Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Crack Detection of FRP-Reinforced Concrete Beam Using Embedded Piezoceramic Smart Aggregates

In this paper, the authors present a stress wave-based active sensing method to detect the crack in FRP-reinforced concrete beams. The embedded smart aggregates (SAs), which utilize Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) as transducers, are employed in this research to generate and sense the stress wave. Three specimens are involved in the experimental program and each is made of concrete, longitudinal distributed reinforcement, steel stirrups, main bar (FRP bar or steel bar), and four SAs. A pair of SAs installed on the lower part of the main bar and the other pair of SAs mounted on the upper part of main bar are utilized to monitor the crack occurrence and development in the three test specimens. The signals received by the SA sensors are analyzed in both time domain and frequency domain. The wavelet packet energy is used to extract damage features. The applied load–vertical displacement curves of mid-span in the specimen are obtained. Experimental results show the test specimens experience crushing failure when the concrete compression exceeds its compressive strength. Increasing the contact area between FRP bar and concrete can effectively improve the cracking load of the FRP-reinforced concrete beam and reduce the cracking speed and depth of FRP-reinforced concrete beam; on the other hand, increasing the elastic modulus of the main bar can slow down the crack development of concrete on the upper side of the main bar and decrease the displacement of reinforced concrete beam during the loading test process. The research results show that the developed piezoceramic-based active sensing method, though low-cost, can monitor the crack-induced damage and estimate the process of damage degree in real-time, and has potentials to provide an early warning of crack occurrence and development for FRP-reinforced concrete beams.
Tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) protects rats against acute pancreatitis through NF-κB pathway

ABSTRACT Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a digestive disease characterized by pancreatic inflammation. Tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) has been effectively used to ameliorate the damage on intestinal mucosa injury in rats with acute necrotizing pancreatitis (ANP). We aim to study the protective effect of TMP on caerulein-induced AP and to explore the possible mechanism. The mice randomized into control and different experimental groups. AP was induced in mice by 6-hourly intraperitoneal (i.p) injections of caerulein (50 μg/kg at 1 h interval). TMP (i.p, 10 mg/kg, 1 h interval) was administered 3 h before caerulein injection. Administration of TMP attenuated the severity of AP as shown by the histopathology, reduced serum amylase activity and pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6. Further, TMP enhances the beneficial effect by reducing caerulein-induced NF-κB activation and inducing cell apoptosis in pancreas. Therefore, inhibition of nuclear factor-kappa B(NF-κB) signals by TMP represents a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of acute pancreatitis. Graphical abstract
Smaller Dendritic Spines, Weaker Synaptic Transmission, but Enhanced Spatial Learning in Mice Lacking Shank1

Experience-dependent changes in the structure of dendritic spines may contribute to learning and memory. Encoded by three genes, the Shank family of postsynaptic scaffold proteins are abundant and enriched in the postsynaptic density (PSD) of central excitatory synapses. When expressed in cultured hippocampal neurons, Shank promotes the maturation and enlargement of dendritic spines. Recently, Shank3 has been genetically implicated in human autism, suggesting an important role for Shank proteins in normal cognitive development. Here, we report the phenotype of Shank1 knock-out mice. Shank1 mutants showed altered PSD protein composition; reduced size of dendritic spines; smaller, thinner PSDs; and weaker basal synaptic transmission. Standard measures of synaptic plasticity were normal. Behaviorally, they had increased anxiety-related behavior and impaired contextual fear memory. Remarkably, Shank1-deficient mice displayed enhanced performance in a spatial learning task; however, their long-term memory retention in this task was impaired. These results affirm the importance of Shank1 for synapse structure and function in vivo, and they highlight a differential role for Shank1 in specific cognitive processes, a feature that may be relevant to human autism spectrum disorders.
Hardness and approximation of minimum maximal matchings†

In this paper, we consider the minimum maximal matching problem in some classes of graphs such as regular graphs. We show that the minimum maximal matching problem is NP-hard even in regular bipartite graphs, and a polynomial time exact algorithm is given for almost complete regular bipartite graphs. From the approximation point of view, it is well known that any maximal matching guarantees the approximation ratio of 2 but surprisingly very few improvements have been obtained. In this paper we give improved approximation ratios for several classes of graphs. For example any algorithm is shown to guarantee an approximation ratio of (2-o(1)) in graphs with high average degree. We also propose an algorithm guaranteeing for any graph of maximum degree Δ an approximation ratio of (2−1/Δ), which slightly improves the best known results. In addition, we analyse a natural linear-time greedy algorithm guaranteeing a ratio of (2−23/18k) in k-regular graphs admitting a perfect matching.
Hospital Length of Stay in the United States and Japan: A Case Study of Myocardial Infarction Patients

