Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Borehole Resistance and Heat Conduction Around Vertical Ground Heat Exchangers

Borehole thermal resistance in Ground Heat Exchanger (GHE) installations is affected by several parameters such as geometrical attributes of heat exchanger in the borehole, pipes' characteristics and grout's thermal conductivity. A study is carried out to compare the values computed by Ground Loop Design (GLD) Software, GLD 2009, with three ana- lytical solutions for U-shaped tubes. The analysis is focused on dimensionless ratios of borehole geometrical parameters (borehole diameter to outside pipe diameter and shank spacing to borehole diameter) and pipes according to Standard Di- mension Ratio (SDR) and on eight common grouts. Finally, the effect of heat conduction in the borehole is examined by means of finite element analysis by Heat Transfer Module of COMSOL Multiphysics. A two-dimensional (2-D) steady- state simulation is done assuming working fluid temperatures for winter and summer conditions and typical Greek undis- turbed ground temperature in a field of four ground vertical U-tube heat exchangers surrounded by infinite ground. The temperature profile is presented and the total conductive heat flux from the pipe to the borehole wall per meter of length of ground heat exchanger is computed for pipes SDR11 (the outside diameter of the pipe is 11 times the thickness of its wall), SDR9 and SDR17 for summer working conditions and three different configurations. It is attempted to reach to comparative results for borehole thermal resistance value through different types of analysis, having considered the major factors that affect it and giving trends for the influence of each factor to the magnitude of its value.
Biofilm feeding: Microbial colonization of food promotes the growth of a detritivorous arthropod

Abstract Feeding on plant material is common among animals, but how different animals overcome the dietary deficiencies imposed by this feeding strategy is not well understood. Microorganisms are generally considered to play a vital role in the nutritional ecology of plant feeding animals. Commonly microbes living inside animal bodies are considered more important, but recent studies suggest external microbes significantly shape plant-feeding strategies in invertebrates. Here we investigate how external microbes that typically form biofilm on primary plant material affect growth rates in a terrestrial isopod species Porcellio scaber. We experimentally manipulated the amount of biofilm on three different primary diet sources and quantified growth and survival of individuals that fed on food with either a small or large amount of biofilm. In addition, we tested how dietary manipulation shapes the composition of bacterial communities in the gut. The presence of visible biofilm significantly affected the growth of isopods: individuals that fed on the primary diet source with a large amount of biofilm gained more mass than individuals feeding on a diet with marginal biofilm. Diet also significantly affected the bacterial gut community. The primary diet source mainly determined the taxonomic composition of the bacterial community in the isopod gut, whereas the amount of biofilm affected the relative abundance of bacterial taxa. Our study suggests that terrestrial isopods may cope with low-quality plant matter by feeding on biofilm, with decomposition of plant material by organisms outside of the feeding organism (here a terrestrial isopod) probably playing a major role. Future investigations may be directed towards the primary diet source, plant matter, and the secondary diet source, biofilm, and should assess if both components are indeed uptaken in detritivorous species.
On the Algorithmics of Higraphs

This paper initiates an algorithmic investigation of higraphs, a formalism proposed in 1988 that combines and extends graphs and Euler/Venn diagrams. We first provide higraphs with a syntax and semantics that minimize ambiguities in the interpretation. We then consider some basic properties of higraphs, such as shortest paths, Hamiltonian cycles, bipartition, and minimum cover, and seek algorithms to test for them. In some cases, like shortest paths, the algorithms and the bounds from graphs can be generalized to higraphs, but in others, such as Hamiltonian cycles, the situation is not as clear.
Ipilimumab in the treatment of metastatic melanoma: management of adverse events

