Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hydration process of zeolite-rich tuffs and siltstone-blended cement pastes at low W/B ratio, under wet curing condition

An extensive study in blended cement pastes that comprised two different experimental settings was carried out so as to analyse the hydration process and compressive strength evolution up to 91 days. The aim of this study was to understand the hydration process using zeolite-rich tuffs and siltstone as supplementary cementitious materials at low water-to-binder ratio (W/B = .3) under wet curing condition. It was observed that there were two competing reactions, i.e. pozzolanic reaction and carbonation, during the hydration process, thus leading to a decrease in the content of calcium hydroxide (CH); however, carbonation played a more important role than the pozzolanic reaction in consuming it at the given W/B ratio. The total amount of CH consumed by pozzolanic reaction was likely around 8%, while carbonation transformed around 19% of the total amount of CH at 91 days. Although fully hydrated cement paste incorporates . 23 g of water per g of cement, only 60% of this value was used at such a W/B ratio. In addition, the amount of normalised water in hydrates increased as the dosage increased by factor of . 158% per 1% of dosage. Finally, the optimal dosages at which Zeo1, Zeo2 and Limo showed the highest compressive strength were in the ranges of 12.5–15%, 17.5–20% and 10–12.5%, respectively .
Influences of packaging materials on the solder joint reliability of chip scale package assemblies

In this work, a systematic study was performed in order to evaluate the influences of chip scale package (CSP) materials on the reliability of the soldered joints. The type of adhesive interconnecting the top and bottom layers of silicon was varied in this study. The materials alternatives evaluated comprise a hard epoxy material with high filler content, a rubber-like adhesive and an adhesive in medium state. These were combined with the substrate materials, FR4 and Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/, on which the CSPs are mounted. A unified viscoplastic constitutive model was applied to represent the temperature and time dependent deformation behaviour of the solder material. The stress/strain responses of CSP solder joints under thermal cycling conditions were evaluated using the finite element method. From the results, solder joint lifetimes were estimated with a crack propagation model. The results show that under thermal cycling conditions, the CSP solder joint lifetimes are lower when the CSP is fabricated with a highly filled adhesive compared to those with a rubber-like adhesive. Also, the solder joint reliability of CSPs mounted on FR4 substrates is inferior to those on Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ substrates. This is due to the fact that the internal adhesive layer in a CSP also serves as the source of thermal expansion mismatch. Furthermore, a more flexible CSP design can reduce stresses in the soldered joints. Some discussions for material selection of epoxy adhesive in CSP are also presented. Consequently, a structural adhesive with a low elastic modulus and low CTE is more desirable than a harder material.
THE TAIL OF THE STRIPPED GAS THAT COOLED: H i, Hα, AND X-RAY OBSERVATIONAL SIGNATURES OF RAM PRESSURE STRIPPING

Galaxies moving through the intracluster medium (ICM) of a cluster of galaxies can lose gas via ram pressure stripping. This stripped gas forms a tail behind the galaxy which is potentially observable. In this paper, we carry out hydrodynamical simulations of a galaxy undergoing stripping with a focus on the gas properties in the wake and their observational signatures. We include radiative cooling in an adaptive hydrocode in order to investigate the impact of a clumpy, multi-phase interstellar medium. We find that including cooling results in a very different morphology for the gas in the tail, with a much wider range of temperatures and densities. The tail is significantly narrower in runs with radiative cooling, in agreement with observed wakes. In addition, we make detailed predictions of H i, Hα, and X-ray emission for the wake, showing that we generally expect detectable H i and Hα signatures, but no observable X-ray emission (at least for our chosen ram pressure strength and ICM conditions). We find that the relative strength of the Hα diagnostic depends somewhat on our adopted minimum temperature floor (below which we set cooling to zero to mimic physics processes not included in the simulation).
Discovery of a Spontaneous Genetic Mouse Model of Preeclampsia