Patients in Japan stay in the hospital significantly longer than those in the United States. This study investigates factors that may account for the difference from a sociocultural perspective. In an intensive case study on patients with uncomplicated acute myocardial infarction at a university hospital in Japan and its U.S. counterpart, the authors collected data from interviews with patients, their families, physicians, and other medical professionals and from medical, nursing, and billing records. Patients with comparable medical conditions were studied; U.S. patients stayed in the hospital for 8.8 days on average, Japanese patients for 25.0 days. The average total charge of hospitalization was 2.3 times higher in the United States than in Japan. Although length of stay is determined mainly by physicians' clinical judgment and by health care system factors, patients and their family members often actively participate in decision-making about discharge dates. This case study approach revealed how different health care systems manifest themselves in the individual patient's course of illness, which cannot be examined by macro-level comparison of nations' health care systems.
Identification of Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhi Genotypes by Use of Rapid Multiplex Ligation-Dependent Probe Amplification

ABSTRACT Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi, the causative agent of typhoid fever, is highly clonal and genetically conserved, making isolate subtyping difficult. We describe a standardized multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) genotyping scheme targeting 11 key phylogenetic markers of the S. Typhi genome. The MLPA method demonstrated 90% concordance with single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) typing, the gold standard for S. Typhi genotyping, and had the ability to identify isolates of the H58 haplotype, which is associated with resistance to multiple antimicrobials. Additionally, the assay permitted the detection of fluoroquinolone resistance-associated mutations in the DNA gyrase-encoding gene gyrA and the topoisomerase gene parC with a sensitivity of 100%. The MLPA methodology is simple and reliable, providing phylogenetically and phenotypically relevant genotyping information. This MLPA scheme offers a more-sensitive and interpretable alternative to the nonphylogenetic subgrouping methodologies that are currently used in reference and research laboratories in areas where typhoid is endemic.
Multimodal Approach of Pulmonary Artery Intimal Sarcoma: A Single-Institution Experience

Introduction Pulmonary artery sarcoma (PAS) is a rare tumor, whose therapeutic approach is mainly based on surgery, either pneumonectomy or pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA). The prognosis reported in published series is very poor, with survival of 1.5 months without any kind of treatment. Patients and Methods From January 2010 to January 2016, 1027 patients were referred to our hospital for symptoms of acute or chronic pulmonary thromboembolic disease. Twelve patients having a confirmed diagnosis of PAS underwent PEA. Median age was 64.5 years. Most patients had a long history of symptoms, having a median time of 7.5 months from onset of symptoms to surgery. Results Following PEA and cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, 10 patients received conventional chemotherapy with doxorubicin and ifosfamide, starting at a median of 42 days from surgery. Four patients also received radiotherapy. Four patients have died due to disease progression, while 7 are still alive, with 5 being disease-free at 4–55+ months from diagnosis. Conclusions In patients with PAS, a multimodal approach including PEA, CT, and RT is feasible but it should be evaluated individually, according to the tumor extension and the patient's clinical condition. Apart from improving quality of life mainly by reducing or delaying symptoms due to PH, it may improve life expectancy.
Economic sociology and the sociology of finance: Four distinctions, two developments, one field?

Are there significant distinctions between economic sociology and the sociology of finance? 1 Are such differences anchored in existence, do they have something to do, that is, with how the economy and finance function and are articulated in the contemporary world? In this paper I contend that we do indeed witness the branching off of two distinctive fields which, surprisingly perhaps, do not have a common history or origin. In other words, the study of finance and financial markets as we see it happen now is not simply an outgrowth of the new economic sociology that emerged since the 1980s. Nor has economic sociology in general with its long history and several ups and downs developed in a way that makes the turn to finance the logical next step for it to take. Two systems that co-exist may have overlaps and become coupled. Some researchers have, during their lifetime, contributed to both areas. Max Weber wrote an early, recently republished, astute essay on the stock exchange, though most of his work tackles larger and more general issues summarized in Economy and Society (2000 [1894]). Baker applied network concepts to securities markets at the onset of the new economic sociology (1981, 1984), and Zelizer’s recent work on circuits of commerce (2005) is an attempt to develop a unifying concept that potentially serves both areas. Yet most scholars that have long made distinguished contributions to economic sociology remain concerned with the foundational issues of their field – the phenomena of embeddedness, of networks and interfirm relationships, of producer markets, and of the role of culture in economies and corporations. And most studies of finance do not pursue these lines of reasoning but rather develop fresh concepts and ideas that draw on outside areas in their theoretical analyses.
Healing Near-PT-Symmetric Structures to Restore Their Characteristic Singularities: Analysis and Examples

