Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Repair of Block Masonry Panels with CFRP Sheets

In the 1980s, block masonry started to be widely used for new constructions in Italy’s earthquake prone areas. However, recent seismic events demonstrated that block masonry buildings may need to be repaired after earthquakes due to cracking. Construction defects are the main cause for cracking of block work masonry. Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets have been used as a local repair method for non-defective and defective wall panels. An experimental program was formulated to investigate the shear behavior of block masonry walls repaired with CFRP sheets. A total of six wall panels were constructed in the laboratory and tested in shear (in-plane lateral loading). It was found that, although the control (non-defective) wall panels had a high ultimate load capacity, the use of CFRPs reduces the effects of construction defects and restores the lateral load capacity in non-defective walls. Overall, this research suggests that the use of epoxy-bonded CFRP sheets could be used for local repair of cracked wall panels.
Stochastic Model Predictive Control for Microgrid Management Based on PV Power Prediction

This paper is concerned with a stochastic model predictive control (SMPC) method for power management of a microgrid with large-scale photovoltaic (PV) energy supply. Recently, PV power generation has been in-creasing in total energy supply of electric power grids. For the management of microgrids, it is important to explicitly take account of the prediction of PV power generation because it heavily depends on the weather and hence is unstable. We propose a method for microgrid management by combining the SMPC and the PV power prediction. In our method, the PV power is predicted by Just-In-Time modeling from the weather forecast data. We demonstrate the eﬀectiveness of the proposed method by numerical simulations.
Density functional study of structural, electronic and magnetic properties of new half-metallic ferromagnetic double perovskite Sr2MnVO6

In this paper, a new half-metallic (HM) double perovskite compound is predicted with the simultaneous presence of ferromagnetism and polar distortion. The structural, electronic and magnetic properties of Sr2MnVO6 (SMVO) are calculated by density functional theory (DFT) with both generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and GGA + U approaches, where U is the on-site Coulomb interaction parameter. Different orderings of B (B′) cationic sites in A2BB′O6 double perovskite structure are evaluated, including rocksalt, columnar and layered arrangements for cubic, monoclinic and tetragonal crystal structures. It is found that the most stable ordering is obtained when B and B′ are placed in a layered type ordering for a tetragonal crystal structure with I4/m space group, which is confirmed by phonon calculations. The B-site ordering of the Mn3+ and V5+ ions in a layered configuration leads to ferromagnetically coupled magnetic moments of 4.17 µB at Mn site and 0.23 µB at V site. Finally, SMVO is found to be a half-metallic ferromagnetic (HM-FM) compound with a band gap of 0.65 eV in a spin down channel with off-centered displacement of V atoms in the octahedral cage (second order Jahn -Teller effect) which can cause ferroelectricity. Therefore, SMVO is predicted to be a polar HM material and a promising candidate for multiferroic property with potential application in spintronics.
Determinants of physical activity: A path model based on an ecological model of active living

Maintaining physical activity is necessary to promote health in our daily lives. The Ecological Model of Active Living was proposed to examine whether individuals participate in active living. The purpose of this study was to understand the determinants of physical activity and create a predictive path model of the intrapersonal, perceived environment, behavior settings, and policy environment domains. Data were obtained from open government data and questionnaires, including the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, Health Belief Model Inventory, Physical Activity Neighborhood Environment Survey, and Accessibility of Open Spaces. Participants comprised 1085 healthy adults who completed a self-reported internet survey. An analysis of the intrapersonal domain revealed that the variables of female, an older age, and a low educational level, and individuals with obesity or cardiometabolic diseases presented lower odds ratios for active living. We found significant statistical support for our path model (The Ecological Model of Active Living), with a predictive power of 23.1%. The predictive path model is a good approach to quantitatively measure the impacts of various determinants on active living that suggests further lines of research in approaches for modeling relationships.
Influences of primary emission and secondary coating formation on the particle diversity and mixing state of black carbon particles.

The mixing state of black carbon (BC) affects its environmental fate and impacts. This work investigates particle diversity and mixing state for refractory BC (rBC) containing particles in an urban environment. The chemical compositions of individual rBC-containing particles were measured, from which a mixing state index and particle diversity were determined. The mixing state index (χ) varied between 26 % and 69% with the average of 48% in this study, and was slightly enhanced with the photochemical age of air masses, indicating that most of the rBC-containing particles cannot be simply explained by fully externally and internally mixed model. Clustering of single particle measurements was used to investigate the potential effects of different primary emissions and atmospheric processes on rBC-containing particle diversity and mixing state. The average particle species diversity and the bulk population species diversity both increased with primary traffic emissions and elevated nitrate concentrations in the morning but gradually decreased with secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation in the afternoon. The single particle clustering results illustrate that primary traffic emissions and entrainment of nitrate-containing rBC particles from the residual layer to the surface could lead to more heterogeneous aerosol compositions, whereas substantial fresh SOA formation near vehicular emissions made the rBC-containing particles more homogeneous. This work highlights the importance of considering particle diversity and mixing state for investigating the chemical evolution of rBC-containing particles and the potential effects of coating on BC absorption enhancement.
Recombinant Chimeric Transmissible Gastroenteritis Virus (TGEV)—Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDV) Virus Provides Protection against Virulent PEDV

