Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Experimental Evaluation of Sodium Silicate-Based Nanosilica against Chloride Effects in Offshore Concrete

This study investigates the effect of a new pore filling material, named sodium silicate-based nanosilica (SS), on resisting the diffusion of the chloride ions. The proposed SS is chosen, mainly due to its smaller particle size, compared to the conventional ethyl silicate-based nanosilica. Each particle of SS is chemically treated to have the negative (−) charge on its surface. Four types of mixes with different amounts of partial replacement with fly ash and slag are prepared. Effect of water to binder ratios (0.35, 0.40, and 0.45) is also examined. Test results showed that the inclusion of SS was significantly beneficial for protecting the concrete from chloride attack. At a given strength, the SS inclusion in concrete was up to three times more effective than the control concrete without SS. It is believed that these excellent results are attributed to the small particle size and the chemical surface treatment of SS. In this study, experiments of compressive strength, hydration heat, accelerated neutralization, and sulfate erosion tests were also conducted to find the general effect of SS inclusion on the fundamental properties and durability of concrete.
Zebrafish Calls for Reinterpretation for the Roles of P/Q Calcium Channels in Neuromuscular Transmission

A long-held tenet of neuromuscular transmission is that calcium-dependent neurotransmitter release is mediated by N-type calcium channels in frog but P/Q-type channels in mammals. The N-type assignment in frog is based principally on pharmacological sensitivity to ω-conotoxin GVIA. Our studies show that zebrafish neuromuscular transmission is also sensitive to ω-conotoxin GVIA. However, positional cloning of a mutant line with compromised neuromuscular function identified a mutation in a P/Q- rather than N-type channel. Cloning and heterologous expression of this P/Q-type channel confirmed a block by ω-conotoxin GVIA raising the likelihood that all vertebrates, including frog, use the P/Q-type calcium channel for neuromuscular transmission. In addition, our P/Q defective mutant line offered a means of testing the ability of roscovitine, known to potentiate frog neuromuscular transmission, to mediate behavioral and functional rescue. Acute treatment led to rapid improvement of both, pointing to potential therapeutic benefit for myasthenic disorders involving calcium channel dysfunction.
Teletraffic Analysis Formulation Based on Channel Holding Time Statistics

In this paper, a teletraffic analysis method based on channel holding time statistics for new and handoff calls for system level performance evaluation of mobile cellular networks with link unreliability is developed. Firstly, mathematical expressions for the probability distribution function of channel holding time for new and handoff calls are derived considering different phase-type distributions for both cell dwell time and unencumbered call interruption time due to link unreliability. Then, moments of channel holding time for new and handoff calls are derived using its moment generating function. After that, distribution of channel holding time is approximated by different phase-type distribution functions using the moment matching method. Finally, a novel teletraffic analysis formulation based on this channel holding time approximation is developed. This teletraffic model allows us to reduce computational complexity compared to the exact teletraffic model, which is based on cell dwell time and unencumbered call interruption time statistics. Important system-level performance metrics are derived using this model. Our numerical results are in good agreement with both simulation results and analytical results obtained using the exact teletraffic model.
Thrombin Upregulates Production of Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor Type 1 in Human Peritoneal Mesothelial Cells

