Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Durability of autoclaved aerated concrete based on Polish experience

The question of durability in the construction industry applies to building materials, components, and structures. In general, building materials, components, and structures are considered durable if their properties remain stable. Durability characteristics depend on a number of complex factors and conditions and may not always be effectively determined using simple standardized methods. Despite ongoing discussions and research, the question of durability and its measuring methods remains elusive. Studies revealed, for example, that shrinkage, phase composition, and durability of autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) are interrelated. The durability of a building or structure, as discussed in research papers, involves the durability of products and the (designed and anticipated) useful life. Studies on the durability of AAC have been prompted by the increasing production and use of AAC in the construction industry in Poland, specifically in wall constructions. Researches began in early 1960s and focused on AAC materials in industrial production and AAC partitions in experimental conditions and real‐world residential buildings. The studies examined the levels and distribution of moisture in concrete walls; conclusions have been formulated concerning the drying time, the effects of indoor and outdoor conditions, and the partition orientation relative to the points of the compass. Extended research on AAC durability co‐funded by AAC production plants and the Institute of Ceramics and Building Materials (ICiMB, formerly COBRPB CEBET) were resumed in 1999. The studies examined AAC made with fly ash and sand sampled at 5 cm intervals from partitions of 20—35, 40‐year‐old buildings and AAC stored outdoors under extreme conditions for the period of 21 and 40 years (protected with a tarpaper top cover), exposed to snow during winter. The building's technical condition was evaluated when the concrete samples were collected. The following research questions were addressed: operating moisture levels in partitions made of AAC produced using various production technologies (based on fly ash, sand); mineral composition and porosity structure of AAC after a long period of use (as compared to the mineral composition of “fresh” AAC produced using the same technologies); and whether changes in the tested parameters over time may contribute to AAC destruction, resulting in loss or significant reduction of AAC basic qualities, including compressive strength and frost resistance. The results of these studies will be discussed in this article. An analysis of the results of studies confirms the durability profile of AAC, which should be considered in formulating conclusions about the possible uses of AAC. Further research is needed to determine the limit values of AAC properties in the context of real‐world applications.
THE EVOLUTION OF CENTRAL GROUP GALAXIES IN HYDRODYNAMICAL SIMULATIONS

We trace the evolution of central galaxies in three ∼1013 M☉ galaxy groups simulated at high resolution in cosmological hydrodynamical simulations. In all three cases, the evolution in the group potential leads, at z = 0, to central galaxies that are massive, gas-poor early-type systems supported by stellar velocity dispersion and which resemble either elliptical or S0 galaxies. Their z ∼ 2–2.5 main progenitors are massive (M* ∼ (3–10) × 1010 M☉), star-forming (20–60 M☉ yr−1) galaxies which host substantial reservoirs of cold gas (∼5 × 109 M☉) in extended gas disks. Our simulations thus show that star-forming galaxies observed at z ∼ 2 are likely the main progenitors of central galaxies in galaxy groups at z = 0. At z ∼ 2 the stellar component of all galaxies is compact, with a half-mass radius <1 kpc. The central stellar density stays approximatively constant from such early epochs down to z = 0. Instead, the galaxies grow inside out, by acquiring a stellar envelope outside the innermost ∼2 kpc. Consequently the density within the effective radius decreases by up to 2 orders of magnitude. Both major and minor mergers contribute to most (70+20−15%) of the mass accreted outside the effective radius and thus drive an episodical evolution of the half-mass radii, particularly below z = 1. In situ star formation and secular evolution processes contribute to 14+18−9% and 16+6−11%, respectively. Overall, the simulated galaxies grow by a factor ∼4–5 in mass and size since redshift z ∼ 2. The short cooling time in the center of groups can foster a “hot accretion” mode. In one of the three simulated groups this leads to a dramatic rejuvenation of the central group galaxy at z < 1, affecting its morphology, kinematics, and colors. This episode is eventually terminated by a group–group merger. Mergers also appear to be responsible for the suppression of cooling flows in the other two groups. Passive stellar evolution and minor galaxy mergers gradually restore the early-type character of the central galaxy in the cooling flow group on a timescale of ∼1–2 Gyr. Although the average properties of central galaxies may be set by their halo masses, our simulations demonstrate that the interplay between halo mass assembly, galaxy merging, and gas accretion has a substantial influence on the star formation histories and z = 0 morphologies of central galaxies in galaxy groups.
Body condition at parturition and postpartum weight gain influence luteal activity and concentrations of glucose, insulin, and nonesterified fatty acids in plasma of primiparous beef cows.

