SIRIS-Lab/unlabelled-sti-corpus huggingface dataset:
Assessing seismic performance of integral bridges for improved resilience and lifecycle in earthquake-prone areas

The ASPIRE project aims at assessing the feasibility to construct Integral Abutment Bridges in earthquake-prone areas. In the last years in Europe there was an increasing interest on this particular class of structures, characterized by the absence of bearing supports and expansion joints, elements commonly used in bridges which are subjected to deterioration due to ageing and thermal effects, thus requiring expensive periodic maintenance. Integral Abutment Bridges have very low costs of maintenance and improved durability while their increased redundancy can result to superior behavior during an earthquake. Still, there are high uncertainties and a lack of standard procedures to systematically evaluate their seismic performance. As a consequence, no indication is given in Structural Eurocodes as well as in other major seismic codes worldwide. The project proposes an innovative multi-disciplinary procedure including: (a) the evaluation of structure-specific seismic hazard; (b) experimental investigation on the shaking table of the University of Bristol Earthquake Lab (c) the calibration of numerical models including their complex Soil-Structure Interaction; (d) the development of novel fragility curves tailored to the salient features of integral bridges, and (e) the development of Risk and Resilience metrics for the estimation of the improved lifecycle associated with the better durability and lower damage of integral bridges due to earthquakes. The project will be implemented at the University of Bristol, integrating and extending the experimental and numerical capabilities of the Earthquake Laboratory on Integral Abutment Bridges, improving at the same time the skills and competences of the researcher. The results of the project will provide a robust scientific basis to justify the use of Integral Abutment Bridges in seismic areas, with a special attention to European countries and Road Networks.
Electrical and thermal properties of silicon carbide–boron nitride composites prepared without sintering additives

Abstract Composites of SiC–BN consisting of uniformly distributed plate-shaped hexagonal BN grains and nitrogen-doped α-SiC grains were fabricated by conventional hot-pressing in an argon atmosphere without sintering additives. The effects of the BN content on the electrical, structural, thermal, and mechanical properties of the SiC–BN composites were investigated. The electrical resistivity showed a minimum at a BN content of 10 vol%, which is attributable to N substitution for C sites in the 6H–SiC lattice, which acts as donors for supplying carriers to the conduction band. The thermal conductivity of the composites showed a decreasing trend with increasing BN content, indicating that the presence of the SiC/BN interface discourages phonon conduction in the composites. The electrical resistivity, thermal conductivity, flexural strength, fracture toughness, and hardness of the SiC–10 vol% BN composite were 9.3 × 105 Ω × cm, 74.4 W/m K, 559 MPa, 3.6 MPa m1/2, and 23 GPa, respectively.
BONE REGENERATION MEMBRANE AND METHOD FOR FORMING A BONE REGENERATION MEMBRANE

Bone regeneration membrane (1) comprising: a dense layer (2) made of resorbable polymer, said dense layer (2) having first and second opposite surfaces and being adapted to form a barrier to cells and soft tissues, a nanofibrillar layer (3) made of resorbable polymer and attached to the first surface of the dense layer (2), said nanofibrillar layer comprising fibers having a diameter of nanometer size, said fibers being interlaced so as to present an average pore size greater than 10 µm to allow cell permeability and bone tissue regeneration, the nanofibrillar layer (3) having a permeability ? between 0.4 * 10-9 m2 and 11 * 10-9 m2, preferably between 1 * 10-9 m2 and 4 * 10-9 m2, in particular substantially of 2 * 10-9 m2..
The Mass Market for Suburban Low-Density Development is Over

Changing demographics, higher energy prices and increasing market preference for non-motorized and public transportation may signal the end to traditional suburban low-density development. This article discusses past and future trends in development. The author identifies a large mismatch in housing supply between what the market delivered in the past and what it will need in 20 years. The author is concerned that the inertia of planning and zoning designed to meet the needs of prior generations cannot be overcome to meet the needs of future generations, which may result in continued low-density sprawl. The end result would be another housing market collapse by the 2020s. Recommendations are provided for reshaping the suburbs to meet new market demands.
DECORATIVE LIGHT PANEL AND SUPPORT ASSEMBLY

The invention relates to a decorative light panel and support assembly. According to the invention, the panel, which is made from a translucent synthetic material comprising decorative patterns, can receive the light from a light source which is built into the support. Moreover, the aforementioned panel comprises various different wire elements which are made from a transparent material. One end of said wire elements is fixed to the rear face of the panel (i.e. the non-visible face) while the other end thereof can be fixed to the support. In this way, the rear face of the panel rests firmly against various extremely-pointed support attachments belonging to the support, such that the contact surface between the panel and said support attachment occupies an extraordinarily small area which is practically invisible from the visible side of the translucent panel.
Perception with new sensory signals

