Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Experimental Study on Performance of Recycled Tyre Rubber-Filled Concrete

Disposal of discarded rubber tyres becomes an emerging research issue which needs to reuse of waste rubber tyres in place of mineral coarse aggregates in concrete. This paper studied an experimental work using recycled rubber tyre aggregates as partial replacement to the coarse aggregates in concrete mix. The performance study is carried out using tests such as slump, unit weight and compressive strength on different concrete mixes in order to determine properties of concrete mix. For comparative analysis, concrete mix of M20 grade is prepared for various concrete mixes by varying percentage replacement of mineral coarse aggregates by 0, 5, 10 and 15 rubber aggregates. The test results show that rubberized concrete gives lesser unit weight in addition to the reduction in workability. It is also observed that there is a reduction in compressive strength of rubberized concrete which restrict its structural applications but it preserves some desirable characteristics. Overall, results of experimental test reflect that it is possible to use discarded rubber tyre aggregates in concrete as a partial replacement to mineral coarse aggregates but percentage replacement should be limited in order to restrict its application.
Psychophysiological Cardiovascular Functioning in Hostile Defensive Women

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading causes of death and disability in the world, in both developed and developing countries, and also in both sexes. In fact one third of annual deaths worldwide are due to cardiovascular problems, according to the WHO (World Health Organization) estimated 17.3 million people died from CVDs in 2008, over 80% of CVD deaths take place in lowand middle-income countries, and by 2030, almost 23.6 million people will die from CVDs (in http://www.who.int/cardiovascular_diseases). Therefore, is a serious problem, and not only in industrialized countries, indeed, is an epidemic that not only continues but it is precisely in the developing countries, where it currently is increasing dramatically. On the other hand, prevalence and mortality from these diseases among women has increased in an exaggerated way. This for several reasons: first, as mentioned, in women the death rate from CVDs has increased significantly, equaling or exceeding that of the male population, so we think it is of great importance to focus on studies considering this sector only a few risk factors have also increased; second, the sample with which we had consisted mostly of women, given the characteristics of it (psychology undergraduates), which were removed the few men who participated in the study. Thus, from these data and indications, and since most studies have focused on people of both sexes or only male, we considered appropriate to carry out research with a sample of only women.
Dietary Fat and Risk of Lung Cancer in a Pooled Analysis of Prospective Studies 1

Lung cancer rates are highest in countries with the greatest fat intakes. In several case-control studies, positive associations have been observed between lung cancer and intakes of total and saturated fat, particularly among nonsmokers. We analyzed the association between fat and cholesterol intakes and lung cancer risk in eight prospective cohort studies that met predefined criteria. Among the 280,419 female and 149,862 male participants who were followed for up to 6–16 years, 3,188 lung cancer cases were documented. Using the Cox proportional hazards model, we calculated study-specific relative risks that were adjusted for smoking history and other potential risk factors. Pooled relative risks were computed using a random effects model. Fat intake was not associated with lung cancer risk. For an increment of 5% of energy from fat, the pooled multivariate relative risks were 1.01 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.98–1.05] for total, 1.03 (95% CI, 0.96–1.11) for saturated, 1.01 (95% CI, 0.93–1.10) for monounsaturated, and 0.99 (95% CI, 0.90–1.10) for polyunsaturated fat. No associations were observed between intakes of total or specific types of fat and lung cancer risk among never, past, or current smokers. Dietary cholesterol was not associated with lung cancer incidence [for a 100-mg/day increment, the pooled multivariate relative risk was 1.01 (95% CI, 0.97–1.05)]. There was no statistically significant heterogeneity among studies or by sex. These data do not support an important relation between fat or cholesterol intakes and lung cancer risk. The means to prevent this important disease remains avoidance of smoking.
Circulating Microparticles Carry a Functional Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase That Is Decreased in Patients With Endothelial Dysfunction

