Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Concrete Structures Strengthened with near Surface Mounted Reinforcement of CFRP

The need of maintenance, repair and upgrading of concrete structures has increased considerably over the last decade and will most likely continue to do so. There can be several reasons for this, but it can often be attributed to normal change of use, increased demands on the structure, errors in the design and/or construction phase or in the worst case, accidents. Different methods have been developed over the years for solving different rehabilitation problems. Recently, advanced composites used for external bonding in the form of fabrics or laminates have become an accepted method. Several thousands of objects around the world have been upgraded with advanced composites bonded to its surface. In most cases, this method is very competitive regarding both structural behaviour and economy, but there are also some drawbacks. The surface bonded composite material is relatively sensitive to fire, accidents or vandalism. In addition, the pre-treatment is relatively intensive and time consuming. However, if the composite material is placed in slots in the concrete cover some of these drawbacks can be overcome. This paper presents work carried out on near surface mounted reinforcement (NSMR) at Luleå University of Technology in Sweden.
Implementation aspects of model predictive control for embedded systems

We discuss implementation related aspects of model predictive control schemes on embedded platforms. Exemplarily, we focus on fast gradient methods and present results from an implementation on a low-cost microcontroller. We show that input quantization in actuators should be exploited in order to determine a suboptimality level of the online optimization that requires a low number of algorithm iterations and might not significantly degrade the performance of the real system. As a case study we consider a Segway-like robot, modeled by a linear time-invariant system with 8 states and 2 inputs subject to box input constraints. The test system runs with a sampling period of 4 ms and uses a horizons up to 20 steps in a hard real-time system with limited CPU time and memory.
Source (or Part of the following Source): Type Article Title Impaired Social Behavior in 5-ht(3a) Receptor Knockout Mice Author(s) Behavioral Neuroscience

Copyright It is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), other than for strictly personal, individual use, unless the work is under an open content licence (like Creative Commons). UvA-DARE is a service provided by the library of the University of Amsterdam (http://dare.uva.nl) Hohmann et al., 2007). Together, these studies suggest a relation between changes in cortical morphology as a consequence of disturbed serotonin signaling during development and social behavior later in life. In this study, we sought to determine whether the 5-HT 3A receptor knockout mouse displays similar forms of impaired social behavior. Therefore, we subjected male and female 5-HT 3A receptor knockout mice and their wildtype littermates to the social transmission of food preference task, social interaction test and social approach test. Whereas the social transmission of food preference test investigates social communication by analyzing the natural preference for food previously scented on an unfamiliar mouse during an interaction phase, the social interaction test primarily focuses on reciprocal social interactions (Kogan et al., 1997; Bolivar et al., 2007). The social approach test, in turn, measures the preference for social novelty in a three compartment cage during two distinct phases (Moy et al., 2004; Sankoorikal et al., 2006). To control for anxiety, which might be an important driving force for impaired social behavior, 5-HT 3A knockout mice were in addition tested in the novelty suppressed feeding test.
Physician Competition and the Provision of Care: Evidence from Heart Attacks

We study the impact of competition among physicians on service provision and patients' health outcomes for the US commercial market. We focus on cardiologists treating patients with a first-time heart attack treated in the emergency room. Physician concentration has a small but statistically significant effect on service utilization. Cardiologists in more concentrated markets perform more intensive procedures, particularly diagnostic procedures—services in which the procedure choice is more discretionary. Higher concentration leads to fewer readmissions but has no effect on mortality. These findings suggest that changes in organizational structure, such as a merger of physician groups, influence not only the negotiated prices of services, but also service provision.
Brain Injury in Canine Models of Cardiac Surgery

Abstract Neuropathology and neurologic impairment were characterized in a clinically relevant canine model of hypothermic (18°C) circulatory arrest (HCA) and cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Adult dogs underwent 2 hours of HCA (n = 39), 1 hour of HCA (n = 20), or standard CPB (n = 22) and survived 2, 8, 24, or 72 hours. Neurologic impairment and neuropathology were much more severe after 2-hour HCA than after 1-hour HCA or CPB; histopathology and neurologic deficit scores were significantly correlated. Apoptosis developed as early as 2 hours after injury and was most severe in the granule cells of the hippocampal dentate gyrus. Necrosis evolved more slowly and was most severe in amygdala and pyramidal neurons in the cornu ammonis hippocampus. Neuronal injury was minimal up to 24 hours after 1-hour HCA, but 1 dog that survived to 72 hours showed substantial necrosis in the hippocampus, suggesting that, with longer survival time, the injury was worse. Although neuronal injury was minimal after CPB, we observed rare apoptotic and necrotic neurons in hippocampi and caudate nuclei. These results have important implications for CPB in humans and may help explain the subtle cognitive changes experienced by patients after CPB.
Assessment of clinical partner violence screening tools.

