Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relaxation behaviour of spherical and cylindrical magnetic nanoparticles in liquid media

Magnetic nanoparticles are very promising for various applications in medicine. In this research the relaxation behaviour of superparamagnetic particles is investigated. Magnetic relaxation is defined as the return or adjustment to equilibrium after a change of the external magnetic field. Superparamagnetic nanoparticles have the same high magnetic response as ferromagnets, but exhibit no hysteresis. This makes them particularly suited for relaxation experiments. The relaxation behaviour is in uenced by both characteristics of the particles and their environment. This is used in clinical applications, which include in vitro sensing and immunoassays. Physical models describing the relaxation behaviour of both spherical and cylindrical particles are made. Cylindrical particles are thought to be beneficial due to their shape anisotropy. Simulations show indeed that cylindrical particles are allowed to have larger volume at the superparamagnetic limit, indicating a higher magnetic response due to the increased amount of magnetic material. However, surface effects counteract this effect. Quantification of these surface effects was outside the scope of this research, but measurements of the magnetization curves of spherical and cylindrical particles showed that the surface effects are larger than the shape anisotropy effects in the superparamagnetic regime. The relaxation behaviour was measured with two different setups i.e. a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer measuring the relaxation as a function of time and a differential transformer measuring the susceptibility as a function of frequency. The SQUID magnetometer setup was designed and built in our own lab, partly during this assignment. It uses a static magnetic field to align the magnetic particles. After the field is switched off, the particles will return to a random orientation. The corresponding decrease of magnetic moment as a function of time is measured with the SQUID. The setup using the differential transformer was already developed at Utrecht University, where the measurements took place as well. This setup uses an oscillating magnetic field to align the particles. At low frequencies, the particles are able to align to the magnetic field before it changes direction. As the frequency increases, full alignment is not possible anymore. This transition point corresponds to the relaxation time. Multiple samples were used to verify the simulation model with the experiments. Unfortunately, none of the samples was able to confirm or reject the simulation models. The relaxation time of samples containing iron oxide particles was outside the measurement regime for both setups. Samples containing spherical nickel particles showed sedimentation and clustering. At last, the cylindrical nickel particles could not be compared to the simulation model, since they turned out to be ferromagnetic instead of superparamagnetic.
Cyclin T1 but not cyclin T2a is induced by a post‐transcriptional mechanism in PAMP‐activated monocyte‐derived macrophages

Positive transcription elongation factor b (P‐TEFb) is an RNA polymerase II elongation factor which exists as multiple complexes in human cells. These complexes contain cyclin‐dependent kinase 9 as the catalytic subunit and different cyclin subunits—cyclin T1, T2a, T2b, or K. Cyclin T1 is targeted by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) Tat protein to activate transcription of the HIV provirus. Expression of this P‐TEFb subunit is highly regulated in monocyte‐derived macrophages (MDMs). Cyclin T1 is induced early during differentiation and is shut off later by proteasome‐mediated proteolysis. Cyclin T1 can be reinduced by pathogen‐associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) or HIV infection. In this study, we analyzed regulation of P‐TEFb in MDMs by examining 7SK small nuclear RNA and the HEXIM1 protein; these factors associate with P‐TEFb and are thought to regulate its function. 7SK and HEXIM1 were induced early during differentiation, and this correlates with increased overall transcription. 7SK expression remained high, but HEXIM1 was shut off later during differentiation by proteasome‐mediated proteolysis. Significantly, the cyclin T2a subunit of P‐TEFb was not shut off during differentiation, and it was not induced by activation. Induction of cyclin T1 by PAMPs was found to be a slow process and did not involve an increase in cyclin T1 mRNA levels. Treatment of MDMs with PAMPs or a proteasome inhibitor induced cyclin T1 to a level equivalent to treatment with both agents together, suggesting that PAMPs and proteasome inhibitors act at a similar rate‐limiting step. It is therefore likely that cyclin T1 induction by PAMPs is the result of a reduction in proteasome‐mediated proteolysis.
Effect of a new carbon dioxide laser and fluoride on occlusal caries progression in dental enamel

