Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gallium arsenide thermal conductivity and optical phonon relaxation times from first-principles calculations

In this paper, thermal conductivity of crystalline GaAs is calculated using first-principles lattice dynamics. The harmonic and cubic force constants are obtained by fitting them to the force-displacement data from density functional theory calculations. Phonon dispersion is calculated from a dynamical matrix constructed using the harmonic force constants and phonon relaxation times are calculated using Fermi's Golden rule. The calculated GaAs thermal conductivity agrees well with experimental data. Thermal conductivity accumulations as a function of the phonon mean free path and as a function of the wavelength are obtained. Our results predict a significant size effect on the GaAs thermal conductivity in the nanoscale. Relaxation times of optical phonons and their contributions from different scattering channels are also studied. Such information will help the understanding of hot phonon effects in GaAs-based devices.
Assessment of emphysema in COPD: a functional and radiologic study.

OBJECTIVES A combination of functional measurements reflecting a decrease in maximum flow, a degree of lung hyperinflation, the relationship between maximum inspiratory and expiratory flows, bronchodilator response, and diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO) was used to quantify the extent of emphysema, as assessed by high-resolution CT (HRCT) scanning. DESIGN Forced inspiratory and expiratory spirometry, lung volumes, reversibility test, and single-breath diffusing capacity were assessed before and after inhaling albuterol, 200 microg. Relationships between lung function variables and emphysema extent, as determined by HRCT scanning, were tested by univariate and multivariate analyses. SUBJECTS Thirty-nine COPD outpatients with moderate-to-severe obstruction. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS Emphysema extent, as assessed by HRCT scanning, ranged from 18 to 70%. All of the lung function parameters that were studied, except for the change in FEV1 percent predicted after salbutamol inhalation, correlated significantly with the extent of emphysema (r2 range, 0.19 to 0.44). Functional residual capacity, forced expiratory flow at 50% of FVC/forced inspiratory flow at 50% of FVC, DLCO/alveolar volume ratio, and bronchodilator-induced change in FEV1/FVC ratio were the only variables retained by stepwise multiple regression analysis. The multiple regression model explained 71% of the variability of emphysema extent measured by HRCT scanning. CONCLUSIONS The combination of lung function measurements reflecting lung hyperinflation, bronchial collapsibility, lung diffusing capacity, and bronchodilator response provides a good estimate of the extent of emphysema, as evaluated by HRCT scanning. These data suggest that pulmonary function tests are useful in assessing and monitoring parenchymal damage in COPD patients.
Helping Struggling Students: The Impact of Three Instructional Interventions on College Students’ Exam Scores and Exam-Skipping Behavior

Whether instructional-communication feedback sent to struggling students and succeeding students following course exams would significantly increase their exam scores and significantly decrease their exam-skipping behavior relative to students in the control group was investigated. An experimenter-blind study utilizing feedback and the personalization principle was conducted. Undergraduate students (N = 122) were randomly assigned to the control group and the experimental group – the instructional-communications group. After each exam, an instructional intervention using instructional-communication feedback was sent. Struggling students who received instructional-communication feedback had higher exam scores and skipped fewer exams than struggling students in the control group for all exams. For exam 2, there was a statistically significant exam score difference (one half-letter grade: 4.93%) between struggling students in the experimental and control groups. For exam 2, the proportion of students in the experimental group that engaged in exam-skipping behavior was significantly smaller than the control group, with a percentage difference of 9.46% – a 43.07% decrease relative to the control group. For struggling students, instructional communications with tailored content significantly increased student test performance. For all students, instructional communications significantly decreased student exam-skipping behavior. The results of this study provide evidence of the efficacy of using personalization-based tailored instructional communications.
“We Can Write the Scripts Ourselves”: Queer Challenges to Heteronormative Courtship Practices

Courtship conventions are premised on widespread and deeply held cultural beliefs that men and women need and want different things from their romantic relationships. Yet queer relationships challenge the notion of distinct gendered behaviors in romantic relationships, and queer people often explicitly seek to undermine conventional relationship practices. Using interview data from 40 LGBTQ-identified respondents, I examine how queer people negotiate culturally dominant gendered dating and courtship practices. My findings show that, rather than replicate heterosexual norms, respondents actively reject them, seeking new and more egalitarian ways of building romantic relationships. Significantly, the narratives drawn on to justify egalitarian dating practices are similar to those used in their committed relationships. Respondents emphasized egalitarian, flexible, and non-gendered care work in committed relationships, indicating that how people date may potentially set the stage for the dynamics in their relationships. The importance placed on these alternative norms in queer communities, however, contradicts respondents’ assertions that they can create relationships free from cultural constraints, demonstrating how emerging norms can breed their own pressures for conformity.
Temporal Gene Expression Kinetics for Human Keratinocytes Exposed to Hyperthermic Stress

