Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of initial preform porosity on solid-state foaming of titanium

Titanium foams were produced by the expansion of pressurized argon pores trapped within a preform during a previous powder-consolidation step. Compared with creep expansion at 903 °C, superplastic expansion (induced by a 830–980 °C cycling around the allotropic temperature of titanium) increases foaming rate and final porosity. The pore size and fraction in the preforms were varied by using a range of initial titanium powder sizes and argon pressures. As initial preform porosity increases from 0.06 to 2.7%, foaming rate increases in the early stages of creep and superplastic foaming. However, at a later stage, foaming ceases prematurely for preforms with high initial porosity, as pores connect to the surface, allowing the escape of the pressurized argon. Preforms with 0.40% initial porosity result in foams with an optimal combination of high foaming rate, high final porosity (up to 47%), tailorable open or closed porosity, and Young’s modulus as low as 23 GPa.
Potential impact of carbonaceous aerosol on the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) and precipitation during Asian summer monsoon in a global model simulation

Abstract. Recent satellite observations show efficient vertical transport of Asian pollutants from the surface to the upper-level anticyclone by deep monsoon convection. In this paper, we examine the transport of carbonaceous aerosols, including black carbon (BC) and organic carbon (OC), into the monsoon anticyclone using of ECHAM6-HAM, a global aerosol climate model. Further, we investigate impacts of enhanced (doubled) carbonaceous aerosol emissions on the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS), underneath monsoon circulation and precipitation from sensitivity simulations. The model simulation shows that boundary layer aerosols are transported into the monsoon anticyclone by the strong monsoon convection from the Bay of Bengal, southern slopes of the Himalayas and the South China Sea. Doubling of emissions of both BC and OC aerosols over Southeast Asia (10° S–50° N, 65–155° E) shows that lofted aerosols produce significant warming (0.6–1 K) over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) near 400–200 hPa and instability in the middle/upper troposphere. These aerosols enhance radiative heating rates (0.02–0.03 K day−1) near the tropopause. The enhanced carbonaceous aerosols alter aerosol radiative forcing (RF) at the surface by −4.74 ± 1.42 W m−2, at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) by +0.37 ± 0.26 W m−2 and in the atmosphere by +5.11 ± 0.83 W m−2 over the TP and Indo-Gangetic Plain region (15–35° N, 80–110° E). Atmospheric warming increases vertical velocities and thereby cloud ice in the upper troposphere. Aerosol induced anomalous warming over the TP facilitates the relative strengthening of the monsoon Hadley circulation and increases moisture inflow by strengthening the cross-equatorial monsoon jet. This increases precipitation amounts over India (1–4 mm day−1) and eastern China (0.2–2 mm day−1). These results are significant at the 99 % confidence level.
Antimicrobial Resistance, Virulence Factors and Genetic Diversity of Escherichia coli Isolates from Household Water Supply in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Background Unsafe water supplies continue to raise public health concerns, especially in urban areas in low resource countries. To understand the extent of public health risk attributed to supply water in Dhaka city, Bangladesh, Escherichia coli isolated from tap water samples collected from different locations of the city were characterized for their antibiotic resistance, pathogenic properties and genetic diversity. Methodology/Principal Findings A total of 233 E. coli isolates obtained from 175 tap water samples were analysed for susceptibility to 16 different antibiotics and for the presence of genes associated with virulence and antibiotic resistance. Nearly 36% (n = 84) of the isolates were multi-drug(≥3 classes of antibiotics) resistant (MDR) and 26% (n = 22) of these were positive for extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL). Of the 22 ESBL-producers, 20 were positive for bla CTX-M-15, 7 for bla OXA-1-group (all had bla OXA-47) and 2 for bla CMY-2. Quinolone resistance genes, qnrS and qnrB were detected in 6 and 2 isolates, respectively. Around 7% (n = 16) of the isolates carried virulence gene(s) characteristic of pathogenic E. coli; 11 of these contained lt and/or st and thus belonged to enterotoxigenic E. coli and 5 contained bfp and eae and thus belonged to enteropathogenic E. coli. All MDR isolates carried multiple plasmids (2 to 8) of varying sizes ranging from 1.2 to >120 MDa. Ampicillin and ceftriaxone resistance were co-transferred in conjugative plasmids of 70 to 100 MDa in size, while ampicillin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and tetracycline resistance were co-transferred in conjugative plasmids of 50 to 90 MDa. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis revealed diverse genetic fingerprints of pathogenic isolates. Significance Multi-drug resistant E. coli are wide spread in public water supply in Dhaka city, Bangladesh. Transmission of resistant bacteria and plasmids through supply water pose serious threats to public health in urban areas.
Esophageal atresia with distal fistula - unusual case series. Considerations related to epidemiological aspects, malformative associations, and prenatal diagnosis.

