Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Short Term and Long Term Aging Effects of Asphalt Binder Modified with Montmorillonite

Nowadays, most of asphalt used in pavement construction is produced from petrochemicals through refining process of crude oil. When evolves with time, asphalt become stiffer and brittle due aging process. In this paper, the rheological effect of short-term and long-term oxidative ageing of asphalt binder modified with montmorillonite (MMT) was studied using SuperpaveTM rotational viscometer (RV), dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) instruments. The results indicate the addition of MMT increased the viscosity. Based on dynamic mechanical analysis with DSR, MMT modified binder has a potential to increase rutting and fatigue resistance. In terms of FTIR test, it appears that the chemical bonding had changed in the asphalt binder before and after RTFO and PAV aging which suggest that the additional of MMT could delay the aging process.
Overweight and School: Are There Any Perceived Achievement Consequences of Overweight Among American Youth?

In an effort to address the issue of overweight among youth, there is a growing body of research concerning the procurement food, the consequences of ingesting it and knowledge of the cultural cuisine rules (such as American cuisine may include hot dogs, hamburgers, fries and apple pie). However, there are few studies that examine the relationships between overweight and academic performance among adolescents. Based on the data collected by the World Health Organization in 1998, this study analyzed the relationships between overweight and student perceived academic performance for 15,686 children who were 10 to 15 years old. The results indicated that reported overweight was not statistically significantly related to perceived academic performance for these adolescents, while controlling for parental education level, gender, age, ethnicity, body image and other school-related variables. However, adolescents who were overweight were more likely to report that students were less friendly than those who were not overweight.
The ABC's of Online Course Design According to Addie Model

The purpose of this study was to design the course of Programming Languages-I online, which is given on face-to-face basis at undergraduate level. It is seen in literature that there is no detailed research on the preparation of a fully-online course directly based on an instructional design model. In this respect, depending on the ADDIE design model, the most popular instructional design models, an online course was adapted in phases. Each phase of the model and on the steps in each phase were explained. The preparation of this course given via DLP lasted approximately 500 hours. Following its preparation, the pilot application was carried out with the learners taking the course of Programming Languages during summer school period. The learners used DLP in all respects, and DLP was revised and the necessary changes were made in line with the learners' views and with the results of the usability test. The study revealed that it was important to analyze all the related areas in the analysis phase of an online course design and to make the necessary decisions in the phase of design. In the dimension of distance education evaluation, since there is no precise and reliable method, the traditional evaluation methods were favored within the scope of the product evaluation of this course taught via DLP. In addition, within the scope of the process evaluation, the learners' views were determined via weekly evaluations. Establishing interaction in online courses is important to prove the live structure of the system, and this situation will help learners perceive themselves to a part of the course.
Mechanical properties of PET composites using multi- walled carbon nanotubes functionalized by inorganic and itaconic acids

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were oxidized by two different acid treatments and further function- alized with itaconic acid (IA). The functionalized MWCNTs were used to fabricate Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) composites by melt mixing. The presence of functional groups on the surface of the treated MWCNTs was confirmed by infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. The MWCNTs oxidized with a concentrated mixture of HNO3 and H2SO4 exhibited more oxygen containing functional groups (OH, COOH) but also suffer larger structural degradation than those oxidized by a mild treatment based on diluted HNO3 followed by H2O2. PET composites were fabricated using the oxidized-only and oxidized followed by functionalization with IA MWCNTs. PET composites fabricated with MWCNT oxidized by mild conditions showed improved tensile strength and failure strain, while harsh MWCNT oxidation render them overly brittle.
Multilevel analysis of infant mortality and its risk factors in South Africa

The study analyzed infant mortality and its risk factors in South Africa. It aimed to examine infant mortality in the country by taking into account the hierarchical nature of the problem and investigate the with-in country variation in modeling. In addition to the usual individual level risk factors of infant mortality, living standard, mother’s education, and income inequality were defined at municipal level, while HIV prevalence was fixed at province level. A multilevel logistic regression model was then fitted with Bayesian MCMC parameter estimation procedure using the 2011 South African census data. Most of the demographic and socioeconomic variables identified at individual level were found significant. More remarkably, the result indicated that communities with better living standard and women's education were associated with lower infant mortality rates, while higher income inequality and HIV prevalence in the communities were associated higher levels of infant mortality. The changes in infants’ odds of death were estimated to be 26%, -21%, 13% and 8% respectively for HIV, women’s education, income inequality and level of the living standard. In addition, unobservable municipal and province level random effects significantly affected the level of infant mortality rates.
Low reproductive success rates of common bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus in the northern Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon disaster (2010-2015)

