Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Preparation and Properties of Cassava Starch-based Wood Adhesives

A biodegradable, environmentally friendly starch-based wood adhesive with cassava starch as a raw material and butyl acrylate (BA) as a co-monomer was synthesized. Results revealed that this cassava starch-based wood adhesive (SWA) was more stable than corn starch-based wood adhesive, and its bonding performance was close to that of commercial PVAc emulsion, even after 90 days of storage. Further analysis found that the improved stability of the adhesive could be attributed to its low minimum film forming temperature (MFFT) and glass transition temperature (Tg) of cassava starch. Moreover, the amount of total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs) emitted by the cassava starch-based wood adhesive were much lower than the Chinese national standard control criteria. Therefore, cassava SWA might be a potential alternative to traditional petrochemical-based wood adhesives.
Biokinetics of zinc oxide nanoparticles: toxicokinetics, biological fates, and protein interaction

Biokinetic studies of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles involve systematic and quantitative analyses of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion in plasma and tissues of whole animals after exposure. A full understanding of the biokinetics provides basic information about nanoparticle entry into systemic circulation, target organs of accumulation and toxicity, and elimination time, which is important for predicting the long-term toxic potential of nanoparticles. Biokinetic behaviors can be dependent on physicochemical properties, dissolution property in biological fluids, and nanoparticle–protein interaction. Moreover, the determination of biological fates of ZnO nanoparticles in the systemic circulation and tissues is critical in interpreting biokinetic behaviors and predicting toxicity potential as well as mechanism. This review focuses on physicochemical factors affecting the biokinetics of ZnO nanoparticles, in concert with understanding bioavailable fates and their interaction with proteins.
Quantitative analyses of male courtship behaviour in Pholcus phalangioides

Females of Pholcus phalangioides (Fuesslin, 1775) seem to make nearly all the parental investment (produce larger gametes, look after egg sacs); males probably provide nothing more than sperm (pers. obs.). In other animals, females are often choosy, preferring certain morphological features (also behavioural ones) possessed by their mates (Anderson, 1994). Male behaviour during courtship may be a sign of his condition. It also functions to suppress the female’s prey-catching instincts (Witt & Rovner, 1982). Numerous studies have contributed to our understanding of reproduction biology in P. phalangioides (e.g. Uhl, 1993, 1994) as well as male pedipalp morphology and copulatory mechanism (Uhl et al., 1995), interspecific interactions (e.g. Jackson & Brassington, 1987), sperm structure (e.g. Alberti & Weinmann, 1985), sperm storage secretions (Uhl, 1996), relation of web density to prey abundance (Roush & Radabaugh, 1993) and development of male pedipalp (Bartos, 1997). However, no quantitative analyses of male courtship have hitherto been carried out. In this paper, the courtship and copulation of P. phalangioides are described, and some preliminary observations on the variability of male behaviour during courtship and copulation are presented. Material and methods
bnormal levels of serum anti-elastin antibodies in patients with ymptomatic carotid stenosis

Background and objective A correlation between the levels of antibodies to alpha-elastin (alpha-AEAb) and tropoelastin (tropo-AEAb) and the corresponding peptide concentration is found in human serum in health and disease. Serum elastin peptide and anti-elastin antibodies (AEAb) levels are age-related and vary with the stages of atherosclerotic vascular damage. This study aims to determine if elastin metabolism (assessed by the ratio of tropo-AEAb to alpha-AEAb) differs in patients with symptomatic carotid stenosis versus subjects with asymptomatic stenosis. Patients and methods: Alpha-AEAb and tropo-AEAb were measured by ELISA in blood sera of 65 patients with ultrasound verified high-grade symptomatic carotid stenosis (resulting in stroke 1–7 days before measurement) compared to 51 patients with asymptomatic stenosis. Results: Serum anti-alpha-elastin IgG levels are extremely increased in symptomatic versus asymptomatic lastin-derived peptides troke carotid stenosis. The ratio of tropo-AEAb (reflecting elastin synthesis) to alpha-AEAb (a function of elastin degradation) was 3.7 in symptomatic stenosis versus 14.2 in asymptomatic stenosis (p < 0.001). Conclusions: There is a significant difference in elastin metabolism in patients with symptomatic carotid stenosis versus asymptomatic stenosis. The ratio of tropo-AEAb to alpha-AEAb as an index of elastin synthesis/degradation proves useful in investigation of atherosclerotic lesions and may represent a new immunologic marker for carotid plaque destabilization.
Enabling collaborative geoinformation access and decision‐making through a natural, multimodal interface

