Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A new macro element of reinforced concrete beam-column joint for elasto-plastic plane frame analysis

This paper proposes a new macro element for the modeling of a reinforced concrete beam-column joints in elasto-plastic plane frame analysis. The macro element defines the nonlinear constitutive relationship between four nodes, each having three degrees of freedom, i.e. two translational displacements and one rotation. The macro element consists of axial springs representing concrete, reinforcement or bond slip behavior considering the material non-linearity under reversed cyclic loading. The material models and the element stiffness matrix are introduced. The parameters of the macro element are chosen based on the dimensions, geometry and material properties of the beam-column joint. The nonlinear cyclic response of beam-column joint subassemblages subjected to lateral loading is calculated with the proposed element. The validity of the new macro element is verified by comparing the computed overall load-deflection relationship with measured data. It is shown that the element reproduces the different types of hysteretic behavior of load-deformation relationships experimentally observed, which vary significantly from fat to pinched shapes, depending on the bond-slip parameters of beam-column joints.
Design of the Dialysis Access Consortium (DAC) clopidogrel prevention of early AV fistula thrombosis trial

Background The Dialysis Access Consortium (DAC) was developed to investigate interventions to improve hemodialysis vascular access outcomes. The autogenous arteriovenous fistula created by direct connection of native artery to vein is the recommended vascular access for hemodialysis. However, it fails frequently due to clotting after surgery. Purpose The DAC Early AV Fistula Thrombosis Trial tests the hypothesis that clopidogrel can prevent early fistula failure and increase the number of fistulas that ultimately become usable for hemodialysis access. This is one of two initial and concurrent trials being performed by the DAC. The companion trial investigates pharmacologic approaches to prevent venous stenosis leading to AV graft failure. Methods This is a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that will enroll 1284 patients over four years. Patients undergoing creation of a new native arteriovenous (AV) fistula are randomized to treatment with clopidogrel or placebo for six weeks following fistula creation surgery. The primary outcome is fistula patency at six weeks. The major secondary outcome is fistula suitability for dialysis. Results This paper examines key aspects of this study that have broad relevance to trial design including: 1) the selection of an intermediate event as the primary outcome, 2) timing of the intervention to balance efficacy and safety concerns, 3) ethical considerations arising from required modifications of concomitant drug therapy, and 4) choosing an efficacy or effectiveness evaluation of the intervention. Conclusions This is the first, large, multicenter trial evaluating a pharmacologic approach to prevent early AV fistula failure and promote more usable fistulas for hemodialysis. The methodologic challenges identified and addressed during the development of this trial should help to inform the design of future vascular access trials, and are relevant to clinical trials addressing a wide range of questions.
Importance of early insulin secretion: comparison of nateglinide and glyburide in previously diet-treated patients with type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE This study compared the effects of nateglinide, glyburide, and placebo on postmeal glucose excursions and insulin secretion in previously diet-treated patients with type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter study was conducted in 152 patients who received either nateglinide (120 mg before three meals daily, n = 51), glyburide (5 mg q.d. titrated to 10 mg q.d. after 2 weeks, n = 50), or placebo (n = 51) for 8 weeks. Glucose, insulin, and C-peptide profiles during liquid meal challenges were measured at weeks 0 and 8. At weeks -1 and 7, 19-point daytime glucose and insulin profiles, comprising three solid meals, were measured. RESULTS During the liquid-meal challenge, nateglinide reduced the incremental glucose area under the curve (AUC) more effectively than glyburide ( = -4.94 vs. -2.71 mmol. h/l, P < 0.05), whereas glyburide reduced fasting plasma glucose more effectively than nateglinide ( = -2.9 vs. -1.0 mmol/l, respectively, P < 0.001). In contrast, C-peptide induced by glyburide was greater than that induced by nateglinide ( = +1.83 vs. +0.95 nmol. h/l, P < 0.01), and only glyburide increased fasting insulin levels. During the solid meal challenges, nateglinide and glyburide elicited similar overall glucose control ( 12-h incremental AUC = -13.2 vs. -15.3 mmol. h/l), but the insulin AUC induced by nateglinide was significantly less than that induced by glyburide ( 12-h AUC = +866 vs. +1,702 pmol. h/l, P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated that nateglinide selectively enhanced early insulin release and provided better mealtime glucose control with less total insulin exposure than glyburide.
On the overdrawing of melt-spun isotactic polypropylene tapes