Following the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill, reproductive success rates in 2 northern Gulf of Mexico (GoM) bottlenose dolphin stocks exposed to oil were evaluated for 4 yr during and after the spill (2010 to 2015) in efforts to assess population-level reproductive health. Pregnancy was determined from either (1) ultrasound examinations of the reproductive tract during capture-release health assessments, or (2) endocrine evaluations of blubber tissue collected from dart biopsies of free-ranging dolphins. Follow-up photo-identification was then used to track the status of pregnant females and any associated neonatal calves for a minimum of 1 yr after the initial pregnancy detection (IPD). For all pregnant females observed following IPD, individuals seen with a calf (reproductive success) and without one (reproductive failure) were recorded. The resulting estimated reproductive success rates for both GoM stocks (19.4%; 7/36) were less than a third of those previously reported in other areas not impacted by the spill (i.e. Sarasota Bay, FL; Indian River Lagoon, FL; and Charleston Harbor, SC) using similar techniques (64.7%; 22/34). We also evaluated the relationships between reproductive success and 13 potential covariates, including stock, ordinal date, progesterone, cortisol, thyroid hormone concentrations, leukocyte count, lung health score, and total body length. Among these, the results only provide strong evidence (Bayes factor >20) of a relationship between reproductive failure and the total leukocyte count covariate. The high reproductive failure rates measured in both GoM stocks following the DWH oil spill are consistent with mammalian literature that shows a link between petroleum exposure and reproductive abnormalities and failures.
An Evaluation of a New Procedure for Computing Information Functions for Bayesian Scores From Computerized Adaptive Tests

Using Bayes modal  estimates with a N(0,1) prior, a simulation study evaluated how a new procedure for estimating information for scores from CAT administrations (i.e., the global-slope method) compared to two existing procedures (i.e., the local and quasi-local methods). Test length and the number of simulees at each  point were varied. A fundamental premise of the global-slope approach is a single linear relationship between  and over the entire  range. The linearity assumption was found to hold for tests with 30 and 60 items, while tests with 10 and 15 items yielded nearly linear, but slightly S-shaped scatterplots of   and . However, due to a confounding factor caused by the pool used, the study was unable to assess the impact of the minor violation of the assumption on the information functions of the shorter tests. On the tests of 30 and 60 items, however, the three methods produced relatively similar information functions, particularly when there were at least 500 simulees at each  point. BME-N(0,1)  Acknowledgment Presentation of this paper at the 2009 Conference on Computerized Adaptive Testing was supported in part with funds from GMAC. Copyright © 2009 by the Authors All rights reserved. Permission is granted for non-commercial use. Citation Ito, K. , Pommerich, M. , & Segall, D. (2009). An evaluation of a new procedure for computing information functions for Bayesian scores from computerized adaptive tests. In D. J. Weiss (Ed.), Proceedings of the 2009 GMAC Conference on Computerized Adaptive Testing. Retrieved [date] from www.psych.umn.edu/psylabs/CATCentral/ Author Contact Kyoko Ito, HumRRO, 40 Ragsdale Dr., Suite 150 , Monterey, CA 93940. Email: kito@humrro.org An Evaluation of a New Procedure for Computing Information Functions for Bayesian Scores From Computerized Adaptive Tests Computerized adaptive testing (CAT) requires a pool of items that can yield reliable scores for a range of examinees without compromising security. One way to evaluate CAT item pools is to compare them in terms of their information functions. For example, of two equal-size pools, the one with more discriminating items (and therefore higher information) for an ability range where examinees are located is more desirable. Also, if one intends to construct alternate item pools, they should be comparable in their information functions. As described by Birnbaum (1968), the score information for any test score y is defined as:     , ) | ( | , 2
The role of diet, capsaicin and TRPV6 expression in the prostate gland

