Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Compressive Behavior of Steel-Fiber-Reinforced Concrete with a High Reinforcing Index

Compression tests on cylinders were performed to characterize the compressive stress-strain behavior of steel fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC) with a high reinforcing index. The reinforcing index, defined as the product of the volume fraction and the aspect ratio of the fibers, of steel fibers examined was as high as 1.7. Hooked-end fibers of various lengths and aspect ratios were considered. The test results indicated that a higher reinforcing index was associated with a higher strain at the peak stress and a higher toughness of SFRC, up to a reinforcing index approximately equal to that corresponding to a 2% fiber volume fraction. Adding steel fibers had little effect on the modulus of elasticity and compressive strength of SFRC. Long steel fibers and fibers with a lower aspect ratio resulted in a larger increase of the toughness of SFRC. On the basis of the test results, analytical models of the stress-strain curve in compression and toughness of SFRC with a reinforcing index up to 1.7 are developed.
Decentralized monitoring for large-scale Software-Defined Networks

The Software-Defined Networking (SDN) paradigm can allow network management solutions to automatically and frequently reconfigure network resources. When developing SDN-based management architectures, it is of paramount importance to design a monitoring system that can provide frequent and consistent updates to heterogeneous management applications. For the monitoring functionality to scale according to the requirements of large-scale networks a distributed monitoring approach is required. In this paper we present a decentralized approach for resource monitoring in SDN, which is designed to support a wide range of measurement tasks and requirements in terms of monitoring rates and information granularity levels. Our solution leverages effective processing of the monitoring requests to reduce the consumption of limited resources, such as the control plane bandwidth of OpenFlow switches. To demonstrate the benefits of the proposed approach, our evaluation is based on a realistic and demanding use case, where a distributed management application coordinates a content distribution service in an ISP network.
Selective Electrical Silencing of Mammalian Neurons In Vitro by the Use of Invertebrate Ligand-Gated Chloride Channels

Selectively reducing the excitability of specific neurons will (1) allow for the creation of animal models of human neurological disorders and (2) provide insight into the global function of specific sets of neurons. We focus on a combined genetic and pharmacological approach to silence neurons electrically. We express invertebrate ivermectin (IVM)-sensitive chloride channels (Caenorhabditis elegans GluCl α and β) with a Sindbis virus and then activate these channels with IVM to produce inhibition via a Cl− conductance. We constructed a three-cistron Sindbis virus that expresses the α and β subunits of a glutamate-gated chloride channel (GluCl) along with the green fluorescent protein (EGFP) marker. Expression of the C. elegans channel does not affect the normal spike activity or GABA/glutamate postsynaptic currents of cultured embryonic day 18 hippocampal neurons. At concentrations as low as 5 nm, IVM activates a Cl− current large enough to silence infected neurons effectively. This conductance reverses in 8 hr. These low concentrations of IVM do not potentiate GABA responses. Comparable results are observed with plasmid transfection of yellow fluorescent protein-tagged (EYFP) GluCl α and cyan fluorescent protein-tagged (ECFP) GluCl β. The present study provides an in vitromodel mimicking conditions that can be obtained in transgenic mice and in viral-mediated gene therapy. These experiments demonstrate the feasibility of using invertebrate ligand-activated Cl− channels as an approach to modulate excitability.
Lipoprotein(a): A missing culprit in the management of athero‐thrombosis?