Effects of body condition score (BCS) at parturition and postpartum weight gain on luteal activity and concentrations of glucose, insulin, and NEFA in plasma were evaluated during the breeding season in 242 primiparous beef cows over 3 yr (Y) at three locations (L). At approximately 90 d prepartum, cows were blocked by breed, expected calving date, and BCS and randomly assigned to diets so that cows would calve in BCS of 4, 5, or 6. At calving, cows were blocked by breed, calving date, and BCS and randomly allotted to gain . 45 (M) or . 90 (H) kg/d, from parturition to the start of breeding (postpartum nutrition; PPN). During the 60-d breeding season, weekly blood samples were obtained from cows, and progesterone, insulin, glucose, and NEFA were quantified. Progesterone concentrations greater than 1 ng/mL for more than 1 wk indicated luteal activity. To determine the possible value of blood constituents as predictors of luteal activity, categorical data analyses were performed. Cows with greater BCS at parturition had greater concentrations of glucose during breeding (P < .07). Similarly, PPN influenced glucose at the beginning of breeding, but the differences were minimal after d 28 (PPN x day; P <.001). Cows with greater BCS at parturition and M-PPN had greater concentrations of insulin during the breeding season (BCS x PPN; P < .02). Cows with a BCS of 6 at parturition had the lowest concentrations of NEFA; however, cows on H-PPN had greater concentrations of NEFA (BCS x PPN; P < .03). Location, BCS, PPN, and day affected luteal activity (P < .002). Location differences in luteal activity were associated with the interval from calving to the start of breeding. In general, a greater percentage of cows with BCS of 5 or 6 at calving had luteal activity by the end of the breeding season. Concentrations of metabolites in blood during breeding were not predictive of luteal activity. We conclude that BCS at parturition and postpartum nutrition influence concentrations of glucose, insulin, and NEFA in blood and the onset of luteal activity in primiparous beef cows.
A novel energy efficient chain based hierarchical routing protocol for wireless sensor networks

The nodes in a sensor network are severely constrained by energy. Reducing the energy consumption of the nodes to prolong the network lifetime is considered a critical challenge while designing a new routing protocol. In this paper we propose a new power-aware, adaptive, hierarchical and chain based protocol — CCPAR (Clustered Chain based Power Aware Routing) that utilizes the periodic assignments of the cluster head role to different nodes based on the highest residual battery capacity for ensuring the even dissipation of power by all the nodes. Transmission from a single cluster head to the base station in each round and the distribution of the data aggregation workload among all the nodes, save the cluster heads from early exhaustion. The use of data aggregation also reduces the amount of information to be transmitted to the base station. By chaining the nodes in each cluster and using a separate chain for the cluster heads, CCPAR offers the advantage of small transmit distances for most of the nodes and thus helps them to be operational for a longer period of time by conserving their limited energy. The simultaneous construction of multiple chains in different clusters reduces the time for chain construction as well as the length of each of the chains. These shorter length chains solve the problem of excessive delay in transmission for the distant nodes. Use of a fresh set of parameter values in each round provides the users the flexibility to change these values in a way to control the power consumption. The introduction of MAX threshold enables CCPAR to be quickly responsive and thus highly suitable for time critical applications. From the performance evaluation we observe that CCPAR outperforms other protocols in terms of energy saving and longevity of the network.
Temporal Concurrent Constraint Programming: Denotation, Logic and Applications

