Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Progress of Stirling cycle analysis and loss mechanism characterization

An assessment of Stirling engine thermodynamic modeling and design codes shows a general deficiency; this deficiency is due to poor understanding of the fluid flow and heat transfer phenomena that occur in the oscillating flow and pressure level environment within the engines. Stirling engine thermodynamic loss mechanisms are listed. Several experimental and computational research efforts now underway to characterize various loss mechanisms are reviewed. The need for additional experimental rigs and rig upgrades is discussed. Recent developments and current efforts in Stirling engine thermodynamic modeling are also reviewed.
The Mammals of the Late Eocene – Early Oligocene Solent Group

ABSTRACT Part 1 begins a systematic account of the mammals from the British Solent Group. Their previous study is summarised. The stratigraphy is reviewed and lithostratigraphic logs are provided for the mammal-bearing localities. The new Fort Victoria Member replaces the previous restricted use Cliff End Member in the Headon Hill Formation. Seventeen species-group taxa of the placental euarchontan family Nyctitheriidae are described, with the new genera Actinyctia and Cheilonyctia and the new species Amphidozotherium gassoni, Actinyctia bulbodens, Cheilonyctia lawsoni, Scraeva yulei, Euronyctia curranti and E. plesiolambda. The occurrence of Saturninia mamertensis near the base of the Headon Hill Formation extends its range from the Bartonian to early Priabonian. The occurrence of Oligonyctia hoffmani in the Bembridge Limestone Formation and lower Hamstead Member extends its range from the early Rupelian to the late Priabonian. A phylogenetic analysis of European Bartonian–Rupelian Nyctitheriidae results in an expanded subfamily Amphidozotheriinae and a new subfamily Saturniniinae for Saturninia (s.s.), Cryptotopos and Oligonyctia. Cryptotopos communis and Euronyctia recta from the German Oligocene are transferred to the genus Paradoxonycteris, whilst Sigenyctia (type species S. oligocaena) is synonymised with the genus Euronyctia. Saturninia mamertensis and S. grandis are shown not to be members of this genus. Euronyctia curranti, E. plesiolambda and E. oligocaena form a stratigraphical morphocline, suggestive of an evolutionary sequence. A phylogenetic analysis of primitive eutherians confirms Nyctitheriidae as stem members of the superorder Euarchonta, supporting an earlier analysis. Aspects of evolution, faunal turnovers and diversity of locomotor adaptations during deposition of the Solent Group are discussed.
Comparison of experimental techniques for determination of stray capacitances in high frequency transformers

A new approach for experimental determination of stray capacitances in high frequency transformers is proposed in this paper. This approach identifies the stray capacitances of a two winding transformer by conducting open and short circuit tests on both windings within the range of normal operation frequencies and fitting the /spl pi/-shaped capacitor network model to the voltage and current readings. The experimental results of the stray capacitances in a 500 W two foil winding soft ferrite E-core high frequency transformer obtained by this two port network approach are compared with those obtained by the forced resonance and the step response approaches previously proposed by the authors. The merits and drawbacks of these approaches are also discussed.
Low acceptance of intimate partner violence by pregnant women in Uganda predicts higher uptake of HIV self-testing among their male partners

Introduction: Heterosexual couples are at high risk for HIV acquisition in sub-Saharan Africa, and HIV self-testing (HST) is an additional approach to expand access to HIV testing services. However, it is not well known how gender equality is associated with HST. Methods: We used intervention-arm data from a cluster-randomised controlled HST intervention trial (N = 1 618) conducted in Uganda to determine the association between attitudes towards intimate partner violence (IPV), decision-making power and male partner’s uptake of HST among heterosexual couples expecting a child in south-central Uganda. The original study question was to assess the impact of providing pregnant women with HST kits to improve male partner’s HIV testing rates. For this analysis, the primary exposures were gender equality (measured by male partner’s and female partner’s attitudes towards IPV and the female partner’s household decision-making power), and the primary outcome was the male partner’s uptake of HST. Multivariate logistic regression was used for analysis. Results: We found that male partner HST uptake did not vary depending on male partner’s attitudes towards IPV or decision-making power; however, male partner HST uptake did depend on the female partner’s attitude towards IPV, with 1.76 times more testing (95% CI 1.06–2.92) in couples where the woman had “medium” versus “high” acceptance of IPV, and 1.82 times more testing (95% CI 1.08–3.08) in couples where the woman had “low” versus “high” acceptance of IPV. Conclusions: This study shows the importance of appropriate negative attitudes by women to IPV in increasing male partner’s HST uptake to integrate HST into national health care policies.
Modelling and integration of customer flexibility in the order commitment process for high mix low volume production

