Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modeling the Time to Corrosion Initiation for Concretes with Mineral Admixtures and/or Corrosion Inhibitors in Chloride-Laden Environments

The application of a mineral admixture, or a corrosion inhibitor, or a combination of both are methods used for the corrosion protection for reinforced concrete bridges. The results of a study on evaluation of corrosion inhibitors from three different manufacturers and of concretes with fly ash, slag cement, and silica fume and a concrete with silica fume and a corrosion inhibitor are presented. The specimens were built to simulate four exposure conditions typical for concrete bridges located in the coastal region or inland where deicing salts are used. The exposure conditions were horizontal, vertical, tidal, and immersed zones. The specimens were kept inside the laboratory and were exposed to weekly ponding cycles of 6% (w/w) sodium chloride solution. In addition, cover depth measurements from 21 bridge decks and chloride data from 3 bridge decks were used, together with laboratory data, in modeling the service lives of the investigated corrosion protection methods. The methods used to assess the condition of the specimens included chloride concentration measurements, corrosion potentials, and corrosion rates (3LP). Additionally, visual observations were performed for identification of rust stains and cracking on concrete surfaces. Modeling the time as a function of probability of the end of functional service life (EFSL) is presented. It has been shown that the distributions of surface chloride concentration, C 0 , and diffusion coefficient, D c , are key elements in the model. Model predictions show that the concretes with mineral admixtures provide much better level of protection against moisture and chlorides than the ordinary portland cement concrete alone. Application of a corrosion inhibitor causes an elevation of the chloride threshold resulting in an additional increase in time to EFSL. More field studies are needed to better estimate distributions of surface chloride concentration and diffusion coefficient of Virginia bridge decks, and to confirm predicted times to EFSL for low permeable (LP) concretes. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Richard E. Weyers for his guidance, encouragement, and support during this research and my studies at Virginia Tech. The research study presented herein was sponsored by the Virginia Transportation Research Council (VTRC). The support is gratefully acknowledged. A special thank you is extended to Michael Sprinkel of VTRC for his assistance in the laboratory specimens testing and field surveys. Also, appreciation is extended to Chelik, Richard Steele and the district bridge and maintenance personnel for support and assistance in …
Stress and Traumatic Brain Injury: A Behavioral, Proteomics, and Histological Study

Psychological stress and traumatic brain injury (TBI) can both result in lasting neurobehavioral abnormalities. Post-traumatic stress disorder and blast induced TBI (bTBI) have become the most significant health issues in current military conflicts. Importantly, military bTBI virtually never occurs without stress. In this experiment, we assessed anxiety and spatial memory of rats at different time points after repeated exposure to stress alone or in combination with a single mild blast. At 2 months after injury or sham we analyzed the serum, prefrontal cortex (PFC), and hippocampus (HC) of all animals by proteomics and immunohistochemistry. Stressed sham animals showed an early increase in anxiety but no memory impairment at any measured time point. They had elevated levels of serum corticosterone (CORT) and hippocampal IL-6 but no other cellular or protein changes. Stressed injured animals had increased anxiety that returned to normal at 2 months and significant spatial memory impairment that lasted up to 2 months. They had elevated serum levels of CORT, CK-BB, NF-H, NSE, GFAP, and VEGF. Moreover, all of the measured protein markers were elevated in the HC and the PFC; rats had an increased number of TUNEL-positive cells in the HC and elevated GFAP and Iba1 immunoreactivity in the HC and the PFC. Our findings suggest that exposure to repeated stress alone causes a transient increase in anxiety and no significant memory impairment or cellular and molecular changes. In contrast, repeated stress and blast results in lasting behavioral, molecular, and cellular abnormalities characterized by memory impairment, neuronal and glial cell loss, inflammation, and gliosis. These findings may have implications in the development of diagnostic and therapeutic measures for conditions caused by stress or a combination of stress and bTBI.
The Time Course of Long-Distance Signaling in Radiation-Induced Bystander Effect In Vivo in Arabidopsis thaliana Demonstrated Using Root Micro-Grafting