BACKGROUND Esophageal atresia (EA) is the most frequent and severe congenital anomaly of the esophagus, occurring in 1:2500-1:4500 live births. Five types of EA have been described, EA with tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) being the most frequent. AIM The aim of this paper is to evaluate epidemiological aspects, malformative associations, and prenatal diagnosis in an unusual case series of EA with distal TEF. CASE PRESENTATIONS The authors are analyzing a series of seven cases of EA with distal TEF. The seven cases of EA with TEF presented occurred during a period of two years, resulting in an unusually increased rate - 1.1:1000 live births. Except a late suspicion of EA (one day before delivery), EA was not diagnosed during prenatal scans despite association with polyhydramnios in two cases and single umbilical artery in four cases. None of the two cases of unilateral renal agenesis or anorectal malformations were diagnosed on prenatal ultrasound scans. In two of the cases, EA was part of VACTERL (vertebral defects, anorectal malformations, heart defects, EA with or without TEF, renal anomalies/dysplasia, and limb defects) association. Despite lack of prenatal diagnosis, postnatal diagnosis of EA was suspected at birth in four cases, at two hours in one case. CONCLUSIONS An increased index of suspicion for congenital structural defects, particularly for EA, should be maintained in the presence of a single umbilical artery and÷or polyhydramnios on prenatal ultrasound scan. Prenatal diagnosis of EA offers the chance for parental counseling, planned birth and transfer for corrective surgery and decreases the risk for postnatal aspiration pneumonia associated with early feedings.
Re-evaluating black carbon in the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau: concentrations and deposition

Abstract. Black carbon (BC) is the second most important warming component in the atmosphere after CO2. The BC in the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau (HTP) has influenced the Indian monsoon and accelerated the retreat of glaciers, resulting in serious consequences for billions of Asian residents. Although a number of related studies have been conducted in this region, the BC concentrations and deposition rates remain poorly constrained. Because of the presence of arid environments and the potential influence of carbonates in mineral dust (MD), the reported BC concentrations in the HTP are overestimated. In addition, large discrepancies have been reported among the BC deposition derived from lake cores, ice cores, snow pits and models. Therefore, the actual BC concentration and deposition values in this sensitive region must be determined. A comparison between the BC concentrations in acid (HCl)-treated and untreated total suspected particle samples from the HTP showed that the BC concentrations previously reported for the Nam Co station (central part of the HTP) and the Everest station (northern slope of the central Himalayas) were overestimated by approximately 52 ± 35 and 39 ± 24 %, respectively, because of the influence of carbonates in MD. Additionally, the organic carbon (OC) levels were overestimated by approximately 22 ± 10 and 22 ± 12 % for the same reason. Based on previously reported values from the study region, we propose that the actual BC concentrations at the Nam Co and Everest stations are 61 and 154 ng m−3, respectively. Furthermore, a comprehensive comparison of the BC deposition rates obtained via different methods indicated that the deposition of BC in HTP lake cores was mainly related to river sediment transport from the lake basin as a result of climate change (e.g., increases in temperature and precipitation) and that relatively little BC deposition occurred via atmospheric deposition. Therefore, previously reported BC deposition rates from lake cores overestimated the atmospheric deposition of BC in the HTP. Correspondingly, BC deposition derived from snow pits and ice cores agreed well with that derived from models, implying that the BC depositions of these two methods reflect the actual values in the HTP. Therefore, based on reported values from snow pits and ice cores, we propose that the BC deposition in the HTP is 17. 9 ± 5. 3 mg m−2 a−1, with higher and lower values appearing along the fringes and central areas of the HTP, respectively. These adjusted BC concentrations and deposition values in the HTP are critical for performing accurate evaluations of other BC factors, such as atmospheric distribution, radiative forcing and chemical transport in the HTP.
Influence of crystalline properties on the dielectric and energy storage properties of poly(vinylidene fluoride)

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) films with various crystal phases (α, β, and γ phases) and varied crystallinities were fabricated via different processes. The influence of the crystalline properties, such as the crystallinity and crystal phases, on the breakdown strength and dielectric and energy storage properties of the films were studied. Under low electric field, the dielectric constant was governed by the crystallinities of the films, and the dielectric loss was more related to the polarity of their crystal phases. Under high electric field, the high polarity of the crystal phases favored high-maximum, remnant, and irreversible polarization of the films. The lower crystallinity of the films with the same crystal phases led to a higher maximum and remnant polarization but a lower irreversible polarization. Under direct-current electric field, the discharged energy efficiency was mainly dominated by the polar nature of crystal phases. Under an electric field below 300 MV/m, the discharged energy density and energy loss of the three kinds of films were rather close, regardless of the phase transition. When the electric field was over 300 MV/m, the overall discharged energy density was dominated by the practical breakdown strength. γ-PVDF with a proper crystallinity and crystal grain size is expected to realize an energy density over 10 J/cm3 under an electric field over 400 MV/m. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011
Importance of zero-tillage with high stubble to trap snow and increase wheat yields in Northern Kazakhstan