Current computing systems do not support human work effectively. They restrict human–computer interaction to one mode at a time and are designed with an assumption that use will be by individuals (rather than groups), directing (rather than interacting with) the system. To support the ways in which humans work and interact, a new paradigm for computing is required that is multimodal, rather than unimodal, collaborative, rather than personal, and dialogue‐enabled, rather than unidirectional. To address this challenge, we have developed an approach for designing natural, multimodal, multiuser dialogue‐enabled interfaces to geographic information systems that make use of large‐screen displays and integrated speech–gesture interaction. After outlining our goals and providing a brief overview of relevant literature, we introduce the Dialogue‐Assisted Visual Environment for Geoinformation (DAVE_G). DAVE_G is being developed using a human‐centred systems approach that contextualizes development and assessment in the current practice of potential users. In keeping with this human‐centred approach, we outline a user task analysis and associated scenario development that implementation is designed to support (grounded in the context of emergency response), review our own precursors to the current prototype system and discuss how the current prototype extends upon past work, provide a detailed description of the architecture that underlies the current system, and introduce the approach implemented for enabling mixed‐initiative human–computer dialogue. We conclude with a discussion of goals for future research.
Response of captive seabass and seabream as behavioural indicator in aquaculture

Abstract Welfare of cultivate fish at high-density represents an important concern for modern aquaculture. The behaviour of European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) and seabream (Sparus aurata) reared in cages was studied in a fish farm of northern Sardinia (Italy) in autumn 2006 to test whether captive condition had an effect on the movement patterns of these two species. Video images recorded before, during and after the manual feeding distribution allowed us to collect data on different behaviours of captive fish. Thus, behaviours indicating the position of fish in the water column, swimming direction and possible aggressive behaviours (aggression, direction change and collision) showed juveniles and adults of seabass and seabream were overall affected by feeding rhythms and captive overcrowding. Seabream had a major tendency to swim towards the bottom and higher frequency of horizontal swimming and collisions than seabass. The overall behavioural difference between two species was explained in terms of their differences in ecological features in the wild.
Glycaemic index methodology

Abstract The glycaemic index (GI) concept was originally introduced to classify different sources of carbohydrate (CHO)-rich foods, usually having an energy content of >80 % from CHO, to their effect on post-meal glycaemia. It was assumed to apply to foods that primarily deliver available CHO, causing hyperglycaemia. Low-GI foods were classified as being digested and absorbed slowly and high-GI foods as being rapidly digested and absorbed, resulting in different glycaemic responses. Low-GI foods were found to induce benefits on certain risk factors for CVD and diabetes. Accordingly it has been proposed that GI classification of foods and drinks could be useful to help consumers make ‘healthy food choices’ within specific food groups. Classification of foods according to their impact on blood glucose responses requires a standardised way of measuring such responses. The present review discusses the most relevant methodological considerations and highlights specific recommendations regarding number of subjects, sex, subject status, inclusion and exclusion criteria, pre-test conditions, CHO test dose, blood sampling procedures, sampling times, test randomisation and calculation of glycaemic response area under the curve. All together, these technical recommendations will help to implement or reinforce measurement of GI in laboratories and help to ensure quality of results. Since there is current international interest in alternative ways of expressing glycaemic responses to foods, some of these methods are discussed.
Further steps in integrating the platforms of WoS and Scopus: Historiography with HistCite™ and main-path analysis

