Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigation of the influencing factors on the process-dependent elasticity modulus in extrusion blow molded plastic containers for material modelling in the finite element simulation

The mechanical properties of plastic components, especially if they are made of semi-crystalline polymers, are considerably influenced by the process conditions. The degree of crystallization influences thermal and mechanical properties. Even more important is the orientation of molecules due to stretching of the polymer melt. Anisotropic material properties are the result of such orientations. Up to now all these effects are not considered within the simulation models of blow molded parts.The intention of the presented report is to determine the process-dependent modulus of elasticity in extrusion blow molded plastic containers made of high-density polyethylene. For own investigations a special blow mold is designed and built. In order to determine the process-dependent elasticity modulus, test specimens are taken from those blow molded parts. Applied testing methods are the tensile test, the three point bending test and the dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The test results are statistically analyzed by means of the design of experiments method (DOE). Input variables for the statistical investigation are typical process parameters such as the mold temperature, cooling time, degree of stretching and others.The generated data from the DOE study are used to create a material data card for the finite element simulation of the top load test for a plastic bottle. A comparison between the use of standard material data and process specific data shows a significant improvement in simulation accuracy in case of the use of process dependent data. The simulation results are compared with a top load test of a real bottle by the use of optical 3D measurement methods.
A Strategy for Assigning New Concepts in the MEDLINE Database

The MeSH indexing done in MEDLINE is engineered by humans. Humans define the MeSH concepts and human indexers assign MeSH terms to MEDLINE records. Methods have been designed in an attempt to assign MeSH terms to MEDLINE documents automatically with some success. Methods have also been designed to locate useful phrases as potential concepts for indexing. However, little work has been done on the problem of how one might automatically index with the concepts represented by such phrases. Here we examine this issue and present a method for such indexing.
Cannabidiol as a Potential New Type of an Antipsychotic. A Critical Review of the Evidence

There is urgent need for the development of mechanistically different and less side-effect prone antipsychotic compounds. The endocannabinoid system has been suggested to represent a potential new target in this indication. While the chronic use of cannabis itself has been considered a risk factor contributing to the development of schizophrenia, triggered by the phytocannabinoid delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), cannabidiol, the second most important phytocannabinoid, appears to have no psychotomimetic potential. Although, results from animal studies are inconsistent to a certain extent and seem to depend on behavioral paradigms, treatment duration and experimental conditions applied, cannabidiol has shown antipsychotic properties in both rodents and rhesus monkeys. After some individual treatment attempts, the first randomized, double-blind controlled clinical trial demonstrated that in acute schizophrenia cannabidiol exerts antipsychotic properties comparable to the antipsychotic drug amisulpride while being accompanied by a superior, placebo-like side effect profile. As the clinical improvement by cannabidiol was significantly associated with elevated anandamide levels, it appears likely that its antipsychotic action is based on mechanisms associated with increased anandamide concentrations. Although, a plethora of mechanisms of action has been suggested, their potential relevance for the antipsychotic effects of cannabidiol still needs to be investigated. The clarification of these mechanisms as well as the establishment of cannabidiol’s antipsychotic efficacy and its hopefully benign side-effect profile remains the subject of a number of previously started clinical trials.
Myosin molecular motor dysfunction in dystrophic mouse diaphragm.

Cross-bridge properties and myosin heavy chain (MHC) composition were investigated in isolated diaphragm from 6-mo-old control ( n = 12) and mdx( n = 12) mice. Compared with control, peak tetanic tension fell by 50% in mdx mice ( P < 0.001). The total number of cross bridges per square millimeter (×109), the elementary force per cross bridge, and the peak mechanical efficiency were lower in mdx than in control mice (each P < 0.001). The duration of the cycle and the rate constant for cross-bridge detachment were significantly lower in mdx than in control mice. In the overall population, there was a linear relationship between peak tetanic tension and either total number of cross bridges per square millimeter or elementary force per cross bridge ( r = 0.996 and r = 0.667, respectively, each P < 0.001). The mdx mice presented a higher proportion of type IIA MHC ( P < 0.001) than control mice and a reduction in type IIX MHC ( P < 0.001) and slow myosin isoforms ( P < 0.01) compared with control mice. We concluded that, in mdx mice, impaired diaphragm strength was associated with qualitative and quantitative changes in myosin molecular motors. It is proposed that reduced force generated per cross bridge contributed to diaphragm weakness in mdx mice.
Comparison of Therapeutic Triiodothyronine Versus Metoprolol in the Treatment of Myocardial Infarction in Rats.

