SIRIS-Lab/unlabelled-sti-corpus huggingface dataset:
Local Partnerships for Greener Cities and Regions

Local communities are key actors in addressing and implementing the goals for increased Energy Efficiency (EE) and promotion of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) which are contributing to achieving the 20/20/20 targets set by the EU. MED cities and regions have prepared their local energy strategies and action plans, but they are facing several obstacles hindering their efficient implementation. Obstacles include process and technological knowledge: - lack of capacities regarding technical knowledge and standards for selecting the leading technological options and defining stricter public procurements rules - administrative and legislative barriers, lack of innovative financing options and lack of cooperation with stakeholders which would support decision-making and implementation of selected measures. The project GREEN PARTNERSHIPS will connect cities and regions from 11 MED countries that will overcome the listed obstacles by establishing a common transnational approach with focus on creating local partnerships which will contribute to more efficient implementation of innovative EE and RES solutions leading to sustainable local and regional development. Local partnerships will connect stakeholders affected by a certain energy efficiency measure, from the owner to suppliers, potential investors, employees and final users. They will share their proposals and actively take part in their implementation. Thus long-term basis will be formed for innovative solutions based on local potentials and improved behaviour patterns leading to energy efficiency. The approach will be tested at the local level and described in the -Step-by-Step Guide for efficient implementation of local energy strategies by forming local partnerships-�. By connecting public organisations, Local Action Groups will be formed and their capacity for setting the targets and increasing cooperation with stakeholders will be increased through several workshops and training materials. The Local Action Groups will thus be empowered to operate in line with the new approach. The project activities will result in improved public policy related to energy efficiency in participating cities and regions, new investments and energy savings of up to 40 % in public facilities, increased capacity of public organisations and long-term cooperation of local partnerships for energy efficient solutions. Sustainability and transferability will be assured with financing of the investment proposals at the local level, with transfer of the operational recommendations in the Step-by-Step Guide to other MED and EU local communities, including signatories of the Covenant of Mayors, and with further functioning of the established networks for knowledge transfer at the transnational, regional and local level.
The silent fading of an academic search engine: the case of Microsoft Academic Search

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the obsolescence process of Microsoft Academic Search (MAS) as well as the effects of this decline in the coverage of disciplines and journals, and their influence in the representativeness of organizations. Design/methodology/approach – The total number of records and those belonging to the most reputable journals (1,762) and organizations (346) according to the Field Rating indicator in each of the 15 fields and 204 sub-fields of MAS, have been collected and statistically analysed in March 2014, by means of an automated querying process via http, covering academic publications from 1700 to present. Findings – MAS has no longer been updated since 2013, although this phenomenon began to be glimpsed in 2011, when its coverage plummeted. Throughout 2014, indexing of new records is still ongoing, but at a minimum rate, without following any apparent pattern. Research limitations/implications – There are also retrospective records being indexed at present. In this sense, this research provides a picture of what MAS offered during March 2014 being queried directly via http. Practical implications – The unnoticed obsolescence of MAS affects to the quality of the service offered to its users (both those who engage in scientific information seeking and also those who use it for quantitative purposes). Social implications – The predominance of Google Scholar (GS) as monopoly in the academic search engines market as well as the prevalence of an open construction model (GS) vs a closed model (MAS). Originality/value – A complete longitudinal analysis of disciplines, journals and organizations on MAS has been performed for the first time identifying an unnoticed obsolescence. Any public explanation or disclaimer note has been announced from the responsible company, something incomprehensible given its implications for the reliability and validity of bibliometric data provided on disciplines, journals, authors and congress as well as their fair representation on the academic search engine.
Industrial IoT Smartbox for the Shop Floor

Constant search for efficiency and productivity has led to innovation on the factory shop floor, representing an evolution of the current production systems combined with new technologies of industrial automation and information technology. This work presents an experimental demo of a smartbox for Industry 4.0 scenarios, allowing sensing, monitoring and data acquisition. We have tested two different approaches, depending on the communication protocol used for real time applications: OPC UA or MQTT. Raspberry Pi’s platform act as an OPC UA server or MQTT broker, respectively. From the measurements, data stored in a cloud server can be accessed remotely with improved security and visualized from a computer dashboard. One of the conclusions that can be drawn is that both protocols allow data from the smartbox to be stored and easily monitored from a smartphone application or a computer web interface. MQTT is a good option in communications requiring very low bandwidth. However, there is a lack of suitable libraries to program alarm features for OPC UA Servers.
GUGLIELMI ROBERTO

