Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
AB-INITIO SIMULATIONS OF MOLTEN Ni ALLOYS (PREPRINT)

Convective instabilities responsible for misoriented grains in directionally solidified turbine airfoils are produced by variations in liquid-metal density with composition and temperature across the solidification zone. Here, fundamental properties of molten Ni-based alloys, required for modeling these instabilities, are calculated using ab-initio molecular dynamics simulations. Equations of state are derived from constant number-volume-temperature ensembles at 1830 and 1750 K for elemental, binary (Ni-X, X= Al, W, Re, and Ta) and ternary (Ni-Al-X, X= W, Re, and Ta) Ni alloys. Calculated molar volumes agree to within 0.6-1.8% of available measurements. Predictions are used to investigate the range of accuracy of a parametrization of molar volumes with composition and temperature based on measurements of binary alloys. Structural analysis reveals a pronounced tendency for icosahedral short-range order for Ni-W and Ni-Re alloys and the calculations provide estimates of diffusion rates and their dependence on compositions and temperature.
Contrasting Cortical and Subcortical Activations Produced by Attentional-Set Shifting and Reversal Learning in Humans

Much evidence suggests that lesions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) produce marked impairments in the ability of subjects to shift cognitive set, as exemplified by performance of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). However, studies with humans and experimental primates have suggested that damage to different regions of PFC induce dissociable impairments in two forms of shift learning implicit in the WCST (that is, extradimensional (ED) shift learning and reversal shift learning), with similar deficits also being apparent after damage to basal ganglia structures, especially the caudate nucleus. In this study, we used the same visual discrimination learning paradigm over multidimensional stimuli, and the H215O positron emission tomography (PET) technique, to examine regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) changes associated with these subcomponent processes of the WCST. In three conditions, subjects were scanned while acquiring visual discriminations involving either (i) the same stimulus dimension as preceding discriminations (intradimensional (ID) shifts); (ii) different stimulus dimensions from previous discriminations (ED shifts) or (iii) reversed stimulus-reward contingencies (reversal shifts). Additionally, subjects were scanned while responding to already learnt discriminations (performance baseline). ED shift learning, relative to ID shift learning, produced activations in prefrontal regions, including, left anterior PFC and right dorsolateral PFC (BA 10 and 9/46). By contrast, reversal learning, relative to ID shift learning, produced activations of the left caudate nucleus. Additionally, compared to reversal and ID shift learning, ED shift learning was associated with relative deactivations in occipito-temporal pathways (for example, BA 17 and 37). These results confirm that, in the context of visual discrimination learning over multidimensional stimuli, the control of an acquired attentional bias or 'set', and the control of previously acquired stimulus-reinforcement associations, activate distinct cortical and subcortical neural stations. Moreover, we propose that the PFC may contribute to the control of attentional-set by modulating attentional processes mediated by occipito-temporal pathways.
The Prognostic Value of T1 Bladder Cancer Substaging: A Single Institution Retrospective Study

Objective: To evaluate the prognostic value of the depth of lamina propria invasion in patients with T1 bladder cancer. Subjects and Methods: 200 patients were treated between the years 2002 and 2009. Tumours with depth of invasion above the muscularis mucosae level were categorised as pT1a and those with depth of invasion up to or beyond the muscularis mucosae as pT1b. Results: Categorisation for pT1a and pT1b was performed in 176 of 200 patients (88%). In 10 patients a muscle-invasive tumour was found in re-transurethral resection samples. 131 (79%) of 166 analysed patients had pT1a tumour and 35 (21%) had pT1b tumour. During the follow-up, in 101 (61%) patients the tumour had recurred and in 27 (16.3%) the tumour had progressed. Of all the investigated parameters, T1 substaging (p < 0.0001), grade (p = 0.0003) and the number of bacillus Calmette-Guérin instillations (p = 0.0490) were significant in predicting progression. The only significant factor for disease-specific survival was T1 substaging in univariable (p = 0.0008) and multivariable (hazard ratio 4.407) analysis. T1 substaging (p = 0.0149) and tumour multiplicity (p = 0.0448) have a statistically significant prognostic value with respect to overall survival. Conclusions: Deep invasion of the lamina propria is a significant adverse prognostic factor for tumour progression, disease-specific survival and overall survival.
Flavin-Dependent Thymidylate Synthase ThyX Activity: Implications for the Folate Cycle in Bacteria

