Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Understanding the Relationship between Cotton Fiber Properties and Non-Cellulosic Cell Wall Polysaccharides

A detailed knowledge of cell wall heterogeneity and complexity is crucial for understanding plant growth and development. One key challenge is to establish links between polysaccharide-rich cell walls and their phenotypic characteristics. It is of particular interest for some plant material, like cotton fibers, which are of both biological and industrial importance. To this end, we attempted to study cotton fiber characteristics together with glycan arrays using regression based approaches. Taking advantage of the comprehensive microarray polymer profiling technique (CoMPP), 32 cotton lines from different cotton species were studied. The glycan array was generated by sequential extraction of cell wall polysaccharides from mature cotton fibers and screening samples against eleven extensively characterized cell wall probes. Also, phenotypic characteristics of cotton fibers such as length, strength, elongation and micronaire were measured. The relationship between the two datasets was established in an integrative manner using linear regression methods. In the conducted analysis, we demonstrated the usefulness of regression based approaches in establishing a relationship between glycan measurements and phenotypic traits. In addition, the analysis also identified specific polysaccharides which may play a major role during fiber development for the final fiber characteristics. Three different regression methods identified a negative correlation between micronaire and the xyloglucan and homogalacturonan probes. Moreover, homogalacturonan and callose were shown to be significant predictors for fiber length. The role of these polysaccharides was already pointed out in previous cell wall elongation studies. Additional relationships were predicted for fiber strength and elongation which will need further experimental validation.
Exogenous vascular endothelial growth factor delivery prior to endothelial precursor cell transplantation in orthotopic liver transplantation–induced hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) promotes angiogenesis in vivo. We hypothesized that exogenous delivery of VEGF prior to bone marrow–derived endothelial precursor cell (EPC) transplantation may improve orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT)–induced hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury (HIRI). OLT between Sprague Dawley donor rats and inbred LEW Wistar recipient rats was performed in 6 experimental groups to comparatively assess the effects of the VEGF gene: an untreated normal control group, a surgical control group, a liposomal control group, a VEGF group receiving only the liposome‐encapsulated VEGF plasmid, an EPC group receiving only EPCs, and an EPC+VEGF group receiving the liposome‐encapsulated VEGF plasmid followed by EPCs. VEGF plasmid delivery to liver tissue, endogenous VEGF, and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) expression, liver transaminase levels, hepatocellular injury levels, apoptosis, apoptotic biomarkers, hepatotrophic mitogens, angiogenesis, and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity were assayed after OLT. Exogenous VEGF gene delivery prior to EPC transplantation significantly increased endogenous VEGF and VEGFR expression, significantly reduced liver transaminase levels, significantly reduced hepatocellular injury levels, significantly reduced hepatic apoptosis levels, and significantly reduced several apoptotic biomarkers (ie, B cell lymphoma 2–associated X protein/B cell lymphoma 2 ratio, caspase 3 activity, and heat shock protein 70 expression) in post‐OLT–induced HIRI. Moreover, VEGF gene delivery prior to EPC transplantation significantly increased hepatotrophic mitogen expression (ie, epidermal growth factor, heparin‐binding epidermal growth factor–like growth factor, hepatocyte growth factor, and transforming growth factor α), angiogenesis, and NOS activity in post‐OLT–induced HIRI. In conclusion, exogenous liposomal delivery of the VEGF gene prior to bone marrow–derived EPC transplantation may be an effective strategy in decreasing OLT‐induced HIRI. Liver Transplantation 23 804–812 2017 AASLD.
Polyurethane composite foams with β-tricalcium phosphate for biomedical applications