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is an enteric coronavirus causing high morbidity and mortality in porcine herds worldwide. Although both inactivated and live attenuated vaccines have been extensively used, the emergence of highly virulent strains and the recurrent outbreaks even in vaccinated farms highlight the need of effective vaccines. Engineering of genetically defined live attenuated vaccines is a rational approach for novel vaccine development. In this line, we engineered an attenuated virus based on the transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) genome, expressing a chimeric spike protein from a virulent United States (US) PEDV strain. This virus (rTGEV-RS-SPEDV) was attenuated in highly-sensitive five-day-old piglets, as infected animals did not lose weight and none of them died. In addition, the virus caused very minor tissue damage compared with a virulent virus. The rTGEV-RS-SPEDV vaccine candidate was also attenuated in three-week-old animals that were used to evaluate the protection conferred by this virus, compared with the protection induced by infection with a virulent PEDV US strain (PEDV-NVSL). The rTGEV-RS-SPEDV virus protected against challenge with a virulent PEDV strain, reducing challenge virus titers in jejunum and leading to undetectable challenge virus RNA levels in feces. The rTGEV-RS-SPEDV virus induced a humoral immune response specific for PEDV, including neutralizing antibodies. Altogether, the data indicated that rTGEV-RS-SPEDV is a promising vaccine candidate against virulent PEDV infection.
Regional Temperature Response in Central Asia to National Committed Emission Reductions

National committed greenhouse gas emission reduction actions are the center of the Paris Agreement, and are known as ‘Intended Nationally Determined Contributions’ (INDC) that aim to slow down global warming. The climate response to INDC emission reduction is a focus in climate change science. In this study, data from 32 global climate models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) were applied to investigate the changes in the mean and extreme high temperatures in Central Asia (CA) under the INDC scenario above the present-day level. The results show that the magnitude of warming in CA is remarkably higher than the global mean. Almost all the regions in CA will experience more intense, more frequent, and longer-lasting extreme high-temperature events. In comparison with the INDC scenario, the reduced warming of the 2.0 °C/1.5 °C target scenarios will help avoid approximately 44–61%/65–80% of the increase in extreme temperature events in terms of the intensity, frequency, and duration in CA. These results contribute to an improved understanding of the benefits of limiting global warming to the 2.0 °C/1.5 °C targets, which is paramount for mitigation and adaptation planning.
Food Addiction Is Associated with Irrational Beliefs via Trait Anxiety and Emotional Eating

Irrational beliefs (IB) are believed, in cognitive behavioral therapies, to be a prime cause of psychopathologies including anxiety, depression, problem eating, and alcohol misuse. “Food addiction” (FA), which has been modeled on diagnostic criteria for substance use disorder, and emotional eating (EE) have both been implicated in the rise in overweight and obesity. Both FA and EE are associated with anxiety. Thus, in the present study, the hypothesis that IB is associated with FA and with EE was tested. Furthermore, possible mediation of these relationships by trait anxiety and depression (and EE for IB and FA) was examined. The responses of 239 adult participants to questionnaires measuring FA, IB, EE, depression, trait anxiety, and anthropometrics were recorded. The results revealed that IB was significantly positively correlated with FA and EE (and depression and trait anxiety). Furthermore, only EE mediated the effect of IB on FA and this was not moderated by BMI. Finally, trait anxiety (but not depression) mediated the effect of IB on EE. Exploratory analysis revealed a significant serial mediation such that IB predicted higher FA via elevated trait anxiety and emotional eating in that order. The results of this study suggest that IB may be a source of the anxiety that is associated with EE and FA and suggest that clinicians may find IB a target for treatment of those persons who report experiences of EE and FA. IB may play a role in food misuse that leads to elevated BMI.
Three-Dimensional Free Vibration Analysis of Thermally Loaded FGM Sandwich Plates

Using the finite element code ABAQUS and the user-defined material utilities UMAT and UMATHT, a solid brick graded finite element is developed for three-dimensional (3D) modeling of free vibrations of thermally loaded functionally gradient material (FGM) sandwich plates. The mechanical and thermal material properties of the FGM sandwich plates are assumed to vary gradually in the thickness direction, according to a power-law fraction distribution. Benchmark problems are firstly considered to assess the performance and accuracy of the proposed 3D graded finite element. Comparisons with the reference solutions revealed high efficiency and good capabilities of the developed element for the 3D simulations of thermomechanical and vibration responses of FGM sandwich plates. Some parametric studies are carried out for the frequency analysis by varying the volume fraction profile and the temperature distribution across the plate thickness.
Tobacco Control Policy in Scotland: A Qualitative Study of Expert Views on Successes, Challenges and Future Actions

