Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High-Temperature Polybenzimidazole Fuel Cell Membranes via a Sol-Gel Process

A sol−gel process is described to produce phosphoric acid (PA)-doped polybenzimidazole (PBI) films that operate as fuel cell membranes above 150 °C for extended periods of time without the need for feed gas humidification. When solutions of high molecular weight heterocylic polymers such as polybenzimidazoles in polyphosphoric acid (PPA) were cast into films, a transition from solution state to gel state was observed during the hydrolysis of the solvent from PPA (a good solvent for PBI) to PA (a poor solvent for PBI). The resulting membranes retained high levels of phosphoric acid in the gel structure and exhibited high ionic conductivities and stable mechanical properties at elevated temperatures. Preliminary fuel cell tests have demonstrated the feasibility of such PBI membranes from the sol−gel process for operating a fuel cell at temperatures above 150 °C without any feed gas humidification or pressure requirements for more than 1000 h.
Direct measurements of episodic snow accumulation on the Antarctic polar plateau

During a 1-year field experiment at a remote location on the Antarctic polar plateau (85.67°S, 46.38°W) influenced by moderate magnitude katabatic winds, snow accumulation was characterized at three different spatial and temporal scales using snow stakes, tracer material dispersed periodically on the snow surface, and an acoustic depth gauge. The spatial variability of snow accumulation was found to be large, on both annual and intra-annual timescales, and is attributed to the high frequency of moderate to strong winds at the site. Accumulation throughout the year was observed to be episodic in nature, with a small number of snow accumulation events producing the majority of the annual total accumulation for the site, averaging 0.174 m. In the intervals between observed accumulation events (up to several months), negative changes to snow surface height caused by sublimation and densification of the firn were quantified using an acoustic depth gauge. The rate of decrease in snow surface elevation was largest during the austral summer, as expected, and the overall change in snow surface elevation due to sublimation/densification during the year was estimated to be about −0.10 m. Using the precise timing of accumulation events provided by the acoustic depth gauge, meteorological surface observations, numerical model analyses, and satellite imagery were used to gain insights into whether the event was associated with precipitation or related exclusively to blowing snow and to diagnose the meteorological conditions producing the event. Meteorological conditions during the accumulation events were found to strongly support an association with precipitation events caused by mesoscale or synoptic-scale cyclones along the coastal margin. Dating of the accumulation profile using the dispersed tracer technique identified several other accumulation events that were not measured within the target area of the acoustic depth gauge, suggesting that snow accumulation data from a single acoustic depth gauge cannot be extrapolated over a broad area.
Gβγ Inhibits Gα GTPase-activating Proteins by Inhibition of Gα-GTP Binding during Stimulation by Receptor*

Gβγ subunits modulate several distinct molecular events involved with G protein signaling. In addition to regulating several effector proteins, Gβγ subunits help anchor Gα subunits to the plasma membrane, promote interaction of Gα with receptors, stabilize the binding of GDP to Gα to suppress spurious activation, and provide membrane contact points for G protein-coupled receptor kinases. Gβγ subunits have also been shown to inhibit the activities of GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs), both phospholipase C (PLC)-βs and RGS proteins, when assayed in solution under single turnover conditions. We show here that Gβγ subunits inhibit G protein GAP activity during receptor-stimulated, steady-state GTPase turnover. GDP/GTP exchange catalyzed by receptor requires Gβγ in amounts approximately equimolar to Gα, but GAP inhibition was observed with superstoichiometric Gβγ. The potency of inhibition varied with the GAP and the Gα subunit, but half-maximal inhibition of the GAP activity of PLC-β1 was observed with 5–10 nm Gβγ, which is at or below the concentrations of Gβγ needed for regulation of physiologically relevant effector proteins. The kinetics of GAP inhibition of both receptor-stimulated GTPase activity and single turnover, solution-based GAP assays suggested a competitive mechanism in which Gβγ competes with GAPs for binding to the activated, GTP-bound Gα subunit. An N-terminal truncation mutant of PLC-β1 that cannot be directly regulated by Gβγ remained sensitive to inhibition of its GAP activity, suggesting that the Gβγ binding site relevant for GAP inhibition is on the Gα subunit rather than on the GAP. Using fluorescence resonance energy transfer between cyan or yellow fluorescent protein-labeled G protein subunits and Alexa532-labeled RGS4, we found that Gβγ directly competes with RGS4 for high-affinity binding to Gαi-GDP-AlF4.
Do male Hooded Warblers exclude females from nonbreeding territories in tropical forest