Recently, “ipilimumab,” an anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) monoclonal antibody, has been demonstrated to improve overall survival in metastatic melanoma. “CTLA-4” is an immune-checkpoint molecule that downregulates pathways of T-cell activation. Ipilimumab, by targeting CTLA-4, is able to remove the CTLA-4 inhibitory signal, allowing the immune system to react to cancer cells. Due to its immune-based mechanism of action, ipilimumab causes the inhibition of CTLA-4-mediated immunomodulatory effects, the enhancement of antitumor specific immune response mediated by the weakening of self-tolerance mechanisms while exacerbating the development of autoimmune diseases and immune-related adverse events, including dermatitis, hepatitis, enterocolitis, hypophysitis, and uveitis.
Can Turkish Recessions be Predicted

In response to the widespread criticism that macro-economists failed to predict the global recession coming from the GFC, we look at whether recessions in Turkey can be predicted. Because the growth in Turkish GDP is quite persistent one might expect this is possible. But it is the sign of GDP growth that needs to be forecast if we are to predict a recession, and this is made more difficult by the persistence in GDP growth. We build a small SVAR model of the Turkish economy that is motivated by New Keynesian models of the open economy, and find that using the variables entering it increases predictive success, although it is still the case that the predictive record is not good. Non-linear models for Turkish growth are then found to add little to predictive ability. Fundamentally, recession prediction requires one to forecast future shocks to the economy, and thus one needs some indicators of these. The paper explores a range of indicators for the Turkish economy, but none are particularly advantageous. Developing a bigger range of these indicators should be a priority for future Turkish macro-economic research.
Prevalence of self-reported stomach symptoms after consuming milk among indigenous Sami and non-Sami in Northern- and Mid-Norway – the SAMINOR study

Objective The main purpose of this work was to identify the prevalence of self-reported stomach symptoms after consuming milk among Sami and non-Sami adults. Study design A cross-sectional population-based study (the SAMINOR study). Data were collected by self-administrated questionnaires. Method SAMINOR is a population-based study of health and living conditions conducted in 24 municipalities in Northern Norway during 2003 and 2004. The present study included 15,546 individuals aged between 36 and 79, whose ethnicity was categorized as Sami (33.4%), Kven (7.3%) and Norwegian majority population (57.2%). Results Sami respondents had a higher prevalence of self-reported stomach symptoms after consuming milk than the Norwegian majority population. The reporting was highest among Sami females (27.1%). Consumption of milk and dairy products (yoghurt and cheese) was high among all the ethnic groups. However, significantly more Sami than non-Sami never (or rarely) consume milk or cheese, and individuals who reported stomach symptoms after consuming milk had an significant lower intake of dairy products than those not reporting stomach symptoms after consuming dairy products. Sami reported general abdominal pain more often than the majority population. The adjusted models show a significant effect of Sami ethnicity in both men and women on self-reported stomach symptoms after consuming milk. In females, the odds ratio (OR)=1.77 (p=0.001) and in males OR=1.64 (p=0.001). Conclusion Our study shows that the Sami population reported more stomach symptoms after consuming milk, suggesting a higher prevalence of milk intolerance among the Sami population than the Norwegian majority population.
Differential expression of pseudoconditioning and sensitization by siphon responses in Aplysia: novel response selection after training

Nonassociative training with a noxious unconditioned stimulus (US) applied to the head or tail of freely moving Aplysia caused a qualitative change in siphon responses to midbody test stimulation, so that the midbody test responses came to resemble the unconditioned siphon response (UR) to the US when tested 1 d after exposure to the US. Such a nonassociative, US-induced transformation of test responses into responses resembling the UR has traditionally been termed “pseudoconditioning. ” Short-term pseudoconditioning was compared to sensitization and to habituation in a reduced preparation that used a photocell to distinguish “head-type” siphon responses from qualitatively different “tail-type” responses. Transformation of test responses (pseudoconditioning) was observed only when the type of preexisting alpha response to the midbody test stimulus was different from the UR. Sensitization, defined as a US-induced enhancement of the alpha response to the test stimulus, was observed when the initial alpha response and the UR were of the same type. General sensory facilitation was excluded as a critical mechanism for pseudoconditioning by the observation that the same midbody test response could be transformed to either a head-type or tail-type response, depending on the site of the US, and by the observation that simply increasing the intensity of the midbody test stimulus in the absence of a head or tail US did not produce similar response transformations. These studies demonstrate pseudoconditioning in a preparation amenable to analysis at the level of identified neurons, and draw attention to a distinctive and widespread form of behavioral modifiability that has been neglected by investigators of learning.
Spatial scan statistics with overdispersion

