Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Garantindo autenticidade de conteúdos Web com Blockchain

O objetivo desse artigo é introduzir uma proposta de uso de Blockchain para registros de conteúdos Web, com o objetivo de permitir a auditabilidade quanto a autenticidade e integridade de versão, além de possibilitar a consulta do histórico de todos os registros realizados para uma dada URL.
Dutch approach to integrity of governance in context

Introduction The preceding chapters offer a great deal of information on many exciting initiatives and involvement in integrity and integrity policy in the Netherlands, at the national level and in organisations that shape policy within that framework. The analyses of the Dutch system and its significance in the European context are also very interesting. All in all, this does not make it easy to (also) reflect critically on the ‘Dutch approach’ in this closing chapter and what it teaches us, for the Netherlands itself and also for the many people who work for integrity in public administration elsewhere. I shall nevertheless make an attempt at this, coloured by the research that we have conducted and still are conducting at VU University Amsterdam.
The Accuracy of the Analysis for non-Gaussian ASE Noise using the Gaussian Approximation - a Rigorous Approach

Using the Gaussian approximation for the bit-error-ratio (BER) analysis of an amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) noise dominant optical direct-detect receiver is known to be very accurate, however, only in the case when optimum detection threshold is used. It is known that the accuracy is worse for the receiver with the threshold set to the signal average (by using AC coupling), but no quantitative analysis has been seen, even for the question whether the approximation will give a pessimistic or optimistic prediction. In this report, the real probability density function (PDF) for the detected ASE noise is used to examine the accuracy of the Gaussian approximation. It is found that the Gaussian approximation at most will give a pessimistic prediction of the sensitivity of about 1.2 dB in the AC coupled receiver.
Diclofenac in vitro microdialysis study comparing different experimental set‐ups to improve quantitative recovery

Several studies investigated diclofenac tissue concentrations using microdialysis (MD). However, thorough evaluations of the optimal MD set‐up for diclofenac are unavailable. Thus, this in vitro MD study aimed to compare different set‐ups to improve quantitative recovery of diclofenac. In forward and reverse in vitro MD experiments with diclofenac at two concentrations (1 and 100 ng/ml), the perfusion solutions physiological saline 0.9% (PS) and human albumin 1% (HSA) were compared using tissue probes (10‐mm membrane) and customized intravenous (iv) probes (30‐mm membrane). Using PS, the mean relative recovery of diclofenac at 1 ng/ml was 1.6% ± 0.04% and 3.12% ± 0.00% with the tissue probe and the iv probe, respectively. The respective mean relative recovery for diclofenac at 100 ng/ml was 0.02% ± 0.01% and 0.21% ± 0.11%. Using HSA, the mean relative recovery was 314% ± 25% (tissue probe) and 1064% ± 97% (iv probe) for diclofenac at 1 ng/ml and 444% ± 91% and 1415% ± 217% for diclofenac at 100 ng/ml. In reverse dialysis using PS, the mean relative loss of diclofenac was 99.2% ± 0.5% (tissue probe) and 95.8% ± 1.7% (iv probe). Using HSA, the mean relative loss was −4.4% ± 7.2% and 0.2% ± 7.5%, respectively. PS and HSA were not suitable perfusion solutions for quantification of absolute diclofenac concentrations. Despite methodological challenges, HSA may be used for comparative experiments or bioequivalence studies.
Chapter 15:Miniature Pump with Ionic Polymer Metal Composite Actuator for Drug Delivery

Miniature pumps are the key components in microfluidic systems. They are widely used in many applications such as lab-on-chip, micro-total analysis systems and micro-dosage systems. The most important component in a miniature pump is the actuating mechanism because it is directly related to factors such as flow rate, driving source and cost. Currently, the most common driving mechanisms are piezoelectric, electromagnetic, thermo-pneumatic and electrostatic. They all have their own advantages and disadvantages. The main advantages of using ionic polymer metal composites (IPMCs) as the actuating mechanisms are that they have large displacements at low voltages, which will correspond to large flow rates, making them good for long lifespans in portable and embedded applications. Here, we demonstrate a miniature pump actuated by an IPMC controlled using a proportional-integral-derivative controller with iterative feedback tuning. This chapter also shows the design, modelling and simulation of a valveless pump using a diffuser/nozzle structure.
Electrode architectural engineering for enhancing solar conversion efficiency

xix Chapter 1 Introduction . 1 1.1 Background and Significance . 1 1.2 Motivation . 2 1.3 Objectives . 5 1.4 Organization of the dissertation . 6 Chapter 2 Literature Review . 8 2.1 Nanostructured materials and their applications in sustainable energy applications . 8 2.1.1 Development of nanostructured materials . 8 2.1.2 Nanostructured materials in different energy conversion and storage applications. 21 2.2 An overview of photovoltaic cells . 24 2.2.1 Background of photovoltaic cells . 24 2.2.2 Evaluation of photovoltaic cells’ performance . 26 2.3 Overview and architectural design in organic photovoltaic cells . 28 2.3. 1 Working principles and configuration of organic photovoltaic cells . 29
Research on Investment Performance of Venture Capital Network Community in the Internet Industry

