Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Decomposition and fire retardancy of naturally occurring mixtures of huntite and hydromagnesite

Mixtures of the two minerals huntite and hydromagnesite have been successfully used as a fire retardant additive in polymers for many years. The onset of decomposition of hydromagnesite is at a higher temperature than that of aluminium hydroxide but lower than that of magnesium hydroxide, the two most commonly used mineral fire retardants. This makes it an ideal addition to the range of materials available to polymer compounders for improving fire retardant properties. In comparison to the better known mineral fire retardants there has been little published research on the fire retardant properties of huntite and hydromagnesite. What has been published has often been commercially orientated and the limited quantity of scientific literature does not fully explain the fire retardant mechanism of these blends of minerals, often dismissing huntite as having no useful fire retardant action other than diluting the solid phase fuel. Standard thermal analysis techniques (thermal gravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infra-red analysis) have been used to characterise the thermal decomposition of huntite and hydromagnesite from a source in Turkey. This has lead to an understanding of the decomposition mechanism of the minerals in terms of mass loss, enthalpy of decomposition, and evolved gases between room temperature and 1000°C. Hydromagnesite endothermically decomposes between about 220°C and 500°C, initially releasing water followed by carbon dioxide. The rate of heating and partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can influence the mechanism of carbon dioxide release. Huntite endothermically decomposes between about 450°C and 800°C releasing carbon dioxide in two stages. The use of the cone calorimeter to study the rate of heat release during combustion of ethylene vinyl acetate based polymer compounds has lead to an understanding of how both huntite and hydromagnesite affect the burning processes at different stages of the fire. By varying the ratio of the two minerals, hydromagnesite has been shown to increase the time to ignition and reduce the initial peak in rate of heat release, while huntite has been shown to reduce the rate of heat release later in the fire. It has been shown that huntite is far from being an inactive diluent filler. The endothermic decomposition of huntite in the later stages of the fire reduces the heat reaching underlying polymer and continues to dilute the flame with inert carbon dioxide. The platy huntite particles have been shown to align themselves in such a way that they can hinder the escape of volatiles from the decomposing polymer and also physically reinforce the inorganic ash residue.
Improving State-of-the-Art Continuous Speech Recognition Systems Using the N-Best Paradigm with Neural Networks

In an effort to advance the state of the art in continuous speech recognition employing hidden Markov models (HMM), Segmental Neural Nets (SNN) were introduced recently to ameliorate the well-known limitations of HMMs, namely, the conditional-independence limitation and the relative difficulty with which HMMs can handle segmental features. We describe a hybrid SNN/HMM system that combines the speed and performance of our HMM system with the segmental modeling capabilities of SNNs. The integration of the two acoustic modeling techniques is achieved successfully via the N-best rescoring paradigm. The N-best lists are used not only for recognition, but also during training. This discriminative training using N-best is demonstrated to improve performance. When tested on the DARPA Resource Management speaker-independent corpus, the hybrid SNN/HMM system decreases the error by about 20% compared to the state-of-the-art HMM system.
A Key Role for Chd1 in Histone H3 Dynamics at the 3′ Ends of Long Genes in Yeast

Chd proteins are ATP–dependent chromatin remodeling enzymes implicated in biological functions from transcriptional elongation to control of pluripotency. Previous studies of the Chd1 subclass of these proteins have implicated them in diverse roles in gene expression including functions during initiation, elongation, and termination. Furthermore, some evidence has suggested a role for Chd1 in replication-independent histone exchange or assembly. Here, we examine roles of Chd1 in replication-independent dynamics of histone H3 in both Drosophila and yeast. We find evidence of a role for Chd1 in H3 dynamics in both organisms. Using genome-wide ChIP-on-chip analysis, we find that Chd1 influences histone turnover at the 5′ and 3′ ends of genes, accelerating H3 replacement at the 5′ ends of genes while protecting the 3′ ends of genes from excessive H3 turnover. Although consistent with a direct role for Chd1 in exchange, these results may indicate that Chd1 stabilizes nucleosomes perturbed by transcription. Curiously, we observe a strong effect of gene length on Chd1's effects on H3 turnover. Finally, we show that Chd1 also affects histone modification patterns over genes, likely as a consequence of its effects on histone replacement. Taken together, our results emphasize a role for Chd1 in histone replacement in both budding yeast and Drosophila melanogaster, and surprisingly they show that the major effects of Chd1 on turnover occur at the 3′ ends of genes.
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS IN THE EVOLUTION OF GALACTIC BULGES

