Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exhaled Biomarkers in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis—A Six-Month Follow-up Study in Patients Treated with Pirfenidone

The mechanism of action of pirfenidone in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) has not been fully elucidated. To offer additional insight, we evaluated the change in the cytokine profile in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) following a six-month treatment with pirfenidone in patients with IPF. EBC concentrations of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-15, TNF-α and VEGF-A were assessed with ELISA and compared at baseline and after six months of pirfenidone treatment. Twenty-nine patients with IPF and 13 controls were evaluated at baseline. With the exception of IL-8 concentration, which was lower in patients with IPF when compared to controls (p = 0.005), the cytokine levels did not differ between the groups. Despite the use of a high sensitivity assay, IL-8 reached detectable values only in 24% of IPF patients. EBC analysis after six months of treatment with pirfenidone did not reveal any differences in the cytokine levels. The change in EBC vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) correlated with the change in the 6 min walk distance (r = 0.54, p = 0.045). We conclude that a six-month treatment with pirfenidone did not significantly change the EBC cytokine profile. Our findings support the potential usefulness of VEGF-A as a marker in IPF. The low EBC IL-8 level in patients with IPF is a novel finding which needs confirmation in larger studies.
Formulation and Characterization of Antimicrobial Edible Films Based on Whey Protein Isolate and Tarragon Essential Oil

The effects of heat treatment and the addition of tarragon essential oil on physical and mechanical properties of films prepared with 5% whey protein isolate (WPI) and 5% glycerol were investigated in this study. Heat treatment of the film-forming solution caused increases in thickness, moisture content, swelling degree, water vapor permeability (WVP), b*-value, ΔE*-value, transmittance values in the 200–300-nm region, transparency, and puncture resistance of the film, but decreases in water solubility, L*-value, a*-value, transmittance values in the 350–800-nm region, and puncture deformation. When incorporated with tarragon essential oil, heat-treated films have the potential to be used as antimicrobial food packaging. The addition of tarragon essential oil in film-forming solution caused increases in moisture content, solubility in water, WVP, a*-value, b*-value, ΔE*-value, and transparency of the film; decreases in transmittance values in the range of 600–800 nm; and variations in swelling degree, L*-value, transmittance values in the range of 300–550 nm, puncture resistance, and puncture deformation. Nevertheless, different tendencies were noticed in UNT (untreated) and HT (heat-treated) films with regards to transparency, light transmittance, puncture resistance, and puncture deformation. Based on these findings, HT films show improved physical and mechanical properties and, therefore, are more suitable for food-packaging applications.
Usefulness of Plant Biodiversity in the Cities of Togo

In an increasingly urbanized environment, the need for greenery and flowers is being more and more felt for esthetic reasons and ecological benefits. In Togo, more than six hundred species of horticultural plants are identified and composed of approximately 59% of dicotyledons (49 families, 145 genera, and 315 species) and 37.37% of monocot -yledons. Pteridophytes and gymnosperms account for less than 6%. The spectrum of morphological types indicates that herbs are account for 55%, while trees and shrubs represent 15%. More than 50% of the species of this flora is exotic horticulture. A species distribution is made according to their decorative parts and their place of use. Across the country, 55 plantings are recorded and unevenly distributed in cities. Apart from their ornamental purpose, ornamental plants are used for feeding, traditional and industrial cosmetics in psychotherapy, horticultural therapy, and in traditional and conventional medicine. In this study, 79 species from 39 families are reported as medicinal plants. The Apocynaceae and Fabaceae (six species), the Euphorbiaceae and Liliaceae (five species), the Arecaceae and Verbenaceae (four species) are the best represented families. Production sys tems in ornamental horticulture in Togo are very diverse in terms of speculation, access to land (variable surfaces, direct or indirect forms of tenure, acquisition methods, land use, etc.) and socio-economic profiles of farmers (men, may be more noticeable if the political authorities, private stakeholders, and the research - ers work together to organize the sector. It could thus participate effectively in the formal economy and the emergence of true development plans at the municipal level. can be envisaged. Of the species listed, 77 clustered in 39 botanical families are used as medicinal plants. The most representative families in terms of specific richness are Apocynaceae , Fabaceae , Euphorbiaceae , Liliaceae , Arecaceae, and Verbenaceae . This study revealed that 49% of the listed species are used against diseases of the digestive system and 17% for dermatoses.
A UNIFORMLY OPTIMAL-ORDER ERROR ESTIMATE OF AN ELLAM SCHEME FOR UNSTEADY-STATE ADVECTION-DIFFUSION EQUATIONS

