Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Recycling wind turbine blade composite material as aggregate in concrete

v CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION . 1 1.1 Literature Review . 3 CHAPTER 2: EXPERIMENTATION . 9 2.1 Methodology . 9 2.2 Phase 1 . 13 2.3 Phase 2 . 15 2.4 Results . 17 2.5 Discussion . 23 CHAPTER 3: ECONOMIC ANALYSIS . 33 3.1 Assumptions . 34 3.2 Cost avoidance for sending wind turbines to landfill . 35 3.3 Cost avoidance for obtaining limestone course aggregate . 36 3.4 Cost avoidance for transporting aggregate . 37 Cost of producing composite aggregate from wind turbines . 38 CHAPTER 4: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT . 40 4.1 Recycling vs landfilling vs incineration of composite material . 40 4.2 Life Cycle Analysis . 41
A meta-analytical review of the responses in the MMPI-2/MMPI-2-RF clinical and restructured scales of parents in child custody dispute

Parental attribute evaluation in relation to child custody comprises psychological and psychopathology. Additionally, defensiveness must be suspected on this setting. The worldwide reference psychometric measurement instrument for this purpose is the MMPI. With the aim of knowing the responses of parents litigating by child custody, a meta-analytic review of the responses to clinical and restructured scales was performed. A total of 21 primary studies (studies with a simulation design i.e., participants were instructed to answer as parents litigating by child custody were found were disregarded) were found, obtaining 291 effect sizes for clinical scales and 1 for restructured scales. The results showed positive, significant and generalizable mean true effect size in the Hy, Pd and Pa scales; a negative, significant and generalizable in the Ma and Si scales, and non-generalizable in the Pt y Sc scales; and a trivial mean true effect size in the Hs and D scales. Parent gender was studied as a moderator having no found differences between the responses of mothers and fathers. The implications of the results for forensic evaluation practices are discussed.
Longitudinal brain activity changes in asymptomatic Alzheimer disease

Asymptomatic Alzheimer disease (ASYMAD) is characterized by normal cognition despite substantial AD pathology. To identify factors contributing to cognitive resilience, we compared early changes in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in individuals subsequently diagnosed as ASYMAD with changes in cognitively impaired (CI) and normal older participants from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Participants underwent annual positron emission tomography (PET) rCBF measurements beginning 10.0 (SD 3.6) years before death and while cognitively intact. Based on clinical and autopsy information, subjects were grouped as cognitively normal (CN = 7), ASYMAD (n= 6), and CI (=6). Autopsy material was analyzed using CERAD and Braak scores and quantitative stereologic measures of tau and amyloid. ASYMAD and CI groups had similar CERAD and Braak scores, similar amounts of β‐amyloid and tau in middle frontal (MFG), middle temporal (MTG), and inferior parietal (IP) regions, and more β‐amyloid than CN in precuneus, MFG, and IP areas. Voxel‐based PET analysis identified similarities and differences in longitudinal rCBF change among groups across a 7.2‐year interval. Both ASYMAD and CI groups showed similar longitudinal rCBF declines in precuneus, lingual, and MTG regions relative to CN. The CI also showed greater rCBF decreases in anterior and posterior cingulate, cuneus, and brainstem regions relative to ASYMAD and CN, whereas ASYMAD showed greater relative rCBF increases over time in medial temporal and thalamic regions relative to CI and CN. Our findings provide evidence of early functional alterations that may contribute to cognitive resilience in those who accumulate AD pathology but maintain normal cognition.
Fun and Function? - The Impact of Experiential Learning Styles on Hedonic and Utilitarian Values in Classrooms

This study examines how components of experiential learning styles influence hedonic and utilitarian values of classrooms in higher education. These values are argued to impact on emotions and learning outcomes. A survey was employed with university students in different universities. Findings show concrete experience has a positive impact on both hedonic and utilitarian values. These findings emphasize that those students that score higher on the concrete experience scale tend to consider classrooms as more important in terms of their utilitarian and hedonic values. These students are suggested to be more influenced by experiential designed classrooms which impact their learning outcomes.
Tuning NaYF4 Nanoparticles through Alkaline Earth Doping

Phase and size of lanthanide-doped nanoparticles are the most important characteristics that dictate optical properties of these nanoparticles and affect their technological applications. Herein, we present a systematic study to examine the effect of alkaline earth doping on the formation of NaYF4 upconversion nanoparticles. We show that alkaline earth doping has a dual function of tuning particle size of hexagonal phase NaYF4 nanoparticles and stabilizing cubic phase NaYF4 nanoparticles depending on composition and concentration of the dopant ions. The study described here represents a facile and general strategy to tuning the properties of NaYF4 upconversion nanoparticles.
Judicial Checks and Balances

