Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Size distributing of explosion-generated particles in a sealed container

In this paper, we study the amount and size distribution of aerosol particles formed in an explosion in a sealed metal container in presence of a silver sample.Aerosol samples were collected for different minutes at different time after the explosion.The samples were weighed, and examined by neutron activation analysis, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction.The results indicated that changes in size distribution of the particles depended on the process combining Brown aggravation and gravitation sedimentation in the container.The aerosol particle size in relatively stable gas phase distributed mainly around 1.8 μm. The Ag particles had a segregating behavior in particles of different sizes.Most Ag aerosol particles under 10 μm size consisted of small polycrystalline aggregates, and the average crystalline size was 27.3 nm.
Exploring Anaerobic Bacteria for Industrial Biotechnology - Diversity Studies, Screening and Biorefinery Applications

Depletion of easily accessible fossil energy resources, threat of climate change and political priority to achieve energy self-sufficiency and sustainable solutions prioritize a conscious and smart use of renewable resources to generate a bio-based economy. Bio-based compounds can replace chemicals and fuels that are now mainly produced from crude oil. Efficient processes for the conversion of plant biomass into compounds of interest to the biorefinery industry occur naturally in anaerobic environments such as in the forestomach of herbivores. Exploration of anaerobic microorganisms for industrial biotechnological applications creates the possibility to convey efficient and flexible processes, with lower implementation and running costs, making it also applicable to developing and emerging economies. Despite the growing interest in anaerobic microorganisms for applications in industrial biotechnology, there is less information available concerning their diversity and function compared to what is known for their aerobic counterparts. To counter this, microbial diversity studies on an unexplored environment for microbial applications, was investigated by molecular and traditional cultivation techniques. The bacterial diversity of the forestomach of the llama, showed differences in the prokaryotes populations according to the complexity of the material type digested. Bacterial isolates were selected by their ability to produce compounds such as organic acids and alcohols and hydrolytic enzymes. Also, a new strategy for cultivation of anaerobic microorganisms with the potential for an improved isolation rate and screening has been developed in this thesis work. The technique is based on single cell entrapment in alginate microbeads. A method was optimized for simple preparation under anaerobic conditions and successful cultivation of single cells was observed. Further applications of anaerobic bacteria towards the biorefinery were also studied. The production of 1,3-propanediol, a compound used as building block for polymer materials, was investigated from selected llama isolates. The use of wheat straw as co-substrate and/or support material improved the concentration of 1,3-propanediol by 29% for C. butyricum BSL59 and 65% for C. butyricum BSL61 in comparison to using sole glycerol in the medium. The use of wheat straw was also superior in comparison to addition of pure sugars. Moreover, the solid residue from sequence batch fermentation using wheat straw as co-substrate showed to have high methane potential yield. Demonstrating that agriculture residue can be used in an integrated process for the production of valuable chemical compounds and energy carriers. Finally, a new method for cell immobilization forming a macroporous material was evaluated for butanol production which reaches high yields and allows repeated use of the cell-based material.
Platelet TGF-β1 deficiency decreases liver fibrosis in a mouse model of liver injury.

Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) signaling in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) plays a primary role in liver fibrosis, but the source of TGF-β1 is unclear. Because platelets are rich in TGF-β1, we examined the role of platelet TGF-β1 in liver fibrosis by challenging wild-type (WT) mice and mice deficient in platelet TGF-β1 (PF4CreTgfb1f/f) with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), an inducer of acute hepatic injury and chronic fibrosis. CCl4 elicited equivalent hepatic injury in WT and PF4CreTgfb1f/f mice based on loss of cytochrome P450 (Cyp2e1) expression, observed at 6 hours and peaking at 3 days after CCl4 challenge; PF4CreTgfb1f/f mice exhibited less liver fibrosis than control mice. Activated platelets were observed during acute liver injury (6 hours), and WT mice with transient platelet depletion (thrombocytopenia) were partially protected from developing fibrosis compared with control mice (P = .01), suggesting an association between platelet activation and fibrosis. Transient increases in TGF-β1 levels and Smad2 phosphorylation signaling were observed 6 hours and 3 days, respectively, after CCl4 challenge in WT, but not PF4CreTgfb1f/f , mice, suggesting that increased TGF-β1 levels originated from platelet-released TGF-β1 during the initial injury. Numbers of collagen-producing HSCs and myofibroblasts were higher at 3 days and 36 days, respectively, in WT vs PF4CreTgfb1f/f mice, suggesting that platelet TGF-β1 may have stimulated HSC transdifferentiation into myofibroblasts. Thus, platelet TGF-β1 partially contributes to liver fibrosis, most likely by initiating profibrotic signaling in HSCs and collagen synthesis. Further studies are required to evaluate whether blocking platelet and TGF-β1 activation during acute liver injury prevents liver fibrosis.
Experimentation and Imitation: The Journey to Elle 360

It is widely acknowledged that the media industries are facing an unprecedented period of disruption within the internet age. Whilst avoiding technological determinism, it is important to recognize the scale of the changes being faced and the altering landscape which media businesses, particularly those with a strong legacy, are forced to operate in (Chan-Olmsted and Chang, 2003; Kung, 2008; Kung, Picard and Towse, 2008; Kung, 2013). This paper focuses on the initial findings from a case study of Elle, UK and the title’s explicit engagement with multi-platform which has involved multiple and wide ranging product, process and content innovations. The paper focuses on an analysis of documentary evidence and semi-structured interviews with Hearst Magazines UK and Elle UK senior employees. With regard to adjusting to a multiplatform approach to publishing, Hearst UK is considered to have innovated more quickly than rivals (Halliday and Sweney, 2013) and Elle UK has engaged with a multi-platform strategy, ‘Elle 360’ for the past 18 months. Despite a public discourse of platform neutrality, evidence from the initial research suggests that the economic strategies, as a corollary work practices and content decisions, continue to preference the print magazine above emerging and alternative platforms. This is suggested to be a result of the fact that the print magazine remains the dominant source of revenue despite wider experimentation. The paper concludes by identifying tensions in the continuing experimentation with new business models and maintaining the delicate balancing act of editorial integrity.
miR-15a represses cancer cell migration and invasion under conditions of hypoxia by targeting and downregulating Bcl-2 expression in human osteosarcoma cells

Osteosarcoma is a common, high-risk primary bone malignancy that mostly affects the younger population. There has been no marked improvement in the clinical outcomes of osteosarcoma patients to date, and cancer recurrence and metastasis are common in high-grade osteosarcoma. Therefore, identifying new biomarkers and novel therapeutic targets is crucial for improving the prognosis of osteosarcoma patients. In the present study, the MG63 human osteosarcoma cell line was employed to examine the role of microRNA (miR)-15a in regulating cellular activities under hypoxic conditions. It was demonstrated that hypoxia stimulates migration and invasion in MG63 cells, which was correlated with the downregulation of miR-15a and upregulation of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) expression. Introduction of miR-15a or knockdown of endogenous Bcl-2 may reduce hypoxia-induced cell invasion and migration through the regulation of matrix metalloproteinases. Analysis of the expression of miR-15a indicated that hypoxia repressed the transcription of deleted in lymphocytic leukemia 2 (DLEU2), which is the host gene of miR-15a. These findings indicated that miR-15a may be a valuable target for the treatment of osteosarcoma, particularly for patients with high-grade cancer or heavy tumor burden.
Urethral strictures after bipolar transurethral resection of prostate may be linked to slow resection rate