Objective To determine the influence of thrombin, which is generated intraperitoneally during peritoneal dialysis, on the synthesis of fibrinolytic system components in human peritoneal mesothelial cells (HMC). Methods Confluently grown HMC, isolated from the omental tissue, were used in the experiments. Conditioned media were obtained by incubating cells with serum-free M199 containing the appropriate concentration of the test compound. Tissue type plasminogen activator (tPA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) antigen concentrations were measured by ELISA. Northern blot analysis was conducted for mRNA expression experiments. To test thrombin specificity, we used the thrombin inhibitor hirudin. The protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor Ro 31-8220 was inserted to examine whether the effect of thrombin depends on PKC activity. Results Thrombin increased PAI-1 antigen in the conditioned media of HMC in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. After 24 hours incubation, PAI-1 levels increased from 350 ± 30 ng/105 cells in control conditions to 620 ± 30 ng/105 cells in HMC exposed to 5 U/mL thrombin (n = 8, p < 0.05). In contrast, there was no effect of thrombin on tPA antigen levels. An increase of PAI-1 mRNA expression was also observed by Northern blot hybridization. Hirudin (10 U/mL) inhibited the thrombin-induced increase in PAI-1 synthesis. In addition, a complete inhibition of the stimulating effect of thrombin on PAI-1 synthesis was obtained by blocking PKC activity with Ro 31-8220 (3 μmol/L). Conclusions Thrombin increases PAI-1 synthesis in HMC via a PKC-dependent mechanism. Thereby the synthesis of tPA is not affected. Thus, thrombin may not only promote fibrin formation in the peritoneal cavity, but may also inhibit fibrin degradation by release of free PAI-1 from HMC.
Impact of femtocells to the WCDMA network energy efficiency

Energy consumption of mobile access networks has recently received increased attention. The cellular networks do not have considerable share in the overall energy consumption of the ICT (Information and Communication Technology) sector. However, reduction in energy consumption of cellular networks has great importance from economical and environmental perspective. In this paper we focus on the WCDMA energy saving through femtocell deployment. A simple model for the energy consumption per unit area has been derived based on WCDMA downlink load equations. The model is used to investigate the impact of load sharing between femtocells and macrocells on the overall energy consumption of the network. Based on the model we present two examples where two different deployment scenarios have been compared.
Linguistic Truth-Valued Lattice Implication Algebra and Its Properties

The subject of this work is to establish a mathematical framework that provides the basis and tool for automated reasoning and uncertainty reasoning based on linguistic information. This paper focuses on a flexible and realistic approach, i.e., the use of linguistic terms, specially, the symbolic approach acts by direct computation on linguistic terms. An algebra model with linguistic terms, which is based on a logical algebraic structure, i.e., lattice implication algebra, is constructed and applied to represent imprecise information and deal with both comparable and incomparable linguistic terms (i.e., non-ordered linguistic terms). Some properties and its substructures of this algebraic model are discussed
Towards High Assurance HTML5 Applications

Author(s): Akhawe, Devdatta Madhav | Advisor(s): Song, Dawn | Abstract: Rich client-side applications written in HTML5 proliferate diverse platformssuch as mobile devices, commodity PCs, and the web platform. These client-sideHTML5 applications are increasingly accessing sensitive data, including users'personal and social data, sensor data, and capability-bearing tokens. Instead ofthe classic client/server model of web applications, modern HTML5 applicationsare complex client-side applications that may call some web services, and runwith ambient privileges to access sensitive data or sensors. The goal of thiswork is to enable the creation of higher-assurance HTML5 applications. Wepropose two major directions: first, we present the use of formal methods toanalyze web protocols for errors. Second, we use existing primitives to enablepractical privilege separation for HTML5 applications. We also propose a newprimitive for complete mediation of HTML5 applications. Our proposed designsconsiderably ease analysis and improve auditability.
The impact of marketer -controlled factors on college-choice decisions by students at a public research university

THE IMPACT OF MARKETER CONTROLLED FACTORS ON COLLEGECHOICE DECISIONS BY STUDENTS AT A PUBLIC RESEARCH UNIVERSITY FEBRUARY 2002 JOHN DONNELLAN, B.A., AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE M.B.A., WESTERN NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE Ed.D. , UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Directed by: Dr. Johnstone Campbell The study examined college-choice decisions by students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The purpose of the study was to determine whether marketing factors controlled by the University have a greater impact on college choice than external environmental factors uncontrollable by the University. The literature showed evidence of considerable research on college choice, student recruitment, and use of marketing strategies in higher education. However, there was no evidence of research comparing the effectiveness of studentrecruitment marketing efforts controlled by an institution to factors impacting college choice over which an institution has little or no control. In view of the expanding use of marketing strategies in higher education
Mechanism of nitric oxide action on inhibitory GABAergic signaling within the nucleus tractus solitarii