Lipoprotein(a) Lp(a) is a cholesterol‐rich, LDL‐like particle that is independently associated with an increased risk for ischemic heart disease, atherosclerosis, thrombosis, and stroke. Genetic variation in the Lp(a) locus and some other genes related to Lp(a) synthesis and metabolism play a critical role in regulating plasma Lp(a) levels. The pathophysiological potential of Lp(a) is related to proatherogenic and prothrombotic effects on the vasculature. Different molecular mechanisms underlying the atherothrombotic potential of Lp(a), free apolipoprotein(a), and oxidized‐Lp(a) have been proposed. However, plasma Lp(a) assay is complicated by problems associated with quantification and standardization owing to the polymorphic nature of this lipoprotein. This review has focused on the physicochemical properties of Lp(a), the genetic aspects of Lp(a), the need for accurate determination of Lp(a), the synthesis, and recent findings on metabolism of Lp(a). Lastly, the patho‐physiological mechanisms by which Lp(a) may increase athero‐thrombosis and an overview on the therapeutic modalities to interfere with Lp(a) are summarized.
Allowing for uncertainty due to missing data in meta‐analysis—Part 2: Hierarchical models

We propose a hierarchical model for the analysis of data from several randomized trials where some outcomes are missing. The degree of departure from a missing‐at‐random assumption in each arm of each trial is expressed by an informative missing odds ratio (IMOR). We require a realistic prior for the IMORs, including an assessment of the prior correlation between IMORs in different arms and in different trials. The model is fitted by Monte Carlo Markov Chain techniques. By applying the method in three different data sets, we show that it is possible to appropriately capture the extra uncertainty due to missing data, and we discuss in what circumstances it is possible to learn about the IMOR. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Thermal Resistance Properties of Paratrooper Clothing

Combat free fall paratroopers’ (CFF) protective clothing, comprising of non-woven insulating material, inherently flame retardant Nomex fabric and cotton fabric combinations are studied under simulated conditions of conduction and sweat using Thermolobo-II technique. The results show that Non—woven insulating materials exhibit high thermal resistance in dry contact method under moderate wind velocity, whereas the thermal resistance values measured under wet conditions is significantly lower. The effect of air layer thickness, permeability and other important parameters, such as porosity, surface area have also been considered and correlated to assess the overall performance of protective clothing ensemble.
Non-distorted texture mapping for sheared triangulated meshes

This article introduces new techniques for non-distorted texture mapping on complex triangulated meshes. Texture coordinates are assigned to the vertices of the triangulation by using an iterative optimization algorithm, honoring a set of constraints minimizing the distortions. As compared to other global optimisation techniques, our method allows the user to specify the surface zones where distortions should be minimized in order of preference. The modular approach described in this paper results in a highly flexible method, facilitating a customized mapping construction. For instance, it is easy to align the texture on the surface with a set of user defined isoparametric curves. Moreover, the mapping can be made continuous through cuts, allowing to parametrize in one go complex cut surfaces. It is easy to specify other constraints to be honored by the so-constructed mappings, as soon as they can be expressed by linear (or linearizable) relations. This method has been integrated successfully within a widely used C.A.D. software dedicated to geosciences. In this context, applications of the method comprise numerical computations of physical properties stored in fine grids within texture space, unfolding geological layers and generating grids that are suitable for finite element analysis. The impact of the method could be also important for 3D paint systems.
Optimal and Approximate Q-value Functions for Decentralized POMDPs

Decision-theoretic planning is a popular approach to sequential decision making problems, because it treats uncertainty in sensing and acting in a principled way. In single-agent frameworks like MDPs and POMDPs, planning can be carried out by resorting to Q-value functions: an optimal Q-value function Q* is computed in a recursive manner by dynamic programming, and then an optimal policy is extracted from Q*. In this paper we study whether similar Q-value functions can be defined for decentralized POMDP models (Dec-POMDPs), and how policies can be extracted from such value functions. We define two forms of the optimal Q-value function for Dec-POMDPs: one that gives a normative description as the Q-value function of an optimal pure joint policy and another one that is sequentially rational and thus gives a recipe for computation. This computation, however, is infeasible for all but the smallest problems. Therefore, we analyze various approximate Q-value functions that allow for efficient computation. We describe how they relate, and we prove that they all provide an upper bound to the optimal Q-value function Q*. Finally, unifying some previous approaches for solving Dec-POMDPs, we describe a family of algorithms for extracting policies from such Q-value functions, and perform an experimental evaluation on existing test problems, including a new firefighting benchmark problem.
Analyzing Facebook Activities for Personality Recognition

