Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigation of thermal properties of selected polymer blends

The influence of co-rotating twin-screw extrusion of polymer blends on their thermal properties has been presented in this paper. The polymer blends that have been taken into consideration consisted of PE and PP processed by BTSK 20 without any compatibilizer. The contents of minor phase, i.e. PP in polymer matrix, i.e. PE in wt. % ranged from: 95/5, 90/10, 85/15 to 15/85, 10/90, 5/95 [1 – 4, 9 – 11]. The main idea of this work was verification of what changes the co-rotating twin-screw extrusion may cause in thermal properties of above mentioned polymer blends as well as polymers used separately. The DSC and TGA methods have been chosen for this purpose. The results may be applied for recycling purposes of mixed plastics, however, in this work the primary polymers have been used to avoid any undesired influence of recycling operations for blends’ properties.
A Comparison of Variances for Poststratification to Estimated Control Totals

The poststratified estimator, a well-known and widely applied calibration estimator, is sometimes used to correct for sampling frame problems such as undercoverage (e.g., Kott 2006). Undercoverage occurs when the sampling frame fails to contain all units for the population under study. For example, estimates for the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), a nationwide random-digit-dial (RDD) telephone survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are poststratified (i.e., calibrated) to population counts that include households with and without land-line telephone service (CDC 2006).
Understanding the Asset Growth Anomaly

Components of balance sheet asset growth driven by earnings management contributed to the asset growth anomaly in the past. These components of balance sheet asset growth are no longer related to returns and this has contributed to the disappearance of the asset growth anomaly. I provide evidence that the Sarbanes-Oxley Act reduced earnings management induced mispricing which I relate to the asset growth anomaly. More broadly, these findings point towards changes in the regulatory environment as a novel driver of equity market anomalies.
Beneficial role of magnesium valproate in diabetic nephropathy associated with renal fibrosis in experimental animals

Introduction: Valproic acid is widely used as an anti-epileptic globally. Valproic acid has been shown to inhibit inflammatory cytokines, prevents fibrosis and reduce oxidative stress in various experimental models. Further, it improves glycemic control in diabetics. So, we have studied the effect of 12 week treatment with Magnesium Valproate (MgV, 210mg/kg/day, PO) on renal complications associated with streptozotocin (STZ) induced type I and type II diabetic rats. Method: Wistar rats were made type I diabetic with STZ (35 mg/kg, IV) and type II diabetes was induced by STZ + Nicotinamide (50 mg/kg, IP + 90 mg/kg, IP). The animals were divided in groups and treatment was given for 12 weeks after which various biochemical, urine and renal antioxidants, pro-oxidant and histological parameters were estimated. Result: STZ significantly increased blood glucose level, C-reactive protein, blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, serum uric acid and significantly reduced serum albumin level. Further, diabetic control animals significantly increased urine output and urinary albumin and reduced urinary creatinine and creatinine clearance. Diabetic animals showed significantly reduced level of superoxide dismutase (SOD), nitrite, reduced glutathione and catalase while increased prooxidant level of malondialdehyde and kidney collagen level. Moreover, inflammatory markers like IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α levels were increased significantly in untreated diabetic animals. Chronic treatment with MgV significantly reduced blood glucose level, C-reactive protein, blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, serum uric acid and increased albumin level. MgV also significantly reduced urine output and urinary albumin and increased creatinine clearance. MgV significantly increased antioxidant enzymes and reduced collagen in kidney. Further, MgV treatment significantly reduced all inflammatory cytokines and increased protective cytokine level like IL-10. MgV reduced kidney fibrosis as evident by Masson's trichome stain of kidney tissue. Conclusion: Our data suggests that Magnesium Valproate prevents not only the STZ-induced nephrotic abnormalities but also renal complications which is possibly mediated through inhibition of inflammatory cytokines and reduction in blood glucose in diabetic animals.
Flow Cytometric Criteria for Lymph Node Ratings and Staging of Mycosis Fungoides and Sézary Syndrome