Background Microparticles (MPs) are circulating membrane particles of less than a micrometer in diameter shed from endothelial and blood cells. Recent literature suggests that MPs are not just functionally inert cell debris but may possess biological functions and mediate the communication between vascular cells. As a significant proportion of MPs originate from platelets and endothelial cells, we hypothesized that MPs may harbor functional enzymes including an endothelial NO synthase (eNOS). Methods and Results Using immunoprecipitation and Western blot analysis, we found that human circulating MPs carry an eNOS. Ca2+ and l‐arginine‐dependent NOS activity of crude enzyme extract from MPs was determined by measuring the conversion of [3H]‐L‐arginine to [3H]‐citrulline and NOS‐dependent nitrite production. NOS‐dependent NO production in intact MPs was assessed by the NO‐specific fluorescent probe MNIP‐Cu. In patients with cardiovascular disease, endothelial dysfunction was associated with an increase in the total number of circulating MPs as well as a significant decrease in the expression and activity of eNOS in MPs. No difference in reactive oxygen species was noted in MPs isolated from either group. Conclusions Our data further support the concept that circulating MPs may not only retain phenotypic markers but also preserve the functionality of enzymes of the cells they originate from, including eNOS.
A Game-Theoretic Approach for High-Assurance of Data Trustworthiness in Sensor Networks

Sensor networks are being increasingly deployed in many application domains ranging from environment monitoring to supervising critical infrastructure systems (e.g., the power grid). Due to their ability to continuously collect large amounts of data, sensor networks represent a key component in decisionmaking, enabling timely situation assessment and response. However, sensors deployed in hostile environments may be subject to attacks by adversaries who intend to inject false data into the system. In this context, data trustworthiness is an important concern, as false readings may result in wrong decisions with serious consequences (e.g., large-scale power outages). To defend against this threat, it is important to establish trust levels for sensor nodes and adjust node trustworthiness scores to account for malicious interferences. In this paper, we develop a game-theoretic defense strategy to protect sensor nodes from attacks and to guarantee a high level of trustworthiness for sensed data. We use a discrete time model, and we consider that there is a limited attack budget that bounds the capability of the attacker in each round. The defense strategy objective is to ensure that sufficient sensor nodes are protected in each round such that the discrepancy between the value accepted and the truthful sensed value is below a certain threshold. We model the attack-defense interaction as a Stackelberg game, and we derive the Nash equilibrium condition that is sufficient to ensure that the sensed data are truthful within a nominal error bound. We implement a prototype of the proposed strategy and we show through extensive experiments that our solution provides an effective and efficient way of protecting sensor networks from attacks.
Perceived Problem-Solving Deficits and Suicidal Ideation: Evidence for the Explanatory Roles of Thwarted Belongingness and Perceived Burdensomeness in Five Samples

Perceived social problem-solving deficits are associated with suicide risk; however, little research has examined the mechanisms underlying this relationship. The interpersonal theory of suicide proposes 2 mechanisms in the pathogenesis of suicidal desire: intractable feelings of thwarted belongingness (TB) and perceived burdensomeness (PB). This study tested whether TB and PB serve as explanatory links in the relationship between perceived social problem-solving (SPS) deficits and suicidal thoughts and behaviors cross-sectionally and longitudinally. The specificity of TB and PB was evaluated by testing depression as a rival mediator. Self-report measures of perceived SPS deficits, TB, PB, suicidal ideation, and depression were administered in 5 adult samples: 336 and 105 undergraduates from 2 universities, 53 homeless individuals, 222 primary care patients, and 329 military members. Bias-corrected bootstrap mediation and meta-analyses were conducted to examine the magnitude of the direct and indirect effects, and the proposed mediation paths were tested using zero-inflated negative binomial regressions. Cross-sectionally, TB and PB were significant parallel mediators of the relationship between perceived SPS deficits and ideation, beyond depression. Longitudinally and beyond depression, in 1 study, both TB and PB emerged as significant explanatory factors, and in the other, only PB was a significant mediator. Findings supported the specificity of TB and PB: Depression and SPS deficits were not significant mediators. The relationship between perceived SPS deficits and ideation was explained by interpersonal theory variables, particularly PB. Findings support a novel application of the interpersonal theory, and bolster a growing compendium of literature implicating perceived SPS deficits in suicide risk.
Role of polyunsaturated fatty acids and lipid peroxidation on colorectal cancer risk and treatments