---, & C. S. Cox. 1962. Internal waves. Pp. 731763 in The sea, vol. 1. New York, Interscience Publ. LEGECKIS, R. 1979. Satellite observations of the influence of bottom topography on seaward deflection of the Gulf Stream off Charleston, South Carolina. J. Phys. Oceanogr. 9: 483-497. MCGILLIVARY, P. A. , L. R. POMEROY, R. B. HANSON, A. M. WOOD, E. R. PEELE, J. A. KREWER, B. SHERR, E. SHERR, & S. NISHINO. 1986. Gulf Stream topographic mixing over the Blake Plateau: physical and biological effects. Eos 66(51): 1336. MELVILLE, W. K. 1986. Nonlinear internal waves over the shelf and slope. Eos 66(51): 1305. OWEN, R. W. 1981. Fronts and eddies in the sea: mechanisms, interactions and biological effects. Pp. 197-233 in Analysis of marine ecosystems (A. R. Longhurst, Ed.). London, Academic Press. PIETRAFESA, L. J., & G. S. JANOWITZ. 1980. On the dynamics of the Gulf Stream front between Cape Canaveral and Cape Hatteras. Pp. 184-195 in Second Intern. Symp. on Stratified Flows, Trondheim, Norway. POCKLINGTON, R. 1979. An oceanographic interpretation of seabird distributions in the Indian Ocean. Mar. BioI. 51: 9-21. RATTRAY, M. , JR. 1960. On the coastal generation of internal waves. Tellus 12: 54-62. SCHNEIDER, D. c. , & D. C. DUFFY. 1985. Scale-dependent variability in seabird abundance. Mar. Ecol. Progr. Ser. 25: 211-218. SHANKS, A. L. 1983. Surface slicks associated with tidally forced internal waves may transport pelagic larvae of benthic invertebrates and fishes shoreward. Mar. Ecol. Progr. Ser. 13: 311-315. ---. 1985. Behavioral basis of internal-wave-induced shoreward transport of megalopae of the crab Pachygrapsus crassipes. Mar. Ecol. Progr. Ser. 24: 289-295. ZELDIS, J. R. , & J. B. JILLET. 1982. Aggregation of pelagic Munida gregaria (Fabricus) (Decapoda, Anomura) by coastal fronts and internal waves. J. Plankton Res. 4: 839-857.
Giant Cell Arteritis and Arteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathies

Ischemic optic neuropathies (IONs) are a major cause of blindness or seriously impaired vision in the middle-aged and elderly population, although they can occur at any age. ION is of two types: anterior (AION) and posterior (PION), the first involving the anterior part of the optic nerve (also called the optic nerve head, ONH) and the second, the rest of the optic nerve. Pathogenetically AION and PION are very different diseases. AION represents an acute ischemic disorder (a segmental infarction) of the ONH supplied by the posterior ciliary arteries (PCAs), while PION has no specific location in the posterior part of the optic nerve and does not represent ischemia in a specific artery [1].
A hydrologic view on Biot's theory of poroelasticity

The main objective of this work is to obtain a simplified asymptotic representation of the reflection of seismic signal from a fluid-saturated porous medium in the low-frequency domain. In the first part, we derive the equations of low-frequency harmonic waves in a fluid-saturated elastic porous medium from the basic concepts of filtration theory. We demonstrate that the obtained equations can be related to the poroelasticity model of Frenkel-Gassmann-Biot, and to pressure diffusion model routinely used in well test analysis as well. We thus try to put the poroelastic and filtration theories on the same ground. We study the reflection of a low-frequency signal from a plane interface between elastic and elastic fluid-saturated porous media. We obtain an asymptotic scaling of the frequency-dependent component of the reflection coefficient with respect to a dimensionless parameter depending on the frequency of the signal and the reservoir fluid mobility. We also investigate the impact of the relaxation time and tortuosity on this scaling.
The Market Profile

