Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Corrosion Resistance Of Niobium, Tantalum and Titanium In Sea WATER and Sulfuric ACID

Niobium, Tantalum and Titanium reacts significantly with oxygen and nitrogen in temperatu es above 300 ̊C, forming a stable, adherent and passive oxide layer. These properties allows these alloys t o be used in demanding situations where corrosion is the main concern, for equipment fabrication and machine part s. Tantalum (Ta) is found together with Niobium (Nb) i n minerals such as columbite and tantalite [(Fe, Mn) (Ta, Nb)2O6] and is used in special alloys, electronic components and bone implants. The protective passiv e layer forms when the metal is exposed to air. Titanium (Ti) is used in high strength, corrosion r esistant alloys for chemical, aerospace and naval industry a nd also in implants. The passive film that forms over the m tal surface is very stable, what translates in a high e lectrode potential. This oxide layer protects the metal from further deterioration. In this work the behavior of Niobium, Tantalum and Titanium concerning corrosion in natural sea wa ter and sulfuric acid was investigated. Alloys samples were used as the work electrodes and were prepared using a ultrasonic cleaning bath with 3 different treatment s of acetone, alcohol and distilled water during 10 minu tes each. The experimental set up included a reference electrode of saturated calomel (ECS), a 6.25cm 2 platinum square plate as the counter electrode, all mounted i si e a standard electrochemical cell. The two electrolytes used in the tests were a solution of sulfuric acid (0.5M ), pH0.27 at a temperature of T = 22.7 ̊C and natural s e water of Futuro Beach – Fortaleza, Ceará (AMNPFFC), PH = 7.78, at the same temperature. The potentiomet er used was a VGSTAT 302 from Autolab. Data acquisitio n and curve analysis was performed using GPES and Ori gin 6.0 software respectively. The obtained potentiodynamic polarization curves for Niobium (Nb), Tantalum (Ta) and Titanium (Ti) in both electrolytes are shown in Figure 1.
Magnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles in 10−40 nm Range: Composition in Terms of Magnetite/Maghemite Ratio and Effect on the Magnetic Properties

Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles in the 10−40 nm size range and with a reduced distribution in size have been synthesized under argon by using ammonium bases R4NOH (R = CH3, C2H5, C3H7) and a hydrothermal treatment. The size is tuned owing to the base to iron ratio and to the length of the alkyl chain R. We precipitate first ferric hydroxides at pH 1.5−2, then ferrous hydroxide at pH 5.5−6. The rapid increase of pH up to basic pH leads to the formation of magnetic iron oxide particles of 12 nm. For [base] to [Fe] ratio above 3.5, a homogeneous growth occurs during further hydrothermal treatment at 250 °C. The higher the quantity of base added and the longer the alkyl chain used, the smaller the particle size produced. For sizes above 20 nm, the Verwey transition at 120 K, characteristic of magnetite, is observed on the field cooling−zero field cooling magnetization curve. The nanoparticles can be described by a core−shell model, that is, a magnetite core surrounded by an oxidized layer close to maghemite.
Pressure-Dependent Luminescence Properties of Gold(I) and Silver(I) Dithiocarbamate Compounds

Luminescence spectra for dithiocarbamate complexes of gold(I) and silver(I) display very different luminescence properties. At room temperature, a narrow band with a maximum at approximately 18 000 cm–1 and a broad band with a maximum at approximately 13 000 cm–1 are observed for the gold(I) and silver(I) compounds, respectively. The luminescence from the gold(I) compounds is strongly affected by external pressure, with maxima shifting to lower energy by approximately −120 cm–1/kbar. In contrast, a silver compound shows a small shift to higher energy by approximately +20 cm–1/kbar. These shifts are analyzed in terms of structure and bridging ligand geometry, revealing the important influence of unsupported metal–metal interactions on pressure-induced shifts of luminescence bands.
Effect of phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase inhibitor on 17β-estradiol-induced proliferation and apoptosis in Ishikawa and HEC-1A cells