We prove an optimal-order error estimate in a weighted energy norm for the Eulerian-Lagrangian localized adjoint method (ELLAM) for unsteadystate advection-diffusion equations with general inflow and outflow boundary conditions. It is well known that these problems admit dynamic fronts with interior and boundary layers. The estimate holds uniformly with respect to the vanishing diffusion coefficient.
Influence of the Effective Parameters on H2:co Ratio of Syngas at Low-temperature Gasification

Influence of the Effective Parameters on H2:CO Ratio of Syngas at Low-Temperature Gasification Zohreh Ravaghi-Ardebili, Flavio Manenti*, Carlo Pirola, Fiona Soares, Michele Corbetta, Sauro Pierucci, Eliseo Ranzi Politecnico di Milano, Dip. CMIC “Giulio Natta”, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, Italy Università degli Studi di Milano, Dipartimento di Chimica, Via Golgi, 13, 20133 Milano, Italy INPT-ENSIACET, Génie des procédés, 4 allée Emile Monso 31000 Toulouse, France flavio.manenti@polimi.it
Price-Level Targeting and Relative-Price Shocks

Stephen Murchison reviews the findings of recent Bank of Canada research on the relative merits of inflation targeting and price-level targeting (PLT) for a small open economy, such as Canada's, that is susceptible to large and persistent terms-of-trade shocks. These shocks have been identified as a potential threat to PLT, since central bankers have to induce large fluctuations in output if they are to unwind all pass-through to the price level. The balance of evidence suggests that PLT and inflation targeting, implemented through simple policy rules, are fairly similar in their ability to stabilize inflation, the output gap, and interest rates. The author shows that this conclusion is robust to the inclusion of several types of relative-price shocks, including shocks to the terms of trade. Research on the optimal price index under PLT is also discussed, and Murchison concludes that, conditional on adopting PLT, the overall CPI would represent close to an ideal index to target.
Sonic anemometer airflow monitoring technique for use in underground mines

Satisfying statutory requirements of total air quantity and air velocity in an underground mine requires airflow measurements. In this paper instrumentation and sampling strategies for accurate monitoring of airflow in an entry using two-axis and three-axis ultrasonic anemometers are evaluated. Currently other types of anemometers, mainly vane anemometers, are used for measurements underground. The drawbacks of these devices include following strict operational procedures and an inability to measure low flows. Ultrasonic anemometers are known for their accuracy, capability to measure low flows, and continuous measurement characteristics that have made them popular in various fields of research. Several steps are required to enable the use of ultrasonic anemometers underground. Results and lessons learned from experiments at the NIOSH Ventilation Gallery and its Experimental Mine are presented. Calibration of instruments and data acquisition is explained. Three instruments were used simultaneously in the underground testing facility for anemometer comparison and sampling location analysis. Continuous single-point measurements with ultrasonic anemometers and vane anemometer traverse measurement results underground were compared. The comparison showed slightly lower air velocity values with the ultrasonic anemometers. Factors affecting the selection of sampling locations underground were investigated to determine optimal locations. The optimal measurement location in a straight tunnel was found approximately 1⁄4 diameter from the tunnel walls. For uneven flows, curves, and obstructed tunnels several point measurements across the entry cross-section or flow simulations are recommended. Two ultrasonic anemometers were assessed in the laboratory, for the influence of dust deposition. The effects of two different dusts, rock dust and coal dust were evaluated. The dust exposure testing showed that coal dust rarely affected the ultrasonic anemometers and was easy to clean off of the instruments. Rock dust, however, tended to stick and cake on the instruments. Cleaning was required to avoid loss of signal with heavy
Comparison of positive tone versus negative tone resist pattern collapse behaviora)

In this work, e-beam lithography patterns have been specifically designed and fabricated which provide the opportunity to probe the collapse behavior of both positive and negative tone systems. The pattern layout includes adjacent parallel line structures that both vary in the line size and also in the distance by which they are separated by the space between them. This type of structure allows for the control and modulation of the capillary forces, and ultimately the stresses, experienced by the photoresist line pairs during the final rinse and drying steps of the development process. Using such structures, it is possible to determine the critical stress, i.e., the maximum stress experienced by the photoresist lines before collapse, as a function of a variety of parameters including: material type, substrate preparation conditions, resist film thickness, and resist feature width. In this article, such a modular approach has been used to compare the pattern collapse behavior of a prototypical positive ton.
A diagnostic model of idiopathic central precocious puberty based on transrectal pelvic ultrasound and basal gonadotropin levels

