Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Temperature and Delivery Time on Concrete Proportions

The literature demonstrates that concrete produced at high temperatures (35 versus 18 degree C (95 versus 65 degree F) or mixed and agitated for 90 versus 20 min, tends to have increased mixing water requirements and reduced strength. The research reported here demonstrates that the additional cement required to compensate for this strength loss can be very modest. Concrete was mixed at temperatures of 18 and 35 degree C (65 and 95 degree F). Two series of mixtures were proportioned to produce strengths of 28 to 31 MPa (4000 to 4500 psi) and 34 to 38 MPa (5000 to 5500 psi), utilizing three different material combinations: cement without admixture, cement plus water reducer, and cement plus fly ash. Two cement sources were used and concrete delivery times of 20 or 90 min were simulated. The concrete was retempered to maintain slump. To simulate nonstandard hot weather initial curing, extra cylinders were cured at 38 degree C (100 degree F) for the first 24 h. The main considerations were the effect of the research variables on the required cement content to produce a given strength level, on the required mixing water content to maintain a target slump, and on drying shrinkage. The results show that, with one exception, the higher mixing temperatures and extended delivery time had little effect on the concrete properties. One of thee two cements used tended to have more strength loss in hot weather when it was used without admixtures. However, when that cement was used with fly ash or a water-reducing admixture, rapid loss of slump and strength was avoided. An increase in the concrete mixing temperature from 18 to 35 degree C (65 to 95 degree F) required an average increase of 4.7 kg/cubic m (8 lb/cubic yd) of cement to maintain the strength level. An increase in the delivery time from 20 to 90 min required an additional 13.6 kg/cubic m (23 lb/cubic yd) of cement, on the average. The water required to produce the target slump at thee higher temperature increased by 2 t0 6%. The extended period was coupled with the higher temperature, the increase in mixing water ranged from 7 to 18%. The hot first-day curing period had a significant effect on the strength, causing a strength loss of about 10%. The variables appeared to have little effect on the drying shrinkage of the concrete.
Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of TMC207 and Its N-Desmethyl Metabolite in a Murine Model of Tuberculosis

ABSTRACT TMC207 is a first-in-class diarylquinoline with a new mode of action against mycobacteria targeting the ATP synthase. It is metabolized to an active derivative, N-desmethyl TMC207, and both compounds are eliminated with long terminal half-lives (50 to 60 h in mice) reflecting slow release from tissues such as lung and spleen. In vitro, TMC207 is 5-fold more potent against Mycobacterium tuberculosis than N-desmethyl TMC207, and the effects of the two compounds are additive. The pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic (PK-PD) response was investigated in the murine model of tuberculosis (TB) infection following oral administration of different doses of TMC207 or N-desmethyl TMC207 at 5 days per week for 4 weeks starting the day after intravenous infection with M. tuberculosis and following administration of different doses of TMC207 at various dosing frequencies for 6 weeks starting 2 weeks after infection. Upon administration of N-desmethyl TMC207, maximum plasma concentration (Cmax), area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time zero to 168 h postdose (AUC168h), and minimum plasma concentration (Cmin) were approximately dose proportional between 8 and 64 mg/kg, and the lung CFU counts were strongly correlated with these pharmacokinetic parameters using an inhibitory sigmoid maximum effect (Emax) model. Administration of the highest dose (64 mg/kg) produced a 4.0-log10 reduction of the bacillary load at an average exposure (average concentration [Cavg] or AUC168h divided by 168) of 2.7 μg/ml. Upon administration of the highest dose of TMC207 (50 mg/kg) 5 days per week for 4 weeks, the total reduction of the bacillary load was 4.7 log10. TMC207 was estimated to contribute to a 1.8-log10 reduction and its corresponding exposure (Cavg) was 0.5 μg/ml. Optimal bactericidal activity with N-desmethyl TMC207 was reached at a high exposure compared to that achieved in humans, suggesting a minor contribution of the metabolite to the overall bactericidal activity in TB-infected patients treated with TMC207. Following administration of TMC207 at a total weekly dose of 15, 30, or 60 mg/kg fractionated for either 5 days per week, twice weekly, or once weekly, the bactericidal activity was correlated to the total weekly dose and was not influenced by the frequency of administration. Exposures (AUC168h) to TMC207 and N-desmethyl TMC207 mirrored this dose response, indicating that the bactericidal activity of TMC207 is concentration dependent and that AUC is the main PK-PD driver on which dose optimization should be based for dosing frequencies up to once weekly. The PK-PD profile supports intermittent administration of TMC207, in agreement with its slow release from tissues.
Enumerating answers to first-order queries over databases of low degree

