Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Numerical Experiment on Flexural Properties of Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete Beam

Based on the laboratory experiment of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC), a total of 10 specimens have been designed according to the aggregate interface condition, steel fiber ratios and different-strength concrete. These specimens were computed by MFPA2D in micro-structure level. Comparing the result of SFRC with plain concrete beams, this paper validated the positive effect of steel fiber in crack-resistant and the flexural strength improvement of SFRC beam, analyzed the sensitivity of steel fiber to concrete with different strength, and provided the stress field and elastic modulus images. The numerical results gave the whole failure process of crack initiation, propagation, and interpenetrated. These results provide useful information toward understanding the flexural behavior of SFRC and have great significance to comprehend the flexural failure process of SFRC beam.
Peripheral mechanisms contributing to the glucocorticoid hypersensitivity in proopiomelanocortin null mice treated with corticosterone

Proopiomelanocortin (POMC) deficiency causes severe obesity through hyperphagia of hypothalamic origin. However, low glucocorticoid levels caused by adrenal insufficiency mitigate against insulin resistance, hyperphagia and fat accretion in Pomc−/− mice. Upon exogenous glucocorticoid replacement, corticosterone-supplemented (CORT) Pomc−/− mice show exaggerated responses, including excessive fat accumulation, hyperleptinaemia and insulin resistance. To investigate the peripheral mechanisms underlying this glucocorticoid hypersensitivity, we examined the expression levels of key determinants and targets of glucocorticoid action in adipose tissue and liver. Despite lower basal expression of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1), which generates active glucocorticoids within cells, CORT-mediated induction of 11β-HSD1 mRNA levels was more pronounced in adipose tissues of Pomc−/− mice. Similarly, CORT treatment increased lipoprotein lipase mRNA levels in all fat depots in Pomc−/− mice, consistent with exaggerated fat accumulation. Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) mRNA levels were selectively elevated in liver and retroperitoneal fat of Pomc−/− mice but were corrected by CORT in the latter depot. In liver, CORT increased phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase mRNA levels specifically in Pomc−/− mice, consistent with their insulin-resistant phenotype. Furthermore, CORT induced hypertension in Pomc−/− mice, independently of adipose or liver renin–angiotensin system activation. These data suggest that CORT-inducible 11β-HSD1 expression in fat contributes to the adverse cardiometabolic effects of CORT in POMC deficiency, whereas higher GR levels may be more important in liver.
New unified PON-RAN access architecture for 4G LTE networks

This work presents a new converged access architecture for LTE mobile backhaul networks. In the proposed architecture, evolved NodeBs (eNBs) are interconnected with local ring-based wavelength-division-multiplexed (WDM) passive optical networks (PONs), which aggregate and efficiently transport traffic to the evolved packet core (EPC). The proposed WDM-PON ring design supports a dynamic setup of virtual circuits for inter-base-station communication, over a dedicated Alan channel. It also supports load balancing, by dynamically reallocating and sharing the capacity of the downstream wavelengths. The reservation mechanism is arbitrated by the optical line terminal, which monitors the traffic imbalances of downstream channels and orchestrates the setup of subwavelength transient flows.
Tree community shifts and Acorn Woodpecker population increases over three decades in a Californian oak woodland

Forest communities change in response to shifting climate, changing land use, and species introductions, as well as the interactions of established species. We surveyed the oak (Quercus L. spp.) community and Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus (Swainson, 1827)) population within 230 ha of oak forest and savanna in central coastal California in 1979 and 2013 to assess demographic changes over a timescale relevant to mature oaks. Overall, percent canopy cover increased, particularly where coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia Nee) and California black oak (Quercus kelloggii Newberry) were most abundant. The density of stems of Q. agrifolia increased, whereas the density of stems and basal area of valley oak (Quercus lobata Nee), a species favored by Acorn Woodpeckers, decreased. The number of Acorn Woodpeckers and woodpecker territories increased over the study period, coincident with the increase in percent canopy cover; however, these increases were not related spatially. Instead, increased acorn production associated with broad-scale canopy growth likely more than compensated for the loss of Q. lobata. Our findings suggest that forests in this area are becoming denser and savanna is becoming more open, which so far has supported an increase in the Acorn Woodpecker population, despite potential habitat loss if Q. lobata continues to decline.
Barriers to cardiovascular risk prevention and management in Germany – an analysis of the EURIKA study