The program HistCite™ enables an analyst to identify significant works on a given topic using the citation links between them diachronically. However, using Scopus data for drawing historiograms with HistCite™ has hitherto been a problem. In the new version of the program CRExplorer, one can translate citation data from Scopus to WoS formats (or vice versa) and then import the data into HistCite™. In this brief communication, we demonstrate these options using the papers of Eugene Garfield (1925-2017) in Scopus for main-path analysis. The two historiograms are considerably different: unlike the WoS set, the networked connections between the time lines are sparse in the representation of the Scopus data; the secondary documents (e.g., editorials in Current Contents) not processed in Scopus, but included in WoS enrich the representation. Furthermore, HistCite™ has an option to export the citation network as a Pajek file that can be read by most network analysis and visualization programs. Garfield’s texts are centered by him as a personality and entrepreneur in different domains more than intellectually, although there are a number of recurring themes. Our own main paths are shaped along a line along which components indicate longer-term projects.
Stimulus generation for RF MEMS switches test application

The sinewave generators based on switched-capacitor (SC) technologies are implemented in transistor level. This analogue sinewave generator consists of two parts: an approximate sinewave generator and a filter. The structure of this generator is robust and easily-controlled, in which an approximate sinewave is firstly generated based on SC circuits and then filter the harmonics. The main advantages of the approach are that both the amplitude and the frequency of the signal can be controlled by a DC input voltage and the clock frequency respectively. The amplitude of the sinewave is 400 mV with SNR of 42.2 dB at a supply voltage of 1.2 V. The settling time of the system is less than 0.5 u and the power is less than 5 mW.
Ground-Based Solar Absorption FTIR Spectroscopy: Characterization of Retrievals and First Results from a Novel Optical Design Instrument at a New NDACC Complementary Station

Abstract The authors describe the optical design of a high-resolution Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS), which serves as the primary instrument at the University of Toronto Atmospheric Observatory (TAO). The FTS is dedicated to ground-based infrared solar absorption atmospheric measurements from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Instrument performance is discussed in terms of instrumental line shape (ILS) and phase error and modulation efficiency as a function of optical path difference. Typical measurement parameters are presented together with retrieval parameters used to derive total and partial column concentrations of ozone. Retrievals at TAO employ the optimal estimation method (OEM), and some impacts of the necessary a priori constraints are examined. In March 2004, after participating in a retrieval algorithm user intercomparison exercise, the TAO FTS was granted the status of a Complementary Observation Station within the international community of high-resolution FTS users in the Network for the Dete.
Particulate allergens potentiate allergic asthma in mice through sustained IgE-mediated mast cell activation.

Allergic asthma is characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness, inflammation, and a cellular infiltrate dominated by eosinophils. Numerous epidemiological studies have related the exacerbation of allergic asthma with an increase in ambient inhalable particulate matter from air pollutants. This is because inhalable particles efficiently deliver airborne allergens deep into the airways, where they can aggravate allergic asthma symptoms. However, the cellular mechanisms by which inhalable particulate allergens (pAgs) potentiate asthmatic symptoms remain unknown, in part because most in vivo and in vitro studies exploring the pathogenesis of allergic asthma use soluble allergens (sAgs). Using a mouse model of allergic asthma, we found that, compared with their sAg counterparts, pAgs triggered markedly heightened airway hyperresponsiveness and pulmonary eosinophilia in allergen-sensitized mice. Mast cells (MCs) were implicated in this divergent response, as the differences in airway inflammatory responses provoked by the physical nature of the allergens were attenuated in MC-deficient mice. The pAgs were found to mediate MC-dependent responses by enhancing retention of pAg/IgE/FcεRI complexes within lipid raft–enriched, CD63(+) endocytic compartments, which prolonged IgE/FcεRI-initiated signaling and resulted in heightened cytokine responses. These results reveal how the physical attributes of allergens can co-opt MC endocytic circuitry and signaling responses to aggravate pathological responses of allergic asthma in mice.
Memory for relations in the short term and the long term after medial temporal lobe damage