PURPOSE This study aimed to determine the urethral stricture (US) rate and identify clinical and surgical risk factors associated with US occurrence after transurethral resection of the prostate using the bipolar Gyrus PlasmaKinetic Tissue Management System (PK-TURP). MATERIALS AND METHODS This was an age-matched case-control study of US occurrence after PK-TURP. Retrospective data were collected from the hospital records of patients who had a minimum of 36 months of follow-up information. Among the data collected for analysis were prostate-specific antigen level, estimated prostate weight, the amount of prostate resected, operative time, history of urinary tract infection, previous transurethral resection of the prostate, and whether the PK-TURP was combined with other endourological procedures. The resection rate was calculated from the collected data. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify clinical and surgical risk factors related to US formation. RESULTS A total of 373 patients underwent PK-TURP between 2003 and 2009. There were 13 cases of US (3.5%), and most of them (10 of 13, 76.9%) presented within 24 months of surgery. Most of the US cases (11 of 13, 84.6%) occurred at the bulbar urethra. Multivariable logistic regression analyses identified slow resection rate as the only risk factor significantly associated with US occurrence. CONCLUSIONS The US rate of 3.5% after PK-TURP in this study is comparable to contemporary series. A slow resection rate seems to be related to US occurrence. This should be confirmed by further studies; meanwhile, we must be mindful of this possibility when operating with the PK-TURP system.
High ratios of kidney function to kidney size are related to mortality and kidney function decline in high-risk patients

Background The ratio of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) to kidney size reflects the kidney’s capacity for filtration per kidney volume or kidney length. High ratios of eGFR to kidney size, which might indicate glomerular hyperfiltration, could be related to kidney function decline, cardiovascular disease and mortality. Methods In 6926 patients with clinically manifest vascular disease, we evaluated the relationship between eGFR/kidney size and the risk of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality using Cox regression. Quartiles were made for eGFR/kidney size, using the second quartile as the reference category. In 1516 patients with second measurements of eGFR, linear regression was used to evaluate the relationship between eGFR/kidney size and annual kidney function decline. Results The relationship between eGFR/kidney size and all-cause mortality followed a reversed J-shaped curve with increased risk for the lowest (hazard ratio (HR) 1.17; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01–1.36) and highest quartile (HR 1.04; 95% CI 0.87–1.25) of eGFR/volume, and for the lowest (HR 1.37;95%CI 1.19–1.59) and highest quartile (HR 1.28; 95% CI 1.06–1.54) of eGFR/length. The risk for cardiovascular events was increased for the lowest quartile of eGFR/length (HR 1.55; 95% CI 1.33–1.82). An increase in eGFR/volume and eGFR/length, was related to a greater kidney function decline, β −0.34 (95% CI −0.42 to −0.26) and β −0.55 (95% CI −0.63 to −0.48) ml/min/1.73 m2 per year respectively. Conclusions High eGFR/volume and eGFR/length, which might indicate glomerular hyperfiltration, are related to kidney function decline. High eGFR/length confers an increased risk for all-cause mortality in patients with clinically manifest vascular disease.
Dynamic and Static Overloading Induce Early Degenerative Processes in Caprine Lumbar Intervertebral Discs

Mechanical overloading of the spine is associated with low back pain and intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration. How excessive loading elicits degenerative changes in the IVD is poorly understood. Comprehensive knowledge of the interaction between mechanical loading, cell responses and changes in the extracellular matrix of the disc is needed in order to successfully intervene in this process. The purpose of the current study was to investigate whether dynamic and static overloading affect caprine lumbar discs differently and what mechanisms lead to mechanically induced IVD degeneration. Lumbar caprine IVDs (n = 175) were cultured 7, 14 and 21 days under simulated-physiological loading (control), high dynamic or high static loading. Axial deformation and stiffness were continuously measured. Cell viability, cell density, and gene expression were assessed in the nucleus, inner- and outer annulus. The extracellular matrix (ECM) was analyzed for water, glycosaminoglycan and collagen content. IVD height loss and changes in axial deformation were gradual with dynamic and acute with static overloading. Dynamic overloading caused cell death in all IVD regions, whereas static overloading mostly affected the outer annulus. IVDs expression of catabolic and inflammation-related genes was up-regulated directly, whereas loss of water and glycosaminoglycan were significant only after 21 days. Static and dynamic overloading both induced pathological changes to caprine lumbar IVDs within 21 days. The mechanism by which they inflict biomechanical, cellular, and extracellular changes to the nucleus and annulus differed. The described cascades provide leads for the development of new pharmacological and rehabilitative therapies to halt the progression of DDD.
The cognitive underpinnings of mental model construction in L1 and L2

