Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Physical, Chemical and Mineralogical Characterization of Construction and Demolition Waste Produced in Greece

 Abstract — Construction industry in Greece consumes annually more than 25 million tons of natural aggregates originating mainly from quarries. At the same time, more than 2 million tons of construction and demolition waste are deposited every year, usually without control, therefore increasing the environmental impact of this sector. A potential alternative for saving natural resources and minimize landfilling, could be the recycling and re-use of Concrete and Demolition Waste (CDW) in concrete production. Moreover, in order to conform to the European legislation, Greece is obliged to recycle non-hazardous construction and demolition waste to a minimum of 70% by 2020. In this paper characterization of recycled materials - commercially and laboratory produced, coarse and fine, Recycled Concrete Aggregates (RCA) - has been performed. Namely, X-Ray Fluorescence and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis were used for chemical and mineralogical analysis respectively. Physical properties such as particle density, water absorption, sand equivalent and resistance to fragmentation were also determined. This study, first time made in Greece, aims at outlining the differences between RCA and natural aggregates and evaluating their possible influence in concrete performance. Results indicate that RCA’s chemical composition is enriched in Si, Al, and alkali oxides compared to natural aggregates. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses results indicated the presence of calcite, quartz and minor peaks of mica and feldspars. From all the evaluated physical properties of coarse RCA, only water absorption and resistance to fragmentation seem to have a direct influence on the properties of concrete. Low Sand Equivalent and significantly high water absorption values indicate that fine fractions of RCA cannot be used for concrete production unless further processed. Chemical properties of RCA in terms of water soluble ions are similar to those of natural aggregates. Four different concrete mixtures were produced and examined, replacing natural coarse aggregates with RCA by a ratio of 0%, 25%, 50% and 75% respectively. Results indicate that concrete mixtures containing recycled concrete aggregates have a minor deterioration of their properties (3-9% lower compression strength at 28 days) compared to conventional concrete containing the same cement quantity.
Role of substrate on larval development of the freshwater teleost Pelvicachromis pulcher

It is known that, in an aquatic environment, the mineralogical composition of the substrate can affect the structure of settled communities. In marine environments, the presence of quartz negatively influences the formation of biofilm, as well as the selection and the colonization of the substrate by benthic organisms. Direct laboratory observation revealed that the freshwater teleost Pelivicachromis pulcher selects, when available, nonquartzitic brooding substrate. To monitor the effects of substrate on larvae development, ten lots of embryos were distributed in grid nurseries; carbonatic gravel was laid in five of the nurseries, while freshly fractured quartz gravel was used in the remaining ones. All the embryos laid in the two nurseries hatched, and 90% of the carbonate developing larvae reached adulthood, while 100% of those reared on quartz grain died 120 hr post hatching. Examination was made, both in larvae developed on carbonatic substrates and in those developed on quartz substrates, of the expression of the fetal growth factor, the insulin growth factor‐II (IGF‐II), of the molecular chaperone, the heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), which is involved in the folding of the nascent polypeptide chain, of the key enzyme of the glycolytic pathway, the glyceraldehyde‐3‐phosphate dehydrogenase (GADPH), and of the housekeeping gene, the β‐actin. All the data were normalized against 18S RNA expression. In larvae reared on quartz substrate, the genes IGF‐II and the β‐actin showed a lower expression, while the GADPH was totally suppressed and the expression of HSP70 increased. In conclusion, the data presented in this article demonstrated, for the first time, that the presence of quarzitic substrates is sufficient to stop larvae development through the inhibition of gene transcription in this African cichlid, leading to its death. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 66: 256–263, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Interfacial Characterization and Optimal Preparation of Novel Bamboo Plastic Composite Engineering Materials