PT-symmetric structures, such as a pair of coupled waveguides with balanced loss/gain, exhibit a singularity of their eigenvalues around an exceptional point, hence a large apparent differential gain. In the case of fixed losses and variable gain, typical of plasmonic systems, a similar behavior emerges but the singularity is smoothened, especially in more confined structures. This reduces the differential gain around the singular point. Our analysis ascribes the origin of this behavior to a complex coupling between the waveguides once gain is present in an unsymmetrical fashion, even if guides feature the same modal gains in isolation. We demonstrate that adjunction of a real index variation to the variable waveguide heals the singularity nearly perfectly, as it restores real coupling. We illustrate the success of the approach with two geometries, planar or channel, and with different underlying physics, namely dielectric or plasmonic.
Counterproductive work behavior or just negative job performance

What constitutes job performance has been a widely covered topic within organizational psychology. Counterproductive work behaviors (CWB) have often been seen as being comprised of two subfactors – Interpersonal and Organizational and Contextual Performance has by some researchers been presented as a construct consisting of two subfactors – Job dedication and Interpersonal Facilitation. The purpose of this study was to test different models of these two constructs by Confirmatory Factor Analysis, investigating data from supervisors' ratings of CWB and contextual performance of 370 employees at a Swedish telesales company. None of the hypothesized models reached an adequate fit with comparison indexes. However, a post hoc modification of the model displayed a more reasonable fit, albeit still not adequate. This, together with the relationships between the subfactors suggest that CWB and contextual performance indeed are separate constructs, but also that the dimensionality of CWB is questionable.
An-other look at assessment: Assessment in learning

This article seeks to review understandings of educational assessment as revealed in the phrases teachers use (assessment of learning, assessment for learning and assessment as learning). We propose a reconsideration of what teachers might have taken for granted in these phrases and assessment practice. We suggest that along with assessment knowledge and skills, teachers need a way of ‘being in’ assessment. We share some experiential stories to illustrate our understanding of ‘assessment in learning’ and ask readers to consider what this might mean for their own teaching practice.
Exploring the relationship between losing a loved one and fearing death

The, barely-studied relationship between the loss of a loved one and fearing death was examined. The centrality of the loss-event, attachment style and purpose in life were taken into account as possible moderators of this relationship. General anxiety was measured in order to explore the degree to which it accounts for death anxiety. A total of 150 Dutch students, 108 women and 42 men, filled in the questionnaire. No relationship between losing a loved one and death anxiety was found. However, results indicate a relationship between the centrality of the loss-event and fear of death for those who experienced a loss recently, less than 14 months before. This relationship is not moderated by attachment style or purpose in life. Furthermore, the distinctiveness of death anxiety from general anxiety is demonstrated. The complicated nature of personal loss and death anxiety are stressed, and careful examination of different types of loss and different samples is advised.
The Influence of Voluntary Muscle Contractions upon the Onset and Modulation of Tinnitus

Objective: To evaluate the frequency of tinnitus onset (in normal subjects) and modulation (in tinnitus patients) during muscle contractions, estimating possible risk factors. Material and Method: This case-control study enrolled 121 tinnitus patients and 100 healthy volunteers who underwent medical history, ENT examination and 16 maneuvers of muscular contraction (head, neck and limbs). Modulation data were compared between patients with and without normal audiometry, well-defined diagnosis and symptoms of craniomandibular disorders. Results: The ability to modulate tinnitus (65.3%) was significantly higher than that to originate tinnitus (14.0%). The head and neck musculature was significantly more efficient than that of the limbs. Audiometric pattern, well-defined etiology and symptoms of craniomandibular disorders showed no relation to tinnitus modulation. Conclusions: Somatic modulation is a characteristic aspect of tinnitus.
SEMIPARAMETRIC AND NONPARAMETRIC ANALYSIS FOR LONGITUDINAL DATA ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHILDHOOD EXTERNALIZING BEHAVIOR AND BODY MASS INDEX

Title of document: SEMIPARAMETRIC AND NONPARAMETRIC ANALYSIS FOR LONGITUDINAL DATA ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHILDHOOD EXTERNALIZING BEHAVIOR AND BODY MASS INDEX Kejia Wang, MPH, 2011 Directed By: Xin He, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics This thesis is an extension of the longitudinal data analysis of the association between externalizing behavior in early childhood and body mass index (BMI) from age 2 to 12 years conducted in Anderson et al. (2010). Externalizing behaviors problems are characterized by aggressive, oppositional, disruptive, or inattentive behaviors beyond those that would be expected given a child’s age and development. The aim of the thesis is to estimate the children's BMI trajectory and to evaluate to what extent the externalizing behavior is related to BMI using semiparametric and nonparametric time-varying coefficient models. Some valuable insights into how the externalizing behavior and BMI are associated will be provided. SEMIPARAMETRIC AND NONPARAMETRIC ANALYSIS FOR LONGITUDINAL DATA ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHILDHOOD EXTERNALIZING BEHAVIOR AND BODY MASS INDEX
Evaluation of a rapid enzyme immunoassay for diagnosis of hepatic amoebiasis

