Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Restraint Methods of Laboratory Non-Human Primates: A Critical Review

Published information provides scientific evidence that traditional, involuntary restraint techniques of research non-human primates are intrinsically a source of distress resulting from fear. It has been documented that common methods of enforced restraint result in significantly increased adrenal activity as well as significant changes in a variety of other physiological parameters. There is no scientific evidence that the animals adequately habituate to involuntary restraint. Numerous reports have been published demonstrating that non-human primates can readily be trained to cooperate rather than resist during common handling procedures such as capture, venipuncture, injection and veterinary examination. Cooperative animals fail to show behavioural and physiological signs of distress. It was concluded that the advantages of training techniques over traditional restraint techniques will have to be explored more extensively in the future for the sake of research subjects and scientific methodology.
Second nearest-neighbor modified embedded-atom-method potential

The modified embedded-atom method, a first nearest-neighbor semiempirical model for atomic potentials, can describe the physical properties of a wide range of elements and alloys with various lattice structures. However, the model is not quite successful for bcc metals in that it predicts the order among the size of low index surface energies incorrectly and that it generates a structure more stable than bcc for some bcc metals. In order to remove the problems, the formalism has been extended so that the second nearest neighbor interactions are taken into consideration. New parameters for Fe and comparisons between calculated and experimental physical properties of Fe are presented.
Easy way to produce iron-doped titania nanoparticles via the solid-state method and investigation their photocatalytic activity

This study focuses on the synthesis of iron-doped TiO_2 nanoparticles “via solid-state” method, as an alternative to the more common doping strategies, with different iron content (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 wt%) using commercial titania Degussa P25 and TiO_2 synthesized (sTiO_2) via microemulsion method. The samples were characterized by SEM, BET, UV–Vis-DRS, and XRD. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated in terms of methylene blue (MB) degradation in aqueous solution under visible radiation (LED lamp 13 W) and under different conditions (pH, catalyst dosage, pollutant initial concentration, irradiance). The tests showed a big difference between sTiO_2 and Degussa 25. The sTiO_2 with an iron load of 1.0 wt% (1% Fe–TiO_2) has been proven to be the best photocatalyst. This behavior is attributed to the Fe^3+ species in sTiO_2 crystal lattice whose presence decreases the bandgap. Graphical abstract
Relationship between 4-Hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) as Systemic Biomarker of Lipid Peroxidation and Metabolomic Profiling of Patients with Prostate Cancer

An oxidative degradation product of the polyunsaturated fatty acids, 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE), is of particular interest in cancer research due to its concentration-dependent pleiotropic activities affecting cellular antioxidants, metabolism, and growth control. Although an increase in oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation was already associated with prostate cancer progression a few decades ago, the knowledge of the involvement of 4-HNE in prostate cancer tumorigenesis is limited. This study investigated the appearance of 4-HNE-protein adducts in prostate cancer tissue by immunohistochemistry using a genuine 4-HNE monoclonal antibody. Plasma samples of the same patients and samples of the healthy controls were also analyzed for the presence of 4-HNE-protein adducts, followed by metabolic profiling using LC-ESI-QTOF-MS and GC-EI-Q-MS. Finally, the analysis of the metabolic pathways affected by 4-HNE was performed. The obtained results revealed the absence of 4-HNE-protein adducts in prostate carcinoma tissue but increased 4-HNE-protein levels in the plasma of these patients. Metabolomics revealed a positive association of different long-chain and medium-chain fatty acids with the presence of prostate cancer. Furthermore, while linoleic acid positively correlated with the levels of 4-HNE-protein adducts in the blood of healthy men, no correlation was obtained for cancer patients indicating altered lipid metabolism in this case. The metabolic pathway of unsaturated fatty acids biosynthesis emerged as significantly affected by 4-HNE. Overall, this is the first study linking 4-HNE adduction to plasma proteins with specific alterations in the plasma metabolome of prostate cancer patients. This study revealed that increased 4-HNE plasma protein adducts could modulate the unsaturated fatty acids biosynthesis pathway. It is yet to be determined if this is a direct result of 4-HNE or whether they are produced by the same underlying mechanisms. Further mechanistic studies are needed to grasp the biological significance of the observed changes in prostate cancer tumorigenesis.
Measurements of lift in oscillatory flow

