Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nonlinear analysis of smart functionally graded plates integrated with a layer of piezoelectric fiber reinforced composite

In this paper, a nonlinear static analysis of simply supported functionally graded (FG) plates integrated with a layer of distributed actuator made of piezoelectric fiber reinforced composite (PFRC) material is presented. The material properties of the functionally graded substrate plate are assumed to be graded in the thickness direction according to the power-law distribution in terms of the volume fractions of the constituents. The variational formulation of this electro-mechanical coupled problem is based on the first-order shear deformation theory and the von Karman type geometric nonlinearity. The Galerkin method is used to derive the nonlinear algebraic governing equations of the problem which are then solved by using the Newton–Raphson method. The numerical illustrations suggest the potential use of the distributed actuator made of PFRC material for active control of nonlinear deformations of smart functionally graded structures. Emphasis is also placed on investigating the effect of varying the piezoelectric fiber angle in the PFRC layer on its actuation capability for counteracting the large deflections of FG plates.
A Time-Domain Method for the Horizontal Electric Field Calculation at the Surface of Two-Layer Earth Due to Lightning

This paper presents a time-domain method for the calculation of the horizontal electric field at the earth surface due to lightning, when the earth structure is made up of two parallel horizontal layers of finitely conducting earth. The method is based on the assessment of the electric field at the surface considering the earth as homogeneous and with the electrical parameters of the first layer. The contribution of the second layer is considered by computing the waves reflected from the boundary between the layers, after they have propagated through the first layer. The paper also shows that the displacement currents could be neglected during the wave reflection, which leads to a simple expression for the reflection coefficient. The results from the method presented in this paper agree with results calculated using a known frequency-domain expression.
Novel serology testing for sporadic inclusion body myositis: disease-specificity and diagnostic utility

Purpose of reviewThe purpose of this article is to discuss recent advances in serological testing for sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM) and to provide a review of their diagnostic utility and disease-specificity of auto-antibodies in sIBM. Recent findingsThe identification, prevalence and diagnostic utility of a new auto-antibody targeting cytosolic 5’-nucleotidase 1A (cN-1A) in the serum of sIBM patients have recently been published. These studies have shown that anti-cN-1A auto-antibodies have diagnostic utility for differentiating sIBM from other forms of myositis and from other neuromuscular diseases. Anti-cN-1A-positive patient sera are directed to multiple epitopes of cN-1A and contain, in addition to IgG, IgA and IgM, anti-cN-1A auto-antibodies. Recent studies have also shown a relatively high prevalence of these auto-antibodies in sera form Sjögren's syndrome and systemic lupus erythematosus patients. SummaryThe recent discovery of auto-antibodies to cN-1A provides a serological tool to aid the differentiation between inflammatory myopathies and supports the idea that apart from degeneration, an adaptive immune response may also play a role in sIBM pathophysiology. Future research will need to focus on standardization of methods to detect these auto-antibodies in order to further explore their specificity and diagnostic utility for sIBM.
Unveiling flat traffic on the Internet: An SSH attack case study

Many types of brute-force attacks are known to exhibit a characteristic `flat' behavior at the network-level, meaning that connections belonging to an attack feature a similar number of packets and bytes, and duration. Flat traffic usually results from repeating similar application-layer actions, such as login attempts in a brute-force attack. For typical attacks, hundreds of attempts span over multiple connections, with each connection containing the same, small number of attempts. The characteristic flat behavior is used by many Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSes), both for identifying the presence of attacks and - once detected - for observing deviations, pointing out potential compromises, for example. However, flatness of network traffic may become indistinct when TCP retransmissions and control information come into play. These TCP phenomena affect not only intrusion detection, but also other forms of network traffic analysis. The contribution of this work is twofold. First, we analyze the impact of retransmissions and control information on network traffic based on traffic measurements. To do so, we have developed a flow exporter extension that was deployed in both a campus and a backbone network. Second, we show that intrusion detection results improve dramatically by up to 16 percentage points once IDSes are able to `flatten' network traffic again, which we have validated by means of analyzing log files of almost 60 hosts over a period of one month.
Paraventricular Hypothalamic Regulation of Trigeminovascular Mechanisms Involved in Headaches