BACKGROUND Beta blockers are standard therapy for myocardial infarction (MI). Preclinical studies have shown efficacy and safety of thyroid hormone (TH) treatment of cardiovascular disorders. Since THs interact with the sympathoadrenergic system, this study aimed to compare triiodothyronine (T3) and metoprolol (Met) in the treatment of rats with MI on pathophysiology and TH-adrenergic signaling. METHODS Female Sprague-Dawley rats aged 12 weeks underwent left anterior descending coronary artery ligation (MI) or sham surgeries. T3 (5 μg/kg/day) or Met (100 mg/kg/day) was given in drinking water immediately after surgery for eight weeks. At the terminal of the experiments, the rats were subjected to morphological, functional, and molecular examination. RESULTS T3 and Met significantly enhanced left ventricular contractility (left ventricular fractional shortening 21.37 ± 2.58% and 21.14 ± 3.71%, respectively) compared to untreated MI (17.88 ± 1.23%), and decreased the incidence of inducible atrial tachyarrhythmia by 87.5% and 62.5%, respectively. Although both treatments showed efficacy, T3 but not Met showed statistically significant improvements compared to MI in arrhythmia duration, left atrial diameter (T3 vs. MI 4.33 ± 0.63 vs. 5.65 ± 1.32 mm; p < 0.05), fibrosis (6.1 ± 0.6%, 6.6 ± 0.6% vs. 8.2 ± 0.7%, T3, Met vs. MI, respectively), and aortic vasorelaxation responsiveness to acetylcholine (pD2 6.97 ± 0.22, 6.83 ± 0.21 vs. 6.66 ± 0.22, T3, Met vs. MI, respectively). Quantitative polymerase chain reaction showed that T3 and Met attenuated expression of genes associated with inflammation and oxidative stress and restored expression of ion channels and contractile proteins. CONCLUSION These results support comparable efficacy of T3 and Met treatments, suggesting that T3 may provide a therapeutic alternative to standard β-receptor blockade, especially for patients intolerant to treatment with β-blockers after MI.
A weak scientific basis for gaming disorder: Let us err on the side of caution

We greatly appreciate the care and thought that is evident in the 10 commentaries that discuss our debate paper, the majority of which argued in favor of a formalized ICD-11 gaming disorder. We agree that there are some people whose play of video games is related to life problems. We believe that understanding this population and the nature and severity of the problems they experience should be a focus area for future research. However, moving from research construct to formal disorder requires a much stronger evidence base than we currently have. The burden of evidence and the clinical utility should be extremely high, because there is a genuine risk of abuse of diagnoses. We provide suggestions about the level of evidence that might be required: transparent and preregistered studies, a better demarcation of the subject area that includes a rationale for focusing on gaming particularly versus a more general behavioral addictions concept, the exploration of non-addiction approaches, and the unbiased exploration of clinical approaches that treat potentially underlying issues, such as depressive mood or social anxiety first. We acknowledge there could be benefits to formalizing gaming disorder, many of which were highlighted by colleagues in their commentaries, but we think they do not yet outweigh the wider societal and public health risks involved. Given the gravity of diagnostic classification and its wider societal impact, we urge our colleagues at the WHO to err on the side of caution for now and postpone the formalization.
A deformable model with cellular neural network