We compared the capability of rapid enzyme immunoassay (EIA) to detect antiamoebic antibodies during hepatic amoebiasis with those of indirect hemagglutination and latex agglutination. EIA is simple to perform and rapid (20 min) and does not require any special equipment (optical reading is sufficient). EIA of 143 sera (including 43 from patients with proven hepatic amoebic abscess, 33 from patients with other hepatic disorders and/or parasitic infections, and 67 from healthy individuals) yielded a specificity, a sensitivity, and positive and negative predictive values of 100, 93, 100, and 97.1, respectively. This test could thus be considered another valuable tool for the diagnosis of hepatic amoebiasis.
A low-cost conflict-free NoC for GPGPUs

As integrated circuits are limited by hardware resources, reducing cost while maintaining the performance becomes especially important. In this article, we propose a conflict-free NoC (cfNoC) for the GPGPU request network. The cfNoC eliminates (i) conflicts among different columns by deploying an exclusive subnet for each column, and (ii) conflicts inside the same column by using a token-based mechanism. The elimination of conflicts allows cfNoC to exploit different subnet channel widths to maintain the performance while reducing cost. Compared with a baseline mesh with 1 VC, our work reduces request network area by 22.6% and power by 23.7%. With 2 VCs, cfNoC achieves more than 37.6% power reduction compared to the baseline and the checkboard placement/routing (CP) design. All these benefits do not cause any performance loss.
12.3 A 2-output step-up/step-down switched-capacitor DC-DC converter with 95.8% peak efficiency and 0.85-to-3.6V input voltage range

Switched-capacitor (SC) DC-DC converters have gained attention based on their ability to offer a low-cost high-efficiency power conversion, and allow a thin and compact module packaging [1]. However, the SC DC-DC converter offers high efficiency only in a limited input/output voltage range, since it is inherently based on a discrete conversion ratio, which is different from an inductor-based DC-DC converter with a continuous conversion ratio. [2,3] proposed implementing multiple conversion ratios with several SC DC-DC units connected in series. However, these lead to a degradation of the efficiency as well as the maximum current capacity, worse for the conversion ratios that have more stages. On the other hand, there is a lack of a step-up and step-down SC topology, which will further expand the input/output voltage range, and enable using different types of power sources (alkaline, lithium-ion battery, etc.), for portable devices. [4] and some commercial products offer both step-up and step-down conversions, but the step-down conversions are limited to a unity conversion ratio. In this paper, we present a step-up/step-down unified topology that covers the input voltage range from 0.85V to 3.6V, and the output voltage range from 0.1V to 1.9V. Moreover, a dual-output topology with a 4-way channel mapping and an on-demand channel sharing control is also proposed, for delivering 2 regulated voltages with good efficiencies and fast transient responses.
Descriptive epidemiology of anaemia among pregnant women initiating antenatal care in rural Northern Ghana

Background Anaemia in pregnancy is associated with adverse obstetric outcomes. When detected early in pregnancy, it can be treated; however, information on its prevalence and associated factors is limited in rural Ghana. Aim The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and maternal factors associated with anaemia in pregnancy at first antenatal care (ANC) visits. Setting The study was conducted in the Navrongo War Memorial Hospital, a secondary referral facility in the Kassena-Nankana district in rural northern Ghana. Methods A retrospective analysis of antenatal clinic records of pregnant women collected from January to December 2014. All pregnant women initiating antenatal clinic, who had initial haemoglobin (Hb) levels measured, were included in the study. Logistic regression analyses were carried out to determine factors associated with anaemia at the initiation of ANC. Results We analysed data from 506 women with median Hb of 11.1 g/dL (IQR 7.31–13.8). The median gestational age at booking was 14 weeks (5–36 weeks). The prevalence of anaemia was 42.7%, with 95% confidence interval (CI) [38.4–47.1], and was high among teenage mothers (52% [34.9–67.8]), mothers who booked in the third trimester (55% [33.6–74.7]) and grand multiparous women (58% [30.7–81.6]). Factors associated with anaemia included grand multiparity (odds ratio [OR] = 1.94 with 95% CI [1.58–2.46]), booking during the third trimester (OR = 2.06 [1.78–2.21]) and mother who were underweight compared to those with normal weight (OR = 3.17 [1.19–8.32]). Conclusion Burden of anaemia in pregnancy is still high in rural northern Ghana. We advocate further strengthening of the primary health care system to improve early access to ANC delivery. Keywords anaemia in pregnancy; booking visit; maternal and child health; Navrongo; rural; Ghana.