We investigate possible environmental trends in the evolution of galactic bulges over the redshift range 0 < z < 0.6. For this purpose, we construct the fundamental plane (FP) for cluster and field samples at redshifts 〈z〉 = 0.4 and 〈z〉 = 0.54 using surface photometry based on Hubble Space Telescope imaging and velocity dispersions based on Keck spectroscopy. As a reference point for our study, we include data for pure ellipticals, which we model as single-component Sérsic profiles; whereas for multi-component galaxies we undertake decompositions using Sérsic and exponential models for the bulge and disk, respectively. Although the FP for both distant cluster and field samples is offset from the local relation, consistent with evolutionary trends found in earlier studies, we detect significant differences in the zero point of ≃0.2 dex between the field and cluster samples at a given redshift. For both clusters, the environmentally dependent offset is in the sense expected for an accelerated evolution of bulges in dense environments. By matching the mass range of our samples, we confirm that this difference does not arise as a result of the mass-dependent downsizing effects seen in larger field samples. Our result is also consistent with the hypothesis that—at fixed mass and environment—the star formation histories of galactic bulges and pure spheroids are indistinguishable and difficult to reconcile with the picture whereby the majority of large bulges form primarily via secular processes within spiral galaxies.
Age-Specific Relationship of Aortic Pulse Wave Velocity With Left Ventricular Geometry and Function in Hypertension

Aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV), generally considered an intrinsic marker of arterial stiffness, might depend in part on the velocity of myocardial fiber shortening, but the relation between PWV and myocardial function in humans has been understudied. A total of 237 untreated hypertensive subjects over a wide age range (18 to 88 years) underwent aortic PWV determination and echocardiography, from which the mean velocity of circumferential fiber shortening was calculated as a measure of the velocity of myocardial shortening, and relative wall thickness was taken as a measure of left ventricular concentric remodeling. Patients were divided in 3 age groups (<40 years, 40 to 59 years, and ≥60 years). In the young, aortic PWV was directly associated with heart rate–corrected velocity of circumferential fiber shortening (r=0.39; P=0.002) but not to relative wall thickness (r=−0.01; P=0.95). The opposite was found in the older group, in which aortic PWV was accompanied by a concentric left ventricular geometric pattern (r=0.44 with relative wall thickness; P=0.009) and a reduced velocity of circumferential fiber shortening (r=−0.54; P<0.001) and stress-corrected midwall fractional shortening (r=−0.56; P<0.001). Intermediate values were found in the middle-aged group (r=0.23; P<0.01 with relative wall thickness; r=−0.07, P value not significant with velocity of circumferential fiber shortening). In conclusion, the relation between aortic PVW and the left ventricle is strongly age dependent. These data suggest that, in young people, aortic PWV is partly determined by an increased velocity of myocardial shortening. With increasing age, a relationship between aortic PWV (as a measure of arterial stiffness) and left ventricular concentric geometry emerges, which ultimately leads to a depressed ventricular systolic function.
Measuring Illness Behavior in Patients With Systemic Sclerosis

Illness behaviors (cognitive, affective, and behavioral reactions) among individuals with systemic sclerosis (SSc; scleroderma) are of clinical concern due to relationships between these behaviors and physical and mental quality of life, such as pain and symptoms of depression. Self‐report measures with good psychometric properties can aid in the accurate assessment of illness behavior. The Illness Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ) was designed to measure abnormal illness behaviors; however, despite its longstanding use, there is disagreement regarding its subscales. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the validity of the IBQ in a cohort of patients with SSc.
Apolipoprotein E Genotype and Temperament: A Longitudinal Study From Infancy to the Late Teens

Objective: To replicate an earlier Finnish study by Keltikangas‐Järvinen et al. (5) reporting that the APOE genotype is associated with temperamental traits involving increased activity. Methods: DNA was collected from 683 Australian children who had participated in a longitudinal study of childhood temperament from 4 to 8 months up to 17 to 18 years. Associations were examined between APOE genotype and a range of measures of activity and hyperactivity. Results: No associations were found. Conclusions: The earlier Finnish finding could not be replicated despite adequate statistical power.
Endovascular repair of popliteal artery aneurysms with anaconda limbs: Technique and early results