The gene expression kinetics for human cells exposed to hyperthermic stress are not well characterized. In this study, we identified and characterized the genes that are differentially expressed in human epidermal keratinocyte (HEK) cells exposed to hyperthermic stress. In order to obtain temporal gene expression kinetics, we exposed HEK cells to a heat stress protocol (44 °C for 40 min) and used messenger RNA (mRNA) microarrays at 0 h, 4 h and 24 h post-exposure. Bioinformatics software was employed to characterize the chief biological processes and canonical pathways associated with these heat stress genes. The data shows that the genes encoding for heat shock proteins (HSPs) that function to prevent further protein denaturation and aggregation, such as HSP40, HSP70 and HSP105, exhibit maximal expression immediately after exposure to hyperthermic stress. In contrast, the smaller HSPs, such as HSP10 and HSP27, which function in mitochondrial protein biogenesis and cellular adaptation, exhibit maximal expression during the “recovery phase”, roughly 24 h post-exposure. These data suggest that the temporal expression kinetics for each particular HSP appears to correlate with the cellular function that is required at each time point. In summary, these data provide additional insight regarding the expression kinetics of genes that are triggered in HEK cells exposed to hyperthermic stress.
To see dynamic change: continuous focused attention facilitates change detection, but the effect persists briefly

ABSTRACT What is the role of continuously focused attention on an object in change detection? To ensure focused attention on one object, we conducted a single object change detection task, manipulating an object’s location between pre-change and post-change displays (same or different location), and also manipulating a blank duration (the FOD task) and a pre-change object presentation duration (the FBD task). If attention is continuously focused at the spatial location of the pre-change object, a location shift of the post-change object should interrupt change detection due to a cognitive cost of attentional shift. Results suggest attention is focused continuously for a brief blank duration, and attention can facilitate the detection of change occurring at the location of attentional focus. Additionally, although attention is focused continuously for a long time if a target is visible, the effect of attention declines with time. The results clarify the new temporal characteristics of focused attention.
Sources of parallelism in software pipelining loops with conditional branches

The subject of this paper is the instruction-level parallelism and the process of software pipelining loops with conditional branches. First, preconditions for treating such loops are introduced, and some effects of existence of conditional instructions and their outcomes that are important for parallelization are analyzed These effects are emphasized and systematized.
Effects of judicial instructions and juror characteristics on interpretations of beyond reasonable doubt

ABSTRACT The standard of proof, beyond reasonable doubt (BRD), serves as a threshold for reaching verdicts in criminal cases. Past research has demonstrated that factors such as the wording of judicial instructions defining the standard can influence people's interpretation of it. In addition, there is some concern that instructions may not be effective for the wider jury-eligible population. In an experimental study involving members of the general public, we examined the effect of two commonly used judicial instructions (i.e. sure and firmly convinced) against a situation when BRD was undefined, on people's quantitative interpretations of BRD as well as on their self-reported understanding of the standard and confidence in applying it. We also explored the effect of juror characteristics (i.e. gender, age and education). Compared to when the standard was undefined, the sure instruction helped to reduce inter-individual variability in interpretations of BRD and the firmly convinced instruction increased people's understanding of the standard. However, neither instruction was effective in increasing confidence in applying the standard or in reducing observed individual differences. These findings underscore the importance of developing evidence-based judicial instructions that can benefit the broad jury-eligible population equally and in a variety of ways.
Photosynthesis and carbon allocation of six boreal tree species grown in understory and open conditions.

One-year-old seedlings of Abies balsamea (L.) Mill, Picea glauca (Moench) Voss, Pinus contorta Loudon, Betula papyrifera Marsh. , Populus tremuloides Michx. and Populus balsamifera L. were transplanted in the spring, in pots, to the understory of a mixed P. tremuloides-P. balsamifera stand or to an adjacent open site. Growth and leaf characteristics were measured and photosynthetic light response curves determined in mid-August. Overall, the coniferous seedlings showed less photosynthetic plasticity in response to growth conditions than the deciduous species. Abies balsamea, P. glauca and B. papyrifera responded to the understory environment with higher leaf area ratios, and lower photosynthetic light saturation points and area-based leaf respiration relative to values for open-grown seedlings, while they matched or exceeded the height growth of open-grown seedlings. In contrast, seedlings of Pinus contorta, P. tremuloides and P. balsamifera displayed characteristics that were not conducive to survival in the understory. These characteristics included a high light saturation point and leaf dark respiration rate in P. contorta, and lower leaf area variables combined with higher carbon allocation to roots in P. tremuloides and P. balsamifera. By the second growing season, all seedlings of P. tremuloides and P. balsamifera growing in the understory had died.
Hand, foot and mouth disease in China: evaluating an automated system for the detection of outbreaks

