SIRIS-Lab/unlabelled-sti-corpus huggingface dataset:
Finite Element Modelling for Lateral Behaviour of Infilled RC Frames with Openings

Masonry infills are commonly used in reinforced concrete (RC) frame structures. In this paper a separate finite element modelling method is proposed and used to study the lateral behaviour of single-storey one-bay masonry infilled frames with openings under monotonic horizontal loading. The interface friction model and the surface-based cohesive model are combined to simulate masonry interface and the interface between masonry wall and RC frame. Damage plastic model of material property is adapted to capture the brittle behaviour of concrete and bricks. Appropriate experimental data available from the literature are utilized to verify the model. The comparison between the numerical analysis and test results indicates that the proposed FE modelling method can predict the masonry infill wall’s crack patterns and the lateral strength and stiffness of the structure with window or door opening successfully.
POLYMERIC SUPPORT WITH NANOFEATURES FOR CELL CULTURE

The invention provides a cell support comprising a nanofiber structure disposed on a concave surface of a substrate. The curvature of the substrate in combination with the nanotopography provided by the nanofibers supports provides the necessary environment cues that promote growth, differentiation and morphogenesis of secretory epithelial cells, such as salivary gland epithelial cells.
Microfluidics-Assisted design and construction of light-responsive protocells

Protocells are synthetic models of cells exhibiting rudimentary life-like properties, such as compartmentalization, sensing or replication, and constitute as such primitive forms of cellularity that could help to understand the origin of life. The remarkable properties of these smart micromachines can also be harnessed to tackle key societal challenges, including environmental clean-up, energy production, or drug delivery. Advances in this field would greatly benefit from the precise activation of protocells in both space and time. However, fine control over protocellular functions has been minimal to date. Conventional types of actuation (e.g. T, pH) do not allow spatiotemporal guidance due to their inherent inertia or the need to add chemicals. Light provides an attractive alternative for the remote manipulation of protocells with an extremely high spatiotemporal resolution. However, there is no precedent of light-actuated protocells in the literature. The aim of this proposal is precisely to design and construct a new class of photo-responsive protocells capable of being manipulated, activated or silenced quickly and locally in response to light. The bottom-up protocell assembly will be performed by microfluidics, whose powerful abilities in terms of modularity, reliability or sensitivity will be exploited to produce structurally well-defined architectures, and study interactions between protocells in a way unattainable with traditional methods. The expertise and skills of the applicant in the field of protocell design and light-responsive materials will be applied to the multidisciplinary and cutting-edge fields of microfluidics and synthetic biology in which the hosting groups at CNRS (under the leadership of Prof. Jean-Christophe Baret and Dr. Laurence Navailles) have made significant progress in the last few years.
Developing advanced vibration performance assessment for new generation of lightweight pedestrian structures using motion platform and virtual reality environments

Newly embraced use of lightweight (and high-strength) materials in construction has led to development of exceptionally beautiful and slender structural forms, especially in case of landmark public structures such as footbridges as well as walkways and corridors between buildings, at airports and shopping malls. These pedestrian structures are more sensitive to human-generated dynamic loading than ever before and their design is governed by vibration serviceability limit state. Pedestrians start interacting with these structures under certain conditions resulting in vibration-dependent dynamic force and unacceptably large errors in predictions of the actual vibration response. This project, vPERFORM, will transform the current design practice by developing reliable predictive models of vibration performance of lightweight pedestrian structures. For the first time, vertical vibration conditions under which the interaction occurs will be identified and the interaction modelled to reflect experimental observations. In addition, influence of visual cue (of the environment in which structure resides) on the interaction will also be studied for the first time. I will employ a multidisciplinary approach by combining analysis techniques from human motion science and mathematical modelling with structural engineering application. I will collect unique experimental data in a purpose built VSimulators (VSim) motion platform facility that incorporates virtual reality (VR) headset for simulating realistic structure environments. I will develop and validate a model for the interaction paving the way for achieving more efficient and sustainable design solutions.
A generic solution for unwanted traffic control through trust management

The Internet has dramatically changed our daily life. But it is also bogged down by unwanted traffic, which is malicious, harmful or unexpected for its receivers. In order to control the unwanted traffic over the Internet, especially the mobile Internet, in this paper, we propose a generic unwanted traffic control (UTC) solution through trust management. It can control unwanted traffic from its source to destinations in a personalized manner according to trust evaluation at a Global Trust Operator, traffic and behavior analysis at hosts and traffic observation in the Internet. Thus, it can conduct UTC by integrating distributed and centralized functions and supporting both defensive and offensive approaches. Simulation based evaluation shows that the solution is effective with regard to accuracy and efficiency for botnet intrusion and DDoS intrusion via reflectors. It is also robust against a number of malicious system attacks, such as hide evidence attack, bad mouthing attack, on-off attack, malicious at...
Modelling the relationship between peel colour and the quality of fresh mango fruit using Random Forests

Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is one of the major tropical fruits exported through long supply chains to export markets. Production of high quality fruits and monitoring postharvest changes during storage and transport are thus primary concerns for exporters to ensure the premium value of fresh mango fruit after distribution. This study aims to demonstrate the applicability of Random Forests (RF) for estimating the internal qualities of mango based on peel colour. Two cultivars, namely Nam Dokmai and Irwin, having different fruit properties and grown in intensively managed orchards in Thailand and Japan, respectively, were used in this study. Postharvest changes in peel colour and fruit quality were observed under three storage conditions with respect to temperature. RF models were applied to establish a relationship between peel colour and fruit quality, and then tested the applicability based on model accuracy and variable importance computed by the RF. Specifically, this work demonstrates how the variable importance can be used to interpret the model results. The high accuracy and the information retrieved by the RF models suggest the applicability and practicality as a non-destructive assessment method for the quality of fresh mango fruit.
Abstract 14210: Standardized Protocol to Optimize Management of Patients with Post-operative Atrial Fibrillation Reduces Length of Stay and Hospital Costs

BACKGROUND: Post-operative atrial fibrillation (POAF) develops in approximately 30-40% of patients undergoing cardiovascular (CV) surgery and increases major adverse events, length of stay (LOS) and hospitalization costs. A standardized protocol may optimize POAF management and decrease LOS, hospital costs and adverse events including post-operative stroke. METHODS: In March 2013, an AF inpatient protocol was implemented in our CV surgery center’s post-operative care units. The protocol incorporates a consensus driven decision support algorithm based on blood pressure, heart rate and duration of AF to guide beta-blocker, antiarrhythmic and anticoagulation therapy recommendations in real-time. Using a shared electronic medical record we reviewed all coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) and valve surgery cases from March 1, 2013 to April 30, 2014 and compared LOS, intensive care unit (ICU) duration and post-operative stroke in POAF patients with and without the protocol. Based on actual CV surgery volume and average total variable cost per hospital day, we estimated the protocol’s impact post-implementation and at 50% annual use. RESULTS: Among 492 CABG and valve surgery cases, 176 (35.8%) developed POAF. Among patients with POAF, 55 (31.3%) used the AF protocol and 121 (68.7%) did not. In patients with POAF, median LOS was significantly shorter in cases with the protocol (6.9 [6.0, 9.1] days vs. 8.2 [6.1, 11.9] days; p=0.016). There was no difference in ICU duration or post-operative stroke (Table). Among 151 annual cases of POAF, average total variable cost was $2,374 per hospital day. Post-implementation, 71.5 hospital days and $169,741 have been saved. Achieving 50% protocol use, we estimate 98.0 hospital days and $232,652 could be saved annually. CONCLUSIONS: A standardized decision support protocol for POAF patients is associated with shorter LOS and provides a significant reduction in hospital days and total variable cost.
An apple B-box protein, MdCOL11, is involved in UV-B- and temperature-induced anthocyanin biosynthesis

Our studies showed that an apple B-box protein, MdCOL11, the homolog of AtBBX22, is involved in UV-B- and temperature-induced anthocyanin biosynthesis in apple peel. Anthocyanin is responsible for the red pigmentation in apple peel and a R2R3 MYB gene, MdMYBA/1/10, a homolog of MdMYBA, controls its accumulation. Arabidopsis PAP1 is under the control of a series of upstream factors involved in light signal transduction and photomorphogenesis, such as ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5 (HY5) and B-box family (BBX) proteins. In this study, we identified and characterized the homolog of Arabidopsis BBX22 in apple, designated as MdCOL11. Overexpression of MdCOL11 in Arabidopsis enhanced the accumulation of anthocyanin. In apples, MdCOL11 was differentially expressed in all tissues, with the highest expression in petals and the lowest expression in the xylem. Transcripts of MdCOL11 noticeably accumulated at the ripening stage, concomitant with increases in the expressions of anthocyanin biosynthesis-related genes. In an in vitro treatment experiment, MdCOL11 was upregulated in an ultra-violet (UV)-B- and temperature-dependent manner, together with the inductions of anthocyanin biosynthesis-related genes and anthocyanin accumulation in apple peel. Furthermore, a dual-luciferase assay indicated that (1) MdCOL11 regulated the expression of MdMYBA and (2) MdCOL11 was a target of MdHY5. Taken together, our results suggest that MdCOL11 is involved in MdHY5-mediated signal transduction and regulates anthocyanin accumulation in apple peel, which sheds new light on anthocyanin accumulation in apples.
Calcination temperature influenced multiferroic properties of Ca-doped BiFeO3 nanoparticles