The cellular mechanisms mediating nitric oxide (NO) modulation of the inhibitory transmission in the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) remain unclear, even though this could be extremely important for various physiological and pathological processes. Specifically, in the NTS NO‐evoked glutamate and γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) release might contribute to pathological hypertension. In cultured rat brainstem slices, NTS GABAergic neurons were targeted using an adenoviral vector to express enhanced green fluorescent protein and studied with a combination of patch clamp and confocal microscopy. Low nanomolar concentrations of NO increased intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in somata, dendrites, and putative axons of GABAergic neurons, with axons being the most sensitive compartment. This effect was cGMP mediated and not related to depolarization or indirect presynaptic effects on glutamatergic transmission. Blockade of the cyclic adenosine diphosphate ribose (cADPR)/ryanodine‐sensitive stores but not the inositol triphosphate‐sensitive stores, inhibited NO effect. Since cADPR/ryanodine‐sensitive stores are implicated in the Ca2+‐induced Ca2+ release, NO can be expected to potentiate GABA release. In support of this notion, a cADPR antagonist abolished the NO‐induced potentiation of GABAergic inhibitory postsynaptic potentials in the NTS. Thus, the NO‐cGMP‐cADPR‐Ca2+ pathway, previously described in sea urchin eggs, also operates in mammalian GABAergic neurons. Potentiation of GABA release by NO may have implications for numerous brain functions. —Wang, S. , Teschemacher, A. G. , Paton, J. F. R. , Kasparov, S. Mechanism of nitric oxide on inhibitory GABAergic signaling within the nucleus tractus solitarii. FASEB J. 20, E821–E831 (2006)
Clock Face Drawing Test Performance in Children with ADHD

Introduction The utility and discriminatory pattern of the clock face drawing test in ADHD is unclear. This study therefore compared Clock Face Drawing test performance in children with ADHD and controls. Methods 95 school children with ADHD and 191 other children were matched for gender ratio and age. ADHD symptoms severities were assessed using DSM-IV ADHD checklist and their intellectual functioning was assessed. The participants completed three clock-drawing tasks, and the following four functions were assessed: Contour score, Numbers score, Hands setting score, and Center score. Results All the subscales scores of the three clock drawing tests of the ADHD group were lower than that of the control group. In ADHD children, inattention and hyperactivity/ impulsivity scores were not related to free drawn clock test scores. When pre-drawn contour test was performed, inattentiveness score was statistically associated with Number score while none of the other variables of age, gender, intellectual functioning, and hand use preference were associated with that kind of score. In pre-drawn clock, no association of ADHD symptoms with any CDT subscales found significant. In addition, more errors are observed with free drawn clock and Pre-drawn contour than pre-drawn clock. Discussion Putting Numbers and Hands setting are more sensitive measures to screen ADHD than Contour and Center drawing. Test performance, except Hands setting, may have already reached a developmental plateau. It is probable that Hand setting deficit in children with ADHD may not decrease from age 8 to 14 years. Performance of children with ADHD is associated with complexity of CDT.
Marital Quality and Stress in Pregnancy Predict the Risk of Infectious Disease in the Offspring: The Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study

