Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Carbon Fiber Epoxy Composites for Both Strengthening and Health Monitoring of Structures

This paper presents a study of the electrical and mechanical behavior of several continuous carbon fibers epoxy composites for both strengthening and monitoring of structures. In these composites, the arrangement of fibers was deliberately diversified to test and understand the ability of the composites for self-sensing low strains. Composites with different arrangements of fibers and textile weaves, mainly unidirectional continuous carbon reinforced composites, were tested at the dynamometer. A two-probe method was considered to measure the relative electrical resistance of these composites during loading. The measured relative electrical resistance includes volume and contact electrical resistances. For all tested specimens, it increases with an increase in tensile strain, at low strain values. This is explained by the improved alignment of fibers and resulting reduction of the number of possible contacts between fibers during loading, increasing as a consequence the contact electrical resistance of the composite. Laboratory tests on strengthening of structural elements were also performed, making hand-made composites by the “wet process”, which is commonly used in civil engineering for the strengthening of all types of structures in-situ. Results show that the woven epoxy composite, used for strengthening of concrete elements is also able to sense low deformations, below 1%. Moreover, results clearly show that this textile sensor also improves the mechanical work of the strengthened structural elements, increasing their bearing capacity. Finally, the set of obtained results supports the concept of a textile fabric capable of both structural upgrade and self-monitoring of structures, especially large structures of difficult access and needing constant, sometimes very expensive, health monitoring.
The Role of Recombination for the Coevolutionary Dynamics of HIV and the Immune Response

The evolutionary implications of recombination in HIV remain not fully understood. A plausible effect could be an enhancement of immune escape from cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). In order to test this hypothesis, we constructed a population dynamic model of immune escape in HIV and examined the viral-immune dynamics with and without recombination. Our model shows that recombination (i) increases the genetic diversity of the viral population, (ii) accelerates the emergence of escape mutations with and without compensatory mutations, and (iii) accelerates the acquisition of immune escape mutations in the early stage of viral infection. We see a particularly strong impact of recombination in systems with broad, non-immunodominant CTL responses. Overall, our study argues for the importance of recombination in HIV in allowing the virus to adapt to changing selective pressures as imposed by the immune system and shows that the effect of recombination depends on the immunodominance pattern of effector T cell responses.
Bartonella spp. in Fruit Bats and Blood-Feeding Ectoparasites in Madagascar

We captured, ectoparasite-combed, and blood-sampled cave-roosting Madagascan fruit bats (Eidolon dupreanum) and tree-roosting Madagascan flying foxes (Pteropus rufus) in four single-species roosts within a sympatric geographic foraging range for these species in central Madagascar. We describe infection with novel Bartonella spp. in sampled Eidolon dupreanum and associated bat flies (Cyclopodia dubia), which nest close to or within major known Bartonella lineages; simultaneously, we report the absence of Bartonella spp. in Thaumapsylla sp. fleas collected from these same bats. This represents the first documented finding of Bartonella infection in these species of bat and bat fly, as well as a new geographic record for Thaumapsylla sp. We further relate the absence of both Bartonella spp. and ectoparasites in sympatrically sampled Pteropus rufus, thus suggestive of a potential role for bat flies in Bartonella spp. transmission. These findings shed light on transmission ecology of bat-borne Bartonella spp. , recently demonstrated as a potentially zoonotic pathogen.
Detection of Intratumor Heterogeneity in Modern Pathology: A Multisite Tumor Sampling Perspective

Current sampling protocols of neoplasms along the digestive tract and in the urinary bladder have to be updated, as they do not respond to the necessities of modern personalized medicine. We show here that an adapted version of multisite tumor sampling (MSTS) is a sustainable model to overcome current deficiencies in digestive and bladder tumors when they are large enough so as to make unaffordable a total sampling. The new method is based on the divide-and-conquer algorithm and includes a slight modification of the MSTS, which proved to be useful very recently in clear cell renal cell carcinoma. This in silico analysis confirms the usefulness of MSTS for detecting intratumor heterogeneity (ITH) in tumors arising in hollow viscera. However, MSTS does not seem to improve routine traditional sampling in detecting tumor budding, extramural venous invasion, and perineural invasion. We conclude that (1) MSTS is the best method for tumor sampling to detect ITH balancing high performance and sustainable cost, (2) MSTS must be adapted to tumor shape and tumor location for an optimal performance.
Systematic redundant residue number system codes: analytical upper bound and iterative decoding performance over AWGN and Rayleigh channels