Objective To establish a diagnostic model of idiopathic central precocious puberty on the basis of transrectal pelvic ultrasound and basal gonadotropin. Methods A total of 669 girls with Tanner breast development stage II were enrolled in this study from January 2015 to December 2018. The participants were divided into the ICPP group and the premature thelarche group. We analyzed various variables, including age at initial diagnosis, basal luteinizing hormone levels, the long diameter of the uterus, the transverse diameter of the uterus, the anterior–posterior diameter of the uterus, the volume of the uterus, maximum ovarian diameter, average ovarian volume, maximum ovarian volume, number of follicles (≥4 mm), maximum follicular diameter, endometrial thickness, and vaginal wall thickness. Results The following diagnostic model was established: Y=−14.123 + 0.630 × age at initial diagnosis + 1.119 × transverse diameter of the uterus + 1.278 × anterior–posterior diameter of the uterus + 0.637 × average ovarian volume + 1.316 × maximum ovarian diameter + 0.146 ×number of follicles ≥4 mm + 2.925 × endometrial thickness + 0.559 × basal luteinizing hormone value. The area under curve was 0.922, sensitivity was 84.9%, and specificity was 86.2%. Conclusion Basal LH levels and transrectal pelvic ultrasound should be applied together to improve the accuracy of diagnosis in ICPP.
The straight truth about online learning in the Straits: An investigation into the nature of education in a rural and remote region of Newfoundland and Labrador

This paper reports on a naturalistic research project that was conducted in response to the educational concerns of the coastal rural communities of Labrador Straits. The research project investigated the current provision of education available to the children and the youth of these communities and found that due to declining population, changing demographics, lack of qualified teaching staff in the region and several other interrelated factors, there was an increased reliance on online learning in the small rural schools of the Straits as well as other rural regions of the province.
Damage Identification by the Dynamic Virtual Distortion Method

This paper presents a novel approach to damage identification based on the phenomenon of elastic waves propagation. The theoretical background is the dynamic Virtual Distortion Method, which is capable of modelling both a reference excitation signal propagated in the structure over a time domain and a perturbed signal due to damaged locations. The related methodology is presented including a brief description of experimental verification. Numerical example with successful, multi-damage case identification is demonstrated. Advantages of the approach as well as its challenging points are discussed.
DIAGNOSTICS OF CORONAL HEATING IN ACTIVE-REGION LOOPS

Understanding coronal heating remains a central problem in solar physics. Many mechanisms have been proposed to explain how energy is transferred to and deposited in the corona. We summarize past observational studies that attempted to identify the heating mechanism and point out the difficulties in reproducing the observations of the solar corona from the heating models. The aim of this paper is to study whether the observed extreme ultraviolet (EUV) emission in individual coronal loops in solar active regions can provide constraints on the volumetric heating function, and to develop a diagnostic for the heating function for a subset of loops that are found close to static thermal equilibrium. We reconstruct the coronal magnetic field from Solar Dynamics Observatory/HMI data using a nonlinear force-free magnetic field model. We model selected loops using a one-dimensional stationary model, with a heating rate dependent locally on the magnetic field strength along the loop, and we calculate the emission from these loops in various EUV wavelengths for different heating rates. We present a method to measure a power index β defining the dependence of the volumetric heating rate EH on the magnetic field, , and controlling also the shape of the heating function: concentrated near the loop top, uniform and concentrated near the footpoints. The diagnostic is based on the dependence of the electron density on the index β. This method is free from the assumptions of the loop filling factor but requires spectroscopic measurements of the density-sensitive lines. The range of applicability for loops of different length and heating distributions is discussed, and the steps to solving the coronal heating problem are outlined.
Analysis on Public Risk Perception and Environmental Risk

This research examined how Scientifically Estimated Environmental Risks (SEERs) of floods, hurricanes, and hazardous material releases are related with perceived risks of those hazards. This study also tested the relationship between household characteristics and environmental risk perceptions. Major findings of this research are as follows. First, there were little differences in risk perceptions of natural and technological hazards across demographic groups. Specifically, the respondents` risk perceptions of both natural and technological hazards did not differ by age, household size, and marital status. By contrast, educational level, gender (male
A review of load tools available for calculating pollutant exports to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon: a case study of varying catchment areas