Preeclampsia remains a leading cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality but has an unknown etiology. Women with elevated baseline blood pressure have an increased risk of this disorder. We hypothesized that BPH/5 mice, an inbred mouse strain with mildly elevated blood pressure, would develop a pregnancy-induced hypertensive syndrome. Nonpregnant female BPH/5 and C57BL/6 mice underwent thoracic aortic implantation of telemeters. After 7 days of recovery and 5 days of baseline mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) recording, strain-matched timed matings were carried out. MAP was recorded continuously during pregnancy and for 1 week after birth. In separate mice in metabolic cages, urinary protein was tracked, followed by renal histological analysis. Before pregnancy, the BPH/5 strain had elevated baseline MAP compared with the C57BL/6 strain, but both strains had similar total urinary protein levels and renal histology. MAP remained stable in both groups during the first 2 weeks of pregnancy. However, at the start of the last trimester, MAP began to rise further in the BPH/5 mice; it rose to peak levels just before delivery and returned to prepregnancy levels by 2 days after delivery. This was accompanied by late-gestational proteinuria and progressive glomerulosclerosis. No changes were observed in the C57BL/6 group except for a small decrease in MAP at mid gestation. The BPH/5 group delivered significantly smaller litters despite normal numbers of fetuses early in gestation, and longitudinal ultrasound studies documented fetal demise before the onset of hypertension and renal disease. This is the first report of an animal model that spontaneously develops a syndrome that bears close resemblance to preeclampsia, and it should have an impact on our understanding of the pathophysiology of this disorder.
A class of asymptotically optimum iterated-decision multiuser detectors

A promising class of nonlinear multiuser detector is introduced for CDMA systems. These "iterated-decision" multiuser detectors use optimized multipass algorithms to successively cancel multiple-access interference (MAI) from received data and generate symbol decisions whose reliability increases monotonically with each iteration. They significantly outperform decorrelating detectors and linear minimum mean-square error (MMSE) multiuser detectors, but have the same order of computational complexity. When the ratio of the number of users to the spreading factor is below a certain threshold, iterated-decision multiuser detectors asymptotically achieve the performance of the "optimum" multiuser detector, ie, maximum-likelihood (ML) decoding.
Phytic Acid Exposure Alters AflatoxinB1-induced Reproductive and Oxidative Toxicity in Albino Rats (Rattus norvegicus)

The increased use of feed in Egypt's aquaculture and animal industries raises concerns about the possible presence of mycotoxins in feedstuffs. The use of alternative medicine, such as botanicals and nutritional supplements, has become popular with inflammatory cases. The present study aimed to testify the role played by phytic acid (IP6) in enhancing the reproductive and oxidative toxicity induced in aflatoxinB1 (AFB1) treated white male albino rats (Rattus norvegicus) throughout treatment and withdrawal periods. One hundred and twenty white male albino rats were grouped into four groups. Group 1, was injected with 300 μg kg−1 body wt of AFB1 once every 3 days for 15 days and left uninjected for another 15 days to study the withdrawal effect. Group 2, was injected with 300 μg kg−1 body wt of AFB1 once every 3 days for 15 days and treated simultaneously with IP6 daily for another 15 days. Group 3, was treated daily with IP6 (40 mg kg−1 body wt) for 15 days and with no treatment for other 15 days. Group 4, injected with equivalent volume of sterile phosphate buffer saline solution as a control group. Sera were taken at the experimental intervals and assayed for testosterone hormone, follicular-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) to determine the toxicological impact of AFB1 and the possibility of amelioration by phytic acid on the reproductive performance of the studied animal. The effects of AFB1 treatment on the absolute and relative weight of testis as well as its histopathologic effect on the testis and the possibility of amelioration by IP6 treatment were evaluated. The activities of enzymatic and non-enzymatic anti-oxidants, in addition to lipid peroxidation were measured in the testis’ homogenate of AFB1-treated rats. A decrease in sex hormone levels, an increase in testicular lipid peroxidation product levels and a significant decrease in testicular glutathione content, catalase and total peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activities were recorded. The histopathologic alterations revealed a degeneration and highly mitotic division within the spermatogenic nuclei, in addition to some karyomegaly and nuclear pyknosis. It is concluded that the reduction in the toxicity of free radicals by phytic acid might be responsible for the protective influence observed.
Malnutrition among 3 to 5 Years Old Children in Baghdad City, Iraq: A Cross-sectional Study