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most common cancer in men worldwide, however the prevalence in developed countries is significantly higher than in developing countries. In Australia prostate cancer is expected to be the most common cancer diagnosed in 2017, as one in five men are at risk of developing prostate cancer before 85 years of age. While the five year survival for prostate cancer is at 95%, men in rural or regional areas have a 20% lower survival rate than those residing in the major cities. The high rate of diagnosis in developed countries, including Australia, has been linked to lifestyle, specifically diet. The so-called Western diet is typically high in refined carbohydrates, fat and red meat and this diet has been shown to cause inflammation in various tissues. Inflammation in the prostate gland has been linked to the development of precancerous states and eventually cancer. Furthermore, alterations in gene expression pathways in the prostate in response to the inflammatory state are also associated with cancer progression. Capsaicin, a dietary phytochemical from chilli, has been shown to have anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. The effectiveness of capsaicin dietary supplementation in preventing or reducing the inflammation and cancer-causing gene expression changes induced by a high carbohydrate and high fat diet has not been explored in the prostate gland. If effective, this may represent an inexpensive mechanism for men, living in both cities and in regional areas to decrease their risk of developing prostate cancer by supplementing their diet with capsaicin. This study investigated the effect of a Western diet and the addition of capsaicin to the diet on gene expression in tumourigenic and inflammatory pathways. In response to the diet the expression of the transient receptor potential vanilloid 6 (TRPV6), a gene associated with cancer, was significantly increased, a response that was prevented in the capsaicin treated rats receiving the same diet. Additionally, the histomorphology of the prostate demonstrated early abnormal cellular changes, with increased epithelial cell height and reduced glandular infolding. These results suggests that after the treatment period the Western diet has induced molecular and cellular changes resulting in early alterations in cell function and appearance. The prevention of the increased expression of TRPV6, suggests that the addition of capsaicin to the diet may be able to prevent changes associated with tumourigenesis. Further exploration into the effects of capsaicin in the prostate and the ability to prevent pre-cancerous stages are recommended.
Creating a climate and culture for sustainable organizational change

Article history: Received September 5, 2016 Received in revised format October 2, 2016 Accepted October 4, 2016 Available online October 5, 2016 The objective of this research is to investigate the balance between employees’ organizational behavior and the method of managers’ decision making in creating a good organizational climate in Gas Company of Zanjan province, Iran. The statistical population of this research includes 180 professions, staffs, and managers of the company and the study selects 120 people according to random sampling and by the use of Cochran formula. The descriptive-survey research method is cross sectional type. The questionnaire made by researcher was used for data gathering and its reliability and validity was approved. SPSS software was used for data analysis, correlation test was used for the effectiveness, and the effectiveness was specified. Also, LISREL software has been used for performing structural equations of model. The results of the research state that the variables of the balance between organizational behavior of staffs such as the balance of management commitment, balance of leadership, balance of communications, balance of learning, and balance of motivation were effective on its effectiveness in creating good organizational climate in the Gas Company of Zanjan province by managers’ decision making methods. © 2016 Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Robust Nash equilibria in N-person non-cooperative games: Uniqueness and reformulation

The present invention provides an apparatus for monitoring access by a processor in a computing system to certain defined portions of memory. According to the present invention, the user specifies an address or range of address (the "watchword") in memory to be monitored. Each processor contains hardware which monitors outgoing memory references. If the processor attempts to access the defined portion of memory, the present invention generates a signal which is sent back to the issuing processor to inform it that referenced the watchword in memory. The present invention has several applications. In particular however, the present invention can be used in conjunction with debugging software packages as an aid for debugging user software programs on multiprocessing computer systems. Specifically, the present invention can be used to pinpoint which processor in a multiprocessing computer system accessed the watchword portion of memory. For example, if a processor executed an instruction containing an error, causing improper calculation of a write destination address which resulted in data errors in memory, the present invention can pinpoint precisely which processor in the multiprocessing computer system executed the erroneous instruction, thus pinpointing the erroneous code to within a few instructions. An additional feature of the present invention is that it operates wholly independently and in parallel with the output circuitry of a processor. Thus, no additional levels of logic are introduced into the processor-to-memory path, and as a result the present invention does not adversely impact overall system performance.
Stimulatory Effect of Hormones, Vitamin C on Growth, Yield and SomeMetabolic Activities of Chenopodium quinoa Plants in Egypt

This research examine the actual growth, yield and certain metabolic activities of quinoa plants in response to foliar treatments with GA3 50 ppm, JA 20 ppm and Asc. 50 ppm. Plants were grown in natural clay loamy soil conditions and treated with every of the aforementioned treatments. The treated plants showed significant responses in most of the growth and yield characteristics (lengths of shoots and roots, number of branches/plant, number of leaves/ plant, plant biomass and weight of 1000-seed). Also, these treatments caused significant increases in the contents of photosynthetic pigments, soluble carbohydrates, soluble proteins and total phenols content. This was the case during the entire duration of time period of the experiment.
Beneficial Effects of Piperine in global cerebral ischemia/reperfusion model in irradiated rats

