Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CD 02-006 THE ANALYSIS OF FLEXIBLE CONCRETE FOUNDATIONS ON COARSE ALLUVIUM OF TEHRAN

Regarding the increasing expansion of construction in Tehran, the design and construction of raft or grid concrete foundations are very common for tall buildings. Winckler springs are often used by professionals to model soils in the design of flexible concrete foundation. However, it presents a substantial problem because the Winckler springs are not coupled. Such a subgrade reaction theory is too simplified, i.e. it considers a fixed constant value for the stiffness of Winckler springs which leads to an incorrect design. Continuum mechanics theory and numerical simulation tools are available to be used for soil modeling but they are time consuming and most engineers prefer to use Winckler springs to model the soil. In the presented research, a computer program was firstly developed based on finite elements method. It could model a flexible foundation on springs but the springs are coupled by considering stress distribution within soil mass. The used method is very similar to Winckler springs model and tries to modify it. The method is employed for different geological formations in Tehran to show the effects of the properties of coarse alluvium of Tehran on the analysis of concrete foundations. Keyword: tehran coarse grain alluvium, concrete foundation, stress distribution, deformation
SECRETARIA DE PLANEJAMENTO DA PRESIDENCY DA REPUBLICA CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTIFICO E TECNOLOGICO

A two-layer, nonlinear, equatorial g-plane model, in p-coordinates is used to study the atmospheric response to a large scale prescribed heat source varying in time. The heat source is meant to represen a convective burst with total duration of approximately 48 hours over the Amazon/Bolivia region. The boundary conditions used are meridional velocity zero at 60°N and 60°S, w = 0 at the top and zero geometric velocity at the lower boundary. Sensitivity study was done which includes initial state at rest>compared with realistic initial flow. The scale of the heat source is 1500km in latitude and longitude and it is centered at 10°S. Special attention is paid to the distribution and intensity of the induced vertical motion. The model is integrated for two days and the preliminary results show agreement with the observed 200mb flow. Of interest is the establishment of a trough and descending motion to the northeast of the heat source. A conjecture is thus made that the Amazon heat source and its fluctuations bear some relationship with the drought problem over Northeast Brazil.
SCA23 and prodynorphin: is it time for gene retraction?

Sir, We read with interest the recent publication by Smeets et al. (2015) on the generation of transgenic mouse for autosomal dominant spinocerellar ataxia type 23 (SCA23) expressing human prodynorphin ( PDYN ). The manuscript is very well written and profusely documented and it was well demonstrated that expression of mutant human variant p.Arg212Trp in mouse leads to dynorphin elevation and cerebellar degeneration (Smeets et al. , 2015). Our concern, nevertheless, is about the very foundation of the association of SCA23 and mutations in PDYN , which codes for the dynorphin precursor, prodynorphin. We casted doubt on this association after we came across a challenging case of a 64-year-old Brazilian male with a slowly progressive sporadic late-onset ataxia, with a large negative investigation workup, whose whole exome sequencing disclosed a rare missense variant PDYN mutation [Chr20:1,961,517 A > G; p.Thr73Ala]. Using information generated by …
Nanophotonics: Application of Dressed Photons to Novel Photonic Devices and Systems

This paper reviews recent progress in nanophotonics, a novel optical technology proposed by one of the authors (M. Ohtsu). Nanophotonics utilizes the local interaction between nanometric particles via optical near fields. The optical near fields are the elementary surface excitations on nanometric particles, that is, dressed photons that carry the material energy. Of the variety of qualitative innovations in optical technology realized by nanophotonics, this paper focuses on devices and systems. The principles of device operation are reviewed considering the excitation energy transfer via the optical near-field interaction and subsequent dissipation. As representative examples, the principles of a nanophotonic and gate, not gate, and optical nanofountain are described. Experimental results for operating devices using CuCl quantum dots (QDs), InAlAs QDs, and nanorod ZnO double quantum wells are described. Using a systems-perspective approach, the principles of content-addressable memory based on nanophotonic device operations and experimental results are reviewed. The hierarchy of optical near-field interactions is discussed, and its application to a multilayer memory retrieval system is demonstrated.
Anti-Transpirant Effects on Vine Physiology, Berry and Wine Composition of cv. Aglianico (Vitis vinifera L.) Grown in South Italy

In viticulture, global warming requires reconsideration of current production models. At the base of this need there are some emerging phenomena: modification of phenological phases; acceleration of the maturation process of grapes, with significant increases in the concentration of sugar musts; decoupling between technological grape maturity and phenolic maturity. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effect of a natural anti-transpirant on grapevine physiology, berry, and wine composition of Aglianico cultivar. For two years, Aglianico vines were treated at veraison with the anti-transpirant Vapor Gard and compared with a control sprayed with only water. A bunch thinning was also applied to both treatments. The effectiveness of Vapor Gard were assessed through measurements of net photosynthesis and transpiration and analyzing the vegetative, productive and qualitative parameters. The results demonstrate that the application of anti-transpirant reduced assimilation and transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, berry sugar accumulation, and wine alcohol content. No significant differences between treatments were observed for other berry and wine compositional parameters. This method may be a useful tool to reduce berry sugar content and to produce wines with a lower alcohol content.
Hypoxia activates a potassium current in isolated smooth muscle cells from large pulmonary arteries of the rabbit