The morphology and mechanical properties of melt-spun and post-drawn isotactic polypropylene (iPP) tapes have been studied in order to examine their dependence on the post-draw ratio applied. Special attention is focused on the characterization of the so-called overdrawing behavior of the tapes; at a certain draw ratio, a change of the optical appearance of the tape from transparent to opaque is observed. Overdrawing is accompanied with changes in the mechanical properties, surface, and morphology of the tapes. For post-draw ratios without overdrawing, and for highly overdrawn tapes, the variation in the mechanical properties measured is very small, but for slightly overdrawn tapes, a large scattering of mechanical properties has been measured. In the latter case, this behavior is related to the start of internal delamination of the tapes during post drawing. It is shown that strongly overdrawn tapes have excellent mechanical properties, in particular, high specific stiffness and strength. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 2920–2931, 2007
Hierarchies in independence and inclusion logic with strict semantics

We study the expressive power of fragments of inclusion and independence logic defined by restricting the number k of universal quantifiers in formulas. Assuming the so-called strict semantics for these logics, we relate these fragments of inclusion and independence logic to sublogics ESO_f(k\forall) of existential second-order logic, which in turn are known to capture the complexity classes NTIME_{RAM}(n^k).
World Trade Center Disaster Exposure-Related Probable Posttraumatic Stress Disorder among Responders and Civilians: A Meta-Analysis

The World Trade Center (WTC) disaster on September 11, 2001 was an unprecedented traumatic event with long-lasting health consequences among the affected populations in the New York metropolitan area. This meta-analysis aimed to estimate the risk of probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) associated with specific types of WTC exposures. Meta-analytical findings from 10 studies of 3,271 to 20,294 participants yielded 37 relevant associations. The pooled summary odds ratio (OR) was 2.05 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.82, 2.32), with substantial heterogeneity linked to exposure classification, cohort type, data source, PTSD assessment instrument/criteria, and lapse time since 9/11. In general, responders (e.g. police, firefighters, rescue/recovery workers and volunteers) had a lower probable PTSD risk (OR = 1.61; 95% CI: 1.39, 1.87) compared to civilians (e.g. residents, office workers, and passersby; OR = 2.71, 95% CI: 2.35, 3.12). The differences in ORs between responders and civilians were larger for physical compared to psychosocial exposure types. We also found that injury, lost someone, and witnessed horror were the three (out of six) most pernicious exposures. These findings suggest that these three exposures should be a particular focus in psychological evaluation and treatment programs in WTC intervention and future emergency preparedness efforts.
Measurement of the Alkali Content of Concrete Using Hot-Water Extraction

The knowledge of the active- or soluble-alkali content of concrete is useful in the diagnosis and prognosis of alkali-aggregate reactivity (AAR). A method often used for determining this content is hot-water extraction from ground concrete samples. This method was applied to 17 aggregates and 8 concretes incorporating aggregates presenting different degrees of alkali-silica or alkali-carbonate reactivity. The following conclusions can be drawn: (1) a correction must be made to take account for the alkalies released by the aggregates in the test; (2) using cold water rather than hot water has no significant effect on the results; (3) grinding to
Modeling Growth in Biological Materials

The biomechanical modeling of growing tissues has recently become an area of intense interest. In particular, the interplay between growth patterns and mechanical stress is of great importance, with possible applications to arterial mechanics, embryo morphogenesis, tumor development, and bone remodeling. This review aims to give an overview of the theories that have been used to model these phenomena, categorized according to whether the tissue is considered as a continuum object or a collection of cells. Among the continuum models discussed is the deformation gradient decomposition method, which allows a residual stress field to develop from an incompatible growth field. The cell-based models are further subdivided into cellular automata, center-dynamics, and vertex-dynamics models. Of these the second two are considered in more detail, especially with regard to their treatment of cell-cell interactions and cell division. The review concludes by assessing the prospects for reconciliation between these two fundamentally different approaches to tissue growth, and by identifying possible avenues for further research.
A problem-based learning approach in entrepreneurship education: promoting authentic entrepreneurial learning

In response to the positive impact of entrepreneurship on the economy, many institutions of higher learning offer entrepreneurship education to address the manpower development needs. This article determines the effectiveness of the traditional lecture-tutorial entrepreneurship education in promoting entrepreneurial learning. It argues for a change in the content and process of entrepreneurship education to provide for authentic entrepreneurial learning that can better equip the graduates to be ready for entrepreneurship. This article describes the experiences of the faculty at a polytechnic in Singapore in their effort to help their students become entrepreneurs by transforming the entrepreneurship curriculum using problem-based learning. It describes how they implemented the problem-based learning approach. Evidence of the success of the new curriculum is provided.
Reducing Muslim/Arab Stereotypes Through Evaluative Conditioning

ABSTRACT This study replicated and extended Olson and Fazio (2006) by testing whether evaluative conditioning is a means to reduce negative stereotypes about Muslim and other Arab persons. Specifically, evaluative conditioning was hypothesized to lower implicit biases against Muslim and Arab persons. The FreeIAT was used to measure implicit biases. Participants in the evaluative conditioning group showed a significant lowering in implicit biases. Explicit measures of bias were not affected by the conditioning procedure.
Skin Conductance Responses During Spinal Analgesia