Advances in wearable displays and networked devices lead to the exciting possibility that humans can transcend the senses they were born with and learn to ‘see’ the world in radically new ways. Genuinely incorporating new signals in our sensory repertoire would transform our everyday experience, from social encounters to surgery, and advance us towards a technologically-enhanced ‘transhuman’ state. In contrast, current additions to sensory streams such as navigating with GPS are far from being incorporated into our natural perception: we interpret them effortfully, like words from a foreign menu, rather than feeling them directly. In this project, we use a ground-breaking new approach to test how new sensory signals can be incorporated into the fundamental human experience. We train participants using new immersive virtual-reality paradigms developed in our lab, which give us unprecedented speed, control and flexibility. We test what is learned by comparing different mathematical model predictions with perceptual performance. This model-based approach uniquely shows when new signals are integrated into standard sensory processing. We compare neuroimaging data with model predictions to detect integration of newly-learned signals within brain circuits processing familiar signals. We test predictions that short-term changes to normal visual input can improve adult plasticity, and measure age-changes in plasticity by testing 8- to 12-year-old children. In a wide-ranging design allowing for domain-general conclusions, we work across modalities (visual, auditory, tactile) and across two fundamental perceptual problems: judging spatial layout (‘where’ objects are) and material properties (‘what’ they are made of). The work will provide fundamental insights into computational and brain mechanisms underlying sensory learning, and a platform for transcending the limits of human perception.
Determination of pore compressibility and geological reserves using a new form of the flowing material balance method

Abstract Pore compressibility is an important parameter in reservoir engineering. However, its variation from laboratory core analysis or logging data can be large. Moreover, laboratory core analysis cannot identify the influence of macroscopic fractures on pore compressibility. The geological reserves obtained with the commonly used flowing material balance (FMB) method are significantly impacted by the accuracy of the pore compressibility. Therefore, a new form of the FMB method is proposed in this study which can determine the pore compressibility and geological reserves at the same time. For gas wells, the new method uses the material balance equation and the FMB equation including the pore compressibility. For oil wells, new forms of the material balance equation and the FMB equation were established which have the same form as the corresponding equations for gas wells. A new linear expression of the material balance equation is employed for the analysis. Simulation results indicate that the new method can provide more precise predictions of both the pore compressibility and the geological reserves. Furthermore, the new method also considers the influence of formation fractures because it uses well production data. Sensitivity analysis indicates that the error in the pore compressibility has a significant influence on the determination of the geological reserves.
Redefining virtual reality therapy for anxiety disorders

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) – the most common type of anxiety disorders – has severe emotional, financial and social consequences for patients, their families and their social network. Affecting about 7% of Europeans at some point in their life, SAD produces substantial societal cost due to long lasting treatments and extensive periods of reduced working capacity. To address this important problem, the project will establish an innovative system for treating SAD by exploiting the proven therapeutic potential of advanced Virtual Reality (VR) technology.
SAD is predominantly treated with cognitive behavioural therapy, in which patients are repeatedly exposed to fear-provoking, social situations. However, patients often have to wait very long before treatment becomes available, exposure is rarely applied with the necessary intensity due to resource limitations, and objective measurement of treatment efficacy and dynamic adjustment of therapeutic scenarios is hardly possible. These problems can be overcome with VR based, controlled exposure to virtual renditions of fear provoking situations, which has been shown to surpass traditional therapies in terms of treatment efficacy, patient acceptance, and economic efficiency.
Given that advanced VR technology has become very affordable, a widespread application of VR for the treatment of SAD is now within reach. The proposed project will fuse the applicant’s extensive VR expertise with established principles for VR based therapy to create an innovative system for the treatment of SAD. This system will, for the first time, combine interactive 3D environments with external physiological measures (e.g eye tracking data) and real-time data analyses techniques to provide a precise, flexible and time and cost-efficient therapeutic approach. Established collaborations with clinical partners will allow for continuous testing and refinement of the system, thus ensuring that market readiness can be achieved within the funding period.
Novel electro-responsive protein separation method with magnetic nanoparticles

