Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The nanogranular origin of concrete creep : a nanoindentation investigation of microstructure and fundamental properties of calcium-silicate-hydrates

With an annual per capita consumption of one cubic meter, concrete is the most manufactured material on Earth. But concrete subject to sustained load creeps, like chewing gum, at a rate that deteriorates the durability and lifespan of concrete infrastructure. While it is generally agreed that concrete creep originates from the complex viscous behavior of nanometer-sized building blocks of concrete, the calcium-silicate-hydrates (C-S-H), the origin of concrete creep is still an enigma and the creep properties of C-S-H have never been measured directly since C-S-H cannot be recapitulated ex situ in bulk form. This thesis develops a comprehensive nano-investigation approach to the assessment of the microstructure and the mechanical stiffness, strength and creep properties of the fundamental building block C-S-H. This is achieved by extending the realm of classical indentation analysis of homogeneous solids to highly heterogeneous, linear-viscoelastic, cohesive-frictional materials. Applied to and validated for a wide range of sub-stoichiometric cement pastes of different composition and processing conditions, the link between material composition, microstructure and nanomechanical stiffness, strength and creep properties of cement-based materials is assessed. It is found that C-S-H, exhibiting a unique nanogranular behavior, exists in (at least) three structurally distinct but compositionally similar forms (Low-Density, High-Density and UltraHigh Density) which are characterized by packings close to limit packing densities. It is found that at the nanoscale all C-S-H phases exhibit a logarithmic creep whose magnitude depends only on the packing of 5-nanometer sized particles and not on mix proportions, processing conditions, etc. Logarithmic creep is an intrinsic creep property of C-S-H. We suggest that the C-S-H creep rate (-l/t) is due to rearrangement of C-S-H particles similar to the compaction of vibrated particles, for which the free volume dynamics theory of granular physics provides a strong argument in favor of its justification. Finally, we show that the logarithmic creep measured by an indentation test in some minutes time at nanoscales is as exact as macroscopic creep tests carried out over years. This supports the simple idea that large time scales can be accessed by looking at small length scales, which is of great engineering importance. Thesis Supervisor: Franz-Josef Ulm Title: Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Emotions are emergent processes: they require a dynamic computational architecture

Emotion is a cultural and psychobiological adaptation mechanism which allows each individual to react flexibly and dynamically to environmental contingencies. From this claim flows a description of the elements theoretically needed to construct a virtual agent with the ability to display human-like emotions and to respond appropriately to human emotional expression. This article offers a brief survey of the desirable features of emotion theories that make them ideal blueprints for agent models. In particular, the component process model of emotion is described, a theory which postulates emotion-antecedent appraisal on different levels of processing that drive response system patterning predictions. In conclusion, investing seriously in emergent computational modelling of emotion using a nonlinear dynamic systems approach is suggested.
Body fat and time of year interact to mediate dispersal behaviour in ground squirrels

Behaviour is often influenced by energy availability. Hibernation presents an energetic challenge to Belding's ground squirrels, Spermophilus beldingi, which depend entirely on stored energy for survival during their 8-9 month dormant period each year. Dispersal from the natal area may also place energetic demands on S. beldingi. In this study, we assessed the relationship between dispersal behaviour, body mass and body fat of juvenile male S. beldingi over 3 consecutive years, one of which had a substantially delayed juvenile active season due to heavy spring snowfall. We evaluated body fat using the non-destructive method of measuring electrical conductivity of the body. When the active season began late, acquisition of body mass and body fat were accelerated, and dispersal behaviour was inhibited. These results suggest that the ontogeny of mass and fat gain in juvenile male S. beldingi is influenced by a seasonal time-keeping mechanism. Energy allocation was hierarchical in S. beldingi, with pre-hibernation fattening taking precedence over dispersal. Physiological signals reflecting body fat content appear to interact with an endogenous timing mechanism in this species to regulate the dispersal behaviour of juvenile males. \C 1998 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour Copyright 1998 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour Copyright 1998 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
The Effect of ZnO Thin Film and Its Structural and Optical Properties Prepared by Sol-Gel Spin Coating Method

ZnO thin films were deposited on glass substrates at different Zinc concentration and their effects on structural, Morphology and optical properties were investigated. Zinc acetate dehydrate, 2 Methoxy ethanol and Monoethanolamine were used as the precursor, solvent and stabilizer respectively. The molar ratio of Monoethanolamine to Zinc acetate was maintained as 1. The crystal structure and orientation of the films were analyzed by XRD. The XRD patterns show that the ZnO films are polycrystalline with wurtzite hexagonal structure. The film with 0.5 m/l concentration has the better crystallinity. The thickness of the films was determined by thickness Profilometer. The surface morphology of the films was observed by Scanning electron microscope. The SEM images show that they are homogeneous, continuous and spindle like shape. The optical properties of the films were studied by UV-Vis-Spectrophotometer. The transmittance of the films decreases with increase of Zinc concentration. The energy band gap of the films decreases slightly, when the Zinc concentration increases from0.25 m/l to0.75 m/l and then increases when the concentration further increases from0.75 m/l to1.0 m/l.
Ratio of shear viscosity to entropy density in generalized theories of gravity