With increasing product variety and dynamic demand fluctuation, manufacturing industry is moving towards a high product mix and low order volume production environment. Consequently, the order commitment process is becoming one of the most important processes for manufacturing firms to meet individual customer's needs with limited resources. However, demands for shortened delivery lead time, diverse customer requirements and more frequent customer orders have made the order commitment task more challenging. This paper attempts to tackle these new challenges by incorporating not only manufacturing flexibility but also flexibility from the demand side. Customer flexibility is characterised by customer indifference to certain product attributes and/or delivery schedules. Intuitively, with the consideration of customer flexibility, both manufacturers’ and customers’ interests can be better served since the solution space of matching demand and supply can be extended beyond the traditional domain purely from a manufacturing perspective. To this end, a systematic approach is developed to characterise and model customer flexibility. A mixed-integer-programming model is formulated to provide optimal order commitment decisions.
Frequency-dependent characteristics of open microstrip lines with finite strip thickness

A rigorous approach based on the variational conformal mapping technique is proposed to analyze the characteristics of open microstrip lines with finite strip thickness. By Chang's mapping, the solution domain becomes a finite and nearly rectangular region in which the finite-element method is applied. The wedge conditions at the strip corners, which are very difficult to treat by the conventional methods, are now correctly handled. Numerical results included are the current distributions around the strip and variations of the effective dielectric constant caused by the finite-thickness effect. >
Effects of an along-shelf current on the generation of internal tides near the critical latitude

Abstract The effects of along-shelf barotropic geostrophic currents on internal wave generation by the $K_1$ tide interacting with a shelf at near-critical latitudes are investigated. The horizontal shear of the background current results in a spatially varying effective Coriolis frequency which modifies the slope criticality and potentially creates blocking regions where freely propagating internal tides cannot exist. This paper is focused on the barotropic to baroclinic energy conversion rate, which is affected by a combination of three factors: slope criticality, size and location of the blocking region where the conversion rate is extremely small and the internal tide (IT) beam patterns. All of these are sensitive to the current parameters. In our parameter space, the current can increase the conversion rate up to 10 times.
Research of Microstructure of Molybden Doped Weldings of Oil and Gas Pipelines

Abstract Still existing scientific, technical and technological developments to improve the quality of welded joints of metal pipe structures contain contradictions and uncertainty about the effects of alloying elements, such as molybdenum, mechanical and visco-plastic properties, as well as metallographic component joints. All this indicates the need for a systematic study of these problems for the development of rational metallurgical and technological measures to significantly improve the technological and corrosion-mechanical properties of weld metal. Metallographic studies, using laboratory equipment with high identifying ability, found that the doping of weld metal with molybdenum in the amount of 0.2-0.4% causes fragmentation of ferrite-pearlite structure, including carbides Mn and Fe, and also reduces the number and size of non-metallic inclusions – sulfides, oxides and silicates. Moreover, non-metallic inclusions have a dispersed appearance, which promotes plasticization of the structure, which directly increases the viscous-plastic characteristics and resistance of the metal joints to crack formation. Based on the results of metallographic research, the optimum content in the weld metal of the alloyed element – molybdenum, which is 0.2-0.4%, is determined.
Influence of Different Coffee Brewing Methods on the Biochemical Composition of Fruit Juice and Coffee Drink

