Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Differential Metabolic and Transcriptional Responses of Gilthead Seabream (Sparus aurata) Administered with Cortisol or Cortisol-BSA

Simple Summary Cortisol is a key stress hormone in teleosts. Cortisol exerts its effects through genomic—and membrane-initiated mechanisms, however, the role of the latter in long-term stress responses is unknown. Here, we treated Sparus aurata with cortisol or cortisol-BSA (exclusive inductor to membrane-initiated effects) to emulate a long-term stress situation. We found that cortisol, but not cortisol-BSA, promotes energy substrate mobilization in the liver, together with the regulation of metabolism-related genes. We suggest that genomic cortisol actions exclusively participate in metabolic responses during prolonged treatment using cortisol in S. aurata. This study contributes to the current knowledge on cortisol’s involvement in stress responses in fish. Abstract Cortisol is the main glucocorticoid hormone promoting compensatory metabolic responses of stress in teleosts. This hormone acts through genomic and membrane-initiated actions to exert its functions inside the cell. Experimental approaches, using exogenous cortisol administration, confirm the role of this hormone during short (minutes to hours)- and long-term (days to weeks) responses to stress. The role of membrane-initiated cortisol signaling during long-term responses has been recently explored. In this study, Sparus aurata were intraperitoneally injected with coconut oil alone or coconut oil containing cortisol, cortisol-BSA, or BSA. After 3 days of treatment, plasma, liver, and skeletal muscle were extracted. Plasma cortisol, as well as metabolic indicators in the plasma and tissues collected, and metabolism-related gene expression, were measured. Our results showed that artificially increased plasma cortisol levels in S. aurata enhanced plasma glucose and triacylglycerols values as well as hepatic substrate energy mobilization. Additionally, cortisol stimulated hepatic carbohydrates metabolism, as seen by the increased expression of metabolism-related genes. All of these responses, observed in cortisol-administered fish, were not detected by replicating the same protocol and instead using cortisol-BSA, which exclusively induces membrane-initiated effects. Therefore, we suggest that after three days of cortisol administration, only genomic actions are involved in the metabolic responses in S. aurata.
Dupuytren’s disease

• Assess the impact of Dupuytren’s disease on activities of daily living—work, hobbies, personal grooming • With national restrictions to elective surgery and withdrawal of collagenase injections in Europe, the management of the condition is likely to change over the coming years • Operative management does not always lead to resolution of symptoms—postoperative stiffness is common, and rates of recurrence can be high
Micro-Jet Arrays for Cooling of Electronic Equipment

A high heat flux cooling system using an array of micro-jets is presented. The Micro-Jet Cooling Array (MJCA) is based on an array of small diameter micro-jets, with jet diameters as low as 300 microns. The return flow in MJCA is arranged so that the effect of neighboring jets is essentially eliminated and the high heat fluxes achievable in a single jet are reproduced over large areas. MJCA has been machined using the LIGA process and has been extensively tested. Extremely high heat fluxes have been achieved with MJCA, making is suitable for a variety of high heat flux applications.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Space, conversations and place: Lessons and questions from organisational development

Physical workspace is distinguished from workplace. The latter embodies culture and should become the greater concern of FM. In the field of individual and group development spaces can add an extra gear to stimulate cognitive processes. We provide various examples and suggest modern workplaces, with their emphasis on interaction need to also focus on environments and spaces for individual and collective reflection.
400kHz, 300W SiC BJT Based High Power Density PFC Converter

The SiC BJT is a very promising switching power device because of its ability to operate at high temperature. This capability, coupled with ultra low conduction and switching loss, will facilitate very high frequency operation. This will have a significant impact on applications such as PFC where power density is of high interest. In this paper, an all SiC PFC is designed and implemented. In order to achieve ultra low loss, a new drive method is implemented that uses a conventional MOSFET driver to drive the SiC BJT. Based on this method, the turn on and turn off loss of the SiC device can be reduced significantly. Based on the measured loss, the maximum operating frequency of the PFC converter is predicted. Experimental demonstration at 400kHz and 300W is presented in this paper.
Noise exposure for personal music player users in metros

Research on acoustics conditions inside transport systems have demonstrated that the noise in metros trains can reach levels comparable with those of industrial activities. These sound levels can affect the acoustic comfort, reducing significantly the speech communication between passengers and influencing behaviour and habits during the performance of secondary activities. On the other hand, the proliferation of the personal music players (PMPs) and the wide spread daily use of these devices by the new generations can be the reason for hearing loss when the music listening takes place in noisy environments. In this study the results of a survey on the listening habits of PMPs users interviewed on board of a metro and the measurements of the maximum output levels of the most commonly used PMPs are presented. The results of a laboratory test, which aim was to analyse the listening levels of a group of subjects during a simulation of the PMPs listening in the different metros� acoustic environment, are also presented. The results of the tests were then processed to evaluate the noise exposure levels and the hearing loss risks.
Experiments on Flow Boiling Heat Transfer of Almost Pure CO2 and CO2-Oil Mixtures in Horizontal Smooth and Microfin Tubes

