Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Fast and On-Machine Measuring System Using the Laser Displacement Sensor for the Contour Parameters of the Drill Pipe Thread

The inconvenient loading and unloading of a long and heavy drill pipe gives rise to the difficulty in measuring the contour parameters of its threads at both ends. To solve this problem, in this paper we take the SCK230 drill pipe thread-repairing machine tool as a carrier to design and achieve a fast and on-machine measuring system based on a laser probe. This system drives a laser displacement sensor to acquire the contour data of a certain axial section of the thread by using the servo function of a CNC machine tool. To correct the sensor’s measurement errors caused by the measuring point inclination angle, an inclination error model is built to compensate data in real time. To better suppress random error interference and ensure real contour information, a new wavelet threshold function is proposed to process data through the wavelet threshold denoising. Discrete data after denoising is segmented according to the geometrical characteristics of the drill pipe thread, and the regression model of the contour data in each section is fitted by using the method of weighted total least squares (WTLS). Then, the thread parameters are calculated in real time to judge the processing quality. Inclination error experiments show that the proposed compensation model is accurate and effective, and it can improve the data acquisition accuracy of a sensor. Simulation results indicate that the improved threshold function is of better continuity and self-adaptability, which makes sure that denoising effects are guaranteed, and, meanwhile, the complete elimination of real data distorted in random errors is avoided. Additionally, NC50 thread-testing experiments show that the proposed on-machine measuring system can complete the measurement of a 25 mm thread in 7.8 s, with a measurement accuracy of ±8 μm and repeatability limit ≤ 4 μm (high repeatability), and hence the accuracy and efficiency of measurement are both improved.
IL17A Regulates Tumor Latency and Metastasis in Lung Adeno and Squamous SQ.2b and AD.1 Cancer

The pro-inflammatory cytokine IL17A has antitumor effects in certain subtypes of non–small cell lung cancer. Mice whose tumors were infiltrated with IL17A-expressing T cells were associated with increased lung cancer latency and had fewer metastasis. Somatic mutations can promote malignant transformation of airway epithelial cells and induce inflammatory responses directed against resultant tumors. Tumor-infiltrating T lymphocytes (TIL) in early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) secrete distinct proinflammatory cytokines, but the contribution of these TILs to tumor development and metastasis remains unknown. We show here that TILs in early-stage NSCLC are biased toward IL17A expression (Th17) when compared with adjacent tumor-free tissue, whereas Th17 cells are decreased in tumor infiltrating locoregional lymph nodes in advanced NSCLC. Mice in which Pten and Smad4 (Pts4d/d) are deleted from airway epithelial cells develop spontaneous tumors, that share genetic signatures with squamous- (SQ.2b), and adeno- (AD.1) subtypes of human NSCLC. Pts4d/d mice globally lacking in IL17a (Pts4d/dIl17a–/–) showed decreased tumor latency and increased metastasis. Th17 cells were required for recruitment of CD103+ dendritic cells, and adoptive transfer of IL17a-sufficient CD4+ T cells reversed early tumor development and metastasis in Pts4d/dIl17a–/– mice. Together, these findings support a key role for Th17 cells in TILs associated with the Pts4d/d model of NSCLC and suggest therapeutic and biomarker strategies for human SQ2b and AD1 lung cancer. Cancer Immunol Res; 6(6); 645–57. ©2018 AACR.
Cost-Effectiveness of Alternative Models of Community Health Workers for Promotion of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health in Northern Nigeria

Throughout Africa, there are critical shortages in the primary health care workforce, despite its importance in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) [1, 2]. Faced with declining oil prices and challenges of non-diversification of products for internally generated revenue, Nigeria is experiencing threats to its ability to provide primary health care services, particularly in the poorer states in the northern part of the country. In 2013, nationwide less than half (46.5%) of pregnant women in rural areas received any antenatal care services (ANC), and less than one-fourth (22.7%) of deliveries were taken by skilled birth attendants at the primary health centers in the country. In the northern states, the proportion of births at health centers is even lower at 10-16%, with about 1 in 5 births taking place at home with no one present [3, 4]. Abstract
Visual Field Loss, Quality of Life and Ocular Biometric Parameters: A Cross Sectional Study of Taiwanese Adults

