Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Stress-Relieving Heat Treatment on the High Strain Rate Dynamic Compressive Properties of Additively Manufactured Ti6Al4V (ELI)

A study was undertaken on the compressive high strain rate properties and deformation behaviour of Direct Metal Laser-Sintered (DMLS) Ti6Al4V (ELI) parts in two separate forms: as-built (AB) and stress relieved (SR). The high strain rate compression tests were carried out using a Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar test system at ambient temperature. The average plastic strain rates attained by the system were 400 s−1 and 700 s−1. Comparative analyses of the performance (flow stresses and fracture strains) of AB and SR specimens were carried out based on the results obtained at these two plastic strain rates. Microstructural analyses were performed to study the failure mechanisms of the deformed specimens and fracture surfaces. Vickers microhardness test values were obtained before and after high strain rate compression testing. The results obtained in both cases showed the strain rate sensitivity of the stress-relieved samples to be higher in comparison to those of as-built ones, at the same value of true strain.
Outcomes of BRAF V600E Pediatric Gliomas Treated With Targeted BRAF Inhibition.

PURPOSE Children with pediatric gliomas harboring a BRAF V600E mutation have poor outcomes with current chemoradiotherapy strategies. Our aim was to study the role of targeted BRAF inhibition in these tumors. PATIENTS AND METHODS We collected clinical, imaging, molecular, and outcome information from patients with BRAF V600E-mutated glioma treated with BRAF inhibition across 29 centers from multiple countries. RESULTS Sixty-seven patients were treated with BRAF inhibition (pediatric low-grade gliomas [PLGGs], n = 56; pediatric high-grade gliomas [PHGGs], n = 11) for up to 5.6 years. Objective responses were observed in 80% of PLGGs, compared with 28% observed with conventional chemotherapy (P < .001). These responses were rapid (median, 4 months) and sustained in 86% of tumors up to 5 years while receiving therapy. After discontinuation of BRAF inhibition, 76.5% (13 of 17) of patients with PLGG experienced rapid progression (median, 2.3 months). However, upon rechallenge with BRAF inhibition, 90% achieved an objective response. Poor prognostic factors in conventional therapies, such as concomitant homozygous deletion of CDKN2A, were not associated with lack of response to BRAF inhibition. In contrast, only 36% of those with PHGG responded to BRAF inhibition, with all but one tumor progressing within 18 months. In PLGG, responses translated to 3-year progression-free survival of 49.6% (95% CI, 35.3% to 69.5%) versus 29.8% (95% CI, 20% to 44.4%) for BRAF inhibition versus chemotherapy, respectively (P = .02). CONCLUSION Use of BRAF inhibition results in robust and durable responses in BRAF V600E-mutated PLGG. Prospective studies are required to determine long-term survival and functional outcomes with BRAF inhibitor therapy in childhood gliomas.
Minimally Invasive Foot Surgery

T he use of minimally invasive techniques to perform osteotomes and arthrodeses have become increasingly popular in the last 20 years. Much of this interest has been in the correction of forefoot deformities. As with all procedures, techniques, instruments, and implants have evolved to reduce technical challenges and to improve reproducibility. Methods also improve to allow such techniques to be used in the revision setting. In this edition, Dr Lam presents one of the latest iterations of metatarsal and phalangeal osteotomy to address hallux valgus deformity, Dr Vernois describes the use of this technique to address lesser toe deformities and Dr Redfern provides thoughts and technical tips outlining the potential usages of the minimally invasive technique in potentially challenging revision forefoot cases. We hope that these articles will allow the reader an insight into how these methods can form a valuable adjunct to their own surgical practices.
Considerations of Photovoltaic System Structure Design for Effective Lightning Protection

Photovoltaic (PV) systems are susceptible to lightning strikes. During a lightning strike, an induced overvoltage is generated in the PV system. This overvoltage can damage the inverters connected to the dc cables. In this article, a comprehensive study is presented to address the installation issues that will influence the induced voltage between the +dc and –dc cables in the PV system. By using the partial element equivalent circuit method, the skin effect and ferromagnetic property of the mounting structures are well modeled. The wiring in the PV module is also considered in the simulation. The influences of the mounting systems, lightning protection systems, PV frames, and dc cable arrangements are thoroughly investigated. The simulation results and discussions provide guidance for PV structure design for maximizing lightning protection performance without adding additional protective devices.
An Effective Mechanism to Mitigate Real-Time DDoS Attack

