Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Critical shear rate and torque stability condition for a particle resting on a surface in a fluid flow

We advance a quantitative description of the critical shear rate $\dot{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FE}_{c}}$ needed to dislodge a spherical particle resting on a surface with a model asperity in laminar and turbulent fluid flows. We have built a cone-plane experimental apparatus which enables measurement of $\dot{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FE}_{c}}$ over a wide range of particle Reynolds number $Re_{p}$ from $10^{-3}$ to $1.5\times 10^{3}$ . The condition to dislodge the particle is found to be consistent with the torque balance condition after including the torque component due to drag about the particle centre. The data for $Re_{p}<0.5$ are in good agreement with analytical calculations of the drag and lift coefficients in the $Re_{p}\rightarrow 0$ limit. For higher $Re_{p}$ , where analytical results are unavailable, the hydrodynamic coefficients are found to approach a constant for $Re_{p}>1000$ . We show that a linear combination of the hydrodynamic coefficients found in the viscous and inertial limits can describe the observed $\dot{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FE}_{c}}$ as a function of the particle and fluid properties.
Analysis of catecholamine effects in single atrial trabeculae of the frog heart

A study was made of the time course of the effects of adrenaline and isoprenaline on both twitch tension and the intracellular action potential of single atrial trabeculae from frog heart, under a variety of experimental conditions. Twitch tension and overshoot of action potentials rose and subsided in a parallel fashion during build-up and decline of catecholamine action. Cessation of stimulation during drug application had little effect on the tension responses to the drugs. These, and also results obtained with step changes of external calcium concentration during drug exposure, suggest that tension enhancement is a direct consequence of the increased calcium inward current produced by the catecholamines. Exceptional results from trabeculae of ‘hypodynamic’ hearts are described and interpreted on the basis of previous findings obtained in the ‘hypo-dynamic’ condition. Under suitable conditions, including the use of brief periods of drug exposure (≤20 s), three phases of (β-catecholamine action were discernible: (1) a latency period, of up to 15 s, which preceded tension and potential rise after drug application. Results are presented suggesting that this latency mainly reflects the time which it takes for drug-combined receptors to activate adenylate cyclase in the cell membrane. (2) A subsequent phase was critically dependent, in both its magnitude and time course, on phosphodiesterase activity, as was shown by the application of the specific inhibitors papaverine, ICI 63 197, and Ro 20-1724. This phase is probably controlled by the build-up and decline of cAMP within the cells and the subsequent activation and deactivation of a protein kinase. (3) A third phase, associated with the final portion of the decline of catecholamine action, was relatively insensitive to moderate inhibition of phosphodiesterase activity. It is attributed to a change of phosphorylation of sites at the internal surface of the cell membrane, the process which, it is assumed, determines the size of calcium inward current during an action potential. Tension decline after a short staircase occurred with a time course closely similar to that of the final phase of the declining catecholamine response. A common final step in the sequential cellular processes under lying the two responses is proposed. In some 40% of the trabeculae examined, adrenaline responses were of ‘mixed’ origin: in addition to the relatively slow β-adrenergic action, an initial rapid tension change was present, and experimental tests suggest that this is mediated by α-type receptors.
Heavy vehicle suspension parameters identification and estimation of vertical forces: experimental results

The aim of the present work is to estimate the vertical forces of heavy vehicle and identify the unknown dynamic parameters using sliding mode observer approach. This observation needs a good knowledge of dynamic parameters such as damping coefficient, spring stiffness, etc. In this paper, suspension stiffness and unsprung masses have been identified. Experimental results carried out on an instrumented tractor have been presented in order to show the quality of the state observation, parameters identification and force estimation. These estimation results are then compared to the measured one coming from the sensors installed in the tractor. Many scenarios have been tested. In this paper, the results coming from zigzag test have been shown and commented.
Hybrid test application in hybrid delay scan design

The hybrid delay scan design in which some flipflops (FFs) are controlled as skewed-load FFs and the others are controlled as broad-side FFs was proposed [1]. Noticing that the hybrid delay scan design potentially has a capability of two test application modes: one is the broad-side test mode, and the other is the hybrid test mode, we present a hybrid test application of the two test modes in the hybrid delay scan design. In addition, we also address a way of skewed-load FF selection based on propagation dominance of FFs in order to take advantage of the hybrid test application. Experimental results for ITC'99 benchmark circuits show that the proposed hybrid scan design with the hybrid test application can achieve higher fault coverage than the previous hybrid scan design [1].
A reconciliation of two alternative approaches towards buffer stock saving