THE SURVEYOR GUGLIELMI ROBERTO IS A FREELANCE PROFESSIONAL WHO CARRIES OUT THE PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITY OF SURVEYOR IN AN AUTONOMOUS FORM, WITHOUT EMPLOYEES. THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE BUSINESS IS LOCATED IN IMPERIA, VIA DIANO CALDERINA N. 163. IT IS ENROLLED IN THE COLLEGE OF SURVEYORS OF IMPERIA AND THE SURVEYOR CASE. THE MAIN ACTIVITY CONSISTS OF THE DESIGN OF BUILDINGS, THE DRAFTING OF WORKS START COMMUNICATIONS, END OF WORK, TRAIL, BUILDING PERMITS, REALISATION OF GRAPHICS, INSPECTIONS AND SURVEYS, ISSUE CERTIFICATES OF ENERGY PERFORMANCE.
P132. Microstates connectivity alterations in patients with early Alzheimer’s disease

Introduction EEG microstates and brain network analyses are known to differentiate patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and healthy controls (HC) and are potential biomarkers of AD. Microstates correspond to defined states of brain activity, and connectivity patterns may change accordingly. To our knowledge, the two methods were not yet combined. Furthermore, little is known about their alterations in early AD. Objective/aims To compare brain network connectivities between early AD and age-matched HC in microstates. Methods 32 outpatients with early AD (mean age 77 ± 7, 47% male, MMS 24–30) and 32 HC were matched for age, gender and education. Diagnosis of AD was made after comprehensive neuropsychological and clinical examinations, and only patients with cognitive decline over 30 months were included. Resting state EEG was recorded with 256 electrodes and analyzed using Matlab®. Five microstates were defined and individual data fitted. After phase transformation, the phase lag index (PLI) was calculated for continuous data and for the five microstates in every subject. Networks were reduced to 22 nodes for statistical analysis. Results After correction for multiple comparisons, no significant differences in connectivities using continuous data were found. Using connectivities from microstates, significant differences in theta and alpha1 band were detected. Connectivities were higher in the AD than in the HC group. Conclusions The combination of microstates and connectivity analyses differentiates between HC and AD patients at the earliest stage of disease (MMS ⩾ 24). Adding microstates information to connectivity analysis may increase sensitivity of quantitative EEG characterization of AD.
On the mereological structure of complex states of affairs

The aim of this paper is to elucidate the mereological structure of complex states of affairs without relying on the problematic notion of structural universals. For this task tools from graph theory, lattice theory, and the theory of relational systems are employed. Our starting point is the mereology of similarity structures. Since similarity structures are structured sets, their mereology can be considered as a generalization of the mereology of ordinary sets. In general, the mereological systems arising from similarity structures turn out to be not Boolean but Heyting systems. Employing Armstrong’s notion of thick particulars, similarity structures are shown to capture the mereological structure of complex “chemical states of affairs” such as “being butane” or “being isobutane”; structural universals are not needed.
The role of the glucocorticoid receptor in dopaminoceptive neurons in mitochondrial dysfunction and vulnerability to depression

Depression is considered as a common mental illness worldwide affecting around 350 million people. Chronic stress is a major risk factor for its development. Interestingly, individuals can differ in the way of coping with chronic stress and are either prone (vulnerable) or resistant (resilient) to develop depression. High anxiety-trait is a vulnerability factor to develop stress-induced depression. Furthermore, it was also linked with mitochondrial dysfunction in the nucleus accumbens and in the establishment of social hierarchies in rodents. These observations suggest an important role of mitochondria in the vulnerability to develop stress-induced depression. The glucocorticoid receptor that is activated upon stress was recently shown to regulate mitochondrial function and gene transcription. Our own data show that expression of the glucocorticoid receptor is altered in animals with high anxiety-trait correlating with the expression of several mitochondrial genes. Thus, our central hypothesis is that vulnerability to develop depression is caused by a glucocorticoid receptor-mediated dysfunction of mitochondria in the nucleus accumbens. This project will address this idea in the mouse model showing considerable individual differences in stress-induced psychopathology-like behavior. We will first examine the role of the glucocorticoid receptor in vulnerability to stress-induced depression by performing comprehensive behavioral studies. We will then evaluate the impact of the glucocorticoid receptor on mitochondrial function and structure. Lastly, we will apply a pharmacological approach aiming to mitigate stress-induced depression caused by physiological changes given by the glucocorticoid receptor. This will lead to the understanding of the contribution of the glucocorticoid receptor in the nucleus accumbens to define vulnerability and resilience to develop stress-induced depression, and might lead to novel therapeutics for counteracting stress-induced depression.
Tailored metal-organic framework: from hybrid to multifunctional flame retardant polymer nanocomposites