Computer networks are subject to an unprecedented number and variety of attack, the majority of which are distributed denial of service (DDoS). The nature and mechanisms employed in these DDoS attacks continually change, creating a significant challenge for detection and management. To address this evolving nature of attacks, approaches are required that can effectively detect and mitigate emerging attacks. In this paper, we provide a mechanism that not only detects the presence of a DDoS attacks but also identifies the route of attack and commences a process of mitigation at the initial stage of identification. The proposed research involves an optimized SVM classification algorithm integrated with SNORT IPS to provide prevention mechanisms for the entire network when subject to DDoS attack. The proposed IPS method allows traffic identified as legitimate to pass through the network, whereas suspect traffic is flagged and has to go through an identification system. We present the algorithm with experimental results that show better performance than simple Snort IPS, Probabilistic Neural Network (PNN), Back Propagation (BP), Chi-square, and PSO-SVM in terms of accuracy, exposure and specificity. These results show that the average accuracy rate of our method is 97 percent.
Alternative mounting media in wood histology.

Wood varnish and clear nail varnish were investigated for their suitability as mountants in this study as most of the mountants used in wood histology are costly and could be toxic. Wood sections of about 20 microns from Nauclea diderichii were used; clear varnishes from Soligard Hardglaze Wood Lacquer (WL) and clear nail varnish (CNV) were used as mountants and compared with Canadan balsam which is one of the conventional mountants in wood histology. The results showed that WL and CNV gave good images as also got from Canadan balsam without any distortion (whether shrinkage or other dimensional changes) or any notable difference. Sections prepared in WL varnish were darker as they seemed to have retained more safranin stain. Setting period for WL and CNV was less than 5 hours as opposed to over 24 to 48 hours for Canadan balsam, while that of CNV was the shortest: it set within one hour. Moreover, specimens could be transferred from alcohol and covered directly with CNV during mounting procedures without clearing. Wood cells were observed under a Zeiss light microscope at 80×. Photographs illustrating the micrographs of sections prepared from the two varnishes and Canadan balsam were obtained using a digital camera on the Zeiss light microscope.
Coastal change patterns from time series clustering of permanent laser scan data

Abstract. Sandy coasts are constantly changing environments governed by complex, interacting processes. Permanent laser scanning is a promising technique to monitor such coastal areas and to support analysis of geomorphological deformation processes. This novel technique delivers 3-D representations of the coast at hourly temporal and centimetre spatial resolution and allows us to observe small-scale changes in elevation over extended periods of time. These observations have the potential to improve understanding and modelling of coastal deformation processes. However, to be of use to coastal researchers and coastal management, an efficient way to find and extract deformation processes from the large spatiotemporal data set is needed. To enable automated data mining, we extract time series of surface elevation and use unsupervised learning algorithms to derive a partitioning of the observed area according to change patterns. We compare three well-known clustering algorithms (k-means clustering, agglomerative clustering and density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise; DBSCAN), apply them on the set of time series and identify areas that undergo similar evolution during 1 month. We test if these algorithms fulfil our criteria for suitable clustering on our exemplary data set. The three clustering methods are applied to time series over 30 d extracted from a data set of daily scans covering about 2 km of coast in Kijkduin, the Netherlands. A small section of the beach, where a pile of sand was accumulated by a bulldozer, is used to evaluate the performance of the algorithms against a ground truth. The k-means algorithm and agglomerative clustering deliver similar clusters, and both allow us to identify a fixed number of dominant deformation processes in sandy coastal areas, such as sand accumulation by a bulldozer or erosion in the intertidal area. The level of detail found with these algorithms depends on the choice of the number of clusters k. The DBSCAN algorithm finds clusters for only about 44 % of the area and turns out to be more suitable for the detection of outliers, caused, for example, by temporary objects on the beach. Our study provides a methodology to efficiently mine a spatiotemporal data set for predominant deformation patterns with the associated regions where they occur.
PEG/HA Hybrid Hydrogels for Biologically and Mechanically Tailorable Bone Marrow Organoids