A central idea about the organization of declarative memory and the function of the hippocampus is that the hippocampus provides for the coding of relationships between items. A question arises whether this idea refers to the process of forming long‐term memory or whether, as some studies have suggested, memory for relations might depend on the hippocampus even at short retention intervals and even when the task falls within the province of short‐term (working) memory. The latter formulation appears to place the operation of relational memory into conflict with the idea that working memory is independent of medial temporal lobe (MTL) structures. In this report, the concepts of relational memory and working memory are discussed in the light of a simple demonstration experiment. Patients with MTL lesions successfully learned and recalled two word pairs when tested directly after learning but failed altogether when tested after a delay. The results do not contradict the idea that the hippocampus has a fundamental role in relational memory. However, there is a need for further elaboration and specification of the idea in order to explain why patients with MTL lesions can establish relational memory in the short term but not in long‐term memory. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Dual-contrast echo planar imaging with keyhole: application to dynamic contrast-enhanced perfusion studies

A new EPI-based method is presented which features optimized sampling of k-space enabling the integrated acquisition of two gradient echo images. The first of these images is predominantly T1 weighted and the second is T*2 weighted. The new method combines echo sharing of sparsely acquired high spatial frequency components with the keyhole technique and half-Fourier image reconstruction. The feasibility of acquiring high spatial and temporal resolution in vivo images for perfusion mapping is demonstrated. In contrast to most current perfusion methods, which acquire the T1- and T*2-weighted images in separate acquisitions, the need for image co-registration here is obviated since both sets of images are EPI-based and are acquired within the same measurement.
1 – Understanding residual stress and distortion in welds: an overview

Publisher Summary This chapter presents that one common problem associated with welding is the dimensional tolerance and stability of the finished products. The welding-induced residual stresses in the weldment are sometimes also a concern regarding their effect on the fracture and fatigue behaviors of the welded structures subject to dynamic loading or adverse service environment. Although the inherent shrinkage model has been demonstrated to be accurate, convenient, and cost effective in the prediction of weld residual stresses and distortion, several fundamental issues remain unsolved to date. The inherent shrinkage model needs calibration constants for different applications. Those calibration constants will depend on the thermal characteristics of the welding process and the geometric details of the joint, as well as the jigging constraints. To prescribe the inherent shrinkage strains in the weld joint, the equivalent thermal strains may be defined using the artificial temperature fields. A standard procedure to determine the effective shrinkage strain temperatures will be required. An inherent shrinkage strain database for various production situations, joint designs and welding procedures needs to be developed. The Finite Element Analysis (FEA) modeling, simulation, and analysis procedures can be useful in determining the inherent shrinkage strains.
SLALOM: a Language for SLA specification and monitoring

IT services provisioning is usually underpinned by service level agreements (SLAs), aimed at guaranteeing services quality. However, there is a gap between the customer perspective (business oriented) and that of the service provider (implementation oriented) that becomes more evident while defining and monitoring SLAs. This paper proposes a domain specific language (SLA Language for specificatiOn and Monitoring - SLALOM) to bridge the previous gap. The first step in SLALOM creation was factoring out common concepts, by composing the BPMN metamodel with that of the SLA life cycle, as described in ITIL. The derived metamodel expresses the SLALOM abstract syntax model. The second step was to write concrete syntaxes targeting different aims, such as SLA representation in process models. An example of SLALOM's concrete syntax model instantiation for an IT service sup-ported by self-service financial terminals is presented.
Pretransplantation respiratory syncytial virus infection: impact of a strategy to delay transplantation.