The spatial scan statistic has been widely used in spatial disease surveillance and spatial cluster detection for more than a decade. However, overdispersion often presents in real‐world data, causing not only violation of the Poisson assumption but also excessive type I errors or false alarms. In order to account for overdispersion, we extend the Poisson‐based spatial scan test to a quasi‐Poisson‐based test. The simulation shows that the proposed method can substantially reduce type I error probabilities in the presence of overdispersion. In a case study of infant mortality in Jiangxi, China, both tests detect a cluster; however, a secondary cluster is identified by only the Poisson‐based test. It is recommended that a cluster detected by the Poisson‐based scan test should be interpreted with caution when it is not confirmed by the quasi‐Poisson‐based test. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Tenure Profiles and Efficient Separation in a Stochastic Productivity Model

We develop a theoretical model based on efficient bargaining, where both log outside productivity and log productivity in the current job follow a random walk. This setting allows the application of real option theory. We derive the efficient worker-firm separation rule. We show that wage data from completed job spells are uninformative about the true tenure profile. The model is estimated on the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. It fits the observed distribution of job tenures well. Selection of favorable random walks can account for the concavity in tenure profiles. About 80% of the estimated wage returns to tenure is due to selectivity in the realized outside productivities.
The impact of social security on private saving : evidence from the U.S. time series

A¢Â€ÂœThe Impact of Social Security on Private Saving: Evidence from the U.S. Time Series,A¢Â€Â by Robert J. Barro, with a reply by Martin Feldstein, is the first of a series of studies of the effect of social security on saving and capital formation.A‚Â It sheds more light on the dispute begun in 1974 when Martin FeldsteinA¢Â€Â™s startling research showed that social security had significantly depressed private saving.
The Secreted Plant N-Glycoproteome and Associated Secretory Pathways

N-Glycosylation is a common form of eukaryotic protein post-translational modification, and one that is particularly prevalent in plant cell wall proteins. Large scale and detailed characterization of N-glycoproteins therefore has considerable potential in better understanding the composition and functions of the cell wall proteome, as well as those proteins that reside in other compartments of the secretory pathway. While there have been numerous studies of mammalian and yeast N-glycoproteins, less is known about the population complexity, biosynthesis, structural variation, and trafficking of their plant counterparts. However, technical developments in the analysis of glycoproteins and the structures the glycans that they bear, as well as valuable comparative analyses with non-plant systems, are providing new insights into features that are common among eukaryotes and those that are specific to plants, some of which may reflect the unique nature of the plant cell wall. In this review we present an overview of the current knowledge of plant N-glycoprotein synthesis and trafficking, with particular reference to those that are cell wall localized.
Social Security: Who Wants Private Accounts?

Preference for partial privatization of social security is explored using a 2004 sample of 7,565 young baby boomers. Two-thirds of the sample would choose partial privatization. While a greater proportion of higher-income, wealthier, and more educated respondents preferred private accounts, multivariate analysis reveals that intelligence has a stronger effect than socio-economic variables. An average of 43% would be invested in equities, but a surprising 35% would be invested in government bonds. Men and those with higher intelligence are more likely to prefer equities, while women prefer corporate bonds and the less educated, blacks, and respondents with children preferred government bonds.
Analyzing the Designs of Planet-Finding Missions