The main objective of this work is to develop new generation polymer-based multi-functional nanocomposites by combining functionalized Metal-Organic Framework (MOF) and graphene hybrid into polymeric matrices via an innovative approach. In this work, MOF is employed to develop multfunctional flame retardant polymer nanocomposites for the first time. The environmentally friendly framework MIL-101-Fe is chosen as the host framework. By introducing functional groups into the framework, MOF particles can be combined with both graphene and polymeric matrices via chemical interaction, to construct polymer nanocomposites which have multi-functions including improved antistatic property, mechanical reinforcement, enhanced thermal conductivity and excellent flame retardant properties, simultaneously. By loading non-flammable gas and/or effective flame retardant into the pore system, MOF can serve as flame retardants container at room temperature. By hybridization with MOF, the intrinsic function of graphene such as electronic and thermal conductivities will be combined into the MOF/graphene hybrid. Far different from present flame retardant additives, in proposed polymer nanocomposites, functionalized MOF hybrid will hinder or slow down the combustion process in different format through the whole combustion process, surpassing other flame retardant systems. At the early fire stage (Ignition), the non-flammable gases stored in MOF will be released to delay the ignition; at the developing fire stage, the graphene layer and char formation will delay the time to developed combustion; at the developed fire stage, the catalytic effect of metal compounds generated by decomposed MOF will decrease the heat release rate, fire growth intensity, smoke production, etc. The new knowledge and new materials developed in this proposal has the promise to be applied in developing new generation products in the fields of the construction, transportation, aerospace, etc, in the future.
Successful start and development of design company INTECH 2018 for intelligent solutions in the field of mechatronics

INTECH 2018 Ltd. in Pleven is a newly established company with activity oriented towards engineering research, analysis, design and marketing of new products in the field of intelligent mechatronic systems. The aim is to achieve a successful start and sustainable growth of INTECH 2018, which will contribute to the more balanced territorial development of the regions in the country. For a start-up entrepreneurial initiative, the design of an intelligent system for maintaining the indoor microclimate has been chosen. The system will control and manage the parameters: temperature, humidity and illumination, with the possibility of adding additional parameters (e.g. dustiness, etc.). Integrating different sensors into intelligent control systems is not a new idea, but the ambition of the expert team is to create innovative solutions of modules and nodes to maintain the microclimate. The system is intended to collect and store a database in a server for monitored parameters and to provide emergency signals when critical parameter values are reached. The implementation of such a system is of great importance for the health and quality of life of a wide range of consumers and would bring significant added value to society. In this way INTECH 2018 Ltd. will contribute with its experience and competence to the achievement of integrated energy management for buildings with minimum energy consumption. A team of highly qualified specialists in the field of radio electronics, automation and mechatronics will be formed to implement the start-up initiative. The main activities of the project are:- rent a room; purchase of high-tech equipment and specialised software necessary for the design; research and development of the project, purchase of materials and consumables for the development of the experimental specimen; participation in exhibitions in the country and abroad, in order to study the new trends in the field of mechatronic technologies and to promote the work of the company.
Minimum turbulence assumptions and u* and L estimation for dispersion models during low-wind stable conditions

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) short-distance dispersion model, AERMOD, has been shown to overpredict by a factor of as much as 10 when compared with observed concentrations from continuous releases at the Oak Ridge, TN (OR), and Idaho Falls, ID (IF), field experiments during stable periods when wind speeds often dropped below 1 m/sec. Some of this overprediction tendency can be reduced by revising AERMOD's meteorological preprocessor's parameterizations of the friction velocity, u*, during low-wind stable conditions, thus increasing the calculated sigma(v) and sigma(w) and hence the lateral and vertical dispersion rates. Observations show that as the mean wind speed approaches zero at night, there is always significant sigma(v) and sigma(w) over time periods of 15 to 60 min, while standard Monin-Obukhov Similarity Theory (MOST) predicts that sigma(v) and sigma(w) will approach zero. This paper focuses on the u* estimation methods and the minimum turbulence (sigma(v) and sigma(w)) assumptions in AERMOD (beta option 4) and two widely used U.S. operational dispersion models, AERMOD (v12345) and SCICHEM. The U.S. EPA has provided results of its tests with the OR and IF data, with its base AERMOD version and its December 2012 modified versions, which assume adjustments to the low-wind u* and increases in the minimum sigma(v) parameterization. SCICHEM has relatively small mean bias for both data sets. The revised AERMOD shows much less mean bias, agreeing more with SCICHEM.Suggestions are made for improvements to dispersion models such as AERMOD to correct overpredictions during light-wind stable conditions. Methods for estimating u*, L, and the minimum turbulence parameters (sigma(v) and sigma(w)) are reviewed and compared. SCICHEM and the current operational version and an optional beta version (December 2012) of AERMOD are evaluated with tracer data from low-wind stable field experiments in Idaho Falls and Oak Ridge. It is seen that the operational version of AERMOD overpredicts by a factor of 2 to 10, while the optional beta version of AERMOD and SCICHEM have much less bias.
Flake morphologies and patterns of core configuration at the Abric Romaní rock-shelter: A geometric morphometric approach