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a new TEA carbon dioxide (CO2) laser (.9.6 micrometers , 5-8 microsecond(s) pulse duration) combined with fluoride (F), on the inhibition of caries-like progression in occlusal surfaces in sound and demineralized enamel. Of 120 occlusal tooth surfaces (10 per group), 90 were partially demineralized in a 50% HAP/0.1 M Lactic acid/carbopol solution (pH 5.0). Samples were treated with/without the laser (2.0 j/cm2 or 3.0 J/cm2) and/or F (as APF). Caries-like progression was tested by 5 days of pH cycling. Results were assessed by cross-sectional quantitative microradiography. The percent inhibition of caries progression with laser and/or F ranged from 87-170%. This new TEA CO2 laser produced significant protective effect against lesion progression, and in combination with fluoride treatment lesion reversal occurred.
Predicting soccer matches: A reassessment of the benefit of unconscious
 thinking

We evaluate Dijksterhuis, Bos, van der Leij, & van Baaren (2009), Psychological Science, on the benefit of unconscious thinking in predicting the outcomes of soccer matches. We conclude that the evidence that unconscious thinking helps experts to make better predictions is tenuous both from theoretical and statistical perspectives.
Clustering of Poor Device Acceptance and Type D Personality is Associated with Increased Distress in Danish Cardioverter‐Defibrillator Patients

Background: Psychosocial risk factors tend to cluster together within individuals, likely enhancing the risk of adverse health outcomes. We examined (1) the influence of clustering of poor device acceptance and Type D personality on anxiety and depressive symptoms, and (2) the demographic and clinical determinants of patients with clustering, in a large cohort of Danish implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) patients.
Toward a comprehensive treatment of temporal constraints about periodic events

In this article, we propose an Allen‐like approach to deal with different types of temporal constraints about periodic events. We consider the different components of such constraints (thus, unlike Allen, we also take into account quantitative constraints) including frame times, user‐defined periods, qualitative temporal constraints, and numeric quantifiers and the interactions between such components. We propose a specialized high‐level formalism to represent temporal constraints about periodic events; temporal reasoning on the formalism is performed by a path‐consistency algorithm repeatedly applying our operations of inversion, intersection, and composition and by a specialized reasoner about periods and numeric quantification. The high‐level formalism has been designed in such a way that different types of temporal constraints about periodic events can be represented in a compact and (hopefully) user‐friendly way and path‐consistency‐based temporal reasoning on the formalism can be performed in polynomial time. We also prove that our definitions of inversion, intersection, and composition and, thus, of our path‐consistency algorithm, are correct. This article also sketches the general architecture of the temporal manager for periodic events (TeMP+), that has been designed on the basis of our approach. As a working example, we show an application of our approach to scheduling in a school. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
LBSNSim: Analyzing and modeling location-based social networks

The soaring adoption of location-based social networks (LBSNs) makes it possible to analyze human socio-spatial behaviors based on large-scale realistic data, which is important to both the research community and the design of new location-based social applications. However, performing direct measurements on LBSNs is impractical, because of the security mechanisms of existing LBSNs, and high time and resource costs. The problem is exacerbated by the scarcity of available LBSN datasets, which is mainly due to the privacy concerns and the hardness of distributing large-volume data. As a result, only a very few number of LBSN datasets are publicly released. In this paper, we extract and study the universal statistical features of three LBSN datasets, and propose LBSNSim, a trace-driven model for generating synthetic LBSN datasets capturing the properties of the original datasets. Our evaluation shows that LBSNSim provides an accurate representation of target LBSNs.
Partial Conway and Iteration Semirings

