Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Explaining the decline in coronary heart disease mortality in Portugal, 1995 - 2008

| 3 Abstract Policies and public health interventions are expected to be evidence-based, meaning that they must rely on adequate available data supporting their need and cost-effectiveness. Therefore, along with the population data necessary for decision making, scientific research must be directed at understanding the causes of disease, evaluating prevention, and monitoring the impact of interventions to control them. Coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality has been decreasing in Portugal since the 1980s, like in most developed countries. However, the reasons for this decline are not clear and authors diverge about the main causes for this decline in other countries. Therefore, we aimed to contribute to a better understanding of the epidemiology of CHD in Portugal, in the last few decades. To accomplish this objective, six studies were performed following different designs. The next paragraphs briefly describe the specific objective pursued in each study, as well as the methodology adopted and main results. 1. To describe time trends in mortality rates, absolute number of deaths and years of life lost from cardiovascular diseases and cancer (Paper I) We estimated the annual percent change in age-standardized mortality rates from cardiovascular diseases and cancer, in each sex. The specific contribution of demographic changes (due to variations in population size and age structure) and the variation in the age-independent “risk” of dying from the disease to the observed trends in the number of deaths was quantified using the tool RiskDiff. Years of life lost were computed using the Global Burden of Disease method. Among men, the mortality rate from all cardiovascular diseases was more than two-fold higher than cancer mortality in 1980. However, three decades later mortality from cancer surpassed cardiovascular diseases. After 2005, the years of life lost from cancer were also higher than from cardiovascular diseases. Among women, despite the decrease in death rates, cardiovascular diseases remained the leading cause of death in 2010 and their absolute burden was higher than that of cancers across the whole period, mainly due to more events in older women. 2. To critically summarize the evidence from studies providing data on the distribution of risk factors in adults, in order to analyze time trends in: a) Hypertension and blood pressure (Paper II) b) Diabetes mellitus and fasting blood glucose (Paper III) A comprehensive systematic review was performed, using Pubmed. Reference screening and data extraction were conducted independently by two researchers. We extracted age and sex specific estimates from the original studies whenever available. Linear regression models with survey year, participants’ age and significant interaction terms as independent variables, were used to predict ecological estimates of the outcomes. For hypertension prevalence and mean blood
Управление электрическими и оптическими параметрами активных элементов датчиков влажности на основе пленок оксидов олова переменного состава

The aim of this work is development of technique for synthesis of tin oxides films with various stoichiometric composition, characterized by high electrical conductivity and light transmittance in the UV and visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum, for their further application as humidity and gas sensors, as well as electrodes for electro-and photocatalytic converters. Nonstoichiometric SnO/SnO 2 /SnO 2− δ films were synthesized by reactive magnetron sputtering of tin onto glass substrates in argon plasma with oxygen addition and with subsequent thermal oxidation of the formed layers in air. To change the structural, optical, and electrical properties of the films and to find out the optimal synthesis parameters, the oxygen content during the deposition process and the annealing temperature in air were varied in the range of 0–2 vol. % and of 200–450 °C, respectively. The characterization of the films was carried out using a 4-probe method for measuring the electrical resistance, X-ray diffraction, and optical spectroscopy of light transmission. As a result of a comprehensive analysis of the structural, optical and electrical properties of the films, it was found that the optimal synthesis parameters to obtain the most transparent and conductive coatings promising for use as humidity, gas sensors and in photovoltaic devices are the following: oxygen content in argon plasma during sputtering process is ≈ 0,8–1,2 vol. %, the annealing temperature in air is ≈ 350–375 °C. In this case a polycrystalline film with high electrical conductivity and high transmittance in the visible and UV regions of the electromagnetic spectrum with prevailing of tin dioxide phase with structural defects (oxygen vacancies) is formed.
Analysis of Reactive Power Demand Based on Voltage-Reactive Power Correlation

