Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence on Bond Strength of Prior-to-Cast Corroded Reinforcing Steel

The reducing in cross sectional area of a reinforcing steel bar (rebar) by corrosion suggests the possibility of decreased bond strength between the rebar and surrounding concrete. The efficacy a common repair method for corroded rebar used in concrete structures is discussed in this report. The method includes removal of concrete damaged by the rebar corrosion, cleaning of the rebar by sandblasting, and placement of a concrete patch material. The objective of the study was to determine the influence of corrosion-induced rib degradation on maximum load, initial slip load, slip prior to failure, and maximum bond stress. The scope of the study includes two factors: rebar size and degree of corrosion. Three rebar sizes were considered: #5, #8, and #11. Eight levels of corrosion were considered: 0.00%, 0.25%, 0.50%, 1.00%, 2.00%, 5.00%, 7.50%, and 10.0%. A full-factorial treatment structure was used, with three replicates per treatment, for a test matrix of 72 specimens. The experimental unit was a cantilever beam specimen embedded with rebar corroded prior to casting. Pull-out tests were conducted in which bar slippage and applied load were measured. The data were analyzed using several statistical methods including analysis of variance, Tukey’s mean separation procedure, and bivariate linear regression. The analyses established that there was insufficient evidence to suggest that corrosion reduces maximum load for all three rebar sizes. Sufficient evidence, however, exists to suggest that corrosion reduces initial slip load for #11 rebars but not for #8 rebars. In addition, sufficient evidence exists to suggest that corrosion increases the slip prior to failure for #5 rebars, but not for #8 or #11 rebars. There was, however, not sufficient evidence to suggest that corrosion reduces maximum bond stress for all three rebar sizes.
Awareness of body weight by mothers and their children: repeated measures in a single cohort (EarlyBird 64).

BACKGROUND Mothers often do not realize when their child is overweight. We aimed to compare mothers' perceptions of children's weight before and during puberty, and to explore factors at 7 years predicting recognition of overweight at 16 years. METHODS Mothers of 237 children (136 boys) from the EarlyBird study estimated their own weight category and that of their child aged 7 years and 16 years. The children estimated their own weight category at 16 years. Annual measures: body mass index standard deviation score (BMIsds), per cent fat, physical activity. Pubertal development assessed by age at peak height velocity (APHV). MATERNAL MEASURES: BMI, education, socio-economic status. RESULTS At 7 years 21% of girls and 16% of boys were overweight or obese, rising to 27% and 22% respectively at 16 years. The accuracy of the mother's perception of her child's weight category improved from 44% at 7 years to 74% at 16 years, but they were less able to judge overweight in sons than daughters. The mothers' level of concern about overweight was greater for girls than boys, and increased for girls (52% mothers of overweight/obese girls were worried at 7 years, 62% at 16 years), but remained static in the boys (42% vs. 39%). Over 80% of the youngsters realized when they were overweight, but 25% normal-weight girls also classed themselves as overweight. Only BMI predicted a mother's ability to correctly perceive her child's weight. Neither her awareness, nor concern, about the child's weight at 7 years had any impact on the trajectory of the child's BMI from 7 years to 16 years. CONCLUSIONS Parents are central to any successful weight reduction programme in their children, but will not engage while they remain ignorant of the problem. Crucially, any concern mothers may have about their child's excess weight at 7 years appears to have no impact on subsequent weight change.
Profiling Revealed by Genome-Wide Gene Expression in Situ Embryonic Stem Cell-Like Features of Testicular Carcinoma