Pharmaceuticals for cancer therapies and other diseases are very since the production of therapeutic molecules such as antibodies is costly and every production process needs to be developed individually. Especially purification processes, which make up to 80-90% of the whole production, need to be improved or new ideas need to be developed. Short peptide sequences, so called “tags”, can be used to create new purification strategies based on the biomolecule recognition of these sequences. Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles are an interesting counterpart for peptide tags as their properties facilitate an easy handling and manipulation. The key to the design of high-affinity peptide tags lies in an in-depth understanding of surface-peptide recognition patterns. I developed such a magnetite-binding peptide tag which allows the purification of tagged model proteins from fermentation broths by changing the surrounding media. However, such pH and buffer switches might also alter the properties of pharmaceutically relevant proteins such as antibodies. The challenge of this project is to establish a novel elution process based on an electrical potential switch instead of a pH switch. The process contains the magnetic separation of proteins containing the peptide tags and the elution of proteins based on the change of tag-particle interactions with electric fields. The use of this system will help to understand the binding of proteins to iron oxide nanoparticles and the formation of an electrochemical double layer in external fields. The electrical double layer formation is not only interesting in biotechnological processes but for the understanding of electrochemical catalysis and energy storage. This idea might pave the way to completely new approaches in biomolecule recognition, protein detection and purification.
Dissimilar effects of solubilized p-toluidine on the shape of micelles of differently charged surfactants

Abstract In the present study, pH controlled solubilization of p-toluidine (PTD) in micelles of surfactants having dissimilar head group charge is examined. A connection is revealed between viscosity enhancement and locus of solubilized PTD on the micelles of different surfactants viz. dodecyl trimethylammonium bromide (DTAB, cationic), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS, anionic) and dodecyl-N,N-dimethyl-3-amino-1-propane sulfonate (DDMPS, zwitterionic), dodecyl-dimethyl amine oxide (DMDAO, cationic–nonionic) and p-tert-octylphenoxy polyethylene (9.5) ether, Triton X-100 (nonionic) was examined by viscosity, dynamic light scattering and 2D NOESY studies. PTD works as cationic hydrotrope in acidic pH and remains neutral in basic pH. DTAB and DDMPS did not show any significant growth with solubilized p-toluidine, while pH dependant micellar growth/transitions were observed for SDS, DMDAO and TX-100. Dissimilar effects were observed for different surfactants; DMDAO micelles showed maximum growth at pH ∼5.0–6.0 with almost no effect in more acidic pH, SDS micelles grew only in acidic conditions, while Triton X-100 micelles grew more in basic media. The effect of temperature on DMDAO and Triton X-100 micelles in the presence of PTD was also examined. The location of PTD in micelle was obtained from two-dimensional nuclear Overhauser enhancement spectroscopy (2D-NOESY).
Why cryptocurrency markets are inefficient: The impact of liquidity and volatility

Abstract In this research, we study the multifractality, long-memory process, and efficiency hypothesis of six major cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin, Ethereum, Monero, Dash, Litecoin, and Ripple) using the time-rolling MF-DFA approach. For an in-depth analysis, this study uses the quantile regression approach to examine the determinants of efficient markets. The results show that all markets present evidence of long-memory property and multifractality. Furthermore, the inefficiency of cryptocurrency markets is time-varying, and Dash is the least inefficient market while Litecoin is the most inefficient. Finally, we find that higher liquidity improves but higher volatility weakens the efficiency of cryptocurrencies, depending on the quantiles. Therefore, we conclude that high liquidity with low volatility helps active traders to arbitrage away opportunities, resulting in market efficiency.
Holocene ice-rafting and sediment transport from the glaciated margin of East Greenland (67–70°N) to the N Iceland shelves: detecting and modelling changing sediment sources

We examine variations in the ice-rafted sources for sediments in the Iceland/East Greenland offshore marine archives by utilizing a sediment unmixing model and link the results to a coupled iceberg-ocean model. Surface samples from around Iceland and along the E/NE Greenland shelf are used to define potential sediment sources, and these are examined within the context of the down-core variations in mineralogy in the <2 mm sediment fraction from a transect of cores across Denmark Strait. A sediment unmixing model is used to estimate the fraction of sediment <2 mm off NW and N Iceland exported across Denmark Strait; this averaged between 10 and 20%. Both the sediment unmixing model and the coupled iceberg-ocean model are consistent in finding that the fraction of “far-travelled” sediments in the Denmark Strait environs is overwhelmingly of local, mid-East Greenland, provenance, and therefore with a significant cross-channel component to their travel. The Holocene record of ice-rafted sediments denotes a three-part division of the Holocene in terms of iceberg sediment transport with a notable increase in the process starting ca 4000 cal yr BP. This latter increase may represent the re-advance during the Neoglacial period of land-terminating glaciers on the Geikie Plateau to become marine-terminating. The contrast in spectral signals between these cores and the 1500-yr cycle at VM28-14, just south of the Denmark Strait, combined with the coupled iceberg-model results, leads us to speculate that the signal at VM28-14 reflects pulses in overflow waters, rather than an ice-rafted signal.
Staged Water Price and the Water-saving Effect Calculation Mode for Domestic Water