In the Anglo‐American constitutional tradition, judicial checks and balances are often seen as crucial guarantees of freedom. Hayek distinguishes two ways in which the judiciary provides such checks and balances: judicial independence and constitutional review. We create a new database of constitutional rules in 71 countries that reflect these provisions. We find strong support for the proposition that both judicial independence and constitutional review are associated with greater freedom. Consistent with theory, judicial independence accounts for some of the positive effect of common‐law legal origin on measures of economic freedom. The results point to significant benefits of the Anglo‐American system of government for freedom.
Thymic epithelial cells promote survival of human T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia blasts: the role of interleukin-7.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES T-cell lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) cells originate within the thymus from the clonal expansion of T cell precursors. Among thymic stromal elements, epithelial cells (TEC) are known to exert a dominant inductive role in survival and maturation of normal, immature T-cells. In this study we explored the possible effect of TEC on T-ALL cell survival and analyzed the role of interleukin-7 (IL-7) within the microenvironment generated by T-ALL-TEC interactions. DESIGN AND METHODS T-ALL blasts derived from 10 adult patients were cultured with TEC obtained from human normal thymuses. The level of blast apoptosis was measured by annexin V-propidium iodide co-staining and flow cytometry. The proliferative response of leukemic cells to interaction with TEC was evaluated by thymidine incorporation at various time intervals of culture. To assess the role of IL-7, lympho-epithelial co-cultures were carried out in the presence of anti-IL-7 or anti IL-7R blocking antibodies and the level of apoptosis of T-ALL blasts was analyzed. RESULTS When T-ALL cells were cultured in the presence of TEC monolayers, the percentage of viable cells increased significantly and this survival was sustained with time in culture. In addition, the interaction with TEC induced a considerable proliferative response in T-ALL cells (15-fold greater than that of the control cells after 7 days of culture). The presence of IL-7 or IL-7R blocking antibodies in lympho-epithelial co-cultures consistently reduced the TEC-mediated apoptosis inhibition in T-ALL blasts (70% decrease). INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS These results point to the role of thymic epithelium in the regulation of T blast survival. In addition, they show that interaction between IL-7 and its receptor has the major role in modulating T-ALL survival within the microenvironment generated by the T-ALL/TEC interaction.
Human Strategies for Multitasking, Search, and Control Improved via Real-Time Memory Aid for Gaze Location

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to elucidate how our domain-general cuing algorithm improved multitasking performance and changed behavioral strategies in human operators. BACKGROUND: Though many gaze-control systems have been designed, previous real-time gaze-aware assistance systems were not both successful and domain general. It is largely unknown what constitutes optimal search efficiency using the eyes, or ideal control using the mouse. It is unclear what the best coordinating strategies are between these two modalities. Our previously developed closed-loop multitasking aid drastically improved multitasking performance, though the behavioral mechanisms through which it acted were unknown. METHODS: We performed in-depth analyses and generated novel eye tracking and mouse movement measures, to explore the complex effects of our helpful system on gaze and motor behavior. RESULTS: Our overlay cuing algorithm improved control efficiency and reduced well-known biases in search patterns. This system also reduced micromanaging behavior, with humans rationally relying more on imperfect automation in experimental assistance cue conditions. We showed that mouse and gaze were more independently specialized in the helpful cuing condition than in control conditions. Specifically, with our aid, the gaze performed more global movement, and the mouse performed more local clustered movement. Further, the gaze shifted towards search over processing with the helpful cuing system. We also illustrated a relationship between the mouse and the gaze, such that in these studies, "the hand was quicker than the eye. " CONCLUSIONS: Overall, results suggested that our cuing system improved performance and reduced short term working memory load on humans by delegating it to the computer in real time. Further, it reduced the number of required repeated decisions by an estimate of about one per second. It also enabled the gaze to specialize for improved visual search behavior, and the mouse to specialize for improved control.
Investigating Finnish-speaking children's noun morphology : how do young children acquire case marking?

Current accounts of child language acquisition debate the extent of young children’s grammatical productivity. Generativist approaches argue for relatively early adult-like productivity whereas constructivist and usage-based approaches assume that children attain adult-like competence much later, and only gradually. The current paper takes the acquisition of Finnish noun morphology as a test case and, using densely collected corpus data, reports a comparison of a child’s input and output to test what productivity really means and how it can be measured. Eighteen hours of audio recordings were collected from a monolingual Finnish mother-child dyad over the course of four weeks in naturalistic play situations at home when the child was aged 1;7-1;8. The recordings were transcribed and coded for nominal case, number and errors. The results revealed that the child was significantly less productive with case marking compared to the mother, even when strict vocabulary and sample size control were applied, providing evidence for the usage-based accounts. The findings support the usage-based prediction of a gradual acquisition process even though the child’s use of noun inflections seemingly looks almost adult-like. The study also showed that naturalistic data are very informative of productivity when appropriate controls are applied.
Evapotranspiration from Natural Vegetation in the Central Valley of California: Monthly Grass Reference-Based Vegetation Coefficients and the Dual Crop Coefficient Approach