Experiments on the flow boiling heat transfer of almost pure CO2 and CO2-oil mixtures in horizontal smooth and microfin tubes have been carried out. The smooth tube is a stainless steel tube with an inside diameter of 3 mm, and the microfin tube is a copper tube with a mean inside diameter of 3.04 mm. Experiments were carried out at mass velocities from 190 to 1300 kg/(m2·s), a saturation temperature of 10°C, heat fluxes from 5 to 30 kW/m2, and an oil (PAG) circulation ratio from <0.01 to 0.72 wt%. In the case of almost pure CO2, the flow boiling heat transfer is dominated by nucleate boiling for both smooth and microfin tubes. In the case of CO2-oil mixtures, the heat transfer coefficients are much lower than those of almost pure CO2. The strong dependence on heat flux disappeared due to the existence of oil. This is due to nucleate boiling being suppressed by the oil film. The dryout quality decreases greatly with an increase in mass velocity for the smooth tube and is little affected by mass velocity for the microfin tube. The effect of oil on dryout quality is very small in both tubes.
Monitoring program for the first steel catenary riser installed in a moored floating platform in deep water

An extensive monitoring program is being conducted with the installation and operation of the first steel catenary riser from a moored floating platform in deep water (910 m). The monitoring program is supplying data from real scale measurements to validate computer models used in the design of floating production platforms, of deep water mooring systems and of rigid catenary risers. Monitored parameters are environmental (wind, directional waves, current profiles), platform and riser receptacle positions and motions, riser motions (for vortex induced vibrations), and riser top and touch down point loads (tension and moments). Subsea equipment are installed and retrieved by a remote operated vehicle and are controlled from surface by acoustic data telemetry. Subsea measured data is transmitted to the surface acoustically.
Impact of cooking methods of meat on antibiotic residues: Review

Antibiotics are the most conventionally used veterinary drug for raising food animals. They are used so, to ward off the undesirable effects generated by the multiple infectious pathogens. It helps to maintain the optimum level of production in farm animals without falling ill. The consequences faced with the use of drugs lead to the generation of antibiotic residues in the food products, consumed by the public. These residues will put forth a complication to the health of humans when it exceeds above the limit of the Maximum residues limit (MRL). The presence of antibiotic residues in animal-derived foods is one of the major causes of the development of antibiotic resistance in human pathogens. To overcome the antibiotic residues in food products nowadays lots of researches going on besides that, several methods of cooking like frying, boiling, roasting, grilling, etc., are also known to have reduced the level of antibiotic and other drug residues in the meat products. In this paper, we explore some antibiotic residues in meat and meat products and their reduction levels while applying several cooking methods.
Does Geographical Proximity Enhance Knowledge Exchange? The Case of the Aerospace Industrial Cluster of Centre Italy

According to the dominant literature, spatial proximity matters for successful inter-firm collaboration for innovation and more generally for knowledge transfer. This assumption is based on the argument that the tacit character of complex knowledge makes repetitive face-to-face interactions and shared cognition necessary to capture new ideas and to exchange knowledge. In contrast with this assumption, another stream of literature supports the idea that innovating requires integrating 'global best' scientific discoveries and knowledge, despite the geographical position of potential partners. Based on field research in the aerospace cluster of Rome, this study offers empirical evidence for the assumption that geographical proximity matters for inter-firm innovation-related knowledge exchange. Although external innovation collaborations are more diffused than local ones, we found that local relationships are more effective as knowledge vehicles, because more knowledge is exchanged through local relationships than through external ties. Moreover, it is showed that the propensity to transfer more knowledge with co-located partners is accentuated for the most critical type of knowledge. Finally, it is demonstrated that the propensity to access external knowledge is unevenly distributed among cluster firms.
Personalized Treatment Selection using Causal Heterogeneity

Randomized experimentation (also known as A/B testing or bucket testing) is widely used in the internet industry to measure the metric impact obtained by different treatment variants. A/B tests identify the treatment variant showing the best performance, which then becomes the chosen or selected treatment for the entire population. However, the effect of a given treatment can differ across experimental units and a personalized approach for treatment selection can greatly improve upon the usual global selection strategy. In this work, we develop a framework for personalization through (i) estimation of heterogeneous treatment effect at either a cohort or member-level, followed by (ii) selection of optimal treatment variants for cohorts (or members) obtained through (deterministic or stochastic) constrained optimization. We perform a two-fold evaluation of our proposed methods. First, a simulation analysis is conducted to study the effect of personalized treatment selection under carefully controlled settings. This simulation illustrates the differences between the proposed methods and the suitability of each with increasing uncertainty. We also demonstrate the effectiveness of the method through a real-life example related to serving notifications at Linkedin. The solution significantly outperformed both heuristic solutions and the global treatment selection baseline leading to a sizable win on top-line metrics like member visits.
Mikroimplantate in der Medizintechnik mit drahtloser Daten- und EnergieübertragungMicro Implants in Medical Technology with Wireless Data and Power Transmission