We present a framework for the analysis of direct detection planet-finding missions using space telescopes. This framework generates simulations of complete missions, with varying populations of planets, to produce ensembles of mission simulations, which are used to calculate distributions of mission science yields. We describe the components of a mission simulation, including the complete description of an arbitrary planetary system, the description of a planet-finding instrument, and the modeling of a target system observation. These components are coupled with a decision-modeling algorithm that allows us to automatically generate mission timelines with simple mission rules that lead to an optimized science yield. Along with the details of our implementation of this algorithm, we discuss validation techniques and possible future refinements. We apply this analysis technique to four mission concepts whose common element is a 4 m diameter telescope aperture: an internal pupil mapping coronagraph with two different inner working angles, an external occulter, and the THEIA XPC multiple distance occulter. The focus of this study is to determine the ability of each of these designs to achieve one of their most difficult mission goals–the detection and characterization of Earthlike planets in the habitable zone. We find that all four designs are capable of detecting on the order of five Earthlike planets within a 5 yr mission, even if we assume that only one out of every 10 stars has such a planet. The designs do differ significantly in their ability to characterize the planets they find. Along with science yield, we also analyze fuel usage for the two occulter designs, and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each of the mission concepts.
Investigation on Electrostatical Breakup of Bio-Oil Droplets

In electrostatic atomization, the input electrical energy causes breaking up of the droplet surface by utilizing a mutual repulsion of net charges accumulating on that surface. In this work a number of key parameters controlling the bio-oil droplet breakup process are identified and these correlations among the droplet size distribution, specific charges of droplets and externally applied electrical voltages are quantified. Theoretical considerations of the bag or strip breakup mechanism of biodiesel droplets experiencing electrostatic potential are compared to experimental outcomes. The theoretical analysis suggests the droplet breakup process is governed by the Rayleigh instability condition, which reveals the effects of droplets size, specific charge, surface tension force, and droplet velocities. Experiments confirm that the average droplet diameters decrease with increasing specific charges and this decreasing tendency is non-monotonic due to the motion of satellite drops in the non-uniform electrical field. The measured specific charges are found to be smaller than the theoretical values. And the energy transformation from the electrical energy to surface energy, in addition to the energy loss, Taylor instability breakup, non-excess polarization and some system errors, accounts for this discrepancy. The electrostatic force is the dominant factor controlling the mechanism of biodiesel breakup in electrostatic atomization.
Asymptotic Moments of Autoregressive Estimators with a Near Unit Root and Minimax Risk

Abstract These moments of the asymptotic distribution of the least-squares estimator of the local-to-unity autoregressive model are computed using computationally simple integration. These calculations show that conventional simulation estimation of moments can be substantially inaccurate unless the simulation sample size is very large. We also explore the minimax efficiency of autoregressive coefficient estimation, and numerically show that a simple Stein shrinkage estimator has minimax risk which is uniformly better than least squares, even though the estimation dimension is just one.
Investigate the Customers' Behavioral Intention to Use Mobile Banking Based on TPB, TAM and Perceived Risk (A Case Study in Meli Bank)

The aim of this study is to analysis the factors affecting the use of mobile banking in city of Isfahan. For this purpose, Theory of planned behavior (TPB) ,Technology acceptance model (TAM) and perceived risk were used to construct a model to study the adoption intention of mobile banking . We designed a questionnaire and used it to survey a randomly selected sample of customers of Meli bank. A total of 165 pieces of questionnaire papers are given out to the community randomly. We analyzed the data using Structured Equation Modeling (SEM) to evaluate the strength of the hypothesized relationships; the results provide support of the integrated TAM, TPB and perceived risk models and confirm its robustness in predicting customers' intention of adoption of mobile banking. The results indicated that the behavioral intention to use mobile banking is positively affected mainly by perceived behavioral control and subjective norm.
Stan

Stan is a free and open-source C++ program that performs Bayesian inference or optimization for arbitrary user-specified models and can be called from the command line, R, Python, Matlab, or Julia and has great promise for fitting large and complex statistical models in many areas of application. We discuss Stan from users’ and developers’ perspectives and illustrate with a simple but nontrivial nonlinear regression example.
Safety and efficacy of drug-eluting vs. bare metal stents in patients with diabetes mellitus: long-term follow-up in the Swedish Coronary Angiography and Angioplasty Registry (SCAAR).