Background and purpose Despite the availability of risk engines to determine cardiovascular risk, risk factor control is suboptimal. Using EURIKA data we compared risk factor control in Germany with that of 11 other European countries (rest of Europe [ROE]) to identify differences and opportunities for improvement. Methods EURIKA was a multinational, cross-sectional study in 12 European countries including Germany from May 2009 to January 2010. Physicians’ attitudes to risk factor control based on the 2007 European guidelines on cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention in a representative cohort of 7641 primary care outpatients aged ≥50 years with no CV disease and at least one major CV risk factor were determined. Results Compared to the ROE, German physicians were more frequently male (72.7% vs 62.6%), had a higher mean age (51.7 ± 8.4 vs 47.0 ± 9.7 years), faced higher patient loads (37.9% vs 16.5% had >199 patients/week), and involved other health sector professionals (dieticians, psychologists) less (31.8% vs 41.0% in the ROE). The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines on CVD prevention were more important for German physicians (60.6% vs 55.9%), while those who didn’t use them gave reasons for nonuse as too many (62.5% vs 46.2%), too confusing, unrealistic, or not applicable to their patients. Risk engines were used less (54.5% vs 70.7%), with perceived lack of time (65.5% vs 60.2%) a frequent reason for nonuse. Risk factor control in German patients was inadequate (control rates: hypertension 36.3%, dyslipidemia 30.4%, type 2 diabetes 40.6%, obesity 28.8%) but largely comparable to other ROE countries; however, physicians tended to overestimate control rates. Conclusion EURIKA provides comprehensive data on the status of primary prevention of CVD in clinical practice in Germany and reveals considerable potential for improving the primary prevention of CVD.
Pulsed energy storage antennas for ionospheric modification

Abstract. Interesting, "new", very high peak-power pulsed radio frequency (RF) antennas have been assembled at the HIPAS Observatory (Alaska, USA) and also at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA, USA); namely, a pair of quarter wavelength (λ/4) long cylindrical conductors separated by a high voltage spark gap. Such a combination can radiate multi-megawatt RF pulses whenever the spark gap fires. The antenna at HIPAS is 53m long (λ/2) with a central pressurized SF6 spark gap. It is mounted 5 meters (λ/21) above a ground plane. It radiates at 2.85MHz. The two antenna halves are charged to ± high voltages by a Tesla coil. Spark gap voltages of 0.4 MV (at the instant of spark gap closure) give peak RF currents of ~1200A which correspond to ~14 MW peak total radiated power, or ~56 MW of Effective Radiated Power (ERP). The RF pulse train is initially square, decaying exponentially in time with Qs of ~50. Two similar but smaller 80-MHz antennas were assembled at UCLA to demonstrate their synchronization with a pulsed laser which fired the spark gaps in the two antennas simultanoeously. These experiments show that one can anticipate a pulsed array of laser synchronized antennas having a coherent Effective Radiated Power (ERP)>10GW. One can even reconsider a pulse array radiating at 1.43MHz which corresponds to the electron gyrofrequency in the Earth's magnetic field at ~200km altitude. These "new" pulsed high power antennas are hauntingly similar to the ones used originally by Hertz (1857-1894) during his (1886-1889) seminal verifications of Maxwell's (1864) theory of electrodynamics.
Transformation of Morphology and Luminosity Classes of the SDSS Galaxies