ABSTRACT Although flavin-dependent ThyX proteins show thymidylate synthase activity in vitro and functionally complement thyA defects in heterologous systems, direct proof of their cellular functions is missing. Using insertional mutagenesis of Rhodobacter capsulatus thyX, we constructed the first defined thyX inactivation mutant. Phenotypic analyses of the obtained mutant strain confirmed that R. capsulatus ThyX is required for de novo thymidylate synthesis. Full complementation of the R. capsulatus thyX::spec strain to thymidine prototrophy required not only the canonical thymidylate synthase ThyA but also the dihydrofolate reductase FolA. Strikingly, we also found that addition of exogenous methylenetetrahydrofolate transiently inhibited the growth of the different Rhodobacter strains used in this work. To rationalize these experimental results, we used a mathematical model of bacterial folate metabolism. This model suggests that a very low dihydrofolate reductase activity is enough to rescue significant thymidylate synthesis in the presence of ThyX proteins and is in agreement with the notion that intracellular accumulation of folates results in growth inhibition. In addition, our observations suggest that the presence of flavin-dependent thymidylate synthase X provides growth benefits under conditions in which the level of reduced folate derivatives is compromised.
Study on the Interaction Between Bovine Serum Albumin and Terbium Complex Containing Polymer

The interactions between bovine serum albumin (BSA) and polymer [poly(METAC-co-NIPAm-co-Tb(AA)3Phen·H2O), denoted as PMNTb] containing terbium has been investigated with fluorescence spectroscopy, zeta-potential and size measurements, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). PMNTb was found to interact with BSA through the electrostatic interaction, and it quenches the fluorescence of BSA based on the static quenching mechanism. The distance between PMNTb and BSA was estimated to be 1.9 nm based on Föster’s theory. The fluorescence intensity of PMNTb at 547 nm increased dramatically in the presence of BSA. In addition, the zeta-potential results confirmed the electrostatic interaction between BSA and PMNTb. Different morphologies of PMNTb/BSA complex were also observed with TEM.
Periodontitis associated with tobacco smoking among rural Khon Kaen Thai males: analysis of two data sets.

BACKGROUND Periodontitis is a common disease-related reason for tooth extraction. Although several studies have related tobacco smoking to periodontitis among other populations, not many investigations concerning the relationship between tobacco smoking and periodontitis among rural northeastern Thai people have been conducted although tobacco smoking is a common practice among these Thai people. OBJECTIVE The present study used two existing data sets to evaluate the association between tobacco smoking and periodontitis among rural Khon Kaen Thai males. STUDY DESIGN Cross-sectional analytic study. MATERIAL AND METHOD The study populations for phase I and phase II comprised a total of 625 males, aged 30-89 years, residing in five districts of Khon Kaen province, Thailand during 1990-91 and 1,218 males, aged 33-86 years, residing in Chonnabot district, Khon Kaen province, Thailand during 1992-94, respectively. The data were obtained through oral examination and interview. The analyses employed descriptive, bivariate, and multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS Findings from final multivariable logistic regression models identified tobacco smoking as a risk indicator for periodontitis in the presence of several factors in the final models including age, gingival bleeding, debris deposits, and missing teeth. CONCLUSION It is evident that tobacco smoking is a risk indicator for periodontitis and that tobacco smoking, which is directly associated with periodontitis among these populations, could enhance the possibility of increasing periodontitis and tooth extraction. Therefore, targeted interventions aimed at encouraging people to quit smoking tobacco would help in maintain favorable oral health.
Specialization and performance: Evidence from Chinese venture capital funds

Venture capital (VC) is honored as the “engine for economic growth”. However, Chinese VC funds' investment performance varies from each other greatly. This paper uses the sample of 73 VC funds' investment data from 2001 to 2011 in China, and attempts to examine the impact of specialization strategy on investment performance, especially the industry specialization and stage specialization. By performing correlation analysis, hierarchical regression analyses and robustness test, we finally get the conclusion that: (i) specialization in industry has a remarkable positive impact on VC performance; (ii) the interaction of stage specialization and VC funds' age has a significant negative correlation with VC performance; (iii) performance of the VC funds located in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen are higher than those in other regions. Finally, some suggestions are provided based on these results.
Monitoring the FSW Processes Using a Multispectral Vision Method