The inaccuracy of reactive power demand analysis in practical power system often leads to the problem of low voltage stability margin. In this paper, the analysis method of voltage-reactive power correlation is proposed, which is used to solve the inaccuracy of reactive power demand analysis. The proposed method can quickly analyze the reactive power demand of each region only according to the voltage stability margin index. The local reactive power compensation and the input reactive power on the system side are considered in the derivation of the voltage stability margin. Therefore, the proposed method accords with the practice of power system. The effectiveness of the proposed method is proved by a simple system.
Photoluminescence models in direct simulation Monte Carlo for molecular tagging techniques

Molecular tagging techniques are promising tools for providing local measurements of pressure, temperature and velocity fields in rarefied gas flows. These techniques are based on the optical collection of photons emitted by a molecular tracer, such as acetone or diacetyl vapor, when excited by UV light. The measurement of the gas properties of interest is carried out by exploiting the intensity, the lifetime and/or the spatial displacement of the emitting tracer. A key point for the success of these techniques resides on the ability of accurately extracting the information from the distribution of the emitted light. In this work, a simple statistical model for describing the photoluminescence process is proposed and implemented in the framework of the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo method. New experimental data on acetone and diacetyl emission are compared to the numerical simulations.
Qual o efeito das tiazolidinedionas no tecido sseo

RESUMO Nos últimos anos, têm surgido alguns estudos que evidenciam as tiazolidinedionas disponíveis, a rosiglitazona e a pioglitazona como tendo efeitos negativos sobre o tecido ósseo dos doentes diabéticos, pelo aumento do risco de fractura. Os efeitos negativos das tiazolidinedionas foram igualmente observados em modelos animais e em estudos in vitro. O mecanismo de acção parece ser uma alteração na linhagem das células mesenquimatosas, causada pela activação dos receptores PPAR-g, promovendo a formação de adipócitos em vez de osteoblastos, reduzindo a formação óssea. São necessárias investigações adicionais para esclarecer os mecanismos responsáveis pela perda óssea e melhorar a estratégia de prevenção de fracturas.
Review of CdTe1−xSex Thin Films in Solar Cell Applications

Recent improvements in CdTe thin film solar cells have been achieved by using CdTe1−xSex as a part of the absorber layer. This review summarizes the published literature concerning the material properties of CdTe1−xSex and its application in current thin film CdTe photovoltaics. One of the important properties of CdTe1−xSex is its band gap bowing, which facilitates a lowering of the CdTe band gap towards the optimum band gap for highest theoretical efficiency. In practice, a CdTe1−xSex gradient is introduced to the front of CdTe, which induces a band gap gradient and allows for the fabrication of solar cells with enhanced short-circuit current while maintaining a high open-circuit voltage. In some device structures, the addition of CdTe1−xSex also allows for a reduction in CdS thickness or its complete elimination, reducing parasitic absorption of low wavelength photons.
Self-repair rejuvenates mechanically stressed microtubules

Microtubules—which define the shape of axons, cilia and flagella, and provide tracks for intracellular transport—can be highly bent by intracellular forces, and microtubule structure and stiffness are thought to be affected by physical constraints. Yet how microtubules tolerate the vast forces exerted on them remains unknown. Here, by using a microfluidic device, we show that microtubule stiffness decreases incrementally with each cycle of bending and release. Similar to other cases of material fatigue, the concentration of mechanical stresses on pre-existing defects in the microtubule lattice is responsible for the generation of more extensive damage, which further decreases microtubule stiffness. Strikingly, damaged microtubules were able to incorporate new tubulin dimers into their lattice and recover their initial stiffness. Our findings demonstrate that microtubules are ductile materials with self-healing properties, that their dynamics does not exclusively occur at their ends, and that their lattice plasticity enables the microtubules’ adaptation to mechanical stresses.
Novel concepts in high power semiconductor lasers