The tcc model is a formalism for reactive concurrent constraint programming. We present a model of temporal concurrent constraint programming which adds to tcc the capability of modeling asynchronous and nondeterministic timed behavior. We call this tcc extension the ntcc calculus. We also give a denotational semantics for the strongest-postcondition of ntcc processes and, based on this semantics, we develop a proof system for linear-temporal properties of these processes. The expressiveness of ntcc is illustrated by modeling cells, timed systems such as RCX controllers, multi-agent systems such as the Predator/Prey game, and musical applications such as generation of rhythms patterns and controlled improvisation.
Eye Tracking Based Experimental Study on Basic Digital Control Panel Usability

Various versions of a typical control panels are experimentally analyzed both from the effectiveness and efficiency point of view. The stimuli differed in objects' locations within a panel, and the type of the expected response to the presented stimuli. The results of users' performance are investigated using classical analyses of variance. Moreover, visual activity of all examined persons gathered by means of eye tracking system were presented and formally analyzed.
Second-order analysis of composite beam-columns with interlayer slip

Abstract Exact second-order analysis of two-layer composite beam-columns with weak shear connection which are subjected to transverse axial loads is presented. Closed-form solutions for the deflection, interlayer slip, bending moment and shear force are derived for simply supported beamcolumns. Results of the present paper are compared with the solutions obtained by a different method as which is used in this paper.
FtsZ filament capping by MciZ, a developmental regulator of bacterial division

Significance Division of bacteria is executed by a contractile ring whose cytoskeletal framework is FtsZ (filamentation temperature-sensitive Z), a protein evolutionarily related to eukaryotic tubulin. The FtsZ ring is made of filaments of head-to-tail FtsZ subunits but its architecture and the rules governing its assembly are still poorly known. Here we show that MciZ, an inhibitor of FtsZ ring formation, functions by capping the minus end of FtsZ filaments. Capping by MciZ makes FtsZ filaments shorter than normal, likely by blocking filament annealing; this represents fundamental information to understand how FtsZ filaments grow and shrink, and attain their normal size. The powerful inhibition of Z-ring assembly by MciZ also suggests that an FtsZ ring cannot form from filaments smaller than a certain size. Cytoskeletal structures are dynamically remodeled with the aid of regulatory proteins. FtsZ (filamentation temperature-sensitive Z) is the bacterial homolog of tubulin that polymerizes into rings localized to cell-division sites, and the constriction of these rings drives cytokinesis. Here we investigate the mechanism by which the Bacillus subtilis cell-division inhibitor, MciZ (mother cell inhibitor of FtsZ), blocks assembly of FtsZ. The X-ray crystal structure reveals that MciZ binds to the C-terminal polymerization interface of FtsZ, the equivalent of the minus end of tubulin. Using in vivo and in vitro assays and microscopy, we show that MciZ, at substoichiometric levels to FtsZ, causes shortening of protofilaments and blocks the assembly of higher-order FtsZ structures. The findings demonstrate an unanticipated capping-based regulatory mechanism for FtsZ.
Occurence of subtelomeric rearrangements in the genome of the microsporidian parasite Encephalitozoon cuniculi, as revealed by a new fingerprinting procedure based on two‐dimensional pulsed field gel electrophoresis