To blaze new trails for utilizing forestry processing residue, higher plant content biocomposites were proposed based on a combination of moso bamboo flour/silane KH550/high density polyethylene (HDPE), and the materials were characterized by diffractometry, spectroscopy, microscopy, and calorimetry. During surface modification, reactions between bamboo and silane occurred on the lignin aldehyde group. After 6 wt% KH550 treatment, crystallinity of bamboo was increased by 1.11 %, and melting temperature and enthalpy of the composite rose by 2.37 °C and 5.27 J/g, agreeing with improved interface morphology. Increasing in thickness from 3 to 9 mm, the physical and mechanical properties of composite were improved overall. Bamboo content caused the biggest influence, while thickness swelling exhibited the greatest susceptibility. Increasing the bamboo ratio boosted flexural and tensile properties, but it compromised toughness and water resistance, while silane and moulding parameters featured complicated relationships regarding performances. Combining an artificial neural network (ANN), KH550 3 wt%, moulding temperature of 180 °C, and a time of 8 min endowed 9 mm composites of 70 wt% bamboo with performance comparable to load bearing MDF in GB/T 11718. This research helped establish the first “Bamboo Plastic Composite” standard proposed by the authors for the Chinese forestry industry.
Rates of depression at 3 and 15 months poststroke and their relationship with cognitive decline: the Sydney Stroke Study.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the frequency and correlates of depression at 3 and 15 months after stroke. METHODS A total of 164 consecutive eligible stroke patients and 100 comparison subjects received extensive medical, psychiatric, and neuropsychological assessments; a subset also received magnetic resonance imaging scans. Comprehensive assessments included ratings for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition major or minor depression at 3-6 months (index assessment) and 15 months (follow-up assessment) after stroke. The comparison subjects, who were similar in age and sex, were similarly assessed twice, 12 months apart. RESULTS Major or minor depression was present in 12.0% of stroke patients at index assessment and in 20.7% at follow-up which included 18 new cases (13.4%). By follow-up, stroke patients with depression had significantly greater impairment of functional ability and global cognition than nondepressed stroke patients or comparison subjects. Depression was not associated with age, intellectual decline prior to stroke or side or severity of stroke. Patients who experienced a TIA or stroke during the follow-up, who had developed dementia by three months or who were not living with a relative or partner were more likely to be depressed at follow-up. Dementia at 3 months predicted depression, but the reverse did not hold. CONCLUSION Depression may be less frequent after stroke than previously reported and is related to cumulative vascular brain pathology rather than side and severity of single strokes. Clinicians should strive to slow the progression of cerebrovascular disease and encourage greater social support.
Shared Neighbor Clustering Approach based on Affinity Propagation

Data Exploration arise naturally in many domains, and have regularly presented a great challenge for traditional data mining techniques, both in terms of effectiveness and efficiency. Clustering becomes difficult due to the increasing sparsity of such data, as well as the increasing difficulty in distinguishing distances between data points. In this paper, we propose shared neighbour Clustering approach based on the affinity propagation in the data points on high dimensional data. Proposed Technique not only takes advantage of the affinity propagation algorithm in terms similarity estimation through multi distance function and also possesses to prune the noisy attributes which characterises through Hubness property. It is good measure of point centrality within a highdimensional data cluster and that major hubs can be used effectively as cluster prototypes. The evaluation shows that our algorithms frequently offer improvements in cluster quality and homogeneity in the multiple setting.
Progesterone receptors in normal mammary gland: receptor modulations in relation to differentiation

The biological basis for the observed modulation in cytoplasmic progesterone receptors (PgR) of normal mammary gland occurring during mammary development was investigated. Specifically, the relative roles of hormones vs. differentiation on (a) the decrease in PgR concentration during pregnancy and lactation and (b) the loss of mammary responsiveness to estrogen during lactation were examined. PgR were measured using the synthetic progestin, R5020, as the ligand. The hormones estrogen and progesterone were tested in vivo for their effect of PgR concentration. Mammary gland differentiation was assessed morphologically and by measuring enzymatically active alpha- lactalbumin. These studies show that there is a stepwise decrease in PgR that occurs in two stages. The first decrease is completed by day 12 of pregnancy and the second decrease occurs only after parturition. There appears to be a hormonal basis for the first decrease and it appears to be caused by the negative effect of progesterone on estrogen- mediated increase in PgR. In direct contrast, the absence of PgR during lactation and the mammary tissue insensitivity to estrogenic stimulation of PgR were not related to the hormonal milieu of lactation but were directly related to the secretory state of the mammary gland and lactation per se.
Changes over time in the self-reported level of response to alcohol.