Objectives: Determine flow criteria corresponding to LN4 histopathologic grade used for clinical staging of cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL). Materials and Methods: Flow cytometry using primarily a panel of single antibodies was performed on 78 excised lymph nodes (LNs) from 72 patients with CTCL. Correlation with histopathologic grade was available for 64 specimens. Fifty-two LNs obtained at initial staging were used for prognostic correlations. Seventeen additional LNs were studied by fine needle aspiration (FNA). Results: Several flow criteria including CD4/CD8 ≥ 30, all CD7+ cells ≤ 20%, CD7/CD4 ≤ 0.4, CD71+ cells ≥ 20% and CD4/CD19 ≥ 8 had mean disease-specific survival rates comparable to that observed for patients with LN4 grade. However, less than 50% of LN4 nodes had these criteria. In a smaller subset of patients studied mostly by FNA, direct measurement of CD4+CD7and/or CD4+CD26cells provided quantitative data that also identified patients with survival rates similar to LN4 grade. The percentage of CD4+CD26cells was typically higher than the percentage of CD4+CD7cells. Conclusions: FNA is useful to assess enlarged peripheral LNs for involvement with CTCL. In conjunction with FNA, we propose that the maximum percentage of either CD4+CD7and CD4+CD26lymphocyte subsets ≥ 50% plus additional confirmatory evidence of involvement be used to define N3 rating and perforce sub-stage IVA2. Additional studies are required to confirm these results and determine the role that FNA vis-à-vis excisional biopsy plays in the evaluation of patients with CTCL.
Impact of Corporate Governance Attributes on Intellectual Capital Disclosure: Evidence from Listed Banking Companies in Bangladesh

Intellectual capital (IC) can be a source of competitive advantage for business and stimulate innovation that leads to wealth generation. This study investigates the association between the extent of IC disclosure (ICD) and the corporate governance attributes of listed banking companies in Bangladesh. Contrary to the notion of a knowledge based sector like banking, this study adds to previous findings that demonstrate that Bangladeshi companies provide little in the way of ICD. The study confirms that board size and size of audit committee are important attributes to explain ICD issues in Bangladesh. However, the study finds no significant association between ICD and other variables like number of independent directors on the board, frequency of board meetings and ownership concentration
AN OPEN-END APPROACH TO MEASURING RACIAL AND ETHNIC LABEL PREFERENCES OF BLACK AMERICANS

Labeling is a common practice in our society. We use labels to help us categorize and understand our environment, as well as to help us group objects, behaviors and ideas. Labels add organization and structure to our surroundings. When applied to people, they play an important role in the definition of groups and the individuals who belong to these groups. Race and ethnicity are examples of labels that are used to define groups of people. For demographers, survey researchers, and other scientists, race and ethnicity are used regularly as independent variables in analyses aimed at understanding substantive topic areas. They are usually measured by asking respondents to choose their own race and ethnicity from a finite set of pre-coded categories that are read aloud to them. Although this approach is easy to administer and easy to quantify, it does not allow for much variation. That is, it does not always allow for specific respondent preferences that are not included on the precoded list. In addition, it does not push the respondent into thinking about how he/she identifies him/herself independent of standard categorical measures of race and ethnicity. It is important for survey researchers to keep updated on the variations and changes in racial and ethnic label usage. The accurate measurement of race and ethnicity is dependent upon researchers' inclusion of racial and ethnic categories that are not only appropriate, but also generally accepted. Because the success of a survey depends upon the cooperation of a representative sample, it is important for researchers to be sensitive to the racial and ethnic label preferences of their respondent groups. It is also important for the accurate measurement of race and ethnicity that survey researchers pay attention to changes in these label preferences and adapt their measurements accordingly. Researchers do not want to use either out-dated labels or new labels that are not yet generally accepted.
Genetic Variability of Passion Fruit Multispecific Hybrids and Their Respective Wild Parents Determined by Microsatellite Markers