The radiation-induced bystander effect has been demonstrated in whole organisms as well as in multicellular tissues in vitro and single-cell culture systems in vitro. However, the time course of bystander signaling, especially in whole organisms, is not clear. Long-distance bystander/abscopal effects in vivo in plants have been demonstrated by our group. Plant grafting is a useful experimental tool for studying the root-shoot signaling of plants. In the present study, we developed a root micro-grafting technique with young seedlings of Arabidopsis thaliana in which the bystander signaling communication of root-to-shoot could easily be stopped or started at specific times after root irradiation. Using this methodology, we demonstrated the time course of long-distance signaling in radiation-induced bystander effects at the level of the organism using the expression level of the AtRAD54 gene as a biological end point. Briefly, an 8-h accumulation of damage signals in bystander parts after irradiation was essential for eliciting a bystander response. The protraction of signal accumulation was not related to the transmission speed of signaling molecules in plants and did not result from the delayed initiation of bystander signals in targeted root cells. It was suggested that the bystander effect might be induced jointly by multiple bystander signals initiated at different stages after irradiation. Moreover, reactive oxygen species (ROS) were shown to be implicated in the response process of bystander cells to radiation damage signals rather than in the generation of bystander signals in targeted cells.
Shareholder value and the performance of a large nursing home chain.

OBJECTIVE To analyze corporate governance arrangements and quality and financial performance outcomes among large multi-facility nursing home corporations (chains) that pursue stakeholder value (profit maximization) strategies. STUDY DESIGN To establish a foundation of knowledge about the focal phenomenon and processes, we conducted an historical (1993-2005) case study of one of the largest chains (Sun Healthcare Inc.) that triangulated qualitative and quantitative data sources. DATA SOURCES Two main sets of information were compared: (1) corporate sources including Sun's Security Exchange Commission (SEC) Form 10-K annual reports, industry financial reports, and the business press; and (2) external sources including, legal documents, press reports, and publicly available California facility cost reports and quality data. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Shareholder value was pursued at Sun through three inter-linked strategies: (1) rapid growth through debt-financed mergers; (2) labor cost constraint through low nurse staffing levels; and (3) a model of corporate governance that views sanctions for fraud and poor quality as a cost of business. CONCLUSIONS Study findings and evidence from other large nursing home chains underscore calls from the Institute of Medicine and other bodies for extended oversight of the corporate governance and performance of large nursing home chains.
Effect of Turbo Charging on the Performance of Dual Fuel (DF) Engine Operated on Rice Bran Oil Methyl Ester (RBOME) and Coconut Shell Derived Producer Gas Induction

Producer gas operated diesel/biodiesel dual fuel engines suffer from 20-30% derating due to lowered gas energy content and reduced volumetric efficiency. These drawbacks of dual fuel (DF) engines can be overcome by using a suitable turbocharger (TC) matched to the modified diesel engine. Concept of the turbo-charging is an attractive solution to considerably improve the performance with lower emissions for DF engines. In view of this, comprehensive experimental study was carried out on a diesel engine fitted with TC operated in DF mode using biodiesel of rice bran oil and producer gas derived from Coconut shell induction. From the study it is observed that DF engine could operate at higher loads of 3.33 kW (up to 90% load) compared to normal aspirated (NA) DF engine which operated at 2.96 kW (80% load). Results showed that the turbo-charging facilitated improved performance of TCDF at higher loads with maximum brake thermal efficiency of 22.5% and 10-25% reduced emissions of smoke, HC and CO compared to NADF engine.
Stapled hemorrhoidectomy; results of a prospective clinical trial in saudi arabia.