AIMS A low level of response to alcohol, or the need for a higher number of drinks for an effect, is a risk factor for alcohol use disorders. The response to alcohol is usually measured in young subjects, and changes in this phenomenon over time have rarely been evaluated. Reports that, overall, individuals are likely to become more reactive to alcohol with advancing age led to the current evaluation to determine whether the number of drinks needed for an effect decreased between the teens and age 40 in a group of men. METHODS Data were available from the 20-year follow-up of 202 men who had originally been chosen at age 20 as nonalcoholic subjects from families at high and low risk for alcoholism. The number of drinks required for effects was determined through the Self-Report of the Effects of Alcohol questionnaire (SRE) regarding their recollection of their intensity of reaction early in their drinking careers, as well as reports regarding the recent (e.g. prior 3 month) response to alcohol at the 15- and 20-year follow-ups. RESULTS Overall, there was a slight decrease in the drinks required for effects (SRE scores) across the three time points which became significant when recent drinking and depressant medication use were evaluated as covariates. When nonalcoholic or light-drinking subjects were evaluated separately, the decrease in the number of drinks needed for effects was more prominent. Among heavier drinkers, there was an increase in the number of drinks required for effects over time. The findings were generally similar for men with and without alcoholic relatives. CONCLUSIONS The development of a more intense reaction to alcohol, or the need for fewer drinks for an effect, with advancing age may only be relevant to lighter drinkers. Among heavier drinkers, the finding that a higher number of drinks are required for effects may be relatively stable over time.
Comparison on the removal of hydrogen sulfide in biotrickling filters inoculated with thiobacillus thioparus and acidithiobacillus thiooxidans

Emissions of hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) by industrial activities is frequent cause of corrosion and unpleasant odours. Treatment of gaseous emissions contaminated with H 2 S by biotrickling filters inoculated with single cultures of sulfur oxidizer bacteria exhibit several advantages over physicochemical methods, such as shorter adaptation times and higher removal ability. Biofilms of Thiobacillus thioparus and Acidi thiobacillus thiooxidans have proved to exhibit high removal capacities, yet no comparative studies between them have been reported. This article reports the efficiency of biotrickling filters inoculated with T. thioparus and A. thiooxidans under similar conditions excepting the pH, that was the optimal for the bacterial growth, for the removal of H 2 S. The support was selected by determining the respirometric coefficients of the biomass. The maximum removal capacity of the biofilter inoculated with T. thioparus , operating within the range of pH (5.5-7.0) was 14 gS m -3 h -1 , lower the value obtained for the biotrickling filter inoculated with A. thiooxidans ; 370 gS m -3 h -1 . Therefore, it is concluded that acid biotrickling filter inoculated with A. thiooxidans constitute the best strategy to remove H 2 S, with the advantage that the system not require an exhaustive pH control of the liquid media.
Insulinotropic Action of Glucagonlike Peptide-I-(7–37) in Diabetic and Nondiabetic Subjects

Objective Whether glucagonlike peptide-I-(7–37) (GLP-I-[7–37]), a naturally occurring intestinal peptide, is insulinotropic in nondiabetic and non-insulindependent (type II) diabetic subjects. Research Design and Methods GLP-I-(7–37) or saline placebo was infused (1–5 ng · kg−1 · min−1 for 30 min) in 4 nondiabetic and 11 type II diabetic subjects in the fasting and prandial state. Glucose, insulin, and GLP-I-(7–37) levels were measured. Results GLP-I-(7–37) infusion resulted in a 3- to 10-fold increase in peak insulin levels and in insulin area under the curve in nondiabetic and diabetic subjects. In diabetic subjects, infusion concurrent with a standard meal eliminated the postprandial glucose excursion for 60 min after the meal. Insulin-releasing potency of GLP-I-(7-37) was attenuated at decreased glucose levels. Conclusions GLP-I-(7–37) has potent insulinotropic effects in nondiabetic and diabetic subjects. Whether GLP-I-(7–37) is useful as a therapeutic medication in type II diabetes requires further investigation.
Effect of exercise on cathecolamines and plasma renin activity in pregnant women