Aim: to observe the influence of PI3K inhibitor (LY294002) on proliferation, cell cycle progression, and apoptosis in endometrial carcinoma cells stimulated by E2 and to explore the preliminary possible effect of LY294002 on treating endometrial carcinoma. Methods:The effects of LY294002 on E2-induced proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle distrubution of endometrial cancer cells were detected by monotetrazolium (MTT) assay and fluorescence-activated cell sorting technique. Results: With increased concentrations of E2, the A(570 nm) values of endometrial cancer cells increased gradually especially in Ishikawa in a time-dependent manner(F=3.915,P=0.043). Cell cycle distribution analysis revealed that percentage of Ishikawa cells at G0-G1 phase(F=50.926, P≤0.001) decreased and percentage of S phase cells(F=17.836, P=0.001) increased significantly, whereas that of HEC-1A cell didn't show significant alteration. Cotreatment of endometrial cancer cells with LY294002, A(570 nm) values of both cells decreased also showing a time-dependent manner(F=10.398,P=0.001; F=5.542,P=0.043), the percentage of apoptotic cells increased significantly (P0.001), the percentage of the cell population at G0-G1 phase (F=32.024, P≤0.005; F=14.725,P≤0.017)increased and the percentage of cancer cells at S (F=30.132, P≤0.001; F=24.72,P≤0.01)phase decreased.Conclusion: Inhibition of PI3K activity by LY294002 could inhibit endometrial cancer cells' proliferation induced by E2 and induce the G1 cell cycle arrest and cell apoptosis. PI3K/Akt pathway presents an appealing therapeutic target on endometrial cancer.
Local‐level exposure to conflicts and child health: Evidence from Côte d'Ivoire

This paper analyses the impact of the 2002-2011 period of instability in Côte d’Ivoire on child health. It uses two rounds of DHS surveys (1998-1999 and 2011-2012) and geo-referenced data on conflict events locations, which gives a more precise estimates of the effects of conflict on child welfare. Difference-in-difference regressions show a negative association between proximity to conflict events and child height-for-age z-scores. The study also suggests that maternal stress and disruptions of health care services are possible channels through which conflict affect child wellbeing.
Exchange rate pass-through under the effect of Brexit: an empirical analysis on the United Kingdom

Purpose This study aimed to examine the effects of the environment of uncertainty caused by the United Kingdom (UK) people's decision to leave the European Union (EU) as a result of the referendum held on June 23, 2016, on the UK's economy. In this context, the effects of fluctuations in exchange rates on prices (consumer and producers) and profitability rates were analyzed. Methodology The data set was divided into the Brexit period (2016:06 2020:02) and the pre-Brexit period (2010:01 2016:05) for a comparative analysis of the effect of Brexit on ERPT. Structural Vector Autoregressions (SVAR) models were used to get rid of the non-theoretical structure of standard VAR models, and the McCarthy (1999) model was taken as the reference for the theoretical framework of the model. The analysis of variance decomposition was performed to examine the relationship between the variables using the dynamic structure of VAR models. FindingsThe unexpected result of the referendum and the environment of uncertainty caused by this result in the UK's economy had negative effects, especially on producer prices. It was observed that the increase in costs, which was due to fluctuations in the exchange rate caused by the environment of uncertainty after the referendum, could not be fully reflected on consumer prices by firms. According to the results of the analysis of variance decomposition, while 5.55 percent of changes in producer prices and 4.44 percent of changes in consumer prices in the Pre-Brexit period were explained by changes in the exchange rate, these rates were found to be 16.45 percent and 6.41 percent, respectively, during the Brexit period. ConclusionDuring the Brexit period, it was observed that firms could not reflect the increases in costs to prices and this situation caused a decrease in the profitability rates of the firms. Some of these decreases in the profitability ratios of firms are expected to be permanent. However, it will be possible to make a distinction between structural effects and periodic effects after the terms of the agreement are determined. Considering the overlap of two important global events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Brexit process, it is observed that the UK's economy is going through an extremely sensitive period. Accordingly, the monetary authorities in the UK should take into account many more variables while taking decisions during this period, unlike previous periods.
Home IoT devices : analysis of the communication protocols