This market profile was drawn up as part of the activities of the COLEACP Economic Intelligence Department and the Fit For Market programme funded by the European Union and co-financed by the French development agency Agence Française du Développement (AFD). This document is disseminated within the framework of development cooperation between the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and the European Union. Liaison Committee (COLEACP) is a private sector, non-profit interprofessional association, established in 1973 by stakeholders in the international fruit and vegetable trade. A network of businesses, professional organisations and experts committed to inclusive and sustainable agriculture, supports sustainable and inclusive private and public sector development through technical cooperation and capacity building programmes in 50 ACP countries, funded by international donors (mainly the European Union). and and food products, ACP countries’
Perception Constraints on Mass-Dependent Spontaneous Localization

Some versions of quantum theory treat wave function collapse as a fundamental physical phenomenon to be described by explicit laws. One motivation is to find a consistent unification of quantum theory and gravity, in which collapse prevents superpositions of space-times from developing. Another is to invoke collapse to explain our perception of definite measurement outcomes. Combining these motivations while avoiding two different collapse postulates seems to require that perceptibly different physical states necessarily create significantly different mass distributions in our organs of perception or brains. Bassi et al. investigated this question in the context of mass density dependent spontaneous collapse models. By analysing the mechanism of visual perception of a few photons in the human eye, they argued that collapse model parameters consistent with known experiment imply that a collapse would take place in the eye within the human perception time of ~100ms, so that a definite state of observing some or no photons would be created from an initial superposition. I reanalyse their arguments, and note a key problem: they treat the relevant processes as though they take place in vacuo, rather than in cytoplasm. This makes a significant difference, since the models imply that superpositions collapse at rates that depend on the difference between the coarse grained mass densities of their components. This increases the required collapse rate, most likely by at least an order of magnitude and plausibly by significantly more. This casts some doubt on the claim that there are collapse model parameters consistent with known experiment that imply collapse times of <~ 100ms within the human eye. A complete analysis would require a very detailed understanding of the physical chemistry and biology of rod cells at microscopic scales.
A Comparative Statics Analysis of Punishment in Public-Good Experiments

This paper provides a comparative-statics analysis of punishment in public-good experiments. We vary the effectiveness of punishment, that is, the factor by which punishment reduces the punished player's income. The data show that contributions increase monotonically in punishment effectiveness. High effectiveness leads to near complete cooperation and welfare improvements. Below a certain threshold, however, punishment cannot prevent the decay of cooperation. In these cases, punishment opportunities reduce welfare. The results suggest that the experimenter's choice of the punishment effectiveness is of great importance for the experimental outcome.
Review of the Proposals in the Forthcoming 8th TNM Classification of Lung Cancer

Staging of lung cancer is a key factor for both prognostication and management of patients. Thus, there is a need for an accurate, uncomplicated, easily reproducible staging system. The database of the 8th TNM (T: Tumor, N: Node, M: Metastasis) classification is based on information gathered from 94,708 patients who received diagnoses of lung cancer between 1999 and 2010, originating from 35 sources in 16 countries. Data analysis was performed in 2013–2014 regarding proposals put forward for the 8th edition and was published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology. It is thought that the 8th edition will be used in 2017. In this edition, tumor diameter is more important and each centimeter counts (T1a: ≤1 cm, T1b: >1 cm but ≤2 cm, T1c: >2 cm but ≤3 cm, T2a: >3 cm but ≤4 cm, T2b: >4 cm but ≤5 cm, T3: >5 cm but ≤7 cm, and T4: >7 cm). There are changes in some T descriptors such as main bronchus involvement (T2), total atelectasis/pneumonitis (T2), involvement of diaphragm (T4), and mediastinal pleural invasion (not used as T descriptor). Current N staging is still valid; however, there are clues for the importance of the abundance of nodal involvement. Three metastatic groups are defined: M1a (contralateral/bilateral tumor nodules, pleural/pericardial nodules or effusion), M1b (single metastatic lesion in one organ), and M1c (multiple metastasis in either single or multiple organs). More stage groupings demonstrating good prognostic categories are proposed. These changes do not have much implication on treatment. The proposed taxonomic changes do not affect therapeutic modalities. However, care should be taken to follow up for small pulmonary nodules.
A new approach for assessing cold-water coral growth in situ using fluorescent calcein staining