In Microsporidia, mitochondria‐lacking eukaryotic intracellular parasites, genomic comparisons were so far based on molecular karyotyping. The mammal‐infecting species Encephalitozoon cuniculi is characterized by a very low haploid genome size (˜2.8 Mbp) and rather high karyotype variability. Recently, we developed a two‐dimensional pulsed field gel electrophoresis (2‐D PFGE) fingerprinting technique useful for constructing a restriction map fo the genome of a mouse E. cuniculi isolate (karyotype variant A). The so‐called karyotype and restriction display 2‐D PFGE (KARD‐PFGE) protocol involved 1‐D chromosome separation, digestion with a rare cutter, Klenow radiolabeling of genomic DNA and 2‐D separation of restriction fragments followed by autoradiography. In order to assess its suitability for detecting polymorphic loci in E. cuniculi, we applied KARD‐PFGE with either BssHII or MluI digestion to genome analysis of two rabbit isolates representative of two different karyotype variants (A and C). The 2‐D spot pattern of the rabbit isolate variant A is identical to the reference mouse isolate but differs greatly from the rabbit isolate variant C. Chromosomal restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) provide strong evidence for homologous chromosomes and frequent DNA rearrangements within subtelomeric regions just upstream of the dispersed rDNA units closely associated with each chromosomal end.
THE IMPACT OF GENERIC COMPETITIVE STRATEGIES ON ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE. THE EVIDENCE FROM ALBANIAN CONTEXT

One of the main questions that guide researches in management field is why some companies are different and obtain good performance compare to other companies. Nowadays, there has been a growing intensity of competition in all areas of business and this has resulted in greater attention to analyse competitive behaviour under different competitive strategies application and environmental dynamics and complexity. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between competitive strategies and organizational performance. Testing the applicability of Porter`s generic strategies in construction firms we can explain the differences in the performance and comprehend how generic strategies can give them a performance advantage over the rivals. Simple random sampling technique was used to select a sample of 110 companies. The data was be collected using questionnaires and analyzed using ANOVA statistical model. This paper reports findings on the relationship between the Porter`s generic strategies (cost leadership, differentiation) and firm performances. The study found significant positive effects of cost leadership, differentiation and focus strategies on performance. The results of this study would assist the managers to design better competitive strategies they have to compete. According the purpose of this study there are following the qualitative and quantitative methods.
A comparative study of feature selection and machine learning techniques for sentiment analysis

Sentiment analysis is performed to extract opinion and subjectivity knowledge from user generated text content. This is contextually different from traditional topic based text classification since it involves classifying opinionated text according to the sentiment conveyed by it. Feature selection is a critical task in sentiment analysis and effectively selected representative features from subjective text can improve sentiment based classification. This paper explores the applicability of five commonly used feature selection methods in data mining research (DF, IG, GR, CHI and Relief-F) and seven machine learning based classification techniques (Naïve Bayes, Support Vector Machine, Maximum Entropy, Decision Tree, K-Nearest Neighbor, Winnow, Adaboost) for sentiment analysis on online movie reviews dataset. The paper demonstrates that feature selection does improve the performance of sentiment based classification, but it depends on the method adopted and the number of feature selected. The experimental results presented in this paper show that Gain Ratio gives the best performance for sentimental feature selection, and SVM performs better than other techniques for sentiment based classification.
Gradient Distribution Priors for Biomedical Image Processing

Ill-posed inverse problems are commonplace in biomedical image processing. Their solution typically requires imposing prior knowledge about the latent ground truth. While this regularizes the problem to an extent where it can be solved, it also biases the result toward the expected. With inappropriate priors harming more than they use, it remains unclear what prior to use for a given practical problem. Priors are hence mostly chosen in an {\em ad hoc} or empirical fashion. We argue here that the gradient distribution of natural-scene images may provide a versatile and well-founded prior for biomedical images. We provide motivation for this choice from different points of view, and we fully validate the resulting prior for use on biomedical images by showing its stability and correlation with image quality. We then provide a set of simple parametric models for the resulting prior, leading to straightforward (quasi-)convex optimization problems for which we provide efficient solver algorithms. We illustrate the use of the present models and solvers in a variety of common image-processing tasks, including contrast enhancement, noise level estimation, denoising, blind deconvolution, zooming/up-sampling, and dehazing. In all cases we show that the present method leads to results that are comparable to or better than the state of the art; always using the same, simple prior. We conclude by discussing the limitations and possible interpretations of the prior.
PUMP PROBE STUDIES OF SPIN DYNAMICS IN THE 2D PEROVSKITE BUTYLAMMONIUM METHYLAMMONIUM LEAD IODIDE

ix List of Abbreviations and Symbols Used . x Acknowledgements . xix Chapter
Tumor Growth Enhances Cross-Presentation Leading to Limited T Cell Activation without Tolerance