Near the horizon of a black brane solution in anti-de Sitter space, the long-wavelength fluctuations of the metric exhibit hydrodynamic behavior. For Einstein's theory, the ratio of the shear viscosity of near-horizon metric fluctuations {eta} to the entropy per unit of transverse volume s is {eta}/s=1/4{pi}. We propose that, in generalized theories of gravity, this ratio is given by the ratio of two effective gravitational couplings and can be different than 1/4{pi}. Our proposal confirms that {eta}/s is equal to 1/4{pi} for any theory that can be transformed into Einstein's theory, such as F(R) gravity. Our proposal also implies that matter interactions--except those including explicit or implicit factors of the Riemann tensor--will not modify {eta}/s. The proposed formula reproduces, in a very simple manner, some recently found results for Gauss-Bonnet gravity. We also make a prediction for {eta}/s in Lovelock theories of any order or dimensionality.
Knowledge Management and Academic Performance: An Empirical Study of Iraqi HEIs

This study examines the relationship between the processes of Knowledge Management (KM) and educational organization outcome in respect to academic performance. The study is based on a survey design and cross-sectional. The survey was conducted on 41 quality improvement-adoption colleges in Iraqi higher-education institutions (HEIs). The study hypotheses were tested through correlation and regression analyses. The results supported the main hypotheses for the study, suggesting that Iraqi HEIs can benefit from KM processes. Pearson's correlation pointed out that all processes of KM have significant correlations with academic performance measures. Regression analysis showed significantly positive relationships. In addition, statistical analysis also indicated that the KM processes should be implemented collectively rather than separately. In conclusion, this study provided insight and further understanding of the effect of KM processes on academic performance, and therefore, allows decision-makers to get in-depth knowledge about the impact of KM processes in Iraqi HEIs context.
Studies of mercaptoethanol-dissociated normal human 19 S gamma-globulin and pathologic macroglobulins from patients with macroglobulinemia.

Following reductive cleavage of normal 19S γ-globulin and four pathologic macroglobulins with mercaptoethanol, the dissociated fractions could be separated into three distinct components by chromatography on diethylaminoethyl (DEAE)-cellulose. Fractions 1 and 2 had s rates of approximately 8S whereas fraction 3 appeared to represent heterogeneous low molecular weight substances. The fragments shared certain antigenic groups with 7S γ-globulin. However, they differed from it in antigenic and electrophoretic properties, sedimented more rapidly in the ultracentrifuge and contained greater amounts of hexose. Fractions 1 and 2 generally differed from each other and the native macroglobulin in electrophoretic behavior and hexose content. The fragments of four of five proteins studied were antigenically deficient when compared to the native protein but could not be distinguished immunologically when compared to each other. The possible relationship of these structural units to the electrophoretic mobility of the native protein is discussed. The existence of several distinct 7 to 8S components, derived from the normal 19S γ-globulins, each of which differs from 7S γ-globulin, offers additional evidence for the existence of at least two major groups of immune globulins.
Systematic construction and prediction of the arrangement of the strands of sandwich proteins

The problem of predicting the three-dimensional structure of a protein starting from its amino acid sequence is regarded as one of the most important open problems in biology. Here, we solve aspects of this problem for the so-called sandwich proteins that constitute a large class of proteins consisting of only β-strands arranged in two sheets. A breakthrough for this class of proteins was announced in Kister et al. (Kister et al. 2002 Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 99, 14 137–14 141), in which it was shown that sandwich proteins contain a certain invariant substructure called interlock. It was later noted that approximately 90% of the observed sandwich proteins are canonical, namely they are generated by certain geometrical structures. Here, employing a topological investigation, we prove that interlocks and geometrical structures are the direct consequence of certain biologically motivated fundamental principles. Furthermore, we construct all possible canonical motifs involving 6–10 strands. This construction limits dramatically the number of possible motifs. For example, for sandwich proteins with nine strands, the a priori number of possible canonical motifs exceeds 360 000, whereas our construction yields only 49 geometrical structures and 625 canonical motifs.
Stochastic Driven Relational R-Tree