A Conway semiring is a semiring S equipped with a unary operation *: S → S, always called 'star', satisfying the sum star and product star identities. It is known that these identities imply a Kleene type theorem. Some computationally important semirings, such as N or N$^{rat}$LΣG of rational power series of words on Σ with coefficients in N, cannot have a total star operation satisfying the Conway identities. We introduce here partial Conway semirings, which are semirings S which have a star operation defined only on an ideal of S; when the arguments are appropriate, the operation satisfies the above identities. We develop the general theory of partial Conway semirings and prove a Kleene theorem for this generalization.
PRUF a meaning representation language for natural languages

PRUF--an acronym for Possibilistie Relational Universal Fuzzy--is a meaning representation language for natural languages which departs from the conventional approaches to the theory of meaning in several important respects. First, a basic assumption underlying PRUF is that the imprecision that is intrinsic in natural languages is, for the most part, possibilistic rather than probabilistic in nature. Thus, a proposition such as "Richard is tall" translates in PRUF into a possibility distribution of the variable Height (Richard), which associates with each value of the variable a number in the interval [0,1 ] representing the possibility that Height (Richard) could assume the value in question. More generally, a proposition, p, translates into a procedure, P, which returns a possibility distribution, II P, with P and 1-I P representing, respectively, the meaning of p and the information conveyed by p. In this sense, the concept of a possibility distribution replaces that of truth as a foundation for the representation of meaning in natural languages. Second, the logic underlying PRUF is not a two-valued or multivalued logic, but a fuzzy logic, FL, in which the truth-values are linguistic, that is, are of the form true, not true, very true, more or less true, not very true, etc., with each such truth-value representing a fuzzy subset of the unit interval. The truth-value of a proposition is defined as its compatibility with a reference proposition, so that given two propositions p and r, one can compute the truth o fp relative to r. Third, the quantifiers in PRUF--like the truth-values--are allowed to be linguistic, i.e. may be expressed as most, many, few, some, not very many, almost all, etc. Based on the concept of the cardinality of a fuzzy set, such quantifiers are given a concrete interpretation which makes it possible to translate into PRUF propositions exemplified by "Many tall men are much taller than most men," "All tall women are blonde is not very true," etc. The translation rules in PRUF are of four basic types: Type I--pertaining to modification; Type II--pertaining to composition; Type In--pertaining to quantification; and Type IV--pertaining to qualification and, in particular, to truth qualification, probability qualification and possibility qualification. The concepts of semantic equivalence and semantic entailment in PRUF provide a basis for question-answering and inference from fuzzy premises. In addition to serving as a foundation for approximate reasoning, PRUF may be employed as a language for the representation of imprecise knowledge and as a means of precisiation of fuzzy propositions expressed in a natural language.
Faster Algorithms for Max-Product Message-Passing

Maximum A Posteriori inference in graphical models is often solved via message-passing algorithms, such as the junction-tree algorithm or loopy belief-propagation. The exact solution to this problem is well-known to be exponential in the size of the maximal cliques of the triangulated model, while approximate inference is typically exponential in the size of the model's factors. In this paper, we take advantage of the fact that many models have maximal cliques that are larger than their constituent factors, and also of the fact that many factors consist only of latent variables (i.e., they do not depend on an observation). This is a common case in a wide variety of applications that deal with grid-, tree-, and ring-structured models. In such cases, we are able to decrease the exponent of complexity for message-passing by 0.5 for both exact and approximate inference. We demonstrate that message-passing operations in such models are equivalent to some variant of matrix multiplication in the tropical semiring, for which we offer an O(N2.5) expected-case solution.
Factors Affecting Organizational Commitment in Navy Corpsmen.