Measurements are reported of the lift on a sphere in oscillatory flow. Two different oscillating-tray rigs were used and measurements were made for a sphere at various distances from both smooth and rough beds. For the rough bed, the roughness consisted of a single close-packed layer of similar spheres glued to the surface of the tray. Both smooth and rough beds showed somewhat similar trends. At sufficiently low Reynolds numbers the lift varied smoothly during the course of the cycle with maxima near the point at which fluid velocity was greatest and minima near velocity reversal. However, at higher Reynolds numbers a secondary peak began to appear near the point of velocity reversal. It is suggested that this secondary peak may be associated with vortex formation around the sphere. When the sphere diameter D was large compared with the viscous-boundary-layer lengthscale 1/β(= (2ν/ω)½), the maximum value of CL during the course of a half-cycle initially increased with increasing Reynolds number, reached a maximum, and then declined steadily. The curves were similar for smaller βD-values except that the tests did not extend to low enough Reynolds numbers to show the initial rise. For the smaller values of βD the lift record became unstable when the Keulegan–Carpenter number exceeded approximately 244. At higher βD-values it was not possible to observe any significant instability for the range of Reynolds numbers investigated.
Association between Social Participation and Remaining Teeth and Urban–Rural Difference among Older Adults in China

Oral health is an important part of older adults’ general health. The study examined the association between social participation (formal and informal) and remaining teeth and the urban–rural difference based on a national survey of older adults in China. The data of older adults were extracted from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) and analyzed. A total of 11,948 respondents were ultimately involved, including 6836 urban respondents and 5112 rural respondents. Informal social participation and formal social participation were used to assess social participation. The number of remaining natural teeth was measured. Social participation was significantly associated with remaining teeth among older adults, after adjusting for confounders, a one-level increase in the informal social participation was associated with a decrease in natural teeth by 0.152 (95% CI = −0.274; −0.030) and a one-level increase in the formal social participation was associated with a decrease in natural teeth by 0.370 (95% CI = −0.585; −0.156). In addition, the association between social participation (formal and informal) and remaining teeth was observed among urban older adults, but not rural older adults. A high level of social participation may effectively decrease the risk of oral-health problems for the Chinese older adults. The findings suggest recommendations for an older adults-targeted policy and the practice of oral-health promotion. However, the urban–rural difference should be taken into full consideration in social-participation-driven oral-health promotion interventions.
Discrete approximations for singularly perturbed boundary value problems with parabolic layers

textabstractSingularly perturbed boundary value problems for equations of elliptic and parabolic type are studied. For small values of the perturbation parameter, parabolic boundary layers appear in these problems. If classical discretisation methods are used, the solution of the finite difference scheme and the approximation of the diffusive flux derived from it do not converge uniformly with respect to this parameter. In particular, the relative error of the diffusive flux becomes unbounded as the perturbation parameter tends to zero. Using the method of special condensing grids, we can construct difference schemes that allow approximation of the solution and the normalised diffusive flux uniformly with respect to the small parameter. We also consider singularly perturbed boundary value problems for convection-diffusion equations. Also for these problems we construct special finite difference schemes, the solution of which converges $epsilon$-uniformly. We study what problems appear, when classical schemes are used for the approximation of the spatial derivatives. Also for parabolic equations $epsilon$-uniformly convergent approximations for the normalised fluxes are constructed. Results of numerical experiments are discussed. Summarising, we consider: 1. Problems for Singularly Perturbed (SP) parabolic equation with discontinuous boundary conditions. 2. Problems for SP elliptic equations with boundary conditions of Dirichlet, Neumann and Robin type. 3. Problems for SP parabolic equations, for which the solution and the normalised diffusive fluxes are required.
Integrated Square Error Asymptotics for Supersmooth Deconvolution

Abstract. We derive the asymptotic distribution of the integrated square error of a deconvolution kernel density estimator in supersmooth deconvolution problems. Surprisingly, in contrast to direct density estimation as well as ordinary smooth deconvolution density estimation, the asymptotic distribution is no longer a normal distribution but is given by a normalized chi‐squared distribution with 2 d.f. A simulation study shows that the speed of convergence to the asymptotic law is reasonably fast.
A weak solvability to the steady Navier–Stokes equations for compressible barotropic fluid with generalized impermeability boundary conditions

We prove the existence of a steady solution to the Navier–Stokes equations for barotropic compressible fluid in a bounded simply connected domain with the prescribed generalized impermeability conditions u · n = 0, curl u · n = 0 and curl 2 u · n = 0 on the boundary, we assume that the state law for the pressure has the form P(ρ) = ργ for . We prove several auxiliary lemmas, e.g. on solution of the Stokes problem with the generalized impermeability boundary conditions in W 2, p (Ω) or on the extension of the equation of continuity satisfied in the sense of distributions from 𝒟′(Ω) to 𝒟′(ℝ3) for velocity with the normal component on the boundary of Ω equal to zero.
Solar wind electron characteristics inside and outside coronal mass ejections