We present a unified picture on the evolution of galaxy luminosity and morphology. Galaxy morphology is found to depend critically on the local environment set up by the nearest neighbor galaxy in addition to luminosity and the large-scale density. When a galaxy is located farther than the virial radius from its closest neighbor, the probability for the galaxy to have an early morphological type is an increasing function only of luminosity and the local density due to the nearest neighbor (ρn). The tide produced by the nearest neighbor is thought to be responsible for the morphology transformation toward the early type at these separations. When the separation is less than the virial radius, i.e., when ρn > ρvirial, its morphology depends also on the neighbor’s morphology and the large-scale background density over a few megaparsec scales (ρ20) in addition to luminosity and ρn. The early-type probability keeps increasing as ρn increases if its neighbor is an early morphological type galaxy. But the probability decreases as ρn increases when the neighbor is a late type. The cold gas streaming from the late-type neighbor can be the reason for the morphology transformation toward late type. The overall early-type fraction increases as ρ20 increases when ρn > ρvirial. This can be attributed to the hot halo gas of the neighbor, which is confined by the pressure of the ambient medium held by the background mass. We have also found that galaxy luminosity depends on ρn, and that the isolated bright galaxies are more likely to be recent merger products. We propose a scenario that a series of morphology and luminosity transformation occurs through distant interactions and mergers, which results in the morphology-luminosity-local density relation.
erceived critical mass and collective intention in social edia-supported small group communication

The increasing popularity of Web 2.0 has dramatically changed the way in which people communicate with others in their daily life or work. However, the use of social media is fundamentally different from that of traditional information technologies. Specifically, it requires collective efforts and interdependence between two or more people, and thus the usage behavior is no longer an individual’s own decision or plan. Built on critical mass theory and social influence processes, this study tries to make an attempt to understand the determinants of collective intention (we-intention), which represents one’s perception of a group of people acting as a unit. Instant messaging, one of the most popular social media ocial influence platforms, has been chosen for investigation, and findings from a survey showed that perceived critical mass influenced we-intention both directly and indirectly through group norm and social identity. Recognizing the importance and relevance of collective intention will advance current understanding beyond individual intention-based models which are widely adopted in prior IS research. This study may be limited by having not included other alternative social technologies, but we leave this work for future
‘The New Degree?’ Constructing Internships in the Third Sector

The recent economic recession has impacted substantially on the graduate labour market, with many graduates now struggling to find secure employment in professional careers. In this context, temporary, unpaid ‘internships’ have emerged as increasingly important as a ‘way in’ to work for this group. Yet while there has been much media and policy debate on internships, academic consideration has been scant. This article begins to address this knowledge gap by drawing on a study of interns in a third sector environmental organisation. The research findings reveal that unpaid internships were rationalised through a complex mix of political motivations, career ambitions and lifestyle aims, but these intersected in important ways with social class. These findings are not only of empirical interest, contributing to our knowledge of graduate negotiations of precarity, but also of theoretical value, extending our understanding of young people’s agency and motivations in transitions into work.
The Flight Home Effect: Evidence from the Syndicated Loan Market During Financial Crises

This paper shows that the collapse of the global market for syndicated loans during financial crises can in part be explained by a flight home effect whereby lenders rebalance their loan portfolios in favor of domestic borrowers. The home bias of lenders' loan origination increases by approximately 20% if the bank's home country experiences a banking crisis. This flight home effect is distinct from flight to quality because borrowers of different quality are equally affected. The results indicate that the home bias in capital allocation tends to increase when adverse economic shocks reduce the wealth of international investors.
The Ocular Benefits of Estrogen Replacement Therapy: A Population-Based Study in Postmenopausal Korean Women