In the northern part of Kazakhstan, zero-tillage2 technology has the potential to increase wheat/grain productivity by 20 to 50 percent above current levels. However, phasing out conventional tillage can only be gradual, as full conversion to zero-tillage will require important investments and farm organizational changes. Actual current area under conservation agriculture (CA) appears to be increasing significantly every year, and is now estimated to be 1.2 million hectares. The country has, in the medium-term (3-5 years), the capacity to adopt conservation agriculture on about 30-40 percent of the cereal cropped area (3 to 4 million ha) with adequate investment. The possible average production increase from this achievement could be of about 1 million additional tonnes of wheat annually. In the longer term, wide adoption of CA technology would bring a global benefit by contributing to improved carbon storage, which would also have a positive effect on climate change due to decreased greenhouse gas emissions. The World Bank-financed Agricultural Competitiveness Project, which is being assisted by FAO’s Investment Centre Division, is supporting CA expansion through its Competitive Grant Scheme. Continued support and increased emphasis could contribute to improving food security and the overall cereal and grain production system competitiveness (increased production at lower costs).
Occurrence of benthic microbial nitrogen fixation coupled to sulfate reduction in the seasonally hypoxic Eckernförde Bay, Baltic Sea

Despite the worldwide occurrence of marine hypoxic regions, benthic nitrogen (N) cycling within these areas is poorly understood and it is generally assumed that these areas represent zones of intense fixed N loss from the marine system. Sulfate reduction can be an important process for organic matter degradation in sediments beneath hypoxic waters and many sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) have the genetic potential to fix molecular N (N2). Therefore, SRB may supply fixed N to these systems, countering some of the N lost via microbial processes such as denitrification and anaerobic ammonium oxidation. The objective of this study was to evaluate if N2-fixation, possibly by SRB, plays a role in N cycling within the seasonally hypoxic sediments from Eckernforde Bay, Baltic Sea. Monthly samplings were performed over the course of one year to measure N2-fixation and sulfate reduction rates, to determine the seasonal variations in bioturbation (bioirrigation) activity and important benthic geochemical profiles, such as sulfur and N compounds, and to monitor changes in water column temperature and oxygen concentrations. Additionally, at several time points, rates of benthic denitrification were also measured and the active N-fixing community was examined via molecular tools. Integrated rates of N2-fixation and sulfate reduction showed a similar seasonality pattern, with highest rates occurring in August (approx. 22 and 880 nmol cm−3 d−1 of N and SO42−, respectively) and October (approx. 22 and 1300 nmol cm−3 d−1 of N and SO42−, respectively), and lowest rates occurring in February (approx. 8 and 32 nmol cm−3 d−1 of N and SO42−, respectively). These rate changes were positively correlated with bottom water temperatures and previous reported plankton bloom activities, and negatively correlated with bottom water oxygen concentrations. Other variables that also appeared to play a role in rate determination were bioturbation, bubble irrigation and winter storm events. Molecular analysis demonstrated the presence of nifH sequences related to two known N2-fixing SRB, namely Desulfovibrio vulgaris and Desulfonema limicola, supporting the hypothesis that some of the nitrogenase activity detected may be attributed to SRB. Denitrification appeared to follow a similar trend as the other microbial processes and the ratio of denitrification to N2-fixation ranged from 6.8 in August to 1.1 in February, indicating that in February, the two processes are close to being in balance in terms of N loss and N gain. Overall, our data show that Eckernforde Bay represents a complex ecosystem where numerous environmental variables combine to influence benthic microbial activities involving N and sulfur cycling.
Ouabain Stimulates a Na+/K+-ATPase-Mediated SFK-Activated Signalling Pathway That Regulates Tight Junction Function in the Mouse Blastocyst

The Na+/K+-ATPase plays a pivotal role during preimplantation development; it establishes a trans-epithelial ionic gradient that facilitates the formation of the fluid-filled blastocyst cavity, crucial for implantation and successful pregnancy. The Na+/K+-ATPase is also implicated in regulating tight junctions and cardiotonic steroid (CTS)-induced signal transduction via SRC. We investigated the expression of SRC family kinase (SFK) members, Src and Yes, during preimplantation development and determined whether SFK activity is required for blastocyst formation. Embryos were collected following super-ovulation of CD1 or MF1 female mice. RT-PCR was used to detect SFK mRNAs encoding Src and Yes throughout preimplantation development. SRC and YES protein were localized throughout preimplantation development. Treatment of mouse morulae with the SFK inhibitors PP2 and SU6656 for 18 hours resulted in a reversible blockade of progression to the blastocyst stage. Blastocysts treated with 10−3 M ouabain for 2 or 10 minutes and immediately immunostained for phosphorylation at SRC tyr418 displayed reduced phosphorylation while in contrast blastocysts treated with 10−4 M displayed increased tyr418 fluorescence. SFK inhibition increased and SFK activation reduced trophectoderm tight junction permeability in blastocysts. The results demonstrate that SFKs are expressed during preimplantation development and that SFK activity is required for blastocyst formation and is an important mediator of trophectoderm tight junction permeability.
Evidence for white matter abnormalities in schizophrenia