Zusammenfassung Intelligente Implantate sind implantierbare Mikrosensoren oder Mikroaktoren mit integrierter Signalverarbeitung und drahtloser Datenübertragung. Sie bilden einen unverzichtbaren Bestandteil moderner Diagnostik und Therapie in der Medizin. Während Herzschrittmacher oder Defibrillatoren genügend Raum für eine Batterie bieten, werden Mikroimplantate wie Cochlea-Implantat, Retina-Implantat oder solche zur Überwachung physiologischer Parameter als passive Transponder ausgelegt. Die Energie- und Datenübertragung erfolgt mittels induktiver Kopplung. Für eine störungssichere Informationsübertragung werden die Daten digitalisiert, codiert und mit einer Prüfsumme abgesichert übermittelt. Anhand eines Mikrosensorsystems zur Überwachung des Blutdrucks bei Hypertonikern und eines Mikrostimulatorsystems als Sehprothese für Retinitis-Pigmentosa-Patienten wird das Potenzial der Mikroimplantattechnologie dargestellt.
A New Kind of Art [Based on Autonomous Collective Robotics]

The paper addresses the rationale of a process that produces artworks made by a swarm of robots. This process relies on the interaction, though the environment, of a set of robots designed to create spatiotemporal patterns from an initial homogeneous medium (the canvas). Inspired by social insect societies, the approach presented here exploits robot-robot and robot-environment interactions to develop emergent behaviour. The swarm intelligence concept is crucial to this approach because the viability of the team (group of robots) is required in order to achieve the viability of the individual. Without any central coordination or plan, the group of robots produces its artworks on the basis of a data-driven (bottom-up) process. Moreover, each robot can be viewed as an autonomous agent because it has on board all the resources required to provide the global outcome of the experiment, including sensors, actuators, and the controller, which demonstrates a reactive behaviour by reinforcing a previously made signal (positive feedback). The process is also presented in the context of Machine Art, and a detailed technical description of each robot is given, as well as an example of artworks produced by the collective behaviour of the set of robots.
Association of genetic variants in STAT5B gene with milk performance and mastitis related traits in dairy cattle

Udder performance and health are important traits in dairy cattle worldwide. The present study aimed to explore the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the STAT5B gene in dairy cattle with milk performance and mastitis related traits. The study included 201 cows of three pure breeds (i.e. Holstein Friesian, Jersey and Achai) and two crossbred cattle at four established dairy farms in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The milk samples were analysed for somatic cell count (SCC) and milk composition (i.e. fat , protein and lactose percentages). The generalized linear model was deployed for association analysis using SAS. The pool DNA sequencing showed four (three synonymous and a 3/ UTR) SNPs in STAT5B. These SNPs were further validated in all DNA samples using SNaPshot assay. The breed-wise analysis showed that most of the SNPs were consistent with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P>0.05). The association analysis revealed a significantly higher protein percentage in TT genotype and lower SCC in CC genotypes of SNP 1 (exon 2, C>T), whereas in SNP 2 (exon 16, T>C) the TT genotypes revealed significantly lower SCC and SCS compared with other genotypes (P<0.05). SNP 4 (3/ UTR, C>T) showed significantly lower SCC and frequency of clinical mastitis in the heterozygous (CT) genotype compared to the homozygous genotypes. The in silico predictions revealed changes in the RNA secondary structure for SNP 2 and SNP 3. The study suggests that STAT5B should be considered as a candidate gene, and the variants identified as useful genetic markers for improved milk composition and udder health.
The new intelligent monitoring method for operating states of large generator units

In order to increase more effectively the operation reliability of large generator units in electric power systems, this paper presents a new monitoring method for operating states of large generator units using intelligent techniques. In this paper, the intelligent method with expert systems and fuzzy systems is used to deal with some different data obtained through off-line simulations of a large synchronous generator operating under different work conditions by the finite element analysis and some real-time data acquired from the external parts of the generator. Hence, much more accurate results of monitoring large generator units can be gained actively, with the help of the intelligent technique. The hardware unit and the software unit of the intelligent monitoring system are described.
Optimal Allocation of Distributed Generations and Remote Controllable Switches to Improve the Network Performance Considering Operation Strategy of Distributed Generations