Abstract The current debate about Mousterian core technologies mainly focuses on the issues of flake predetermination and the morphological similarities of blanks in discoid and centripetal recurrent Levallois methods. To date, the arguments presented have either been based on qualitative analyses of the cores or on the use of ratios of linear measurements to infer the shape of the detached flakes. This paper presents the results of applying 2D geometric morphometric analysis to the flake assemblages in the archaeological collections from the O and M levels of the Abric Romani rock-shelter and from materials produced by experimental knapping. The results reveal a pattern of core configuration in the Levallois artefacts from level O and a high level of morphological correspondence between the core-edge flake outlines in discoid and Levallois recurrent centripetal technologies. This evidence reinforces the hypothesis that the discoid and the Levallois recurrent centripetal methods share some techno-morphological features. The knappers' ability and the purposes of the reduction sequences play important roles in metrically differentiating between them, otherwise the differences between the two methods would be even smaller. The use of geometric morphometric analysis of flake assemblages can enhance discussions of flaking technologies in lithic studies and quantitatively improve our understanding of the patterns of core configuration and the skills of the prehistoric knappers.
Structural analysis of rad51 paralogues involved in recombinational dna repair

Homologous recombination (HR) is a major mechanism for repairing DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). A DSB converts one normal chromosome into two pathological chromosomes, making it the severest form of DNA damage. Accordingly, defects in HR lead to genome instability, a potent driver of tumorigenesis. Although Rad51 is the central enzyme involved in HR, several auxiliary factors promote HR by stimulating Rad51. Rad51 paralogs comprise one family of evolutionarily conserved auxiliary factor. Unlike other auxiliary factors, Rad51 paralogs are notorious for their biochemical intractability, a trait that has greatly hindered progress in understanding their function, which in turn has precluded a more complete understanding of HR as a whole. This proposal aims to uncover the molecular mechanisms underlying Rad51 potentiation by Rad51 paralogs. To achieve this, we will employ an interdisciplinary approach combining structural biology, biophysics, biochemistry, and genetics. This proposal is particularly well-placed to deliver novel insights because the historical obstacle in the analysis of Rad51 paralogs—the native purification of functional protein of sufficient yield and quantity—has already been overcome by the Researcher. Furthermore, the Supervisor has extensive expertise in cryo-electron microscopy, which is now a viable approach to visualise the finer structural features of proteins that have been recalcitrant to classical techniques such as X-ray crystallography. Thus, by uniting the experiences of the Researcher and Supervisor, this fellowship has the potential to answer long-standing and significant questions in the field of HR. In addition to maintaining genome stability, HR plays critical roles in gametogenesis, chromosomal biology, and evolution. If awarded, this proposal therefore has the potential to impact several disciplines within the life sciences, and this is especially true given the interdisciplinary nature of the proposed research.
Seroprevalence of hepatitis C in renal failure patients on maintenance hemodialysis - Study in a tertiary care hospital - Western India

Background: Hepatitis C is endemic in most parts of the world. It is a blood borne infection, which has a significant impact in treatment and outcome of renal failure patients undergoing dialysis.

Objective: To determine the seroprevalence of hepatitis C in renal failure patients on maintenance hemodialysis in a tertiary care hospital.

Materials and Methods: This study was carried out retrospectively on patients undergoing hemodialysis whose samples were received for Hepatitis C screening in the Department of Microbiology, BJ Medical College, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. A total of 910 patients were included in the study conducted over a period of 12 months. Screening for anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies was done by a third-generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and their epidemiological data were analyzed.

Result: Of the 910 patients screened for anti-HCV antibodies, 25 patients were found to be positive for Hepatitis C. The overall seroprevalence of hepatitis C among dialysis patients was 2.7%. The HCV positive rates were more among the males and highest in the age group of 30–60 years. Only 44% seropositive patient had raised alanine transaminase level.

Conclusion: Regular screening of hepatitis C patients is mandatory as it has a detrimental effect contributing to morbidity and mortality. Strict adherence to infection control practices should be prioritized in the health-care settings to reduce the burden of disease among the high-risk groups.
TUMOUR NECROSIS FACTOR RECEPTOR FUSION PROTEINS AND METHODS OF USING THE SAME

A chimeric fusion polypeptide is provided comprising an extracellular domain of a canine TNF receptor p60 or p80 polypeptide conjoined to an Fc region of a canine IgG immunoglobulin heavy chain. The chimeric fusion polypeptide may be used in the treatment or prevention of conditions in canines mediated by TNF expression.