Skin conductance responses (SCR, “sympatho‐galvanic reflex”) were measured before and during spinal analgesia in 17 patients scheduled for transurethral surgery. Responses were provoked by standardized electrical stimulation over the clavicle opposite to the recording side; alternatively, a short deep breath, pinching, verbal stimuli or sharp sounds were used. Measuring sites (two electrodes 6 cm apart) were the hand, levels T5, T9, T12‐L1 and the foot. Spinal analgesia reached a median cephalad level of T4 (mean T4, range ⋅ 3 segments) 20–25 min after injection. SCR was markedly depressed in the foot in 15 of 17 patients, at T12‐L1 in 12 of 17, at T5 in 10 of 17, at T5 in 9 of 16 and in the hand in 6 of 17. Total abolition of the SCR in the foot was accomplished in only seven cases and sympathetic activity reappeared long before regression of analgesia or motor blockade was observed. In four cases of five with an analgesic level T1‐T2, the SCR was preserved in the hand. No consistent correlation between blood pressure change and SCR‐change was seen. The conclusion from this study is that preganglionic sympathetic B‐fibres are more difficult to block than A‐fibres during spinal analgesia. The duration of sympathetic blockade was far shorter than analgesia and motor blockade. Thus, sympathetic blockade during spinal analgesia seems to be far less extensive than that described in the literature.
A dedicated endstation for waveguide-based x-ray imaging

X-ray microscopy has emerged as a powerful and versatile imaging technique in many fields of science over the last years, offering insights in opaque media at high spatial resolution. A major challenge remains the fabrication of suitable X-ray lenses, e.g., Fresnel zone plates or compound refractive lenses. In an alternative approach of a lensless imaging scheme the sample is illuminated by a coherent X-ray beam. The sample information is then reconstructed from the recorded diffraction signal by numerical iterative algorithms. Within this thesis the basics of lensless holographic imaging with X-Ray waveguides are summarised and extended to the concept of waveguide-based X-ray interferometry. The specific instrumentation required for the conceptual experiments of waveguide-based holographic imaging is explained and illustrated by the obtained results. Based on the results of these conceptual experiments a dedicated synchrotron endstation for waveguide-based holographic imaging was designed and built. The specifications and properties of the Kirkpatrick-Baez focussing mirrors and other mechanical and optical components are described in detail, along with the instrument control system and various available detectors. First commissioning results prove the imaging abilities of the presented endstation.
CUR Decompositions, Similarity Matrices, and Subspace Clustering

A general framework for solving the subspace clustering problem using the CUR decomposition is presented. The CUR decomposition provides a natural way to construct similarity matrices for data that come from a union of unknown subspaces $\mathscr{U}=\underset{i=1}{\overset{M}\bigcup}S_i$. The similarity matrices thus constructed give the exact clustering in the noise-free case. Additionally, this decomposition gives rise to many distinct similarity matrices from a given set of data, which allow enough flexibility to perform accurate clustering of noisy data. We also show that two known methods for subspace clustering can be derived from the CUR decomposition. An algorithm based on the theoretical construction of similarity matrices is presented, and experiments on synthetic and real data are presented to test the method. Additionally, an adaptation of our CUR based similarity matrices is utilized to provide a heuristic algorithm for subspace clustering; this algorithm yields the best overall performance to date for clustering the Hopkins155 motion segmentation dataset.
DNA repair: a double-edged sword.