Staged water price for domestic water is the hot spot in the water price revolution and study. The most attention has focused on the advantages and disadvantages, feasibility and advices on the staged water price decision-making, but less on the parameters estimation of the staged water price model and the water saving effect calculation. The present work studied the third- order staged water price mode and its methods for the parameters estimation. In this study, the water saving effect calculation model(WSECM) based on extended linear expenditure system(ELES) theory was established to simulate the relationship between staged water price and water usage. Taking Panyu district of Guangzhou as an example, the third-order staged water price for domestic water is supposed to implement in 2009. This WSECM was used to simulate the effect by the mode of the third- order staged water price in this case. It is showed that under the third- order staged water price mode, the magnitude of the domestic water usage of annual per capita would reduce 15.86 m3, falling 16.87% in theory.
IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO ORGANIC COMPOUNDS

A method of suppressing or eliminating a malodour from a product comprising a bio-sourced ingredient and a container for holding and/or dispensing the ingredient, wherein the bio-sourced ingredient contains ocimene and wherein the method comprises at least one of the steps of preventing reaction between ocimene and the container; physically removing any malodour formed; or treating the product with a malodour-counteracting agent.
Construction of porous ionic liquids based on coordination cages

The key objective of this fellowship proposal is to develop the first ever porous ionic liquid (PIL) at the molecular level and to explore their properties as Type I permanently porous liquids. Transition-metal coordination cages, in which organic ligands coordinate to metal cations to form a molecular capsule, will be used as scaffolds for permanently PIL. Such coordination cages have been developed by the Nitschke group.  In the target PIL, the cations will be coordination cages and will thus contain an empty cavity. The strategy employed to synthesize permanently PIL will be functionalizing a task-specific coordination cages with imidazole cations together with the selection of proper anions in order to liquefy coordination cages at room temperature . The researcher will also explore the guest encapsulation properties of these new liquid capsules by monitoring guest uptake in neat permanently porous liquid.
Contemporary approaches to hyperemesis during pregnancy

Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP) affects 90% of pregnant women and its impact is often underappreciated. Hyperemesis gravidarum, the most severe end of the spectrum, affects 0.5-2% of pregnancies. The pathogenesis of this condition remains obscure and its management has largely been empirical. This review aims to provide an update on advances in pregnancy hyperemesis focusing on papers published within the past 2 years.The cause of hyperemesis is continuing to be elaborated. Recent data attest to the effectiveness of the oral doxylamine-pyridoxine in NVP. Follow-up data of children exposed in early pregnancy to doxylamine-pyridoxine for NVP are reassuring. Evidence is increasing for ginger as an effective herbal remedy for NVP. Metoclopramide is effective in NVP and hyperemesis gravidarum, with a good balance of efficacy and tolerability. A recent large-scale study on first trimester exposure to metoclopramide is reassuring of its safety. Evidence is emerging for the treatment of acid reflux to ameliorate NVP. The role of corticosteroids for hyperemesis gravidarum remains controversial. Transpyloric feeding may be warranted for persistent weight loss, despite optimal antiemetic therapy.Women with significant NVP should be identified so that they can be safely and effectively treated.
Development of throttle selector of significantly different pressures for gas-dynamic tools

The results of the study of the developed scheme of the selector of significantly different pressures, based on combining flow and pressure dividing valves with flow summarizing valve, allowing a proportional increase of all interthrottle pressures of the scheme are presented in the paper. The mathematical models that provide a choice of optimal parameters of the scheme elements and the study of the effect of the influence factors on the operation quality of the throttle selector scheme are obtained. These models are a system of n nonlinear algebraic equations that can be solved by known numerical methods. Using pressure reproduction tools, based on the developed scheme is especially relevant for gas-dynamic synthesizers of mixtures with a given composition with microconcentrations of components. Due to providing a linear change of interthrottle pressures in the scheme and applying gas-dynamic synthesizer of linear metering capillaries in the mixer, there is the prospect of obtaining complex multicomponent mixtures with microconcentrations of components with higher concentration maintaining accuracy than in the known tools for the continuous preparation of mixtures with given composition.