Purpose: To evaluate the severity of visual field loss in Taiwanese adults and assess the associations between visual field loss detected by frequency doubling technology (FDT) perimetry and vision-related quality of life (QoL) in Taiwanese adults. Methods: A total of 206 eyes from 206 subjects were included. Each subject was examined using FDT (N-30 threshold test) perimetry, optical coherence tomography (OCT), noncontact tonometry, cycloplegic refractometry, and National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire 25 items (NEI VFQ-25). Results of FDT tests were classified into four groups (normal, early, moderate, and severe defects) using FDT probability map analysis. OCT parameters included central cornea thickness (CCT), thickness of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), ganglion cell complex (GCC), focal loss volume (FLV), and global loss volume (GLV) of GCC. The global score, subscales of near and distance activities of VFQ were calculated. Linear regression analysis was used to analyze the factors associated with visual field loss. Kruskal-Wallis analysis was used to examine the relationship between FDT results and vision-related QoL. Results: Among the 206 subjects, 72 were normal. The numbers of participants having early, moderate, and severe visual field loss were 101, 27, and 6. Moderate visual field defect was associated with CCT, GLV, GCC, and SE when compared to the subjects with normal response. Kruskal-Wallis analysis indicated that those with moderate visual field loss determined by FDT had worse vision related QoL and more difficulties in distance activities of VFQ (p=0.01) than people with normal response. Conclusion: Moderate visual field loss detected by FDT was associated with vision-related QoL in young adults. Further study is warranted to determine the potential of visual field loss as a predicting factor for vision loss related QoL.
Markov-based ranking methods

Vaziri, Baback Ph.D., Purdue University, May 2016. Markov-based ranking methods. Major Professors: Yuehwern Yih, Tom Morin. Ranking methods are an essential tool to help make decisions. This dissertation document examines different aspects of the theory and application of pairwise comparison ranking methods, specifically those that use Markov chains. First, a new method is developed to solve a traditional recruiting problem, and is shown to improve the predictive power of its ranking. Next, modifications are made to an existing method that theoretically improves the reliability, while maintaining the rank integrity. Last, a framework is developed that defines a fair and comprehensive ranking method, and several popular methods are evaluated in their ability to adhere to the said framework.
A visuo‐somatomotor pathway through superior parietal cortex in the macaque monkey: cortical connections of areas V6 and V6A

This report addresses the connectivity of the cortex occupying middle to dorsal levels of the anterior bank of the parieto‐occipital sulcus in the macaque monkey. We have previously referred to this territory, whose perimeter is roughly circumscribed by the distribution of interhemispheric callosal fibres, as area V6, or the ‘V6 complex’. Following injections of wheatgerm agglutinin conjugated to horseradish peroxidase (WGA‐HRP) into this region, we examined the laminar organization of labelled cells and axonal terminals to attain indications of relative hierarchical status among the network of connected areas. A notable transition in the laminar patterns of the local, intrinsic connections prompted a sub‐designation of the V6 complex itself into two separate areas, V6 and V6A, with area V6A lying dorsal, or dorsomedial to V6 proper. V6 receives ascending input from V2 and V3, ranks equal to V3A and V5, and provides an ascending input to V6A at the level above. V6A is not connected to area V2 and in general is less heavily linked to the earliest visual areas; in other respects, the two parts of the V6 complex share similar spheres of connectivity. These include regions of peripheral representation in prestriate areas V3, V3A and V5, parietal visual areas V5A/MST and 7a, other regions of visuo‐somatosensory association cortex within the intraparietal sulcus and on the medial surface of the hemisphere, and the premotor cortex. Subcortical connections include the medial and lateral pulvinar, caudate nucleus, claustrum, middle and deep layers of the superior colliculus and pontine nuclei.
Exponential stability of the semigroup associated with a thermoelastic system