NOVEL CONCEPTS IN HIGH POWER SEMICONDUCTOR LASERS Seval Arslan Ph.D. in Physics Advisor: Oğuz Gülseren Co-Advisor: Atilla Aydınlı November 2018 This doctoral thesis deals with innovations to the cavity optics of high power semiconductor lasers emitting light at 9xx nm. High power laser diodes are complex electronic and photonic systems. Developments in epitaxial crystal growth techniques and the quality that ensued has been the driving force in the progress of the field. Semiconductor lasers with high output powers and high efficiencies have thus become possible. Commercial single emitters each with over 10 watts output with efficiencies reaching 60% is available.Even higher output powers have been demonstrated in the lab. High power semiconductor lasers have many applications such as acting as optical pumps in other lasers, range finding, optical storage, light sources in sensors and medical tools. The demand for higher powers and efficiencies continues. Among several possibilities, one of the main limits of maximum output power is the catastrophic optical mirror damage (COMD). At high pump currents and hence output powers, facet absorption leads to temperatures high enough to damage the cavity mirrors. This thesis is focused on novel approaches to increase the COMD threshold. We demonstrate design, fabrication and characterization of the high power strained InGaAs/AlGaAs lasers emitting light at 9xx nm. To prevent facet absorption which decreases the laser efficiency especially at high injection currents, band gaps in the vicinity of the laser facet are increased using impurity-free vacancy disordering (IFVD) while preserving the band gap in the lasing region away from the facets. A record large bandgap at the facet region, relative to that of the lasing region is achieved by thermal stress management of a bilayer dielectric structure. We demonstrate excellent optical loss and optical power output with this bilayer approach. Further, positive feedback cycle during absorption at the facets is broken by keeping the facets cold, by design. Thus, in this cold window approach, we extend the passive unpumped windows to keep the heat source from the main body of the cavity away from the facets while eliminating the additional loss incurred by biasing
Real-time microscopic and rheometric observations of strain-driven cavitation instability underlying micro-crack formation in asphalt binders

ABSTRACT We observed and analysed the early stages of formation and growth of instabilities in binders that lead to crack formation. A monotonic mechanical strain was applied to a thin, confined film of binder between two transparent plates; meanwhile, the bulk of the binder was observed using dark field microscopy to capture its behaviour as the strain increased. During the application, the formation of small cavities that rapidly grew was observed, which corresponded with notable points on a similar test that measured the load in the specimen. A three-stage model is used to describe the nucleation of the first cavity, of subsequent cavities and the growth of existing cavities that closely track the engineering stress–strain behaviour. In addition, it was observed that a cavity forms from a single microstructural feature, but not every feature forms a cavity. A theoretical model for this formation is presented. The growth of these cavities and their choice of nucleation sites suggests that although the density and distribution of the microstructure may not be critical to the formation of cavities that lead to failure, the presence and material properties of these microstructural entities compared to the matrix may be the factor that dictates damage nucleation.
Floating Drug Delivery Systems : Need And Development

Recent scientific and patent literature shows increased interest in academics and industrial research groups regarding the novel dosage forms that can be retained in the stomach for a prolonged and predictable period of time. One of the most feasible approaches for achieving a prolonged and predictable dug delivery profiles in the gastrointestinal tract is to control the gastric residence time, using gastroretentive dosage forms that will provide us with new and important therapeutic options. From the formulation and technological point of view, the floating drug delivery system is considerably easy and logical approach. An attempt has been made in this review article to introduce the readers to the current technological developments in floating drug delivery system.
Response of Composite Laminate Beam Using Higher Order Beam Theory

The present work proposes the composite laminate beam behaviour using higher order beam theory (HBT). The higher order displacement field with twelve degrees of freedom and nine node isoparametric element is used for the finite element formulation. The finite element model for linear static analysis is developed using MATLAB code. The numerical results are obtained for the deflection of beam for arbitrary boundary conditions, stacking angle, aspect ratio and different loading conditions. The results are validated using the literature and it shows good agreement.
Transient Current Technique characterization of bonded interfaces for monolithic silicon radiation detectors

