Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Deformations caused by surface loading and tunnelling: the role of elastic anisotropy

Elastoplastic finite element analyses were performed to determine the effects of elastic anisotropy on surface settlements caused by a uniform surface loading and by tunnelling. For typical ranges of elastic cross-anisotropic parameters, the effect of anisotropy on settlement induced by surface loading is modest; however, for the case of tunnelling, the effect of elastic anisotropy, in particular the ratio of the independent shear modulus Gvh, to vertical modulus Ev, should be considered if reasonable predictions of settlement are to be obtained. The practical implications of these find- ings are shown by considering the centrifugal model tunnel tests conducted at Cambridge University. It is found that the anisotropy has a significant effect on the shape of the settlement trough and that reasonable agreement between observa-tion and theory is obtained for Gvh/Ev, of between 0·2 and O·25, which is smaller thanthe isotropic value of Gvh/Ev, = 0·33 (for the undrained condition). The reasons for this are disc.
Observed Evidence of an Impact of the Antarctic Sea Ice Dipole on the Antarctic Oscillation

AbstractA lagged maximum covariance analysis (MCA) is applied to investigate the linear covariability between monthly sea ice concentration (SIC) and 500-mb geopotential height (Z500) in the Southern Hemisphere (SH). The dominant signal is the atmospheric forcing of SIC anomalies throughout the year, but statistically significant covariances are also found between austral springtime Z500 and prior SIC anomalies up to four months earlier. The MCA pattern is characterized by an Antarctic dipole (ADP)-like pattern in SIC and a positively polarized Antarctic Oscillation (AAO) in Z500. Such long lead-time covariance suggests the forcing of the AAO by persistent ADP-like SIC anomalies. The leading time of SIC anomalies provides an implication for skillful predictability of springtime atmospheric variability.
RECENT PRE-RECRUIT PACIFIC HAKE (MERLUCCIUS PRODUCTUS) OCCURRENCES IN THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA CURRENT SUGGEST A NORTHWARD EXPANSION OF THEIR SPAWNING AREA

Coastal Pacific hake (Merluccius productus) are known to spawn in the southern California Bight from January to March, migrate north during late spring and summer to feed off Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia, and then move back to southern California in the fall. Juvenile Pacific hake nursery areas have been found to occur along the coastal shelf and slope of California, and occasionally into southern Oregon during strong El Nino events. In this paper, we combine information from several studies that captured larval and high abundances of young-of-the-year (YOY) Pacific hake in the northern California Current from 2003‐06. These preliminary results suggest that spawning and recruitment of Pacific hake have expanded northward and this will likely have major economic and ecological consequences in the northern California Current (NCC).
PORTAL-SYSTEMIC ENCEPHALOPATHY DUE TO CONGENITAL INTRAHEPATIC SHUNTS.

IN the course of chronic liver disease the development of portal hypertension and the subsequent formation of portal collateral circulation may permit certain nitrogen-containing substances in the portal blood to bypass the extraction mechanism of the hepatic parenchyma. A cerebral intoxication, which Sherlock and her co-workers1 have termed portal–systemic encephalopathy, has been observed in some of these cases. This phenomenon has been known since 1893, when Hahn et al.2 described the "meat-intoxication" syndrome — that is, stupor, ataxia, convulsions and coma — in animals with an Eck fistula that were fed high-protein diets. Recently, there have been a few patients .
Distributed fine grain adaptive-FEC scheme for scalable video streaming

In this paper, we investigate a distributed fine grain adaptive FEC (FGA-FEC) scheme for scalable video streaming to heterogeneous users over a congested multihop network, where we do FGA-FEC decode/recode at selected intermediate overlay nodes, and do FGA-FEC adaptation at remaining nodes. In order to reduce the overall computational burden, we propose two methods: (1) a coordination between optimization processes running at adjacent nodes to reduce the optimization computation, and (2) extension of our overlay multihop FEC (OM-FEC1, 2) to reduce the number of FGA-FEC decode/recode nodes. Simulations show that the proposed scheme can greatly reduce computation, and can provide near best possible video quality to diverse users.
Artificial selection on larval growth curves in Tribolium: correlated responses and constraints

