Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The modular structure of housing utilities : analyzing architectural integration patterns

—Modularity is considered a powerful concept within many domains. While modular artifacts are believed to have the potential to exhibit several beneﬁcial characteristics such as evolvability, the actual realization of this evolvability or ﬂexibility remains challenging. This paper considers houses as modular structures and employs the combinatorics underlying Normalized Systems Theory, as well as the integration patterns it proposes, to analyze design alternatives for the incorporation of electricity, heating, air conditioning and Internet access utilities within houses. The paper demonstrates that the integration patterns can be applied at several modular granularity levels. An analysis is presented regarding the currently most frequently used integration patterns (as well as their level of application), and those patterns that should deserve additional exploration. The adopted approach to analyze the modular design alternatives for housing utilities is believed to be applicable within other domains as well.
Size‐dependent intraspecific variation in wood traits has little impact on aboveground carbon estimates in a tropical forest landscape

1. There is increasing evidence that intraspecific trait variation plays a role in governing rates of ecosystem functioning. While wood traits such as wood specific gravity (WSG) and wood carbon concentration (WCC) are key drivers of forest aboveground carbon (AGC) stocks, the sources of intraspecific variation in these wood traits and the consequences of this variation on AGC are poorly known, especially in the tropics. 2. Here, we investigated intraspecific variation in wood specific gravity (WSG) and wood carbon concentration (WCC) from 556 individual trees belonging to 15 species that well characterize different successional
Influence of the climate on productivity and the eucalyptus drought response and a proposal for maximizing wood productivity in function of soil attributes in Brazil

The genetic gains from eucalyptus breeding programs have decreased, compared to the previous decades, while the productivity has declined in recent years. This drop is mainly attributed to climate change, which, according to studies, has limited the productivity and altered the adaptation of forest species. In addition to this, it is considered that the soil is one of the components of the forest production that acts directly on the dynamics of water and nutrients for trees, and it is intended to evaluate the attributes of soils that maximize the productivity of wood to assist forestry companies in the indication of soils with better productive capacity to produce wood. Thus, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of climate and soil attributes on the productivity of the eucalyptus forest and on the response to drought in Brazil (tropical and subtropical) in places with three types of climate: sub-humid, humid and super-humid. In addition, we sought to calculate a proposal for optimal values of stable soil attributes over a forest cycle/rotation to maximize Eucalyptus productivity. To do so, 24 experiments were installed in Brazil with 4 common clones in all the experiments to obtain strong edaphoclimatic contrasts, and, thus, to measure the productivity and the response to drought and to describe its relationship with the attributes of the soils. Three climatic groups were evaluated: Sub-humid (precipitation rate: evapotranspiration between 0.5 to 1.0, Wet (precipitation rate: evapotranspiration between 1.0 to 2.5), Super-humid (precipitation rate: evapotranspiration between 2.5 to 5.0). Wood productivity varied among Eucalyptus clones, with an average of 1.86 being the variation range. The genotype versus environment interaction (G X E) was strongly noted, and it was observed that some clones are more affected by the climate in relation to others. The optimal values of Sand, Clay, Silt, CEC, O.M to maximize the wood productivity were: 54.68 %, 18.94 %, 7.02 %, 31.49 mmolc/dm³, 27.17 g/cm³.
Comparative Assessment of the Antioxidant and Anticancer Activities of Plicosepalus acacia and Plicosepalus curviflorus: Metabolomic Profiling and In Silico Studies