While functional imaging and deep brain stimulation studies point to a pivotal role of the hypothalamus in the pathophysiology of migraine and trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias, the circuitry and the mechanisms underlying the modulation of medullary trigeminovascular (Sp5C) neurons have not been fully identified. We investigated the existence of a direct anatomo-functional relationship between hypothalamic excitability disturbances and modifications of the activities of Sp5C neurons in the rat. Anterograde and retrograde neuronal anatomical tracing, intrahypothalamic microinjections, extracellular single-unit recordings of Sp5C neurons, and behavioral trials were used in this study. We found that neurons of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) send descending projections to the superior salivatory nucleus, a region that gives rise to parasympathetic outflow to cephalic and ocular/nasal structures. PVN cells project also to laminae I and outer II of the Sp5C. Microinjections of the GABAA agonist muscimol into PVN inhibit both basal and meningeal-evoked activities of Sp5C neurons. Such inhibitions were reduced in acutely restrained stressed rats. GABAA antagonist gabazine infusions into the PVN facilitate meningeal-evoked responses of Sp5C neurons. PVN injections of the neuropeptide pituitary adenylate cyclase activating peptide (PACAP38) enhance Sp5C basal activities, whereas the antagonist PACAP6-38 depresses all types of Sp5C activities. 5-HT1B/D receptor agonist naratriptan infusion confined to the PVN depresses both basal and meningeal-evoked Sp5C activities. Our findings suggest that paraventricular hypothalamic neurons directly control both spontaneous and evoked activities of Sp5C neurons and could act either as modulators or triggers of migraine and/or trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias by integrating nociceptive, autonomic, and stress processing mechanisms.
A New Murine Model for Gastrointestinal Anthrax Infection

The scientific community has been restricted by the lack of a practical and informative animal model of gastrointestinal infection with vegetative Bacillus anthracis. We herein report the development of a murine model of gastrointestinal anthrax infection by gavage of vegetative Sterne strain of Bacillus anthracis into the complement-deficient A/J mouse strain. Mice infected in this manner developed lethal infections in a dose-dependent manner and died 30 h-5 d following gavage. Histological findings were consistent with penetration and growth of the bacilli within the intestinal villi, with subsequent dissemination into major organs including the spleen, liver, kidney and lung. Blood cultures confirmed anthrax bacteremia in all moribund animals, with approximately 1/3 showing co-infection with commensal enteric organisms. However, no evidence of immune activation was observed during infection. Time-course experiments revealed early compromise of the intestinal epithelium, characterized by villus blunting and ulceration in the ileum and jejunum. A decrease in body temperature was most predictive of near-term lethality. Antibiotic treatment of infected animals 24 h following high-dose bacterial gavage protected all animals, demonstrating the utility of this animal model in evaluating potential therapeutics.
Restorative sleep predicts the resolution of chronic widespread pain: results from the EPIFUND study

Objectives. Poor sleep is associated with chronic widespread pain (CWP). Conversely, good-quality sleep may play a role in the resolution of pain symptoms. Sleep is a multidimensional construct, comprising a number of diverse components. The aims of the current study were to examine the hypotheses that: (i) good sleep quality would predict the resolution of CWP, (ii) restorative sleep would predict the resolution of CWP and (iii) that these relationships would be independent of confounding psychological factors. Methods. Subjects in a population-based prospective study completed a pain questionnaire at baseline from which subjects with CWP were identified. Baseline sleep was measured using the Estimation of Sleep Problems Scale which measures sleep onset, maintenance, early wakening and restorative sleep. The questionnaire also contained scales examining psychosocial status. Subjects were followed up 15 months later and pain status was assessed. Results. A total of 1061 subjects reported CWP at baseline of whom 679 (75% of eligible subjects) responded at follow-up. Of those, a total of 300 (44%) no longer satisfied criteria for CWP. Univariate analysis revealed that three of the four sleep components were associated with the resolution of CWP: rapid sleep onset, odds ratio (OR) = 1.7, 95% CI 1.2, 2.5; absence of early wakening, OR = 1.6, 95% CI 1.1, 2.4; and restorative sleep, OR = 2.7, 95% CI 1.5, 4.8. After adjusting for the effect of psychosocial factors, which may have confounded the relationship, only restorative sleep (OR = 2.0, 95% CI 1.02, 3.8) was associated. Conclusions. Self-reported restorative sleep was independently associated with the resolution of CWP and return to musculoskeletal health.
Acid-base parameters and steroid concentrations in pre-ovulatory follicles and plasma of lactating dairy cows with spontaneous and synchronized oestrus or follicular cyst.

