Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Low-temperature growth morphology of singular and vicinal Ge(001)

Scanning tunneling microscopy is used to study the nonequilibrium surface morphology of singular and vicinal Ge(001) grown by molecular-beam epitaxy. Growth on substrates with {approx}0.1{degree} miscut produces patterns of nearly symmetrical growth mounds over a wide range of growth temperature, 60{lt}T{lt}230{degree}C and film thickness, 0.5{lt}h{lt}1000nm. The characteristic slope or aspect ratio of the growth mounds increases with film thickness. Analysis of the onset of mound formation gives an estimate of the Ehrlich-Schwoebel length; l{sub ES} is approximately equal to the surface lattice constant and independent of temperature. This small value for l{sub ES} implies either a weak repulsive barrier ({Delta}E{sub d}{approximately}k{sub B}T) at descending steps or a step-adatom attraction ({Delta}E{sub a}{gt}k{sub B}T) at ascending steps. Buffer layers grown at T=365{degree}C on vicinal substrates (9{degree} miscut towards [110]) show (115) facets. Low-temperature growth on vicinal surfaces (6{degree} and 9{degree} miscuts at T=155 and 230{degree}C) produces highly anisotropic growth ridges oriented along the miscut direction with larger roughness amplitude and smaller in-plane length scales than mounds produced by the same growth conditions on singular substrates. At 230{degree}C, the slopes of the growth ridges are stabilized by the (105) surface. {copyright} {ital 1998} {ital The American Physical Society}
Detection of Disseminated Urothelial Cancer Cells in Peripheral Venous Blood by a Cytokeratin 20‐specific Nested Reverse Transcriptase‐Polymerase Chain Reaction

More than half of all patients with invasive urothelial cancer subsequently develop metastatic disease even after radical resection of the primary cancer. In these patients, neoplastic cells may be disseminated prior to or during the operation. A nested reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction (nested RT‐PCR) assay which amplifies cytokeratin (CK) 20 transcripts was used to detect cancer cells in the peripheral blood of urothelial cancer patients. This assay was able to detect 10 bladder cancer cell line cells in a sample of ten million peripheral‐blood mononuclear (PBMN) cells. CK 20‐specific signals were detected in 9 (22.5%) of 40 PBMN cell samples prepared from 40 urothelial cancer patients in relation to the tumor stage, including 0/13 patients with a superficial tumor, 4/21 (19%) with a regionally invasive tumor and 5/6 (83%) with a metastatic tumor (P=0.0002 in χ2 test). No signals were detected in any of 25 healthy donor PBMN cell samples. The present results indicate that the CK 20 RT‐PCR assay is applicable for detection of urothelial cancer cells in the peripheral blood. The assay also confirms that hematogenic dissemination occurs in invasive urothelial cancers but rarely in superficial ones.
Characterization of internal erosion in sand kaolin soils

ABSTRACT The appearance of breaches in recent hydraulic earthstructures due to internal erosion confirms that improving our physical understanding of the phenomenon is urgent. Under the effect of internal flows, earthstructures can undergo a migration of their particles, which modifies the particle size distribution and affects both hydraulic and mechanical characteristics. This paper initially presents a parametric study conducted on sand/kaolin samples. The experimental device described here consists of three modified triaxial cells used to control sample confinement, prevent any parasitic flow and survey sample large deformations. The tests reveal that internal erosion (suffusion or piping) is initiated by the transport of clay particles. The erosion rate, then, depends on the values of the different parameters considered (hydraulic gradient, clay content and filter pore opening size).
Using Universal Linguistic Knowledge to Guide Grammar Induction

We present an approach to grammar induction that utilizes syntactic universals to improve dependency parsing across a range of languages. Our method uses a single set of manually-specified language-independent rules that identify syntactic dependencies between pairs of syntactic categories that commonly occur across languages. During inference of the probabilistic model, we use posterior expectation constraints to require that a minimum proportion of the dependencies we infer be instances of these rules. We also automatically refine the syntactic categories given in our coarsely tagged input. Across six languages our approach outperforms state-of-the-art unsupervised methods by a significant margin.
Leg Power As an Indicator of Risk of Injury or Illness in Police Recruits