Stroke is the third cause of death and a leading cause of chronic disability all around the world. Inflammation and oxidative stress are common pathogenic pathways of brain injury induced by ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). This work aims to investigate the possible role of Piperine as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory in attenuating the cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced brain injury in whole body γ-irradiated rats. Global cerebral ischemia was induced in both irradiated and non-irradiated male Wistar rats, and was followed by reperfusion. The beneficial effect of pretreatment with piperine (10 mg/kg, once daily p.o. for 15 days) was examined on cerebral ischemia-induced brain injury in 24 h pre-irradiated (6 Gy) male Wistar rats. I/R increased brain content of malondialdehyde (MDA) and decreased its glutathione (GSH) content and total antioxidant capacity (TAC). It also raised serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity and brain cytosolic calcium (Ca2+) level. Pre-treatment with piperine significantly attenuated brain injury in I/R irradiated rats by decreasing cytosolic brain calcium level and serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity. In addition, a significant decrease in nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-kB) was recorded in piperine treated group. These findings indicate that administration of piperine ameliorated most of the tested biochemical changes induced by I/R in irradiated rat brain and serum.
The VIMOS-VLT deep survey Color bimodality and the mix of galaxy populations up to z ∼ 2

Aims. In this paper we discuss the mix of star-forming and passive galaxies up to z ~ 2, based on the first epoch VIMOS-VLT Deep Survey (VVDS) data. Methods. We compute rest-frame magnitudes and colors and analyse the color-magnitude relation and the color distributions. We also use the multi-band VVDS photometric data and spectral templates fitting to derive multi-color galaxy types. Using our spectroscopic dataset we separate galaxies based on a star-formation activity indicator derived combining the equivalent width of the [OII] emission line and the strength of the D n (4000) continuum break. Results. In agreement with previous works we find that the global galaxy rest-frame color distribution follows a bimodal distribution at z ≤ 1, and we establish that this bimodality holds up to at least $z=1.5$. The details of the rest-frame color distribution depend however on redshift and on galaxy luminosity, with faint galaxies being bluer than the luminous ones over the whole redshift range covered by our data, and with galaxies becoming bluer as redshift increases. This latter blueing trend does not depend, to a first approximation, on galaxy luminosity. The comparison between the spectral classification and the rest-frame colors shows that about 35-40% of the red objects are in fact star forming galaxies. Hence we conclude that the red sequence cannot be used to effectively isolate a sample of purely passively evolving objects within a cosmological survey. We show how multi-color galaxy types have a slightly higher efficiency than rest-frame color in isolating the passive, non star-forming galaxies within the VVDS sample. Connected to these results is also the finding that the color-magnitude relations derived for the color and for the spectroscopically selected early-type galaxies have remarkably similar properties, with the contaminating star-forming galaxies within the red sequence objects introducing no significant offset in the rest frame colors. Therefore the average color of the red objects does not appear to be a very sensitive indicator for measuring the evolution of the early-type galaxy population.
Consciousness in teleosts: There is something it feels like to be a fish

: Ray-finned fish are often excluded from the group of non-human animals considered to have phenomenal consciousness. This is generally done on the grounds that the fish pallium lacks a sufficiently expansive gross parcellation, as well as even minimally sufficient neuronal organization, intrinsic connectivity, and reciprocal extrinsic connections with the thalamus to support the subjective experience of qualia. It is also argued that fish do not exhibit the level of behavioral flexibility indicative of consciousness. A review of neuroanatomical, neurophysiological and behavioral studies is presented which leads to the conclusion that fish do have neurobiological correlates and behavioral flexibility of sufficient complexity to support the hypothesis that they are capable of phenomenal consciousness. their or response
Antibunching and unconventional photon blockade with Gaussian squeezed states

Photon antibunching is a quantum phenomenon typically observed in strongly nonlinear systems where photon blockade suppresses the probability for detecting two photons at the same time. Antibunching has also been reported with Gaussian states, where optimized amplitude squeezing yields classically forbidden values of the intensity correlation, $g^{(2)}(0)<1$. As a consequence, observing antibunching is not necessarily a signature of photon-photon interactions. To clarify the significance of the intensity correlations, we derive a sufficient condition for deducing if a field is non-Gaussian based on a $g^{(2)}(0)$ measurement. We then show that the Gaussian antibunching obtained with a degenerate parametric amplifier is close to the ideal case reached using dissipative squeezing protocols. We finally shed light on the so-called unconventional photon blockade effect predicted in a driven two-cavity setup with surprisingly weak Kerr nonlinearities, stressing that it is a particular realization of optimized Gaussian amplitude squeezing.