This paper presents a new methodology for deformable models by drawing an analogy between cellular neural network (CNN) and elastic deformation. The potential energy stored in an elastic body as a result of a deformation caused by an external force is propagated among mass points by the local connectivity of cells and the CNN dynamics. An improved CNN model is developed for propagating the energy generated by the external force on the object surface. A method is presented to derive the internal forces from the potential energy distribution established by the CNN. The methodology proposed in this paper can not only deal with large-range deformation, but it can also accommodate both isotropic and anisotropic materials by simply modifying capacitors of cells. Examples are presented to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed methodology.
Numerical Investigation of a Stiffened Panel Subjected to Low Velocity Impacts

The investigation of fiber-reinforced composite laminates mechanical response under impact loads can be very difficult due to simultaneous failure phenomena. Indeed, as a consequence of low velocity impacts, intra-laminar damage as fiber and matrix cracking and inter-laminar damage, such as delamination, often take place concurrently, leading to significant reductions in terms of strength and stability for composite structure. In this paper a numerical study is proposed which, by means of non-linear explicit FEM analysis, aims to completely characterize the composite reinforced laminates damage under low velocity impacts. The numerical investigation allowed to obtain an exhaustive insight on the different phases of the impact event considering the damage formation and evolution. Five different impact locations with the same impact energy are taken into account to investigate the influence on the onset and growth of damage.
Do prenatal and postnatal hypothyroidism affect the craniofacial structure?: An experimental study.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of experimental prenatal and postnatal hypothyroidism (HT) on the craniofacial structure in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS Female Wistar albino rats were mated with males for fertilization. Pregnant rats were divided into three groups. Group 1 (methimazole [MMI]-induced prenatal hypothyroidism group) mother rats were given MMI water during and after pregnancy. Group 2 (MMI-induced postnatal hypothyroidism group) mother rats were given MMI water after pregnancy. After the breast-feeding period, group 1 and 2 rat pups received the same water as their lactating mothers drank. Group 3 (control group) pregnant rats and rat pups were given normal tap water. When the rat pups were 90 days of age, lateral cephalometric and posteroanterior films were taken under anesthesia. RESULTS Posteroanterior radiographs revealed that palatal, cranial, bizygomatic arch, and bigonial width measurements were significantly shorter in prenatal HT and postnatal HT groups compared to the control group (P < .001). Intragroup comparisons in lateral cephalometric radiographs showed that, nearly all of the comparisons were statistically significant (P < .05), with the exception of the Co-Gn, E-Pg/S-Gn measurements between the prenatal and postnatal HT groups. CONCLUSIONS Sagittal and transverse measurements showed that untreated HT has detrimental effects on the growth of the maxilla and mandible.
Multiphoton microscopy analysis of extracellular collagen I network formation by mesenchymal stem cells

Collagen I is the major fibrous extracellular component of bone responsible for its ultimate tensile strength. In tissue engineering, one of the most important challenges for tissue formation is to get cells interconnected via a strong and functional extracellular matrix (ECM), mimicking as closely as possible the natural ECM geometry. Still missing in tissue engineering are: (a) a versatile, high‐resolution and non‐invasive approach to evaluate and quantify different aspects of ECM development within engineered biomimetic scaffolds online; and (b) deeper insights into the mechanism whereby cellular matrix production is enhanced in 3D cell–scaffold composites, putatively via enhanced focal adhesion linkage, over the 2D setting. In this study, we developed sensitive morphometric detection methods for collagen I‐producing and bone‐forming mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), based on multiphoton second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy, and used those techniques to compare collagen I production capabilities in 2D‐ and 3D‐arranged cells. We found that stimulating cells with 1% serum in the presence of ascorbic acid is superior to other medium conditions tested, including classical osteogenic medium. In contrast to conventional 2D culture, having MSCs packed closely in a 3D environment presumably stimulates cells to produce strong and complex collagen I networks with defined network structures (visible in SHG images) and improves collagen production. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Chilling-induced tomato flavor loss is associated with altered volatile synthesis and transient changes in DNA methylation