The study aimed to compare the acid-base balance and steroid concentrations between follicular fluids (FF) of pre-ovulatory follicles derived from a spontaneous oestrus (SO), synchronized or induced oestrus (IO) and follicular cysts (CYS) and between FF and blood in dairy cows. Forty-two dairy cows were included in this study. The animals were allocated to three groups: SO (n = 23); IO (n = 11) using GnRH at day 0 and day 9 and PGF2 α at day 7; and animals with CYS (n = 10). The follicular fluids (FF) were aspirated from the cyst/pre-ovulatory follicles (∅ ≥ 15 mm) after SO and after second GnRH dose in IO by transvaginal ultrasound-guided ovum pick-up technique. Blood samples (BL) were collected in heparinized vacutainer tubes. The oxygen tension (pO2) in FF of IO was higher (p < 0.05) than in SO and CYS groups. There were negative correlations (p < 0.001, r = -0.89) between FF and blood pO2. The carbon dioxide tension (pCO2) and lactate level in FF of CYS group were higher (p < 0.05) than in SO and IO groups. There were negative correlations (p < 0.01, r = -0.73) between blood and FF pO2. Oestradiol-17β concentration in pre-ovulatory follicles and plasma of the SO group was higher (p < 0.001) than in IO and CYS groups. Progesterone concentration in pre-ovulatory follicles and plasma of the SO and IO groups was lower (p < 0.01) than in CYS group. Plasma androstenedione concentration in SO and IO groups was higher (p < 0.05) than in CYS group. In conclusion, acid-base parameters, E2 and P4 levels in the follicular fluid of both IO and CYS groups were deviated greatly from the physiological level (disturbances of intrafollicular/intracystic environment), which may affect the quality of both the oocyte and the granulosa cells.
Pheromone Components and Active Spaces: What Do Moths Smell and Where Do They Smell It?

The pheromone-mediated flight behavior of male Oriental fruit moths was observed in the field to test the hypothesis that male activation far downwind of a female is initiated by the major, or most abundant, component of the pheromone blend. Males responded at significantly greater distances to the three-component pheromone blend produced by females than to the major component alone or to either binary mixture containing the major component and one minor component. These results support the alternative hypothesis that the active space of a multicomponent pheromone is a function of male perception of the female-released blend of components, rather than of the major component alone, and that so-called minor components have a greater impact on male behavior farther downwind of a female than previously thought.
Building a responsive teacher: how temporal contingency of gaze interaction influences word learning with virtual tutors

Animated pedagogical agents are lifelike virtual characters designed to augment learning. A review of developmental psychology literature led to the hypothesis that the temporal contingency of such agents would promote human learning. We developed a Pedagogical Agent with Gaze Interaction (PAGI), an experimental animated pedagogical agent that engages in gaze interaction with students. In this study, university students learned words of a foreign language, with temporally contingent PAGI (live group) or recorded version of PAGI (recorded group), which played pre-recorded sequences from live sessions. The result revealed that students in the live group scored considerably better than those in the recorded group. The finding indicates that incorporating temporal contingency of gaze interaction from a pedagogical agent has positive effect on learning.
A general class of aggregation operators with applications to information fusion in distributed systems