Biocompatibility, bioactivity, bioconductivity and injectability are the most valuable features of biodegradable polyurethanes for orthopaedic applications. Injectable biomaterials may be used in bone tissue engineering for minimally invasive therapies and other medical applications. Polyurethane composites have been synthesized with concentration of β-tricalcium phosphate in the range of 0–30 wt%. Incorporation of β-tricalcium phosphate leads to an increased glass temperature of soft segments while a decrease of glass temperature was observed for hard segments. Moreover, addition of β-tricalcium phosphate caused an increase in the thermal stability of polyurethane matrix. Porosity has ranged between 27 and 53%. The mechanical and thermal properties of the polyurethane/β-tricalcium phosphate composite samples have been investigated. In vitro degradation tests have been carried out in water, Ringer’s solution and phosphate buffered saline. After 2 weeks incubation in simulated body fluid, scanning electron microscopy observations showed the presence of an inorganic phase deposition which might indicate good bioactivity of the composites. The relationships between their properties and bone regeneration quality were discussed as the composites demonstrate vast potential to be used as injectable scaffolds for bone repair.
Mechanism of Phosphorescence Appropriate for the Long-Lasting Phosphors Eu2+-Doped SrAl2O4 with Codopants Dy3+ and B3+

The existing mechanisms proposed to explain the phosphorescence of SrAl2O4:Eu2+,Dy3+ and related phosphors were found to be inconsistent with a number of important experimental and theoretical observations. We formulated a new mechanism of phosphorescence on the basis of the facts that the d orbitals of Eu2+ are located near the conduction band bottom of SrAl2O4, that the Eu2+ concentration decreases during UV excitation, and that trace amounts of Eu3+ are always present in these phosphors. In our mechanism, some Eu2+ ions are oxidized to Eu3+ under UV, and the released electrons are trapped at the oxygen vacancy levels located in the vicinity of the photogenerated Eu3+ cations. The phosphorescence arises from the recombination of these trapped electrons around the photogenerated Eu3+ sites with emission at 520 nm. The codopant Dy3+ enhances the phosphorescence by increasing the number and the depth of electron traps, and the codopant B3+ enhances the phosphorescence by increasing the depth of electron tr.
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Many applications require similarity query processing. Most existing work took an algorithmic approach, developing indexing structures, algorithms, and/or various optimizations. In this work, we choose to take a different, systems-oriented approach. We describe the support for similarity queries in Apache AsterixDB, a parallel, open-source Big Data management system for NoSQL data. We describe the lifecycle of a similarity query in the system, including the support provided at the query language level, indexing, execution plans (with and without indexes), plan rewrites to optimize query execution, and so on. Our approach leverages the existing infrastructure of AsterixDB, including its operators, parallel query engine, and rule-based query optimizer. We have conducted an experimental study using several large, real data sets on a parallel computing cluster to evaluate AsterixDB’s support for similarity queries, and we share the efficacy and performance results here.
NANOFABRICATION OF SPLIT RING RESONATOR STRUCTURES FOR NEGATIVE REFRACTIVE INDEX MATERIALS IN OPTICAL RANGE

We performed experimental nanofabrication of planar split-ring resonator structures for one-dimensional metamaterials with negative refractive index in mid- and long-wavelength infrared range. We fabricated double split ring and complementary double split ring resonators (SRR and CSRR) with square and circular geometries. We used scanning probe nanolithography with z-scanner movement to fabricate straight-line and curvilinear segments with a line width of 60-80 nm. The geometries were delineated in 20 nm thin silver layers sputter-deposited on positive photoresist substrate spin-coated on polished single crystal silicon wafers. The morphology of the structures was characterized by the atomic force microscope.
Influence of SLM Process Parameters on Porosity of Nickel Base Heat Resistance Alloy EP648

In this research EP648 nickel base heat resistance alloy was used for Selective Laser Melting (SLM). This alloy can be used for producing details at high mechanical and thermal load by SLM for aerospace, automotive, shipbuilding and energy industries. To define the influence of SLM process parameters on EP648 4x4x4 mm cubic specimens were fabricated with different process parameters (scanning speed, laser power, layer thickness). The porosity of fabricated specimens was determined by scanning electron microscopy of polished cross-sections.
Risk factors of cerebral microbleeds in young and middle-aged patients with hypertension