BACKGROUND Delay of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has been suggested if upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) due to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) occurs in transplantation candidates, but the efficacy of this strategy in preventing posttransplantation RSV infection is unknown. METHODS In a retrospective study, we reviewed charts of patients who underwent transplantation at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Seattle, WA) during the period of June 1987 through December 2000 and evaluated the strategy of delaying HSCT in candidates with laboratory-confirmed RSV URTI. RESULTS Thirty-one of 37 patients had RSV URTI before conditioning, 2 (6.5%) of whom developed RSV infection after HSCT. In 6 of 37 patients, symptoms of URTI were present during the start of conditioning, but RSV virologic confirmation occurred a median of 4.5 days (range, 2-5 days) into the conditioning regimen. Conditioning was aborted for 3 of 6 patients; none had progression to RSV pneumonia. Of the 3 patients in whom HSCT proceeded as scheduled, 2 developed RSV pneumonia. Overall, RSV pneumonia occurred in 1 of 34 patients for whom HSCT was delayed, compared with 2 of 3 patients for whom there was no delay (P=.01). CONCLUSIONS In patients with pretransplantation RSV URTI, delay of HSCT was associated with a lower risk of pneumonia than was no delay. Because URTIs can progress to severe complications in patients receiving HSCTs, these results support Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/American Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation recommendations that HSCT be delayed on the basis of symptoms of URTI rather than waiting for virologic confirmation.
Multiple Angulated Mammography Reconstructions in Digital Breast Tomosynthesis for the Diagnosis of Microcalcifications – Added Value to Standard Stack Reconstructions and Synthesized Mammography

Abstract Purpose To compare ratings regarding the depiction, diagnostic accuracy and lesion characterization of conventional synthesized mammography (SM), multiple angulated mammography reconstructions (INSIGHT3D), and standard stack reconstructions in digital breast tomosynthesis for microcalcifications. Materials and Methods This is a retrospective, multicase, multireader study. We included patients with digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT), microcalcifications and histology over a period of four months in our institution and the same number of normal cases. Three radiologists, who were blinded to patient data, independently rated the depiction, distribution, morphology and BI-RADS score of microcalcifications in SM, INSIGHT3D and standard stack reconstructions. Deidentified images were presented in random order. Reading time was measured. Friedman and post hoc Nemenyi tests, Cochrane’s Q and post hoc Wilcoxon signed rank tests, Fleiss’ kappa and receiver operating characteristics were used for statistical analysis. Results We included 41 histopathologically proven and 41 normal cases. Depiction of microcalcifications was rated better in INSIGHT3D than in SM and better in stack reconstructions than in INSIGHT3D and SM (P < 0.001). The reading time was lower in SM and INSIGHT3D compared to stack reconstructions (P < 0.001). The diagnostic accuracy and inter-rater correlation were comparable between all tested modes of reconstruction. Conclusions INSIGHT3D has higher ratings regarding the depiction of microcalcifications compared to SM while maintaining a short reading time. Our preliminary assessment suggests that INSIGHT3D provides added value to SM. Key points INSIGHT3D depicts microcalcifications better than synthesized mammography while maintaining a low reading time. The diagnostic accuracy and inter-rater correlation were comparable between INSIGHT3D and synthesized mammography. INSIGHT3D may be a potential successor to synthesized mammography. Citation Format Neubauer J, Neubauer C, Wicklein J et al. Multiple Angulated Mammography Reconstructions in Digital Breast Tomosynthesis for the Diagnosis of Microcalcifications – Added Value to Standard Stack Reconstructions and Synthesized Mammography. Fortschr Röntgenstr 2018; DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-100726
Interactive comment on “ Sub-seasonal Variability in the Boundary Layer Sources for Transport into the Tropopause Layer in the Asian Monsoon Region ” by Bin

This paper deals with the origin of BL air masses that cross the tropopause during the Asian Summer Monsoon with a focus on its sub-seasonal variabilty. It is based on the analysis of 13 years of Lagrangian modelling. The subject of this paper is relevant to ACP and the results could bring some interesting and new information. Nevertheless, the paper is not yet fully convincing and the authors should adress some major issues before publication. These issues detailed below concern both the methodolgy and the results. Concerning the methodology, the choices made for the Lagrangian modeling should be discussed: use of kinematic versus diabatic trajectories on top of the conC1