Objectives The aim of this study was to explore the degree to which couples’ relationship dissatisfaction and stressful life events during pregnancy predict the risk of infectious disease in the offspring during their first year of life. Methods Data were obtained from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study, conducted by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. Pregnant women completed questionnaires in week 30 of pregnancy concerning the couples’ relationship satisfaction and stressful life events. In follow-up questionnaires, the women reported whether their children (n = 74,801) had been subject to various categories of infectious disease: the common cold, throat infection, bronchitis, RS virus, pneumonia, pseudocroup, gastric flu, ear infection, conjunctivitis and urinary tract infection. Reports from two age groups of infants were used. Associations between the predictor and outcome variables were assessed via logistic regression and linear regression analyses. Results Separate logistic regression analyses for each disease and age group showed that prenatal relationship dissatisfaction and stressful life events were significantly associated with all reported categories of infectious disease. After controlling for socioeconomic factors, social support, smoking, breastfeeding, maternal depression, the sex of the offspring, and use of child care, 29 out of 32 tested associations were statistically significant. Finally, multivariate linear regression analyses showed that prenatal relationship dissatisfaction and stressful life events were significantly associated with the frequency, as well as the variety, of infectious disease in the offspring.
The Effect of Electrical Stressing History on the Slow Polarization of Nano-SiOx and Low-density Polyethylene Composite

The composite of nano-SiOx and low-density polyethylene is prepared with the double-solution method. Charging currents of the composite at same dc stress, as well as discharging currents, are recorded with Keithley 6517A. It is found that the curves of charging and discharging currents decrease with charging times. Transferring those charging and discharging currents from time domain into frequency domain with Fourier Transform method, it is found that the shapes of the dielectric loss spectrum vary with charging times and the loss peaks appears shifting to the low frequency area for the nanocomposite. At the same time, electrical stressing has different effect on dielectric loss in the nancomposite or pure LDPE, which have close relation with traps of the interfaces between nano-SiOx and polyethylene, as well as carriers' trapping and de-trapping in those interfaces
Can STOP Trial Velocity Criteria Be Applied to Iranian Children with Sickle Cell Disease?

Background and Purpose Sickle cell disease (SCD) is strongly linked to stroke across all haplotypes in the pediatric population. Transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasound is known to identify the highest risk group in African-Americans who need to receive and stay on blood transfusions, but it is unclear if the same flow velocity cut-offs can be applied to the Iranian population. We aimed to evaluate baseline TCD findings in Iranian children with SCD and no prior strokes. Methods Children with genetically confirmed SCD (Arabian haplotype, homozygote) and without SCD (controls) were prospectively recruited from pediatric outpatient clinic over a period of 9 months. We performed TCD in both groups to determine flow velocities in the middle cerebral (MCA) and terminal internal carotid arteries (TICA). Results Of 74 screened children, 60 met the inclusion/exclusion criteria (62% female; mean age 10±4 years). Baseline characteristics did not differ between the cases and controls, except hemoglobin (Hb) which was significantly lower in the SCD group (P<0.001). The right MCA TAMM (Time Averaged Maximum Mean) was significantly higher than in controls (125+5.52 cm/s vs. 92.5+1.63 cm/s, P<0.001). Left MCA did not show differences. The TICA TAMM was also different between cases and controls (P<0.05). Conclusions Among Iranian children with asymptomatic SCD and without receiving recent transfusion TCD velocities are higher as compared to healthy controls but appear much lower than those observed in STOP (Stroke Prevention Trial in Sickle Cell Anemia) studies. We hypothesize that some children at high risk may be present with velocities lower than 170-200 cm/s thresholds. A prospective validation of ethnicity-specific prognostic criteria is warranted.
Veterans and ethnic cleansing : evidence from the Partition of India

The partition of ethnically-diverse regions into homogeneous ‘homelands’ has been often mooted as a solution to civil war and ethnic conflict. However, the Partition of India in 1947, in which an estimated 3.4 million people went missing, looms large as a cautionary example. Yet, despite its iconic importance, systematic evidence assessing the political and economic determinants of ethnic cleansing during the Partition has hitherto been lacking. Using novel data, this paper assesses the determinants of minority outflows from Indian districts between 1931 and 1951 and documents that districts that raised army units that were arbitrarily assigned to experience longer combat experience in the Second World War also experienced greater “ethnic cleansing”– greater religious homogenisation both through outflows of the minority population and inflows of co-religionist refugees. The effect of combat experience increases in areas that were initially more mixed. The paper interprets these results as reflecting the role of war-time military experiences in providing human capital– enhanced skills at both organisation and at perpetrating violence– that become particularly important in polarised societies in transition.
Obesity Impairs Skeletal Muscle Regeneration Through Inhibition of AMPK