This study presents a comparison between two mistletoe plants—P. acacia and P. curviflorus—regarding their total phenolic contents and antioxidant and anticancer activities. P. curviflorus exhibited a higher total phenolics content (340.62 ± 19.46 mg GAE/g extract), and demonstrated higher DPPH free radical scavenging activity (IC50 = 48.28 ± 3.41µg/mL), stronger reducing power (1.43 ± 0.54 mMol Fe+2/g) for ferric ions, and a greater total antioxidant capacity (41.89 ± 3.15 mg GAE/g) compared to P. acacia. The cytotoxic effects of P. acacia and P. curviflorus methanol extracts were examined on lung (A549), prostate (PC-3), ovarian (A2780) and breast (MDA-MB-231) cancer cells. The highest anticancer potential for the two extracts was observed on PC-3 prostate cancer cells, where P. curviflorus exhibited more pronounced antiproliferative activity (IC50 = 25.83 μg/mL) than P. acacia (IC50 = 34.12 μg/mL). In addition, both of the tested extracts arrested the cell cycle at the Pre-G1 and G1 phases, and induced apoptosis. However, P. curviflorus extract possessed the highest apoptotic effect, mediated by the upregulation of p53, Bax, and caspase-3, 8 and 9, and the downregulation of Bcl-2 expression. In the pursuit to link the chemical diversity of P. curviflorus with the exhibited bioactivities, its metabolomic profiling was achieved by the LC-ESI-TOF-MS/MS technique. This permitted the tentative identification of several phenolics—chiefly flavonoid derivatives, beside some triterpenes and sterols—in the P. curviflorus extract. Furthermore, all of the metabolites in P. curviflorus and P. acacia were inspected for their binding modes towards both CDK-2 and EGFR proteins using molecular docking studies in an attempt to understand the superiority of P. curviflorus over P. acacia regarding their antiproliferative effect on PC-3 cancer cells. Docking studies supported our experimental results; with all of this taken together, P. curviflorus could be regarded as a potential prospect for the development of chemotherapeutics for prostate cancer.
Enhanced output-performance of piezoelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride trifluoroethylene) fibers-based nanogenerator with interdigital electrodes and well-ordered cylindrical cavities

A piezoelectric nanogenerator based on poly(vinylidene fluoride trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE)] nanofibers with an Au interdigital electrode (IDT)/P(VDF-TrFE) nanofiber film/well-ordered cylindrical cavity structure was prepared by combining Au IDTs with a rotary collector to obtain highly aligned P(VDF-TrFE) nanofiber arrays. The Au IDTs work not only as parallel electrodes to collect P(VDF-TrFE) nanofibers during electrospinning but also as charge-collecting electrodes in the nanogenerator. The well-ordered cylindrical cavities improve output performance by enhancing the deformation of P(VDF-TrFE) nanofiber films when subjected to external force. The nanogenerator performs well; as an example of application, we demonstrate energy harvesting from human walking, with a peak output voltage of 5 V and a peak short-circuit current of 1.2 μA. Such a device could have practical applications in wearable, self-powered devices.A piezoelectric nanogenerator based on poly(vinylidene fluoride trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE)] nanofibers with an Au interdigital electrode (IDT)/P(VDF-TrFE) nanofiber film/well-ordered cylindrical cavity structure was prepared by combining Au IDTs with a rotary collector to obtain highly aligned P(VDF-TrFE) nanofiber arrays. The Au IDTs work not only as parallel electrodes to collect P(VDF-TrFE) nanofibers during electrospinning but also as charge-collecting electrodes in the nanogenerator. The well-ordered cylindrical cavities improve output performance by enhancing the deformation of P(VDF-TrFE) nanofiber films when subjected to external force. The nanogenerator performs well; as an example of application, we demonstrate energy harvesting from human walking, with a peak output voltage of 5 V and a peak short-circuit current of 1.2 μA. Such a device could have practical applications in wearable, self-powered devices.
Reduced Order Modeling of flow fields in cylinder arrangements in the context of fluid structure interaction

A reduced order modeling method devoted to fluid structure interaction problems is proposed in statics and dynamics, for large magnitude motion. The performance is evaluated through model problems involving vibrations of cylinders under cross flows of external single-phase fluid. A parametric reduced model is also built and applied to the sensitivity analysis of a cylinder arrangement stability to fluid parameters. The reduced order modeling approach is formulated in a dynamic context through a fluid/solid formulation compatible with moving solid interfaces. The parametric model is built by using a single reference reduced basis, but it would be possible to use an interpolation of reduced basis corresponding to several values of the considered parameter. The interpolation choice is a challenge since we remark that the reduced order basis make up a differential manifold and not a vector space.
Governance Regimes for Large Complex Projects