A collection of all plausible solutions to a given complex problem is considered, and it is assumed that these solutions are separately ranked by the degree to which they satisfy each member of an a priori chosen criteria set. Oftentimes these rankings can be accurately modeled as partial orders. Given such a collection of partially ordered sets (posets), one may wish to define a class of operators whose members may be used to aggregate this collection of posets into a single poset. Selection of a solution to the given problem can then be performed on this poset directly. The authors propose a framework that allows the construction of a variety of aggregation operators so as to bring forth their algebraic structure. <<ETX>>
Evaluation in Mouse Model of Combined Virus-bacterial Vaccine Based on Attenuated Influenza A(H7N3) Virus and the Group B Streptococcus Recombinant Polypeptides

Background: Secondary bacterial influenza complications are a common cause of excesses morbidity and mortality, which determines the need to develop means for specific prophylaxis. Group B streptococcal infection is especially common cause of pneumonia among children and the elderly with underlying conditions. Here we investigate in a mouse model the effects of combined intranasal immunization using live attenuated influenza vaccine and recombinant polypeptides based on group B Streptococcus surface proteins. Methods: Groups of outbred mice received two doses of the following preparations: 1) the reassortant A/17/Mallard/Netherlands/00/95 (H7N3) influenza virus; 2) a mixture of P6, ScaAB, ScpB1 and Stv recombinant GBS proteins (20 µg total); 3) the A(H7N3) influenza vaccine pooled with the four bacterial peptide preparation; 4) control animals were treated with PBS. Results: Intranasal vaccination using LAIV in combination with GBS polypeptides provided advantageous protection against infections with homologous A/Mallard/Netherlands/12/00 (H7N3) wild type virus or heterologous A/Puerto Rico/8/34 (H1N1) followed by serotype II GBS infection. Also, combined vaccination improved bacterial clearance from the lungs of mice. Conclusion: Intranasal immunization with LAIV+GBSV was safe and enabled to induce the antibody response to each of vaccine components. Thus, the combined vaccine increased the protective effect against influenza and its bacterial complications in mice compared to LAIV-only.
Erwinia mallotivora sp., a New Pathogen of Papaya (Carica papaya) in Peninsular Malaysia

Erwinia mallotivora was isolated from papaya infected with dieback disease showing the typical symptoms of greasy, water-soaked lesions and spots on leaves. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the strain belonged to the genus Erwinia and was united in a monophyletic group with E. mallotivora DSM 4565 (AJ233414). Earlier studies had indicated that the causal agent for this disease was E. papayae. However, our current studies, through Koch’s postulate, have confirmed that papaya dieback disease is caused by E. mallotivora. To our knowledge, this is the first new discovery of E. mallotivora as a causal agent of papaya dieback disease in Peninsular Malaysia. Previous reports have suggested that E. mallotivora causes leaf spot in Mallotus japonicus. However, this research confirms it also to be pathogenic to Carica papaya.
SEXUAL SELECTION, VIABILITY SELECTION, AND DEVELOPMENTAL STABILITY IN THE DOMESTIC FLY MUSCA DOMESTICA

Associations between developmental stability, sexual selection, and viability selection were studied in the domestic fly Musca domestica (Diptera, Muscidae). Developmental stability of the wings and tibia of flies of both sexes, measured in terms of their level of fluctuating asymmetry, was positively associated with mating success in free ranging populations and in sexual selection experiments. Mated individuals may have obtained indirect fitness benefits from sexual selection of two different kinds. First, the entomopathogenic fungus Enthomophthora muscae (Zygomycetes, Entomophthorales) infects and kills adult domestic flies, and flies dead from fungus infections had more asymmetric wings than flies dead for other reasons. Experimental deposition of fungus spores on uninfected flies demonstrated that flies with asymmetric wings were more susceptible to fungus infections than flies with symmetric wings. Second, domestic flies were frequently eaten by insectivorous barn swallows Hirundo rustica, and flies depredated by birds had more asymmetric wings and tibia than surviving flies.
Structure of a core fragment of glycoprotein H from pseudorabies virus in complex with antibody