Abstract Objective This study aimed to investigate the incidence and related risk factors of cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) in young and middle-aged patients with hypertension. Methods The study included 232 young and middle-aged (18–59 years-old) patients with hypertension from September 2014 to December 2016 in the Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, China. The data were recorded which included demographics, vascular risk factors, medication history, and imaging data of patients. CMBs were evaluated based on the microbleeds anatomical rating scale. Results Of the enrolled participants, 115 were CMB positive, accounting for 49.6%. CMBs were more prone to occur in deep regions than in others (39.13%). Multiple cerebral microbleeds were associated with white matter hyperintensities(WMH), dyslipidemia, hyperhomocysteine, and uric acid. Moreover, WMH, dyslipidemia, ever smoker, antiplatelets use, and hyperhomocysteine were found to be risk factors for deep or infratentorial CMBs in young and middle-aged patients with hypertension. However, the lobar CMBs only had an independent correlation with dyslipidemia in these participants. Conclusions The incidence of CMBs in patients with hypertension was relatively high. It mostly occurred in a deep or infratentorial area with more vascular-associated risk factors. However, in patients with lobar CMBs, factors associated with lipid metabolism, such as amyloid deposition and unidentified genotype variation, may be crucial. Screening and regular follow-ups of CMBs by Susceptibility Weighted Imaging and active prevention in young and middle-aged patients with hypertension have clinical significance for timely understanding and predicting the occurrence and development of related cerebrovascular disease events.
Hydrophobic Characteristics Analysis of RTV-SR Insulating Nanocomposite

RTV-SR were widely used in electrical equipment external insulation for antipollution flashover due to its excellent hydrophobicity and hydrophobicity transfer.In order to research the influence of contamination composition and environmental factors on RTV hydrophobic characteristics,influential factors of static contact angle measurement were analyzed.Constant humidity and temperature test chamber and ultraviolet aging equipment were used to imitate various external environments,the influences of contamination composition,environmental temperature,environmental humidity,migration time,and ultraviolet irradiation time on hydrophobic Characteristics of RTV were comparatively investigated by quantitative test,and the influencing mechanisms were analyzed by using contact angle image analysis equipment,SEM and FTIR instruments.The results indicate that,ambient temperature,salt density and non-soluble deposit density have obvious effects on hydrophobic recovery characteristics of RTV,relative humidity and ash composition affect velocity of hydrophobicity transfer and migration stable contact angle,and the velocity of RTV hydrophobicity transfer are greatly increased by using long-time UV pretreatment.
The First Successful Use of a Low Stringency Familial Match in a French Criminal Investigation

We describe how a very simple application of familial searching resolved a decade‐old, high‐profile rape/murder in France. This was the first use of familial searching in a criminal case using the French STR DNA database, which contains approximately 1,800,000 profiles. When an unknown forensic profile (18 loci) was searched against the French arrestee/offender database using CODIS configured for a low stringency search, a single low stringency match was identified. This profile was attributed to the father of the man suspected to be the source of the semen recovered from the murder victim Elodie Kulik. The identification was confirmed using Y‐chromosome DNA from the putative father, an STR profile from the mother, and finally a tissue sample from the exhumed body of the man who left the semen. Because of this identification, the investigators are now pursuing possible co‐conspirators.
Emotional Voice Processing: Investigating the Role of Genetic Variation in the Serotonin Transporter across Development

The ability to effectively respond to emotional information carried in the human voice plays a pivotal role for social interactions. We examined how genetic factors, especially the serotonin transporter genetic variation (5-HTTLPR), affect the neurodynamics of emotional voice processing in infants and adults by measuring event-related brain potentials (ERPs). The results revealed that infants distinguish between emotions during an early perceptual processing stage, whereas adults recognize and evaluate the meaning of emotions during later semantic processing stages. While infants do discriminate between emotions, only in adults was genetic variation associated with neurophysiological differences in how positive and negative emotions are processed in the brain. This suggests that genetic association with neurocognitive functions emerges during development, emphasizing the role that variation in serotonin plays in the maturation of brain systems involved in emotion recognition.
Effect of Surface Modification of Carbon Fiber on Friction Properties of Carbon Fiber/Phenolic Resin Matrix Composite