This paper presents a framework for building governance regimes for large complex projects. The framework is based on three sources: 1) a re-examination of a study of 60 large capital projects (Miller & Lessard, 2000), 2) the institutional, corporate, and project governance literatures and 3) interviews centered on the revision of the British Private Finance Initiative and on the development of the Norwegian project approval process. The literature tends to treat governance issues as being static, but project development processes and environments are dynamic. The governance regimes must adapt to the specific project and context, deal with emergent complexity, and change as the project development process unfolds. Learning to manage project governance regimes is difficult for organizations that are not involved in great numbers of large complex projects. The framework based on the progressive shaping of the project through the project development life cycle is designed to help overcome this dilemma.
Temsilcilik maliyetleri bağlamında kaldıraç, sahiplik yoğunlaşması ve etkinlik ilişkisi: BIST kimya, ilaç, petrol, lastik ve plastik ürünler sektöründe bir uygulama

Bu çalışmada ortak-yönetici çatışmalarından kaynaklanan temsilcilik probleminin ve buna ilişkin maliyetlerin kaldıraç kullanımı ile azaltılıp azaltılmayacağı araştırılmaktadır. Çalışma 2018 ve 2019 yılları için Borsa İstanbul’da Kimya, İlaç, Petrol, Lastik ve Plastik Ürünler Sektöründe kayıtlı olan ve analiz şartlarını sağlayan 27 kimya firması kullanılarak gerçekleştirilmiştir. Çalışmada finansal performans göstergelerini performans ölçütü olarak kullanan çalışmalardan farklı olarak performans ölçümü için farklı etkinlik hesaplamaları gerçekleştirilmiştir. Diğer değişkenlerle anlamlı bulunan ölçek etkinliği firmaların etkinlik göstergeleri olarak kullanılmıştır. Etkinliğin kaldıraca etkisi de oluşturulan başka bir modelle test edilmiştir. Tüm analizler sahiplik yoğunlaşmasının etkinliğe ve kaldıraç oranına olası etkileri dikkate alınarak gerçekleştirilmiştir. Regresyon analizlerinden elde edilen sonuçlar, kaldıracın etkinlik üzerinde ve etkinliğin de kaldıraç üzerinde pozitif yönlü bir etkiye sahip olduğunu ortaya koymuştur. Sahiplik yoğunlaşması değişkenine dair elde edilen sonuçlar ise bu değişkenin kaldıraç ve etkinlik değişkeni üzerinde istatistiki açıdan etkili bir faktör olmadığını belirtmiştir.
Biologie et potentialités des cellules souches embryonnaires humaines

Les cellules souches embryonnaires humaines (CSEh) sont des cellules obtenues a partir de la masse cellulaire interne de l’embryon precoce au stade blastocyste. Derivees pour la premiere fois en lignees cellulaires en 1998, elles peuvent etre maintenues en culture, sous forme de colonies indifferenciees, de maniere indefinie dans certaines conditions. Elles sont caracterisees par deux proprietes essentielles : pluripotence et auto-renouvellement. Les determinants de la pluripotence de ces cellules commencent a etre mieux definis, tels que les facteurs de transcription OCT4 et NANOG, ou les facteurs de croissance FGFb et IGF2. Les marqueurs caracterisant ces cellules sont des marqueurs de surface comme SSEA-3, SSEA-4 ou des marqueurs nucleaires, notamment OCT4. Les CSEh sont capables de se differencier en differents types cellulaires in vitro. Elles representent un modele essentiel et unique dans l’etude du developpement humain precoce et dans le domaine de la medecine regeneratrice. Par leur capacite d’auto-renouvellement et leur potentiel de differenciation en de multiples types cellulaires, les CSEh sont une source illimitee de cellules pour la medecine regeneratrice. Meme s’il n’est pas envisageable aujourd’hui pour des raisons ethiques et scientifiques de les utiliser en clinique, il est primordial d’explorer les nombreuses potentialites de ces cellules. Ces connaissances pourront immediatement etre appliquees aux modeles de cellules souches adultes et peut-etre dans le futur aboutir a une utilisation en clinique des CSEh.
Suicide, a Topic that Opens a Debate on What Journalism is for: A Study on Portuguese Journalists’ Perceptions