We present a study of 9 months of data from the solar wind plasma electron instrument on the ACE spacecraft. Electron pitch angle distributions were used to identify intervals of counterstreaming halo electrons, which were observed ∼16% of the time that the spacecraft was not magnetically connected to the Earth's bow shock. Counterstreaming electrons presumably indicate a closed magnetic field topology and thus indicate the passage of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) in the solar wind. In this study, we separately examine electron moments at times with and without counterstreaming electrons, including both magnetic clouds and noncloud CMEs. The properties of both the core and halo electron populations were nearly identical at times with and without counterstreaming electrons. Both low and high electron densities and temperatures were observed in either type of event. In contrast, magnetic clouds, on average, showed increased densities and reduced temperatures. The core/halo density ratio and the total electron density were anticorrelated in all cases, indicating that the halo contributes more to the total electron density at low density times, regardless of magnetic topology. Total electron temperature and density were anticorrelated in all types of events. This consistent anticorrelation implies that such single-spacecraft measurements of temperature and density cannot be used to determine a polytropic index for solar wind electrons. Instead, the anticorrelation may be due to pressure balance of the solar wind plasma or may be a remnant of coronal conditions.
Laboratory characterization and performance of the high-order adaptive optics system for the Large Binocular Telescope

We present the laboratory characterization and performance evaluation of the First Light Adaptive Optics (FLAO), the natural guide star adaptive optics system for the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT). The system uses an adaptive secondary mirror with 672 actuators and a pyramid wavefront sensor with adjustable sampling of the telescope pupil from 30×30 down to 7×7 subapertures. The system was fully assembled in the Arcetri Observatory laboratories and passed its acceptance test in December 2009. The performance measured at different star magnitudes during the acceptance test is shown to lie between the baseline and the goal specifications. In particular, FLAO obtained a 77% Strehl ratio (SR) in the bright end (8.5 magnitude star in the R band) using an H-band filter and correcting 495 modes with 30×30 subaperture sampling. In the faint end (16.4 magnitude), a 5% SR correcting 36 modes with 7×7 subapertures was measured. The seeing conditions for these tests were 0.8 arcsec (r0=0.14 m at 550 nm) and an average wind speed of 15 m/s. The results for other seeing conditions up to 1.5 arcsec are also presented. The system has been shipped to the LBT site in Arizona, and its commissioning started in March 2010.
Factors associated with visual function among computer-based administrative workers: a Brazilian cross-sectional study

Introduction Several studies have shown that eye and vision problems are among the most significant issues reported by individuals who use computers at work. Objectives To investigate individual and occupational environmental factors associated with visual function among workers who perform computer-based administrative tasks. Methods This is a cross-sectional study conducted in 2014-2015 with 303 workers of a public hospital in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. The participants answered a structured questionnaire, including the 25-Item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire. Statistical analyses used descriptive analysis, tests of association and multiple linear regression analysis. Results Most participants were female (61.1%); the mean age was 46.0 (standard deviation [SD]) ± 12.5, and approximately 91.7% of them reported wearing corrective lenses. Regarding visual function, the mean score at the 25-Item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire was 78.0, SD ±7.1. A regression analysis showed that visual function declined with age (ß −0.218; 95%CI −0.276--0.16l) and effort at work (ß −0.656; 95%CI −0.928--0.383). Conclusions The mean quality of visual health in the studied group was good. The younger the age and the lower the effort at work, the better the visual function. Our results point to the relevance of establishing periodical and preventive health actions, including eye health assessments.
The nitrogen‐fixing potential of plant communities depends on climate and land management

The occurrence, relative richness and abundance of N‐fixing plants are the main features of the N‐fixing potential of vascular plant communities. We aimed to unveil how climate, biome type and land management regime affect the N‐fixing potential of vegetation. Since the world is witnessing an invincible transition of all those environmental factors during the last century, we examined the global growth trends of N‐fixers throughout recent history.
Multilayered Shell Theories Accounting for Layerwise Mixed Description, Part 1: Governing Equations