Facebook is the largest and the most popular online social network application that records large amount of users’ behavior expressed in various activities such as Facebook likes, status updates, posts, comments, photos, tags and shares. One of the major attractions of such a dataset relates to the predictability of the individuals’ psychological traits from their digital footprints. Such predictions help researchers and service providers to improve personalized offering of products and services. The goal of this work is to investigate the predictability of Facebook users’ personality traits, measured by BIG5 test as a function of their digital records of behavior such as Facebook likes. This research is based on a dataset of 92,255 users who provided their Facebook likes and the results of their BIG5 personality test. As the Facebook likes data includes 600 attributes, the proposed model uses LASSO algorithm to select the best features and to predict Facebook users’ BIG5 personality traits. The best accuracy level of these predictions is achieved for Openness and Extraversion, the lowest accuracy level is obtained for Agreeableness while the accuracy levels of Conscientiousness and Neuroticism are in the middle.
Adenomatous Polyposis Coli Regulates Axon Arborization and Cytoskeleton Organization via Its N-Terminus

Conditional deletion of APC leads to marked disruption of cortical development and to excessive axonal branching of cortical neurons. However, little is known about the cell biological basis of this neuronal morphological regulation. Here we show that APC deficient cortical neuronal growth cones exhibit marked disruption of both microtubule and actin cytoskeleton. Functional analysis of the different APC domains revealed that axonal branches do not result from stabilized β-catenin, and that the C-terminus of APC containing microtubule regulatory domains only partially rescues the branching phenotype. Surprisingly, the N-terminus of APC containing the oligomerization domain and the armadillo repeats completely rescues the branching and cytoskeletal abnormalities. Our data indicate that APC is required for appropriate axon morphological development and that the N-terminus of APC is important for regulation of the neuronal cytoskeleton.
Non-Axial View of the Varicella-Zoster Virus Portal Protein Reveals Conserved Crown, Wing and Clip Architecture

Background: Herpesviridae encode a family of protein homologues that function as the ‘port of entry' for insertion of the viral DNA into preformed capsids during encapsidation. Methods: Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of recombinant varicella-zoster virus pORF54 was performed. Results: Results suggest that pORF54 forms higher-order structures with itself. Enriched fractions analyzed by TEM revealed non-axial oriented portals with defined central channels and distinguishable crown, wing and clip regions. Conclusion: These morphological features are consistent with those previously reported for other herpesvirus and bacteriophage portal proteins.
Salmonella Subtypes with Increased MICs for Azithromycin in Travelers Returned to the Netherlands

Antimicrobial susceptibility was analyzed for 354 typhoidal Salmonella isolates collected during 1999–2012 in the Netherlands. In 16.1% of all isolates and in 23.8% of all isolates that showed increased MICs for ciprofloxacin, the MIC for azithromycin was increased. This resistance may complicate empirical treatment of enteric fever.
SIRT1 Regulates the Human Alveolar Epithelial A549 Cell Apoptosis Induced by Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Lipopolysaccharide

Background: Sirtuin1 (SIRT1) is an NAD+-dependent deacetylase that plays an inhibitory role in cell apoptosis, which is associated with p53 deacetylation. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a key virulence factor produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and plays an important role in mediating the interactions between the bacterium and its host. However, the effect of SIRT1 in the regulation of LPS-induced human alveolar epithelial A549 cells apoptosis is unknown. Methods: Cell viability, apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production were first examined in A549 cells that were treated with LPS. Relative cell signaling pathways were further explored by western blot analysis. Results: Exposure of A549 cells to LPS decreased cell viability in a concentration- and time- dependent manner. LPS stimulated cell apoptosis and ROS production while inhibiting the expression of SIRT1 in A549 cells. Activation of SIRT1 by exposure to resveratrol significantly reversed the effects of LPS on A549 cells. In contrast, inhibition of SIRT1 by nicotinamide had the opposite effects enhancing cell apoptosis and ROS production. Conclusion: SIRT1 plays an important role in regulating the human alveolar epithelial A549 cell apoptosis process induced by LPS.
Recent Research on Thermal Fatigue of Composite Elements of Transport Means