Tactical trainees, like those entering the police force, are required to undergo vigorous training as part of their occupational preparation. This training has the potential to cause injuries. In addition, the physical training, communal living and pressures of tactical training are known to induce immune suppression and have the potential to increase the risk of illness. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between leg power, as measured by a vertical jump (VJ), and rates of reported injuries and illnesses during police recruit training. Retrospective data from recruits (n = 1021) undergoing basic police recruit training at an Australian Police Force College was collected. Recruits completed a VJ assessment at the commencement of their second state of training. Formally reported illness and injuries were collected 12 weeks later, following completion of training. Correlations between VJ height and rates of reported illness and injury were low (r = −0.16 and −0.09, respectively) but significant (p < 0.005), with VJ height accounting for 2.6% and 0.8% of the variance in illness and injury rates, respectively. In terms of relative risks, recruits with the lowest recorded VJ heights were more than three times as likely as those with highest VJ heights to suffer injury and/or illness. Police recruits with lower VJ height are at a significantly greater risk of suffering an injury or illness during police basic recruit training.
A Graphic Method for Identification of Novel Glioma Related Genes

Glioma, as the most common and lethal intracranial tumor, is a serious disease that causes many deaths every year. Good comprehension of the mechanism underlying this disease is very helpful to design effective treatments. However, up to now, the knowledge of this disease is still limited. It is an important step to understand the mechanism underlying this disease by uncovering its related genes. In this study, a graphic method was proposed to identify novel glioma related genes based on known glioma related genes. A weighted graph was constructed according to the protein-protein interaction information retrieved from STRING and the well-known shortest path algorithm was employed to discover novel genes. The following analysis suggests that some of them are related to the biological process of glioma, proving that our method was effective in identifying novel glioma related genes. We hope that the proposed method would be applied to study other diseases and provide useful information to medical workers, thereby designing effective treatments of different diseases.
AN EVALUATION OF THE PROPERTIES AND BEHAVIOR OF ZIRCONIUM-URANIUM ALLOYS

Data from a survey of the literature and other available information on zirconium--uranium alloys have been reviewed for the purpose of obtaining a coherent picture of current knowledge about the properties and behavior of zirconium--uranium alloys. The results of the survey were used to revise and extend the presentation of material gathered earlier in a similar study and reported in BMI1030 in August 1955. The constitution of zirconium-uranium alloys is discussed, and a constitutional diagram for the system is presented. The effects of oxygen and nitrogen, which are present in these alloys as contaminants, on alloy constitution ars shownin the form of ternary diagrams and in terms of their quantitative effects on the phases present. The transformation kinetics and the nature of the transformation of the high-temperature body- centered-cubic gamma phase to the phases stable at room temperature are described. Two regions are discussed: in the 20 to 70 wi. % uranium composition range, gamma, which is retained on quenching, transforms isothermally to the intermediate epsilon-phase structure by a diffusion-controlled nucleation-and- growth process; in alloys containing less than 20 wt. % uranium, gamma transforms martensitically to a strained alpha-zirconium structure on quenching, with the diffusion-controlled transformation of gamma to either epsilonmore » or alpha proceeding above the M/sub s/ temperature. Typical zirconium -- uranium alloy microstructures produced by working and by various heat treatments are shown, and a correlation of the structure with the manner in which it was produced and the resultant mechanical properties is attempted. Hardness, tensile, and creep data for zirconium--uranium alloys are tabulated and evaluated in terms of alloy constitution and transformation-kinetics behavior. Physical-property data for zirconium-uranium alloys are presented in tabular and graphical form. The best fabrication techniques for forging, hot and cold rolling, extruding, and swaging are detailed. The corrosion resistance of zirconium-uranium alloys in wafer at various temperatures and corrosion behavior as affected by alloy constitution are discussed. The effect of ternary additions on corrosion resistance is discussed, and pertinent data are tabulated. The influence of zircocium -uranium alloy constitution and properties on neutronirradiation behavior is discussed, and the general effects of irradiation upon these alloys are summarized. (auth)« less
Experimental and numerical investigation of heat transfer in CNT nanofluids