Purpose of reviewThe review aims at elucidating the role of lipid peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in colorectal cancer (CRC) risk and treatment. Recent findingsCRC is one of the most overriding threats to public health. Despite a broad range of treatments, up to 50% of patients will inevitably develop incurable metastatic disease. Peroxidation of PUFAs contributes to augmentation of oxidative stress and causes in consequence inflammation, which is one of the possible carcinogenic factors of CRC. End products of PUFAs might be used as biomarkers for CRC detection and surveillance for treatment. They also have cytotoxic effect in CRC cells. Experimental results suggest that &ohgr;-3 PUFAs could increase the efficacy of radiotherapy and chemotherapy of CRC. SummaryLipid peroxidation, one factor of oxidative stress, might play a paramount role not only in carcinogenesis but also in potential therapeutic strategy on CRC. End products of lipid peroxidation, such as malondialdehyde, 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, and isoprostanes, could be used as biomarkers for cancer detection, surveillance of treatment outcome and prognostic index for CRC patients. Furthermore, malondialdehyde and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal have cytotoxic effect not only in normal cells but also in CRC cancer cells, which implies the potential role of PUFAs in CRC treatment.
Frequency doubling in SBN crystals with random ferroelectric domains in the thermal focusing regime

We consider the femtosecond phase-matched noncollinear second-harmonic generation (SHG) in Strontium Barium Niobate (SBN) crystals with random ferroelectnc domains. We study both planar and radial second-harmonic (SH) radiation for the average input power Pf up to 600 mW. We show that the effect of thermal self-focusing of the fundamental wave occurring at Pf > 250 mW results in novel effects including the spatial localization of SHG, a change of the SH efficiency slope, and significant spectral broadening of both fundamental and SH beams
Transparent Bilateral Teleoperation under Position and Rate Control

A four-channel control architecture has been suggested in the literature to achieve transparency for master-slave teleoperator systems under position control. In this paper, the result is generalized to include teleoperator systems that are under rate control or more general master-slave kinematic correspondence laws, such as a mixedposition/rate mode. A one-degree-of-freedom example is given to outline the design and analysis of such a system for transparency and stability. The validity of the theory has been verified through simulations and experiments.
Trypanosoma cruzi subverts the sphingomyelinase-mediated plasma membrane repair pathway for cell invasion

Upon host cell contact, the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi triggers cytosolic Ca(2+) transients that induce exocytosis of lysosomes, a process required for cell invasion. However, the exact mechanism by which lysosomal exocytosis mediates T. cruzi internalization remains unclear. We show that host cell entry by T. cruzi mimics a process of plasma membrane injury and repair that involves Ca(2+)-dependent exocytosis of lysosomes, delivery of acid sphingomyelinase (ASM) to the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane, and a rapid form of endocytosis that internalizes membrane lesions. Host cells incubated with T. cruzi trypomastigotes are transiently wounded, show increased levels of endocytosis, and become more susceptible to infection when injured with pore-forming toxins. Inhibition or depletion of lysosomal ASM, which blocks plasma membrane repair, markedly reduces the susceptibility of host cells to T. cruzi invasion. Notably, extracellular addition of sphingomyelinase stimulates host cell endocytosis, enhances T. cruzi invasion, and restores normal invasion levels in ASM-depleted cells. Ceramide, the product of sphingomyelin hydrolysis, is detected in newly formed parasitophorous vacuoles containing trypomastigotes but not in the few parasite-containing vacuoles formed in ASM-depleted cells. Thus, T. cruzi subverts the ASM-dependent ceramide-enriched endosomes that function in plasma membrane repair to infect host cells.
Nectar sugars and amino acids in day- and night-flowering Nicotiana species are more strongly shaped by pollinators’ preferences than organic acids and inorganic ions