Abstract A fruit juice and coffee drink is an interesting combination that provides the necessary bioactive compounds and caffeine for the whole day. The coffee brewing method changes not only the amount of caffeine but also the taste of fruit juice and coffee drink. The least bitter taste is felt in cold brewed coffee, making it an ideal ingredient for a fruit juice and coffee drink. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of preparing technologies for creating an innovative fruit juice and coffee drink with a high content of bioactive compounds. Four different types of medium-roasted “Lofbergs” coffee beans were compared, as well as two brewing techniques: French press (hot coffee) and cold-brew. Concentration of vitamin C, pH, soluble solids content, titratable acids, total phenol content, DPPH antiradical activity, and sensory analyses were determined for all prepared samples. Concentration of vitamin C in juice with coffee was from 10.36 to 22.60 mg·100 g−1, and the highest vitamin C concentration was preserved in the pasteurised juice and coffee drink with cold-brew coffee preparation technique. Concentration of soluble solids was from 12.3 to 12.6%, titratable acids from 0.79 to 0.87%, pH from 2.68 to 2.88, total phenols from 54.31 to 129.26 mg·100 g−1, and the highest total phenol concentration was obtained in the pasteurised fruit and coffee drink with smooth and sweet coffee beans prepared using the cold-brew technique. DPPH antiradical activity was from 126.24 to 177.89 mg·100 g−1 in the tested samples, and the highest DPPH antiradical activity was detected in the pasteurised fruit and coffee drink with sweet and nutty coffee beans prepared with cold-brew technique. The best sensory profile was for coffee and juice drinks with “Lofbergs” Medium roast Fruity and Velvety Rwanda coffee beans and “Lofbergs” Medium roast prepared with cold-brew technology.
Batch effect reduction of microarray data with dependent samples using an empirical Bayes approach (BRIDGE)

Abstract Batch-effects present challenges in the analysis of high-throughput molecular data and are particularly problematic in longitudinal studies when interest lies in identifying genes/features whose expression changes over time, but time is confounded with batch. While many methods to correct for batch-effects exist, most assume independence across samples; an assumption that is unlikely to hold in longitudinal microarray studies. We propose Batch effect Reduction of mIcroarray data with Dependent samples usinG Empirical Bayes (BRIDGE), a three-step parametric empirical Bayes approach that leverages technical replicate samples profiled at multiple timepoints/batches, so-called “bridge samples”, to inform batch-effect reduction/attenuation in longitudinal microarray studies. Extensive simulation studies and an analysis of a real biological data set were conducted to benchmark the performance of BRIDGE against both ComBat and longitudinal ComBat. Our results demonstrate that while all methods perform well in facilitating accurate estimates of time effects, BRIDGE outperforms both ComBat and longitudinal ComBat in the removal of batch-effects in data sets with bridging samples, and perhaps as a result, was observed to have improved statistical power for detecting genes with a time effect. BRIDGE demonstrated competitive performance in batch effect reduction of confounded longitudinal microarray studies, both in simulated and a real data sets, and may serve as a useful preprocessing method for researchers conducting longitudinal microarray studies that include bridging samples.
Capacidade seladora do agregado de trióxido mineral em perfurações de furca após irrigação final com diferentes soluções