Abstract Objective To evaluate the performance of China’s infectious disease automated alert and response system in the detection of outbreaks of hand, foot and mouth (HFM) disease. Methods We estimated size, duration and delay in reporting HFM disease outbreaks from cases notified between 1 May 2008 and 30 April 2010 and between 1 May 2010 and 30 April 2012, before and after automatic alert and response included HFM disease. Sensitivity, specificity and timeliness of detection of aberrations in the incidence of HFM disease outbreaks were estimated by comparing automated detections to observations of public health staff. Findings The alert and response system recorded 106 005 aberrations in the incidence of HFM disease between 1 May 2010 and 30 April 2012 – a mean of 5.6 aberrations per 100 days in each county that reported HFM disease. The response system had a sensitivity of 92.7% and a specificity of 95.0%. The mean delay between the reporting of the first case of an outbreak and detection of that outbreak by the response system was 2.1 days. Between the first and second study periods, the mean size of an HFM disease outbreak decreased from 19.4 to 15.8 cases and the mean interval between the onset and initial reporting of such an outbreak to the public health emergency reporting system decreased from 10.0 to 9.1 days. Conclusion The automated alert and response system shows good sensitivity in the detection of HFM disease outbreaks and appears to be relatively rapid. Continued use of this system should allow more effective prevention and limitation of such outbreaks in China.
Xuebijing exerts protective effects on lung permeability leakage and lung injury by upregulating Toll-interacting protein expression in rats with sepsis

Xuebijing (XBJ) is a type of traditional Tibetan medicine, and previous pharmacological studies have shown that the ethanol extract is derived from Chuanxiong, Chishao, Danshen and Honghua. Chuanxiong, Chishao, Danshen and Honghua possesses potent anti-inflammatory activity, and has been used in the treatment of inflammatory infectious diseases. In the present study, we investigated the effects of XBJ on pulmonary permeability and lung injury in cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced sepsis in rats. A CLP sepsis model was established for the control and treatment groups, respectively. Approximately 2 h prior to surgery, an amount of 100 mg/kg XBJ injection was administered to the treatment group. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PT-PCR) and western blot analysis were used to examine the expression of Toll-interacting protein (Tollip), interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 1 (IRAK1), Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), nuclear factor-κB65 (NF-κB65) and TNF receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6) in lung tissue. ELISA was applied to detect changes of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) levels in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) and von Willebrand factor (vWF) in serum. The number of neutrophils, albumin and total cells in the BAL fluid were measured. For histological analysis, hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stains were evaluated. Lung permeability, the wet/dry weight ratio (W/D) and the lung pathology score were determined following the induction of ALI by CLP for 24 h. The results demonstrated that XBJ upregulated Tollip expression and blocked the activity of IRAK1, TLR4, NF-κβ65 and TRAF6. Additionally, the number of neutrophils and total cells were significantly decreased in the XBJ group compared to that in the control group. Lung permeability, the wet/dry weight ratio (W/D) and the lung pathology score were significantly decreased in the XBJ group. The histological results also demonstrated the attenuation effect of XBJ on CLP-induced lung inflammation. The results of the present study indicated that XBJ has a significantly reduced CLP-induced lung permeability by upregulating Tollip expression. The protective effects of XBJ suggest its therapeutic potential in CLP-induced acute lung injury treatment.
Rendering of 3D Cloud for Marine Search and Rescue Simulator in Real-time

Based on the previous work of modeling dynamic 3D cloud using Cellular Automata, this paper renders realistic 3D cloud for Marine Search and Rescue Simulator visual system in real-time. Physically based light interaction is implemented by Open Scene Graph with a common PC. Light scattering and absorbing is considered. After the 3D cloud integrated into the visual scene, experimental results show that it has realistic effect with fast rendering speed. It is suitable for the applications of real-time simulation, Marine Search and Rescue Simulator especially.
Firm Diversification and Asymmetric Information: Evidence from Analysts' Forecasts and Earnings Announcements

Managers frequently cite the desire to mitigate asymmetric information as a motivation for increasing firm focus. The information benefits of focus appear relevant for the subset of firms that actually increase their focus; however, the relevance of focus-related information benefits for the population of diversified firms is an open question. This paper examines the relationship between corporate diversification and asymmetric information proxies derived from analysts’ forecasts and abnormal returns associated with earnings announcements. I find that greater diversification is not associated with increased asymmetric information. These results call into question the notion that corporate diversification strictly exacerbates information problems.
Diabetes Y Altered host metabolism A Sub-gingival y Gram-negative microorganisms t Endotoxin Gingival collagenase i