Significance Cold storage is widely used to extend shelf-life of agriculture products. For tomato, this handling results in reduced flavor quality. Our work provides major insights into the effects of chilling on consumer liking, the flavor metabolome and transcriptome, as well as DNA methylation status. Transcripts for some key volatile synthesis enzymes and the most important ripening-associated transcription factors are greatly reduced in response to chilling. These reductions are accompanied by major changes in the methylation status of promoter regions. Transient increases in DNA methylation occur during chilling. Our analysis provides insight into the molecular mechanisms of tomato fruit flavor loss caused by chilling. Commercial tomatoes are widely perceived by consumers as lacking flavor. A major part of that problem is a postharvest handling system that chills fruit. Low-temperature storage is widely used to slow ripening and reduce decay. However, chilling results in loss of flavor. Flavor-associated volatiles are sensitive to temperatures below 12 °C, and their loss greatly reduces flavor quality. Here, we provide a comprehensive view of the effects of chilling on flavor and volatiles associated with consumer liking. Reduced levels of specific volatiles are associated with significant reductions in transcripts encoding key volatile synthesis enzymes. Although expression of some genes critical to volatile synthesis recovers after a return to 20 °C, some genes do not. RNAs encoding transcription factors essential for ripening, including RIPENING INHIBITOR (RIN), NONRIPENING, and COLORLESS NONRIPENING are reduced in response to chilling and may be responsible for reduced transcript levels in many downstream genes during chilling. Those reductions are accompanied by major changes in the methylation status of promoters, including RIN. Methylation changes are transient and may contribute to the fidelity of gene expression required to provide maximal beneficial environmental response with minimal tangential influence on broader fruit developmental biology.
Ion-track technology based synthesis and characterization of gold and gold alloys nanowires and nanocones

Metallic nanostructures are attracting growing interest because of their potential application in various devices such as batteries, solar cells, or drug delivery systems. This thesis focuses on the synthesis and characterization of three different nanostructures: (1) solid cylindrical AuAg nanowires with controlled composition and size, fabricated by electrodeposition in etched ion-track membranes with cylindrical channels, (2) porous cylindrical Au nanowires attained by selective dealloy-ing of AuAg nanowires, and (3) Au nanocones synthesized by electrodeposition in conical channels. AuAg nanowires with controlled diameter and composition, namely Au, Au40Ag60, Au60Ag40, and Ag were synthesized and characterized. By dealloying these nanowires were converted into porous Au-based nanowires with diameters above and below 100 nm possessing an enhanced surface area. Surface morphology and com-position of the nanostructures before and after dealloying were studied by means of high spatial resolution energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) in a high-resolution transmission electron microscope (TEM). The results demonstrate surface segregation effects in solid AuAg nanowires that strongly vary with the initial composition. Surface segregation occurs on a time scale of days (< 3 days) inde-pendently of the wire dimensions. After dealloying of Au40Ag60 nanowires, the porous nanowires have a silver content below 10% and ligament size from 5 to 30 nm. Solid and porous wires are particularly attractive for future applications, e.g., in sensorics. The characterization of such small nanostructures regarding, e.g. electrical transport properties, requires suitable contacts. Special designs to contact nanowires by laser lithography as well as by using pre-patterned templates were developed. Gold nanocones with sharp tips down to 50 nm diameter and several microns large bases were fabricated. Given by this special geometry, the nanostructures exhibit a high mechanical stability and are freestanding with an aspect ratio of 500 and above. Stable gold nanocone arrays are attractive for a large range of applications including field emission and as coating for hydrophobic surfaces. In this work, the standard wire deposition process from base to tip was inverted in order to improve the electrical and thermal contact of the nanocones to the substrate. After selective removal of the template, 30 µm long gold nanocones with ~ 50 nm sharp tips were freestanding and vertically aligned. Such structures are highly tunable in terms of cone dimensions and number density. The field emission properties of patterned nanocone arrays, investigated in collaboration with the Bergische Universitat Wuppertal, exhibit field enhancement factors between 200 and 1000 as well as a maximum emission current ranging from ~ 1 to 100 μA. The results presented in this thesis emphasize the variety of possibilities that ion-track technology offers in order to tailor dimensions and characteristics of nanostructures.
Improving Translation Selection with Supersenses