Compared with many well-studied enveloped viruses, herpesviruses use a more sophisticated molecular machinery to induce fusion of viral and cellular membranes during cell invasion. This essential function is carried out by glycoprotein B (gB), a class III viral fusion protein, together with the heterodimer of glycoproteins H and L (gH/gL). In pseudorabies virus (PrV), a porcine herpesvirus, it was shown that gH/gL can be substituted by a chimeric fusion protein gDgH, containing the receptor binding domain (RBD) of glycoprotein D fused to a truncated version of gH lacking its N-terminal domain. We report here the 2.1-Å resolution structure of the core fragment of gH present in this chimera, bound to the Fab fragment of a PrV gH-specific monoclonal antibody. The structure strongly complements the information derived from the recently reported structure of gH/gL from herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2). Together with the structure of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) gH/gL reported in parallel, it provides insight into potentially functional conserved structural features. One feature is the presence of a syntaxin motif, and the other is an extended “flap” masking a conserved hydrophobic patch in the C-terminal domain, which is closest to the viral membrane. The negative electrostatic surface potential of this domain suggests repulsive interactions with the lipid heads. The structure indicates the possible unmasking of an extended hydrophobic patch by movement of the flap during a receptor-triggered conformational change of gH, exposing a hydrophobic surface to interact with the viral membrane during the fusion process.
Japan Now and the United States Then: Lessons from the Parallels

For much of the last decade, Japan’s banking crisis has been at the center of attention in the ongoing discussion of that country’s broader economic difficulties and of what public policy actions could alleviate them. The enormous loan losses and balance sheet erosion that nearly all Japanese banks have sustained during this period, and the resulting impairment of their ability to carry out ordinary credit creation activities, have been both a consequence and a cause of Japan’s prolonged economic stagnation. Of the 21 institutions that made up the standard list of Japanese ‘‘large banks’’ in 1990, by the decade’s end two had disappeared through failure and nationalization, and four others were consolidated into two by merger. At the time of writing, five of the remaining 17 are in the process of merging into two new entities, thus reducing the list to 14. But few observers think the shrinkage is over, or that the banks that remain are now healthy institutions. Questions about what further steps the Japanese authorities should take to foster the banks’ recovery—and to ensure their soundness once they have recovered—therefore continue to be pertinent. A decade ago, it was US banks, and even more so the US savings and loan (S&L) industry, that were in crisis. These institutions too suffered major loan losses, experienced failure rates unprecedented since the depression of the 1930s (especially among S&Ls, but among banks as
What is the Temporal Value of Web Snippets?

World Wide Web (WWW) is a huge information network from which retrieving and organizing quality relevant content remains an open question for mostly all implicit temporal queries, i.e., queries without any date but with an underlying temporal intent. In this research, we aim at studying the temporal nature of any given query by means of web snippets or web query logs. For that purpose, we conducted a set of experiments, which goal is to assess the percentage of web snippets or queries (in query logs) having temporal features, thus checking whether they are a valuable source of data to help on inferring the temporal intent of queries, namely implicit ones. Our results show that web snippets, as opposed to web query logs, are an important source of concentrated information, where time clues often appear. As a consequence, they can be particularly useful to identify and understand "on-the-fly" the implicit temporal nature of queries in the context of ephemeral clustering.
Improved Strategies of Multi-objective Differential Evolution (MODE) for Multi-objective Optimization

Multi-objective optimization using an evolutionary computation technique is used extensively for solving conflicting multi-objective optimization problems. In this work, an improved strategy of multi-objective differential evolution (MODE) where the mutation strategy is changed to a trigonometric mutation approach is proposed. The proposed strategy along with other well known strategies of MODE is used to compare the performance metrics (such as convergence and divergence) with other evolutionary algorithms from the literature. The Pareto optimal solutions are obtained for benchmark test functions and are compared using several strategies of MODE. Improved strategies of MODE show a competitive performance when compared with other evolutionary multi-objective optimization algorithms (EMOAs).