Polyacrylonitrile(PAN)-based carbon fiber was surface modified with HNO3(65-68%) and silane coupling agent(hk550) and of which the structural and surface characteristics of were investigated by SEM, FT-IR, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS). Then the surface modified carbon fiber reinforced phenolic matrix composites were prepared. The tensile strength and the friction performance of the composites were examined by tensile testing machine and integrated micro- nano- mechanical test system(UNMT- 1) respectively. The results showed that the surface modification with HNO3 and hk550could enhance the surface chemical activity and roughness of the fibers, resulting in better interfacial adhesion between carbon fibers and phenolic resin matrix, therefore, improved the tensile strength and reduced the wear rate of the composites.
Experimental Sex Inversion of Chicken Embryos at Aromatase Inhibition, Estrogen Receptor Modulation, DNA Demethylation and Progesterone Treatment

The work was carried out by microinjections of an aromatase inhibitor letrozole, an estrogen receptor modulator tamoxifen in incubated eggs Gallus g. domesticus, the first day of incubation. It also used 5-azacytidine (5-AC) at the same time. Injection of progesterone was carried out before the onset of meiosis prophase 1 on 16 h of incubation. Morphologically and histologically and by PCR, sex of the 17-day embryos was controlled. According to information received microinjection of letrozole caused almost a 100% inversion of genetic males to females, which is manifested in the morphology of the gonads. In other experiments, sex reversal is not revealed. The results are obtained in this study, and the data suggest that the presence of gonadogenesis in female chickens makes earlier emergence of aromatase in the beginning of incubation, than that according to the classical scheme of sex determination in birds. Presumably this kind of synthesis is triggered by some W-chromosomal factors. It failed to detect the phenomenon of gender inversion—the transformation of males into females after exposure to demethylating agent 5-AC that casts doubt on the participation of male hypermethylated (MHM)-RNA-segment in regulating the activity of sex determining genes.
Performance evaluation of feature point descriptors in the infrared domain

This paper presents a comparative evaluation of classical feature point descriptors when they are used in the long-wave infrared spectral band. Robustness to changes in rotation, scaling, blur, and additive noise are evaluated using a state of the art framework. Statistical results using an outdoor image data set are presented together with a discussion about the differences with respect to the results obtained when images from the visible spectrum are considered.
Future Generation Computer Systems ( ) – Future Generation Computer Systems Adaptive Energy Efficient Scheduling in Peer-to-peer Desktop Grids

• We consider non-preemptive scheduling on heterogeneous grids with uncertainty. • We use task replications to overcome possible bad resource allocation. • Analyze energy consumption exploring the replication thresholds. • Dynamically adapt replication threshold to cope with different objective preferences. • Two-objective optimization analysis with Pareto set and Set Coverage metric. a b s t r a c t We address non-preemptive scheduling problems on heterogeneous P2P grids, where resources are changing over time, and scheduling decisions are free from information of application characteristics. We consider a scheduling with task replications to overcome possible bad resource allocation in presence of uncertainty, and ensure good performance. We analyze the energy consumption of job allocation strategies exploring the replication thresholds, and dynamic component deactivation. The main idea of our approach is to set replication thresholds, and dynamically adapt them to cope with different objective preferences, workloads, and Grid properties. We compare three groups of strategies: knowledge-free, speed-aware, and power-aware. In order to provide good performance and minimize energy consumption, first, we perform a joint analysis of two metrics considering their degradation in performance. Then, we provide two-objective optimization analysis that is not restricted to find a unique solution, but the Pareto optimal set. Based on these results, we use a Set Coverage metric for assessing the performance of our strategies and compare twenty algorithms in terms of Pareto dominance. A case study is given, and corresponding results indicate that two replicas for knowledge-free algorithms, and one replica for speed-aware algorithms provide the best energy and performance trade-offs in the scheduling. They perform well in different scenarios with a variety of workloads and grid configurations.
Lower‐limb muscle function during gait in varus mal‐aligned osteoarthritis patients