The influence of Ca-doping and particle size on structural, morphological and magnetic properties of BiFeO3 nanoparticles has been studied. A sol-gel method was employed for the synthesis of nanoparticles and their particle size was tailored by varying the calcination temperature. Structural analysis revealed a rhombohedral distortion induced by Ca-substitution. The broadening of diffraction peaks with decreasing calcination temperature was indicative of reduction in crystallite size. The morphological analysis revealed the formation of agglomerated nanoparticles having average particle size ranging from 10-15 and 50-55 nm for C4 and C6, respectively. The agglomeration is attributed to high surface energy of nanoparticles. Ferromagnetism has been displayed by all the synthesized nanoparticles. Enhancement of saturation magnetization with Ca-substitution is attributed to suppression of spin cycloid structure by the reduction in size, lattice distortion and creation of oxygen vacancies by the substitution o...
Aspetti geografici e normativi delle bonifiche delle aree inquinate del Nord Sardegna

The Law of 31 July 2002, n. 179 has recognized the site Industrial Areas of Porto Torres among those at high risk environment at the national level, which have prompted a series of activities for the remediation of soil and groundwater throughout the area bounded (approximately 3,000 hectares). Apart from the severity of the environmental situation, the consequences of the insertion of this area in Sin overturn primarily on local operators, as well as on large petrochemical industries of the former, who are forced to carry out practices that require
complex procedures and expensive, as provided for by Legislative Decree 152/2006 which established the criteria. To date, no remediation process has been started yet. Paradoxically, at a time when the industrial activities have ceased or particularly slow, many job expectations are
pinned on the part of its territory in the initiation of these activities by industries in crisis for which the slowdown, not activated, the red tape, also connected with the fact that the relevant law is quite cumbersome, are recognized by the people almost like a second penalty. Given that the PhD thesis has as its purpose the analysis of the effects of legislation on reclamation and
territory, including the role with which these issues arise in respect of users established, this work aims to analyze the main problems that despite the severity and danger of the situation, making them slow and cumbersome processes.
A PROCESS AND A COMPOSITION TO IMPROVE THE COMBUSTION OF FUELS

A process and a composition for improving the combustion of fuels for the generation of energy with reduced corrosion and lowered deposition on heat-transferring and other surfaces, the combustion zone being supplied with a catalyst containing at least the elements Al, Mg, Mn and Zn in a quantity active for efficient combustion.
Protective Effects of Transgenic Human Endothelial Protein C Receptor Expression in Murine Models of Transplantation

Thrombosis and inflammation are major obstacles to successful pig-to-human solid organ xenotransplantation. A potential solution is genetic modification of the donor pig to overexpress molecules such as the endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR), which has anticoagulant, anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective signaling properties. Transgenic mice expressing human EPCR (hEPCR) were generated and characterized to test this approach. hEPCR was expressed widely and its compatibility with the mouse protein C pathway was evident from the anticoagulant phenotype of the transgenic mice, which exhibited a prolonged tail bleeding time and resistance to collagen-induced thrombosis. hEPCR mice were protected in a model of warm renal ischemia reperfusion injury compared to wild type (WT) littermates (mean serum creatinine 39.0 ± 2.3 μmol/L vs. 78.5 ± 10.0 μmol/L, p < 0.05; mean injury score 31 ± 7% vs. 56 ± 5%, p < 0.05). Heterotopic cardiac xenografts from hEPCR mice showed a small but significant prolongation of survival in C6-deficient PVG rat recipients compared to WT grafts (median graft survival 6 vs. 5 days, p < 0.05), with less hemorrhage and edema in rejected transgenic grafts. These data indicate that it is possible to overexpress EPCR at a sufficient level to provide protection against transplant-related thrombotic and inflammatory injury, without detrimental effects in the donor animal.
EPigenetics of Immunity in Cancer

Cancer shows a high incidence in the area covered by the Interreg V-A ItaliaÖsterreich cooperation programme. As a consequence health budgets are under pressure, also in relation to the costs of new therapies. One issue that needs to be urgently addressed is the possibility of supporting high quality health care by avoiding waste and inefficiency of health systems. The EPIC project will address this problem and develop improved and more sustainable solutions for cancer therapies. These are not only based on the development of new drugs. EPIC will also focus on improving methods for predicting drug efficacy in cancer immunotherapy. Italian and Austrian research institutes with complementary tracks of excellence and expertise (Chemistry, Medicine, Biology and Bioinformatics) will create the EPIC network to provide new advances in cancer immunotherapy and to provide open and accessible knowledge to the territories of the program, including academies, clinical centers and all stakeholders. The program meets the RIS3 (Regional Innovative Specializations) objectives „smart-health“ of the regions Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Alto Adige/Südtirol, as well as the Life Science Strategy (WISS 2025) of Salzburg.
Extending the energy performance assessment and certification schemes via a modular approach