A class of relational databases has low degree if for all δ, all but finitely many databases in the class have degree at most nδ, where n is the size of the database. Typical examples are databases of bounded degree or of degree bounded by log n. It is known that over a class of databases having low degree, first-order boolean queries can be checked in pseudo-linear time, i.e. in time bounded by n1+ε, for all ε. We generalise this result by considering query evaluation. We show that counting the number of answers to a query can be done in pseudo-linear time and that enumerating the answers to a query can be done with constant delay after a pseudo-linear time preprocessing.
Residual coding in document image compression

Symbolic document image compression relies on the detection of similar patterns in a document image and construction of a prototype library. Compression is achieved by referencing multiple pattern instances ("components") through a single representative prototype. To provide a lossless compression, however, the residual difference between each component and its assigned prototype must be coded. Since the size of the residual can significantly affect the compression ratio, efficient coding is essential. In this paper, we describe a set of residual coding models for use with symbolic document image compression that exhibit desirable characteristics for compression and rate-distortion and facilitate compressed-domain processing. The first model orders the residual pixels by their distance to the prototype edge. Grouping pixels based on this distance value allows for a more compact coding and lower entropy. This distance model is then extended to a model that defines the structure of the residue and uses it as a basis for continuous and packet reconstruction which provides desired functionality for use in lossy compression and progressive transmission.
Spine Injectables: What Is the Safest Cocktail?

OBJECTIVE Spinal injections are common pain management procedures using corticosteroids and local anesthetics. Most corticosteroid preparations are particulate suspensions, such as methylprednisolone acetate and triamcinolone acetonide. In the cervical spine, particulate corticosteroids have been linked to catastrophic complications, including blindness, paralysis, and death. Serious neurologic injuries have also been reported at the thoracic, lumbar, and sacral levels. CONCLUSION Nonparticulate preparations, such as dexamethasone, are safer but have shorter-lived antiinflammatory effects. Local anesthetics are often mixed with corticosteroids in pain management procedures. Although everyday risks are minimal, injection techniques should take into account neural and cardiac toxicities. In this article, we discuss the potential for serious adverse events associated with injected medications. We review the current literature to make conclusions on medication combinations that balance safety and efficacy.
Non-congruent colonizations and diversification in a coevolving pollination mutualism on oceanic islands

A challenge for coevolutionary theory is how different types of interaction influence the diversification of coevolving clades. Reciprocal specialization is characteristic of certain coevolving, mutualistic interactions, but whether this specialization seen in ecological time constrains changes in patterns of interaction over evolutionary time remains unclear. Here, we examine the co-radiation of Glochidion trees (Phyllanthaceae: Phyllanthus s. l.) and pollinating, seed-predatory Epicephala moths (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) on young (mostly later than 5 Ma) oceanic islands in southeastern Polynesia. Epicephala are the sole known pollinators of Glochidion trees, and show extreme reciprocal specialization in continental Asia. We find that Glochidion and Epicephala diversified across these islands through repeated, non-congruent colonizations, and that one recently colonizing Epicephala lineage has spread across 12 host species in three archipelagos in less than 1 Myr. These results indicate that reciprocal specialization and coadaptation do not prevent dramatic changes in associations between intimately associated taxa over short evolutionary time scales. Not only are these host associations more dynamic than previously recognized, but these changes in patterns of interaction may play an important role in the diversification of coevolving taxa.
Molecular identification by RNA-RNA hybridization of a human rotavirus that is closely related to rotaviruses of feline and canine origin

With a few exceptions subgroup I group A human rotavirus strains have short RNA patterns, whereas most animal rotavirus strains belong to subgroup I and have long RNA patterns. Thus, new isolates of subgroup I human rotaviruses with long RNA patterns are considered to have a high likelihood of being animal rotaviruses. A group of human rotaviruses represented by the AU-1 strain has recently been shown to be genetically related to a feline rotavirus (FRV-1) isolated in Japan. A human rotavirus, strain Ro1845, which is similar to the AU-1 strain in its subgroup (I), serotype (3), and electropherotype (long), was compared with various human and animal strains by RNA-RNA hybridization to determine its genogroup, a term proposed to classify rotaviruses based on their gene homology. The Ro1845 strain did not show a significant level of homology with AU-1, FRV-1, or other human strains, indicating that the Ro1845 strain is different in its genogroup not only from the AU-1 strain but also from other human strains. However, the Ro1845 strain showed a high degree of homology with another feline rotavirus (Cat97) isolated previously in Australia, suggesting that the Ro1845 strain might originate from a feline rotavirus that is genetically distinct from the Japanese FRV-1 strain. Furthermore, the Ro1845 strain as well as the Cat97 strain were related genetically to the canine rotavirus RS15 strain. Taken together, these results indicate that at least two genogroups are present in feline rotaviruses, one resembling the AU-1 strain and the other resembling the Ro1845 strain as well as canine rotaviruses.
The dual role of asporin in breast cancer progression