Purpose To elucidate the prevalence of cataract, glaucoma, pterygia, and diabetic retinopathy among Korean postmenopausal women with or without estrogen replacement therapy (ERT). Methods A cross-sectional, nationally representative sample from the 4th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES IV) (2007–2009) was used. Participants were interviewed for the determination of socioeconomic and gynecologic factors. Each woman also underwent an ophthalmologic examination and provided a blood sample for risk factor assessment. Results Of 3968 postmenopausal women enrolled, 3390 had never received estrogen, and 578 were undergoing estrogen treatment. After adjusting for age, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol levels, and high low-density lipoprotein levels, the prevalence of anterior polar cataract, retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) defect, and flesh pterygium was higher in the non-ERT group (OR, 3.24; 95% CI, 1.12–9.35, OR 1.70; 95% CI, 1.04–2.78, OR 3.725; 95% CI, 1.21–11.45, respectively). Further, the prevalence of atrophic pterygium was lower in the non-ERT group compared to that in the ERT group (OR, 0.21, 95% CI, 0.07–0.63). Conclusions These data suggest that ERT has a protective effect against the development of anterior polar cataract, flesh pterygium, and RNFL defect.
We Are Grateful for Helpful Comments and Suggestions from Two Anonymous Referees and from Understanding the Determinants of Managerial Ownership and the Link between Ownership and Performance

Both managerial ownership and performance are endogenously determined by exogenous (and only partly observed) changes in the "rm's contracting environment. We extend the cross-sectional results of Demsetz and Lehn (1985) (Journal of Political Economy, 93, 1155}1177) and use panel data to show that managerial ownership is explained by key variables in the contracting environment in ways consistent with the predictions of principal-agent models. A large fraction of the cross-sectional variation in managerial ownership is explained by unobserved "rm heterogeneity. Moreover, after 0304-405X/99/$-see front matter 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved. controlling both for observed "rm characteristics and "rm "xed e! ects, we cannot conclude (econometrically) that changes in managerial ownership a! ect "rm performance. 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.
“Boy’s Club:” Examining sexist humor on types of sexism and femininity ideology using two research approaches

Abstract The current study examined sexist humor and participants’ level of sexism and femininity ideology using two research approaches: (1) a quasi-experimental design in which participants were primed with sexist humor and (2) a correlational approach using content analysis to estimate exposure to sexist humor in media. It was hypothesized that exposure to sexist humor would influence viewer’s sexist views and femininity ideology. It was also hypothesized that the quasi-experimental design would yield confirmatory results of our initial hypothesis while the correlational design would not. Participants included 1,559 male and female college students who were randomly assigned to three experimental conditions (viewed sexist humor, viewed non-sexist humor, viewed no videos) and then answered questions related to sexism and femininity ideology followed by general demographic items and media viewing preferences. Results confirmed that the quasi-experimental design, in comparison to the correlational design, yielded more confirmatory results in that those exposed to sexist humor had higher scores on all outcome measures examined. Limitations of priming and content analysis are discussed as well as directions for future research.
The Anarchy of Numbers: Aid, Development, and Cross-Country Empirics

Recent literature contains many stories of how foreign aid affects economic growth. All the stories hinge on the statistical significance in cross-country regressions of a quadratic term involving aid. Among the stories are that aid raises growth (on average) 1) in countries where economic policies are good; 2) in countries where policies are good and a civil war recently ended; 3) in all countries, but with diminishing returns; 4) in countries outside the tropics; 5) in countries with difficult economic environments, characterized by declining or volatile terms of trade, natural disasters, or low population; or 6) when aid increases in countries experiencing negative export price shocks. The diversity of results prima facie suggests that many are fragile. Easterly et al. (2004) find the aid-policy story (Burnside and Dollar, 2000) to be fragile in the face of an expansion of the data set in years and countries. The present study expands that analysis by applying more tests, and to more studies. Each test involves altering just one aspect of the regressions. All 19 tests are derived from sources of variation that are minimally arbitrary. Twelve derive from specification differences between studies, what Leamer (1983) calls “whimsy. ” Three derive from doubts about the appropriateness of the definition of one variable in one study. The remaining four derive from the passage of time, which allows sample expansion. This design allows an examination of the role of “whimsy” in the results that are tested while minimizing “whimsy” in the testing itself. Among the stories examined, the aid-policy link proves weakest, while the aid-tropics link is most robust.
Computer model of passive signal integration based on whole‐cell in vitro studies of rat lateral geniculate nucleus