The novel family of redundant residue number system (RRNS) codes is studied. RRNS codes constitute maximum-minimum distance block codes, exhibiting identical distance properties to Reed-Solomon codes. Binary to RRNS symbol-mapping methods are proposed, in order to implement both systematic and nonsystematic RRNS codes. Furthermore, the upper-bound performance of systematic RRNS codes is investigated, when maximum-likelihood (ML) soft decoding is invoked. The classic Chase algorithm achieving near-ML soft decoding is introduced for the first time for RRNS codes, in order to decrease the complexity of the ML soft decoding. Furthermore, the modified Chase algorithm is employed to accept soft inputs, as well as to provide soft outputs, assisting in the turbo decoding of RRNS codes by using the soft-input/soft-output Chase algorithm
WHY A WORLD STATE IS INEVITABLE : TELEOLOGY AND THE LOGIC OF ANARCHY

ii ABSTRACT Long dismissed as unscientific, teleological explanation has been undergoing something of a revival as a result of the emergence of self-organization theory, which combines micro-level dynamics with macro-level boundary conditions to explain the tendency of systems to develop toward stable end-states. On that methodological basis this article argues that a global monopoly on the legitimate use of organized violence – a world state – is inevitable. At the micro-level world state formation is driven by the struggle of individuals and groups for recognition of their subjectivity. At the macro-level this struggle is channeled toward a world state by the logic of anarchy, which generates a tendency for military technology and war to become increasingly destructive. The process moves through five stages, each responding to the instabilities of the one before: a system of states, a society of states, world society, collective security, and the world state. Human agency matters all along the way, but is increasingly constrained and enabled by the requirements of universal subjectivity. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
A class of kinetic models for chemotaxis with threshold to prevent overcrowding.

We introduce three new examples of kinetic models for chemotaxis, where a kinetic equation for the phase-space density is coupled to a parabolic or elliptic equation for the chemo-attractant, in two or three dimensions. We prove that these models have global-in-time existence and rigorously converge, in the drift-diffusion limit to the Keller–Segel model. Furthermore, the cell density is uniformly-in-time bounded. This implies, in particular, that the limit model also has global existence of solutions.
Predicting user preferences - An evaluation of popular relevance metrics

The many metrics employed for the evaluation of search engine results have not themselves been conclusively evaluated. We propose a new measure for a metric's ability to identify user preference of result lists. Using this measure, we evaluate the metrics Discounted Cumulated Gain, Mean Average Precision and classical precision, finding that the former performs best. We also show that considering more results for a given query can impair rather than improve a metric's ability to predict user preferences.
An Efficient DBSCAN using Genetic Algorithm based Clustering

Data mining is widely employed in business management and engineering. The major objective of data mining is to discover helpful and accurate information among a vast quantity of data, providing a orientation basis for decision makers. Data clustering is currently a very popular and frequently applied analytical method in data mining. DBSCAN is a traditional and widely-accepted density-based clustering method. It is used to find clusters of arbitrary shapes and sizes yet may have trouble with clusters of varying density. In this paper an efficient DBSCAN clustering using genetic algorithm is proposed. DBSCAN clustering provides some problem such as the algorithm is not efficient for noisy clusters; hence it is enhanced using genetic algorithm. The proposed technique is efficient in terms of accuracy and execution time. ——————————  ——————————
Optimized construction of MUC1-VNTRn DNA vaccine and its anti-pancreatic cancer efficacy

Considering mucin 1-variable number tandem repeat (MUC1-VNTRn) as a novel target for pancreatic cancer immunotherapy, the present study aimed to screen and identify the pVAX1-MUC1-VNTRn DNA vaccine with the strongest immunogenicity. Following construction of a pVAX1-MUC1-VNTRn plasmid, immature dendritic cells (DCs) were subjected to transfection, and mature DCs were then co-cultured with autologous T-cells. The numbers of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) secreting interferon (IFN)-γ were determined using an enzyme-linked immunospot assay, and CytoTox® was also used to examine the MUC1-VNTRn-specific Lethal effect of CTLs on Capan2 cells. Additional in vivo experiments in mice were performed to confirm the antitumor effect of the DNA vaccine candidate. The present study successfully constructed the pVAX1-MUC1-VNTRn plasmid, which expresses the target protein in eukaryotic cells. Additionally, upon uptake of the pVAX1-MUC1-VNTRn plasmid, the immature DCs differentiated into mature DCs. The levels of the DC surface molecules cluster of differentiation (CD) 80, CD86, human leukocyte antigen-antigen D related, interleukin (IL)-12, IL-17 and IFN-γ were significantly higher, while the levels of IL-10 and IL-14 were lower, in mature DCs of the stimulated groups compared with the immature DCs of the non-stimulated groups (all P<0.01). In addition, the MUC1-VNTR6 and MUC1-VNTR9 groups, in which DCs were capable of activating autologous T-cells, showed increased IFN-γ-producing T-cells compared with the other groups (strong MUC1-VNTR1, weak VNTR1, VNTR3, VNTR4 and MUC1-cDNA groups; all P<0.001). In addition, the Lethal effect of CTLs on Capan2 cells in these two groups was stronger compared with the other groups (all P<0.001). Furthermore, the induced protective and therapeutic immune responses in mouse experiments showed that the pVAX1-MUC1-VNTR6DNA vaccine likely possessed the strongest immunogenicity, and its ability to inhibit panc02-MUC1 tumor growth was superior to other DNA vaccines (P<0.01). The present study provides compelling evidence that pVAX1-MUC1-VNTRn has the potential to express the target protein in eukaryotic cells, and thatpVAX1-MUC1-VNTR6 was characterized by the strongest Lethal effect in both in vivo and in vitro experiments.
MHD mode coupling in the neighbourhood of a 2D null point