A Reissner mixed variational equation is employed in this paper to derive the differential governing equations of multilayered, double curved shells made of orthotropic laminae In linear static cases. A layerwise description is referred to by assuming two independent fields in the thickness direction for the transverse stress (both shear and normal components) and displacement variables in each layer. Interlaminar values are used as the unknown variables of the introduced expansions. The continuity conditions of displacements and transverse shear and normals stresses at the interfaces between two consecutive layers, referred to as C 0 z requirements, have been a priori fulfilled. These have been used to drive the governing equations from a layer to a multilayered level. Classical displacement formulations and related equivalent single-layer equations have been derived for comparison purposes. No assumptions have been made concerning the terms of type thickness to radii shell ratio h/R. Donnell's shallow shell-type equations are given as particular cases for all of the considered theories. Indicial notations and arrays have been used extensively to handle the presented developments in a concise manner. Numerical evaluations and comparisons to exact and other available two-dimensional solutions are given in a companion paper (E. Carrera, Multilayered Shell Theories Accounting for Layerwise Mixed Description, Part 2: Numerical Evaluations, AIAA Journal, Vol. 37, No. 9, 1999, pp. 1117-1124).
Design and Evaluation of Personalized Services to Foster Active Aging: The Experience of Technology Pre-Validation in Italian Pilots

Assistive devices could promote independent living and support the active and healthy aging of an older population; however, several factors can badly influence the long-term use of new technologies. In this context, this paper presents a two-step methodology called “pre-validation” that aims to identify the factors that can bias the use of new services, thus minimizing the risk of an unsuccessful longer trial. The proposed pre-validation methodology is composed of two main phases that aim to assess the usability and the reliability of the technology assessed in a laboratory environment and the usability, acceptability, user experience, and reliability of the technology in real environments. The tested services include the socialization scenario, in which older adults are better connected to the community via technological solutions (i.e., socialization applications), and the monitoring scenario, which allows for the introduction of timely interventions (technologies involved include environmental monitoring sensors, a telepresence robot, wearable sensors, and a personalized dashboard). The obtained results underline an acceptable usability level (average System Usability Scale score > 65) for the tested technologies (i.e., socialization applications and a telepresence robot). Phase Two also underlines the good acceptability, user experience, and usability of the tested services. The statistical analysis underlines a correlation between the stress related to the use of technology, digital skills, and intention of use, among other factors. Qualitative feedback also remarks on a correlation between older adults with low digital skills and an anxiety about using technology. Positive correlation indexes were highlighted between the trust and usability scores. Eventually, future long-term trials with assistive technology should rely on motivated caregivers, be founded on a strong recruitment process, and should reassure older adults—especially the ones with low digital literacy—about the use of technology by proposing personalized training and mentoring, if necessary, to increase the trust.
Physical Limitations of Omni‐Directional Antennas

The physical limitations of omni‐directional antennas are considered. With the use of the spherical wave functions to describe the field, the directivity gain G and the Q of an unspecified antenna are calculated under idealized conditions. To obtain the optimum performance, three criteria are used, (1) maximum gain for a given complexity of the antenna structure, (2) minimum Q, (3) maximum ratio of G/Q. It is found that an antenna of which the maximum dimension is 2a has the potentiality of a broad band width provided that the gain is equal to or less than 4a/λ. To obtain a gain higher than this value, the Q of the antenna increases at an astronomical rate. The antenna which has potentially the broadest band width of all omni‐directional antennas is one which has a radiation pattern corresponding to that of an infinitesimally small dipole.
Financial literacy, morality, and organizational culture in preventing financial mismanagement: A study on village governments in Indonesia

Abstract An empirical study was conducted with the aim of testing and analyzing the relationship between the variables of financial literacy, morality, organizational culture, and preventing financial mismanagement. The originality of this research lies in the integration of cultural factors in the organizational context and efforts to prevent financial mismanagement, which are rarely given the attention of researchers. Research design with survey techniques based on quantitative philosophy. The sample chosen to represent the population uses a proportionate random sampling technique. Data collection techniques using a structured questionnaire. Also, the collected data were analyzed using multiple linear regression models and moderation analysis. The results obtained from this study are based on the results of the analysis that financial literacy and morality have a significant effect on preventing financial mismanagement. Other empirical results find that organizational culture is able to moderate the relationship between financial literacy and morality towards preventing financial mismanagement. The contribution of this research is theoretically providing a theoretical phenomenon to the theory of reasoned action in terms of mismanagement behavior and the morale of government employees in the economic development sector of government. Practical contributions are given to village administration so that they consider the determinants of individual behavior in preventing financial mismanagement by increasing good organizational governance. The implication of this research is to provide a reference for village administration to reinforce rules to place more emphasis on individual and organizational behavioral factors.