ABSTRACT Reporting on suicide has been a matter of concern for decades due to possible harmful effects. Media guidelines have been developed to facilitate responsible suicide reporting. However, there is no consensus among journalists on the newsworthiness of suicide. Through a random sample survey (n = 491) corresponding to 10% of the total number of national journalist licences, and based on 12 interviews, this study explores for the first time Portuguese journalists’ experiences and perceptions of suicide reporting, and their knowledge of existing guidelines. Portuguese journalists are divided over the newsworthiness of suicide, but there is agreement on reporting suicide in the case of celebrities, as a social phenomenon, and amid efforts to promote mental health. More than half of the respondents answered that suicides should be reported to raise people’s awareness of warning signs and encourage public debate, mirroring the view of professionals from other countries. Almost 60% stated not knowing the guidelines for responsible suicide reporting. This study, which surveyed the largest sample of journalists ever to be questioned about suicide reporting, shows that there has been a change in Portuguese journalism practices in that regard and indicates that the topic should be included in education and/or training.
A Comparison of Non-Isolated High-Gain Three-Port Converters for Hybrid Energy Storage Systems

This work carries out a comparison of non-isolated topologies for power electronic converters applied to Hybrid Energy Storage Systems. At the considered application, several options for three-port circuits are evaluated when interfacing a DC link with two distinct electrical energy storage units. This work demonstrates how the proposed structure, referred to as Series-Parallel Connection, performs as a simple, compact and reliable approach, based on a modification of the H-bridge configuration. The main advantage of this solution is that an effective large voltage gain at one of the ports is attained by means of a simple topology, preventing the use of multilevel or galvanic-isolated power stages. The resulting structure is thoroughly compared against the most significant direct alternatives. The analysis carried out on the switching and conduction losses in the power switches of the target solution states the design constraints at which this solution shows a performance improvement. The experimental validations carried out on a 10 kW prototype demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed scheme, stating its benefits as well as its main limitations. As a conclusion, the Series-Parallel Connection shows a better performance in terms of efficiency, reliability and controllability in the target application of compensating grid or load variations in Non-Isolated Hybrid Storage Systems, with large mismatch in the storage device voltage ratings.
Mixed Kernel Function Support Vector Regression with Genetic Algorithm for Forecasting Dissolved Gas Content in Power Transformers

Forecasting dissolved gas content in power transformers plays a significant role in detecting incipient faults and maintaining the safety of the power system. Though various forecasting models have been developed, there is still room to further improve prediction performance. In this paper, a new forecasting model is proposed by combining mixed kernel function-based support vector regression (MKF-SVR) and genetic algorithm (GA). First, forecasting performance of SVR models constructed with a single kernel are compared, and then Gaussian kernel and polynomial kernel are retained due to better learning and prediction ability. Next, a mixed kernel, which integrates a Gaussian kernel with a polynomial kernel, is used to establish a SVR-based forecasting model. Genetic algorithm (GA) and leave-one-out cross validation are employed to determine the free parameters of MKF-SVR, while mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) and squared correlation coefficient (r2) are applied to assess the quality of the parameters. The proposed model is implemented on a practical dissolved gas dataset and promising results are obtained. Finally, the forecasting performance of the proposed model is compared with three other approaches, including RBFNN, GRNN and GM. The experimental and comparison results demonstrate that the proposed model outperforms other popular models in terms of forecasting accuracy and fitting capability.
Sudden Cardiac Death in Patients with Ischemic Heart Failure Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: Results from the Surgical Treatment for Ischemic Heart Failure (STICH) Randomized Clinical Trial

