Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Examination of an axial-gap generator with ferrite permanent magnets realizing miniaturization and high output power of engine generators

In general engine generators, the engine and generator are separate units connected by a mechanical coupling. This tends to increase the package size of general engine generators. In this paper, we are able to achieve miniaturization and high output power of the generator by adopting an axial-gap structure through using ferrite permanent magnets. At the same time, the package size is reduced dramatically by integrating the axial-gap generator into the engine. This paper also discusses methods for reducing the eddy current losses that occur in the windings due to the open-slot structure of the stator core and occur in the rotor support component. By using results from three-dimensional finite element analysis, we show that the eddy current loss that occurs in the windings is reduced by using appropriate methods to wind the coils with rectangular wires. In addition, the eddy current loss that occurs in the rotor support component is decreased by appropriately selecting the material and changing the shape of the component. Experimental results show that the studied structure is effective for realizing miniaturization and high output power of the generator, as well as for decreasing the package size of the engine generator.
Single-cell twitching chemotaxis in developing biofilms

Significance Bacterial biofilms affect many aspects of our lives, from causing disease to promoting health and shaping many key processes in the environment. Despite this, surface-attached cells in biofilms are often portrayed as static and sluggish, a stark contrast to the energetic swimming they exhibit in liquid. Here we use microfluidic devices and automated cell tracking to challenge this view: We find that individual cells will actively move toward nutrients within a developing biofilm. This ability not only allows cells to seek out favored positions on a surface but our analyses show that they can regulate their movement with remarkable submicron precision. Our findings suggest we can systematically engineer biofilms by manipulating the movement of the cells from which they are founded. Bacteria form surface-attached communities, known as biofilms, which are central to bacterial biology and how they affect us. Although surface-attached bacteria often experience strong chemical gradients, it remains unclear whether single cells can effectively perform chemotaxis on surfaces. Here we use microfluidic chemical gradients and massively parallel automated tracking to study the behavior of the pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa during early biofilm development. We show that individual cells can efficiently move toward chemoattractants using pili-based “twitching” motility and the Chp chemosensory system. Moreover, we discovered the behavioral mechanism underlying this surface chemotaxis: Cells reverse direction more frequently when moving away from chemoattractant sources. These corrective maneuvers are triggered rapidly, typically before a wayward cell has ventured a fraction of a micron. Our work shows that single bacteria can direct their motion with submicron precision and reveals the hidden potential for chemotaxis within bacterial biofilms.
Octopus-like suction cups: from natural to artificial solutions

Octopus suckers are able to attach to all nonporous surfaces and generate a very strong attachment force. The well-known attachment features of this animal result from the softness of the sucker tissues and the surface morphology of the portion of the sucker that is in contact with objects or substrates. Unlike artificial suction cups, octopus suckers are characterized by a series of radial grooves that increase the area subjected to pressure reduction during attachment. In this study, we constructed artificial suction cups with different surface geometries and tested their attachment performances using a pull-off setup. First, smooth suction cups were obtained for casting; then, sucker surfaces were engraved with a laser cutter. As expected, for all the tested cases, the engraving treatment enhanced the attachment performance of the elastomeric suction cups compared with that of the smooth versions. Moreover, the results indicated that the surface geometry with the best attachment performance was the geometry most similar to octopus sucker morphology. The results obtained in this work can be utilized to design artificial suction cups with higher wet attachment performance.
Cyclic pregroups and natural language: a computational algebraic analysis