This study quantified the contributions by muscular, gravitational and inertial forces to the ground reaction force (GRF) and external knee adduction moment (EKAM) for knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients and controls walking at similar speeds. Gait data for 39 varus mal‐aligned medial knee OA patients and 15 controls were input into musculoskeletal models to calculate the contributions of individual muscles and gravity to the fore‐aft (progression), vertical (support), and mediolateral (balance) GRF, and the EKAM. The temporal patterns of contributions to GRF and EKAM were similar between the groups. Magnitude differences in GRF contributions were small but some reached significance. Peak GRF contributions were lower in patients except hamstrings in early‐stance progression (p < 0.001) and gastrocnemius in late‐stance progression (p < 0.001). Both EKAM peaks were higher in patients, due mainly to greater adduction contribution from gravity (p < 0.001) at the first peak, and lower abduction contributions from soleus (p < 0.001) and gastrocnemius (p < 0.001) at the second peak. Gluteus medius contributed most to EKAM in both groups, but was higher in patients during mid‐stance only (p < 0.001). Differences in GRF contributions were attributed to altered quadriceps‐hamstrings action as well as compensatory adaptation of the ankle plantarflexors to reduced gluteus medius action. The large effect of varus mal‐alignment on the frontal‐plane moment arms of the gravity, soleus, and gastrocnemius GRF contributions about the knee explained greater patient EKAM. Our results shed further light on how the EKAM contributes to altered knee‐joint loads in OA and why some interventions may affect different portions of the EKAM waveform. © 2018 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 36:2157–2166, 2018.
Platelet rich fibrin: New treatment modality in Grade II furcation defects

Plateletrich rich fibrin (PRF) is an autologous healing biomaterial, which incorporates a matrix of autologous fibrin, leukocytes, platelets and growth factors, harvested from a simple blood sample. Various growth factors present in PRF are well-known source of cytokines, usable for clinical applications. Grade II furcation lesion is essentially a cul-de-sac with a definite horizontal component and involvement of the interradicular bone without a through-and-through ability to probe. Furcation defects represent a formidable problem in the treatment of periodontal disease, which is related to the complex and irregular anatomy of furcation. The early Grade II furcation requires surgical management. Surgery permits access for root debridement, odontoplasty, osseous recontouring, and periodontal regeneration. Regeneration of the previously destroyed periodontal attachment tissues is biologically possible, and the regeneration has become the goal of therapy since the 1990s. Regenerative attempts such as bone grafts, guided tissue regeneration, application of growth factors, and enamel matrix derivatives are currently used for periodontal regeneration in the treatment of Grade II furcation involvements which under favorable conditions, can induce roughly 60-70% regeneration of the bone lesion’s height or volume, with concomitant improvement in the clinical conditions. This review will help in understanding regenerative property of PRF in furcation defects.
Research of the friction stir welding process of aluminium alloys

This paper presents an experimental investigation and a numerical modelling of the friction stir welding (FSW) process on aluminium alloy AW 1050 and TL091T4 plates. The experiments were done in order to analyse the influence of different welding parameters on the horizontal welding force. The modelling of the FSW process of AW 1050 aluminium alloy was carried out and the temperature, von Mises stress, equivalent plastic strain and horizontal welding force variation over time were obtained. A comparison between the experimental and the modelled horizontal welding force showed a good agreement. The obtained results of the presented study lead to a conclusion that the presumptions taken in the modelling are reasonable, therefore, the FEM modelling could be used for prediction of rational FSW parameters in order to define lower weld force, which leads to a decrease of tool wear. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.5755/j01.mech. 22.4. 16167