Body size is often constrained from evolving. Although artificial selection on body size in insects frequently results in a sizable response, these responses usually bear fitness costs. Further, these experiments tend to select only on size at one landmark age, rather than selecting for patterns of growth over the whole larval life stage. To address whether constraints may be caused by larval growth patterns rather than final size, we implemented a function‐valued (FV) trait method of selection, in which entire larval growth curves from Tribolium were artificially selected. The selection gradient function used was previously predicted to give the maximal response and was implemented using a novel selection index in the FV framework. Results indicated a significant response after one generation of selection, but no response in subsequent generations. Correlated responses included increased mortality, increased critical weight, and decreased development time (DT). The lack of response in size and development time after the first generation was likely caused by increased mortality suffered in selected lines; we demonstrated that the selection criterion caused both increased body size and increased mortality. We conclude that artificial selection on continuous traits using FV methods is very efficient and that the constraint of body size evolution is likely caused by a suite of trade‐offs with other traits.
Charge trapping and degradation in high-permittivity TiO2 dielectric films

Suitable replacement materials for ultrathin SiO/sub 2/ in deeply scaled MOSFETs such as lattice polarizable films, which have much higher permittivities than SiO/sub 2/, have bandgaps of only 3.0 to 4.0 eV. Due to these small bandgaps, the reliability of these films as a gate insulator is a serious concern. Ramped voltage, time dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB), and capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements were done on 190 /spl Aring/ layers of TiO/sub 2/ which were deposited through the metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) of titanium tetrakis-isopropoxide. Measurements of the high- and low-frequency capacitance indicate that virtually no interface states are created during constant current injection stress. The increase in leakage current upon electrical stress may be due to the creation of uncharged, near interface states in the TiO/sub 2/ film near the SiO/sub 2/ interfacial layer that give rise to increased tunneling leakage.
Efficacy of intramuscular nalbuphine versus diphenhydramine for the prevention of epidural morphine-induced pruritus after cesarean delivery.

BACKGROUND Pruritus is the most common side effect of epidural morphine analgesia. Diphenhydramine is a widely used agent for the treatment of urticarial pruritus. Nalbuphine is a mixed opioid agonist-antagonist and has been reported to be effective in treating opioid-induced pruritus. We compared the effectiveness of intramuscular diphenhydramine and nalbuphine for the prevention of epidural morphine-induced pruritus after cesarean section. METHODS One hundred and fifty, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I or II, women undergoing cesarean section with epidural anesthesia were randomly assigned to three groups. Group S, group D, and group N received intramuscular normal saline (1 ml; n = 50), diphenhydramine (30 mg/1 ml; n = 50), and nalbuphine (10 mg/1 ml; n = 50), respectively, after delivery of the baby. The occurrence and the severity of pruritus were assessed at 1, 4, 12, and 24 hours after surgery. RESULTS The overall incidence of pruritus during the 24 hr follow-up period was 72%, 68%, and 44% for group S, group D, and group N, respectively. Pruritus occurred less frequently in group N than group D (p = 0.027). At 4 and 12 hrs postoperatively, the pruritus severity was significantly different (p = 0.003 and p = 0.002) and was significantly less in group N than group D in the intergroup comparison (p = 0.013 and p = 0.012). CONCLUSION Nalbuphine proved better than diphenhydramine for prevention of epidural morphine-induced pruritus in patients who underwent cesarean section. Prophylactic intramuscular nalbuphine (10 mg) is effective in decreasing the incidence and severity of pruritus and does not affect analgesia.
Evaluating and selecting Web sources as external information resources of a data warehouse

A company's local data is often insufficient for analyzing market trends and making reasonable business plans. Decision making must also be based on information from suppliers, partners and competitors. Systematically integrating suitable external data from the Web into a data warehouse is a meaningful solution and will benefit the enterprise. However, the autonomy and dynamics of the Web make the task of selecting relevant and qualified external data from the Web challenging. We develop a set of criteria for evaluating and selecting Web resources as external data sources of a data warehouse and discuss how to screen Web data sources using multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) methods. The final decision with respect to selecting Web sources is sensitive to critical factors, i.e., the criterion weight and performance score of alternatives in terms of each criterion. We analyzed the sensitivity of the final rank of alternatives in terms of critical factors in order to gain an insight into the stability of our final decision. The comparison of several MCDM approaches for Web source screening is also presented.
Irukandji jellyfish polyps exhibit tolerance to interacting climate change stressors