Nanofluids with their enhanced thermal conductivity are believed to be a promising coolant in heat transfer applications. In this study, carbon nanotube (CNT) nanofluids of 0.01 wt%, stabilised by 1.0 wt% gum arabic were used as a cooling liquid in a concentric tube laminar flow heat exchanger. The flow rate of cold fluid varied from 10 to 50 g/s. Both experimental and numerical simulations were carried out to determine the heat transfer enhancement using CNT nanofluids. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were carried out using Fluent v 6.3 by assuming single-phase approximation. Thermal conductivity, density and rheology of the nanofluid were also measured as a function of temperature. The results showed thermal conductivity enhancement from 4% to 125% and nearly 70% enhancement in heat transfer with increase in flow rate. Numerical results exhibited good agreement with the experimental results with a deviation of . CNT nanofluids at 0.01 wt% CNTs showed Newtonian behaviour with no significant increase in the density.
Losartan reduces the costs associated with diabetic end-stage renal disease: the RENAAL study economic evaluation.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the within-trial effect of losartan and conventional antihypertensive therapy (CT) compared with placebo and CT on the economic cost associated with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The Reduction of End Points in Type 2 Diabetes With the Angiotensin II Antagonist Losartan (RENAAL) study was a multinational double-blind randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial designed to evaluate the renal protective effects of losartan on a background of CT (excluding ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor agonists [AIIAs]) in patients with type 2 diabetes and nephropathy. The primary composite end point was doubling of serum creatinine, ESRD, or death. Data on the duration of ESRD were used to estimate the economic benefits of slowing the progression of nephropathy. The cost associated with ESRD was estimated by combining the days each patient experienced ESRD with the cost of ESRD over time. The cost of ESRD for individuals with diabetes was estimated using data from the U.S. Renal Data System. Total cost was estimated as the sum of the cost associated with ESRD and the cost of study therapy. RESULTS-We estimated that losartan and CT compared with placebo and CT reduced the number of days with ESRD by 33.6 per patient over 3.5 years (P = 0.004, 95% CI 10.9-56.3). This reduction in ESRD days resulted in a decrease in cost associated with ESRD of 5144 US dollars per patient (P = 0.003, 95% CI 1701 to 8587 US dollars). After accounting for the cost of losartan, the reduction in ESRD days resulted in a net savings of 3522 US dollars per patient over 3.5 years (P = 0.041, 143 to 6900 US dollars). CONCLUSIONS Treatment with losartan in patients with type 2 diabetes and nephropathy not only reduced the incidence of ESRD, but also resulted in substantial cost savings.
Does Face Recognition Rely on Encoding of 3-D Surface? Examining the Role of Shape-from-Shading and Shape-from-Stereo

It is now well known that processing of shading information in face recognition is susceptible to bottom lighting and contrast reversal, an effect that may be due to a disruption of 3-D shape processing. The question then is whether the disruption can be rectified by other sources of 3-D information, such as shape-from-stereo. We examined this issue by comparing identification performance either with or without stereo information using top-lit and bottom-lit face stimuli in both photographic positive and negative conditions. The results show that none of the shading effects was reduced by the presence of stereo information. This finding supports the notion that shape-from-shading overrides shape-from-stereo in face perception. Although shape-from-stereo did produce some signs of facilitation for face identification, this effect was negligible. Together, our results support the view that 3-D shape processing plays only a minor role in face recognition. Our data are best accounted for by a weighted function of 2-D processing of shading pattern and 3-D processing of shapes, with a much greater weight assigned to 2-D pattern processing.
Local Health Department Effectiveness in Addressing the Core Functions of Public Health: Essential Ingredients

Objectives: Objective 8.14 of the U.S. Healthy People 2000 objectives calls for 90% of the population to be served by a local health department (LHD) which is effectively carrying out the core functions of public health (assessment, policy development, assurance). This study seeks to describe the structural and service characteristics of an effective LHD.Methods: Data from a 1993 national random sample survey of LHD practice were merged with data from the 1992–1993 National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) profile of local health agencies. Using a definition of effectiveness related to the core functions of public health, the correlates of effectiveness were examined for 264 health departments in the matched sample.Results: Effectiveness of local health agencies was not related to jurisdiction size or type. Inputs (structural factors) associated with effectiveness included having a full-time agency head, a larger budget derived from a greater number of funding sources, and a larger number of staff. With respect to outputs (services), effective health departments were also more likely to provide a greater number of services directly, particularly personal preventive and treatment services.Conclusions: Only a few inputs are correlated with core-function related effectiveness. However, a profile of an effective health department emerges. Effective LHDs appear more likely to have full-time leadership which is able to tap diverse funding sources to provide the mix and match of community and personal prevention and treatment services needed to address community needs and improve the public's health.
New condition for improved robust reliable controller design for neutral system with time delay

In this paper, the guaranteed cost control problem for a class of neutral delay-differential systems with a given quadratic cost functions is investigated. The problem is to design a memory state feedback controller such that the closed-loop system is asymptotically stable and the closed-loop cost function value is not more than a specified upper bound. Some criteria for the existence of such controllers is derived based on the linear matrix inequality (LMI) approach combined with the Lyapunov method. A parameterized characterization of the controllers is given in terms of the feasible solutions to the certain LMIs. A numerical example is given to illustrate the proposed method.
Pushing the limit: masticatory stress and adaptive plasticity in mammalian craniomandibular joints