Bone marrow (BM) organoids provide powerful tools to study the vital interplay between the BM microenvironment and resident cells. Current biomaterials, however, are limited in terms of versatility for independently studying the biochemical and biophysical properties that regulate BM function. Here, a transglutaminase (TG) crosslinked system that seamlessly incorporates poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and hyaluronic acid (HA) into hybrid hydrogels for the formation of BM analogues is presented. By combining features of PEG and HA, these novel biomaterials are tunable to optimize their physical and biological properties for BM organoid formation. Utility of the TG‐PEG/HA hybrid hydrogels to maintain, expand, or differentiate human bone marrow‐derived stromal cells and human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells in vitro is demonstrated. Even more compelling, TG‐PEG/HA hybrid hydrogels are superior to currently used natural biomaterials in forming humanized BM organoids in a xenograft model. Hybrid hydrogels in comparison to pure PEG or pure HA afford the ideal attributes of both regarding material handling, structural integrity, and minimizing macrophage infiltration in vivo. The engineered humanized BM organoids presented here may be effective tools for the study of this intricate organ.
Differential Heat Treatment of the Nitella Internodal Cell and Its Relation to Cytoplasmic Streaming

Cytoplasmic streaming in internodal cells of Nitella was reversibly or irreversibly stopped by supraoptimal temperatures depending on the temperature and duration of incubation. To analyze the effects of high temperature on the streaming endoplasm and on the stationary cortical layer, the two were temporarily separated by a method of centrifugation developed by the authors (2). Streaming resumed when the cortex alone was heat-treated at 47.5°C for 3 min while the endoplasm was kept intact. In the reciprocal case, no streaming was observed. This demonstrates that one or more factors, that are heat-labile and essential for the streaming to occur, must reside in the endoplasm and not in the cortex. This result supports the idea that myosin, which is far more labile to heat than actin, is located in the endoplasm.
Composite of PLA Nanofiber and Hexadecyl Trimethyl-Ammonium Chloride-Modified Montmorillonite Clay: Fabrication and Morphology

Our research aim is to develop a new composite material via electrospinning and dip coating methodology. Among bioabsorbable polymers, Polylactic acid (PLA) is viewed as a suitable base material for biomedical usages such as drug delivery and wound dressing. Additionally, these bioabsorbable materials can be used for filtration applications in terms of antibacterial activity the integration of hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride-modified montmorillonite (CTAC-MMT) into PLA fibers would improve mechanical and absorption properties of the PLA fibers. This research aimed to investigated a new method of combining electrospun PLA with dip coating of CTAC-MMT solution. Precisely, electrospun PLA nanofibers were treated with methanol and dipped in a CTAC-MMT suspension. The resultant layer composite of PLA nanofibers and CTAC-MMT was then characterized by elemental analysis. For material characterization and morphological structure analysis, we performed FTIR, SEM-EDS, XPS, DSC, and X-ray diffraction. Through mechanical testing and contact angle measurements, it was found that CTAC-MMT shows a slight improvement in mechanical and absorption properties. Results of characterization techniques have shown that CTAC-MMT can be used as a good filler for composites processed through the dip-coating method. Moreover, results also showed that the diameter of microfibers is affected by concentrations of PLA.
A Study of the Effects of 25 Hydroxycholecalciferol and Calcium Source on Egg Shell Quality