The Internet Of Things is becoming one of the most used technologies today, a trend that will become more pronounced in the near future. The number of interconnected devices is growing rapidly, changing the very shape of the Internet. The IoT is already shown as a pilot of consistent investments for the development of new enabling technologies. However, numerous recent cyber-attacks have highlighted several critical issues in the security control of these systems. The implications of these types of attacks are often unexpected given the heterogeneous and physical nature of these devices. For this reason, basic resources such as honeypots are important, which allow to collect information about new attacks based on vulnerabilities not yet known. This study exposes some general characteristics of IoT devices, analyzing the state of the art of IoT honeypots. The study also proposes an implementation solution for a testbed used to collect messages that are exchanged by home IoT devices triggered by different types of interaction.
Constrained evolutionary programming approaches to power system economic dispatch

This paper proposes a novel methodology of Constraint evolutionary programming for solving dynamic economic dispatch. Dynamic Economic Dispatch is one of the main functions of power generation operation and control. It determines the optimal settings of generator units with predicted load demand over a certain period of time. The objective is to operate an electric power system most economically while the system is operating within its security limits. Ten units test system with smooth and nonsmooth fuel cost functions are considered to illustrate the suitability and effectiveness of the proposed method.
Mechanism of Selective C–H Hydroxylation Mediated by Manganese Aminopyridine Enzyme Models

The mechanism of selective oxidation of aliphatic C–H groups with H2O2 in the presence of aminopyridine Mn complexes, modeling the reactivities of natural oxygenases of the cytochrome P450 superfamily, has been examined. The oxygenation of C–H groups proceeds via hydrogen atom abstraction by the electrophilic metal site; the logarithm of C–H oxidation rates correlates linearly with bond dissociation energies for homolytic C–H bond cleavage. Hammett correlations and stereospecificity studies reflect the formation of a short-lived electron-deficient radical intermediate. Isotopic labeling studies confirm the incorporation of 18O from added H218O, thus providing so far lacking evidence for the oxomanganese(V)-mediated oxidation mechanism.
Optimizing recurrent neural network language model GPU training

In recent years neural language models have consistently out-performed n-gram based statistical language models. Due to their large computational cost the adaptation in production-scale ASR systems is slow. The main bottleneck is the output softmax layer whose computational cost scales linearly with the vocabulary size. This work summarized the large body of research in this field and compared the recently proposed adaptive softmax method to sampling based approaches. An empirical analysis investigated various properties of the adaptive softmax, importance sampling and noise contrastive estimation methods. Experiments were conducted using Tensorflow on the Wikipedia Text8 corpus and a large vocabulary financial domain text. The results show that all three methods can substantially increase training throughput. Adaptive softmax and importance sampling both achieved low perplexity scores on par with full softmax and no noticeable difference could be measured on an ASR re-scoring task. Noise contrastive estimation proved to be sensitive to the chosen normalization constant and in many experiments could not achieve optimal results. The sharing of noise samples within a batch was described as a possible cause. Profiling showed that projection matrices substantially reduce the amount of trainable parameters and memory footprint in adaptive softmax. In other benchmarks switching to the optimized NVIDIA cuDNN LSTM implementation achieved an additional speedup.
The Determinants of Bank Profitability and the Effects of Foreign Ownership

This study aims to study the profitability of banks operating in Lebanon between 1996 and 2007 and examine the effect of micro and macroeconomic variables on it. Results show that foreign control deteriorates the bank’s return on assets (ROA), and foreign banks (FB) have better profitability than banks with majority domestic ownership (MDO). The findings also show that the return on equity (ROE) and ROA are determined differently among banks. For instance, larger MDO generate higher ROE and ROA, unlike banks with majority foreign ownership (MFO) and FB. The MDO benefit from off-balance sheet (OBS) activities, whereas the FB and the MFO lose from this business. A negative correlation between the MDO’s and the MFO’s capital and profitability is found, but the opposite for FB. This suggests that profitable MDO hold lesser capital, whereas better capitalization allows the FB to engage in more profitable (risky) businesses. Concentration and economic condition of the host market do not influence the FB, whereas the MDO and the MFO seem to be negatively affected by concentration, but benefit from the economic growth of the host market. ةيبنج أ لا ةيكللما راثآ او كونبلا ةيحبر تاددمح
Association of E484K and L452R spike protein mutations with SARS-CoV-2 infection in vaccinated persons---Maryland, January - May 2021