This study investigates the ability to create mental models and the role of working memory in mental model ability in the first and second language with English–Spanish bilinguals using L1 and L2 versions of the Spatial Integration Task. Participants showed effects of continuity in accuracy in L1 and L2, but only in L1 did they show effects in the reading times. In L1, working memory capacity predicted identification accuracy for discontinuous descriptions in L1, as well as reading time for the critical discontinuous sentence. In L2, accuracy was predicted by L2 reading ability only and there were no significant predictors of reading times. The findings suggest that the lack of availability of working memory resources in L2 induces participants to rely primarily on verbal abilities to create mental models.
Characterization of Polyvinyl Acetate/Multi Walled Carbon Nanotube Nanocomposites

Nanocomposite films from polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) dispersion and multi walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were prepared by solution casting technique. Stress-strain properties showed increase in elastic modulus and yield strength. Mechanical properties characterized by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis represented increase in storage modulus below glass transition temperature. Studied dielectrical properties of PVAc/MWCNT nanocomposites revealed formation of conductive MWCNT network in PVAc matrix.
An Empirical Analysis of Traceability in the Monero Blockchain

Abstract Monero is a privacy-centric cryptocurrency that allows users to obscure their transactions by including chaff coins, called “mixins,” along with the actual coins they spend. In this paper, we empirically evaluate two weaknesses in Monero’s mixin sampling strategy. First, about 62% of transaction inputs with one or more mixins are vulnerable to “chain-reaction” analysis - that is, the real input can be deduced by elimination. Second, Monero mixins are sampled in such a way that they can be easily distinguished from the real coins by their age distribution; in short, the real input is usually the “newest” input. We estimate that this heuristic can be used to guess the real input with 80% accuracy over all transactions with 1 or more mixins. Next, we turn to the Monero ecosystem and study the importance of mining pools and the former anonymous marketplace AlphaBay on the transaction volume. We find that after removing mining pool activity, there remains a large amount of potentially privacy-sensitive transactions that are affected by these weaknesses. We propose and evaluate two countermeasures that can improve the privacy of future transactions.
Comparison of injection moulded, natural fibre-reinforced composites with PP and PLA as matrices

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and polypropylene (PP) were comparatively investigated as matrices for injection-moulded composites containing small (1–3 wt%) amounts of short sisal fibre. The morphology, thermal and dynamic mechanical properties, as well as degradation characteristics were investigated. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs of the composites show more intimate contact and better interaction between the fibres and PLA, compared to PP. This improved interaction was confirmed by the Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy results which showed the presence of hydrogen bonding interaction between PLA and the fibres. The thermal stability (as determined through thermogravimetric analysis [TGA]) of both polymers increased with increasing fibre content, with a more significant improvement in the case of PP. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results showed a significant influence of the fibres on the cold crystallization and melting behaviour of PLA, even at the low fibre contents of 1–3%. The influence of the fibres on the melting characteristics of the PP was negligible, but it had a significant influence on the nonisothermal crystallization temperature range. Both the storage and loss moduli of the PLA decreased with increasing fibre content below the glass transition of PLA, but the influence on the loss modulus was more significant. The dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) results clearly show cold crystallization of PLA around 110°C, and the presence of fibres gave rise to higher modulus values between the cold crystallization and melting of the PLA. The presence of fibres also had an influence on the dynamic mechanical properties of PP. This article further describes basic biodegradation observations for the investigated samples.
Fungal Parasitism: Life Cycle, Dynamics and Impact on Cyanobacterial Blooms