Venture capital has emerged as an important intermediary in financial markets, providing capital to young high-technology firms that might have otherwise gone unfunded. Venture capitalists have developed a variety of mechanisms to overcome the problems that emerge at each stage of the investment process. This study selected the China Venture (CV) source database for venture capital (VC) research in the Chinese Internet industry and extracted information on investment time, VC firms, and investment amount. Combining theoretical analysis and empirical research, the differences between the leader community and the self-organizing community in the Chinese Internet industry are analyzed and the reasons and paths leading to the change of investment performance are determined. It is found that the information dissemination of core nodes promotes the information dissemination of leaders’ communities and the two kinds of organizational learning have different effects on investment performance in the two communities. Under experimental learning and information dissemination, the investment performance of the leader community is greater than the self-organizing community. The outcomes of this research can be used as a reference for the sustainable development of the Chinese Internet industry.
Design of a UWB planar QUASI MAGI-UDA antenna on S-C band

This paper puts forward a kind of S-C band planar quasi Yagi-Uda antenna which can be used in phased array radar as a unit. The antenna is a kind of miniaturized ultra wideband antenna. It uses the SMA connector to feed itself, so it's easy for array forming. Also, the planar quasi Yagi-Uda antenna consulted the experience of wide band planar microstrip antenna, and then reduced its size. In brief, this antenna has very outstanding directional radiation effect and high application value.
An Indian polyherbal phytogenic source improved blood serum biochemistry and immune response of dairy calves

ABSTRACT Herbal formulas supplemented have improved the health of ruminants. Our objectives were to determine the effects of supplemental Indian polyherbal phytogenic sources (IndPPs) on the growth performance, blood chemistry, blood cells, and antibody amounts of dairy calves. Forty Holstein calves (Initial BW 45.8 ± 7.2 kg) were randomly assigned to treatments: 0, 1, 2, and 3 gd-1 of IndPPs. The herbal supplement was characterized by GC-MS analysis. The calves treated with IndPPs additive did not affect the average productive variable involved in growth. The use of IndPPs linearly reduces the blood serum biochemistry glucose (P < 0.01) but linearly increases the blood serum concentration of protein, bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, and antibody concentrations (P < 0.05). On blood cells from calves, supplementation with IndPPs linearly increases the concentrations of hematocrit, hemoglobin, and erythrocytes (P < 0.05). These results were attributed to the IndPPs containing bioactive substances with phytogenic properties.
Improving Housing Conditions from the Crawl Space up with a Monitoring and Control System

Abstract Housing issues constitute a growing research area due to changes of building features and the use of technologically advanced material and devices in homes. Thus, housing-related research needs to be conducted in order to improve the living conditions in houses. This research explored the interactions of temperature and relative humidity in three contiguous housing environments (indoor, outdoor, and crawl spaces) to analyze and evaluate common housing issues. To achieve this goal, the design, development, and verification of a Housing Elements Research Chamber (HERC) by means of a monitoring and control system was tested. The monitoring and control system used sensors to continuously monitor temperature and relative humidity under different conditions. This study used the HERC to simulate housing conditions within the crawl space in order to determine the appropriateness of using different moisture-removal methods to improve housing conditions. Results showed that the use of temperature and relative humidity sensors as part of a monitoring and control system provided adequate tools to study the climate interactions between different environments in a house. Furthermore, findings indicated that the use of multiple moisture-removal methods is a desired solution to improve housing conditions.
Development of a XY Piezoelectric Nanopositioner