Modern spatial database applications includin g computer-aided design (CAD), medical imaging, molecular biology, or geographical information systems (GIS) impose new requirements on spatial query pro- cessing. Particular problems arise from the design goal to use general purpose database management systems in order to guarantee industrial-strength. Recently, ther e has been an increasing awareness that it is indispens- able to integrate stand-alone spatial index structures, e. g. R-trees or Quadtrees, into fully-fledged database sys- tems resulting in relational index structures, e.g. Relational R-trees or Relational Quadtrees. In this paper, we introduce stochastic heuristics for the Relational R-tree which are based on the fact that the Relational R-tree allows an individual fanout for each node. This freedom from minimal and maximal fill factors of nodes, of- fers a wide range of potential improvements. We develop algorithms that consider the quality of the entries of a node rather than just the quantity. Our experiments clearly demonstrate the advantages of this new stochastic driven Relational R-tree compared to the Relational R*-tree.
Airport Emergency Evacuation Planning: An Agent-Based Simulation Study of Dirty Bomb Scenarios

Emergency evacuation from airports is an important consideration given the continuing occurrence of both natural and human caused disasters. Unfortunately, the traditional evacuation-drill approach to prepare for emergency situations presents several practical challenges at the scale and magnitude required for airports. In this paper, we present an agent-based model (ABM) called exitus which is capable of determining the extent to which collective behavior and overall evacuation time of passenger groups is affected by changes in the built environment for large, complex structures. The model is unique because it explicitly considers the physical and psychological characteristics of individuals with disabilities. In our first experiment, several bomb simulation scenarios were conducted at an international airport using exitus. Several important findings were revealed including: 1) the importance of stairway and exit configurations; 2) the inherent weaknesses of the pier airport design in affecting timely evacuations; 3) who the most vulnerable groups of people are; 4) the particular risk engendered from crowded or complex building interiors for individuals with disabilities; and 5) the potential problems caused by locating explosive detection system machines near passenger processing areas. The results of a second exploratory experiment also revealed the importance of realistically modeling psychological attributes of individuals with disabilities and their potential impact on collective evacuation performance. Overall the findings demonstrated the model's ability to generate a common operational picture capable of guiding preparedness efforts for both public and private organizations encompassing a wide variety of professional endeavor.
Complement Inhibitors Targeted to the Proximal Tubule Prevent Injury in Experimental Nephrotic Syndrome and Demonstrate a Key Role for C5b-91

In glomerular diseases of diverse etiologies, dysfunction of the glomerular barrier to protein passage results in proteinuria, and proteinuria is considered an independent risk factor that plays a direct role in inflammation, interstitial fibrosis, and renal failure. The mechanism by which proteinuria leads to nephrotoxic injury is unclear, but a role for complement in mediating interstitial damage appears likely. We describe a strategy for Ag-specific targeting of complement inhibitors using a single chain Ab fragment and show that complement inhibitors targeted to the tubular epithelium protect against tubulointerstitial injury and renal dysfunction in a rat model of puromycin-induced nephrosis. The targeting of systemically administered complement inhibitors markedly enhanced their efficacy and obviated the need to systemically inhibit complement, thus reducing the risk of compromising host defense and immune homeostasis. Targeted inhibition of complement activation by Crry, and of membrane attack complex (MAC) formation by CD59 was equally therapeutic, demonstrating that the MAC plays a key role in proteinuria-induced tubulointerstitial injury. CD59 activity was dependent on its being targeted to the site of complement activation, and this is the first report of specific inhibition of the MAC in vivo after systemic administration of inhibitor. The data establish the MAC is a valid target for pharmaceutical intervention in proteinuric disorders and provide an approach to investigate the role of the MAC in complement-dependent disease under clinically relevant conditions.
The Group 3 Innate Lymphoid Cell Defect in Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Deficient Mice Is Associated with T Cell Hyperactivation during Intestinal Infection

Intestinal infection with the intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii results in the translocation of commensal bacteria to peripheral organs and the development of a T cell response specific to the microbiota. In naïve mice, the recently described RORγt+ group 3 innate lymphoid cell (ILC) population plays a critical role in promoting intestinal barrier function and limiting responses to gut-resident commensal bacteria. Given this role for group 3 ILCs, studies were performed to evaluate whether these cells might influence the immune response to mucosal infection with T. gondii. Phenotypic characterization of RORγt+ ILCs in T. gondii infected mice revealed that this population decreased following challenge but the population that remained expressed costimulatory molecules and IL-22. One factor that influences the maintenance of RORγt+ ILCs is the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), a ligand-activated transcription factor, and Ahr-/- mice have a marked defect in the lamina propria group 3 ILC population. When Ahr-/- mice were challenged with T. gondii, they lost more weight than wild type controls. This disease course in Ahr-/- animals was associated with increased T cell responses to Toxoplasma antigen and crude commensal antigen preparations. Together, these data suggest that group 3 ILCs have a role in limiting T cell activation during intestinal infection.
Effects of metformin on QT and QTc interval dispersion of diabetic rats.