OBJECTIVES This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of stapled hemorrhoidectomy (SH) in terms of cure of the symptoms and post-operative pain control. MATERIAL AND METHODS In this prospective clinical study, SH (Ethicon Endo-surgery, Cincinnati, OH) was performed for all patients with grade III and grade IV hemorrhoids, presenting to the surgical clinics of Ohud and Meeqat Hospitals Almadinah Almunawwarah Saudi Arabia. The results of SH were evaluated by a questionnaire focusing on the relief of symptoms, severity of post operative pain, and complications of SH. RESULTS Thirty patients (21 males and 9 females); with a mean age of 39.6 years were recruited in this study. Twenty six (86%) patients had grade III and 4 (14%) presented with grade IV hemorrhoids. Perianal prolapse was the most frequent presentation reported in 23 (76%). Mean operating time was 21.7 minutes (range; 17-36 minutes) whereas mean hospital stay was 1.9 days. Post-operative pain was tolerable (non-persistent) in 28 (93%) cases whereas 2 (7%) experienced mild pain requiring additional analgesia. Urinary retention was the most common complication found in 5 (16%) patients. All patients were cured of the hemorrhoids Conclusion: SH is a safe, rapid, and convenient surgical remedy for grade III and grade IV hemorrhoids with low rate of complications, minimal postoepative pain, and early discharge from the hospital.
The role of psychopathic traits and substance abuse in predicting violent victimization in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

We examined the relationship between psychopathic traits and substance abuse and violent victimization in 94 community patients meeting DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia spectrum disorders in contact with public mental health services in Victoria, Australia. Data on violence and victimization were collated from multiple sources and combined to categorize patients into victims of serious violence (VV; n = 74) and those who were not victims of serious violence (NVV; n = 20) groups. The VV group had higher rates of unemployment and previous violence but did not differ from the NVV on current symptom ratings. The VV group has significantly higher substance abuse and psychopathy scores, but only psychopathy score significantly contributed to the prediction of victimization. All psychopathy facets were reasonably good predictors of victimization status, but the antisocial facet contributed most to the prediction of victimization. A better understanding of the role and contribution of antisocial (particularly psychopathic) traits in violent victimization in mentally ill populations is needed to better inform community management plans.
Endomorphism Breaking in Graphs

We introduce the endomorphism distinguishing number $D_e(G)$ of a graph $G$ as the least cardinal $d$ such that $G$ has a vertex coloring with $d$ colors that is only preserved by the trivial endomorphism. This generalizes the notion of the distinguishing number $D(G)$ of a graph $G$, which is defined for automorphisms instead of endomorphisms. As the number of endomorphisms can vastly exceed the number of automorphisms, the new concept opens challenging problems, several of which are presented here. In particular, we investigate relationships between $D_e(G)$ and the endomorphism motion of a graph $G$, that is, the least possible number of vertices moved by a nontrivial endomorphism of $G$. Moreover, we extend numerous results about the distinguishing number of finite and infinite graphs to the endomorphism distinguishing number.
A performance comparison of contemporary DRAM architectures

In response to the growing gap between memory access time and processor speed, DRAM manufacturers have created several new DRAM architectures. This paper presents a simulation-based performance study of a representative group, each evaluated in a small system organization. These small-system organizations correspond to workstation-class computers and use on the order of IO DRAM chips. The study covers Fast Page Mode, Extended Data Out, Synchronous, Enhanced Synchronous, Synchronous Link, Rambus, and Direct Rambus designs. Our simulations reveal several things: (a) current advanced DRAM technologies are attacking the memory bandwidth problem but not the latency problem; (b) bus transmission speed will soon become a primary factor limiting memory-system performance; (c) the post-12 address stream still contains significant locality, though it varies from application to application; and (d) as we move to wider buses, row access time becomes more prominent, making it important to investigate techniques to exploit the available locality to decrease access time.
Calcium Intake and Serum Concentration in Relation to Risk of Cardiovascular Death in NHANES III