BACKGROUND Organizational commitment is a psychological state that has a strong impact on the likelihood that employees will remain with an organization. Among military personnel, organizational commitment is predictive of a number of important outcomes, including reenlistment intentions, job performance, morale, and perceived readiness. Because of the unique challenges and experiences associated with military service, it may be that organizational commitment is even more critical in the military than in civilian populations. Despite the essential role that they play in protecting the health of other service members, little is known about the factors that influence Navy Corpsmen's organizational commitment. This study investigated demographic and psychosocial factors that may be associated with organizational commitment among Corpsmen. METHODS Surveys of organizational commitment and possible demographic and psychosocial correlates of organizational commitment were completed by 1,597 male, active duty Navy Corpsmen attending Field Medical Training Battalion-West, Camp Pendleton, California. Bivariate correlations and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to determine significant predictors of organizational commitment. FINDINGS Of the 12 demographic and psychosocial factors examined, 6 factors emerged as significant predictors of organizational commitment in the final model: preservice motivation to be a Corpsman, positive perceptions of Corpsman training, confidence regarding promotions, occupational self-efficacy, social support for a Corpsman career, and lower depression. DISCUSSION/IMPACT/RECOMMENDATIONS Importantly, a number of the factors that emerged as significant correlates of organizational commitment in this study are potentially modifiable. These factors include confidence regarding promotions, positive perceptions of Corpsman training, and occupational self-efficacy. It is recommended that military leaders and policy-makers take concrete steps to address these factors, thereby strengthening organizational commitment among Corpsmen. Further research is needed to identify ways in which organizational commitment could be strengthened among Corpsmen.
On the Adaptive Origins and Maladaptive Consequences of Human Inbreeding: Parasite Prevalence, Immune Functioning, and Consanguineous Marriage

We propose that consanguineous marriages arise adaptively in response to high parasite prevalence and function to maintain coadapted gene complexes and associated local adaptation that defend against local pathogens. Therefore, a greater prevalence of inbreeding by consanguineous marriage is expected in geographical regions that historically have had high levels of disease-causing parasites. Eventually such marriages may, under the contemporary high movement of people with modern transportation, jeopardize the immunity of those who practice inbreeding as this leads to an increased susceptibility to novel pathogens. Therefore, a greater frequency of inbreeding is expected to predict higher levels of contemporary mortality and morbidity from infectious diseases. This parasite model of human inbreeding was supported by an analysis involving 72 countries worldwide. We found that historically high levels of pathogen prevalence were related positively to the proportion of consanguineous marriages, and that a higher prevalence of such marriages was associated with higher contemporary mortality and morbidity due to pathogens. Our study addresses plausible alternative explanations. The results suggest that consanguineous marriage is an adaptive consequence of historical pathogen ecologies, but is maladaptive in contemporary disease ecologies.
Carotid Intima-medial Thickness and Glucose Homeostasis in Indian Obese Children and Adolescents

Objective: To evaluate for subclinical atherosclerosis and its risk factors in Indian obese children. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, case–control study was conducted to recruit 80 children aged 6–17 years with constitutional obesity as cases and 23 age- and gender-matched controls with normal body mass index (BMI). Anthropometric and clinical evaluation was followed by biochemical analysis and body fat estimation by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in cases. Similar evaluation was performed for controls except laboratory parameters. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) was measured with B-mode ultrasonography in both cases and controls to evaluate subclinical atherosclerosis. Results: The mean age of cases was 12.8 ± 3 years, with mean BMI of 29.2 ± 4.8 kg/m2. The mean CIMT was significantly higher in cases than controls (0.54 ± 0.13 vs. 0.42 ± 0.08; P < 0.001 across all ages). CIMT was significantly higher in participants who were hypertensive than nonhypertensive (0.6 ± 0.11 vs. 0.53 ± 0.11 mm; P = 0.04). CIMT showed a positive correlation with BMI (r = 0.23, P = 0.02), percentage body fat and fat mass index (r = 0.28 and 0.3 respectively; P < 0.001), but not with waist: hip ratio. CIMT showed significant positive correlation with blood glucose at 60 min (r = 0.22; P = 0.04), serum insulin at 60 min (r = 0.28; P = 0.01) while negative correlation with whole body insulin sensitivity (r = −0.27; P = 0.01). Conclusion: CIMT correlated significantly to blood pressure, insulin sensitivity, and body fat in Indian obese children.
New Drugs against Tuberculosis: Problems, Progress, and Evaluation of Agents in Clinical Development