It has been estimated that there is a 90% overlap between mutagenicity and carcinogenicity of environmental chemicals (1) and that environmental exposure to carcinogens contributes to the development of more than 80% of human cancers (2). Cancer is also considered to be a genetic disease because genetic alterations at either chromosomal or gene levels have been identified in most cancers. In multistep carcinogenesis (3), initial damage to DNA may lead to tumorigenesis and/or carcinogenesis due to functional imbalance between oncogenes (4), tumor suppressor genes (5), and DNA repair genes (6), perhaps as a result of mutation fixation of the damage. During carcinogenesis, both endogenous and exogenous exposures to carcinogens or genotoxic agents cause cell cycle delays (7) that allow cells to repair DNA damage, suggesting that efficient DNA repair is central to maintaining normal cell cycle and growth. Evidence from molecular epidemiology supports the notion that DNA repair capacity is one of the determinants of genetic susceptibility to cancer (8). Individuals with defective DNA repair genes have up to 1000-fold increased risk for developing cancer . This is exemplified by the presence of defective nucleotide excision repair genes in xeroderma pigmentosum (9), defective mismatch repair genes in patients with hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer (10), and defective BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes in breast cancer (11). This etiologic association between deficient DNA repair and increased cancer risk is also supported by evidence from studies of sporadic cancers of the skin (12), lung (13), colon (14), and breast (11). These data strongly suggest that it is important for normal tissues to have efficient DNA repair so as to eradicate DNA lesions caused by carcinogens, thereby reducing the risk of mutation fixation and subsequent development of cancer. Clues are beginning to emerge with regard to the mechanism by which defects in hMSH6, hMSH2, and hMLH1genes can give rise to resistance to chemotherapeutic agents. In humans, an hMSH2/hMSH6 heterodimer (MutSa) recognizes mismatches of DNA as well as insertion and deletion loops (15–17). It can also recognize damaged DNA base pairs containing Omethylguanine, O-methylthymine, or the cisplatin–d(GpG) adduct (18). hMSH2 also forms a heterodimer with hMSH3, and this complex (MutSb) mediates the repair of insertion and deletion loops (15–17). hMLH1 forms heterodimers with hPMS1, hPMS2, and hMLH3; however, at the present time, hMLH1/ hPMS2 (MutLa) is the only heterodimer for which there is evidence for participation in the mismatch repair function. The hMutLa protein forms a complex with hMutSa or hMutSb, and the repair complex directs the DNA repair process (16,17,19). Normally, the hMutLa–hMutSa complex triggers G2–M arrest followed by an apoptotic response in normal cells (20). It is thought that this is due, at least in part, to signaling by the complex that represents the first step in a damage-signaling cas-
Complete sectioning of axillary sentinel nodes in patients with breast cancer. Analysis of two different step sectioning and immunohistochemistry protocols in 246 patients

Aims: To evaluate two detailed step sectioning protocols for sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs). Methods: After vital dye or combined dye and radiocolloid guided biopsy, SLNs were fixed in formalin and embedded in paraffin wax. In protocol A, SLNs from 123 patients were sectioned in steps of 50–100 μm, whereas in protocol B, SLNs from 123 patients were sectioned at steps of 250 μm. Epithelial marker immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed on multiple levels in cases with negative haematoxylin and eosin findings. Results: In groups A and B, 74 and 47 patients were found to have tumour cells in their axillary SLNs, and 19 (28%) and 18 (19%) patients, respectively, were upstaged as compared with the standard histological assessment. Nodal involvement detected by deeper sections was often micrometastatic or in isolated tumour cells Conclusions: Serial sectioning and IHC are recommended for the evaluation of SLNs. The optimal extent of the histopathological work up should be studied further.
Functional behaviour of TiO2 films doped with noble metals

To evaluate the effects of different concentrations of noble metal in a TiO2 matrix, different films of both Ag/TiO2 and Au/TiO2 systems were prepared. Mechanical and tribological characterisation was carried out to evaluate the coating response as a function of the noble metal composition and (micro)structure of the films. The overall set of results indicates that the amorphous films reveal better results than the crystalline ones. For the amorphous samples, the reduced Young's modulus and the adhesion critical loads followed similar tendencies in both sets of films. Wear rates were similar for all samples except for the one with the highest silver content. To improve brittleness of TiO2 films, the results seem to indicate that a slight metal doping is preferred, and Au proved to be a better choice than Ag. In fact, the sample with the lowest Au content revealed a better mechanical behaviour than the pure TiO2 film.
Rhabdomyolysis: A Review of Clinical Presentation, Etiology, Diagnosis, and Management

Rhabdomyolysis is a condition that results from many underlying etiologies and can present in a myriad of ways to the emergency physician. However, some clinical and laboratory features are almost always present and, if noted, can help in making the diagnosis. This review article will focus on the presenting symptoms, the various etiologies, the underlying mechanisms, and the current management of pediatric rhabdomyolysis.
Analysis of a Model of the Glucose-Insulin Regulatory System with Two Delays

We continue a recent attempt to better understand the glucose-insulin regulatory system via a mathematical model of delay differential equations with two discrete time delays. With explicit delays, the model is more realistic in physiology, more accurate in mathematics, and more robust in applications. We study this model analytically and perform carefully designed numerical simulations by allowing two parameters to vary. Our analytical and numerical results confirm most current existing physiological observations and reveal more insightful information. The following factors are critical for ensuring the sustained oscillatory regulation and insulin secretion: (1) the time lag for insulin secretion stimulated by glucose and the newly synthesized insulin becoming "remote insulin" (Theorem 4.2 (b) and Theorem 5.6); (2) the delayed effect of hepatic glucose production (Theorem 4.2 (c) and Theorem 5.6); (3) moderate insulin clearance rate (Theorem 5.6 and simulations in section 6.4); and (4) nonoverwhelming glucose infusion (simulations in section 6.2, 6.3, and 6.4).