Background —The risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in patients with heart failure following CABG has not been examined in a contemporary clinical trial of surgical revascularization. This analysis describes the incidence, timing and clinical predictors of SCD after CABG. Methods —Patients enrolled in the Surgical Treatment of Ischemic Heart Failure (STICH) trial who underwent CABG with or without surgical ventricular reconstruction (SVR) were included. We excluded patients with prior ICD and those randomized only to medical therapy. The primary outcome was SCD as adjudicated by a blinded committee. A Cox model was used to examine and identify predictors of SCD. The Fine and Gray method was used to estimate the incidence of SCD accounting for the competing risk of other deaths. Results —Over a median follow-up of 46 months, 113 patients of 1411 patients who received CABG without (n = 934) or with SVR (n = 477) had SCD; 311 died of other causes. The mean LVEF at enrollment was 28±9%. The 5-year cumulative incidence of SCD was 8.5%. Patients who had SCD and those who did not die were younger and had fewer comorbid conditions than those who died for reasons other than SCD. In the first 30 days after CABG, SCD (n=5) accounted for 7% of all deaths. The numerically greatest monthly rate of SCD was in the 31-90 day time period. In a multivariable analysis including baseline demographics, risk factors, coronary anatomy and LV function, ESVI and BNP were most strongly associated with SCD. Conclusions —The monthly risk of SCD shortly after CABG among patients with a low LVEF is highest between the first and third month, suggesting that risk stratification for SCD should occur early in the postoperative period, particularly in patients with increased preoperative ESVI and/or BNP. Clinical Trial Registration —NCT0002359 (www.stichtrial.org)
Group II Intron-Encoded Proteins (IEPs/Maturases) as Key Regulators of Nad1 Expression and Complex I Biogenesis in Land Plant Mitochondria

Mitochondria are semi-autonomous organelles that produce much of the energy required for cellular metabolism. As descendants of a bacterial symbiont, most mitochondria harbor their own genetic system (mtDNA/mitogenome), with intrinsic machineries for transcription and protein translation. A notable feature of plant mitochondria involves the presence of introns (mostly group II-type) that reside in many organellar genes. The splicing of the mtRNAs relies on the activities of various protein cofactors, which may also link organellar functions with cellular or environmental signals. The splicing of canonical group II introns is aided by an ancient class of RT-like enzymes (IEPs/maturases, MATs) that are encoded by the introns themselves and act specifically on their host introns. The plant organellar introns are degenerated in structure and are generally also missing their cognate intron-encoded proteins. The factors required for plant mtRNA processing are mostly nuclearly-encoded, with the exception of a few degenerated MATs. These are in particular pivotal for the maturation of NADH-dehydrogenase transcripts. In the following review we provide an update on the non-canonical MAT factors in angiosperm mitochondria and summarize the current knowledge of their essential roles in regulating Nad1 expression and complex I (CI) biogenesis during embryogenesis and early plant life.
It Takes Two to Tango: A Review of Oncogenic Virus and Host Microbiome Associated Inflammation in Head and Neck Cancer

Simple Summary Certain viruses, specifically, human papillomavirus (HPV) and Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), have been linked with the development of head and neck cancer. In this study, we review the mechanisms by which (these) viruses lead to cellular transformation and a chronic inflammatory state. Given that the head and neck host a rich microbiome (which itself is intrinsically linked to inflammation), we scrutinize the literature to highlight the interplay between viruses, cellular transformation, inflammation, and the local host microbiome in head and neck cancer. Abstract While the two primary risk factors for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are alcohol and tobacco, viruses account for an important and significant upward trend in HNSCC incidence. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the causative agent for a subset of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC)—a cancer that is impacting a rapidly growing group of typically middle-aged non-smoking white males. While HPV is a ubiquitously present (with about 1% of the population having high-risk oral HPV infection at any one time), less than 1% of those infected with high-risk strains develop OPSCC—suggesting that additional cofactors or coinfections may be required. Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) is a similarly ubiquitous virus that is strongly linked to nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Both of these viruses cause cellular transformation and chronic inflammation. While dysbiosis of the human microbiome has been associated with similar chronic inflammation and the pathogenesis of mucosal diseases (including OPSCC and NPC), a significant knowledge gap remains in understanding the role of bacterial-viral interactions in the initiation, development, and progression of head and neck cancers. In this review, we utilize the known associations of HPV with OPSCC and EBV with NPC to investigate these interactions. We thoroughly review the literature and highlight how perturbations of the pharyngeal microbiome may impact host-microbiome-tumor-viral interactions—leading to tumor growth.