Background Evidence for an association between calcium intake and risk of cardiovascular death remains controversial. By assessing dietary intake, use of supplements, and serum levels of calcium, we aimed to disentangle this link in the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III). Methods Mortality linkage of NHANES III to death certificate data for those aged 17 years or older (n = 20,024) was used to estimate risk of overall cardiovascular death as well as death from ischemic heart disease (IHD), acute myocardial infarction (AMI), heart failure (HF), and cerebrovascular disease (CD) with multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. Results About 10.0% of the population died of cardiovascular disease and the majority (5.4%) died of IHD. There was increased risk of overall CVD death for those in the bottom 5% of serum calcium compared to those in the mid 90% (HR: 1.51 (95% CI: 1.03–2.22)). For women there was a statistically significant increased risk of IHD death for those with serum calcium levels in the top 5% compared to those in the mid 90% (HR: 1.72 (95%CI: 1.13–2.61)), whereas in men, low serum calcium was related to increased IHD mortality (HR: 2.32 (95% CI 1.14–3.01), Pinteraction: 0.306). No clear association with CVD death was observed for dietary or supplemental calcium intake. Conclusions Calcium as assessed by serum concentrations is involved in cardiovascular health, though differential effects by sex may exist. No clear evidence was found for an association between dietary or supplementary intake of calcium and cardiovascular death.
Measured creatinine clearance from timed urine collections substantially overestimates glomerular filtration rate in patients with liver cirrhosis: a systematic review and individual patient meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND Accurate glomerular filtration rate (GFR) assessment in patients with liver cirrhosis is important for prognostication, chronic kidney disease staging, drug dosing and identifying combined liver-kidney transplantation candidates. The objective of this study was to review the accuracy of measured creatinine clearance (MCrCl) from timed urine collections for estimating true GFR. METHODS A systematic review and individual patient meta-analysis was performed. MEDLINE, old MEDLINE, Index Medicus and Cochrane library bibliographic databases and conference proceedings were searched up to June 2004. Reference lists of relevant studies were searched and experts were contacted. Comparative diagnostic studies describing stable adult patients with cirrhosis categorized according to the Child-Pugh classification were included if a gold standard GFR measurement was performed within 3 days of MCrCl. Individual patient data were abstracted from graphs of primary articles to allow a pooled analysis of agreement between renal measures. RESULTS Seven studies of 193 patients from 1974 to 2002 were summarized. MCrCl overestimated inulin clearance (CIn) by a mean of +13 ml/min/1.73 m2 and the limits of agreement (mean of the differences+/-2 SD) were +60 ml/min/1.73 m2 and -34 ml/min/1.73 m2. This overestimation was highest in patients with lower GFR. The mean clearance ratios [95% confidence interval (CI)] between MCrCl and CIn in the high (> or =60 ml/min/1.73 m2) and low (<60 ml/min/1.73 m2) GFR subgroups were 1.18 (1.12-1.23) and 1.49 (1.33-1.66), respectively (P<0.0001). Fourteen percent of patients with a MCrCl > or =60 ml/min/1.73 m2 had a CIn of <30 ml/min/1.73 m2. CONCLUSIONS For patients with liver cirrhosis, MCrCl from timed urine collections consistently overestimates the true GFR. For patients requiring complete clinical evaluation, GFR assessment by CIn is justified.
Dynamics of an Inverted Pendulum with Delayed Feedback Control

We consider an experimental system consisting of a pendulum, which is free to rotate 360 degrees, attached to a cart. The cart can move in one dimension. We describe a model for this system and use it to design a feedback control law that stabilizes the pendulum in the upright position. We then introduce a time delay into the feedback and prove that for values of the delay below a critical delay, the system remains stable. Using a center manifold reduction, we show that the system undergoes a supercritical Hopf bifurcation at the critical delay. Both the critical value of the delay and the stability of the limit cycle are verified experimentally. Our experimental data is illustrated with plots and videos.
The Bayesian analysis of complex, high-dimensional models: Can it be CODA?