Abstract To determine the effects of various forms and levels of calcium and vitamin D3 on egg shell quality, a series of experiments was conducted using White Leghorn hens varying in age from 42–74 weeks. In the first experiment feeding calcium as ground limestone, hen-size oyster shell, ground oyster shell and a mineral mix simulating oyster shell composition to 42-week old birds resulted in no significant effect on egg shell quality. Another experiment was carried out using 42-week old White Leghorn hens to determine the effects of feeding 600 I.U. of vitamin D3 and 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25 HCC) each in combination with 3.5 and 4% calcium on egg shell quality. Results indicate that 600 I.U. of 25 HCC per kg. in combination with 3.5% calcium had a nonsignificant beneficial effect on shell quality as measured by specific gravity. An experiment with 62-week old Leghorn hens using 600 I.U. D3 or 600 I.U. 25 HCC or 3000 I.U. 25 HCC per kg. diet in combination with either oyster shell or limestone showed that after the 4 weeks, 600 I.U. 25 HCC per kg. diet and oyster shell had a significant effect on improving shell thickness when compared to the control. A final experiment using 74-week old hens indicated that 25 HCC with either oyster shell or limestone had a significant beneficial effect on egg specific gravity and thickness with the oyster shell-25 HCC combination being the most effective. Overall results indicate that feeding 600 I.U. of 25 HCC in combination with oyster shell had a beneficial effect on improving shell quality. This is especially evident with older hens and those in their second year of production.
Rapid evolution and species-specificity of arthropod genitalia: fact or artifact?

It is widely accepted that there is compelling evidence in the taxonomic literature that in many animals with internal fertilization the genitalia (and functional equivalents) evolve more rapidly and are species-specific to a higher degree than non-genitalic features. In this article, a series of biases and constraints inherent in traditional taxonomic practice are discussed that might be partly responsible for the two phenomena: (1) Emphasis on non-genitalic characters for grouping of species and higher taxa; (2) Emphasis on qualitative differences in species-level taxonomy; (3) Extrapolation from non-dimensional situations to allopatric populations; (4) A priori assumption of species-specificity of genitalia; (5) Low numbers of available specimens for most species. It is concluded that both traditional and modern methodological approaches (such as analysis of variation and analysis of character evolution based on DNA sequence data), coupled with an increased awareness of these potential problems, are necessary to evaluate objectively the commonality of rapid evolution and species-specificity of genitalia.
Impact of Cercospora leaf spot on root weight, sugar yield, and purity of Beta vulgaris.

The impact of Cercospora leaf spot, caused by Cercospora beticola, on the yield and quality of sugar beets (Beta vulgaris) was studied in one field trial in 1982 and two trials in 1983. Fungicides were applied to cultivars of various disease susceptibilities to obtain different levels of disease severity. Plants were rated for disease severity with a spot-percentage scale according to the number of lesions per leaf at intensities <3% and with standard area diagrams at intensities ≥3% (.)
Global Perspectives on Immunization During Pregnancy and Priorities for Future Research and Development: An International Consensus Statement

Immunization during pregnancy has been recommended in an increasing number of countries. The aim of this strategy is to protect pregnant women and infants from severe infectious disease, morbidity and mortality and is currently limited to tetanus, inactivated influenza, and pertussis-containing vaccines. There have been recent advancements in the development of vaccines designed primarily for use in pregnant women (respiratory syncytial virus and group B Streptococcus vaccines). Although there is increasing evidence to support vaccination in pregnancy, important gaps in knowledge still exist and need to be addressed by future studies. This collaborative consensus paper provides a review of the current literature on immunization during pregnancy and highlights the gaps in knowledge and a consensus of priorities for future research initiatives, in order to optimize protection for both the mother and the infant.
Utility of lung ultrasound in childhood pneumonia in a tertiary care center

The diagnosis of pneumonia is made clinically by symptoms such as tachypnea, fever, lethargy, cyanosis according to ARI control programme (Table 1). Chest radiographs should be obtained in all patients hospitalised for management of community acquired pneumonia to document the presence, size, and character of parenchymal infiltrates and identify complications of pneumonia that may lead to interventions beyond antimicrobial agents and supportive medical therapy. Chest radiography has its own set of disadvantages exposure to radiation (even though plain radiographs have small amounts of radiation dose exposure about 0.01-1.5 mSv, children are more susceptible to nondeterministic stochastic effects of radiation than adults, difficulty in acquiring both postero-anterior and laterolateral projections in critically ill patients.
Comparing Predator‐Prey Models to Luckinbill's Experiment with Didinium and Paramecium