This thesis aims at demonstrating a novel technique for the characterization of interfaces obtained by a CMOS-compatible Surface Activated Bonding (SAB) process between silicon wafers. This enables the optimization of the two main components of monolithic silicon detectors, the CMOS circuitry for the read-out and the sensing layer, by fabricating them in different substrates and then by bonding them together. Therefore, to be collected by the read-out circuitry, charges generated by radiation in the bulk have to traverse the bonding interface, whose electrical properties need to be characterized. The first part of this thesis is focused on the evaluation of Transient Current Technique (TCT) for this purpose. TCT is largely used for the study of radiation damage in silicon detectors, and consists in the injection of a localized cloud of electrons inside a detector based on a reversebiased diode, that is drifted by the electric field. A transient current signal is generated, whose shape is related to the electric field profile that may be affected by lattice defects generated by radiation. In this context, the bonding process is expected to generate a thin amorphous silicon interface between the two bonded substrates. This layer can be seen as full of defects and therefore it is expected to influence the electric field, and the TCT current signal. This is demonstrated by means of Sentaurus TCAD numerical simulations and an analytical model, using a diode with the bonding interface in the middle of the bulk as test structure. The second part of the thesis describes the characterization of the interface, generated by bonding high resistivity wafers at CEA-Leti in Grenoble. For this purpose, Schottky diodes are fabricated on these stacks at EPFL, and then characterized with CV, IV and TCT techniques. The results obtained are compared to simulation data, to show that the electric field did not extend to the bulk, preventing charges to be collected. This is an issue for the fabrication of radiation detectors, since there would not be collection of charges generated at the sensing bulk. Following these conclusions, two solutions are proposed. First, the optimization of the bonding process to reduce the number of traps. Second, a modification of the detector design in such a way that the bonding interface is located at the PN junction, since the electric field is maximum at this position, and therefore the influence of traps is less important. The last part of this thesis is devoted to the description of a new charge injection technique for TCT measurements. Instead of using a laser, charges are injected by means of nanosecond voltage pulses, applied to dedicated wells fabricated on the PN junction contact. Injection occurs by thermionic emission, while the charges drift, as in standard TCT measurements. This novel method of charge injection is called electrical injection TCT (el-TCT). It could allow to perform on-line TCT measurements during experiments.
Displacement Damage Effects in GeSn Light Emitting Diodes

Recent progress in GeSn non-equilibrium growth techniques promises significant nearmid infrared photonic performance compatible with complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) manufacturing technology. Potential future use on Earthorbiting satellites requires determination of the suitability of GeSn based photonic devices in high energy proton environments. In this research the electroluminescence (EL) intensity of Ge1-xSnx (x = 0, 0.02, 0.069, and 0.094) light emitting diodes was measured before and after irradiation by 2 MeV protons at relatively high fluence levels. Complementary electrical characterization measurements (I-V, C-V, and deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS)) were also performed to assist with analysis of the EL results, specifically to understand the observed radiation-induced EL degradation percentage as a function of Sn concentration. GeSn devices with higher Sn concentration were up to 10 times more resistant to proton displacement damage than the pure Ge (x = 0) devices. Following exposure to a proton fluence of 4 × 1013 cm-2, the average degradation percentage of the x = 0 and x = 0.094 devices were 47.7% ± 5.8% and 4.7% ± 5.1%, respectively. The most probable mechanism for this trend in EL degradation was inferred through DLTS analysis. In the pure Ge devices, the dominant deep-level defect introduced by proton irradiation was observed as a hole trap located near the middle of the band gap – a condition that maximizes the rate of Shockley Read Hall (SRH) nonradiative recombination. This dominant deep level (attributed to the -/0 transition of the vacancy-phosphorus complex) was observed to maintain an approximately fixed energy spacing below the indirect conduction band edge. As Sn concentration increased, the band gap decreased, and this dominant defect energy level moved further from the midgap level, resulting in less EL degradation. Considering the modest EL degradation observed after irradiation doses equivalent to many years in typical Earth orbits, the results of this research suggest considerable promise for the suitability of GeSn based photonic/optoelectronic devices in space radiation environments. AFIT-ENP-MS-19-M-073 To my beloved son and daughter. I hope I inspire you both to accomplish your goals in life.
CALCINATION OF ALUMINUM CHLORIDE HEXAHYDRATE (ACH) FOR ALUMINA PRODUCTION: IMPLICATIONS FOR ALUMINA EXTRACTION FROM ALUMINUM RICH FLY ASH (ARFA)