We consider the Bayesian analysis of a few complex, highdimensional models and show that intuitive priors, which are not tailored to the fine details of the model and the estimated parameters, produce estimators which perform poorly in situations in which good, simple frequentist estimators exist. The models we consider are: stratified sampling, the partial linear model, linear and quadratic functionals of white noise and estimation with stopping times. We present a strong version of Doob�fs consistency theorem which demonstrates that the existence of a uniformly �a n-consistent estimator ensures that the Bayes posterior is �a n-consistent for values of the parameter in subsets of prior probability 1. We also demonstrate that it is, at least, in principle, possible to construct Bayes priors giving both global and local minimax rates, using a suitable combination of loss functions.We argue that there is no contradiction in these apparently conflicting findings.
Ieee Transactions on Signal Processing, Accepted for Publication Optimal Linear Transceiver Designs for Cognitive Two-way Relay Networks

—This paper studies a cooperative cognitive radio network where two primary users (PUs) exchange information with the help of a secondary user (SU) that is equipped with multiple antennas and in return, the SU superimposes its own messages along with the primary transmission. The fundamental problem in the considered network is the design of transmission strategies at the secondary node. It involves three basic elements: first, how to split the power for relaying the primary signals and for transmitting the secondary signals; second, which two-way relay strategy should be used to assist the bidirectional communication between the two PUs; third, how to jointly design the primary and secondary transmit precoders. This work aims to address this problem by proposing a transmission framework of maximizing the achievable rate of the SU while maintaining the rate requirements of the two PUs. Three well-known and practical two-way relay strategies are considered: amplify-and-forward (AF), bit level XOR based decode-and-forward (DF-XOR) and symbol level superposition coding based DF (DF-SUP). For each relay strategy, although the design problem is non-convex, we find the optimal solution by using certain transformation techniques and optimization tools such as semidefinite programming (SDP) and second-order cone programming (SOCP). Closed-form solutions are also obtained under certain conditions. Simulation results show that when the rate requirements of the two PUs are symmetric, by using the DF-XOR strategy and applying the proposed optimal precoding, the secondary node requires the least power for relaying and thus reserves the most power to transmit its own signal. In the asymmetric scenario, on the other hand, the DF-SUP strategy associated with corresponding optimal precoding is the best choice.
Microarray-Based Cancer Prediction Using Soft Computing Approach

One of the difficulties in using gene expression profiles to predict cancer is how to effectively select a few informative genes to construct accurate prediction models from thousands or ten thousands of genes. We screen highly discriminative genes and gene pairs to create simple prediction models involved in single genes or gene pairs on the basis of soft computing approach and rough set theory. Accurate cancerous prediction is obtained when we apply the simple prediction models for four cancerous gene expression datasets: CNS tumor, colon tumor, lung cancer and DLBCL. Some genes closely correlated with the pathogenesis of specific or general cancers are identified. In contrast with other models, our models are simple, effective and robust. Meanwhile, our models are interpretable for they are based on decision rules. Our results demonstrate that very simple models may perform well on cancerous molecular prediction and important gene markers of cancer can be detected if the gene selection approach is chosen reasonably.
Glaciation as a migratory switch

Range shifts at glacial maxima suggest that birds oscillate between migratory and sedentary behavior with glaciation as a switch. Migratory behavior in birds is evolutionarily plastic, but it is unclear how this behavior responded during glacial cycles. One view is that at glacial maxima, species simply shifted their breeding ranges south of glacial ice and remained migratory. To test this hypothesis, we constructed ecological niche models for breeding and wintering ranges of 56 species, finding that 70% of currently long-distance North American migrant species likely lacked suitable breeding habitat in North America at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), and we hypothesized that they reverted to the ancestral state of being tropical sedentary residents. A smaller percentage of short-distance migrants (27%) experienced altered migratory behavior at the LGM, although the ranges of all species were shifted southward, as traditionally envisioned. We suggest that many species oscillate between sedentary and migratory strategies with each glacial cycle acting as an adaptive switch. Thus, range shifts occur more frequently than speciation events and are inadequately depicted by phylogenetic reconstructions. We suggest that reconstructing the evolutionary history of traits, such as migratory behavior, is best served by using ranges at glacial maxima. A phylogeny of warblers strongly predicted LGM, but not present distributions, and suggested that migration was re-expressed from three tropical centers of warbler diversity. Understanding of evolutionary history will be improved when reconstructions use distributions relevant to the time of character transitions.