Computer models were used to investigate passive properties of lateral geniculate nucleus thalamocortical cells and thalamic interneurons based on in vitro whole‐cell study. Two neurons of each type were characterized physiologically and morphologically. Thalamocortical cells transmitted 37% of steady‐state signal orthodromically (distal dendrite to soma) and 93% antidromically (soma to distal dendrite); interneurons transmitted 18% orthodromically and 53% antidromically. Lowering membrane resistance caused a dramatic drop in steady‐state signal transmission. Simulation of brief signals such as orthodromically transmitted postsynaptic potentials and antidromically transmitted action potentials showed relatively poor transmission due to the low‐pass filtering property of dendrites. This attenuation was particularly pronounced in interneurons. By contrast, bursts of postsynaptic potentials or action potentials were relatively well transmitted as the temporal summation of these recurring signals gave prolonged depolarizations comparable to prolonged current injection. While synaptic clustering, active channels and reduction of membrane resistance by ongoing synaptic activity will have additional profound effects in vivo, the present in vitro modelling suggests that passive signal transmission in neurons will depend on type of signal conveyed, on directionality and on membrane state. This will be particularly important for thalamic interneurons, whose presynaptic dendrites may either work independently or function in concert with each other and with the soma. Our findings suggest that bursts may be particularly well transmitted along dendrites, allowing firing format to alter the functional anatomy of the cell.
Complete search in continuous global optimization and constraint satisfaction

This survey covers the state of the art of techniques for solving general-purpose constrained global optimization problems and continuous constraint satisfaction problems, with emphasis on complete techniques that provably find all solutions (if there are finitely many). The core of the material is presented in sufficient detail that the survey may serve as a text for teaching constrained global optimization. After giving motivations for and important examples of applications of global optimization, a precise problem definition is given, and a general form of the traditional first-order necessary conditions for a solution. Then more than a dozen software packages for complete global search are described. A quick review of incomplete methods for bound-constrained problems and recipes for their use in the constrained case follows; an explicit example is discussed, introducing the main techniques used within branch and bound techniques. Sections on interval arithmetic, constrained propagation and local optimization are followed by a discussion of how to avoid the cluster problem. Then a discussion of important problem transformations follows, in particular of linear, convex, and semilinear (= mixed integer linear) relaxations that are important for handling larger problems. Next, reliability issues – centring on rounding error handling and testing methodologies – are discussed, and the COCONUT framework for the integration of the different techniques is introduced. A list of challenges facing the field in the near future concludes the survey.
A history of schools of marketing thought

Marketing has been practiced since ancient times and has been thought about almost as long. Yet, it is only during the 20th century that marketing ideas evolved into an academic discipline in its own right. Most concepts, issues and problems of marketing thought have coalesced into one of several schools or approaches to understanding marketing. In this article we trace the evolution of 10 schools of marketing thought. At the turn of the 20th century, early in the discipline’s history, the study of functions, commodities, and institutions emerged as complementary modes of thinking about subject matter and became known collectively as the ‘traditional approaches’ to studying marketing; shortly thereafter the interregional trade approach emerged. About mid-century, there was a ‘paradigm shift’ in marketing thought eclipsing the traditional approaches as a number of newer schools developed: marketing management, marketing systems, consumer behavior, macromarketing, exchange, and marketing history. During the mid 1970s, three of the modern schools - marketing management, consumer behavior, and exchange - underwent a ‘paradigm broadening’. The broadened paradigm has bifurcated marketing thought from the conventional domain of business behavior to the much broader domain of all human social behavior. Thus, at the beginning of the 21st century marketing thought is at a crossroads.