Alumina rich fly ash (ARFA) has been regarded as the alternative to bauxite in China. Hydrochloric acid process could be favored for alumina extraction, necessitating calcination of aluminum chloride hexahydate (ACH). In this work, the TGA/DSC results of ACH were used to suggest calcination procedures. Two-step calcinations of 200-1000°C and 350-1000°C did not increase the surface area of alumina, by comparison with one step 1000°C calcination, and a slow heating rate could improve the surface area. Calcination temperature was increased from 950 to 1250°C in a step of 50°C, and XRD, XRF, BET and gas pycnometer were used to characterize the alumina from calcinated ACH. Consistent results were obtained by these different techniques, and two groups of impurities were identified and related to alumina purity and surface area. By comparison with clays, it was suggested to remove impurities such as MgO, Na2O, K2O, P2O5 and SO3 in hydrochloric acid leaching of ARFA.
Analysis of frictional heating and thermal expansion in a disc brake using COMSOL

This work illustrates the modeling of frictional heating in a disc brake of a car using COMSOL Multiphysics software. Finite element analysis technique is used to predict the frictional heat, temperature distribution and variation in disc thickness of the disc brake. The parameters for the disc and pad were selected from the existing literature. A three dimensional model of disc brake has been created and simulated. The model simulates the dynamics and frictional heating between pad and disc. The frictional heat is computed in the multibody dynamics module of the COMSOL while as temperature distribution is computed by the heat transfer module. Also stresses and disc thickness variation is computed utilizing solid mechanics module. The results obtained from the simulation provide a clear justification of the use of the COMSOL Multiphysics for the evaluation of frictional heat and thermal expansion.
Effect of impregnation methods and bioresin concentration on physical and mechanical properties of soft-inner part of oil palm trunk

Bioresin from derived of pine (Pinus merkusii) was used to increase the strength of the soft-inner part of oil palm trunk (S-OPT). This purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of impregnation methods (soaking 1 day, 3 days, and vacuum 600 mmHg for 1 hour) and bioresin concentration (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%) on the physical and mechanical properties of S-OPT. Bioresin was dissolved with ethanol. The result showed that weight gain from bioresin into S-OPT was 0.85 % - 39.4%. The bioresin impregnation with several concentration significantly improved the physical and mechanical properties of S-OPT up to (1) 5.7-57.14% in density; (2) 29.94%-145.18% in compressive strength; (3) 114.78%-345.66% in modulus of elasticity (MOE); and (4) 43.01%-111.79% in the in modulus of rupture (MOR). The best performance of S-OPT when bioresin impregnated 20% bioresin using vacuum method as shown higher the physical and mechanical properties.
Preparation of silver nanoparticles with controlled size of particles

In the last decades, interest has significantly increased to to studying of nanodimensional particles, in particular, nanoparticles of various metals. In the first stage it is connected with the fact that nanoworld objects significantly differthe properties from macroobjects. Besides, there is a possibility of application of nanoparticles for receiving medical and biological medicines. In this study, we synthesized silver nanoparticles with various size and UV-VIS spectrophotometry,“Master Sizer” and “Zeta Sizer” tools characterized the nano species; we have conducted a simple and rapid one-pot synthesis method to generate nine colloids of Ag-NPs in different concentrations of TSCD and FSH. In this one-pot synthesismethod, we utilized citrate as capping groups to stabilize the NPs and FeSO4•7H2O to control the formation of shapes of NPs.