Several load methods and software programs have been developed to calculate sediment, nutrient and other pollutant exports from waterways of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) catchments. These different methods can produce large discrepancies in the calculation of catchment loads. Such discrepancies reduce the confidence of these methods for application within the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan process, such as the setting of end-of-river load targets as well as the comparison to modelled outputs, namely the SedNet and ANNEX models (e.g. Brodie et al. 2003). We present a case study based on intensive monitoring data collected over a range of spatial (paddock, a Dry Tropics sub-catchment and a large Dry Tropics end-of-river catchment) and temporal (hourly - yearly) scales. We simulate changes in load calculations of total suspended solids based on the selected removal of monitoring data from intervals throughout the flow hydrograph. We attempt to quantify errors in load calculations based on the different load tools, as well as investigate optimal load methods and ideal sampling frequencies over these different catchment areas. Three software programs were used to calculate loads including WQ Loads Tool, Brolga and GUMLEAF. We found that all three software programs provided suitable methods to calculate loads for the catchments of the GBR where continuous flow and concentration data were available. The linear interpolation (and associated inter sample mean) methods were optimal in the Brolga and Loads Tool program while the flow regime estimators provided ideal load estimates in the GUMLEAF program. Our findings suggest that six samples evenly-spaced over the flow hydrograph (e.g. 2-3 samples on rise, 1 on peak and 2-3 on the falling limb) will provide reliable load estimations (within 10% of our best estimate) at the paddock scale provided that the optimal methods are used. We recommend that at least daily (but up to 4-5 samples per day in catchments with very high TSS concentrations on the rising limb such as the Bowen sub-catchment) sampling is suitable for load estimations at the sub-catchment scale. One sample collected every two days is an adequate sampling frequency for load calculations of larger catchments of the GBR such as the Burdekin River. We note that researchers need to account for the uncertainty in all load estimates before the significance of longterm trends can be analysed.
Age Is Just a Number: Patient Age Does Not Affect Outcome Following Surgery for Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fractures

Study Design: Retrospective study. Objective: Multiple studies have shown that osteoporotic patients are at an increased risk for medical and surgical complications, making optimal management of these patients challenging. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between patient age and the likelihood of surgical complications, mortality, and 30-day readmission rates following surgery for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs). Methods: A retrospective analysis of the American College of Surgeons National Surgery Quality Improvement Project (ACS-NSQIP) database from 2007 to 2014 identified 1979 patients who met inclusion criteria. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to calculate odds ratios (OR), with corresponding P values and 95% confidence intervals, of the relationship between age (treated as a continuous variable) and perioperative mortality, surgical complications, and 30-day readmission rates. Results: Younger patients were statistically more likely to endure a minor (OR = 0.98; P = .002) or major complication (OR = 0.97; P = .009). The older a patient was, on the other hand, the higher the likelihood that patient would be readmitted within 30 days of surgery (OR =1.02; P = .004). Mortality within the 30-day perioperative period was not statistically correlated with age. Conclusions: The impact of age on adverse outcomes following surgery for OVCF is mixed. While younger patients are more likely to endure complications, older patients are more likely to be readmitted within 30 days following surgery. Patient age showed no correlation with mortality rates. In the setting of surgical treatment for an OVCF, a patient’s age can help determine the risk of complications and the rate of readmission following intervention.
Exogenous Cost Allocation in Peer-to-Peer Electricity Markets

The deployment of distributed energy resources, combined with a more proactive demand side management, is inducing a new paradigm in power system operation and electricity markets. Within a consumer-centric market framework, peer-to-peer (P2P) approaches have gained substantial interest. P2P markets rely on multibilateral negotiation among all agents to match supply and demand. These markets can yield a complete mapping of exchanges onto the grid; hence, allowing to rethink the sharing of costs related to the use of common infrastructure and services. We propose here to attribute such costs through exogenous network charges in several alternative ways, i.e., uniformly, based on the electrical distance between agents and by zones. This variety covers the main grid physical and regulatory configurations. Since attribution mechanisms are defined in an exogenous manner to affect each P2P trade, they eventually shift the market issue to cover the grid exploitation costs. It can even be used to release the stress on the grid when necessary. The interest of our approach is illustrated on a test case using the IEEE 39 bus test system, underlying the impact of attribution mechanisms on trades and grid usage.
A-Accelerators Spectrometers Detectors and Associated Equipment

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NOVEL MODES OF VACUUM DISCHARGE IN MAGNETIC FIELD AS THE BASE FOR EFFECTIVE ION GENERATION

New properties of vacuum discharges in magnetic fleld with unconventional discharge gaps at low pressure up to high vacuum are brie∞y described. Both single- and multi-charge ion sources may be developed on basis of such new discharge modes. Such ion sources may have advantages in comparison with conventional ones. The main advantages are the long lifetime due to the absence of fllaments and arc spots, high energy and gas e‐ciency due to high plasma electron temperature. The development of the discharge research and recent results are discussed.
Anderson-Accelerated Convergence of Picard Iterations for Incompressible Navier-Stokes Equations

We propose, analyze and test Anderson-accelerated Picard iterations for solving the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations (NSE). Anderson acceleration has recently gained interest as a strategy to accelerate linear and nonlinear iterations, based on including an optimization step in each iteration. We extend the Anderson-acceleration theory to the steady NSE setting and prove that the acceleration improves the convergence rate of the Picard iteration based on the success of the underlying optimization problem. The convergence is demonstrated in several numerical tests, with particularly marked improvement in the higher Reynolds number regime. Our tests show it can be an enabling technology in the sense that it can provide convergence when both usual Picard and Newton iterations fail.