A seminal experiment involving a germ-free rat model of connective tissue breakdown (followed soon thereafter by a series of in vitro studies) identified an unexpected nonantimicrobial property of tetracyclines (TCs). This ability of TCs to inhibit matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) such as collagenase was found to reflect multiple direct and indirect mechanisms of action, and to be therapeutically useful in a variety of dental {e.g., adult periodontitis) and medical {e.g., arthritis, osteoporosis, cancer) diseases. The site on the TC molecule responsible for its MMP-inhibitory activity was identified which led to the development of a series of chemically modified non-antimicrobial analogs, called CMTs, which also have therapeutic potential but do not appear to induce antibiotic side-effects. Longitudinal double-blind studies on humans with adult periodontitis have demonstrated that a sub-antimicrobial dose of doxycycline (previously reported to suppress collagenase activity in the periodontal pocket) is safe and effective and has recently been approved by the FDA as an adjunct to scaling and root planing.
Variation in hospital rates of induction of labour: a population-based record linkage study

Objectives To examine interhospital variation in rates of induction of labour (IOL) to identify potential targets to reduce high rates of practice variation. Design Population-based record linkage cohort study. Setting New South Wales, Australia, 2010–2011. Participants All women with live births of ≥24 weeks gestation in 72 hospitals. Primary outcome measure Variation in hospital IOL rates adjusted for differences in case-mix, according to 10 mutually exclusive groups derived from the Robson caesarean section classification; groups were categorised by parity, plurality, fetal presentation, prior caesarean section and gestational age. Results The overall IOL rate was 26.7% (46 922 of 175 444 maternities were induced), ranging from 9.7% to 41.2% (IQR 21.8–29.8%) between hospitals. Nulliparous and multiparous women at 39–40 weeks gestation with a singleton cephalic birth were the greatest contributors to the overall IOL rate (23.5% and 20.2% of all IOL respectively), and had persisting high unexplained variation after adjustment for case-mix (adjusted hospital IOL rates ranging from 11.8% to 44.9% and 7.1% to 40.5%, respectively). In contrast, there was little variation in interhospital IOL rates among multiparous women with a singleton cephalic birth at ≥41 weeks gestation, women with singleton non-cephalic pregnancies and women with multifetal pregnancies. Conclusions 7 of the 10 groups showed high or moderate unexplained variation in interhospital IOL rates, most pronounced for women at 39–40 weeks gestation with a singleton cephalic birth. Outcomes associated with divergent practice require determination, which may guide strategies to reduce practice variation.
Addressing a Divide in the Conceptualization of the Gender-Crime Relationship: A Comparative Test of Gender and Sex Using General Strain Theory

ABSTRACT While criminology has long recognized the impact of gender on crime, many criminological theories continue to measure sex rather than socially constructed gender identities. Research has also struggled to directly compare these measures within a theoretical context. This study examines the impact of sex and gender identity variables using the framework of General Strain Theory. A total of 1,457 college students were surveyed on measures of General Strain Theory, biological sex, gender identity, and a range of deviant behaviors. Findings indicate that gender identity produced a stronger predictive model of deviance than biological sex, and suggest a means for research to account for gender when studying deviance.
On second order statistics of the satellite-to-indoor channel based on field measurements

Wireless positioning has received increased attention during the past few years, where several wireless applications have been envisaged and promoted such as the E-911/E-112 regulations. The positioning needs to be carried out in all the environments covered by the wireless communication services, including the most constraining areas such as dense urban areas and obstructed indoor environments. The most known positioning system is the global navigation satellite system (GNSS), which demonstrated quite reliable positioning capabilities when the receiver is in direct view with the sky. However, in indoor environments the signal characteristics are not well understood yet and positioning capabilities are quite poor. Therefore, understanding the multipath propagation indoors and fading characteristics are quite important to make GNSS works indoors. In this paper, we describe measurement-based modeling results of the level-crossing rate (LCR) and average duration of fades (ADF) with the purpose of giving further insight on the real satellite-to-indoor channel characteristics
The use of mRNA display to select high-affinity protein-binding peptides

We report the use of “mRNA display,” an in vitro selection technique, to identify peptide aptamers to a protein target. mRNA display allows for the preparation of polypeptide libraries with far greater complexity than is possible with phage display. Starting with a library of ≈1013 random peptides, 20 different aptamers to streptavidin were obtained, with dissociation constants as low as 5 nM. These aptamers function without the aid of disulfide bridges or engineered scaffolds, yet possess affinities comparable to those for monoclonal antibody–antigen complexes. The aptamers bind streptavidin with three to four orders of magnitude higher affinity than those isolated previously by phage display from lower complexity libraries of shorter random peptides. Like previously isolated peptides, they contain an HPQ consensus motif. This study shows that, given sufficient length and diversity, high-affinity aptamers can be obtained even from random nonconstrained peptide libraries. By engineering structural constraints into these ultrahigh complexity peptide libraries, it may be possible to produce binding agents with subnanomolar binding constants.