The calculus of pregroups is introduced by Lambek [1999] as an algebraic computational system for the grammatical analysis of natural languages. Pregroups are non commutative structures, but the syntax of natural languages shows a diffuse presence of cyclic patterns exhibited in different kinds of word order changes. The need of cyclic operations or transformations was envisaged both by Z. Harris and N. Chomsky, in the framework of generative transformational grammar. In this paper we propose an extension of the calculus of pregroups by introducing appropriate cyclic rules that will allow the grammar to formally analyze and compute word order and movement phenomena in different languages such as Persian, French, Italian, Dutch and Hungarian. This cross-linguistic analysis, although necessarily limited and not at all exhaustive, will allow the reader to grasp the essentials of a pregroup grammar, with particular reference to its straightforward way of computing linguistic information.
CULTIVO EM MASSA DE PLÂNCTON DE ÁGUA DOCE UTILIZADO NA ALIMENTAÇÃO DE LARVAS DE PEIXES: CUSTO/BENEFÍCIO E DIFICULDADES DE MANUTENÇÃO

No Brasil, alguns estudos tem enfatizado o cultivo em massa de plâncton de agua doce em laboratorio, como fonte de alimento para larvas e alevinos de peixes. A falta de uma tecnologia adequada que permita uma producao em massa de plâncton de agua doce a baixo custo, ainda nao apresentou nenhum avanco significativo no Brasil para atender as reais necessidades proteicas dos peixes.
Innate Immune Response to a Saponin Adjuvant in the Pig . Application of Gene Expression Profiling

Vaccination is one of the most powerful ways to prevent infectious diseases. Successful vaccines produce a long-term immunity including effector T and B lymphocytes. In this context, adjuvants have a key role in vaccines by stimulating the innate immunity and thereby enhancing and shaping the subsequent adaptive immune response. The aim of this thesis was to elucidate the early innate immune response to the saponin-based adjuvant Matrix-M in the pig. Gene expression profiling was applied to monitor the global transcriptional response to Matrix-M in vivo. The innate immune response was further characterized by quantitative PCR analysis in vivo and in vitro and the early immunomodulatory effect of Matrix-M was evaluated in a contact exposure model. A mild inflammation and a cellular influx were recorded at the injection site and in the draining lymph node 24 hours after intramuscular injection of Matrix-M in pigs. In accordance, microarray analysis detected transcriptional alterations of genes for cytokines, chemokines and pattern recognition receptors in both tissues. Interferonregulated genes were significantly overrepresented in these tissues, accompanied by increased gene expression for interferon-β in in the draining lymph node and interferon-α in blood. Transcriptional responses to Matrix-M in vitro were generally low but increased culture and exposure time affected genes for pro-inflammatory cytokines and TH cytokines in lymphocytes. Low levels of interferon-α gene expression were also detected in monocyte-derived dendritic cells. A contact exposure model was established to mimic field conditions when allocating grower pigs, by mixing pigs of various health statuses. After transport and mixing with conventionally reared pigs, all specific pathogen free (SPF) pigs in this model developed respiratory disease. Systemic symptoms that correlated with granulocyte counts, serum amyloid A levels and transcription of IL18 and TLR2 were provoked in two out of four SPF pigs that received saline prior to exposure, but not in those given Matrix-M. Taken together, the application of gene expression profiling successfully identified the induction of innate immune responses in porcine tissues and indicated that Matrix-M primes the host for further immune regulation. Thus, Matrix-M or similar saponin formulations are potentially useful clinical immunomodulators or adjuvants in emergency vaccines.
A Policy-Based Network Management Approach for Greening the Cloud Infrastructure

Cloud computing technology is gaining great popularity as a technological enabler for different types of organisations. It offers a great deal of benefits with respect to its pay-as-you-go elasticity and capability to scale. Due to the increasing demand for cloud-based solutions, many challenges have appeared and some of them are constraints to what the technology can potentially offer. Energy efficiency is considered one of the main challenges for cloud computing technologies. This research aims to investigate the power consumption issues in current cloud computing implementations. It also proposes a new concept to find out potential trade-off solutions between energy efficiency and performance using a policy-based network management approach.
Interleukin secretion, proteoglycan and procollagen alpha(1)(I) gene expression in Crouzon fibroblasts treated with basic fibroblast growth factor.