Obesity is increasing rapidly worldwide and is accompanied by many complications, including impaired muscle regeneration. The obese condition is known to inhibit AMPK activity in multiple tissues. We hypothesized that the loss of AMPK activity is a major reason for hampered muscle regeneration in obese subjects. We found that obesity inhibits AMPK activity in regenerating muscle, which was associated with impeded satellite cell activation and impaired muscle regeneration. To test the mediatory role of AMPKα1, we knocked out AMPKα1 and found that both proliferation and differentiation of satellite cells are reduced after injury and that muscle regeneration is severely impeded, reminiscent of hampered muscle regeneration seen in obese subjects. Transplanted satellite cells with AMPKα1 deficiency had severely impaired myogenic capacity in regenerating muscle fibers. We also found that attenuated muscle regeneration in obese mice is rescued by AICAR, a drug that specifically activates AMPK, but AICAR treatment failed to improve muscle regeneration in obese mice with satellite cell–specific AMPKα1 knockout, demonstrating the importance of AMPKα1 in satellite cell activation and muscle regeneration. In summary, AMPKα1 is a key mediator linking obesity and impaired muscle regeneration, providing a convenient drug target to facilitate muscle regeneration in obese populations.
Genotype–phenotype analysis of human frontoparietal polymicrogyria syndromes

Human cerebral cortical polymicrogyria is a heterogeneous disorder, with only one known gene (GPR56) associated with an apparently distinctive phenotype, termed bilateral frontoparietal polymicrogyria (BFPP). To define the range of abnormalities that could be caused by human GPR56 mutations and to establish diagnostic criteria for BFPP, we analyzed the GPR56 gene in a cohort of 29 patients with typical BFPP. We identified homozygous GPR56 mutations in all 29 patients with typical BFPP. The total of 11 GPR56 mutations found represented a variety of distinct founder mutations in various populations throughout the world. In addition, we analyzed five patients with BFPP who did not show GPR56 mutation and found that they define a clinically, radiographically, and genetically distinct syndrome that we termed BFPP2. Finally, we studied seven patients with a variety of other polymicrogyria syndromes including bilateral frontal polymicrogyria, bilateral perisylvian polymicrogyria, and bilateral generalized polymicrogyria. No GPR56 mutation was found in these patients. This study provides a molecular confirmation of the BFPP phenotype and provides the wherewithal for diagnostic screening. Ann Neurol 2005;58:680–687
The relationship between principals’ perceptions of school practices and student achievement in science: The implicit ethical meaning of the TIMSS

The aim of this study was to explore principals’ perceptions of school practices that have ethical meaning through a transnational perspective based on the 8th grade TIMSS 2015 international assessment. The sample comprised 8353 principals from 8353 different schools and 280,130 students that participated in the TIMSS 2015 survey. We used principals’ ranking procedure and Mplus for exploratory and confirmatory analyses, multilevel confirmatory analysis, and multiple group comparison. The results indicated that principals’ perceptions include three main dimensions with an ethical meaning: ‘caring for students’ learning’, ‘respecting the rules amongst students and teachers’ and ‘parents’ and students’ involvement in schooling’. These dimensions broaden the meaning of existing dimensions describing ethical practices in school leadership. In addition, they were found to positively predict students’ science achievements. The novelty of this study is reflected by the results, leading to the understanding that the TIMSS principals’ questionnaire has an additional meaning, which goes beyond its original parameters. The findings may lead to a better understanding of the importance of the role of educational leaders in promoting ethical school practices. This study set out to elicit a new transnational measure, which may warrant an exploration of the similarities and differences between countries.