Objectives: The objective is to report the feasibility and technique of treating popliteal artery aneurysms (PAA) with a stent made of nitinol rings externally supported by thin polyester (Anaconda limbs). Background: PAA are the most common peripheral aneurysms. The main limitations of stents used in these settings are: short lengths, longitudinal and horizontal compliance mismatch; graft failure from angulation and movement at the joint level; and dislodgment. Methods: This is a prospective multicenter cohort study of consecutive symptomatic and asymptomatic PAA treated in tertiary vascular centers. Outcomes included patency of the stent and postoperative time‐to‐independent‐ambulation and to‐climb‐a‐flight‐of‐stairs. Results: Fourteen PAA were treated in 12 men, age 72 ± 3 years. The median ASA classification was 2.5. The length of artery covered was 147 ± 41 mm. The PAA diameter was 31 ± 5 mm, 6 were symptomatic. One stent was used in 6 aneurysms, two in 7, and three in 1. The average stent diameter was 10 ± 1 mm. The length of the proximal neck was 24 ± 6 mm with a diameter of 9.8 ± 1.9, and length of the distal neck 23 ± 3 mm with a diameter of 8.7 ± 1.2 mm. In 6 aneurysms, the stent crossed the knee joint. There was no mortality, and one stent occluded (primary patency 93% at 6 ± 3 months). The median hospital stay was 1.7 days, time to independent ambulation was 3 hr and the time to climbing a flight of stairs was 1 day. Conclusions: The use of Anaconda limbs for endovascular repair of PAA is feasible and safe. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
IMPACT OF SOA USE ON PERFORMANCE OUTCOMES OF INFORMATION SHARING IN SUPPLY CHAIN

We empirically analyze the impact of SOA use on performance benefits of information sharing in supply chains using a dataset of publicly listed US firms. We show that complexity and transparency of information sharing process significantly impact performance. Information sharing complexity has a negative effect while transparency has a positive effect. We also demonstrate that SOA use in supply chain is successful in mitigating the negative effects of process complexity. Interestingly, SOA use also leads to reduction in performance benefits of information sharing transparency. We contribute to business value of IT research by providing empirical evidence of business value of SOA. We show that both “what” information is shared and “how” it is shared affect performance and they interact differently with SOA use. Our results emphasize the interaction between process characteristics and technology architecture and provide directions for managers to orchestrate information sharing processes in supply chains and leverage SOA for optimal performance.
An implementation of using remote memory to checkpoint processes

Process checkpointing is a procedure which periodically saves the process states into stable storage. Most checkpointing facilities select hard disks for archiving. However, the disk seek time is limited by the speed of the read‐write heads, thus checkpointing process into a local disk requires extensive disk bandwidth. In this paper, we propose an approach that exploits the memory on idle workstations as a faster storage for checkpointing. In our scheme, autonomous machines which submit jobs to the computation server offer their physical memory to the server for job checkpointing. Eight applications are used to measure the remote memory performance in four checkpointing policies. Experimental results show that remote memory reduces at least 34.5 per cent of the overhead for sequential checkpointing and 32.1 per cent for incremental checkpointing. Additionally, to checkpoint a running process into a remote memory requires only 60 per cent of the local disk checkpoint latency time. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Origin of Cultivation and Proto-Weeds, Long Before Neolithic Farming

Weeds are currently present in a wide range of ecosystems worldwide. Although the beginning of their evolution is largely unknown, researchers assumed that they developed in tandem with cultivation since the appearance of agricultural habitats some 12,000 years ago. These rapidly-evolving plants invaded the human disturbed areas and thrived in the new habitat. Here we present unprecedented new findings of the presence of “proto-weeds” and small-scale trial cultivation in Ohalo II, a 23,000-year-old hunter-gatherers' sedentary camp on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, Israel. We examined the plant remains retrieved from the site (ca. 150,000 specimens), placing particular emphasis on the search for evidence of plant cultivation by Ohalo II people and the presence of weed species. The archaeobotanically-rich plant assemblage demonstrates extensive human gathering of over 140 plant species and food preparation by grinding wild wheat and barley. Among these, we identified 13 well-known current weeds mixed with numerous seeds of wild emmer, barley, and oat. This collection provides the earliest evidence of a human-disturbed environment—at least 11 millennia before the onset of agriculture—that provided the conditions for the development of "proto-weeds", a prerequisite for weed evolution. Finally, we suggest that their presence indicates the earliest, small-scale attempt to cultivate wild cereals seen in the archaeological record.
Continuous plastic flow synthesis and characterization of nanoscale bioceramics