BACKGROUND Several drugs can cause prolonged QT interval, as well as prolonged QT dispersion (QTd) in electrocardiographic (EKG) recordings. QTd may be a potentially sensitive marker of increased risk of cardiac arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. Metformin is an effective antihyperglycemic agent used in the treatment of diabetes. However, studies have correlated dose-dependent effects of metformin on glycemia and cardiovascular risk markers. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the dose-response effects of metformin on QT and QTd of diabetic rats. METHODS Male Wistar rats were distributed in five groups: non-treated control (C), non-treated diabetics (D), diabetics treated with metmorfin at the doses of 3.5, 30 and 74 microg/kg/bw (DM 3.5, DM 30 and DM 74). Diabetes was induced by an alloxan injection (40 mg/kg, IV). EKG was recorded (days 1, 15 and 30) using four electrodes inserted into the subcutaneous layer of the paws. Both RR and QT intervals were measured, and then corrected QT and QT dispersion values were calculated. RESULTS The DM 3.5 and DM 30 groups showed a significant reduction of glycemia (p< 0.05) when compared with the high dose (DM 74). Rats of the DM 74 group presented prolonged QTc, QTd and QTcd intervals, whereas rats of the DM 3.5 and DM 30 groups presented less prolonged intervals. CONCLUSION Metformin at high doses provided greater dispersion of the QT interval probably because of the increased ventricular repolarization inhomogeneity, whereas at low doses decreased QT intervals were observed in diabetic rats.
Assessment of the HScore for reactive haemophagocytic syndrome in patients with rheumatic diseases

Objectives: Reactive haemophagocytic syndrome (RHS) is a hyperinflammatory disorder often occurring in the background of several disorders such as infections, malignancies, and rheumatic diseases. Recently, a score known as the HScore was developed for the diagnosis of RHS. In the original study, most of the patients had underlying haematological malignancy or infection and the best cut-off value for the HScore was 169 (sensitivity 93%; specificity 86%). In this study we aimed to analyse the performance of the HScore in rheumatic disease-related RHS. Method: The patients with rheumatic disorders evaluated in the Departments of Rheumatology and Paediatric Rheumatology at Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey between 2002 and 2014 were reviewed retrospectively. The first group (n = 30) consisted of patients with RHS; the control group (n = 64) included patients with active rheumatic diseases without RHS. Results: In the RHS group, 14 (46.7%) had adult-onset Still’s disease (AOSD), 10 (33.3%) systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SJIA), and six (20%) systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The control group (n = 64) consisted of 32 (50%) AOSD, 13 (20.3%) SJIA, and 19 (29.7%) SLE patients. Applying the HScore to the RHS patients, the best cut-off value was 190.5 with a sensitivity of 96.7% and specificity of 98.4%. When we excluded the patients from the control group who had not had bone marrow aspiration (n = 23), the same cut-off (190.5) performed best (sensitivity 96.7%; specificity 97.6%). Applying the 2004 haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH-2004) criteria gave a sensitivity of 56.6% and a specificity of 100% in the whole study group. Conclusions: In our study, a cut-off value for the HScore different from the original study performed better. Further studies are warranted to determine optimum cut-off values in different studies.
Comparison of survival and quality of life of hepatectomy and thrombectomy using total hepatic vascular exclusion and chemotherapy alone in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and tumor thrombi in the inferior vena cava and hepatic vein

Background The prognosis for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) along with portal vein tumor thrombi (PVTT) is poor, and surgery has not been considered an option. Aims To compare the outcomes and the quality of life (QoL) of patients with HCC and PVTT who underwent hepatic resection and thrombectomy for tumor thrombi in the inferior vena cava and hepatic vein with total hepatic vascular exclusion to the patients who received only chemotherapy. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients who received hepatectomy and thrombectomy (n=65), and those who received only chemotherapy (n=50). The surgical outcomes, survival, and QoL that was determined using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Hepatobiliary instrument were analyzed and compared. Results Patients who underwent surgery had a median overall survival of 17 months, compared with patients who underwent chemotherapy for 8 months (P<0.0001). Patients who underwent surgery had a median recurrence-free survival of 14 months, as compared with patients who underwent chemotherapy for 7 months (P<0.0001). The probabilities of 1-year recurrence in the surgery and chemotherapy groups were 27.7 and 70%, respectively (P<0.0001). The QoL total score of the surgery group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P<0.0001). Surgery was slightly, though significantly more cost-effective than chemotherapy based on the quality-adjusted life years. Conclusion Hepatectomy and thrombectomy using the total hepatic vascular exclusion, is a viable surgical management for patients with HCC and PVTT, and is associated with longer overall survival and recurrence-free survival and better QoL than chemotherapy alone.