Abstract This article proposes a new generation worth index for each load level to evaluate whether or not the distributed generation in that load level is worthwhile. The proposed index regards the impact of a distributed generation operation strategy on generation cost and reliability of the network. Based on the proposed generation worth index, the annual optimal operation strategy of distributed generation can also be estimated. Obviously, there is a mutual impact between the optimal operation strategy and the optimal site and size of distributed generations in the network. Hence, in the second part of the article, the proposed generation worth index and annual distributed generation operation strategy are utilized to determine the optimal size and location of distributed generations and the optimal location of remote controllable switches. The generation worth index is calculated to reduce the network energy loss, energy cost, and expected energy not supplied. The annual load is considered to be multilevel, and a genetic algorithm based method is developed for this optimization. Numerical results on a 33-bus distribution test network show the benefits of the proposed approach.
The Cholecystokinin Type 2 Receptor, a Pharmacological Target for Pain Management

Over the past decades, accumulating evidence has demonstrated a pivotal role of cholecystokinin type 2 receptor (CCK2R) in pain modulation. The established role of CCK2R activation in directly facilitating nociception has led to the development of several CCK2R antagonists, which have been shown to successfully alleviate pain in several rodent models of pain. However, the outcomes of clinical trials are more modest since they have not demonstrated the expected biological effect obtained in animals. Such discordances of results between preclinical and clinical studies suggest reconsidering our knowledge about the molecular basis of the pharmacology and functioning of CCK2R. This review focuses on the cellular localization of CCK2R specifically in the sensory nervous system and discusses in further detail the molecular mechanisms and signal transduction pathways involved in controlling pain perception. We then provide a comprehensive overview of the most successful compounds targeting CCK2R and report recent advances in pharmacological strategies used to achieve CCK2R modulation. We purposely distinguish between CCK2R benefits obtained in preclinical models and outcomes in clinical trials with different pain etiologies. Lastly, we emphasize the biological and clinical relevance of CCK2R as a promising target for the development of new treatments for pain management.
Estimating Peak Flows from Small Agricultural Watersheds

A method is developed for estimating peak runoff rates and return periods from agricultural watersheds by analyzing precipitation and runoff data, and by using the CREAMS model. Dimensionless Huff curves are used with the CREAMS model to synthesize the frequency distribution of peak runoff rates from an experimental watershed at Coshocton, Ohio. The frequency distributions of synthesized and observed peak flows are found to correspond to each other. A sensitivity study of some model inputs showed that the method is insensitive to some uncertain inputs, which is a desirable feature. Although the method has several desirable features for practical application, it must be investigated further on watersheds in different geographic and climatologic regions before it can be widely applied.
Non-Linear Model Predictive Control Based on Game Theory for Traffic Control on Highways

Abstract This paper presents a methodology for traffic control using a distributed model predictive control scheme based on game theory (GT-DMPC). Using the traffic model METANET as prediction model, the control objective is to minimize the total time spent by vehicles in the traffic network. The proposed control methodology is compared with a centralized model predictive control approach and a non-controlled-case. The simulations show that the GT-DMPC controller efficiently distributes the vehicles entering the highway, and presents a similar performance in comparison with centralized MPC.
New concepts for microwave sensing

For a long time, microwaves have been considered as a possible sensing agent for nondestructive testing/evaluation purposes. This trend has still been reinforced these last years with the advent of new microwave penetrable materials, such as composites. Inspection of materials via a mechanically scanned probe has proven to offer a convenient, but time consuming, way to measure local reflexion or transmission coefficients and, hence, to evaluate defects, faults, etc. High speed measurements are now possible by using arrays of fixed probes, resulting in attractive imaging equipments. Indeed, the availability of amplitude/phase data allows us to consider different processing techniques, the complexity of which can be selected according to the required performances in terms of contrast, spatial and time resolutions. This paper reviews some of the most promising approaches, such as non-linear inverse scattering techniques and neural networks. Prospective considerations are devoted to the future of such sophisticated microwave sensing techniques.
Hypothesis-feedback equalization for direct-sequence spread-spectrum underwater communications

Direct-sequence code-division multiple-access is considered for underwater acoustic communication networks. Unlike in the majority of spread-spectrum radio systems, intersymbol interference cannot be neglected, and time variability of the channel requires that receiver adaptation be performed at the chip, rather than the bit rate. Adaptive decision-feedback equalization, which has successfully been used for single-user underwater communications, is not directly applicable to spread-spectrum signals because of the delay in the despreading process and the lack of reliable chip decisions. To overcome this problem, a receiver is proposed which feeds back hypothesized, rather than the actual decisions. Numerical examples demonstrate the receiver's ability to cope with time varying channel distortions and preserve the processing gain when conventional, symbol-rate adaptive methods fail.