Carcinoma in situ (CIS) is the common precursor of histologically heterogeneous testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs), which in recent decades have markedly increased and now are the most common malignancy of young men. Using genome-wide gene expression profiling, we identified >200 genes highly expressed in testicular CIS, including many never reported in testicular neoplasms. Expression was further verified by semiquantitative reverse transcription-PCR and in situ hybridization. Among the highest expressed genes were NANOG and POU5F1, and reverse transcription-PCR revealed possible changes in their stoichiometry on progression into embryonic carcinoma. We compared the CIS expression profile with patterns reported in embryonic stem cells (ESCs), which revealed a substantial overlap that may be as high as 50%. We also demonstrated an over-representation of expressed genes in regions of 17q and 12, reported as unstable in cultured ESCs. The close similarity between CIS and ESCs explains the pluripotency of CIS. Moreover, the findings are consistent with an early prenatal origin of TGCTs and thus suggest that etiologic factors operating in utero are of primary importance for the incidence trends of TGCTs. Finally, some of the highly expressed genes identified in this study are promising candidates for new diagnostic markers for CIS and/or TGCTs.
CHANGES IN MATING SYSTEM AND SOCIAL STRUCTURE OF THE ANT PETALOMYRMEX PHYLAX ARE ASSOCIATED WITH RANGE EXPANSION IN CAMEROON

Abstract Past climate shifts have led to major oscillations in species distributions. Hence historical contingencies and selective processes occurring during such phases may be determinants for understanding the forces that have shaped extant phenotypes. In the plant–ant Petalomyrmex phylax (Formicinae), we observed spatial variation in number of queens in mature colonies, from several queens (high polygyny) in the median part of its distribution to a moderate number of queens (weak polygyny) or even only a single queen (monogyny) in the southwesternmost populations. This variation did not correlate with indicators of variation in current nest site availability and colony turnover, the supposedly determinant selective forces acting on gyny in ants. We show here that the variation in social structure correlates with a historical process corresponding to a progressive colonization of coastal southern Cameroon by the ant. Using microsatellite markers, we observed a clear pattern of isolation by distance except for the southernmost populations. Measures of genetic variability that do not take into account allele size were at equilibrium in all except the southernmost populations, suggesting recent foundation of the latter. Measures of genetic diversity taking into account allele size showed a clinal north–south decrease in variance of allele size. We propose that southern populations have yet to regain allele size variance after bottlenecks associated with the foundation of new populations, and that this variance is regained over time. Hence variation in social structure mirrors an old but still active southward colonization process or metapopulation dynamics, possibly in association with an expansion of the rain forest habitat during the late Holocene. A low number of queens in ant colonies is typically associated with strong dispersal capacity. We therefore suggest that the initial founders of new populations belong to the monogynous to weakly polygynous phenotype, and that queen number progressively increases in older populations.
Visual short-term memory for oriented, colored objects

A central question in the study of visual short-term memory (VSTM) has been whether its basic units are objects or features. Most studies addressing this question have used change detection tasks in which the feature value before the change is highly discriminable from the feature value after the change. This approach assumes that memory noise is negligible, which recent work has shown not to be the case. Here, we investigate VSTM for orientation and color within a noisy-memory framework, using change localization with a variable magnitude of change. A specific consequence of the noise is that it is necessary to model the inference (decision) stage. We find that (a) orientation and color have independent pools of memory resource (consistent with classic results); (b) an irrelevant feature dimension is either encoded but ignored during decision-making, or encoded with low precision and taken into account during decision-making; and (c) total resource available in a given feature dimension is lower in the presence of task-relevant stimuli that are neutral in that feature dimension. We propose a framework in which feature resource comes both in packaged and in targeted form.
Imaging for Crohn disease: Use of 3‐T MRI in a paediatric setting