Many species of phytoplankton are susceptible to parasitism by fungi from the phylum Chytridiomycota (i.e. chytrids). However, few studies have reported the effects of fungal parasites on filamentous cyanobacterial blooms. To investigate the missing components of bloom ecosystems, we examined an entire field bloom of the cyanobacterium Anabaena macrospora for evidence of chytrid infection in a productive freshwater lake, using a high resolution sampling strategy. A. macrospora was infected by two species of the genus Rhizosiphon which have similar life cycles but differed in their infective regimes depending on the cellular niches offered by their host. R. crassum infected both vegetative cells and akinetes while R. akinetum infected only akinetes. A tentative reconstruction of the developmental stages suggested that the life cycle of R. crassum was completed in about 3 days. The infection affected 6% of total cells (and 4% of akinètes), spread over a maximum of 17% of the filaments of cyanobacteria, in which 60% of the cells could be parasitized. Furthermore, chytrids may reduce the length of filaments of Anabaena macrospora significantly by “mechanistic fragmentation” following infection. All these results suggest that chytrid parasitism is one of the driving factors involved in the decline of a cyanobacteria blooms, by direct mortality of parasitized cells and indirectly by the mechanistic fragmentation, which could weaken the resistance of A. macrospora to grazing.
Hardware-Supported ORAM in Effect: Practical Oblivious Search and Update on Very Large Dataset

Abstract The ability to query and update over encrypted data is an essential feature to enable breach-resilient cyber-infrastructures. Statistical attacks on searchable encryption (SE) have demonstrated the importance of sealing information leaks in access patterns. In response to such attacks, the community has proposed the Oblivious Random Access Machine (ORAM). However, due to the logarithmic communication overhead of ORAM, the composition of ORAM and SE is known to be costly in the conventional client-server model, which poses a critical barrier toward its practical adaptations. In this paper, we propose a novel hardware-supported privacy-enhancing platform called Practical Oblivious Search and Update Platform (POSUP), which enables oblivious keyword search and update operations on large datasets with high efficiency. We harness Intel SGX to realize efficient oblivious data structures for oblivious search/update purposes. We implemented POSUP and evaluated its performance on a Wikipedia dataset containing ≥229 keyword-file pairs. Our implementation is highly efficient, taking only 1 ms to access a 3 KB block with Circuit-ORAM. Our experiments have shown that POSUP offers up to 70× less end-to-end delay with 100× reduced network bandwidth consumption compared with the traditional ORAM-SE composition without secure hardware. POSUP is also at least 4.5× faster for up to 99.5% of keywords that can be searched compared with state-of-the-art Intel SGX-assisted search platforms.
Attachment, caregiving, and volunteering: Placing volunteerism in an attachment‐theoretical framework

Recent studies based on attachment theory demonstrate that dispositional and experimentally manipulated attachment security facilitate cognitive openness and empathy, strengthen self-transcendent values, and foster tolerance of out-group members, suggesting an effect of one behavioral system, attachment, on another, caregiving. Here we report 2 studies conducted in 3 different countries (Israel, the Netherlands, and the United States) to determine whether the 2 dimensions of attachment insecurity—anxiety and avoidance—are related to real-world altruistic volunteering. In both studies and across the 3 locations, avoidant attachment was related to volunteering less and having less altruistic and exploration-oriented motives for volunteering. Anxious attachment was related to self-enhancing motives for volunteering. Additional results suggested that volunteering ameliorates the interpersonal problems of individuals high in anxiety and that volunteering has more beneficial effects if it is done for altruistic reasons. Future directions for experimental research on this topic are outlined.
Bioactive Constituents , Metabolites , and Functions Fuzhuan brick tea polysaccharides attenuate metabolic syndrome in high-fat diet induced mice in association with modulation in the gut microbiota

is published by the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street N.W. , Washington, DC 20036 Published by American Chemical Society. Copyright © American Chemical Society. However, no copyright claim is made to original U.S. Government works, or works produced by employees of any Commonwealth realm Crown government in the course of their duties. Bioactive Constituents, Metabolites, and Functions