The FSW method is a modern and still not very common method for joining materials by mixing them after plasticising with a special tool. The rotary motion of the tool and its pressure against the welded surface causes friction and, as an effect, local heating of the material that then causes plasticisation. Then the tool moves linearly along the trajectory of welding, while the stem causes the mixing of materials and tool’s shoulder concentrates and presses the material in the produced weld. An important feature of the process is that the material does not pass to the liquid phase and remain in the solid phase. This method allows the combination of non-welding and difficult to weld materials, including combining different materials (dissimilar). The FSW method is a new method and there are no tools to assess the quality of the process, especially on-line, that is in the making of the weld. Currently, the research methods used include point temperature measurement and measurement of forces on the tool performed during welding, and metallographic methods that are destructive can be used after the weld. This article presents the authors’ method for monitoring the Friction Stir Welding (FSW) processes with use of a multi-spectral vision method. The monitoring method uses the system built of two visual channels that work in different light bands; hence, the name of the method is multi-spectral. The main component of the system is an infrared camera that is used for the observation of the temperature distribution on the surface of the welded materials. The second visual channel uses the line-scan visual band camera for recording the image of the surface of the weld. Such observation allows the detection of weld defects and non-compliances, which include excessive burrs, discontinuities, uneven edge of the weld, as well as the subsurface faults such as cavities and sub-surface discontinuities. In addition, the temperature of the process is monitored to prevent under-and over-heating, which may result in a weak joint or cracks in the material. The presented method is applied for monitoring the FSW process and presents a worldwide novelty.
A study of effective regression testing in practice

The purpose of regression testing is to ensure that changes made to software, such as adding new features or modifying existing features, have not adversely affected features of the software that should not change. Regression testing is usually performed by running some, or all, of the test cases created to test modifications in previous versions of the software. Many techniques have been reported on how to select regression tests so that the number of test cases does not grow too large as the software evolves. Our proposed hybrid technique combines modification, minimization and prioritization-based selection using a list of source code changes and the execution traces from test cases run on previous versions. This technique seeks to identify a representative subset of all test cases that may result in different output behavior on the new software version. We report our experience with a tool called ATAC (Automatic Testing Analysis tool in C) which implements this technique.
Rheology, cure characteristics, physical and mechanical properties of tire tread reclaimed rubber/natural rubber compounds

This work aimed to examine the effect of addition of tire-tread reclaimed rubber on the properties of two natural rubber (NR) compounds with respect to the reclaimed rubber concentration and mastication time, the properties of interest including rheological and cure characteristics, physical and mechanical properties. The results under the test conditions suggested that Mooney Plasticity and shear viscosity increased with reclaimed rubber content, but decreased with mastication time. The greater the molar mass of the natural rubber the higher the sensitivity to the change in compound viscosity due to mastication and reclaimed rubber content. The die swell was more dependent on the reclaimed rubber than the molar mass of the rubbers. The cure rate and scorch time were found to increase and decrease with reclaimed rubber content, respectively, whereas the cure time was independent of the reclaimed rubber content. For vulcanized rubbers, it was also observed that 100% modulus of the rubber increased with reclaimed rubber content, but this was not the case for tensile stress and elongation at break. The hardness and heat buildup properties of the vulcanizates increased with reclaimed rubber content whereas the tear strength became independent of the reclaimed rubber. The findings in this work suggested that the variations in the rheological and cure characteristics for the unvulcanized rubber were very much dependent on the molar mass of the rubber whereas the mechanical properties for the vulcanized rubber were influenced by crosslink density. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 87: 1723–1731, 2003
An energy-absorbing sliding seat for reducing neck injury risks in rear impact—analysis for prototype built

ABSTRACT Objective: This study investigated overall performance of an energy-absorbing sliding seat concept for whiplash neck injury prevention. The sliding seat allows its seat pan to slide backward for some distance under certain restraint force to absorb crash energy in rear impacts. Methods: A numerical model that consisted of vehicle interior, seat, seat belt, and BioRID II dummy was built in MADYMO to evaluate whiplash neck injury in rear impact. A parametric study of the effects of sliding seat parameters, including position and cushion stiffness of head restraint, seatback cushion stiffness, recliner characteristics, and especially sliding energy-absorbing (EA) restraint force, on neck injury criteria was conducted in order to compare the effectiveness of the sliding seat concept with that of other existing anti-whiplash mechanisms. Optimal sliding seat design configurations in rear crashes of different severities were obtained. A sliding seat prototype with bending of a steel strip as an EA mechanism was fabricated and tested in a sled test environment to validate the concept. The performance of the sliding seat under frontal and rollover impacts was checked to make sure the sliding mechanism did not result in any negative effects. Results: The protective effect of the sliding seat with EA restraint force is comparable to that of head restraint–based and recliner stiffness–based anti-whiplash mechanisms. EA restraint force levels of 3 kN in rear impacts of low and medium severities and 6 kN in impacts of high severity were obtained from optimization. In frontal collision and rollover, compared to the nonsliding seat, the sliding seat does not result in any negative effects on occupant protection. The sled test results of the sliding seat prototype have shown the effectiveness of the concept for reducing neck injury risks. Conclusion: As a countermeasure, the sliding seat with appropriate restraint forces can significantly reduce whiplash neck injury risk in rear impacts of low, medium, and high severities with no negative effects on other crash load cases.
The histogenesis of orbital endotheliomata. Report of 2 cases of angioendotheliomata and 2 cases of meningioendotheliomata.