Asporin has been reported as a tumor suppressor in breast cancer, while asporin-activated invasion has been described in gastric cancer. According to our in silico search, high asporin expresion associates with significantly better relapse free survival (RFS) in patients with low-grade tumors but RFS is significantly worse in patients with grade 3 tumors. In line with other studies, we have confirmed asporin expression by RNA scope in situ hybridization in cancer associated fibroblasts. We have also found asporin expression in the Hs578T breast cancer cell line which we confirmed by quantitative RT-PCR and western blotting. From multiple testing, we found that asporin can be downregulated by bone morphogenetic protein 4 while upregulation may be facilited by serum-free cultivation or by three dimensional growth in stiff Alvetex scaffold. Downregulation by shRNA inhibited invasion of Hs578T as well as of CAFs and T47D cells. Invasion of asporin-negative MDA-MB-231 and BT549 breast cancer cells through collagen type I was enhanced by recombinant asporin. Besides other investigations, large scale analysis of aspartic acid repeat polymorphism will be needed for clarification of the asporin dual role in progression of breast cancer.
Microbiological Characteristics and Clinical Features of Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device Infections at a Tertiary Hospital in China

The incidence of cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) infections is rapidly increasing worldwide. However, the microbiological characteristics and clinical features of symptomatic CIED infections are not well described. The present study included patients with CIED infections in China, and their pocket tissues were collected for clinical microbiological determination. A total of 219 patients with CIED infections were investigated; of these patients, 145 (66.2%) were positive for CIED infection in pocket tissue cultures and 24 (11.0%) were positive in both blood and pocket tissue cultures. Patients with recurrent infections and patients with systemic infections tended to have higher rates of positive cultures from pocket tissue. In addition, patients with lung diseases were more likely to have early CIED infections than late CIED infections, while patients with liver diseases were more susceptible to systemic infections than local infections. Staphylococcus species were the most common cause of CIED infections; coagulase-negative staphylococci was the predominant type (accounting for 45.2% in all cases and 68.3% in culture-positive cases). None of the Staphylococcus isolates were resistant to gentamicin, linezolid or vancomycin. Gram-negative bacilli accounted for 9.1% of all cases and 13.8% of culture-positive cases. Significant differences in the distribution of different pathogens were identified between primary infections and recurrent infections, between local infections and systemic infections, and between early infections and late infections. Our data describe the microbiological characteristics and clinical features of CIED infections, and provide evidence for advisory guidelines on the management of CIED infections in China.
Essential roles of the bHLH transcription factor Hrt2 in repression of atrial gene expression and maintenance of postnatal cardiac function

The basic helix–loop–helix transcriptional repressor Hairy-related transcription factor 2 (Hrt2) is expressed in ventricular, but not atrial, cardiomyocytes, and in endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells. Mice homozygous for a null mutation of Hrt2 die perinatally from a spectrum of cardiac abnormalities, raising questions about the specific functions of this transcriptional regulator in individual cardiac cell lineages. Using a conditional Hrt2 null allele, we show that cardiomyocyte-specific deletion of Hrt2 in mice results in ectopic activation of atrial genes in ventricular myocardium with an associated impairment of cardiac contractility and a unique distortion in morphology of the right ventricular chamber. Consistent with the atrialization of ventricular gene expression in Hrt2 mutant mice, forced expression of Hrt2 in atrial cardiomyocytes is sufficient to repress atrial cardiac genes. These findings reveal a ventricular myocardial cell-autonomous function for Hrt2 in the suppression of atrial cell identity and the maintenance of postnatal cardiac function.
Acquisition of Pragmatic Routines by Learners of L2 English: Investigating Common Errors and Sources of Pragmatic Fossilization.

Unlike linguistic fossilization, pragmatic fossilization has received scant attention in fossilization research. To bridge this gap, the present study adopted a typical-error method of fossilization research to identify the most frequent errors in pragmatic routines committed by Persian-speaking learners of L2 English and explore the sources of fossilization. In the first phase of the study, a pragmatic routines test was administered to 230 male and female participants to determine the typical errors and their persistence across different proficiency levels. In the second phase, retrospective interviews were conducted to explore the sources of the errors in pragmatic routines committed by 15 highly fossilized advanced learners. The findings revealed that the frequent errors in pragmatic routines were mainly due to sociopragmatic failure. It was found that first language transfer, lack of knowledge, and overgeneralizations were among the most frequent sources of pragmatic fossilization. This can be due to the nonauthentic poor-input pedagogical setting in which EFL learners fail to acquire the appropriate pragmatic routines. This study has implications for pragmatic instruction and pragmatic fossilization studies.
Evaluating Chromatic Adaptation Transform Performance