Selecting appropriate translations for source words with multiple meanings still remains a challenge for statistical machine translation (SMT). One reason for this is that most SMT systems are not good at detecting the proper sense for a polysemic word when it appears in different contexts. In this paper, we adopt a supersense tagging method to annotate source words with coarse-grained ontological concepts. In order to enable the system to choose an appropriate translation for a word or phrase according to the annotated supersense of the word or phrase, we propose two translation models with supersense knowledge: a maximum entropy based model and a supersense embedding model. The effectiveness of our proposed models is validated on a large-scale English-to-Spanish translation task. Results indicate that our method can significantly improve translation quality via correctly conveying the meaning of the source language to the target language.
A true-time-delay transmit/receive module for X-band subarray phased arrays

This letter presents the implementation of a 6-bit true-time-delay (TTD) transmit/receive (T/R) module in X-band. Improved phase linearity is achieved by using thin film coplanar waveguide transmission lines than traditional microstrip lines or lumped LC components of the most other TTD designs. In order to meet the requirement of the large dynamic temperature range in practice, the hybrid coupler reflective phase shifters with varactor diodes are adopted in long-time-delay units as temperature compensations for thermal phase drift. Experimental results of this TTD T/R module are carried out within a bandwidth of 1.2GHz at X-band. The gain flatness is better than 1 dB and RMSE of the phase errors is less than 7° in all the transmitting and receiving delay states.
Susceptibility and Lethality of Western Equine Encephalitis Virus in Balb/c Mice When Infected by the Aerosol Route

Western equine encephalitis virus (WEEV) naturally cycles between mosquitos and birds or rodents, with a case fatality rate of up to 15% in humans during epizootic outbreaks. There are no medical countermeasures to treat WEEV infection, and accidental aerosol exposure increases the case fatality rate up to 40%. Understanding the pathogenesis of infection is required to develop and assess medical countermeasures. This study describes the clinical and pathological findings of mice infected with WEEV by the aerosol route, and use as a model for WEEV infection in humans. Balb/c mice were infected by the aerosol route with a dose range of high-virulence WEEV strain Fleming to establish the median lethal dose (MLD). The disease course was acute, culminating in severe clinical signs, neuroinvasion, and dose-dependent mortality. Further groups of mice were exposed by the aerosol route, periodically sacrificed, and tissues excised for histopathological examination and virology. Viral titres peaked four days post-challenge in the brain and lungs, corresponding with severe bilateral lesions in rostroventral regions of the encephalon, especially in the olfactory bulb and piriform cortex. Recapitulation of the most serious clinical presentations of human WEEV disease in mice may prove a useful tool in the evaluation of medical countermeasures.
Temperature and protein kinase C modulate myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity in pressurized rat cerebral arteries.

The effects of pharmacological activation and inhibition of protein kinase C (PKC) and temperature on the relationship between cytoplasmic Ca2+ and lumen diameter were studied in pressurized (50 mmHg) rat posterior cerebral arteries permeabilized with α-toxin. Increasing Ca2+ concentrations (30 nM-10 μM, 22°C) induced stable, concentration-dependent constrictions with a half-maximal effective concentration (EC50) of 112 nM. The maximal constriction was 80% of baseline diameter and 157% of that during depolarization of nonpermeabilized vessels with 124 mM KCl. Elevation of temperature to 37°C increased the EC50 to 246 nM and enhanced the steepness of concentration-response curves. Exposure of permeabilized arteries to indolactam V, an activator of PKC, resulted in a significant myofilament Ca2+sensitization (e.g., EC50 at 5 μM = 126 nM) without changing efficacy. The effects of calphostin C, a PKC inhibitor, on Ca2+sensitivity were minimal; however, the amplitude of Ca2+-induced constrictions in both control and indolactam-treated arteries was suppressed in a concentration-dependent manner. Thus 1) temperature is an important variable in studies of arterial Ca2+ sensitivity, and 2) changes in PKC activity can significantly alter both myofilament sensitivity to and constrictor efficacy of cytosolic Ca2+.