Research on the biology and ecology of cold-water corals (CWCs) is still in its infancy. The growth patterns of CWCs in their natural environments are poorly known. Growth rate investigations on these deep-sea reef builder species are needed to predict recovery times following damage to their ecosystems. This study investigates a new approach for analysing CWC growth rate, suitable for in situ application. Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata (Scleractinian) were collected from the Lacaze-Duthiers canyon in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea (520 m depth), marked and then either redeployed in situ for 6 months, or maintained in aquaria for growth rate comparison at a constant temperature of 13 °C, corresponding to their habitat conditions. Two different types of staining (calcein and manganese) and three different exposure times (30, 60 and 240 min) were tested. The results show that calcein offers rapid incorporation and easy detection, making it particularly suitable for skeletal growth rate investigations compared with other chemical staining. In situ linear polyp growth rates of 7.5 ± 1.2 mm y-1 and 3.5 ± 2.1 mm y-1 were measured in new polyps of L. pertusa and M. oculata , respectively. Those values were significantly higher in young polyps than in older ones, where they decreased to 1.3 ± 1.5 mm y-1 and 1.2 ± 1.2 mm y-1 . Beyond the study of coral reef growth processes, this approach offers a methodological basis for habitat quality assessment which could be used in the management of deep-sea marine protected areas (MPA).
Modulatory role of Magnesium and Copper Sulphates on Serum Lipid profile and Serum Liver Enzymes in Fructose-induced Diabetic Wistar Rats

Article history: Received on: 08/06/2013 Revised on: 02/07/2013 Accepted on: 09/09/2013 Available online: 18/09/2013 The aim of this study is to determine the effect of magnesium and copper sulphates on serum lipid profile and serum liver enzymes in fructose-induced diabetic Wistar rats. Diabetes was induced by administration of 20% (20g/100ml) of fructose dissolved in distilled water and administered to the animals for a period of six (6) weeks. After which the animals were randomly assigned into 4 groups of 6 rats each. Group I served as diabetic negative control were administered 1ml distilled water. Group II were administered Magnesium sulphate (250 mg/kg b w). Group III were administered Copper sulphate (250 mg/kg b w) and Group IV administered Metformin (250 mg/kg b w) served as positive control. All treatments were given orally for a period of seven days. The results obtained showed a statistically significant decrease (p<0.05) in the serum total cholesterol and triglyceride levels in groups administered with 250mg/kg b w of magnesium and copper sulphate when compared to diabetic control group. However, high density lipoprotein serum level was significantly increased (p<0.05) in groups administered with 250mg/kg b w of magnesium and copper sulphate when compared to diabetic control group. The results also showed that magnesium and copper sulphates at dose of 250mg/kg b w produced a significantly decreased (p<0.05) serum levels of liver enzymes (AST, ALT and ALP) in the treated groups when compared to diabetic untreated control group.
’ s repository of research publications and other research outputs Generating multimedia presentations : from plain text to screenplay Book Section

In many Natural Language Generation (NLG) applications, the output is limited to plain text – i.e., a string of words with punctuation and paragraph breaks, but no indications for layout, or pictures, or dialogue. In several projects, we have begun to explore NLG applications in which these extra media are brought into play. This paper gives an informal account of what we have learned. For coherence, we focus on the domain of patient information leaflets, and follow an example in which the same content is expressed first in plain text, then in formatted text, then in text with pictures, and finally in a dialogue script that can be performed by two animated agents. We show how the same meaning can be mapped to realisation patterns in different media, and how the expanded options for expressing meaning are related to the perceived style and tone of the presentation. Throughout, we stress that the extra media are not simple added to plain text, but integrated with it: thus the use of formatting, or pictures, or dialogue, may require radical rewording of the text itself.
Effects of Data Collection Method on Organizational Climate Survey Results