This paper shows that the two main models in the buffer stock saving literature can be nested in a model that varies the level of available social insurance. Equivalently, the assumption about the time series process for labor income (and social insurance during unemployment) is crucial in determining the level (but not the shape) of optimal consumption as a function of liquid wealth. JEL: D91, E21.
Effects of living alone versus with others and of housemate type on smoking, drinking, dietary habits, and physical activity among elderly people

OBJECTIVES This study examined differences in health behaviors between elderly people living alone and with others; it also investigated whether the effect of living with others differs according to housemate type, namely a spouse and/or younger generations. METHODS Gender-stratified data from the 2013 Korea Community Health Survey for individuals aged 60 to 74 living in Seoul were analyzed. Logistic regression modeling was conducted to obtain odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of the outcome variables (smoking, drinking, eating salty foods, inactive lifestyle) for the variables of interest (living alone/with others, housemate type). Models were adjusted for confounding variables including history of medical conditions, employment type, and adjusted household income. RESULTS Analysis involved 1,814 men and 2,199 women. Risk of smoking was 1.80 times (95% CI, 1.21 to 2.67) higher for men living alone than living with others. Risk of eating salty foods was 0.78 times lower (95% CI, 0.62 to 0.98) for men living with a spouse than a spouse and younger generations. Risk of inactive lifestyle was 1.47 times higher (95% CI, 1.13 to 1.92) for women living alone. Risk of smoking was higher for women living alone (OR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.03 to 1.92) or with younger generations (OR, 9.12; 95% CI, 2.04 to 40.80) than with a spouse and younger generations. CONCLUSIONS Living alone was associated with smoking in men and physical activity in women; housemate type was associated with dietary habits in men and smoking in women. These gender-specific findings can help identify groups of individuals vulnerable to risky health behaviors and to develop policies.
Improving quality of life for people with chronic conditions: the example of t'ai chi and multiple sclerosis.

CONTEXT The greatest needs of people with chronic conditions are long-term care, maximized independence, and improved quality of life. With conventional medicine becoming increasingly expensive, depersonalized, and unable to adequately meet such needs, many with chronic conditions are seeking health promotion strategies to effectively manage their symptoms. OBJECTIVE An 8-week t'ai chi program was conducted to explore psychosocial and physical benefits for those with multiple sclerosis. DESIGN Nonrandomized, noncontrolled pilot study. SETTING American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, San Francisco, Calif. PATIENTS 19 patients with multiple sclerosis. INTERVENTION T'ai chi. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Walking speed (distance = 25 ft), hamstring flexibility, and psychosocial well-being as measured by the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short-form Health Survey. RESULTS Walking speed increased by 21% and hamstring flexibility increased by 28%. Patients experienced improvements in vitality, social functioning, mental health, and ability to carry out physical and emotional roles. CONCLUSIONS This pilot program was conducted entirely on a volunteer basis and led to the implementation of several additional t'ai chi classes for people with multiple sclerosis across the United States. T'ai chi and other health promotion programs offer help toward achieving the goals of increasing access to services, maximizing independence, and improving quality of life for people with chronic disabling conditions.
Familial aggregation of FEF25–75 and FEF25–75/FVC in families with severe, early onset COPD

Background: The Boston Early-Onset COPD study showed that current or ex-smoking first degree relatives of severe early onset COPD probands have significantly lower forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and FEV1/forced vital capacity (FVC) values than current or ex-smoking control subjects, which suggests the existence of genetic risk factors for the development of COPD in response to cigarette smoking. We hypothesised that first degree relatives of early onset COPD probands may also have lower values of spirometric parameters such as forced expiratory flow at the mid-portion of forced vital capacity (FEF25–75) and FEF25–75/FVC. Methods: Using generalised estimating equations, FEF25–75 and FEF25–75/FVC were analysed in 333 first degree relatives of probands with severe early onset COPD and 83 population based controls; analyses were also performed on data stratified by smoking status. Narrow sense heritability estimates were calculated using a variance component approach. Results: Significantly lower FEF25–75 and FEF25–75/FVC were observed in smoking (FEF25–75: β −0.788 l/s (95% CI −1.118 to −0.457), FEF25–75/FVC: β −20.4% (95% CI −29.3 to −11.6, p<0.0001 for both phenotypes) and non-smoking (FEF25–75: β −0.357 l/s (95% CI −0.673 to −0.041, p = 0.0271), FEF25−75/FVC: β −9.5% (95% CI −17.1 to −1.9, p = 0.0145)) first degree relatives of early onset COPD probands. Narrow sense heritability estimates for FEF25–75 (h2 = 0.38) and FEF25–75/FVC (h2 = 0.45) were similar to those for FEV1 and FEV1/FVC. Conclusion: Lower values of FEF25–75 and FEF25–75/FVC in non-smoking first degree relatives of early onset COPD probands than in controls suggest a genetic susceptibility to develop obstructive lung disease, independent of smoking, which is magnified by exposure to deleterious environments as suggested by the further decrements in FEF25–75 and FEF25–75/FVC seen in smoking first degree relatives. FEF25–75 and FEF25–75/FVC have high heritability and are important intermediate phenotypes for inclusion in genetic epidemiological studies of COPD.
Framework for real-time clustering over sliding windows

