingosine ratio in the serum and liver was determined as a biomarker of effect for exposure to FB. Second, the concentration of fumonisin B1 and its hydrolyzed forms was evaluated in the gizzard, the proximal and distal parts of the small intestine, and the excreta. Significantly reduced sphinganine‐to‐sphingosine ratios in the serum and liver of the FB+FUMzyme® group (serum: 0.15 ± 0.01; liver: 0.17 ± 0.01) compared to the FB group (serum: 0.20 ± 0.01; liver: 0.29 ± 0.03) proved that supplementation of broiler feed with FUMzyme® was effective in partially counteracting the toxic effect of dietary FB. Likewise, FB concentrations in digesta and excreta were significantly reduced in the FB+FUMzyme® group compared to the FB group (P < 0.05; up to 75%). FUMzyme® furthermore partially counteracted FB‐induced up‐regulation of cytokine gene expression (IL‐8 and IL‐10) in the jejunum. The FB group showed significantly higher gene expression of IL‐8 and IL‐10 compared to the negative control group (IL‐8: fold change = 2.9 ± 1.1, P < 0.05; IL‐10: fold change = 3.6 ± 1.4, P < 0.05), whereas IL‐8 and IL‐10 mRNA levels were not significantly different in the FB+FUMzyme®® group compared to the other 2 groups. In conclusion, FUMzyme® is suitable to detoxify FB in chickens and maintain gut functions.
The use of laser light scattering to study solution crystallization phenomena in polyolefins

An instrument, named solution crystallization analysis by laser light scattering (SCALLS), that measures the solution melting and crystallization of polymers in solution was developed further in this study. The instrument was tested in a theoretical study to evaluate the Flory-Huggins relationship of melting point depression in solution of copolymers. It was found that the solvent interaction parameter for propylene/higher 1-alkene copolymers, with low comonomer content is dependent on the comonomer type. It was also showed that the melting point depression is dependent on both the type and amount of comonomer included in the copolymer. The instrument was further developed to include a total of three lasers with different wavelengths. Initial problems with laser interference was rectified by the introduction of dichroic mirrors to direct the laser light to the relevant detectors and broad pass filters in front of the the detectors to ensure that only the relevant laser light passes through. For homogenous polypropylene samples it was found that even though a slower cooling rate increases the relative peak temperatures as well as the relative temperature differences between the peaks, detail in the peak profiles is the same for the faster cooling rate. The subsequent heating analysis does show that there is a definite dependence on the cooling rate. The ZNPP-4 sample shows that the appearance of a shoulder in the heating analysis becomes more defined as a peak if the preceding cooling analysis is slower. Complex impact-polypropylene samples, differing only in the amount of ethylene were analysed and even small differences between samples were detected. The possible application of the SCALLS instrument was investigated. It was proven that the instrument can be used as a screening method for prep-TREF to determine the fractionation temperatures. Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za