Although the use of the Internet has dramatically increased the ease and speed of organizational climate survey administration, the issue of differential effects of the survey method must be addressed. A climate survey was administered to salaried employees in the same department of a large consumer products company. One group responded online and another responded on paper. Contrary to prior studies, survey method had a greater impact on item scores than job level, with online respondents rating items more positively. Trends in score changes from the department’s previous survey administration also varied based on method; online respondents’ ratings were more positive on eight of 14 items, whereas scores on three items declined for paper respondents. ____________________________________________________________________
Objective Evaluation of a Deep Neural Network Approach for Single-Channel Speech Intelligibility Enhancement

Single-channel speech intelligibility enhancement is much more difficult than multi-channel intelligibility enhancement. It has recently been reported that machine learning training-based single-channel speech intelligibility enhancement algorithms perform better than traditional algorithms. In this paper, the performance of a deep neural network method using a multiresolution cochlea-gram feature set recently proposed to perform single-channel speech intelligibility enhancement processing is evaluated. Various conditions such as different speakers for training and testing as well as different noise conditions are tested. Simulations and objective test results show that the method performs better than another deep neural networks setup recently proposed for the same task, and leads to a more robust convergence compared to a recently proposed Gaussian mixture model approach.
Is there a publication bias in behavioral intranasal oxytocin research on humans? Opening the file drawer of one lab

The neurohormone oxytocin (OT) has been one the most studied peptides in behavioral sciences over the past two decades. Primarily known for its crucial role in labor and lactation, a rapidly growing literature suggests that intranasal OT (IN-OT) may also play a role in humans’ emotional and social lives. However, the lack of a convincing theoretical framework explaining INOT’s effects that would also allow to predict which moderators exert their effects and when, has raised healthy skepticism regarding the robustness of human behavioral IN-OT research. The poor knowledge of OT’s exact pharmacokinetic properties, crucial statistical and methodological issues and the absence of direct replication efforts may have lead to a publication bias in IN-OT literature with many unpublished studies with null results lying in laboratories’ drawers. Is there a file drawer problem in IN-OT research? If this is the case, it may also be the case in our laboratory. This paper aims to answer that question, document the extent of the problem and discuss its implications for OT research. Through eight studies (including 13 dependent variables overall, assessed through 25 different paradigms) performed in our lab between 2009 and 2014 on 453 subjects, results were too often not those expected. Only five publications emerged from our studies and only one of these reported a null-finding. After realizing that our publication portfolio has become less and less A cc ep te d A rt ic le This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. representative of our actual findings and because the non-publication of our data might contribute to generating a publication bias in IN-OT research, we decided to get these studies out of our drawer and encourage other laboratories to do the same.
Issue advocacy and mass political sophistication

We present a game-theoretic model of political discourse that explores how strategic incentives to make potentially persuasive arguments vary across different informational contexts. We show that political sophistication of the listeners fundamentally affects the speakers' incentives to make informative arguments, increasing the informed speech for speakers who are less likely to be successful in carrying the majority of the audience, and with it, the expected epistemic quality of majority choices.
Synthesis, Characterization, and Properties of Large-Area Graphene Films

Graphene and few-layer graphene films exhibit unique properties and show promise as electronic devices as well as for passive applications. A significant challenge however is the synthesis of large area graphene and/or multilayer films. A method that is showing promise is the growth of graphene on metal substrates by chemical vapor deposition. In this paper we report on a method to grow large-area graphene films on Cu foils and graphene transfer methods to other substrates. The transferred graphene films were characterized by optical, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, Raman and UV-VIS spectroscopy, and four-point probe electrical measurements. The data shows that graphene can be grown directly on Cu substrates by chemical vapor deposition. The graphene films transferred to SiO2/Si substrates show low defects as determined by the near absence of the “D” band at 1350 cm -1 in the Raman spectrum. In addition, the films were found to have high optical transmittance and electrical conductivity.