Using a tumor model of spontaneously arising insulinomas expressing a defined tumor-associated antigen, we investigated whether tumor growth promotes cross-presentation and tolerance of tumor-specific T cells. We found that an advanced tumor burden enhanced cross-presentation of tumor-associated antigens to high avidity tumor-specific T cells, inducing T cell proliferation and limited effector function in vivo. However, contrary to other models, tumor-specific T cells were not tolerized despite a high tumor burden. In fact, in tumor-bearing mice, persistence and responsiveness of adoptively transferred tumor-specific T cells were enhanced. Accordingly, a potent T cell–mediated antitumor response could be elicited by intravenous administration of tumor-derived peptide and agonistic anti-CD40 antibody or viral immunization and reimmunization. Thus, in this model, tumor growth promotes activation of high avidity tumor-specific T cells instead of tolerance. Therefore, the host remains responsive to T cell immunotherapy.
Time to clearance of human papillomavirus infection by type and human immunodeficiency virus serostatus

Persistent infection with high‐risk human papillomavirus (HPV) is central to cervical carcinogenesis. Certain high‐risk types, such as HPV16, may be more persistent than other HPV types, and type‐specific HPV persistence may differ by HIV serostatus. This study evaluated the association between HPV type and clearance of HPV infections in 522 HIV‐seropositive and 279 HIV‐seronegative participants in the HIV Epidemiology Research Study (HERS, United States, 1993–2000). Type‐specific HPV infections were detected using MY09/MY11/HMB01‐based PCR and 26 HPV type‐specific probes. The estimated duration of type‐specific infections was measured from the first HPV‐positive visit to the first of two consecutive negative visits. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for HPV clearance were calculated using Cox models adjusted for study site and risk behavior (sexual or injection drugs). A total of 1,800 HPV infections were detected in 801 women with 4.4 years median follow‐up. HRs for clearance of HPV16 and related types versus low‐risk HPV types were 0.79 (95% CI: 0.64–0.97) in HIV‐positive women and 0.86 (95% CI: 0.59–1.27) in HIV‐negative women. HRs for HPV18 versus low‐risk types were 0.80 (95% CI: 0.56–1.16) and 0.57 (95% CI: 0.22–1.45) for HIV‐positive and ‐negative women, respectively. HPV types within the high‐risk category had low estimated clearance rates relative to low‐risk types, but HRs were not substantially modified by HIV serostatus. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Is the Impact of Starvation on the Gut Microbiota Specific or Unspecific to Anorexia Nervosa? A Narrative Review Based on a Systematic Literature Search

Background: The role of the gut microbiota in Anorexia Nervosa (AN) has long been neglected by researchers, although the fact that the former is known to play an important role in health, disease and weight regulation. Cycles of over-weight and underweight due to natural states of starvation and refeeding are normal in many vertebrates in their ecological niches. Objective: The aim of this review was to compare the similarities and differences of the gut microbiota in eating disorders with conditions of fasting and refeeding in other vertebrates. Method: A systematic literature search was conducted in Pubmed and Web of Science to find all relevant studies examining the gut microbiota in eating disorders and different states of fasting in vertebrates for this narrative review. Results: Gut microbiota appears to differ in AN versus normal-weight individuals. Induced fasting conditions in other ver-tebrates resulted in heterogeneous effects on gut microbiota with respect to their richness, diversity and community struc-tures. The findings for hibernating animals were generally consistent. A decrease in microbial richness and diversity was ob-served in the hibernating animal compared to the active animal, and the community structures were linked to these conditions. Some similarities and differences between AN and different states of fasting in other vertebrates were found. Conclusion: The complexity of the relationship between fasting and gut microbiota is difficult to interprete. A deeper bio-logical understanding is necessary to identify promising approaches for the modulation of the AN gut microbiota to support established psychotherapies