This study was carried out to review our experience with 3‐T MRI in the assessment of Crohn disease in a paediatric population. Twenty‐four patients with biopsy proven Crohn disease identified on the radiology information system underwent abdominal MRI, with or without pelvic MRI. Twenty‐eight studies were carried out on a 3‐T scanner at a tertiary paediatric hospital. Eight of 24 of these (30%) had a gastrointestinal barium study, 2 of 24 (8%) a CT and 9 of 24 (38%) an abdominal ultrasound. The different MRI sequences were rated for observation of the bowel wall and abnormalities (0–5). The findings were correlated to relevant findings on endoscopy, examination under anaesthesia (EUA) and where available surgery, barium studies, CT and ultrasound. In this study, the colon was involved in 5 of 28 (18%), small bowel in 7 of 28 (25%), terminal ileum in 5 of 28 (18%). All the perineal studies (9 of 9) showed abnormalities. Sinus tracts or fistulas were identified in 7 of 28 (25%) studies. The mean rating of the different MRI sequences in showing bowel wall and changes of Crohn disease was T2 TSE 3.6, T2 half fourier aquisition single shot turbo spin echo (HASTE) with a long TE 3.6, T2 HASTE with short TE 3.4, true fast imaging with steady state precession (FISP) 2.7, T1 4.1 and Post‐contrast T1 4.3. The T2 HASTE sequences with thinner slices improved observation. Detection of superficial abnormalities was similar on the 3D VIBE images and on the post‐contrast T1 spin‐echo (SE) sequences. In five of nine (56%) of those that had ultrasound, both studies were abnormal, with incomplete correlation of the abnormalities. Computed tomography and MRI were abnormal in two of two (100%) patients with good correlation of the abnormalities in one; in the other there was a minimal discrepancy in the estimation of the length of involved bowel. In 7 of 11 (64%) the barium study was abnormal. Good correlation to MRI findings was found in five of seven (71%) of patients. In two of seven (29%) both studies were abnormal, with incomplete correlation of the abnormalities. Barium underestimated the length of involved segment in these patients with inflammatory ileal thickening and ulceration. Notably, in both studies compression was limited because of patient discomfort and the involved segments obscured by overlap. Abdominal and pelvic MRI at 3 T is a useful imaging technique for evaluation of Crohn disease in the children. The extent of bowel wall involvement and extra‐intestinal complications, such as abscesses and fistulas can be accurately assessed non‐invasively, without the use of ionizing radiation or sedation.
A Case of Ovarian Fibromatosis and Massive Ovarian Oedema Associated With Intra-Abdominal Fibromatosis, Sclerosing Peritonitis and Meig's Syndrome

Purpose:To discuss a case of ovarian fibromatosis/massive ovarian oedema, intra-abdominal fibromatosis, sclerosing peritonitis and Meig's syndrome. To review the reported therapeutic options. Patients: Case report of a 27-year-old female with the combined pathology of ovarian fibromatosis/massive ovarian oedema, intra-abdominal fibromatosis, sclerosing peritonitis and Meig's syndrome. Methods: This patient was treated with supportive care and cytotoxic chemotherapy. Results: Despite the benign nature of the ovarian pathology, this patient presented with life-threatening complications. Response to treatment was probably multi-factorial combining the effects of cytotoxics, use of steroids and good supportive care. She remains in complete remission 4 years post completion of chemotherapy. Conclusion: There are reports in the literature of ovarian fibromatosis/massive ovarian oedema, luteinised thecomas, intraabdominal fibromatosis and Meig's syndrome occurring together in a variety of combinations. Treatment has been described with radiotherapy, cytotoxic and non-cytotoxic chemotherapy regimens. This case provides a link between ovarian fibromatosis/massive ovarian oedema, intra-abdominal fibromatosis, sclerosing peritonitis and Meig's syndrome not previously described.
Intent-oriented diversity in recommender systems

Diversity as a relevant dimension of retrieval quality is receiving increasing attention in the Information Retrieval and Recommender Systems (RS) fields. The problem has nonetheless been approached under different views and formulations in IR and RS respectively, giving rise to different models, methodologies, and metrics, with little convergence between both fields. In this poster we explore the adaptation of diversity metrics, techniques, and principles from ad-hoc IR to the recommendation task, by introducing the notion of user profile aspect as an analogue of query intent. As a particular approach, user aspects are automatically extracted from latent item features. Empirical results support the proposed approach and provide further insights.
Enabling efficient and secure data sharing in cloud computing

With the rapid development of cloud computing, more and more data are being centralized into remote cloud server for sharing, which raises a challenge on how to keep them both private and accessible. Although searchable encryption provides an efficient solution to support keyword‐based search directly on encrypted data, considering its application in file sharing, existing work depends on key sharing among authorized users, which inevitably causes the risks of key exposure and abuse. In this paper, aiming at enabling efficient and secure data sharing in cloud computing, we provide a generic construction for this purpose. The proposed construction is full‐featured: (i) It enables authorized users to perform keyword‐based search directly on encrypted data without sharing the unique secret key; and (ii) it provides two‐layered access control to limit unauthorized user's access to the shared data. On the basis of the proposed generic construction, we utilize the existing techniques on identity‐based broadcast encryption and public key searchable encryption to instantiate a concrete construction. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Imaging correlates of axonal swelling in chronic multiple sclerosis brains