Thermal fatigue occurred in many engineering constructions made of polymeric composites subjected to the intensive loading and vibrations. During this process the mechanical energy is dissipated in the form of heat due to the hysteretic behaviour of the material, which introduces the self-heating effect. In some cases the self-heating effect dominates the fatigue process and intensifies much structural degradation of composite elements. The paper presented a survey of engineering applications in which the self-heating effect and thermal fatigue occurred and recent advances in theoretical and experimental research in this area. Selected results of experimental studies were presented and discussed.
Modern Management of Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer

The approval or clinical evaluation of several new agents – cabazitaxel, enzalutamide, sipuleucel-T, radium-223 and abiraterone acetate – has significantly changed the management of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) prior to or after docetaxelbased chemotherapy. All of these agents have resulted in a significant survival benefit compared with their control group. However, treatment responses might differ depending on the associated comorbidities and the extent and the biological aggressiveness of the disease. Furthermore, treatment-associated side effects differ between the various drugs. As new drugs are approved, new treatment strategies and markers to best select which patients will best respond to which drug are needed. It is the aim of this article to (1) summarise the data of established treatment options in mCRPC, (2) highlight new developments of medical treatment, (3) provide clinically useful algorithms for the daily routine and to (4) point out future developments of medical treatment.
Providing an Explanation for Service Failure: Context, Content, and Customer Responses

This study investigated the role of explanations or accounts in mitigating the impact of service failure on customer satisfaction and loyalty in a hospitality context. The study used a between-subjects experimental design with different scenarios, which were presented to a sample of experienced hotel customers via a postal survey. The scenarios differed in terms of the severity of the service failure, the type of explanation (referential or justification) and the thoroughness of the explanation. The results suggest that referential explanations were associated with higher levels of satisfaction and loyalty than justifications, when the service failure was severe. Evidence was also found that account adequacy was an important mediator for the effect of thoroughness on satisfaction.
Compaction Characteristics of Municipal Solid Waste

Compaction characteristics of municipal solid waste (MSW) were determined in the laboratory and in the field as a function of moisture content, compactive effort, and seasonal effects. Laboratory tests were conducted on manufactured wastes using modified and 4X modified efforts. Field tests were conducted at a MSW landfill in Michigan on incoming wastes without modifications to size, shape, or composition, using typical operational compaction equipment and procedures. Field tests generally included higher efforts and resulted in higher unit weights at higher water contents than the laboratory tests. Moisture addition to wastes in the field was more effective in winter than in summer due to dry initial conditions and potential thawing and softening of wastes. The measured parameters in the laboratory were γdmax-mod =5.2 kN/ m3 , wopt-mod =65% , γdmax-4×mod =6.0 kN/ m3 , and wopt-4×mod =56% ; in the field with effort were γdmax-low =5.7 kN/ m3 , wopt-low =70% ; γdmax-high =8.2 kN/ m3 , and wopt-high =73% ; .
Pivotal Advance: The promotion of soluble DC‐SIGN release by inflammatory signals and its enhancement of cytomegalovirus‐mediated cis‐infection of myeloid dendritic cells