The Passiflora genus comprises more than 500 species that are used for food, industrial, ornamental, and pharmaceutical purposes. The sour passion fruit (P. edulis Sims) has low genetic variability for disease resistance, and the use of wild species in the cross-breeding basis is a promising alternative for introgression of resistance genes. The objective of this study was to characterize multispecific hybrids and wild materials with potential to be used as parents in passion fruit genetic breeding programs, using microsatellite markers. Genomic DNA from 33 accessions was extracted and analyzed using 23 microsatellite markers, which were used to estimate the genetic dissimilarities among accessions. The genetic dissimilarity matrices were used to perform clustering analysis by dendrogram using the Unweighted Pair-Group Method as grouping criterion and by graphic dispersion based on multidimensional scale, using the principal coordinates method. Genetic distances between accessions ranged from 0.067 to 1.00. The markers indicated genetic variability among the studied accessions and also the efficiency of the recurrent genome recovery within the backcross program. The genetic structure among the accessions shows the clustering tendency between the wild accessions of P. hatschbachii and P. quadrifaria and the accessions obtained by crossing these species. The same occurred for P. incarnata and P. edulis accessions. The knowledge generated by the molecular characterization provides information on the diversity of accessions and contributes to the work of breeders in the selection of parents.
The Evolution of Designs: Biological Analogy in Architecture and the Applied Arts - revised edition (first published 1979) with new ‘Afterword’

Introduction. The Organic Analogy. The Classificatory Analogy: Building Types and Natural Species. The Anatomical Analogy: Engineering Structure and the Animal Skeleton. The Darwinian Analogy: Trial and Error in the Evolution of Organisms and Artefacts. The Evolution of Decoration. Tools as Organs or as Extensions of the Physical Body. How to Speed up Craft Evolution. Design as Process of Growth. Biotechnics: Plants and Animals as Inventors. Hierarchical Strcuture and the Adaptive Process. The Consequences of the Biological Fallacy: Functional Determinism. What Remains of the Analogy? Afterword
Feeding Sprague Dawley Rats With Jordanian Wild Edible Plants and a High Fat Diet Reduced the Malondialdehyde Levels

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of selected Jordanian wild edible plant on lipid peroxidation and lipid profile in adult male Sprague Dawley rats fed high-fat diet. Fiftysix male, adult Sprague-Dawley rats at eight weeks of age, weighing about 200g were distributed into 7 experimental groups, 7 rats each . The groups included a negative control group that was fed a normal fat diet (NFD) and a possitve control group that was fed a high fat diet (HFD) (45% calories from fat). The six treatment groups were fed a HFD for the first 4 weeks of the experiment and a HFD with 9% of one of the selected dried plants for another 4 weeks. The treatment groups are sumac, thyme, clary, gundelia, garden rocket and wild mint. Blood samples were collected from the right heart ventricle. Serum malondialdehyde, lipid profile and fasting blood glucose were measured for rats. Results showed that the addition of different dried plant powders to the HFD did not significantly affect serum levels of TG, TC, HDL, LDL and fasting blood glucose. On the other hand, malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in the HFD group (4.09±0.45 mmol/ml) than those of other groups. MDA serum levels for the other groups were as follows: NFD (2.47±0.05), sumac (2.45±0.13), thyme (2.88±0.07), clary (2.97±0.16), garden rocket (2.96±0.11), gundelia (2.92±0.16) and wild mint (2.68±0.09). These levels were not sinificantly different from each other. It is concluded that incorporating dried plant powders in rat diets had a significantly positive effect only on lipid peroxidation assay as indicated by serum MDA levels.
DESIGN OF A NORMAL CONDUCTING L-BAND PHOTOINJECTOR

For the successful operation of an X-ray free electron laser the injector must be robust and able to provide high quality beams. In this paper we present the design of a normal conducting L-band photoinjector which is based on the successful DESY/PITZ gun, but with improved cavity geometry. The result of beam dynamics simulations predicts that a beam with a normalised transverse emittance of less than 0.7 mm mrad at 1 nC can be produced. With an expected repetition rate of at least 1 kHz, this gun meets the requirements of the first stage injector for the UK's New Light Source project.
Food Sharing at Meals Kinship , Reciprocity , and Clustering in the Taimyr Autonomous Okrug , Northern Russia