Willis 1 had the opinion that endothelioma cells are merely mesenchymal cells and the specific name is unnecessary, since most of these neoplasms are poorly differentiated sarcomata. Orbital endotheliomata are very rare tumors and are described in textbooks of ophthalmology under 3 main headings: Endotheliomata, Hemangioendotheliomata, and Meningioendotheliomata. Endotheliomata of the orbit are described as tumors of embryonic endothelial cells of blood vessels. The cells are polyhedral, with faintly staining cytoplasm and vesicular nuclei. Such tumors may occur at any age and affect either sex. They are locally malignant and sometimes give diffuse thickening of the adjacent bone. These tumors were described as endotheliomata by Paton, 2 Williamson-Noble, 3 Eagleton, 4 and others. They were also described by others as angioendotheliomata, endotheliosarcomata and angiosarcomata. According to their cellular arrangement,
Internal standard-based analysis of microarray data2—Analysis of functional associations between HVE-genes

In this work we apply the Internal Standard-based analytical approach that we described in an earlier communication and here we demonstrate experimental results on functional associations among the hypervariably-expressed genes (HVE-genes). Our working assumption was that those genetic components, which initiate the disease, involve HVE-genes for which the level of expression is undistinguishable among healthy individuals and individuals with pathology. We show that analysis of the functional associations of the HVE-genes is indeed suitable to revealing disease-specific differences. We show also that another possible exploit of HVE-genes for characterization of pathological alterations is by using multivariate classification methods. This in turn offers important clues on naturally occurring dynamic processes in the organism and is further used for dynamic discrimination of groups of compared samples. We conclude that our approach can uncover principally new collective differences that cannot be discerned by individual gene analysis.
From Garbage to Biomaterials: An Overview on Egg Shell Based Hydroxyapatite

The conversion of waste obtained from agricultural processes into biocompatible materials (biomaterials) used in medical surgery is a strategy that will add more value in waste utilization. This strategy has successfully turned the rather untransformed wastes into high value products. Eggshell is an agricultural waste largely considered as useless and is discarded mostly because it contributes to pollution. This waste has potential for producing hydroxyapatite, a major component found in bone and teeth. Hydroxyapatite is an excellent material used in bone repair and tissue regeneration. The use of eggshell to generate hydroxyapatite will reduce the pollution effect of the waste and the subsequent conversion of the waste into a highly valuable product. In this paper, we reviewed the utilization of this agricultural waste (eggshell) in producing hydroxyapatite. The process of transforming eggshell into hydroxyapatite and nanohydroxyapatite is an environmentally friendly process. Eggshell based hydroxyapatite and nanohydroxyapatite stand as good chance of reducing the cost of treatment in bone repair or replacement with little impact on the environment.
Optimal Credit Swap Portfolios

This paper formulates and solves the selection problem for a portfolio of credit swaps. The problem is cast as a goal program that entails a constrained optimization of preference-weighted moments of the portfolio value at the investment horizon. The portfolio value takes account of the exact timing of protection premium and default loss payments, as well as any mark-to-market profits and losses realized at the horizon. The constraints address collateral and solvency requirements, initial capital, position limits, and other trading constraints that credit swap investors often face in practice. The multimoment formulation accommodates the complex distribution of the portfolio value, which is a nested expectation under risk-neutral and actual probabilities. It also generates computational tractability. Numerical results illustrate the features of optimal portfolios. In particular, we find that credit swap investment constraints can have a significant impact on optimal portfolios, even for simple investment objectives. Our problem formulation and solution approach extend to corporate bond portfolios and mixed portfolios of corporate bonds and credit derivatives. This paper was accepted by Wei Xiong, finance.
A PIC profile typology of children and adolescents: 1. Empirically derived alternative to traditional diagnosis.

This study investigated the utility of a multidimensional instrument, the Personality Inventory for Children (PIC), to serve as the data base for an empirically derived typology of child and adolescent psychopathology. A cluster-analytic technique was applied to T-score ranges of the 12 PIC full-length substantive profile scales for two independent samples of emotionally and behaviorally disturbed children and adolescents that included six criterion marker samples (hyperactive, psychotic, retarded, cerebral dysfunction, somatic, delinquent), for a total sample of N = 1,782. Eleven profile clusters replicated across samples and classified 82% of these profiles. Further analyses indicated that these replicated clusters differed in age, sex, and criterion marker sample composition, as well as on 18 of the 19 ratings of pathology dimensions obtained from parents, teachers, and clinicians. These results support the conclusion that the PIC may be valuable in the development of an empirically based classification system.