OBJECTIVE To compare the Women's Experience with Battering Scale (WEB) with the Index of Spouse Abuse-Physical Scale (ISA-P) as screening tools to identify intimate partner violence (IPV). METHODS We conducted a large cross-sectional survey of women age 18 to 65 attending one of two family practice clinics from 1997 to 1998. All women completed both the WEB and the ISA-P and a telephone interview. We figured agreement estimates between the two tools, used stratified analyses to evaluate attributes of those more likely to screen as battered or physically assaulted, and compared associations between the WEB and ISA-P and a range of mental and physical health indicators known to be associated with IPV. RESULTS 18% of 1152 eligible women surveyed had experienced IPV in a current or most recent intimate relationship with a male partner; 17% had been battered (WEB+), and 10% had been physically assaulted (ISA-P+). Had we used the ISA-P alone to assess IPV, we would have missed almost 45% of IPV. As anticipated, the ISA-P was more strongly associated with IPV-associated injuries and number of physician visits in the last year. The WEB was more strongly associated with self-perceived mental health, anxiety, depression, drug abuse, and low social support. CONCLUSION Clinicians need validated screening tools to rapidly and reliably screen patients for IPV. Most screening tools assess physical violence and injury without considering the more chronic experience of battering and the psychological terror associated with this violence. The WEB may identify more abused women than tools measuring physical assaults.
Zinc and cognitive development

Cognition is a field of thought processes by which an individual processes information through skills of perception, thinking, memory, learning and attention. Zinc deficiency may affect cognitive development by alterations in attention, activity, neuropsychological behavior and motor development. The exact mechanisms are not clear but it appears that zinc is essential for neurogenesis, neuronal migration, synaptogenesis and its deficiency could interfere with neurotransmission and subsequent neuropsychological behavior. Studies in animals show that zinc deficiency during the time of rapid brain growth, or during the juvenile and adolescent period affects cognitive development by decreasing activity, increasing emotional behavior, impairing memory and the capacity to learn. Evidence from human studies is limited. Low maternal intakes of zinc during pregnancy and lactation were found to be associated with less focused attention in neonates and decreased motor functions at 6 months of age. Zinc supplementation resulted in better motor development and more playfulness in low birth weight infants and increased vigorous and functional activity in infants and toddlers. In older school going children the data is controversial but there is some evidence of improved neuropsychological functions with zinc supplementation. Additional research is required to determine the exact biological mechanisms, the critical periods, the threshold of severity and the long-term effects of zinc deprivation on cognitive development.
Frequency domain approach to blind source separation in ECG monitoring by wearable system

In this paper we present a method for removing artifacts from biomedical signals acquired by wearable systems, taking advantage of multichannel data acquisition since both artifacts and signals of interest show common features in different channels. In order to take into account the effects of the different paths from the source signals to the sensors, we propose a method based on blind separation of convolutive mixtures: the observed data are seen as linear mixtures of filtered source signals where neither the source signals nor the convolution and mixing processes are known. The only hypothesis we make to recover the original sources is the statistical independence among them. The proposed method was applied on real ECG signals corrupted by motion artifacts with satisfactory results
Microbial Transformation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Pristine and Petroleum-Contaminated Sediments

To determine rates of microbial transformation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in freshwater sediments, 14C-labeled PAH were incubated with samples from both pristine and petroleum-contaminated streams. Evolved 14CO2 was trapped in KOH, unaltered PAH and polar metabolic intermediate fractions were quantitated after sediment extraction and column chromatography, and bound cellular 14C was measured in sediment residues. Large fractions of 14C were incorporated into microbial cellular material; therefore, measurement of rates of 14CO2 evolution alone would seriously underestimate transformation rates of [14C]naphthalene and [14C]anthracene. PAH compound turnover times in petroleum-contaminated sediment increased from 7.1 h for naphthalene to 400 h for anthracene, 10,000 h for benz(a)anthracene, and more than 30,000 h for benz(a)pyrene. Turnover times in uncontaminated stream sediment were 10 to 400 times greater than in contaminated samples, while absolute rates of PAH transformation (micrograms of PAH per gram of sediment per hour) were 3,000 to 125,000 times greater in contaminated sediment. The data indicate that four- and five-ring PAH compounds, several of which are carcinogenic, may persist even in sediments that have received chronic PAH inputs and that support microbial populations capable of transforming two- and three-ring PAH compounds.
Modifications of Hippocampal Circuits and Early Disruption of Adult Neurogenesis in the Tg2576 Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease

At advanced stages of Alzheimer’s disease, cognitive dysfunction is accompanied by severe alterations of hippocampal circuits that may largely underlie memory impairments. However, it is likely that anatomical remodeling in the hippocampus may start long before any cognitive alteration is detected. Using the well-described Tg2576 mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease that develops progressive age-dependent amyloidosis and cognitive deficits, we examined whether specific stages of the disease were associated with the expression of anatomical markers of hippocampal dysfunction. We found that these mice develop a complex pattern of changes in their dentate gyrus with aging. Those include aberrant expression of neuropeptide Y and reduced levels of calbindin, reflecting a profound remodeling of inhibitory and excitatory circuits in the dentate gyrus. Preceding these changes, we identified severe alterations of adult hippocampal neurogenesis in Tg2576 mice. We gathered converging data in Tg2576 mice at young age, indicating impaired maturation of new neurons that may compromise their functional integration into hippocampal circuits. Thus, disruption of adult hippocampal neurogenesis occurred before network remodeling in this mouse model and therefore may account as an early event in the etiology of Alzheimer’s pathology. Ultimately, both events may constitute key components of hippocampal dysfunction and associated cognitive deficits occurring in Alzheimer’s disease.
Diffraction of harmonic flexural waves in a cracked elastic plate carrying electrical current

The scattering effect of harmonic flexural waves at a through crack in an elastic plate carrying electrical current is investigated. In this context, the Kirchhoffean bending plate theory is extended as to include magnetoelastic interactions. An incident wave giving rise to bending moments symmetric about the longitudinal x-axis of the crack is applied. Fourier transform technique reduces the problem to dual integral equations, which are then cast to a system of two singular integral equations. Efficient numerical computation is implemented to get the bending moment intensity factor for arbitrary frequency of the incident wave and of arbitrary electrical current intensity. The asymptotic behaviour of the bending moment intensity factor is analysed and parametric studies are conducted.
Comparative Assessment of the Gelatin Particle Agglutination Test and an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for Diagnosis of Strongyloidiasis

ABSTRACT The performances of the gelatin particle agglutination test (GPAT) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the diagnosis of strongyloidiasis with reference to the results of the agar plate culture technique (APCT) were evaluated with samples from 459 individuals from communities in northeast Thailand where strongyloidiasis is endemic. The prevalence of strongyloidiasis in five sample groups determined by GPAT varied between 29.3 and 61.5% (mean, 38.8%). ELISA and APCT, employed concurrently, gave lower prevalence rates of 27.5% (range, 21.6 to 42.1%) and 22.7% (range, 12.7 to 53.8%), respectively. By using APCT as the standard method, the sensitivity of GPAT was generally higher than that of ELISA (81 versus 73%). The specificity of GPAT was slightly lower than that of ELISA (74 versus 86%). The resulting GPAT titers exhibited positive linear relationships with the ELISA values (optical density at 490 nm) (P < 0.05), which suggests that the GPAT titer also reflects the levels of specific antibody comparable to those reflected by the ELISA values. Based on the relative ease and simplicity of use of the technique as well as the acceptable rates of sensitivity and specificity of the test, GPAT is more practical for screening for strongyloidiasis than the conventional ELISA.
Validity and reliability testing of the Chinese (mainland) version of the 39-item Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39)

The 39-item Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39) has been tested in many languages, but not in Chinese mainland. We aimed to assess the Chinese (mainland) version of the PDQ-39. Seventy-one subjects with Parkinson’s disease (PD) completed the PDQ-39 and the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). All subjects were retested with the PDQ-39 a week later. The united Parkinson’s disease rating scale (UPDRS) and the Hoehn and Yahr (H & Y) scale were also used to evaluate the subjects. Reliability was assessed by Cronbach’s α and intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). Validity was examined in terms of agreement with SF-36, UPDRS, and H & Y scales. The Chinese (mainland) version of the PDQ-39 demonstrated acceptable reliability (Cronbach’s α: 0.84–0.88; ICC: 0.56–0.82). The item-total correlations (0.33–0.88) and scaling success rates (77.56%) indicated satisfactory convergent and discriminant validity of the PDQ-39 items. The correlations between related constructs of the PDQ-39 and UPDRS (r=0.44–0.68) and between those of the PDQ-39 and SF-36 (r=(−0.46)-(−0.69)) were all statistically significant (P<0.01). Except for stigma, cognitions, and bodily discomfort, all other dimensions of the PDQ-39 significantly discriminated patients at different H & Y stages indicated by the H & Y scale. Although our observations indicate that some problematic subscales of this version of the PDQ-39 could be improved upon, this study suggests acceptable reliability and validity of the Chinese (mainland) version of the PDQ-39.
Detection of Toxoplasma gondii-like oocysts in cat feces and estimates of the environmental oocyst burden.