In this paper it is proved that the semigroup associated with the onedimensional thermoelastic system with Dirichlet boundary conditions is an exponen12 2 tially stable C0-semigroup of contraction on the space H0 x L x L . The technique of the proof is completely different from the usual energy method. It is shown that the exponential decay in 3 (s/) recently obtained by Revira is a consequence of our main result. An important application of our main result to the Linear-QuadraticGaussian optimal control problem is also discussed.
ICSV 14 Cairns • Australia 9-12 July , 2007 1 ACTIVE CONTROL FOR VIBROPROTECTION OF OPERATORS OF TECHNOLOGICAL MACHINES

The electrohydraulic mechanism of a vibroprotection system with a digital regulator is considered. A mathematical model of the system is constructed. An optimal operational algorithm for the regulator is synthesized on the basis of the Riccati equation. This permits simulation of the system with various external perturbations and under the action of actual vibrational noise at the workstation of an SBSh-250 drilling machine.
Use of Biopolymer Adsorbent in the Removal of Phenol from Aqueous Solution

In this work, chitosan was extracted from local shrimp shell waste as low cost raw materials by chemical methods. The chitosan was impregnated with granular activated carbon to be used as adsorbents for the removal of phenol from aqueous solution by adsorption technique. The adsorbents were characterized by (FTIR) and (BET). The optimum condition for batch adsorption of the phenol and the maximum adsorption efficiency were found to be 78.4% for Chitosan (CH), 90.49% for chitosan impregnated granular activated carbon with different amounts of chitosan (10 wt.%) CHGAC1, 94.47% for chitosan impregnated granular activated carbon with different amounts of chitosan (20 wt.%) CHGAC2 and 85.91% for Granular activated carbon (GAC) at 1.2 g, pH 7 and 6 hrs respectively. The equilibrium isotherm of (Chitosan CH, Chitosan impregnated granular activated carbon with different amounts of chitosan (10 wt.%) CHGAC1 and Chitosan impregnated granular activated carbon with different amounts of chitosan (20 wt.%) CHGAC2) for the phenol shows that the Langmuir isotherm fits the experimental data better than Freundlich and Temkin adsorption. The equilibrium isotherm of Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) for the phenol shows that the Freundlich isotherm fits the experimental data better than Langmuir and Temkin adsorption.
Increasing Dissolved Organic Carbon Redefines the Extent of Surface Water Acidification and Helps Resolve a Classic Controversy

Concentrations of organic acids in freshwaters have increased significantly during recent decades across large parts of Europe and North America. Different theories of the causes (e.g., recovery from acidification, climate change, land use) have different implications for defining the preindustrial levels for dissolved organic carbon (DOC), which are crucial for assessing acidification and other aspects of water quality. We demonstrate this by classifying the acidification status of 66 lakes with long-term observations, representative of about 12,700 acid-sensitive lakes in nemoral and boreal Sweden. Of these lakes, 47% are classified as significantly acidified (&Dgr;pH ≥ 0.4), assuming preindustrial DOC levels were equal to those observed in 1990. But if, instead, the higher DOC levels observed in 2009 define preindustrial conditions, half as many lakes are acidified (24%). This emphasizes the need to establish reference levels for DOC and casts new light on the classic controversy about natural versus anthropogenic acidification.
Dissociative disorders and possession experiences in Israel: A comparison of opiate use disorder patients, Arab women subjected to domestic violence, and a nonclinical group

This study examined the association between exposure to domestic violence and dissociative symptoms. A sample of 68 Israeli opiate use disorder patients in recovery, 80 battered Arab Israeli women, and 103 respondents from a community sample participated in structured interviews that included the Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule (DDIS), the Dissociative Trance Disorder Interview Schedule (DTDIS), and the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES). As predicted, community participants reported significantly less exposure to traumatizing events and lower levels of dissociative psychopathology than individuals sampled from specialized treatment centers. In all, 91% of battered female participants were taxon-positive for dissociative disorder with 1 of every 2 respondents reporting symptoms corresponding to dissociative amnesia and depersonalization disorder, suggesting that this group may be particularly vulnerable to dissociative psychopathology. Extrasensory and paranormal experiences (ESP) and dissociative trance disorder experiences were strongly related to dissociative experiences and features of dissociative identity disorder (DID). These statistical associations suggest that dissociative disorders and ESP/trance experiences may share an underlying construct. Further research is needed on trauma and dissociation among female victims of domestic abuse in patriarchal, collectivist societies, particularly in the Arab world.
Influence of magnesium AZ80 friction stir weld texture on tensile strain localisation