Background. The E484K and L452R amino acid substitutions on the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 are associated with reduced neutralization by antibodies from acquired immunity. This study examines the respective association of these mutations with infection in persons who had previously received a COVID-19 vaccine. Methods. Genetic sequences from SARS-CoV-2 specimens collected from Maryland residents and reported to Maryland Department of Health were linked to vaccination history. The prevalence of infections in fully vaccinated persons -- defined as being at least two weeks past receiving the final scheduled dose of a COVID-19 vaccine series -- was compared between infections caused by viruses carrying E484K to those not carrying E484K, and between infections caused by viruses carrying L452R to those not carrying L452R, using logistic regression to adjust for confounding. Results. Of 9,048 sequenced SARS-CoV-2 specimens examined, 265 (2.9%) were collected from fully vaccinated persons. In adjusted analysis, the E484K substitution was associated with an increase in the odds of the sequenced specimen being collected from a fully vaccinated person (OR 1.96, 95% CI, 1.36 to 2.83). The L452R mutation was not significantly associated with infections in vaccinated persons (OR 1.07, 95% CI, 0.69 to 1.68). Conclusion. Though more than 97% of SARS-CoV-2 infections were in persons who were not fully vaccinated, the E484K mutation was associated with increased odds of SARS-CoV-2 infection in vaccinated persons. Linking vaccination and sequencing data can help identify and estimate the impact SARS-CoV-2 mutations may have on vaccine effectiveness.
Decline in Pneumococcal Disease in Young Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Israel Associated with Suppression of seasonal Respiratory Viruses, despite Persistent Pneumococcal Carriage: A Prospective Cohort Study

Abstract Background The incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) declined during the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous studies hypothesized that this was due to reduced pneumococcal transmission resulting from non-pharmaceutical interventions. We used multiple ongoing cohort surveillance projects in children <5 years to test this hypothesis. Methods The first SARS-CoV-2 cases were detected in February-2020, resulting in a full lockdown, followed by several partial restrictions. Data from ongoing surveillance projects captured the incidence dynamics of community-acquired alveolar pneumonia (CAAP), non-alveolar lower respiratory infections necessitating chest X-rays (NA-LRI), nasopharyngeal pneumococcal carriage in non-respiratory visits, nasopharyngeal respiratory virus detection (by PCR), and nationwide invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). Monthly rates (January-2020 through February-2021 vs. mean monthly rates 2016-2019 [expected rates]) adjusted for age and ethnicity, were compared. Results CAAP and bacteremic pneumococcal pneumonia were strongly reduced (incidence rate ratios, [IRRs] .07 and .19, respectively); NA-LRI and non-pneumonia IPD were also reduced, with a lesser magnitude (IRRs, .46 and .42, respectively). In contrast, pneumococcal carriage prevalence was only slightly reduced, and density of colonization and pneumococcal serotype distributions were similar to previous years. The decline in pneumococcus-associated disease was temporally associated with a full suppression of RSV, influenza viruses, and hMPV, often implicated as co-pathogens with pneumococcus. In contrast, adenovirus, rhinovirus, and parainfluenza activities were within or above expected levels. Conclusions Reductions in pneumococcal and pneumococcus-associated diseases occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel were not predominantly related to reduced pneumococcal carriage and density, but were strongly associated with the disappearance of specific respiratory viruses.
Binary Toxin Expression by Clostridioides difficile Is Associated With Worse Disease