T2‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging is a sensitive tool for monitoring progression of multiple sclerosis, but it does not provide information on the severity of the underlying tissue damage. Measurement of T1 hypointensities and magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) can potentially distinguish lesions with more severe tissue damage. The objective of this study was to use image‐guided pathology to determine histological differences between lesions that are abnormal only on T2‐weighted images versus lesions that are abnormal on T2‐weighted, T1‐weighted, and MTR images.
Journal of Translational Medicine Short-term Cultured, Interleukin-15 Differentiated Dendritic Cells Have Potent Immunostimulatory Properties

Background: Optimization of the current dendritic cell (DC) culture protocol in order to promote the therapeutic efficacy of DC-based immunotherapy is warranted. Alternative differentiation of monocyte-derived DCs using granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and interleukin (IL)-15 has been propagated as an attractive strategy in that regard. The applicability of these so-called IL-15 DCs has not yet been firmly established. We therefore developed a novel pre-clinical approach for the generation of IL-15 DCs with potent immunostimulatory properties.
Plant Acyl-CoA:Lysophosphatidylcholine Acyltransferases (LPCATs) Have Different Specificities in Their Forward and Reverse Reactions

Background: Acyl-CoA:lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase (LPCAT) enzymes have central roles in acyl editing of phosphatidylcholine. Results: Plant LPCATs were expressed in yeast and biochemically characterized. Conclusion: LPCATs can edit acyl composition of phosphatidylcholine through their combined forward and reverse reactions. Significance: Plant LPCATs play a role in editing both sn-positions of PC and remove ricinoleic acid with high selectivity from this lipid. Acyl-CoA:lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase (LPCAT) enzymes have central roles in acyl editing of phosphatidylcholine (PC). Plant LPCAT genes were expressed in yeast and characterized biochemically in microsomal preparations of the cells. Specificities for different acyl-CoAs were similar for seven LPCATs from five different species, including species accumulating hydroxylated acyl groups in their seed oil, with a preference for C18-unsaturated acyl-CoA and low activity with palmitoyl-CoA and ricinoleoyl (12-hydroxyoctadec-9-enoyl)-CoA. We showed that Arabidopsis LPCAT1 and LPCAT2 enzymes catalyzed the acylation and de-acylation of both sn positions of PC, with a preference for the sn-2 position. When acyl specificities of the Arabidopsis LPCATs were measured in the reverse reaction, sn-2-bound oleoyl, linoleoyl, and linolenoyl groups from PC were transferred to acyl-CoA to a similar extent. However, a ricinoleoyl group at the sn-2-position of PC was removed 4–6-fold faster than an oleoyl group in the reverse reaction, despite poor utilization in the forward reaction. The data presented, taken together with earlier published reports on in vivo lipid metabolism, support the hypothesis that plant LPCAT enzymes play an important role in regulating the acyl-CoA composition in plant cells by transferring polyunsaturated and hydroxy fatty acids produced on PC directly to the acyl-CoA pool for further metabolism or catabolism.
Heat Shock Protein 70 Is Able to Prevent Heat Shock-Induced Resistance of Target Cells to CTL1

Heat shock or transfection with heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) genes has been shown to protect tumor cell lines against immune mechanisms of cytotoxicity. We have reported previously that heat shock confers resistance to CTL in the rat myeloma cell line Y3 that is Hsp70 defective. Evidence is now presented that Hsp70 is able to prevent the induction of the resistant phenotype. In Con A-stimulated lymphocytes and in lymphocyte × Y3 somatic cell hybrid clones a severe, non-Hsp70-inducing heat shock elicits resistance to CTL in contrast to a heat shock that results in Hsp70 expression. Thus, Hsp70 expression appears to be negatively associated with the development of resistance. Furthermore, loading of Y3 cells with recombinant Hsp70 protein before heat shock is able to prevent resistance. Because apoptosis induced in Y3 cells by heat shock is not affected, Hsp70 appears to interfere selectively with the CTL-induced lethal pathway that is found to be calcium but not caspase dependent. It is suggested that after heat shock Hsp70 enhances the CTL-induced apoptotic pathway by chaperoning certain proteins in the target cell that are involved in the execution of cell death. Thus, although shown to confer protection against many cytotoxic mechanisms, Hsp70 does not appear to be generally cytoprotective. This observation could also be of relevance when interpreting the effectiveness of tumor immunity.
Black-white differences in infectious disease mortality in the United States.