Introducao - O presente estudo avaliou a influencia de diferentes solucoes irrigadoras na capacidade seladora do MTA quando utilizado em perfuracoes na regiao de furca de molares inferiores extraidos. Material e Metodos - Trinta molares inferiores humanos foram submetidos a abertura endodontica convencional e tiveram o centro do assoalho perfurado propositalmente com broca esferica diamantada. Os especimes foram divididos em 3 grupos (n = 10) de acordo com as solucoes utilizadas: G1-soro fisiologico; G2-NaOCl a 1% e G3-EDTA 17%. Foi realizado o preenchimento da perfuracao com MTA Angelus cinza e o selamento coronario provisorio. Em seguida,realizou-se a impermeabilizacao da superficie externa, exceto na regiao de furca, e imersao em corante nanquim por 72 horas. A mensuracao, em milimetros, da infiltracao linear foi realizada por meio do software Image Tool. Resultados - Os resultados demonstraram que a solucao de EDTA 17% permitiu menor infiltracao, sendo estatisticamente diferente do NaOCl a 1% e do soro fisiologico(p Introduction - This study assessed the influence of different final irrigation on the sealing ability of MTA-Angelus in furcal perforations of extracted human molar teeth. Material and Methods - Thirty human mandibular molars were conventionally accessed and perforations were purposely created in the center of the pulp chamber floor by using a round diamond bur. The specimens were divided into 3 groups (n = 10) according to the irrigation: G1-saline solution; G2-1% sodium hypochlorite; G3-17% EDTA. Teeth were repaired with Angelus'gray MTA and the crowns were sealed.Then the impermeabilization of the external surface was made except in the furcal region, and they were immersed into Indian Ink for 72 hours. The leakage was measured, in millimeters, by Image Tool software. Results - The results showed lower leakage index for EDTA group that was statistically different from 1% NaOCl and saline solution groups (p
Aperture jitter effects in wideband sampling systems

This paper describes the exact formula of the output noise power for almost any input signal in wideband sampling systems in the presence of aperture jitter. It is also shown that in ADC systems the quantization noise and the noise due to the aperture jitter can be added as the total noise power, and hence the exact formula of signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) due to them in ADC systems is derived. Then the timing skew problem in the interleaved ADC system, which is similar to the aperture jitter problem, is discussed. We show the exact formula for the noise power due to the timing skews and clarify the difference and similarity between the aperture jitter and timing skew problems. Our theoretical results are confirmed by numerical simulations, and these results are useful for wideband sampling system applications.
Digital restoration of the pectoral girdles of two Early Cretaceous birds, and implications for early flight evolution

Pectoral girdle morphology is a key determinant of flight capability, but in some respects is poorly known among stem birds. Here, we reconstruct the pectoral girdles of the Early Cretaceous birds Sapeornis and Piscivorenantiornis based on computed tomography and three-dimensional visualization, revealing key morphological details. Enantiornithines such as Piscivorenantiornis have a uniquely localized scapula-coracoid joint, with only one area of articulation. This single articulation contrasts with the double articulation widely present in non-enantiornithine pennaraptoran theropods, including Sapeornis and crown birds, which comprises main and subsidiary articular contacts. A partially closed triosseal canal occurs in non-euornithine birds, representing a transitional stage in flight apparatus evolution. Numerous modifications of the pectoral girdle along the line to crown birds, and lineage-specific pectoral girdle variations, produced diverse pectoral girdle morphologies among Mesozoic birds, which ensured that a commensurate range of capability levels and modes emerged during the early evolution of flight.
A short prokaryotic argonaute cooperates with membrane effector to confer antiviral defense