Background. The incidence of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) has increased over the past two decades and is considered an urgent threat by the Centers for Disease Control. Hypervirulent strains such as ribotype 027, that possess genes for an additional toxin C. difficile binary toxin (CDT) are contributing to increased morbidity and mortality. In the mouse model, CDT activates Toll-like receptor 2 resulting in suppression of a protective type 2 innate immune response mediated by eosinophils. Methods. We retrospectively tested stool from 215 CDI patients for CDT by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Stratifying patients by CDT status, we assessed if disease severity and clinical outcomes correlated with CDT positivity. Additionally, we performed 16 S rRNA gene sequencing to examine if CDT positive samples had an altered fecal microbiota. Results. We found that patients with CdtB, the pore forming component of CDT, detected in their stool were more likely to have severe disease and had higher 90-day mortality compared to CDT negative patients. CDT positive patients also had higher C. difficile bacterial burden and white blood cell counts. There was no significant difference in gut microbiome diversity between CDT positive and negative patients. Conclusions. Patients with fecal samples that were positive for CDT had increased disease severity and worse clinical outcomes. Utilization of PCR and C. difficile Toxins A and B testing may not reveal the entire picture when diagnosing CDI and the detection of CDT-expressing strains may be valuable during patient treatment.
Efficiency Limitations in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Caused by Inefficient Sensitizer Regeneration

It is widely believed that the prototypical ruthenium dyes N719 and Z907 are regenerated by iodide with near unity quantum yield following photo-oxidation in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). However, the incident photon-to-current efficiency (IPCE) of DSCs using these dyes decreases with increasing forward bias, limiting power conversion efficiency (η) compared to the hypothetical constant-IPCE case. This phenomenon could arise due to incomplete regeneration, but despite the important implications for cell efficiency, it has received little attention. DSCs employing electrolytes with different iodide concentrations and the Z907 sensitizer have been characterized using complementary photoelectrochemical techniques to test whether the decrease in IPCE is caused by inefficient regeneration. The results strongly suggest that this is the case, even for abnormally high iodide concentrations, where η is reduced by as much as 30% by the effect. Similar results are obtained with the N719 sensitizer. Interestingl.
Architectural features of human IgG that modulate its catabolic half-life in the rat

A series of truncated, humanised IgG1 antibodies expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells [1] and human IgG3 monoclonal antibodies were compared to assess the influence of structural components (Fig. 1) on catabolic lifetime. The series includes L243 IgG1 (α-MHC Class II) lacking a CH3 domain pair ( ∆CH3IgG1), Fc with/out a hinge or carbohydrate, a single CH2 domain, and single chain Fv fusion proteins with Fc or a hinge-CH2 domain. Pharmacokinetic studies in the rat gave a t 1/2β of 98–104 hours for the intact IgG1 and IgG3 antibodies. The t1/2β values for∆CH3-IgG1 (47 hours), Fc (33 hours), the CH2 domain (25 hours), and scFvhC H2 (8 hours) reflect modulated catabolism of these truncated forms. These functional studies suggest that the (C H1 + CL), CH2 and CH3 constant domain pairs of IgG all contribute to longevity. Thus, no constant domain pair alone dictates the catabolic lifetime. Whilst the presence of Fc-linked carbohydrate may contribute to longevity, neither the hinge nor the variable domain pair (VL + VH) contribute significantly to increase the catabolic half-life. Comparison of IgG1 and IgG3 allotypes suggests that neither His/Arg-435 nor Tyr/Phe436 substitutions at the C H2-CH3 interface within the CH3 domain affect longevity in the rat.
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE OF CHITOSAN

A chitosan film was newly prepared from the liquid crystal solution. The unit cell parameters of crystal were determined: a=8.67 A, b=10.24 A (fiber axis), c=8.92 A, and β=92.6°. These parameters accorded with those of the (1-3) crystal reported previously within an experimental error. In addition, the packing of molecular chains in a crystal lattice was studied based on the calculation of structure factors. The range of 80° to 85° for the value of φ, which was related to the packing of molecular chains in the a, c projection, was obtained. The proposed model of the crystal structure was similar to that of β-chitin as reported by Blackwell et al.The crystal lattice might contain one water molecule per residue of glucosamine based on the comparison of the observed and calculated densities.