The unstable geopolitical situation in Iraq since 2003 still affects the health of people, especially children. Several factors may indirectly affect a child's nutritional status. The main aim of this study was to identify factors contributing to malnutrition among 3 to 5 years old children in Baghdad city, Iraq. Two hundred twenty children aged 3 to 5 years were chosen randomly from four kindergartens in Baghdad city according to the cross-sectional design. The nutritional status of the children was assessed using a weight-for-age z-score based on the World Health Organization 2007 cutoff points, in which any child with a z-score of <-2 is considered to be malnourished. The overall prevalence rate of underweight children was 18.2%. There was no significant difference in the prevalence rate between males and females (p=0.797). However, the percentage of underweight children was slightly higher among females (18.9%) compared to males (17.6%). There was no association between parents’ educational level or employment status and childhood malnutrition. There was no association between a family's movement from their house and childhood malnutrition (p=0.322). Living in an unsafe neighbourhood and having a family member killed during the past five years were significantly associated with childhood malnutrition (p=0.016 and 0.018 respectively). Childhood malnutrition is still a public-health concern in Baghdad city, especially after the war of 2003. Malnutrition is significantly associated with living in unsafe neighbourhoods and at least one family member having been killed during the past five years.
Directions of egomotion from antipodal points

We present a novel geometrical constraint on the egomotion of a single, moving camera. Using a camera with a large field-of-view (FOV), the optical flow measured at a single pair of antipodal points on the image sphere constrains the set of all possible camera motion directions to a subset region. By considering the flow at many such antipodal point pairs, it is shown that the intersection of all subset regions arising from each pair yields an estimate on the directions of motion. These antipodal point constraints rely on the geometrical properties of using a spherical representation of the image as well as the larger information content available from a large FOV. An algorithm using these constraints was implemented and tested on both simulated and real images. Results show comparable performance to the state of the art in the presence of noise and outliers whilst processing in constant time.
Quantification of Training Load in Canadian Football: Application of Session-RPE in Collision-Based Team Sports

Abstract Clarke, N, Farthing, JP, Norris, SR, Arnold, BE, and Lanovaz, JL. Quantification of training load in Canadian football: Application of session-RPE in collision-based team sports. J Strength Cond Res 27(8): 2198–2205, 2013—The session-rating of perceived exertion (Session-RPE) method for quantifying internal training load (TL) has proven to be a highly valuable and accurate monitoring tool in numerous team sports. However, the influence of frequent impact during Canadian football on the validity of this subjective rating tool remains unclear. The aim of this study was to validate Session-RPE application to a prolonged, intermittent, high-intensity collision-based team sport through correlation of internal TL data collected using 2 criterion heart rate–based measures known as Polar Training-Impulse (TRIMP) and Edwards' TL. Twenty male participants (age = 22.0 ± 1.4 years) from the competitive roster of the University of Saskatchewan Canadian football team were recruited. Session-RPE, Polar TRIMP, and Edwards' TL data were collected daily over the 2011 Canadian Interuniversity Sport pre-competitive and competitive season (11 weeks; 713 total practice sessions). On average, each player contributed 36 sessions of data to the analysis. Statistically significant correlations (p < 0.01) between Session-RPE with Polar TRIMP (r = 0.65–0.91) and with Edwards' TL (r = 0.69–0.91) were found for all individual players. This study provides confirmation that Session-RPE is an inexpensive and simple tool, which is highly practical and accurately measures an individual's response (internal TL) to the Canadian football practice. Furthermore, when considering the number of individuals involved worldwide in collision-based team sports, this tool has the potential to impact a large proportion of the global sporting community.
Impairment in Function and Expression of Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid Type 4 in Dahl Salt-Sensitive Rats: Significance and Mechanism