Piezoelectric actuators are applied as force, pressure and acceleration sensors and most recently to the design of micro and nanopositioners. In this project three piezo-nanopositioner XY were developed which consist essentially of piezoelectric ceramics bonded to a compliant mechanism that can amplify the ceramic displacement. In a compliant mechanism the movement is due to the flexibility of the structure instead of the presence of joints and pins. As design performance, it is desired to obtain the maximum possible displacement with a piezoelectric ceramic with a minimum crosstalk between displacements X and Y. To evaluate these design characteristics, FEM models of the three actuators were built and simulated using the finite element commercial software ANSYS. With the results of maximum displacement and the crosstak levels between X and Y displacements it is possible to evaluate the quality of the nanopositioner designed. Prototypes of XY nanopositioners were manufactured in micromachining laboratory of Sincroton Light National Laboratory (LNLS - Campinas) through the lithography technique based on chemical corrosion of 60 μm and 100 μm thickness copper plates. As future work, displacements and the crosstalk levels generated by nanopositioners should be measured through laser interferometry.
The Association Between Diabetes Mellitus and Osteoarthritis: Does Diabetes Mellitus Play a Role in the Severity of Pain in Osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most prevalent degenerative joint diseases, which results in the inevitable destruction of joints leading to pain and joint immobility. Some studies have reported a potential link between diabetes mellitus (DM) and the worsening symptoms and severity of OA. Based on our literature review, the microcellular environment of patients with DM showed accelerated joint destruction and increased inflammation in every anatomical aspect of the joint including the bones, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and synovium. Additionally, the biomechanical and biochemical properties of these tissues were more severely impacted in patients with DM and OA compared to those without DM, suggesting that DM plays an important role in the pathogenesis of OA. Specifically, we found that advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are the key to inducing the acceleration of joint destruction; however, their role in the pathogenesis has yet to be fully mapped out. In this narrative review, we aim to explore the role that DM plays in the acceleration of OA leading to increased reports of joint pain in those with both diseases. We believe this topic of discussion to be important due to the increased prevalence of both diseases over the last several decades, potentially leading to an increased medical burden on both patients and the community at large.
Development of robust indicators for the identification of electron temperature profile anomalies and application to JET

Recent experience with metallic devices operating in ITER relevant regions of the operational space, has shown that the disruptivity of these plasmas is unacceptably high. The main causes of the disruptions are linked to impurity accumulation in the core and edge cooling, resulting in unstable current profiles. Avoidance and prevention of the consequent instabilities require the early detection of anomalous electron temperature profiles. A series of indicators have been developed and their performances compared, to find the most suitable inputs for disruption predictors. Their properties are assessed on the basis of information content, reliability and real-time availability. The best performing ones provide much better results than the ones reported in the literature, as shown by both numerical tests with synthetic data and the analysis of experimental signals from JET with the ITER-like wall. They provide better accuracy, lower false alarms and earlier detection. The improved discriminatory capability of the developed indicators is expected to significantly improve the performance of the most advanced predictors recently reported in the literature.
On-Line Monitoring System for Main Steam Piping of Power Plants

An on-line life prediction system is developed for remote monitoring of material aging in a main steam piping system. The stress analysis of piping system is performed by using the finite element method. A sensor network is established in the monitoring system. The creep damage is evaluated from strain gages and a relationship is given based on a database between the damage and residual life. Web technologies are used for remote monitoring to predict the residual life for every part of the piping system. This system is useful for safety assessment procedures in thermal power plant, nuclear power plant and petrochemical industries.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Local scale evaluation of the simulated interactions between energy, water and vegetation in land surface models

Abstract. The processes involved in the exchange of water, energy and carbon in terrestrial ecosystems are strongly intertwined. To accurately represent the terrestrial biosphere in land surface models (LSM), the intrinsic coupling between these processes is required. Soil moisture and leaf area index are two key variables at the nexus of water, energy and vegetation. Here, we evaluated three LSM (ISBA, ORCHIDEE and a diagnostic model, based on the LSA SAF algorithms) in their ability to simulate the latent heat flux (LE) and gross primary production (GPP) coherently, and their interactions through leaf area index (LAI) and soil moisture. The models were validated using in situ eddy covariance observations, soil moisture measurements and remote sensed LAI. It was found that the diagnostic model performed consistently well, regardless land cover, whereas important shortcomings of the prognostic models were revealed for in herbaceous/dry sites. Despite their different architecture and parametrization, ISBA and ORCHIDEE shared some key weaknesses. In both models, LE and GPP were found to be oversensitive to drought stress. Though the simulated soil water dynamics could be improved, this was not the main cause of errors in the surface fluxes. Instead, these errors were strongly correlated to errors in LAI. The simulated phenological cycle in ISBA and ORCHIDEE was delayed compared to observations, and failed to capture the observed seasonal variability. The feedback mechanism between GPP and LAI (i.e. the biomass allocation scheme) was identified as a key element to improve the intricate coupling between energy, water and vegetation in LSM.
Roles for Sleep in Neural and Behavioral Plasticity: Reviewing Variation in the Consequences of Sleep Loss

Sleep is a vital physiological state that has been broadly conserved across the evolution of animal species. While the precise functions of sleep remain poorly understood, a large body of research has examined the negative consequences of sleep loss on neural and behavioral plasticity. While sleep disruption generally results in degraded neural plasticity and cognitive function, the impact of sleep loss can vary widely with age, between individuals, and across physiological contexts. Additionally, several recent studies indicate that sleep loss differentially impacts distinct neuronal populations within memory-encoding circuitry. These findings indicate that the negative consequences of sleep loss are not universally shared, and that identifying conditions that influence the resilience of an organism (or neuron type) to sleep loss might open future opportunities to examine sleep's core functions in the brain. Here, we discuss the functional roles for sleep in adaptive plasticity and review factors that can contribute to individual variations in sleep behavior and responses to sleep loss.
Moving image analysis to the cloud: a case study with a genome-scale tomographic study