The Scottish Government launched a tobacco control strategy in 2013 with the ambition of making Scotland tobacco smoke-free by 2034. However, 17% of the adult population in Scotland smoke cigarettes. This study aimed to provide insight into why policies are successful or not and provide suggestions for future policy actions. Individual interviews with ten tobacco control experts were conducted and the results were analyzed using thematic analysis. Key successes included strong political leadership, mass media campaigns, legislation to address availability and marketing of cigarettes and tobacco products, and legislation to reduce second-hand smoke exposure. Challenges included implementing policy actions, monitoring and evaluation of tobacco control actions, addressing health inequalities in smoking prevalence, and external factors that influenced the success of policy actions. Key suggestions put forward for future policy actions included addressing the price and availability of tobacco products, maintaining strong political leadership on tobacco control, building on the success of the ‘Take it Right Outside’ mass media campaign with further mass media campaigns to tackle other aspects of tobacco control, and developing and testing methods of addressing inequalities in cigarette smoking prevalence. The findings of this study can inform future tobacco control policy in Scotland and have relevance for tobacco control policies in other countries.
Conserved residue His-257 of Vibrio cholerae flavin transferase ApbE plays a critical role in substrate binding and catalysis

The flavin transferase ApbE plays essential roles in bacterial physiology, covalently incorporating FMN cofactors into numerous respiratory enzymes that use the integrated cofactors as electron carriers. In this work we performed a detailed kinetic and structural characterization of Vibrio cholerae WT ApbE and mutants of the conserved residue His-257, to understand its role in substrate binding and in the catalytic mechanism of this family. Bi-substrate kinetic experiments revealed that ApbE follows a random Bi Bi sequential kinetic mechanism, in which a ternary complex is formed, indicating that both substrates must be bound to the enzyme for the reaction to proceed. Steady-state kinetic analyses show that the turnover rates of His-257 mutants are significantly smaller than those of WT ApbE, and have increased Km values for both substrates, indicating that the His-257 residue plays important roles in catalysis and in enzyme-substrate complex formation. Analyses of the pH dependence of ApbE activity indicate that the pKa of the catalytic residue (pKES1) increases by 2 pH units in the His-257 mutants, suggesting that this residue plays a role in substrate deprotonation. The crystal structures of WT ApbE and an H257G mutant were determined at 1.61 and 1.92 Å resolutions, revealing that His-257 is located in the catalytic site and that the substitution does not produce major conformational changes. We propose a reaction mechanism in which His-257 acts as a general base that deprotonates the acceptor residue, which subsequently performs a nucleophilic attack on FAD for flavin transfer.
Trypanosoma brucei ribonuclease H2A is an essential R-loop processing enzyme whose loss causes DNA damage during transcription initiation and antigenic variation

Abstract Ribonucleotides represent a threat to DNA genome stability and transmission. Two types of Ribonuclease H (RNase H) excise ribonucleotides when they form part of the DNA strand, or hydrolyse RNA when it base-pairs with DNA in structures termed R-loops. Loss of either RNase H is lethal in mammals, whereas yeast survives the absence of both enzymes. RNase H1 loss is tolerated by the parasite Trypanosoma brucei but no work has examined the function of RNase H2. Here we show that loss of T. brucei RNase H2 (TbRH2A) leads to growth and cell cycle arrest that is concomitant with accumulation of nuclear damage at sites of RNA polymerase (Pol) II transcription initiation, revealing a novel and critical role for RNase H2. Differential gene expression analysis reveals limited overall changes in RNA levels for RNA Pol II genes after TbRH2A loss, but increased perturbation of nucleotide metabolic genes. Finally, we show that TbRH2A loss causes R-loop and DNA damage accumulation in telomeric RNA Pol I transcription sites, also leading to altered gene expression. Thus, we demonstrate separation of function between two nuclear T. brucei RNase H enzymes during RNA Pol II transcription, but overlap in function during RNA Pol I-mediated gene expression during host immune evasion.
An improved method to isolate primary human osteocytes from bone