X-tendo will support public authorities to transition to next-generation energy performance certification (EPC) schemes, including improved compliance, reliability, usability and convergence. The key output of the project will be the X-tendo toolbox, a freely available online knowledge hub that will be continued also beyond the project duration. It will contain 10 innovative EPC features ranging from a smartness and a comfort indicator to building logbooks and how to improve EPC databases. For each feature the toolbox will include: (1) solution concepts and good practice examples, (2) description of methodological approaches, (3) calculation tools, and (4) implementation guidelines and recommendations. A selection of twenty-nine test projects in nine different member states will demonstrate the potential of each feature as part of more reliable next-generation EPC schemes across the EU.
Intensive stakeholder engagement, experience exchange activities, continuous dissemination and an ambitious exploitation strategy will maximize X-tendo’s impact across the EU. Direct impact on (future) policy making will be achieved by (1) understanding end-users and their needs, (2) engaging with public bodies covering at least 75% of the EU building stock, (3) close collaboration between policy makers and technical, communication and financial experts, (4) outreach to EU-wide initiatives such as the Concerted Action on the EPBD and the European Energy Network, and (5) assessing the viability of policy implementation.
Improved and next-generation EPC schemes and the innovative handling and use of EPC-related data will push the market towards better performing buildings and facilitate the interaction between building owners, the construction industry and the finance sector. The combination of the expertise of the project partners and the actions and outputs of the project will steer EPC schemes across Europe to the next-generation requirements.
Emissivity and electrooptical properties of semiconducting quantum dots/rods and liquid crystal composites: a review

Investigations of the mixtures of semiconducting quantum scale particles in anisotropic liquid crystal (LC) medium have become a vibrant area of research primarily due to their very interesting phenomenology. The results of these investigations fall into four groups: (i) Photoluminescent emissive properties of the quantum particles ordinarily depend on the size, shape, and chemical nature of the particles. These undergo important changes in their spectrum, polarization, and isotropy of emission when dissolved in an anisotropic LC phase. Moreover, their response to external stimuli such as mechanical, optical, or electric fields is altered in important ways; (ii) physical properties of LCs such as viscosity, dielectric relaxation, etc are modified by the addition of quantum particles. Their presence in ferroelectric smectic LC is known to give rise to an antiferro- to ferri-electric phase transition and suppresses the paraelectric phase; (iii) switching characteristics of LC devices are altered in important ways by the addition of quantum particles. Their threshold voltage is usually lowered, contrast ratio, and switching speed of nematic, ferroelectric, and cholesteric devices may increase or decrease depending on the concentration, applied field, and particle anisotropy; and (iv) controlled aggregation of quantum particles at the interface between isotropic and LC domains, near added polystyrene beads, and in the vicinity of point defects gives rise to interesting photonic structures, enables studies of photon antibunching and single photon sources. Clearly, there is a need to understand the basic and applied aspects of these systems and find routes to their technological applications including sensors, electrooptical devices, and solar energy harvesting. This review provides an overview of recent work involving liquid crystals and a variety of quantum particles.
Alpine Hospitals Networking for Improved Access to Telemedicine Services

ALIAS project addresses medical services and information inadequacy to ensure Health Care (HC) provisions in Alpine Space (AS) where telemedicine services are not widely exploited and linguistic barriers represent an obstacle. AS touristic vocation during some periods of the year makes its HC structures “periodically” inadequate to face a widened request of services supply. On the other hand, a major receptivity of those structures during the rest of the year is unnecessary due to the low density of AS local residents. ALIAS addresses the priority aimed at securing fair access to HC public services and related communication infrastructure within the programming area. The project is aimed at linking together a number of AS hospitals enabling the creation of a Network shaping the ALIAS Virtual Hospital (VH) for sharing medical information, adopting telemedicine service and exchanging best clinical practices, to improve the efficiency of hospitals in that area.
CONTACTLESS MAGNETIC SENSOR FOR DETERMINATION OF THE LINEAR POSITION OF A MOVING BODY

The invention relates to a magnetic sensor for determination of the linear position of a moving body (2), moving in a linear fashion along a translation axis. The sensor comprises a measuring cell, arranged in a magnetic circuit, for measuring the variations in the value of the magnetic induction flux as a result of variations in the reluctance of the magnetic circuit. According to the invention, the sensor comprises a single fixed magnetic circuit between two fixed poles, defining a variation gap (4), in which at least one magnetic induction extends along a length parallel to the translation axis and at least equal to the track of the moving body for measurement is generated, said variation gap (4) being embodied to permits the linear movement of the moving body (2) which is provided with means for altering the reluctance of said variation gap, mechanically independent of said sensor and a measuring gap (7) in which the measuring cell is arranged.