Over the last decade, the time required to measure a terabyte of microscopic imaging data has gone from years to minutes. This shift has moved many of the challenges away from experimental design and measurement to scalable storage, organization, and analysis. As many scientists and scientific institutions lack training and competencies in these areas, major bottlenecks have arisen and led to substantial delays and gaps between measurement, understanding, and dissemination. We present in this paper a framework for analyzing large 3D datasets using cloud-based computational and storage resources. We demonstrate its applicability by showing the setup and costs associated with the analysis of a genome-scale study of bone microstructure. We then evaluate the relative advantages and disadvantages associated with local versus cloud infrastructures.
Using the Conditional Spectrum Method for Improved Fragility Assessment of Concrete Gravity Dams in Eastern Canada

The accurate estimation of fragility functions requires the proper selection of ground motion records at different intensity levels. However, most of the available fragility assessments of concrete dams use the same records at all intensity levels and often selects them with an inadequate target spectrum. In order to improve the fragility assessment of such structures, this paper proposes the use of records selected with the Conditional Spectrum (CS) method within a multiple stripes analysis. The approach is applied to a dam in Eastern Canada, and a comparison with the methodology used by other studies is done. It is shown that the approach proposed herein allows for the reduction of the seismic response and fragility of the dam. Moreover, the uncertainty related to material properties becomes less significant when using the CS method, and the fragility curves could be reasonably estimated by considering the ground motions as the only source of uncertainty.
Evaluation of Two-Handed Multi-Finger

This paper evaluates a two -handed multi-finger haptic device SPIDAR-8. The SPIDAR-8 has eight fingertip attachment devices in which each fingertip attachment device is connected with three strings. The SPIDAR-8 calculates a 3D position of each fingertip using the lengths of three strings connecting to that fingertip attachment device, and controls tensions of three strings to display a force feedback when the position of any finger comes into contact with the virtual object. It allows the user to manipulate the virtual objects in the computer simulated virtual environment with the sensation that the manipulated virtual objects are real. The experimental results of a Fit-TheFace task using SPIDAR-8 show effectiveness.
New Class of Broad-Spectrum Antivirals Improves Influenza Virus Vaccine Development

Enveloped viruses can cause devastating zoonotic diseases and are the most likely to cause global pandemics. We identified a new class of small-molecule sulfur-containing antiviral compounds (XM series) that broadly inhibit enveloped viruses. The antivirals’ mechanism of action was explored via various multidisciplinary approaches, concluding that the XM antivirals alter membrane lipid chemical compositions, increase membrane order deep within the hydrophobic region of the bilayer, and increase membrane phase transition temperatures. Such effects cause inhibition of membrane fusion and viral entry, while leaving the viral glycoproteins and genomes largely unaffected. Consequently, we tested whether these features would lead to effective whole inactivated enveloped virus vaccines. As a proof-of-principle, we generated an inactivated influenza virus (IIV) vaccine using compound XM-01 (XM-01-IIV). We compared this new vaccine to traditional paraformaldehyde-inactivated, to control compound-inactivated, and to live virus vaccines, using a mouse model of disease. Excitingly, compared to a traditional IIV vaccine, XM-01-IIV vaccination improved neutralizing antibody responses against both hemagglutinin and neuraminidase, and decreased mouse morbidity and mortality following influenza virus challenge. Therefore, this study uncovers a novel class of broadly acting antivirals that enhances influenza virus vaccine development and offers great potential for broadly generating future highly-potent inactivated enveloped virus vaccines.
Improving Motorcycle Training Programs

Motorcycle training and licensing both play an important educational role for preventing traffic accidents and ensuring public safety. While the majority of motorcycle research focuses on preventing accidents, there is relatively little research focusing on the critical skills needed for improving motorcycle training manuals and instructional programs. Previous research showed that accident rates, safety precautions, and risks have been linked to human performance. However, little is known about the effectiveness of motorcycle training programs and instructional course materials. In the present study, the gaps in learning to ride a motorcycle in a training course are identified. Ninety-four current motorcyclists ranging from 18 to 77 years of age completed an online questionnaire in an effort to better understand the components missing in the most frequently used motorcycle training manual in the United States, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s (MSF) Basic RiderCourse℠. Additionally, the implications of this survey for motorcycle training, safety, and educational programs are discussed.