To examine the role of transient receptor potential vanilloid type 4 (TRPV4) channels in the development of salt-sensitive hypertension, male Dahl salt-sensitive (DS) and -resistant (DR) rats were fed a low-salt (LS) or high-salt (HS) diet for 3 weeks. DS-HS but not DR-HS rats developed hypertension. 4&agr;-Phorbol-12,13-didecanoate (a selective TRPV4 activator; 2.5 mg/kg IV) decreased mean arterial pressure in all of the groups with the greatest effects in DR-HS and the least in DS-HS rats (P<0.05). Depressor effects of 4&agr;-phorbol-12,13-didecanoate but not dihydrocapsaicin (a selective TRPV1 agonist; 30 &mgr;g/kg IV) were abolished by ruthenium red (a TRPV4 antagonist; 3 mg/kg IV) in all of the groups. Blockade of TRPV4 with ruthenium red increased mean arterial pressure in DR-HS rats only (P<0.05). TRPV4 protein contents were decreased in the renal cortex, medulla, and dorsal root ganglia in DS-HS compared with DS-LS rats but increased in dorsal root ganglia and mesenteric arteries in DR-HS compared with DR-LS rats (P<0.05). Mean arterial pressure responses to blockade of small- and large-/intermediate-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels (Maxi&kgr; channels) with apamin and charybdotoxin, respectively, were examined. Apamin (100 &mgr;g/kg) plus charybdotoxin (100 &mgr;g/kg) abolished 4&agr;-phorbol-12,13-didecanoate-induced hypotension in DR-LS, DR-HS, and DS-LS rats only. Thus, HS-induced enhancement of TRPV4 function and expression in sensory neurons and resistant vessels in DR rats may prevent salt-induced hypertension possibly via activation of Maxi&kgr; channels given that blockade of TRPV4 elevates mean arterial pressure. In contrast, HS-induced suppression of TRPV4 function and expression in sensory neurons and kidneys in DS rats may contribute to increased salt sensitivity.
The Complexity of Ferromagnetic Two-spin Systems with External Fields

We study the approximability of computing the partition function for ferromagnetic two-state spin systems. The remarkable algorithm by Jerrum and Sinclair showed that there is a fully polynomial-time randomized approximation scheme (FPRAS) for the special ferromagnetic Ising model with any given uniform external field. Later, Goldberg and Jerrum proved that it is #BIS-hard for Ising model if we allow inconsistent external fields on different nodes. In contrast to these two results, we prove that for any ferromagnetic two-state spin systems except the Ising model, there exists a threshold for external fields beyond which the problem is #BIS-hard, even if the external field is uniform.
Presence and Sources of Fecal Coliform Bacteria in Epilithic Periphyton Communities of Lake Superior

ABSTRACT Epilithic periphyton communities were sampled at three sites on the Minnesota shoreline of Lake Superior from June 2004 to August 2005 to determine if fecal coliforms and Escherichia coli were present throughout the ice-free season. Fecal coliform densities increased up to 4 orders of magnitude in early summer, reached peaks of up to 1.4 × 105 CFU cm−2 by late July, and decreased during autumn. Horizontal, fluorophore-enhanced repetitive-PCR DNA fingerprint analyses indicated that the source for 2% to 44% of the E. coli bacteria isolated from these periphyton communities could be identified when compared with a library of E. coli fingerprints from animal hosts and sewage. Waterfowl were the major source (68 to 99%) of periphyton E. coli strains that could be identified. Several periphyton E. coli isolates were genotypically identical (≥92% similarity), repeatedly isolated over time, and unidentified when compared to the source library, suggesting that these strains were naturalized members of periphyton communities. If the unidentified E. coli strains from periphyton were added to the known source library, then 57% to 81% of E. coli strains from overlying waters could be identified, with waterfowl (15 to 67%), periphyton (6 to 28%), and sewage effluent (8 to 28%) being the major potential sources. Inoculated E. coli rapidly colonized natural periphyton in laboratory microcosms and persisted for several weeks, and some cells were released to the overlying water. Our results indicate that E. coli from periphyton released into waterways confounds the use of this bacterium as a reliable indicator of recent fecal pollution.
Intravitreal autologous bone‐marrow‐derived mononuclear cell transplantation

Department of Ophthalmology, Medical Faculty Mannheim of the RuprechtKarls-University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany Department of Internal Medicine V for Haematology, Oncology and Rheumatology, Ruprecht-Karls-University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany Department of Haematology, Oncology and Haemostaseology, Medical University Hannover, Germany and Cytonet Hannover GmbH, Hannover, Germany
Genotoxic evaluation, secondary metabolites and antioxidant capacity of leaves and roots of Urera baccifera Gaudich (Urticaceae)