The present study provides the first evidence that fibroblasts obtained from patients affected by Crouzon syndrome, a rare craniosynostosis, despite mutations in the high-affinity bFGF receptor retain their capacity to respond to bFGF. The growth factor reduces IL-1 secretion, downregulates biglycan and procollagen alpha(1)(I), and increases betaglycan expression. Since betaglycan is a co-receptor for bFGF signalling, an alternative signal transduction pathway is suggested in Crouzon fibroblasts, to explain the documented changes in ECM macromolecule production.
Applying Cognitive Work Analysis to Study Airport Collaborative Decision Making Design

This paper outlines the usage of a Work Domain Analysis (WDA) for the assessment of operational information requirements for pilots during Airport Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM). A-CDM presents unique challenges for decision support during dispatch of aircraft and passengers. Decisions by participating airport partners require an understanding of own capabilities as well as the capabilities of participating actors like pilots, air traffic controllers, or other actors involved. While some situations can be pre-planned, decision makers during turn-round operation will always be faced with unanticipated situations resulting from unknown variables in the environment or technological capabilities. Work Domain Analysis (WDA) is a technique which allows to model systems by using event-independent representations that can be used to cope with such unanticipated situations. However, to confirm that this technique can be applied usefully, an early validation is required to ascertain that the WDA is relevant to the problem context. This paper presents an approach for confirming a WDA by using pilots as subject matter experts (SMEs) during aircraft turn-round. Firstly, pilots’ operational information requirements were identified via an Abstraction-Decomposition Space (ADS) of the A-CDM system developed by the analysis. Then, pilots were asked via a survey to report about events where problems with operational information sharing were encountered during turn-round. Finally, these events experienced by the pilots were mapped through the pilots’ information requirements derived from the ADS. The results reveal that pilots’ information requirements are not entirely satisfied by current approach to ACDM and provide confirmation for the usefulness of the WDA to the proposed application as a technique for an A-CDM interface design cycle.
Measure the Performance with the Market Value Added: Evidence from CSR Companies

An increasing number of firms in OECD countries are obtaining certification as Socially Responsible. Literature is sensitive in testing whether there is a relation between firm performance and Social Responsibility certification. In order to overcome problems related to the multiplicity of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) definitions and certifications, our work implements a CSR index based on the intersection between two of the three main international indices (Domini 400 Social Index, Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and FTSE4Good Index). By using this database in a panel framework, our work shows that among Corporate Performance Measures (CPF), Market Value Added (MVA) is affected by a firm’s social responsible behaviour and certification. The results support the idea that CSR firms have better long-run performance. Thanks to the reputation effect, they achieve higher sales volumes and profits and a reduction in long-run costs: these effects compensate the costs due to the certification.
Expression of Twist Gene in Primary Liver Cancer *

In order to investigate the possibility of overexpression of Twist in primary liver cancer (PLC), the Twist expression was detected by using immunohistochemical analysis and RT-PCR assay in 45 patients with PLC. Control tissues were obtained from 9 patients with liver hemangioma. It was found that in 36 (80.0%) out of 45 PLC patients, cancerous regions showed positive cytoplasm and nucleus staining for Twist with a diffuse pattern. In noncancerous adjacent areas and control liver tissues, the expression of Twist was 57.8% and 22.2% respectively. The results of RT-PCR assay revealed that the expression of Twist was stronger in the cancerous tissues than that in the noncancerous adjacent tissues. It was suggested that the expression of Twist was up-regulated in PLC, which play an important role in the progression of PLC.
Visualização de Informação aplicada à compreensão de resultados de Recuperação de Imagens Baseada em Conteúdo

A Visualizacao de Informacao se propoe a representar dados abstratos graficamente, de modo a melhorar a compreensao dos mesmos. Sistemas de recuperacao de imagens baseada em conteudo (Content-Based Image Retrieval - CBIR) produzem grandes volumes de dados, que, muitas vezes, sao exibidos de modo pouco compreensivel. Tendo em vista este cenario, este artigo tem como objetivo propor e avaliar tecnicas de visualizacao de informacao que otimizem a exibicao de resultados de sistemas de CBIR. Foram desenvolvidas duas tecnicas bidimensionais e duas tridimensionais. Por meio de avaliacao com usuarios, constatou-se que as tecnicas bidimensionais propostas foram as mais eficientes em melhorar a compreensao dos resultados no contexto analisado.
Declining Prevalence of HIV-Infected Individuals at Risk of Transmitting Drug-Resistant HIV in Denmark during 1997–2004