OBJECTIVE To estimate the analytic sensitivity of microscopic detection of Toxoplasma gondii oocysts and the environmental loading of T gondii oocysts on the basis of prevalence of shedding by owned and unowned cats. DESIGN Cross-sectional survey. SAMPLE POPULATION 326 fecal samples from cats. PROCEDURES Fecal samples were collected from cat shelters, veterinary clinics, cat-owning households, and outdoor locations and tested via ZnSO(4) fecal flotation. RESULTS Only 3 (0.9%) samples of feces from 326 cats in the Morro Bay area of California contained T gondii-like oocysts. On the basis of the estimated tonnage of cat feces deposited outdoors in this area, the annual burden in the environment was estimated to be 94 to 4,671 oocysts/m(2) (9 to 434 oocysts/ft(2)). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Despite the low prevalence and short duration of T gondii oocyst shedding by cats detected in the present and former surveys, the sheer numbers of oocysts shed by cats during initial infection could lead to substantial environmental contamination. Veterinarians may wish to make cat owners aware of the potential threats to human and wildlife health posed by cats permitted to defecate outdoors.
Hemicelluloses Extraction of Bagasse and Bagasse Pith

In this paper, bagasse (de-pithed bagasse) and bagasse pith were treated respectively, the process of hemicelluloses extraction was optimized, and some parameters which may affect the hemicelluloses yield were discussed, such as alkali charge, temperature and time of extraction. The results showed that the hemicelluloses yield of bagasse was obviously affected by the alkali charge and temperature of extraction increasing at the same liquid-to-solid ratio and time, and the maximum reached 18.47% (base on o.d.) . To bagasse pith, it could obtain hemicelluloses of 15.37% by the same treatment with bagasse. Therefore, both bagasse and bagasse pith were the good materials for hemicelluloses extraction.
A National Profile of Tourette Syndrome, 2011–2012

Objective: To provide recent estimates of the prevalence of Tourette syndrome among a nationally representative sample of US children and to describe the association of Tourette syndrome with indicators of health and functioning. Methods: Data on 65,540 US children aged 6 to 17 years from the 2011–2012 National Survey of Children's Health were analyzed. Parents reported whether a health care provider had ever told them their child had Tourette syndrome or other neurobehavioral or chronic health conditions and whether their child had current Tourette syndrome. Results: Based on parents' report, 0.19% of US children had Tourette syndrome; the average age of diagnosis was 8.1 years. Children with Tourette syndrome, compared with those without, were more likely to have co-occurring neurobehavioral and other health conditions, meet criteria for designation as having a special health care need, receive mental health treatment, have unmet mental health care needs, and have parents with high parenting aggravation and parents who were contacted about school problems; they were less likely to receive effective care coordination or have a medical home. After controlling for co-occurring neurobehavioral conditions, the findings on parents being contacted about school problems and children having unmet mental health care needs were no longer significant. Conclusions: Tourette syndrome is characterized by co-occurring neurobehavioral and other health conditions, and poorer health, education, and family relationships. The findings support previous recommendations to consider co-occurring conditions in the diagnosis and treatment of Tourette syndrome. Future research may explore whether having a medical home improves outcomes among children with Tourette syndrome.
Tetrahedral Displacement: The Molecular Mechanism behind the Debye Relaxation in Water

The arguments for and against a single-molecule rotation mechanism for dielectric relaxation of water are surveyed. It is concluded that two distinct molecular mechanisms are operative in water. Single-molecule rotation is faster than the Debye relaxation time, τD, and possesses a smaller activation energy. It governs the abnormally fast proton mobility in water. The temperature dependence of τD agrees with that of water self-diffusion assuming a water hopping distance of 3.3 A, the separation between an occupied and unoccupied corners of a cube binding the pentawater tetrahedron. This slower translational mechanism controls the ordinary transport phenomena in water. “Tetrahedral displacement” correlates with two tetrahedral normal modes: the antisymmetric stretch in extended tetrahedral structures at low temperatures and a torsion mode in loosely bound tetrahedra at high temperatures. The temperature dependence of the 180 cm-1 Raman band is in quantitative agreement with the activation energy for water .
Learning Smooth Pooling Regions for Visual Recognition

From the early HMAX model to Spatial Pyramid Matching, spatial pooling has played an important role in visual recognition pipelines. By aggregating local statistics, it equips the recognition pipelines with a certain degree of robustness to translation and deformation yet preserving spatial information. Despite of its predominance in current recognition systems, we have seen little progress to fully adapt the pooling strategy to the task at hand. In this paper, we propose a flexible parameterization of the spatial pooling step and learn the pooling regions together with the classifier. We investigate a smoothness regularization term that in conjuncture with an efficient learning scheme makes learning scalable. Our framework can work with both popular pooling operators: sum-pooling and max-pooling. Finally, we show benefits of our approach for object recognition tasks based on visual words and higher level event recognition tasks based on object-bank features. In both cases, we improve over the hand-crafted spatial pooling step showing the importance of its adaptation to the task.