Increasing ocean temperatures and strengthening boundary currents have caused the poleward migration of many marine species. Cubozoan jellyfish known to cause Irukandji syndrome have historically been confined to tropical waters but may be expanding into subtropical regions. Here, we examine the interactive effects of warming and acidification on the population dynamics of polyps of an Irukandji jellyfish, Alatina nr mordens, and the formation of statoliths in newly metamorphosed medusae, to determine if this jellyfish could tolerate future conditions predicted for southeast Queensland (SEQ), Australia. Two experiments, examining the orthogonal factors of temperature and pH, were undertaken. Experiment 1 mimicked the current, ca. 2050 and ca. 2100 summer temperature and pH conditions predicted for SEQ using A1F1 scenarios (temperature: 25, 27, 29 °C; pH: 7.9, 7.8, 7.6) and Experiment 2 mimicked current and future winter conditions (18 and 22 °C, pH 7.9, 7.8, 7.6). All polyps in Experiment 1 survived and budded. Fewer polyps budded in the lower pH treatments; however, patterns varied slightly among temperature treatments. Statoliths at pH 7.6 were 24% narrower than those at pH 7.8 and 7.9. Most polyps survived the winter conditions mimicked by Experiment 2 but only polyps in the 22 °C, pH 7.9 treatment increased significantly. The current absence of A. nr mordens medusae in SEQ, despite the polyps' ability to tolerate the current temperature and pH conditions, suggests that ecological, rather than abiotic factors currently limit their distribution. Observations that budding was lower under low pH treatments suggest that rates of asexual reproduction will likely be much slower in the future. We consider that A. nr mordens polyps are likely to tolerate future conditions but are unlikely to thrive in the long term. However, if polyps can overcome potential ecological boundaries and acidification proceeds slowly A. nr mordens could expand polewards in the short term.
Future climate and surface mass balance of Svalbard glaciers in an RCP8.5 climate scenario: a study with the regional climate model MAR forced by MIROC5

Abstract. We have performed a future projection of the climate and surface mass balance (SMB) of Svalbard with the MAR (Modele Atmospherique Regional) regional climate model forced by MIROC5 (Model for Interdisciplinary Research on Climate), following the RCP8.5 scenario at a spatial resolution of 10 km. MAR predicts a similar evolution of increasing surface melt everywhere in Svalbard followed by a sudden acceleration of melt around 2050, with a larger melt increase in the south compared to the north of the archipelago. This melt acceleration around 2050 is mainly driven by the albedo–melt feedback associated with the expansion of the ablation/bare ice zone. This effect is dampened in part as the solar radiation itself is projected to decrease due to a cloudiness increase. The near-surface temperature is projected to increase more in winter than in summer as the temperature is already close to 0 °C in summer. The model also projects a stronger winter west-to-east temperature gradient, related to the large decrease of sea ice cover around Svalbard. By 2085, SMB is projected to become negative over all of Svalbard's glaciated regions, leading to the rapid degradation of the firn layer.
Imiquimod 5% cream in the treatment of superficial basal cell carcinoma: results of a multicenter 6-week dose-response trial.