SUMMARY Excessive, repetitive and altered loading have been implicated in the initiation of a series of soft- and hard-tissue responses or `functional adaptations' of masticatory and locomotor elements. Such adaptive plasticity in tissue types appears designed to maintain a sufficient safety factor, and thus the integrity of given element or system, for a predominant loading environment(s). Employing a mammalian species for which considerable in vivo data on masticatory behaviors are available, genetically similar domestic white rabbits were raised on diets of different mechanical properties so as to develop an experimental model of joint function in a normal range of physiological loads. These integrative experiments are used to unravel the dynamic inter-relationships among mechanical loading, tissue adaptive plasticity, norms of reaction and performance in two cranial joint systems: the mandibular symphysis and temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Here, we argue that a critical component of current and future research on adaptive plasticity in the skull, and especially cranial joints, should employ a multifaceted characterization of a functional system, one that incorporates data on myriad tissues so as to evaluate the role of altered load versus differential tissue response on the anatomical, cellular and molecular processes that contribute to the strength of such composite structures. Our study also suggests that the short-term duration of earlier analyses of cranial joint tissues may offer a limited notion of the complex process of developmental plasticity, especially as it relates to the effects of long-term variation in mechanical loads, when a joint is increasingly characterized by adaptive and degradative changes in tissue structure and composition. Indeed, it is likely that a component of the adaptive increases in rabbit TMJ and symphyseal proportions and biomineralization represent a compensatory mechanism to cartilage degradation that serves to maintain the overall functional integrity of each joint system. Therefore, while variation in cranial joint anatomy and performance among sister taxa is, in part, an epiphenomenon of interspecific differences in diet-induced masticatory stresses characterizing the individual ontogenies of the members of a species, this behavioral signal may be increasingly mitigated in over-loaded and perhaps older organisms by the interplay between adaptive and degradative tissue responses.
Simultaneous food localization and recognition

The development of automatic nutrition diaries, which would allow to keep track objectively of everything we eat, could enable a whole new world of possibilities for people concerned about their nutrition patterns. With this purpose, in this paper we propose the first method for simultaneous food localization and recognition. Our method is based on two main steps, which consist in, first, produce a food activation map on the input image (i.e. heat map of probabilities) for generating bounding boxes proposals and, second, recognize each of the food types or food-related objects present in each bounding box. We demonstrate that our proposal, compared to the most similar problem nowadays - object localization, is able to obtain high precision and reasonable recall levels with only a few bounding boxes. Furthermore, we show that it is applicable to both conventional and egocentric images.
The Influences Transfer of Training on Relationship between Knowledge Characteristic of Work Design Model and Outcomes

—The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships among transfer of training, knowledge characteristic of work design and work outcomes. Transfer of training is not only served as the predictor, but also the moderator to the prediction of knowledge characteristics towards outcome variables. Subjects are 252 teachers and administrative staff coming from various school levels. Results indicate that among the five-characteristics of knowledge, the variable specialization is positively correlated to outcome variables. Nevertheless, transfer of training can positively predict outcomes. More importantly, transfer of training as a moderator can influence the relationship of specialization for satisfaction to organization, but not for satisfaction to performance and job performance. These results suggest that in order to achieve satisfaction and performance, human resource practice agency should design training that gives trainees the ability to enhance knowledge and skill.
Can Integrin Agonists Have Cards to Play against Cancer? A Literature Survey of Small Molecules Integrin Activators

The ability of integrins to activate and integrate intracellular communication illustrates the potential of these receptors to serve as functional distribution hubs in a bi-directional signal transfer outside-in and inside-out of the cells. Tight regulation of the integrin signaling is paramount for normal physiological functions such as migration, proliferation, and differentiation, and misregulated integrin activity could be associated with several pathological conditions. Because of the important roles of integrins and their ligands in biological development, immune responses, leukocyte traffic, haemostasis, and cancer, their potential as therapeutic tools is now widely recognized. Nowadays extensive efforts have been made to discover and develop small molecule ligands as integrin antagonists, whereas less attention has been payed to agonists. In recent years, it has been recognized that integrin agonists could open up novel opportunities for therapeutics, which gain benefits to increase rather than decrease integrin-dependent adhesion and transductional events. For instance, a significant factor in chemo-resistance in melanoma is a loss of integrin-mediated adhesion; in this case, stimulation of integrin signaling by agonists significantly improved the response to chemotherapy. In this review, we overview results about small molecules which revealed an activating action on some integrins, especially those involved in cancer, and examine from a medicinal chemistry point of view, their structure and behavior.