Clustering queries over sliding windows require maintaining cluster memberships that change as windows slide. To address this, the Generic 2-phase Continuous Summarization framework (G2CS) utilizes a generation based window maintenance approach where windows are maintained over different time intervals. It provides algorithm independent and efficient sliding mechanisms for clustering queries where the clustering algorithms are defined in terms of queries over cluster data represented as temporal tables. A particular challenge for real-time detection of a high number of fastly evolving clusters is efficiently supporting smooth re-clustering in real-time, i.e. to minimize the sliding time with increasing window size and decreasing strides. To efficiently support such re-clustering for clustering algorithms where deletion of expired data is not supported, e.g. BIRCH, G2CS includes a novel window maintenance mechanism called Sliding Binary Merge (SBM), which maintains several generations of intermediate window instances and does not require decremental cluster maintenance. To improve real-time sliding performance, G2CS uses generation-based multi-dimensional indexing. Extensive performance evaluation on both synthetic and real data shows that G2CS scales substantially better than related approaches.
Regulation of Mitochondrial Apoptotic Events by p53-mediated Disruption of Complexes between Antiapoptotic Bcl-2 Members and Bim*

Multiple mechanisms have been proposed for the mitochondrial function of p53 that are either dependent on or independent of its transcriptional activity. However, none of these mechanisms involves Bim functioning downstream of p53 mitochondrial translocation. Utilizing a p53 nuclear localization signal mutant, whose nuclear import is completely abrogated, we demonstrate that its apoptotic activity at the outer mitochondrial membrane, which involves conformational changes in Bax and Bak, is mediated by Bim. We further demonstrate an inverse correlation between the binding levels of p53 and Bim to Mcl-1. Thus, enhanced binding of p53 to Mcl-1 involves the disruption of existing complexes between Mcl-1 and Bim. We propose that mitochondrial p53 functions as a Bim derepressor by releasing Bim from sequestrating complexes with Mcl-1, Bcl-2, and Bcl-XL, and allowing its engagement in Bak/Bax activation.
Copy Number Variants and Exome Sequencing Analysis in Six Pairs of Chinese Monozygotic Twins Discordant for Congenital Heart Disease

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is one of the most common birth defects. More than 200 susceptibility loci have been identified for CHDs, yet a large part of the genetic risk factors remain unexplained. Monozygotic (MZ) twins are thought to be completely genetically identical; however, discordant phenotypes have been found in MZ twins. Recent studies have demonstrated genetic differences between MZ twins. We aimed to test whether copy number variants (CNVs) and/or genetic mutation differences play a role in the etiology of CHDs by using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping arrays and whole exome sequencing of twin pairs discordant for CHDs. Our goal was to identify mutations present only in the affected twins, which could identify novel candidates for CHD susceptibility loci. We present a comprehensive analysis for the CNVs and genetic mutation results of the selected individuals but detected no consistent differences within the twin pairs. Our study confirms that chromosomal structure or genetic mutation differences do not seem to play a role in the MZ twins discordant for CHD.
Network-based distributional semantic models

In this thesis, the unsupervised creation of language-agnostic Distributional Semantic Models (DSMs) using web harvested data is investigated for the problem of semantic similarity estimation. Semantic similarity can be regarded as the building block for numerous tasks of Natural Language Processing, e.g., affective text analysis and paraphrasing. The first part of the thesis deals with the construction of typical DSMs following the well-established Vector Space Model. More specifically, corpora are created by harvesting web documents following a query-based approach. Two families of similarity metrics are applied, while related parameters are investigated. Similarity metrics are evaluated against human similarity ratings achieving state-of-the-art results that are comparable with knowledge-based metrics. Despite its good performance, the aforementioned methodology suffers from quadratic query complexity with respect to the size of the lexicon. A methodology of linear query complexity is proposed, which is applied for corpus creation with respect to a lexicon consisting of thousands of nouns. Using this corpus, we propose a novel network-based implementation of DSMs, which is based on the notion of semantic neighborhoods. Semantic neighborhoods are considered as a parsimonious representation of corpus statistics, while they capture two main types of lexical relations: semantic and associative. The problem of the automatic classification of associative and semantic relations is also addressed, motivated by findings from the literature of psycholinguistics and corpus linguistics. Moreover, three novel neighborhood-based similarity metrics are proposed, motivated by the hypotheses of attributional and maximum sense similarity. The proposed metrics are shown to outperform the baseline approaches for the task of semantic similarity estimation between words. Inspired by evidence for cognitive organization of concepts, based on the degree of concreteness, we further investigate the performance and organization of network DSMs for abstract vs. concrete nouns. Finally, the framework of network DSMs is extended for the creation of multimodal networks using textual and visual features, and the estimation of semantic similarity beyond word level (noun compounds). Very good results are achieved for both extensions, showing the flexibility of the network-based framework.
Contrast and Assimilation Effects on Consumers' Trust in Internet Companies