The presence of a kinship link between nuclear families is the strongest predictor of interhousehold sharing in an indigenous, predominantly Dolgan food-sharing network in northern Russia. Attributes such as the summed number of hunters in paired households also account for much of the variation in sharing between nuclear families. Differences in the number of hunters in partner households, as well as proximity and producer/consumer ratios of households, were investigated with regard to cost-benefit models. The subset of households involved in reciprocal meal sharing is 26 of 84 household host-guest pairs. The frequency of reciprocal meal sharing between families in this subset is positively correlated with average household relatedness. The evolution of cooperation through clustering may illuminate the relationship between kinship and reciprocity at this most intimate level of food sharing.
The Dark Side of 2005 Bankruptcy Code Reform —Does Derivatives Privilege Affect Corporate Borrowing?

The 2005 Bankruptcy Reform puts derivatives contracts into an effective “super-senior” status. It is intended to provide stability to the derivative markets and reduce systemic risk, however, we find that it has negative impact on derivative-using firms’ borrowings. The theoretical model in Bolton and Oehmke (2015) suggests that the super-seniority status of derivatives shifts risk to the creditors and could lead to inefficiency in corporate borrowing. Using a unique set of hand-collected corporate derivatives-usage data, we examine the effects of 2005 Bankruptcy Reform on firms’ borrowing capacity and cost. We document that derivatives users are less likely to obtain loans from banks. Even if they do, the loans they obtain have smaller size, higher loan spread, and more stringent collateral requirements. The effects of derivatives usage on loan terms are more pronounced for firms closer to financial distress. Collectively, these findings shed light on the dark side of the 2005 Bankruptcy Reform and help the understanding of potential conflict of interest amongst various creditors in general.
The spatial structure and condition of Lycopodium clavatum L . in the Zrêbice Forestry

The aim of the study was to estimate the condition of Lycopodium clavatum stands. The biggest area of 67m occupied by the club moss was located in the Calamagrostio arundinaceae-Quercetum petraeae (Hartm. 1934) Scam. et. Pass. 1959 association. The contribution of living vertical shoots was much higher than the dead ones. Horizontal shoots were strongly branched. In the LeucobryoPinetum W. Mat. (1962) 1973 association club mosses occupied the area of 28m in one stand, and in two others, 5 m each. These stands were characterized by the high average number of dead shoots. Horizontal shoots occupied small parts of individual squares. In 2007, club moss stands in the Leucobryo-Pinetum were destroyed as a result of procedures of forest managing. Also, there were only dead shoots present in the stand localized in the Calamagrostio arundinaceae-Quercetum. We can assume that illegal collection of club moss shoots additionally results in deceasing of the stand and population numbers. ABSTRAKT: Celem badañ by3a ocena kondycji stanowisk Lycopodium clavatum. Najwiêksz1 powierzchniê  67m, wid3ak zajmowa3 w zespole Calamagrostio arundinaceae-Quercetum petraeae (Hartm. 1934) Scam. et. Pass. 1959. Udzia3 ¿ywych pêdów pionowych by3 znacznie wy¿szy ni¿ udzia3 pêdów martwych. Pêdy poziome by3y silnie rozga3êzione. Na stanowiskach zlokalizowanych w zespole LeucobryoPinetum W. Mat. (1962) 1973 wid3ak zajmowa3 powierzchniê 28 m na jednym z nich, a na dwóch pozosta3ych po 5 m. Stanowiska te charakteryzowa3y siê wysok1 redni1 liczb1 martwych pêdów. Pêdy poziome zajmowa3y ma3e fragmenty pojedynczych poletek. Do roku 2007 stanowiska wid3aka w zespole LeucobryoPinetum zosta3y zniszczone na skutek zabiegów gospodarczych. Tak¿e na stanowisku zlokalizowanym w zespole Calamagrostio arundinaceae-Quercetum nie odnaleziono pêdów ¿ywych, a jedynie martwe. Zmniejszanie siê liczby stanowisk oraz liczby populacji mo¿e wynikaæ z nielegalnego pozyskiwania pêdów wid3aka.
Environmental Chemicals and Neurotoxicity Oxidative stress in MeHg-induced neurotoxicity