AIMS Patients with diabetes mellitus have more extensive coronary artery disease, more disease progression, and restenosis. The use of drug-eluting stents (DES) in these patients is widespread, despite uncertain long-term safety and efficacy. METHODS AND RESULTS All consecutive patients with diabetes mellitus in Sweden who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention were entered into the Swedish Coronary Angiography and Angioplasty Registry (SCAAR) during 2003-06 with complete follow-up for 1-4 years (median 2.5). Patients who received at least one DES (n = 4754) were compared with those who received only bare metal stents (BMS) (n = 4956) at the index procedure. Combined outcome of death or myocardial infarction (MI) showed no difference for DES vs. BMS, relative risk (RR), 0.91 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.77-1.06]. Myocardial infarction was significantly less common with DES in patients who received only one stent RR, 0.80 (95% CI, 0.66-0.96). The restenosis rate was 50% lower in DES-treated patients RR, 0.50 (95% CI, 0.35-0.70) and was associated with a higher adjusted RR of MI, RR, 5.03 (95% CI, 4.25-5.97). DES was associated with reduced restenosis rates in all subgroups of diabetic patients with the greatest benefit in stent diameters <3 mm or stent length >20 mm. The number of lesions treated with DES to prevent one restenosis ranged from 11 to 47 in various subgroups. CONCLUSION This real-life registry study shows that restenosis was halved by DES in diabetic patients with stable or unstable coronary disease, with similar risk of death or MI up to 4 years compared with BMS.
Prevalence and Correlates of the Use of Contraceptive Methods by Women in Ukraine in 1999 and 2007$

Abstract This essay examines the prevalence and the correlates of the use of contraceptive methods in Ukraine in 1999 and 2007. Between those years, the overall use of contraceptive methods decreased slightly. However, the use of modern contraceptive methods, and especially the use of condoms, increased considerably, while the use of traditional contraceptive methods decreased. Higher exposure to messages about family planning in the media was correlated with the use of modern contraceptive methods. It is posited that the results suggest that state policies influence individual behaviour in contraception.
Determination of normal splenic volume in relation to age, gender and body habitus: a stereological study on computed tomography.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study is to assess and document the dimensions of the normal spleen measured on computed tomography (CT) images with the normal splenic volume measured by Cavalieri principle on CT images and thereby serve as a baseline for comparison in cases of splenomegaly using abdominal CT. To investigate the relationship between these changes and body mass index, gender, abdominal diameters. MATERIALS AND METHODS We retrospectively reviewed abdominal CT examinations of 212 adults between the ages of 20 and 88 years. There were seven groups of patients. The spleen volume (SV) measurements using abdominal CT images of each patient on the Image Information Systems were performed with Cavalieri principle. RESULTS The mean SV and splenic length (SL), width (SW), and thickness (ST) for the total study population of 212 patients was 198 ± 88 cm³, 9.96 ± 2.1 cm, 8.87 ±± 1.6 cm and 4.58 ± 0.8 cm, respectively. There was a strong correlation between SV and ST (r = 0.752, p < 0.001), SL (r = 0.735, p < 0.001), SW (r = 0.681,p < 0.001) mean values of total study population. Comparison between mean splenic dimension parameters for males and females showed a statistically significant difference (p = 0.032 for SV, p = 0.04 for ST) but no statistically significant difference with SL and SW. Also there was a positive correlation between SV and body height, sagittal abdominal diameter and transvers abdominal diameter in mean of total groups and female groups, there was no correlation in males. CONCLUSIONS The normal reference ranges for SV and size given in this study canserve as a standard to judge whether splenomegaly is present in patients.