Context: At this time there does not exist a robust set of rules connecting low and high β waves across the β ≈ 1 layer. The work here contributes specifically to what happens when a low β fast wave crosses the β ≈ 1 layer and transforms into high β fast and slow waves. Aims: The nature of fast and slow magnetoacoustic waves is investigated in a finite β plasma in the neighbourhood of a two-dimensional null point. Methods: . The linearised equations are solved in both polar and cartesian forms with a two-step Lax-Wendroff numerical scheme. Analytical work (e.g. small β expansion and WKB approximation) also complement the work. Results: It is found that when a finite gas pressure is included in magnetic equilibrium containing an X-type null point, a fast wave is attracted towards the null by a refraction effect and that a slow wave is generated as the wave crosses the β ≈ 1 layer. Current accumulation occurs close to the null and along nearby separatrices. The fast wave can now pass through the origin due to the non-zero sound speed, an effect not previously seen in related papers but clear seen for larger values of β. Some of the energy can now leave the region of the null point and there is again generation of a slow wave component (we find that the fraction of the incident wave converted to a slow wave is proportional to β). We conclude that there are two competing phenomena; the refraction effect (due to the variable Alfven speed) and the contribution from the non-zero sound speed. Conclusions: These experiments illustrate the importance of the magnetic topology and of the location of the β ≈ 1 layer in the system.
Residual arnoldi methods: theory, package, and experiments

This thesis is concerned with the solution of large-scale eigenvalue problems. Although there are good algorithms for solving small dense eigenvalue problems, the large-scale eigenproblem has many open issues. The major difficulty faced by existing algorithms is the tradeoff of precision and time, especially when one is looking for interior or clustered eigenvalues. In this thesis, we present a new method called the residual Arnoldi method. This method has the desirable property that certain intermediate results can be computed in low precision without effecting the final accuracy of the solution. Thus we can reduce the computational cost without sacrificing accuracy. This thesis is divided into three parts. In the first, we develop the theoretical background of the residual Arnoldi method. In the second part, we describe RAPACK, a numerical package implementing the residual Arnoldi method. In the last part, numerical experiments illustrate the use of the package and show the practicality of the method.
The phylogeography of dusky dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obscurus): a critical examination of network methods and rooting procedures

We investigated the phylogeography and evolutionary history of dusky dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obscurus) using DNA sequences of the full mitochondrial cytochrome b gene in 124 individuals from the putative stocks off Peru, Argentina and Southwest Africa. While genetic differentiation within oceans is surprisingly low, there is no evidence for recent female gene flow between Atlantic and Pacific waters. Highest genetic variability in terms of sequence divergence and number of haplotypes is found in the Atlantic. Our analyses also indicate that the eastern South Pacific dusky dolphins stock should be considered a separate management unit. Given the high level of mortality experienced by the Peruvian dusky dolphin in local fishery activities, these findings have important implications for an objective management of the species. Furthermore, we analysed our mitochondrial sequence data with several widely used network estimation and rooting methods. The resulting intraspecific gene genealogies and rooting inferences exhibited substantial differences, underlying the limitations of some algorithms. Given that scientific hypotheses and management decisions depend strongly on inferred tree or network topologies, there is a clear need for a systematic comparative analysis of available methods. Finally, the present study indicates that (i) the dusky and the Pacific white‐sided dolphins are sister species and (ii) not only the Westwind Drift hypothesis but also other models of dispersion are compatible with the current geographical distribution of dusky dolphins.
Spectroscopic Abundance Analysis of Dwarfs in the Young Open Cluster IC 4665