Methylmercury (MeHg) is an environmental toxicant that leads to long-lasting neurological and developmental deficits in animals and humans. Although the molecular mechanisms mediating MeHg-induced neurotoxicity are not completely understood, several lines of evidence indicate that oxidative stress represents a critical event related to the neurotoxic effects elicited by this toxicant. The objective of this review is to summarize and discuss data from experimental and epidemiological studies that have been important in clarifying the molecular events which mediate MeHg-induced oxidative damage and, consequently, toxicity. Although unanswered questions remain, the electrophilic properties of MeHg and its ability to oxidize thiols have been reported to play decisive roles to the oxidative consequences observed after MeHg exposure. However, a close examination of the relationship between low levels of MeHg necessary to induce oxidative stress and the high amounts of sulfhydryl-containing antioxidants in mammalian cells (e.g., glutathione) have led to the hypothesis that nucleophilic groups with extremely high affinities for MeHg (e.g., selenols) might represent primary targets in MeHg-induced oxidative stress. Indeed, the inhibition of antioxidant selenoproteins during MeHg poisoning in experimental animals has corroborated this hypothesis. The levels of different reactive species (superoxide anion, hydrogen peroxide and nitric oxide) have been reported to be increased in MeHg-exposed systems, and the mechanisms concerning these increments seem to involve a complex sequence of cascading molecular events, such as mitochondrial dysfunction, excitotoxicity, intracellular calcium dyshomeostasis and decreased antioxidant capacity. This review also discusses potential therapeutic strategies to counteract MeHg-induced toxicity and oxidative stress, emphasizing the use of organic selenocompounds, which generally present higher affinity for MeHg when compared to the classically studied agents. © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. *Corresponding author: Marcelo Farina, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Departamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, 88040-900, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil, farina@ccb.ufsc. br or João Batista Teixeira da Rocha, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Departamento de Química, Avenida Roraima, Prédio 18, 97105-900, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil, Fax: +55 55 3220 8978, jbtrocha@yahoo.com. br. Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. NIH Public Access
OUTCOMES OF A CALLING PROTOCOL IN A TELEPHONE SURVEY

The technology of computer assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) has greatly enhanced the ability to conduct interviews in ways that are not feasible with paper and pencil interviews. These methods have enabled researchers to improve the quality of responses by introducing computerized skip patterns, customized interview wording, and real-time edit checks. As a result, survey developers have been able to create interviews that are both more specific to the respondent and of higher quality.
Identification of building mechanical parameters from ambient vibration interferometry

An identification procedure of mechanical parameters for a dynamically equivalent beam model of buildings is presented. Deconvolution interferometry is applied to ambient noise recordings to identify parameters from impulse response functions, without the need of structural details. Cross-sectional dimensions, Poisson ratio and modulus of elasticity to mass density ratio are estimated under the assumption of homogeneous isotropic material. Transfer functions and a wave dispersion imaging technique are used to fit a Timoshenko beam model in terms of natural frequencies, shear and compressional wave velocities in the medium. The proposed method can be applied to buildings having bending-type structural behavior under seismic loading. Moreover, it is shown that wave propagation velocities in the building exhibit transitory variations with environmental conditions. Using short time windows of sixty seconds is enough to obtain stable impulse response functions, which remain dependent of environmental variability, while stacking long time windows of noise filters out such variations. Consequently, the proposed technique is suitable for rapid in-situ surveys. The high-rise reinforced concrete building of the Nice prefecture (France) is used as a case study.