The Internet presents an ever-shifting landscape for consumers to navigate. Links that exist one day may be gone the next, only to be replaced by new sets of connections among organizations. This study addresses the question of how an organization's positioning in a particular set of links on the Web might bias consumers' later judgment of its trustworthiness. The study suggests that the particular set of links a consumer faces in navigating toward an organization constitutes a context for the encounter with that organization and may have a significant impact on the way the consumer judges the company after interacting with its Web site. The paper develops and tests hypotheses that argue for the priming effect of context. Results of an experimental study provide evidence that unfamiliar companies may benefit from an overall assimilation effect when a link to their sites is surrounded by links to more familiar organizations, and familiar organizations may benefit from a contrast effect when inexperienced consumers see their company link surrounded by links to unfamiliar companies. The paper extends prior models on the determinants of consumers' on-line trust by examining concepts from priming theory. The conclusions suggest that practitioners should be aware of the context in which links to their sites are placed.
Data Analysis with Fuzzy Measure on Intuitionistic Fuzzy Sets

Study of fuzzy entropy on intuitionistic fuzzy sets (IFSs) were proposed, and analyzed. Built in uncertainty in IFSs, it is named as hesitance. It is contained in fuzzy membership function in itself by definition. Hence, designing fuzzy entropy is not easy because there is no general entropy definition about IFSs. By considering existing fuzzy entropy definitions, fuzzy entropy on IFSs is designed and proved its usefulness. Similarity measure was also extended with the information of entropy, and the similarity measure is verified its usefulness by the proof.
Influences of evergreen gymnosperm and deciduous angiosperm tree species on the functioning of temperate and boreal forests

It has been recognized for a long time that the overstorey composition of a forest partly determines its biological and physical–chemical functioning. Here, we review evidence of the influence of evergreen gymnosperm (EG) tree species and deciduous angiosperm (DA) tree species on the water balance, physical–chemical soil properties and biogeochemical cycling of carbon and nutrients. We used scientific publications based on experimental designs where all species grew on the same parent material and initial soil, and were similar in stage of stand development, former land use and current management. We present the current state of the art, define knowledge gaps, and briefly discuss how selection of tree species can be used to mitigate pollution or enhance accumulation of stable organic carbon in the soil. The presence of EGs generally induces a lower rate of precipitation input into the soil than DAs, resulting in drier soil conditions and lower water discharge. Soil temperature is generally not different, or slightly lower, under an EG canopy compared to a DA canopy. Chemical properties, such as soil pH, can also be significantly modified by taxonomic groups of tree species. Biomass production is usually similar or lower in DA stands than in stands of EGs. Aboveground production of dead organic matter appears to be of the same order of magnitude between tree species groups growing on the same site. Some DAs induce more rapid decomposition of litter than EGs because of the chemical properties of their tissues, higher soil moisture and favourable conditions for earthworms. Forest floors consequently tend to be thicker in EG forests compared to DA forests. Many factors, such as litter lignin content, influence litter decomposition and it is difficult to identify specific litter‐quality parameters that distinguish litter decomposition rates of EGs from DAs. Although it has been suggested that DAs can result in higher accumulation of soil carbon stocks, evidence from field studies does not show any obvious trend. Further research is required to clarify if accumulation of carbon in soils (i.e. forest floor + mineral soil) is different between the two types of trees. Production of belowground dead organic matter appears to be of similar magnitude in DA and EG forests, and root decomposition rate lower under EGs than DAs. However there are some discrepancies and still are insufficient data about belowground pools and processes that require further research. Relatively larger amounts of nutrients enter the soil–plant biogeochemical cycle under the influence of EGs than DAs, but recycling of nutrients appears to be slightly enhanced by DAs. Understanding the mechanisms underlying forest ecosystem functioning is essential to predicting the consequences of the expected tree species migration under global change. This knowledge can also be used as a mitigation tool regarding carbon sequestration or management of surface waters because the type of tree species affects forest growth, carbon, water and nutrient cycling.