DC‐SIGN is a member of the C‐type lectin family. Mainly expressed by myeloid DCs, it is involved in the capture and internalization of pathogens, including human CMV. Several transcripts have been identified, some of which code for putative soluble proteins. However, little is known about the regulation and the functional properties of such putative sDC‐SIGN variants. To better understand how sDC‐SIGN could be involved in CMV infection, we set out to characterize biochemical and functional properties of rDC‐SIGN as well as naturally occurring sDC‐SIGN. We first developed a specific, quantitative ELISA and then used it to detect the presence sDC‐SIGN in in vitro‐generated DC culture supernatants as cell‐free secreted tetramers. Next, in correlation with their inflammatory status, we demonstrated the presence of sDC‐SIGN in several human body fluids, including serum, joint fluids, and BALs. CMV infection of human tissues was also shown to promote sDC‐SIGN release. Based on the analysis of the cytokine/chemokine content of sDC‐SIGN culture supernatants, we identified IFN‐γ and CXCL8/IL‐8 as inducers of sDC‐SIGN production by MoDC. Finally, we demonstrated that sDC‐SIGN was able to interact with CMV gB under native conditions, leading to a significant increase in MoDC CMV infection. Overall, our results confirm that sDC‐SIGN, like its well‐known, counterpart mDC‐SIGN, may play a pivotal role in CMV‐mediated pathogenesis.
The effect of state worry and trait anxiety on working memory processes in a normal sample

Abstract Introduction. This study investigated the effects of trait anxiety and state worry on working memory performance in a normal sample. Phase one investigated the effects of trait anxiety and state worry on the capacity of specific working memory components. Phase two investigated the validity of Eysenck and Calvo's (1992) Processing Efficiency Theory of worry. Method. Sixty adult participants (40 females and 20 males with a mean age of 26 years) were assigned to a 2 (trait anxiety: Low vs. high)×2 (state worry: Low vs. high) between-subjects design. Results. Contrary to prediction, worry did not lead to a decrement in performance on verbal working memory tasks but unexpectedly enhanced performance on visual tasks in participants with low trait anxiety (LTA). The results were also in opposition to expectations for Phase two. Individuals in the conditions of high trait anxiety and/or high state worry (LTA/HW, HTA/LW, and HTA/HW) displayed shorter response latencies than individuals in the LTA and low state worry (LTA/LW) condition on both verbal and spatial working memory (i.e., N-back) tasks. Conclusion. Although non-pathological worry is predominately a verbal-linguistic activity, it may also be complemented by the processing of visual imagery which facilitates problem-solving and adaptive functions.
Molecular Analysis of the 18S rRNA Gene of Cryptosporidium serpentis in a Wild-Caught Corn Snake (Elaphe guttata guttata) and a Five-Species Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism- Based Assay That Can Additionally Discern C. parvum from C. wrairi

ABSTRACT An adult wild-caught corn snake (Elaphe guttata guttata) was presented for humane euthanasia and necropsy because of severe cryptosporidiosis. The animal was lethargic and >5% dehydrated but in good flesh. Gastric lavage was performed prior to euthanasia. Histopathologic findings included gastric mucosal hypertrophy and a hemorrhagic erosive gastritis. Numerous 5- to 7-μm-diameter round extracellular organisms were associated with the mucosal hypertrophy. A PCR, acid-fast stains, Giemsa stains, and an enzyme immunoassay were all positive for Cryptosporidiumspp. PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis on gastric lavage and gastric mucosal specimens, and subsequent sequencing of the 18S rRNA gene, enabled a distinct molecular characterization of the infecting organism as Cryptosporidium serpentis. Until recently, studies on snakeCryptosporidium have relied on host specificity and gross and histopathologic observations to identify the infecting species. A multiple alignment of our sequence against recently published sequences of the 18S rRNA gene of C. serpentis (GenBank accession no.AF093499 , AF093500 , and AF093501 [L. Xiao et al., unpublished data, 1998]) revealed 100% homology with the C. serpentis(Snake) sequence (AF093499 ) previously described by Xiao et al. An RFLP method to differentiate the five presently sequenced strains of Cryptosporidium at this locus was developed. This assay, which uses SpeI andSspI, complements a previously reported assay by additionally distinguishing the bovine strain ofCryptosporidium from Cryptosporidium wrairi.