Abstract Osteocytes are of high importance in bone metabolism as they orchestrate bone remodeling, react to mechanosensory stimuli and have endocrine functions. In vitro investigations with osteocytes are therefore of high relevance for biomaterial and drug testing. The application of primary human cells instead of rodent osteocyte cell lines like MLOY4 and IDG SW3 is desirable but provides the challenge of isolating these cells, which are deeply embedded into the mineralized bone matrix. The present study describes an improved protocol for the isolation of human primary osteocytes. In contrast to an already established protocol, resting steps between the demineralization /digestion steps of the bone particles considerably improved the yield of osteocytes. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis revealed the expression of typical osteocyte markers like osteocalcin, E11/podoplanin and dentin matrix protein 1 (DMP-1).
Building generalized linear models with ultrahigh dimensional features: A sequentially conditional approach

Conditional screening approaches have emerged as a powerful alternative to the commonly used marginal screening, as they can identify marginally weak but conditionally important variables. However, most existing conditional screening methods need to fix the initial conditioning set, which may determine the ultimately selected variables. If the conditioning set is not properly chosen, the methods may produce false negatives and positives. Moreover, screening approaches typically need to involve tuning parameters and extra modeling steps in order to reach a final model. We propose a sequential conditioning approach by dynamically updating the conditioning set with an iterative selection process. We provide its theoretical properties under the framework of generalized linear models. Powered by an extended Bayesian information criterion as the stopping rule, the method will lead to a final model without the need to choose tuning parameters or threshold parameters. The practical utility of the proposed method is examined via extensive simulations and analysis of a real clinical study on predicting multiple myeloma patients’ response to treatment based on their genomic profiles.
Pharmacological interventions for the prevention of fetal growth restriction: protocol for a systematic review and network meta-analysis

Introduction Fetal growth restriction (FGR) includes different conditions in which a fetus fails to reach the own full growth, and accounts for 28%–45% of non-anomalous stillbirths. The management of FGR is based on the prolongation of pregnancy long enough for fetal organs to mature while preventing starvation. As for pharmacological management, most guidelines recommend treatment with low-dose aspirin and/or with heparin, although this approach is still controversial and innovative promising therapies are under investigation. As no firm evidence exists to guide clinicians towards the most effective therapeutic intervention, this protocol describes methods for a systematic review and network meta-analysis (NetMA) of pharmacological treatments for FGR prevention. Methods and analysis We will search MEDLINE and Embase for clinical trials and observational studies performed on gestating women with clinically diagnosed risk of FGR. Experimental interventions will include heparin and low-molecular-weight heparin, acetylsalicylic acid, antiplatelet agents, phosphodiesterase type 3 and 5 inhibitors, maternal vascular endothelial growth factor gene therapy, nanoparticles, microRNA, statins, nitric oxide donors, hydrogen sulphide, proton pump inhibitors, melatonin, creatine and N-acetylcysteine, and insulin-like growth factors, compared between each other or to placebo or no treatment. Primary efficacy outcome is FGR. Secondary efficacy outcomes will be preterm birth, fetal or neonatal death and neonatal complications. For the safety outcome, all adverse events reported in included studies and experienced by either mothers, fetuses or newborns will be considered. Two review authors will independently screen title, abstract and full paper text, and will independently extract data from included studies. Where possible and appropriate, for primary and secondary efficacy outcomes, a NetMA will be performed using a random-effects model within a frequentist framework. Adverse events will be narratively described. Ethics and dissemination Results will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed scientific journal, and by scientific congresses and meetings. PROSPERO registration number CRD42019122831.
Silicon Optical Waveguides: State of the Art

State of the art of most popular passive device-silicon optical waveguide is discussed here. The first wave guiding through the single layer crystal silicon waveguide to the recent silicon based hybrid plasmonic waveguide and reconfigurable photonic crystal waveguide are covered sequentially. The development of the technologies or fabrication methods to fabricate the waveguide and its performance in terms of losses are considered.
Not Getting What You Want? The Impact of Income Comparisons on Subjective Well-Being—Findings of a Population-Based Longitudinal Study in Germany

Previous studies have mainly focused on interindividual income comparisons (e.g., comparisons with colleagues or neighbors), whereas intraindividual income comparisons (i.e., difference between factual income and expectations) have rarely been investigated in well-being research. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the role of intraindividual income comparisons on subjective well-being (negative/positive emotions and life satisfaction) longitudinally. Data from 2005 to 2013 (biannually) were used from the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP), a nationally representative, longitudinal study. Affective well-being (negative and positive emotions) were quantified by using the affective well-being scale-SOEP. Life satisfaction was quantified using the widely used one-item form. Intraindividual income comparisons were analyzed by using the distance between the own individual income and fair income (“how high would your net income have to be in order to be just”). We tested whether negative (i.e., factual income was lower than their self-rated just income) and positive income comparisons (otherwise) affect the outcome measures differently. Fixed effects regressions showed that positive emotions increased with positive income comparisons in the total sample (β = 0.16, p < 0.05). In contrast, negative income comparisons neither affect negative emotions nor satisfaction with life. Strategies to shift income expectations might be beneficial for increasing positive emotions.