BACKGROUND Superficial basal cell carcinoma (sBCC) is an increasingly common tumor in fair-skinned populations throughout the world. Imiquimod, an immune response modifier that induces cytokines including interferons, has been shown in preliminary studies to have an effect when applied topically to BCC. OBJECTIVE We conducted a multicenter, randomized, open-label dose-response trial of imiquimod 5% cream in the treatment of primary sBCC assessing efficacy and safety of different dose regimens. METHODS Ninety-nine patients were randomized to 6 weeks' application of imiquimod in 1 of 4 treatment regimens: twice every day, once every day, twice daily 3 times/week, once daily 3 times/week. The treatment site was excised and examined histologically 6 weeks after cessation of imiquimod. RESULTS Intention-to-treat analysis revealed 100% (3/3) histologic clearance in the twice-daily regimen, 87.9% (29/33) clearance in the once every day regimen, 73.3% (22/30) clearance in the twice-daily 3 times/week regimen, and 69.7% (23/33) clearance in the once-daily 3 times/week regimen. Dose-related inflammatory skin reactions at the site of application were common. The majority were well tolerated and only 1 patient withdrew from the trial as a result of a medication-related skin reaction. CONCLUSION Imiquimod 5% cream appears to have potential as a patient-administered treatment option in sBCC.
Determination of Heavy Metal Concentration in Fish Samples, Sediment and Water from Odo-Ayo River in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti-State, Nigeria

This research work was conducted to assess the concentration of heavy metals namely, Zn, Mn, Cu, Fe, Pb and Cd in three matrices including sediment, water and Fish organs (gills, flesh, kidney and liver). The fish sample, Clarias gariepinus was collected from Odo-Ayo River in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria. The results obtained showed that the concentration of heavy metal in water (Zn-4.65, Mn-0.79, Cu-0.84, Fe-5.87, Pb-0.16, Cd-0.13) was lower than that of the concentration of heavy metal in sediment (Zn-5.04, Mn-0.98, Cu-1.37, Fe-6.94, Pb-0.30, Cd-0.20), While the concentration of heavy metals in water was higher than that of fish parts (Zn-0.95, Mn-0.82, Cu-0.66, Fe-1.09, Pb-0.09, Cd-0.04). This confirms that sediments are repository of metals in water. The concentration of heavy metals recorded in the fish parts also indicated a certain degree of bio-accumulation. The concentration of all metals in water were below the WHO and FEPA recommended limits and suggested that the water of Odo-Ayo River was suitable for drinking, but the bio-concentration factor of heavy metals in gills, kidney and liver of the fish are high beyond the tolerable level, which indicated that as far as these metals are concerned, the fish is unfit for human consumption. Consequently, close monitoring of metals pollution and the consumption of the fishes of Odo-Ayo River is recommended with a view to minimizing the risk of health of the population that depend on the river for their water and fish supply.
Simulation of ENSO forcings on U.S. drought by the HadCM3 coupled climate model

[1] The ability of the Hadley Centre Coupled Model, version 3 (HadCM3) ocean-atmosphere general circulation model to represent the mechanisms linking the El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and drought in the United States is investigated. Rotated principal components analyses of self-calibrating Palmer drought severity index data are used to categorize the dominant modes of summer drought variability in the observed climate record (1901–2002) and in a 250-year period of a HadCM3 control run. A similar mode of large-scale drought variability is identified in both data sets that is correlated with ENSO variability: a monopolar pattern across the continental interior, centered over the southern states. HadCM3 successfully reproduces the displacement of the midlatitude jet streams during ENSO events, a mechanism related to U.S. drought variability, but the model appears to be less realistic in its simulation of the influence of Rossby wave teleconnections on drought, which is possibly due to limitations in its simulation of ENSO in the equatorial Pacific. Despite this we conclude that HadCM3's simulation of the link between ENSO and U.S. drought is sufficiently realistic for it to be used in further studies of U.S. drought variability.
Probabilistic Event Calculus for Event Recognition

Symbolic event recognition systems have been successfully applied to a variety of application domains, extracting useful information in the form of events, allowing experts or other systems to monitor and respond when significant events are recognised. In a typical event recognition application, however, these systems often have to deal with a significant amount of uncertainty. In this article, we address the issue of uncertainty in logic-based event recognition by extending the Event Calculus with probabilistic reasoning. Markov logic networks are a natural candidate for our logic-based formalism. However, the temporal semantics of the Event Calculus introduce a number of challenges for the proposed model. We show how and under what assumptions we can overcome these problems. Additionally, we study how probabilistic modelling changes the behaviour of the formalism, affecting its key property—the inertia of fluents. Furthermore, we demonstrate the advantages of the probabilistic Event Calculus through examples and experiments in the domain of activity recognition, using a publicly available dataset for video surveillance.
A Phase II Dose-Ranging Study Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety of the Orexin Receptor Antagonist Filorexant (MK-6096) in Patients with Primary Insomnia