Synchrotron diffraction was used to construct the first 2D texture maps of entire magnesium AZ80 friction stir welds and showed that basal slip is favoured along most of the advancing side interface, and to a lesser extent on the retreating side interface. Zones of grains optimally oriented for basal slip are known to be a major contributor to strain localisation leading to failure during transverse tensile tests. Profilometry results confirm that the basal plane orientation dominates strain localisation. Microtexture maps traversing the weld interfaces were used to describe the material flow within the weld using scatter from the ideal shear texture fibre. The current results are highly applicable to modelling the strength and ductility of these joints under transverse loading.
Is serum total IgE levels a good predictor of allergies in children?

OBJECTIVE To study the role of Serum Total IgE levels as a marker of allergy and to see its association with different host and environmental factors, its association with different systemic allergies and with the increased allergic systemic involvement. METHODS A cross sectional comparative study was conducted at Liaquat National Hospital Paediatric Medicine Unit and Outpatient Clinic, from December 2007 to October 2008. Two hundred and fifty eight children in the age group 6 months to 12 years meeting the inclusion criteria, were enrolled for the study. Complete blood count and serum total IgE levels were done in all patients. Data was collected and tabulated. Chi-square was applied to test the association of serum Total IgE levels with different variables using SPSS and p-value of <0.05 was taken as statistically significant. RESULTS Out of 258 patients 166(64.37%) had raised serum total IgE levels (108 males and 92 females). Among host factors there was no significant association of serum total IgE levels with age, sex, height of the patient, positive family history of allergy or age at which symptoms developed (p =or> 0.05), though the correlation of serum total IgE levels was seen with weight of the patient (p < 0.049), early weaning (p < 0.01) and bottle feeding (p < 0.01) in children. Among environmental factors serum total IgE levels had a strong association with exposure to passive smoking (p < 0.01), pollen (p < 0.01), cold (p < 0.01), and pets (p < 0.01). Blood eosinophilia was another factor that had positive association with allergy and raised serum total IgE levels (p < 0.01). However association of serum IgE levels was not statistically significant for any systemic allergies, skin allergy (0.608), food allergy (p < 0.210), allergic sinusitis (p < 0.113), allergic rhinitis (p < 0.358), allergic conjunctivitis (p < 0.507) except for bronchial asthma (p =or<0.01) where serum total IgE levels was also associated with severity of bronchial asthma (p < 0.01). Interestingly there was no significant relationship of increased number of systemic allergies with serum IgE levels. CONCLUSION Serum total IgE level is a good predictor of allergy in children. It is influenced by early weaning, early bottle feeding, exposure to passive smoking, pollen, cold, and pets and is associated with blood eosinophilia. Also serum total IgE level is a strong predictor of allergy in asthmatic children.
Lactic Acid Production to Purification: A Review

Lactic acid is a naturally occurring organic acid that can be used in a wide variety of industries, such as the cosmetic, pharmaceutical, chemical, food, and, most recently, the medical industries. It can be made by the fermentation of sugars obtained from renewable resources, which means that it is an eco-friendly product that has attracted a lot of attention in recent years. In 2010, the U.S. Department of Energy issued a report that listed lactic acid as a potential building block for the future. Bearing the importance of lactic acid in mind, this review summarizes information about lactic acid properties and applications, as well as its production and purification processes.
Cannabis in painful HIV-associated sensory neuropathy