Background Transmission of drug-resistant HIV is a potential threat to the substantial clinical benefit of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). To explore the background for the low rates of drug resistance transmission (2–5%) in our population, we estimated acquisition of HIV drug resistance and examined temporal trends in the prevalence of patients at risk of transmitting drug-resistant HIV. Methods The study population included all 4,025 patients from The Danish HIV Cohort Study seen during the period 1995–2004. Virological failure to a given drug class was defined as a viral load (VL) >1,000 copies/ml for 120 days while on a HAART regimen including that drug class. In addition, receiving nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) for 180 days before HAART counted as NRTI failure irrespective of VL. Having experienced failure was considered a proxy for harbouring drug-resistant virus in subsequent observation time. Patients with a current VL >1,000 copies/ml were considered at risk of transmitting HIV. Results We found a decrease from 1997 to 2004 in the prevalence of potential transmitters of drug-resistant HIV. The number of these patients with previous NRTI failure decreased from 429 (24% of all patients) in 1998 to 213 (8.0% of all patients) in 2004. Previous protease inhibitor (PI) failure peaked at 279 (14%) in 1999, declining to 142 (5.3%) in 2004. Previous NNRTI failure peaked at 121 patients (4.7%) in 2002, and occurred in 113 patients (4.2%) in 2004. Of all 686 potential transmitters in 2004, 31% had previously experienced NRTI failure, 21% PI failure, and 16% non-NRTI failure. Conclusion In the population of HIV-infected individuals in Denmark with complete follow-up, the number at risk of transmitting drug-resistant virus declined over time.
Development and psychometric testing of the nurses' attitudes toward obesity and obese patients (NATOOPS) scale.

This study was designed to develop and test an instrument to measure nurses' attitudes towards obesity and obese adult patients. Items were based on an earlier version of the instrument, obesity discrimination research, and clinical experience. After content validation of items, the instrument was sent to 1,400 randomly selected Registered Nurses. Factor analysis yielded a 5-factor solution, with 36 items reaching loadings of . 4 or greater. Cronbach's alpha was . 81 for the reduced scale, with a range of . 45 to . 79 on the five factors. Construct validity was supported by significant differences between contrast groups on three factors and consistency with underlying theory. Overall the instrument demonstrated acceptable psychometric properties and could be used in future research.
Startup and commissioning procedures for electronically line-shafted paper machine drives