Purpose of review The purpose of this review is to highlight important recent imaging, histological, and genetic findings relevant to white matter abnormalities in schizophrenia. It is cast within the context of research findings conducted over the last 5 years, where we analyze their importance in understanding schizophrenia, as well as discuss future directions for research. Recent findings White matter abnormalities have long been hypothesized in schizophrenia, although only recently has it become possible to investigate them more closely. This has come about as a result of advances in neuroimaging, including new imaging techniques sensitive to white matter structure, as well as advances in computer science, with new analysis techniques making it possible to evaluate several interconnected brain regions at a time. Postmortem studies, with advances such as fluoroscopy and electron microscopy, have also led to quantifying populations of different brain cells, including myelin-forming oligodendrocytes. Moreover, molecular studies enable examination of immunoreactivity of proteins that are responsible for building myelin sheaths. Additionally, microarray genetic studies allow us to investigate myelin-related genes in schizophrenia. Taken together, these technological advances bring us closer to understanding white matter pathology in schizophrenia. Summary Advances in new imaging techniques likely account for the renewed interest in investigating white matter abnormalities in schizophrenia, with over 30 new articles published on this topic in the last 12 months, compared with 11 the year before. We review recent imaging, histological, and genetic findings that suggest white matter abnormalities in schizophrenia. Abbreviations DTI: diffusion tensor imaging; IWMN: interstitial white matter neuron; MRI: magnetic resonance imaging; MTR: magnetization transfer ratio; ROI: region of interest; VBM: voxel-based morphometry.
File-Level Defect Prediction: Unsupervised vs. Supervised Models

Background: Software defect models can help software quality assurance teams to allocate testing or code review resources. A variety of techniques have been used to build defect prediction models, including supervised and unsupervised methods. Recently, Yang et al. [1] surprisingly find that unsupervised models can perform statistically significantly better than supervised models in effort-aware change-level defect prediction. However, little is known about relative performance of unsupervised and supervised models for effort-aware file-level defect prediction. Goal: Inspired by their work, we aim to investigate whether a similar finding holds in effort-aware file-level defect prediction. Method: We replicate Yang et al.'s study on PROMISE dataset with totally ten projects. We compare the effectiveness of unsupervised and supervised prediction models for effort-aware file-level defect prediction. Results: We find that the conclusion of Yang et al. [1] does not hold under within-project but holds under cross-project setting for file-level defect prediction. In addition, following the recommendations given by the best unsupervised model, developers needs to inspect statistically significantly more files than that of supervised models considering the same inspection effort (i.e., LOC). Conclusions: (a) Unsupervised models do not perform statistically significantly better than state-of-art supervised model under within-project setting, (b) Unsupervised models can perform statistically significantly better than state-ofart supervised model under cross-project setting, (c) We suggest that not only LOC but also number of files needed to be inspected should be considered when evaluating effort-aware filelevel defect prediction models.
Metal uptake and distribution in the zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo: differences between nanoparticles and metal ions

The zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo (ZFE) is an established test organism for investigating the toxicity of chemicals and is suitable for the assessment of the hazardous potential of nanoparticles. There is little knowledge on metal internalization and distribution in these organisms, as well as on the underlying kinetic processes. To shed light on metal–ZFE interactions, the uptake of different metal-composed nanoparticles (Ag-, Au-, CuO-, ZnO-NP) and their dissolved cations was studied in terms of temporal and spatial distribution as well as internal concentrations considering different ZFE compartments (whole egg, embryo, chorion, perivitelline space). By applying laser ablation ICP-MS and electron microscopy, element-specific differences in metal distribution at the surface and within the test organisms were observed. As determined by nebulization ICP-MS, all metals showed a bioconcentration in the eggs. Gold showed the highest accumulation, followed by silver, zinc and copper, with distinct differences when comparing the uptake of nanoparticles and metal ions. Upon exposure to nanoparticles, more silver and zinc were detected in the organisms, whereas more copper accumulated upon exposure to the cations. For silver, gold, and copper, the major share was found at the chorion structures, irrespective of exposure to NPs or cations. In contrast, for zinc, the highest portion reached the inner embryo. Overall, our results provide an informative basis to explain the differences in nanoparticle and ion toxicity observed in various studies.