We report a detailed spectroscopic abundance analysis for a sample of 18 F-K dwarfs of the young open cluster IC 4665. Stellar parameters and element abundances of Li, O, Mg, Si, Ca, Ti, Cr, Fe, and Ni have been derived using the spectroscopic synthesis tool SME (Spectroscopy Made Easy). Within the measurement uncertainties the iron abundance is uniform, with a standard deviation of 0.04 dex. No correlation is found between the iron abundance and the mass of the stellar convective zone or between the Li abundance and the Fe abundance. In other words, our results do not reveal any signature of accretion and therefore do not support the scenario that stars with planets (SWPs) acquire their on-average higher metallicity compared to field stars via accretion of metal-rich planetary material. Instead, the higher metallicity of SWPs may simply reflect the fact that planetary formation is more efficient in high-metallicity environs. However, since so many details of the planetary system formation processes remain poorly understood, further studies are needed for a final settlement of the problem of the high metallicity of SWPs. The standard deviation of [Fe/H] deduced from our observations, taken as an upper limit on the metallicity dispersion among the IC 4665 member stars, has been used to constrain protoplanetary disk evolution, terrestrial and giant planets formation, and evolution processes. The total reservoir of heavy elements retained by the nascent disks is limited, and high retention efficiency of planet-building material is supported. Under modest surface density, gas giant planets are expected to form in locally enhanced regions or start efficient gas accretion when they only have a small core of a few Earth masses. Our results do not support the possibility that the migration of gas giants and the circularization of terrestrial planets' orbits are regulated by their interaction with a residual population of planetesimals and dust particles.
Student Journalists Acceptance on Collaborative Writing Wikis

The objectives of the study are to identify relevant key intention determinants to Wikis use and to better understand the knowledge creation processes through an investigation of the individual planning and writing patterns. Surprisingly, perceived usefulness (technology utility) was found not significant to intention to use; while image became the strongest determinant to behavioral intention to use. Individual factors such as computer self-efficacy, personal innovativeness with technology were both significant determinants. Open-end survey items collected significant details from individual student journalists about their knowledge creation processes. Implications to Wikis implementation and limitations of the study are discussed.
Carbon monoxide line emission as a CMB foreground: tomography of the star-forming universe with different spectral resolutions

Context. The rotational lines of carbon monoxide and the fine structure lines of CII and of the most abundant metals, emitted during the epoch of enhanced star formation in the universe, are redshifted in the frequency channels where the present-day and future CMB experiments are sensitive. Aims. We estimate the contribution to the CMB angular power spectrum by the emission in such lines in merging star-forming galaxies. Methods. We used the Lacey-Cole approach to characterize the distribution of the merging halos, together with a parametrization for the star formation rate in each of them. Using observational data from a sample of local, low-redshift, and high-redshift objects, we calibrated the luminosity in each line as a function of the star formation rate. Results. We show that the correlation term arising from CO line emission is a significant source of foreground for CMB in a broad range of frequencies (in particular in the 20−60 GHz band) and for 1000 < l < 8000, corresponding to angular scales smaller than 10 arcmin. Moreover, we demonstrate that observing with different spectral resolutions will give the possibility of increasing the amplitude of the signal up to two orders of magnitude in Cl and will help separate the line contribution from practically all other foreground sources and from the primary fluctuations themselves, since these show no significant dependence on the spectral resolution. Conclusions. We propose to perform observations with varying spectral bandwidths (10 −3 < Δν/νobs < 10 −1 ) as a new tool to construct a tomography of the universe, by probing different redshift slices with varying thickness. This should yield new constraints on the regions responsible for the metal enrichment in the universe and on their clustering pattern and will lead to new hints about the reionization epoch and the cosmological parameters, including σ8.
The effect of self-regulated learning strategy training and question generation on metacognitive awareness and achievement among college students enrolled in science courses

THE EFFECT OF SELF-REGULATED LEARNING STRATEGY TRAINING AND QUESTION GENERATION ON METACOGNITIVE AWARENESS AND ACHIEVEMENT AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS ENROLLED IN SCIENCE COURSES Derrick L. Wilkins Old Dominion University, 2014 Director: Dr. Linda Bol Transitioning from high school students to college students can be a difficult task for students who do not know how to regulate their own study processes. Literature in the areas of metacognition, self-regulated learning (SRL), and question generation suggest a correlation between metacognitive awareness, SRL, and achievement. The present study was guided by efforts to improve college students’ achievement by promoting generative learning strategies and metacognitive awareness. Fifty-one undergraduate students enrolled in a general education biology course at a southeastern university participated in this three-week experimental study. The researcher used the Metacognitive SelfRegulation Scale of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (Pintrich, Smith, Garcia, & McKeachie, 1991) to examine changes in participants’ metacognitive awareness after completing a self-paced online training module. Calibration accuracy was also used to measure metacognitive monitoring. Exam scores were used to measure achievement. One-way ANOVA’s did not reveal significant differences between the treatment and control groups’ mean scores on the metacognitive awareness or achievement measures. However, descriptive results within the treatment group revealed trends similar to those reported in the literature. Students who generated primarily application questions scored higher on the exam than students who generated primarily recall questions. Recommendations for future research, which include increasing the sample size and extending the treatment beyond three weeks, would increase the likelihood of revealing significant group differences.