Electronic line-shafting control has demonstrated very promising features when applied to paper machine drives. To apply this new control methodology, it is necessary to develop a starting procedure for each individual section and a method for setting the parameters of the virtual line-shaft drive and in-shafts. This paper proposes and evaluates startup and commissioning procedures for electronically line-shafted paper machine drives. The procedure for acceleration of the individual sections is implemented using virtual, variable-ratio gearboxes that emulate the physical clutches and conical pulleys used in the era of line-shafts. System stiffness is implemented using virtual in-shafts with active damping. Evaluation shows that the proposed virtual clutch/conical pulley assembly and active damping allow smooth acceleration of each section and maintain well behaved response during load disturbances for all operating conditions, even with different number of sections effectively connected.
Mortality in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with low-dose oral glucocorticoids. A population-based cohort study.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate mortality and causes of death in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with low-dose oral glucocorticoids. METHODS Mortality was analyzed in population-based data of 604 patients with RA. In the original study in 1988, state of general health, severity of RA, and treatment including the use of oral glucocorticoids were recorded. In 1999 vital status and causes of death were evaluated. Mortality in patients with RA who had not received glucocorticoids (Group A, n = 209) was compared to that in patients treated with glucocorticoids for less than 10 years (Group B, n = 276) or for more than 10 years (Group C, n = 119). RESULTS From onset of RA to 1999, 395 (65%) patients had been treated with oral glucocorticoids. In 1999 a total of 160 (26%) patients had died, 23% of patients in Group A, 21% in Group B, and 45% in Group C. In multivariate Cox regression analysis, male sex (hazard ratio 2.50; 95% CI 1.74-3.59), impaired functional capacity by Health Assessment Questionnaire (HR 2.11; 95% CI 1.65-2.96), heart failure (HR 1.96; 95% CI 1.36-2.84), and diabetes (HR 1.87; 95% CI 1.17-3.01) predicted increased mortality. In the same analysis glucocorticoid treatment for 1 year increased the mortality risk by 14% (HR 1.14; 95% CI 0.98-1.27, p = 0.057) and treatment over 10 years by 69% (HR 1.69; 95% CI 1.12-2.56, p = 0.011) compared to RA patients without treatment. The major cause of death was cardiovascular disease in all groups, but infections and intestinal perforations due to amyloidosis were more frequent in patients with long-lasting glucocorticoid therapy. Lymphomas were more frequent in all patients treated with glucocorticoids (Groups B and C) than in those not receiving glucocorticoids. CONCLUSION Patients with RA treated with low-dose oral glucocorticoids for more than 10 years had increased mortality compared to those who did not receive glucocorticoids or whose duration of treatment was less than 10 years. The increased mortality was related mainly to infections and complications caused by systemic amyloidosis.
Mice Lacking the ISG 15 E 1 Enzyme UbE 1 L Demonstrate Increased Susceptibility to both Mouse-Adapted and Non-Mouse-Adapted Influenza B Virus Infection

Mice Lacking the ISG15 E1 Enzyme UbE1L Demonstrate Increased Susceptibility to both Mouse-Adapted and Non-Mouse-Adapted Influenza B Virus Infection Caroline Lai, Jessica J. Struckhoff, Jana Schneider, Luis Martinez-Sobrido, Thorsten Wolff, Adolfo García-Sastre, Dong-Er Zhang,† and Deborah J. Lenschow* Departments of Internal Medicine and Pathology & Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110; Robert Koch-Institute, P15, 13353 Berlin, Germany; Department of Microbiology, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, and Emerging Pathogens Institute, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York 10029; and The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California
Phosphorylation of Cdc25B3 Ser169 regulates 14-3-3 binding to Ser151 and Cdc25B activity

Cdc25B is a major regulator of G2 phase progression into mitosis and in recovery from a G2 phase checkpoint arrest. The activity of Cdc25B is regulated by 14-3-3 dimer binding to a high-affinity phosphosite Ser323 and two lower-affinity phosphosites Ser151 and Ser230, which blocks substrate access to the catalytic site and, thereby, activity. Loss of 14-3-3 binding to any of these sites is sufficient to activate the enzyme. Thus, the mechanisms that disrupt 14-3-3 binding are critical regulators of entry into mitosis. Here, we demonstrate that the mechanism regulating the G2 phase activation of major cdc25B3 isoform is independent of the dephosphorylation of the 14-3-3 binding sites, instead utilizing phosphorylation of Ser169. Mutation of this site to the phosphomimetic Asp reduced 14-3-3 binding to the same extent as Ser151Ala mutation, increased substrate access to the catalytic site and Cdc25B activity but had no effect on Ser151 or Ser230 phosphorylation. Ser169 phosphorylation was observed in G2-phase cells. By contrast, Ser249 phosphorylation, which was associated with cyclin B/Cdk1 activation, had no effect on 14-3-3 binding or Cdc25B activity. This indicates that Ser169 phosphorylation can disrupt 14-3-3 binding to Ser151 activating Cdc25B3, providing a mechanism for regulating Cdc25B3 activation without dephosphorylation of the 14-3-3 binding sites.