AbstractRestoration activities in the Central Valley of California and elsewhere require accurate evapotranspiration information, which can then be used for a wide variety of surface and subsurface hydrologic evaluations. However, directly measuring evapotranspiration can be difficult or impossible depending on the evaluation’s time frame. Transferability of measured evapotranspiration in time and space is also necessary but typically requires a weather-based reference. For nonagricultural vegetation, there is at present time no standard reference, which makes the evaluation of a variety of vegetation types from different sources difficult and time-consuming. This paper examines several methods used to estimate evapotranspiration from native vegetation, including the use of vegetation coefficients (Kv). Vegetation coefficients are based on a standardized reference and are computed as the ratio of vegetation evapotranspiration (ETv) to the grass reference evapotranspiration (ETo). These monthly Kv values a.
Transforming Growth Factor- Suppresses the Activation of CD8 T-Cells When Naı̈ve but Promotes Their Survival and Function Once Antigen Experienced A Two-Faced Impact on Autoimmunity

RESULTS—Surprisingly, when expressed selectively in the pancreas, TGFreduced apoptosis of differentiated autoreactive CD8 T-cells, favoring their expansion and infiltration of the islets. These results pointed to drastically opposite roles of TGFon naı̈ve compared with antigen-experienced/memory CD8 T-cells. Indeed, in the absence of functional TGFsignaling in T-cells, fast-onset type 1 diabetes caused by activation of naı̈ve CD8 T-cells occurred faster, whereas slow-onset disease depending on accumulation and activation of antigen-experienced/memory CD8 T-cells was decreased. TGFreceptor– deficient CD8 T-cells showed enhanced activation and expansion after lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection in vivo but were more prone to apoptosis once antigen experienced and failed to survive as functional memory cells. In vitro, TGFsuppressed naı̈ve CD8 T-cell activation and -interferon production, whereas memory CD8 T-cells stimulated in the presence of TGFshowed enhanced survival and increased production of interleukin-17 in conjunction with -interferon.
The elementary obstruction and homogeneous spaces

Let k be a field of characteristic zero, and let k be an algebraic closure of k. For a geometrically integral variety X over k, we write k(X) for the function field of X = X ×k k. If X has a smooth k-point, the natural embedding of multiplicative groups k ∗ ↪→ k(X)∗ admits a Galois-equivariant retraction. In the first part of this article, equivalent conditions to the existence of such a retraction are given over local and then over global fields. Those conditions are expressed in terms of the Brauer group of X. In the second part of the article, we restrict attention to varieties that are homogeneous spaces of connected but otherwise arbitrary algebraic groups, with connected geometric stabilizers. For k local or global, and for such a variety X, in many situations but not all, the existence of a Galois-equivariant retraction to k ∗ ↪→ k(X)∗ ensures the existence of a k-rational point on X. For homogeneous spaces of linear algebraic groups, the technique also handles the case where k is the function field of a complex surface. Resume Soient k un corps de caracteristique nulle et k une cloture algebrique de k. Pour une k-variete X geometriquement integre, on note k(X) le corps des fonctions de X = X ×k k. Si X possede un k-point lisse, le plongement naturel de groupes multiplicatifs k ∗ ↪→ k(X)∗ admet une retraction equivariante pour l’action du groupe de Galois de k sur k. Dans la premiere partie de l’article, sur les corps locaux puis sur les corps globaux, on donne des conditions equivalentes a l’existence d’une telle retraction equivariante. Ces conditions s’expriment en terme du groupe de Brauer de la variete X. Dans la seconde partie de l’article, on considere le cas des espaces homogenes de groupes algebriques connexes, non necessairement lineaires, avec groupes d’isotropie DUKE MATHEMATICAL JOURNAL Vol. 141, No. 2, c © 2008 Received 6 November 2006. Revision received 23 April 2007. 2000 Mathematics Subject Classification. Primary 14G05, 11G99, 12G05; Secondary 11E72, 14F22, 14K15,
Drosophila circadian rhythms: stability robustness analysis and model reduction