Background: Filorexant (MK-6096) is an orexin receptor antagonist; here, we evaluate the efficacy of filorexant in the treatment of insomnia in adults. Methods: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, two 4-week–period, adaptive crossover polysomnography study was conducted at 51 sites worldwide. Patients (18 to <65 years) with insomnia received 1 of 4 doses of oral filorexant (2.5, 5, 10, 20mg) once daily at bedtime during one period and matching placebo in the other period in 1 of 8 possible treatment sequences. Polysomnography was performed on night 1 and end of week 4 of each period. The primary endpoint was sleep efficiency at night 1 and end of week 4. Secondary endpoints included wakefulness after persistent sleep onset and latency to onset of persistent sleep. Results: A total of 324 patients received study treatment, 315 received ≥1 dose of placebo, and 318 ≥1 dose of filorexant (2.5mg, n=79; 5mg, n=78; 10mg, n=80; 20mg, n=81). All filorexant doses (2.5/5/10/20mg) were significantly superior to placebo in improving sleep among patients with insomnia as measured by sleep efficiency and wakefulness after persistent sleep onset on night 1 and end of week 4. The 2 higher filorexant doses (10/20mg) were also significantly more effective than placebo in improving sleep onset as measured by latency to onset of persistent sleep at night 1 and end of week 4. Filorexant was generally well tolerated. Conclusions: Orexin receptor antagonism by filorexant significantly improved sleep efficiency in nonelderly patients with insomnia. Dose-related improvements in sleep onset and maintenance outcomes were also observed with filorexant.
Glitch power minimization by selective gate freezing

This paper presents a technique for glitch power minimization in combinational circuits. The total number of glitches is reduced by replacing some existing gates with functionally equivalent ones (called F-Gates) that can be "frozen" by asserting a control signal. A frozen gate cannot propagate glitches to its output. Algorithms for gate selection and clustering that maximize the percentage of filtered glitches and reduce the overhead for generating the control signals are introduced. A power-efficient CMOS implementation of F-Gates is also described. An important feature of the proposed method is that it can be applied in place directly to layout-level descriptions; therefore, it guarantees very predictable results and minimizes the impact of the transformation on circuit size and speed.
Amylin in the Periphery II: An Updated Mini-Review

Amylin is a polypeptide that is cosecreted with insulin from the β cells of the pancreas. Therefore, in states of diabetes in which the β-cell mass is largely depleted or dysfunctional, insulin and amylin secretion are also lost or dysregulated.While the soluble monomeric form of amylin acts as a hormone that alters physiological responses related to feeding and acts as a specific growth factor, there has been renewed interest in the less-soluble oligomeric and insoluble polymeric forms of human (also monkey and cat) amylin that may contribute to the establishment of a pathophysiological pathway to overt diabetes. With this discovery has grown the hope of minimizing, with appropriate therapy, these toxic forms to preserve the functional β-cell mass. Human β cells may also be more vulnerable to these forms and one risk factor, a higher fat diet, may promote toxic forms. The generation and utilities of transgenic rodent models, which express enhanced levels of human amylin, have been accompanied by strategies that may lead to the reduction of toxic forms and associated risk factors.The successful definition and faithful expression of the physiological receptors (and complexes) for amylin that may differ for each target organ is an important development in the field of amylin research generally. Besides the heuristic value for the understanding of the molecular biology of receptors, the opportunity to screen and identify nonpeptide analogues that bind the physiological receptors has important implications for biomedicine and clinical practice in relation to treatments for diabetic complications, bone diseases, and eating disorders. In particular, in their capacities to mimic the effects of amylin as a growth factor, amylin analogues may prove useful in the stimulation of β-cell mass (in conjunction with other factors), reduce the activity of the osteoclast population, and stimulate the regeneration of proximal tubules following toxic insult (and thus avoid the development of renal insufficiency).