Strenuous muscular exercise is known to induce increases in plasma values of adrenalin (A) and noradrenalin (NA) and a twofold increase in plasma renin activity (PRA) in healthy men and women. The effect in pregnant women is not known. In 36 pregnant women, systolic blood pressure and plasma levels of PRA, A and NA were determined at rest, during an orthostatic test and during submaximal leg exercise on a bicycle ergometer. Eight of these women were re‐examined after delivery and served as a non‐pregnant control group. The pregnant women had a significantly greater increase in systolic blood pressure than the non‐pregnant subjects. PRA showed a sevenfold increase during pregnancy, but exercise caused no further change in plasma values. As expected, the non‐pregnant PRA values doubled during exercise. Resting values of A and NA were not altered by pregnancy. Near‐maximal exercise caused a significant rise in A and NA, both in pregnant and in non‐pregnant women. The results indicate that there is no activation of the sympathetic nervous system either at rest or during strenuous exercise in pregnancy and that the sensitivity of the circulatory system seems to be well adjusted to the increased activity of the renin angiotensin system during pregnancy.
Integrated IC-like Thyristor-based Switching Structure for Pulse Current Generation to Electronic Ignition

A novel IC-like integration device structure and manufacture process for a thyristor-based capacitor discharging circuit applicable to pulse current generation are studied in this paper. Two structures are compared by means of different design of diode which used as for trigger main thyristor. Substitution of a Zener diode with a p+ n avalanche diode in the equivalent circuit can give more stability of pulse-voltage temperature property. Simulation results by Silvaco commercial simulation software indicate that a shallow junction of the avalanche diode has a much improvement in the manufacture process as well as the stable operation at elevated temperature
Target-tracking algorithm for omnidirectional vision

Abstract. Omnidirectional vision with the advantage of a large field-of-view overcomes the problem that a target is easily lost due to the narrow sight of perspective vision. We improve a target-tracking algorithm based on discriminative tracking features in several aspects and propose a target-tracking algorithm for an omnidirectional vision system. (1) An elliptical target window expression model is presented to represent the target’s outline, which can adapt to the deformation of an object and reduce background interference. (2) The background-weighted linear RGB histogram target feature is introduced, which decreases the weight of the background feature. (3) The Bhattacharyya coefficients-based feature identification method is employed, which reduces the computation time of the tracking algorithm. (4) An adaptive target scale and orientation measurement method is applied to adapt to severe deformations of the target’s outline. (5) A model update strategy is put forward, which is based on similarity measurements to achieve an effective and accurate model update. The experimental results show the proposed algorithm can achieve better performance than the state-of-the-art algorithms when using omnidirectional vision to perform long-term target-tracking tasks.
The natural history of motor neuron disease: Assessing the impact of specialist care

Many centres in the UK care for patients with motor neuron disease (MND) in a multidisciplinary clinic (MDC). It has been demonstrated that such care results in better prognosis for survival than care from a general neurology clinic (GNC). Whether this is due to higher use of disease-modifying interventions or an independent factor of attendance at a specialist clinic has not been established. Hence, we performed a retrospective review of hospital notes of patients with MND who were diagnosed and followed up in a GNC between 1998 and 2002 and in an MDC between 2006 and 2010. Overall, 162 patients attended a GNC, and 255 attended the MDC. The median survival from diagnosis was 19 months for patients who attended the MDC, compared to 11 months for those attending the GNC (hazard ratio 0.51, 95% CI 0.41–0.64). The Cox hazards model identified attendance at an MDC as an independently positive prognostic factor (HR 1.93, 95% CI 1.37–2.72, p < 0.001). We concluded that care at an MDC improves survival. While this effect is augmented by the increased use of riluzole, NIV and PEG, the data suggest that coordinated care independently improves the prognosis of MND patients.
Combinatorial interactions between LBD10 and LBD27 are essential for male gametophyte development in Arabidopsis

The LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES DOMAIN/ASYMMETRIC LEAVES2-LIKE (LBD/ASL) genes encodes a unique class of transcription factors that play roles in diverse aspects of lateral organ development in plants. The Arabidopsis LBD gene family comprises 42 members and biological functions of most of the LBD genes are unknown. Our molecular genetic analysis and a variety of functional assays including expression analysis, genetic transmission and pollen viability assays, and pollen development analysis demonstrated that LBD10 co-acts with SIDECAR POLLEN(SCP)/LBD27 to control an early stage of microspore development but also plays a distinct role at later bicellular and tricellular pollen stages and that these 2 LBD genes are essential for Arabidopsis pollen development. We also showed that LBD10 and LBD27 interact with each other to be localized into the nucleus. Our subcellular localization analysis of LBD10 in comparison with LBD27 during pollen development indicated that regulated protein degradation may be involved in determining spatially and temporally distinct and overlapping expression patterns of these LBD transcription factors, contributing to distinct and combinatorial roles of LBD10 and LBD27 in Arabidopsis pollen development.
Elevated sod2 activity augments matrix metalloproteinase expression: evidence for the involvement of endogenous hydrogen peroxide in regulating metastasis.

PURPOSE Elevated manganese superoxide dismutase (Sod2) levels have been reported to be associated with an increased frequency of tumor invasion and metastasis in certain cancers, and the aim of this study is to examine the molecular mechanisms by which this occurs. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Sod2 and catalase overexpressing HT-1080 fibrosarcoma cell lines were used to evaluate the H(2)O(2)-dependent regulation of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1 promoter activity, mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase signaling, DNA-binding activity, and MMP mRNA levels. The invasive and metastatic potential of Sod2 overexpressing cells was characterized using subrenal capsular implantation or tail vein injection of tumor cells into nude mice, respectively. RESULTS Our data reveal that Sod2 overexpression increases the DNA-binding activity of transcription factors critical for MMP expression but also enhances MMP-1 promoter activity via the Ras//MAP/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MEK) signaling cascade. A single nucleotide polymorphism that creates an Ets site at position -1607 bp confers Sod2-dependent MMP-1 promoter activity. Sod2 overexpression also increases the mRNA levels of MMPs-2, -3, -7, -10, -9, -11 and enhances the metastatic potential of fibrosarcoma cells when implanted in immunodeficient mice. The Sod2-dependent increases in AP-1 and SP-1 DNA-binding activity, MMP-1 promoter activity, general MMP expression, and collagen degradation can be reversed by the hydrogen peroxide-detoxifying enzyme, catalase. CONCLUSION MMPs play a critical role in the process of stromal invasion and metastasis, and these findings suggest that the association between increased Sod2 and poor prognosis in certain cancers may be attributed to elevated MMP production.
Spontaneous chronic T-cell leukemia in a male rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta)

Blood smears from a 24-year-old male rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) used for cognitive function studies were evaluated. The macaque had an 8-month history of gradual weight loss and increasing lymphocytosis. Most of the lymphocytes present were small to medium and had a mature morphology. Based on the degree and duration of the lymphocytosis, and the appearance of the lymphocytes, a diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia was made. The animal tested negative for 4 viral diseases that are commonly associated with lymphoproliferative disorders in Old World monkeys. Over the course of 12 months, the lymphocytosis progressed from 18.4 to 384 × 103 lymphocytes/µl (reference range: 0.8–17 × 103 cells/µl), and euthanasia was elected. On histologic examination, cluster of differentiation (CD)3- and CD8-positive, CD79-negative neoplastic cells comprised 40–60% of the bone marrow, diffusely obscured the normal splenic architecture, and were present in the vascular channels in other organs. Findings were characteristic of T-cell lymphocytic leukemia. Naturally occurring T-cell lymphocytic leukemia has been rarely reported in rhesus macaques and, to the authors’ knowledge, never in males. A persistent lymphocytosis characterized by a monomorphic population of CD3- and CD8-positive cytotoxic T-lymphocytes and the presence of neoplastic cells in the bone marrow led to a diagnosis in the current case.