OBJECTIVES This study determined the degree to which Black-White differences in infectious disease mortality are explained by income and education and the extent to which infectious diseases contribute to Black-White differences in all-cause mortality. METHODS A sample population of the National Longitudinal Mortality Study from 1979 through 1981 was analyzed and followed up through 1989. RESULTS Infectious disease mortality among Blacks was higher than among Whites, with a relative risk of 1.53 after adjustment for age and sex and 1.34 after further adjustment for income and education. Death from infectious diseases contributed to 9.3% of the difference in all-cause mortality. CONCLUSIONS In the United States, infectious diseases account for nearly 10% of the excess all-cause mortality rates in Blacks compared with Whites.
Tumor Infiltrating CD8+ and Foxp3+ Lymphocytes Correlate to Clinical Outcome and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Status in Tonsillar Cancer

Background Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a causative factor for tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) and patients with HPV positive (HPV+) TSCC have a better clinical outcome than those with HPV negative (HPV−) TSCC. However, since not all patients with HPV+TSCC respond to treatment, additional biomarkers are needed together with HPV status to better predict response to therapy and to individualize treatment. For this purpose, we examined whether the number of tumor infiltrating cytotoxic and regulatory T-cells in TSCC correlated to HPV status and to clinical outcome. Methods Formalin fixed paraffin embedded TSCC, previously analysed for HPV DNA, derived from 83 patients, were divided into four groups depending on the HPV status of the tumor and clinical outcome. Tumors were stained by immunohistochemistry and evaluated for the number of infiltrating cytotoxic (CD8+) and regulatory (Foxp3+) T-cells. Results A high CD8+ T-cell infiltration was significantly positively correlated to a good clinical outcome in both patients with HPV+ and HPV- TSCC patients. Similarly, a high CD8+/Foxp3+ TIL ratio was correlated to a 3-year disease free survival. Furthermore, HPV+TSCC had in comparison to HPV−TSCC, higher numbers of infiltrating CD8+ and Foxp3+ T-cells. Conclusions In conclusion, a positive correlation between a high number of infiltrating CD8+ cells and clinical outcome indicates that CD8+ cells may contribute to a beneficial clinical outcome in TSCC patients, and may potentially serve as a biomarker. Likewise, the CD8+/Foxp3+cell ratio can potentially be used for the same purpose.
Active learning of intuitive control knobs for synthesizers using gaussian processes

Typical synthesizers only provide controls to the low-level parameters of sound-synthesis, such as wave-shapes or filter envelopes. In contrast, composers often want to adjust and express higher-level qualities, such as how "scary" or "steady" sounds are perceived to be. We develop a system which allows users to directly control abstract, high-level qualities of sounds. To do this, our system learns functions that map from synthesizer control settings to perceived levels of high-level qualities. Given these functions, our system can generate high-level knobs that directly adjust sounds to have more or less of those qualities. We model the functions mapping from control-parameters to the degree of each high-level quality using Gaussian processes, a nonparametric Bayesian model. These models can adjust to the complexity of the function being learned, account for nonlinear interaction between control-parameters, and allow us to characterize the uncertainty about the functions being learned. By tracking uncertainty about the functions being learned, we can use active learning to quickly calibrate the tool, by querying the user about the sounds the system expects to most improve its performance. We show through simulations that this model-based active learning approach learns high-level knobs on certain classes of target concepts faster than several baselines, and give examples of the resulting automatically- constructed knobs which adjust levels of non-linear, high- level concepts.