In addition to phenolics, flavonoids, flavonols, alkaloids and condensed tannins, our tests identified the antioxidant and genotoxic properties in the crude extract (CE) and fractions of Urera baccifera (Urticaceae) roots and leaves. Oxalic acid (OA) content was determined by HPLC-DAD, which presented high values in the roots (1.82 ± 0.21, 1.79 ± 0.22 and 1.38 ± 0.15 mg/g in butanolic, CE and ethyl acetate fraction, respectively). OA caused a 30.7% reduction in the leucocyte proliferation, followed by butanolic fractions of roots (24.15%) and leaves (23.28%). The mitotic index was lower in butanolic fractions of leaves (8.7%) and roots (8.3%), similar to the OA index, which was 6.0%. The DNA damage index in cultured leukocytes was observed for OA (19.33) and butanol fraction treatments (22.67 and 16, respectively, for leaves and roots). Antioxidant capacity (DPPH and TBARS) was moderated, which was confirmed by the low phenolic, flavonol and flavonoid contents in both parts of the plant.
Down‐regulation of FKBP12.6 and SERCA2a contributes to acute heart failure in septic shock and is related to an up‐regulated endothelin signalling pathway

Acute heart failure (AHF) critically affects morbidity and mortality in patients suffering from septic shock. It is hypothesized that AHF is linked to down‐regulation of FKBP12.6 (calstabin 2) and SERCA2a (sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase 2a), which may be mediated by an activated endothelin (ET) system in the myocardium. The aim of the study was to test whether an attenuation of septic AHF can be achieved by a novel dual endothelin receptor antagonist, CPU0213, in association with up‐regulation of FKBP12.6 and SERCA2a in rats. AHF in septic shock was produced by faeces leak from a surgically punctured caecum for 72 h in rats. CPU0213 (30 mg kg−1, s.c., every 12 h, for 3 days) was administered to rats 8 h after the operation. In the untreated model group, survival rate markedly decreased (P < 0.01), and the cardiac performance was seriously compromised (P < 0.01) relative to control. The AHF was characteristically associated with down‐regulated mRNA and protein expressions of FKBP12.6, SERCA2a and PLB (phospholamban). Elevated ET‐1 and mRNA abundances of the preproET‐1, ECE (endothelin converting enzyme) and ETA and ETB receptors in the left ventricular tissue (P < 0.01) were found. All abnormalities were reversed significantly following CPU0213 administration. In conclusion, septic AHF is attributed to down‐regulation of FKBP12.6 and SERCA2a, which is related to an activated ET system. An endothelin receptor antagonism of CPU0213 significantly improves the cardiac performance by blocking both ETA and ETB receptors.
Cannabinoid Type 1 Receptor Blockade Promotes Mitochondrial Biogenesis Through Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Expression in White Adipocytes

OBJECTIVE—Cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptor blockade decreases body weight and adiposity in obese subjects; however, the underlying mechanism is not yet fully understood. Nitric oxide (NO) produced by endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) induces mitochondrial biogenesis and function in adipocytes. This study was undertaken to test whether CB1 receptor blockade increases the espression of eNOS and mitochondrial biogenesis in white adipocytes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—We examined the effects on eNOS and mitochondrial biogenesis of selective pharmacological blockade of CB1 receptors by SR141716 (rimonabant) in mouse primary white adipocytes. We also examined eNOS expression and mitochondrial biogenesis in white adipose tissue (WAT) and isolated mature white adipocytes of CB1 receptor–deficient (CB1−/−) and chronically SR141716-treated mice on either a standard or high-fat diet. RESULTS—SR141716 treatment increased eNOS expression in cultured white adipocytes. Moreover, SR141716 increased mitochondrial DNA amount, mRNA levels of genes involved in mitochondrial biogenesis, and mitochondrial mass and function through eNOS induction, as demonstrated by reversal of SR141716 effects by small interfering RNA–mediated decrease in eNOS. While high-fat diet–fed wild-type mice showed reduced eNOS expression and mitochondrial biogenesis in WAT and isolated mature white adipocytes, genetic CB1 receptor deletion or chronic treatment with SR141716 restored these parameters to the levels observed in wild-type mice on the standard diet, an effect linked to the prevention of adiposity and body weight increase. CONCLUSIONS—CB1 receptor blockade increases mitochondrial biogenesis in white adipocytes by inducing the expression of eNOS. This is linked to the prevention of high-fat diet–induced fat accumulation, without concomitant changes in food intake.