Argonaute (Ago) proteins are widespread nucleic acid-guided enzymes that recognize targets through complementary base pairing. While in eukaryotes Agos are involved in RNA silencing, the functions of prokaryotic Agos (pAgos) remain largely unknown. In particular, a clade of truncated and catalytically inactive pAgos (short pAgos) lacks characterization. Here, we reveal that a short pAgo protein in Sulfolobus islandicus, together with its two genetically associated proteins, Aga1 and Aga2, provide robust antiviral protection via abortive infection. Aga2 is a membrane-associated toxic effector that binds anionic phospholipids via a basic pocket, which is essential for its cell killing ability. Ago and Aga1 form a stable complex that exhibits RNA-directed nucleic acid recognition ability and directly interacts with Aga2, pointing to an immune sensing mechanism. Together, our results highlight the cooperation between pAgos and their widespread associated proteins, suggesting an uncharted diversity of pAgo-derived immune systems that await to be discovered.
Random forest modelling of neuropathological features identifies microglial activation as an accurate pathological classifier of C9orf72-related amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are regarded as two ends of a pathogenetic spectrum, termed ALS-frontotemporal spectrum disorder (ALS-FTSD). However, it is currently difficult to predict where on the spectrum an individual will lie, especially for patients with C9orf72 hexanucleotide repeat expansions (HRE), a mutation associated with both ALS and FTD. It has been shown that both inflammation and protein misfolding influence aspects of ALS and ALS-FTSD disease pathogenesis, such as the manifestation or severity of motor or cognitive symptoms. Previous studies have highlighted markers which may influence C9orf72-associated disease presentation in a targeted fashion, though there has yet to be a systematic and quantitative assessment of common immunohistochemical markers to investigate the significance of these pathways in an unbiased manner. Here we report the first extensive digital pathological assessment with random forest modelling of pathological markers often used in neuropathology practice. This study profiles glial activation and protein misfolding in a cohort of deeply clinically profiled post-mortem tissue from patients with a C9orf72 HRE, who either met the criteria for a diagnosis of ALS or ALS-FTSD. We show that microglial immunohistochemical staining features, both morphological and spatial, are the best independent classifiers of disease status and that clinicopathological associations exist between microglial activation status and cognitive dysfunction in ALS-FTSD patients with C9orf72 HRE. Furthermore, we show that spatially resolved changes in FUS staining are also an accurate predictor of disease status, implying that liquid-liquid phase shift of this aggregation-prone RNA-binding protein may be important in ALS caused by a C9orf72 HRE. Our findings provide further support to the hypothesis of dysfunctional immune regulation and proteostasis in the pathogenesis of C9orf72 ALS and provide a framework for digital analysis of commonly used neuropathological stains as a tool to enrich our understanding of clinicopathological associations between cohorts.
Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia-1 is required for proper pyramidal cell-interneuron communication and network dynamics in the prefrontal cortex

We interrogated prefrontal circuit function in mice lacking Disrupted-in-schizophrenia-1 (Disc1-mutant mice), a risk factor for psychiatric disorders. Single-unit recordings in awake mice revealed reduced average firing rates of fast-spiking interneurons (INTs), including optogenetically identified parvalbumin-positive cells, and a lower proportion of INTs phase-coupled to ongoing gamma oscillations. Moreover, we observed decreased spike transmission efficacy at local pyramidal cell (PYR)-INT connections in vivo, suggesting a reduced excitatory effect of local glutamatergic inputs as a potential mechanism of lower INT rates. On the network level, impaired INT function resulted in altered activation of PYR assemblies: While assembly activations were observed equally often, the expression strength of individual assembly patterns was significantly higher in Disc1-mutant mice. Our data thus reveal a role of Disc1 in shaping the properties of prefrontal assembly patterns by setting prefrontal INT responsiveness to glutamatergic drive.
Cooperative Behavior Evokes Interbrain Synchrony in the Prefrontal and Temporoparietal Cortex: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of fNIRS Hyperscanning Studies

Abstract Single-brain neuroimaging studies have shown that human cooperation is associated with neural activity in frontal and temporoparietal regions. However, it remains unclear whether single-brain studies are informative about cooperation in real life, where people interact dynamically. Such dynamic interactions have become the focus of interbrain studies. An advantageous technique in this regard is functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) because it is less susceptible to movement artifacts than more conventional techniques like electroencephalography (EEG) or functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We conducted a systematic review and the first quantitative meta-analysis of fNIRS hyperscanning of cooperation, based on thirteen studies with 890 human participants. Overall, the meta-analysis revealed evidence of statistically significant interbrain synchrony while people were cooperating, with large overall effect sizes in both frontal and temporoparietal areas. All thirteen studies observed significant interbrain synchrony in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), suggesting that this region is particularly relevant for cooperative behavior. The consistency in these findings is unlikely to be because of task-related activations, given that the relevant studies used diverse cooperation tasks. Together, the present findings support the importance of interbrain synchronization of frontal and temporoparietal regions in interpersonal cooperation. Moreover, the present article highlights the usefulness of meta-analyses as a tool for discerning patterns in interbrain dynamics.