One-third of the world population is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and hence at risk of developing active tuberculosis (TB). Each year, 8.8 million patients are newly diagnosed with active TB and 1.6 million patients die of TB. The rapid spread of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has fueled the TB epidemic, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where 28% of TB patients are HIV positive (176). The current first-line treatment for TB is a multidrug regimen consisting of rifampin, isoniazid, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol (RHZE). It must be taken for at least 6 months to achieve high cure rates (more than 95% in experimental settings). PROBLEMS WITH CURRENT TUBERCULOSIS TREATMENT
Evaluation of Quality of Chapaties Enriched with Jackfruit Seed Flour and Bengal Gram Flour

Jackfruit seeds and bengal gram are rich of nutrients as protein, crude fibre, minerals etc. To improve the quality of chapati, jackfruit seed flour and bengal gram flour were used along with wholemeal wheat flour (atta). The aims of this study were to enrich the quality of chapaties and to check the shelf life of chapaties in ambient and refrigerated condition (6 0 C). Four types ( Rc, R1, R2, R3) of chapaties were prepared adding 100% atta in control; 5, 15, 25 percent white and 10, 15, 20 percent brown jackfruit seed flour with 5, 15, 10 percent bengal gram flour respectively. The spread ratio of R3 (46.25) was more than others. Inspite of higher spread ratio of R3 the highest energy (324.73 kcal/100g) containing chapati was R1 type because of its composition. The samples were packed in high density polyethylene and stored at the refrigerated and ambient temperature. The shelf life of chapaties was obtained 3 to 4 days at ambient and 30 days at refrigerated temperature. The sensory attributes of fresh chapaties were also evaluated and found the highest acceptability of R1 sample. This study concluded that the best sample was R1 which had higher energy level and consumer acceptability.
Critical Period for Inhibitory Plasticity in RodentBinocular V1

Postnatal cortical circuit development is characterized by windows of heightened plasticity that contribute to the acquisition of mature connectivity and function. What drives the transition between different critical plasticity windows is not known. Here we show that a switch in sign of inhibitory plasticity correlates with the reported transition between the precritical period (pre-CP) and the critical period (CP) for ocular dominance plasticity (ODP). In layer 4 of binocular visual cortex (V1b), depression of inhibitory synapses onto pyramidal neurons is induced when rats are monocularly deprived for 2 d at the end of the third postnatal week (pre-CP), whereas potentiation is induced if the monocular deprivation is started in the fourth postnatal week (CP). The magnitude of potentiation increases with deprivations started close to the peak of the CP for ODP. The direction of inhibitory plasticity depends on the differential manipulation of circuits activated by the two eyes. During development, these two forms of plasticity shift the balance between excitation and inhibition of the circuit in opposite directions, whereas the excitatory synaptic drive remains unaffected. Inhibitory plasticity is thus fundamental in modulating cortical circuit refinement and might be one of the mechanisms promoting ocular dominance shifts.
Antenna Modeling and Reconstruction Accuracy of Time Domain-Based Image Reconstruction in Microwave Tomography

Nonlinear microwave imaging heavily relies on an accurate numerical electromagnetic model of the antenna system. The model is used to simulate scattering data that is compared to its measured counterpart in order to reconstruct the image. In this paper an antenna system immersed in water is used to image different canonical objects in order to investigate the implication of modeling errors on the final reconstruction using a time domain-based iterative inverse reconstruction algorithm and three-dimensional FDTD modeling. With the test objects immersed in a background of air and tap water, respectively, we have studied the impact of antenna modeling errors, errors in the modeling of the background media, and made a comparison with a two-dimensional version of the algorithm. In conclusion even small modeling errors in the antennas can significantly alter the reconstructed image. Since the image reconstruction procedure is highly nonlinear general conclusions are very difficult to make. In our case it means that with the antenna system immersed in water and using our present FDTD-based electromagnetic model the imaging results are improved if refraining from modeling the water-wall-air interface and instead just use a homogeneous background of water in the model.