The performance of many color science and imaging algorithms are evaluated based on their mean errors. However, if these errors are not normally distributed, statistical evaluations based on the mean are not appropriate performance metrics. We present a non-parametric method, called the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, which can be used to evaluate performance without making any underlying assumption of the error distribution. When applying the metric to the performance of chromatic adaptation transforms on corresponding color data, we can derive a new CAT that statistically significantly outperforms CAT02 at the 95% confidence level.
Multiple Transmitter Receptors in Regions and Layers of the Human Cerebral Cortex

We measured the densities (fmol/mg protein) of 15 different receptors of various transmitter systems in the supragranular, granular and infragranular strata of 44 areas of visual, somatosensory, auditory and multimodal association systems of the human cerebral cortex. Receptor densities were obtained after labeling of the receptors using quantitative in vitro receptor autoradiography in human postmortem brains. The mean density of each receptor type over all cortical layers and of each of the three major strata varies between cortical regions. In a single cortical area, the multi-receptor fingerprints of its strata (i.e., polar plots, each visualizing the densities of multiple different receptor types in supragranular, granular or infragranular layers of the same cortical area) differ in shape and size indicating regional and laminar specific balances between the receptors. Furthermore, the three strata are clearly segregated into well definable clusters by their receptor fingerprints. Fingerprints of different cortical areas systematically vary between functional networks, and with the hierarchical levels within sensory systems. Primary sensory areas are clearly separated from all other cortical areas particularly by their very high muscarinic M2 and nicotinic α4β2 receptor densities, and to a lesser degree also by noradrenergic α2 and serotonergic 5-HT2 receptors. Early visual areas of the dorsal and ventral streams are segregated by their multi-receptor fingerprints. The results are discussed on the background of functional segregation, cortical hierarchies, microstructural types, and the horizontal (layers) and vertical (columns) organization in the cerebral cortex. We conclude that a cortical column is composed of segments, which can be assigned to the cortical strata. The segments differ by their patterns of multi-receptor balances, indicating different layer-specific signal processing mechanisms. Additionally, the differences between the strata-and area-specific fingerprints of the 44 areas reflect the segregation of the cerebral cortex into functionally and topographically definable groups of cortical areas (visual, auditory, somatosensory, limbic, motor), and reveals their hierarchical position (primary and unimodal (early) sensory to higher sensory and finally to multimodal association areas). Highlights Densities of transmitter receptors vary between areas of human cerebral cortex. Multi-receptor fingerprints segregate cortical layers. The densities of all examined receptor types together reach highest values in the supragranular stratum of all areas. The lowest values are found in the infragranular stratum. Multi-receptor fingerprints of entire areas and their layers segregate functional systems Cortical types (primary sensory, motor, multimodal association) differ in their receptor fingerprints.
The Apollo Number: Space Suits, Self-Support, and the Walk-Run Transition

Background How space suits affect the preferred walk-run transition is an open question with relevance to human biomechanics and planetary extravehicular activity. Walking and running energetics differ; in reduced gravity (<0.5 g), running, unlike on Earth, uses less energy per distance than walking. Methodology/Principal Findings The walk-run transition (denoted *) correlates with the Froude Number (Fr = v2/gL, velocity v, gravitational acceleration g, leg length L). Human unsuited Fr* is relatively constant (∼0.5) with gravity but increases substantially with decreasing gravity below ∼0.4 g, rising to 0.9 in 1/6 g; space suits appear to lower Fr*. Because of pressure forces, space suits partially (1 g) or completely (lunar-g) support their own weight. We define the Apollo Number (Ap = Fr/M) as an expected invariant of locomotion under manipulations of M, the ratio of human-supported to total transported mass. We hypothesize that for lunar suited conditions Ap* but not Fr* will be near 0.9, because the Apollo Number captures the effect of space suit self-support. We used the Apollo Lunar Surface Journal and other sources to identify 38 gait events during lunar exploration for which we could determine gait type (walk/lope/run) and calculate Ap. We estimated the binary transition between walk/lope (0) and run (1), yielding Fr* (0.36±0.11, mean±95% CI) and Ap* (0.68±0.20). Conclusions/Significance The Apollo Number explains 60% of the difference between suited and unsuited Fr*, appears to capture in large part the effects of space suits on the walk-run transition, and provides several testable predictions for space suit locomotion and, of increasing relevance here on Earth, exoskeleton locomotion. The knowledge of how space suits affect gait transitions can be used to optimize space suits for use on the Moon and Mars.