Floral nectar contains mainly sugars but also amino acids, organic acids, inorganic ions and secondary compounds to attract pollinators. The genus Nicotiana exhibits great diversity among species in floral morphology, flowering time, nectar compositions, and predominant pollinators. We studied nectar samples of 20 Nicotiana species, composed equally of day- and night-flowering plants and attracting different groups of pollinators (e.g. hummingbirds, moths or bats) to investigate whether sugars, amino acids, organic acids and inorganic ions are influenced by pollinator preferences. Glucose, fructose and sucrose were the only sugars found in the nectar of all examined species. Sugar concentration of the nectar of day-flowering species was 20% higher and amino acid concentration was 2-3-fold higher compared to the nectar of night-flowering species. The sucrose-to-hexose ratio was significantly higher in night-flowering species and the relative share of sucrose based on the total sugar correlated with the flower tube length in the nocturnal species. Flowers of different tobacco species contained varying volumes of nectar which led to about 150-fold higher amounts of total sugar per flower in bat- or sunbird-pollinated species than in bee-pollinated or autogamous species. This difference was even higher for total amino acids per flower (up to 1000-fold). As a consequence, some Nicotiana species invest large amounts of organic nitrogen for certain pollinators. Higher concentrations of inorganic ions, predominantly anions, were found in nectar of night-flowering species. Therefore, higher anion concentrations were also associated with pollinator types active at night. Malate, the main organic acid, was present in all nectar samples but the concentration was not correlated with pollinator type. In conclusion, statistical analyses revealed that pollinator types have a stronger effect on nectar composition than phylogenetic relations. In this context, nectar sugars and amino acids are more strongly correlated with the preferences of predominant pollinators than organic acids and inorganic ions.
On the shear strength of polyurethane coated railroad ballast

Unbound nature of railroad ballast aggregates causes abrasion and degradation predicaments due to heavy train axle loads. Polyurethane reinforcement of ballast layer is a candidate solution to these problems. However, not many polyurethane reinforcement applications have been studied until the beginning of last decade. Therefore, the technology requires considerable research efforts to fully develop. As part of this thesis study research, direct shear testing was undertaken for two different railroad ballast aggregates, granite and limestone. Both aggregate materials satisfied the AREMA No. 24 railroad ballast gradation requirements. Although the unbound granite samples showed higher shear strength properties than the unbound limestone samples, polyurethane reinforcement increased shear strengths of the limestone aggregate samples more than the granite aggregate samples in direct shear (shear box) tests. The granite samples had somewhat of a coarser gradation when compared to the size distribution of the limestone samples. An image aided discrete element modeling approach was used to simulate the shear box tests and calculate number of particle contacts and sample porosities for both the granite and limestone gradations. The simulation results showed that even though the differences in porosity were only in the order of 2% to 3%, the number of particle contacts for the limestone samples was 50% more than that for the granite samples. In conclusion, number of particle contacts in an assembly of aggregates coated with polyurethane was found to be an important factor contributing to the shear strength properties of chemically bonded ballast aggregate layers.
DisProt: the Database of Disordered Proteins

The Database of Protein Disorder (DisProt) links structure and function information for intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs). Intrinsically disordered proteins do not form a fixed three-dimensional structure under physiological conditions, either in their entireties or in segments or regions. We define IDP as a protein that contains at least one experimentally determined disordered region. Although lacking fixed structure, IDPs and regions carry out important biological functions, being typically involved in regulation, signaling and control. Such functions can involve high-specificity low-affinity interactions, the multiple binding of one protein to many partners and the multiple binding of many proteins to one partner. These three features are all enabled and enhanced by protein intrinsic disorder. One of the major hindrances in the study of IDPs has been the lack of organized information. DisProt was developed to enable IDP research by collecting and organizing knowledge regarding the experimental characterization and the functional associations of IDPs. In addition to being a unique source of biological information, DisProt opens doors for a plethora of bioinformatics studies. DisProt is openly available at .
A integrated high voltage controller for a reconfigurable antenna array