When Leo Luckinbill (1973) grew Paramecium aurelia together with its predator Didinium nasutum in 6 mL of standard cerophyl medium, the Didinium consumed all the prey in a few hours. When the medium was thickened with methyl cellulose, the populations went through two or three diverging oscillations lasting several days before becoming extinct. When he used a half-strength cerophyl medium thickened with methyl cellulose, the populations maintained sustained oscillations for 33 d before the experiment was terminated. The data from this experiment provide a rare opportunity to test current predator-prey models. A standard differential equation predator-prey model with a carrying capacity for the prey and a saturating (Type 2) functional response predicts the outcome of Luckinbill's experiment qualitatively, but does not give a good quantitative fit to the data. Several modifications of this model are tested against the data for the populations grown in the medium thickened with methyl cellulose, using the Marquardt-Levenberg method to obtain the least squares best fit. Neither Leslie type models nor models with a ratio-dependent functional response do well, but adding either predator mutual interference or a sigmoid (Type 3) functional response improves the fit dramatically. Modeling the predator growth rate to depend on energy or nutrient storage instead of directly on the rate of consumption of prey, thus creating a delayed numerical response, along with predator mutual interference or a sigmoid functional response, produced the best models and gave excellent fits to the data. These models are further validated by the fact that changing only one or two parameter values to reflect the unthickened medium or the half-strength medium also gives reasonably good fits to the other two data sets. The last model requires a more sigmoid functional response to fit the data in the thickened than in the unthickened medium, suggesting that an increase in the cost-benefit ratio of energy spent searching to energy gained capturing prey inhibits the predator searching at low prey densities.
Seasonal and Coseismic Velocity Variation in the Region of L'Aquila From Single Station Measurements and Implications for Crustal Rheology

We performed measurements of velocity variations for variable coda waves time lapse using empirical Green's functions reconstructed by autocorrelation of seismic noise recorded during a period of 17 years in the region of L'Aquila, Italy. The time lapse approach permitted us to evaluate the spatial (depth) dependence of velocity variation (dv/v). By quantitatively comparing the 17 years of dv/v time series with independent data (e.g., strain induced by earthquakes and hydrological loading), we unravel a group of physical processes inducing velocity variations in the crust over multiple time and spatial scales. We find that rapid shaking due to three magnitude 6+ earthquakes mainly induced near surface velocity variations. On the other hand, slow strain perturbation (period 5 years, in the preseismic period) associated with hydrological cycles, induced velocity changes primarily in the middle crust. The observed behavior suggests the existence of a large volume of fluid‐filled cracks exist deep in the crust. Our study highlights the possibility of using seasonal and multiyear perturbations to probe the physical properties of seismogenic fault volumes and shed new light into the depth‐dependent rheology of crustal rocks in the region or L'Aquila.
Distillers Dried Grain from Makgeolli By-product Is Useful as a Dietary Ingredient for Growth of Juvenile Sea Cucumber Apostichopus japonicus

We tested the effects of various distillers dried grains (DDGs) in a formulated diet on growth and body composition of juvenile sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus. DDG is a solid residue obtained by filtering an aqueous mixture of fermented rice with Aspergillus oryzae and yeasts. Six isonitrogenous and isocaloric diets (DDG0, DDG-G, DDG-C, DDG-K, DDG-W, and DDG-P) were formulated to contain 20% DDG obtained from different Makgeolli factories. Juvenile sea cucumber (average weight, 2.1 ± 0.02g) were randomly distributed in eighteen 50-L rectangular plastic tanks (40 L of water each) in a seawater flow-through system at a density of 50 juveniles/tank. Three replicate groups of sea cucumber were fed each of the six experimental diets at a feeding rate of 5% body weight per day for 22 weeks. At the end of the feeding experiment, survival and weight gain of the juvenile sea cucumber were not affected by the type of dietary DDG (P > 0.05), and the proximate and amino acid compositions of the whole body were not affected by dietary DDG diets (P > 0.05). These results indicate that rice-based DDG is a potential dietary ingredient that could be used at dietary concentrations of up to 20% for growth of juvenile sea cucumber.