The development and use of nanoscale biomaterials offer tremendous potential for future medical diagnosis and analysis. Various types of ceramic biomaterials (bioceramics) have been studied intensively for their potential in numerous biomedical applications. Among others, advances in the synthesis and characterisation of calcium phosphate (CaP) bioceramics have contributed much to this field. The growing demand for CaP bioceramics has stimulated research and production of materials suitable for biomedical applications such as implants. Among all the materials presented by the recent technology, only a very small fraction overcome biological and mechanical limitations rendering them suitable for use as a biomaterial. There is, therefore, a need to develop a clean synthesis methodology which could work under mild conditions to allow the synthesis of high purity, nanoscale bioceramic materials with a fine particle size and controlled surface area. The work in this thesis involves the use of a continuous plastic flow synthesis (CPFS) technology to synthesise various nano-scale bioceramics. Novel CPFS is a single step, continuous synthesis method for a stable, high purity phase-pure nanosized hydroxyapatite and other calcium phosphates at near ambient conditions (20°C to 80°C). The phase-pure HA nanoparticles obtained from this method possess a substantially superior high-temperature stability (1200°C), with remarkably high surface area (up to 264 m2/g) and the smallest particle size (20 nm) ever reported. These high surface area nanoparticles have a great range of applications for use in replacement of living hard tissues such as bone and teeth, as bone graft substitutes, injectable, coatings on metallic implants, as fillers or additives in commercial products, such as toothpastes; materials for the controlled release of drugs, or other controlled release therapies; reinforcements in biomedical composites, and in bone and dental cements. Other calcium phosphate phases (Brushite, β-TCP, CDHA and biphasic HA / β-TCP) were also obtained by changing the Ca:P ratio and pH of the precursor solutions. A variety of ion substituted calcium phosphates (Mg, Sr, Ba, Zn, Fe, Mn, Si, CO32-), nanocomposite materials (Fe3O4-HA, TiO2-HA) and surface modified organopolymer nano-dental composites have also been developed successfully by using CPFS. Furthermore, the process has the potential to offer high purity calcium phosphates because the reactor components are made of plastic and therefore will not cause contamination of the product with metals. The in vitro biocompatibility analysis indicate that these high surface area nano-sized bioceramics have better performance than commercial products and may have the potential to be used for biomedical applications where bone regeneration / replacement is required.
Symmetric architecture modeling with a single image

We present a method to recover a 3D texture-mapped architecture model from a single image. Both single image based modeling and architecture modeling are challenging problems. We handle these difficulties by employing constraints derived from shape symmetries, which are prevalent in architecture. We first present a novel algorithm to calibrate the camera from a single image by exploiting symmetry. Then a set of 3D points is recovered according to the calibration and the underlying symmetry. With these reconstructed points, the user interactively marks out components of the architecture structure, whose shapes and positions are automatically determined according to the 3D points. Lastly, we texture the 3D model according to the input image, and we enhance the texture quality at those foreshortened and occluded regions according to their symmetric counterparts. The modeling process requires only a few minutes interaction. Multiple examples are provided to demonstrate the presented method.
Integrated Neurobiology of Bipolar Disorder

From a neurobiological perspective there is no such thing as bipolar disorder. Rather, it is almost certainly the case that many somewhat similar, but subtly different, pathological conditions produce a disease state that we currently diagnose as bipolarity. This heterogeneity – reflected in the lack of synergy between our current diagnostic schema and our rapidly advancing scientific understanding of the condition – limits attempts to articulate an integrated perspective on bipolar disorder. However, despite these challenges, scientific findings in recent years are beginning to offer a provisional “unified field theory” of the disease. This theory sees bipolar disorder as a suite of related neurodevelopmental conditions with interconnected functional abnormalities that often appear early in life and worsen over time. In addition to accelerated loss of volume in brain areas known to be essential for mood regulation and cognitive function, consistent findings have emerged at a cellular level, providing evidence that bipolar disorder is reliably associated with dysregulation of glial–neuronal interactions. Among these glial elements are microglia – the brain’s primary immune elements, which appear to be overactive in the context of bipolarity. Multiple studies now indicate that inflammation is also increased in the periphery of the body in both the depressive and manic phases of the illness, with at least some return to normality in the euthymic state. These findings are consistent with changes in the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, which are known to drive inflammatory activation. In summary, the very fact that no single gene, pathway, or brain abnormality is likely to ever account for the condition is itself an extremely important first step in better articulating an integrated perspective on both its ontological status and pathogenesis. Whether this perspective will translate into the discovery of innumerable more homogeneous forms of bipolarity is one of the great questions facing the field and one that is likely to have profound treatment implications, given that fact that such a discovery would greatly increase our ability to individualize – and by extension, enhance – treatment.
How Learning a Musical Instrument Affects the Development of Skills

Despite numerous studies on skill development, we know little about the effects of extracurricular music activities on cognitive and non-cognitive skills. This study examines how music training during childhood and youth affects the development of cognitive skills, school grades, personality, time use and ambition using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP). Our findings suggest that adolescents with music training have better school grades, are more conscientious, open and ambitious. These effects are stronger among adolescents from lower socio-economic status. In order to address the non-random selection into playing music, we take into account detailed information on the child and its parents, which may determine both the decision to pursue music lessons and educational outcomes. While lacking truly exogenous variations in music activities, our results are robust to a large range of sensitivity tests. We thereby approach causality better than previous observational studies.