This paper shows how biological oscillations can be rigorously analysed using several analysis tools from the field of control and dynamical systems theory. Testing for local stability of the periodic orbit provides information about the system close to the limit cycle. It determines which modes of the system are harder or easier to control and may lead to a simplification of the model. Local stability, by definition, does not guarantee stability further away from the limit cycle. However, the approximation of nonlinear models by piecewise linear systems can be used to determine more global robustness properties of the system. To illustrate these ideas, this paper investigates two models of circadian rhythms in Drosophila: one by Gonze et al. and a more generic model by Vilar et al. that describes the biological clock in Drosophilaas well as other organisms. For both models, local stability analysis shows that most small perturbations to initial conditions around the limit cycle disappear after one cycle (24 hours). In addition, we demonstrate that in each model only two modes are relevant. Thus both models can be reduced to third-order systems, and the direction of the excitable modes identify the disturbances which can cause the most harm. Analysing the piecewise linear approximation of the Gonze-Goldbeter model reveals large regions of stability around both limit cycles, which confirms the linear analysis results and offers further insight into the source of robustness in these systems. In summary, the tools described in this paper should help characterise the mechanisms underlying the control and regulation of circadian rhythms and other limit cycle behaviours.
Equation-of-state dependent features in shock-oscillation modulated neutrino and gravitational-wave signals from supernovae

We present two-dimensional (axisymmetric) neutrino-hydrodynamic simulations of the long-time accretion phase of a 15 Mprogen- itor star after core bounce and before the launch of a supernova explosion, when non-radial hydrodynamic instabilities like convection occur in different regions of the collapsing stellar core and the standing accretion shock instability (SASI) leads to large-amplitude os- cillations of the stalled shock with a period of tens of milliseconds. Our simulations were performed with the Prometheus-Vertex code, which includes a multi-flavor, energy-dependent neutrino transport scheme and employs an effective relativistic gravitational potential. Testing the influence of a stiff and a soft equation of state for hot neutron star matter, we find that the non-radial mass motions in the supernova core impose a time variability on the neutrino and gravitational-wave signals with larger amplitudes, as well as higher frequencies in the case of a more compact nascent neutron star. After the prompt shock-breakout burst of electron neutrinos, a more compact accreting remnant produces higher neutrino luminosities and higher mean neutrino energies. The observ- able neutrino emission in the SASI sloshing direction exhibits a modulation of several ten percent in the luminosities and around 1 MeV in the mean energies with most power at typical SASI frequencies between roughly 20 and 100 Hz. The modulation is caused by quasi-periodic variations in the mass accretion rate of the neutron star in each hemisphere. At times later than ∼50-100 ms after bounce, the gravitational-wave amplitude is dominated by the growing low-frequency (<200 Hz) signal associated with anisotropic neutrino emission. A high-frequency wave signal results from nonradial gas flows in the outer layers of the anisotropically accreting neutron star. Right after bounce such nonradial mass motions occur due to prompt post-shock convection in both considered cases and contribute mostly to the early wave production around 100 Hz. Later they are instigated by the SASI and by convective overturn that vigorously stir the neutrino-heating and cooling layers, and also by convective activity developing below the neutrinosphere. The gravitational-wave power then peaks at about 300-800 Hz, connected to changes in the mass quadrupole moment on a timescale of milliseconds. Distinctively higher spectral frequencies originate from the more compact and more rapidly contracting neutron star. Both the neutrino and gravitational-wave emission therefore carry information that is characteristic of the properties of the nuclear equation of state in the hot remnant. The detectability of the SASI effects in the neutrino and gravitational-wave signals is briefly discussed.
The adoption of open source software in business models: a Red Hat and IBM case study

Free / Libre open source software (FLOSS/OSS) has gained increasing popularity and utilisation in commercial and governmental organisations. Universities like Harvard and Stanford now offer courses on open source as a business and also on how businesses can compete with open source firms. However, very little research has been published in regards to the influence of OSS on business strategies; the use of OSS as a viable business or its value proposition within a commercial entity. The business model, a powerful tool for extracting economic value from the potential of technological innovation, clearly plays an important role in the success of a business. In this paper we investigate the role of open source in the business models of Red Hat and IBM and describe how OSS has contributed to their success. A framework recently developed by some of the authors is used to evaluate and identify the key factors important to the integration of OSS strategies into traditional business models.
Effects of Anesthetic Agents on Brain Blood Oxygenation Level Revealed with Ultra-High Field MRI

During general anesthesia it is crucial to control systemic hemodynamics and oxygenation levels. However, anesthetic agents can affect cerebral hemodynamics and metabolism in a drug-dependent manner, while systemic hemodynamics is stable. Brain-wide monitoring of this effect remains highly challenging. Because T2*-weighted imaging at ultra-high magnetic field strengths benefits from a dramatic increase in contrast to noise ratio, we hypothesized that it could monitor anesthesia effects on brain blood oxygenation. We scanned rat brains at 7T and 17.2T under general anesthesia using different anesthetics (isoflurane, ketamine-xylazine, medetomidine). We showed that the brain/vessels contrast in T2*-weighted images at 17.2T varied directly according to the applied pharmacological anesthetic agent, a phenomenon that was visible, but to a much smaller extent at 7T. This variation is in agreement with the mechanism of action of these agents. These data demonstrate that preclinical ultra-high field MRI can monitor the effects of a given drug on brain blood oxygenation level in the absence of systemic blood oxygenation changes and of any neural stimulation.