Objective: To determine the effect of smoked cannabis on the neuropathic pain of HIV-associated sensory neuropathy and an experimental pain model. Methods: Prospective randomized placebo-controlled trial conducted in the inpatient General Clinical Research Center between May 2003 and May 2005 involving adults with painful HIV-associated sensory neuropathy. Patients were randomly assigned to smoke either cannabis (3.56% tetrahydrocannabinol) or identical placebo cigarettes with the cannabinoids extracted three times daily for 5 days. Primary outcome measures included ratings of chronic pain and the percentage achieving >30% reduction in pain intensity. Acute analgesic and anti-hyperalgesic effects of smoked cannabis were assessed using a cutaneous heat stimulation procedure and the heat/capsaicin sensitization model. Results: Fifty patients completed the entire trial. Smoked cannabis reduced daily pain by 34% (median reduction; IQR = −71, −16) vs 17% (IQR = −29, 8) with placebo (p = 0.03). Greater than 30% reduction in pain was reported by 52% in the cannabis group and by 24% in the placebo group (p = 0.04). The first cannabis cigarette reduced chronic pain by a median of 72% vs 15% with placebo (p < 0.001). Cannabis reduced experimentally induced hyperalgesia to both brush and von Frey hair stimuli (p ≤ 0.05) but appeared to have little effect on the painfulness of noxious heat stimulation. No serious adverse events were reported. Conclusion: Smoked cannabis was well tolerated and effectively relieved chronic neuropathic pain from HIV-associated sensory neuropathy. The findings are comparable to oral drugs used for chronic neuropathic pain.
Digital Goods are Valued Less than Physical Goods

Digital goods are, in many cases, substantive innovations relative to their physical counterparts. Yet, in five experiments, people ascribed less value to digital than to physical versions of the same good. Research participants paid more for, were willing to pay more for, and were more likely to purchase physical goods than equivalent digital goods, including souvenir photographs, books (fiction and nonfiction), and films. Participants valued physical goods more than digital goods whether their value was elicited in an incentive compatible pay-what-you-want paradigm, with willingness to pay, or with purchase intention. Greater capacity for physical than digital goods to garner an association with the self (i.e., psychological ownership) underlies the greater value ascribed to physical goods. Differences in psychological ownership for physical and digital goods mediated the difference in their value. Experimentally manipulating antecedents and consequents of psychological ownership (i.e., expected ownership, identity relevance, perceived control) bounded this effect, and moderated the mediating role of psychological ownership. The findings show how features of objects influence their capacity to garner psychological ownership before they are acquired, and provide theoretical and practical insights for the marketing, psychology, and economics of digital and physical goods.
Phylogeny , new generic-level classi fi cation , and historical biogeography of the Eucera complex ( Hymenoptera : Apidae )

The longhorn bee tribe Eucerini (Hymenoptera: Apidae) is a diverse, widely distributed group of solitary bees that includes important pollinators of both wild and agricultural plants. About half of the species in the tribe are currently assigned to the genus Eucera and to a few other related genera. In this large genus complex, comprising ca. 390 species, the boundaries between genera remain ambiguous due to morphological intergradation among taxa. Using ca. 6700 aligned nucleotide sites from six gene fragments, 120 morphological characters, and more than 100 taxa, we present the first comprehensive molecular, morphological, and combined phylogenetic analyses of the ‘Eucera complex’. The revised generic classification that we propose is congruent with our phylogeny and maximizes both generic stability and ease of identification. Under this new classification most generic names are synonymized under an expanded genus Eucera. Thus, Tetralonia, Peponapis, Xenoglossa, Cemolobus, and Syntrichalonia are reduced to subgeneric rank within Eucera, and Synhalonia is retained as a subgenus of Eucera. Xenoglossodes is reestablished as a valid subgenus of Eucera while Tetraloniella is synonymized with Tetralonia and Cubitalia with Eucera. In contrast, we suggest that the venusta-group of species, currently placed in the subgenus Synhalonia, should be recognized as a new genus. Our results demonstrate the need to evaluate convergent loss or gain of important diagnostic traits to minimize the use of potentially homoplasious characters when establishing classifications. Lastly, we show that the Eucera complex originated in the Nearctic region in the late Oligocene, and dispersed twice into the Old World. The first dispersal event likely occurred 24.2–16.6 mya at a base of a clade of summer-active bees restricted to warm region of the Old World, and the second 13.9–12.3 mya at the base of a clade of spring-active bees found in cooler regions of the Holarctic. Our results further highlight the role of Beringia as a climate-regulated corridor for bees.