This paper presents a integrated high voltage controller, which is fabricated in a 0.35pm high voltage CMOS technology(AMS H35), and can be applied in high voltage applications up to 115V. The high voltage output is controlled by 8-bit digital input code. In order to improve the accuracy and decrease the required area, it is implemented by a low voltage DAC and a high voltage amplifier for boosting the controllable output voltage. Since the current consumption from the high voltage power supply is only 80/μA, it can be powered by a charge pump which generates 115V from a battery with 3.7V DC. Combining with a 8*8 external high voltage switches, the proposed high voltage controller can drive up to 64 individual channels of antenna array with a voltage from 0 to 115V. It will greatly reduce the complexity and cost of mobile applications required high voltage. The feasibility is proved by post-simulation result and experimental test result.
Fabrication of SiO2 covered ZrO2 electrospun fibres with controllable structure and their novel high-performance composites with outstanding thermal, mechanical and dielectric properties

New ceramic electrospun fibres, SiO2 nano-particles covered ZrO2 fibres (SiO2@ZrO2), are facilely fabricated, which have many hydroxyl groups on the surfaces, and their diameters and chemistries are controllable. Based on this, novel SiO2@ZrO2/cyanate ester composites with desirable interfacial adhesion were prepared, completely overcoming the drawback of ZrO2/cyanate ester composites; moreover, the SiO2@ZrO2/cyanate ester composites show much higher storage moduli and glass transition temperatures as well as lower dielectric constants and losses than ZrO2/cyanate ester composites. These interesting results originate from the double effects of the unique structure of SiO2@ZrO2 fibres. Specifically, the active groups on the surfaces of SiO2@ZrO2 fibres bring the chemical bonding with the matrix, while SiO2 particles on the ZrO2 fibres provide physical interlocking between the matrix and fibres. These attractive properties of SiO2@ZrO2/cyanate ester composites suggest that the method proposed herein is effective to prepare electrospun fibres with unique and controllable structure as well as high-performance ceramic/polymer composites.
Building an Evaluation Scale using Item Response Theory

Evaluation of NLP methods requires testing against a previously vetted gold-standard test set and reporting standard metrics (accuracy/precision/recall/F1). The current assumption is that all items in a given test set are equal with regards to difficulty and discriminating power. We propose Item Response Theory (IRT) from psychometrics as an alternative means for gold-standard test-set generation and NLP system evaluation. IRT is able to describe characteristics of individual items - their difficulty and discriminating power - and can account for these characteristics in its estimation of human intelligence or ability for an NLP task. In this paper, we demonstrate IRT by generating a gold-standard test set for Recognizing Textual Entailment. By collecting a large number of human responses and fitting our IRT model, we show that our IRT model compares NLP systems with the performance in a human population and is able to provide more insight into system performance than standard evaluation metrics. We show that a high accuracy score does not always imply a high IRT score, which depends on the item characteristics and the response pattern.
Progress in the Pathogenesis of Pterygium

Abstract Pterygium is a type of benign uncontrolled growth of the conjunctive tissue that lays over the sclera. It can significantly alter visual function in advanced cases and become inflamed, leading to redness and irritation in the area. Although the exact etiology of pterygium remains uncertain, recent advances have provided important insight into the pathogenesis of pterygium. These studies indicate that tumor suppressor gene p53 and other genes associated with DNA repair, cell proliferation, migration and angiogenesis are critical for the development of pterygium. In addition, Human papillomavirus infection has been shown to be a risk factor in some populations. In this article, the current understanding of the pathogenesis of pterygium is reviewed.