Severe hypoxia (< 10 mmHg) induced relaxation of precontracted rings obtained from large diameter (3–4 mm) pulmonary arteries of the rabbit but had no effect upon their basal tone nor upon the length of enzymatically isolated smooth muscle cells. In isolated smooth muscle cells severe hypoxia increased a voltage‐gated K+ current. The magnitude of this response depended upon the degree of intracellular Ca2+ buffering, being abolished by 10 mM EGTA. The hypoxic response of K+ currents demonstrates a direct effect of hypoxia on pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells via a modulation of potassium channel activity.
Left ventricular chamber stiffness from model-based image processing of transmitral Doppler E-waves.

BACKGROUND Model-based image processing (MBIP) of Doppler E-waves eliminates the need for digitizing waveforms by hand or determining the contour 'by eye'. Little et al. (Circulation 1995, 92:1933-1939) used pressure-volume measurements for dogs to verify the physiologic-model-derived prediction that the left ventricular chamber stiffness, KLV1 can be determined from the deceleration time tdec, when that portion of the E-wave contour is fit by a cosine function. MBIP of clinical Doppler E-wave images to determine chamber stiffness KLV has not been performed. OBJECTIVE We sought to determine KLV by MBIP of clinical Doppler E-wave images and elucidate the physiologic meaning of the harmonic oscillator filling model's parameter k. METHODS AND RESULTS The unique mathematical relationship between the kinematic, harmonic oscillator model of filling and KLV predicts that the oscillator's spring constant k be linearly proportional to the chamber stiffness KLV. To verify this, digitally acquired, clinical Doppler transmitral flow velocity images from 21 subjects were analyzed. The parameter k and the stiffness KLV were computed independently for each subject and compared. In accordance with prediction, a linear relationship between k and the stiffness KLV, namely k = 1.16 [A/(rho L)]KLV+41, r = 0.96, was observed. CONCLUSIONS The oscillator parameter k is linearly proportional to the left ventricular chamber stiffness KLV. The MBIP approach allows automated computation of k and KLV, provides a robust, automated, observer independent method of Doppler transmitral flow velocity analysis, and eliminates the need for visual determination of the contour or measurement of its attributes by eye. It provides a stimulus for further validation of the relationships among K, KLV, and catheterization-based diastolic chamber properties in humans and their correlations with selected diastolic function-altering syndromes.
Immediate post-extraction implants subject to immediate loading: a meta-analytic study.

UNLABELLED Since Brånemark first started developing its implant system, there has been a continuous and significant evolution in oral implantology through experimental and clinical research, and many of the concepts that were once considered valid have now become the subject of debate. The insertion of the implant immediately after extraction of the tooth to be substituted has now become the implant treatment of choice and is associated with preserving the bone structure and the gingival architecture, as well as with reducing the treatment time, which ultimately benefits the patient. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the success rate of the immediate post-extraction implants (IPI) subject to immediate loading. STUDY DESIGN A meta-analytic study was carried out on 659 immediate post-extraction implants obtained from a bibliographic review of 25 articles published within the last 9 years. RESULTS We obtained a sample of 322 patients who had been treated with a total of 659 implants placed immediately following extraction. The mean age of the patients was 51 years old. A total of 441 implants were inserted in the maxilla, 152 in the mandible and 64 were placed in an unspecified location. The survival rate ranged between 85% and 100%. CONCLUSIONS Immediate post-extraction implant treatment is an implant alternative with a survival rate similar to that of the conventional technique for implant placement and enables preserving both the bone structure and gingival architecture, as well as providing immediate functional loading, thus improving the quality of the treatment as far as the patient is concerned.
Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy and Atrial Fibrillation Management in the Elderly

RM is an 89-year-old man with ischemic cardiomyopathy, ejection fraction (EF) 25–30%, New York Heart Association class (NHYA) III symptoms, left bundle branch block with QRS of 163 ms, and atrial fibrillation (AF) who presented to clinic requesting AF management and possible device placement. RM’s symptoms had progressed despite optimal medical management, so initially his AF management was switched to rhythm control. Overall he felt better after this change but remained limited functionally. After a discussion regarding goals of care, he opted for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) with pacemaker rather than CRT with defibrillator. His device was placed without complication and at 15-week follow up his EF improved to 50% with NYHA class I symptoms. The management of AF and heart failure in the elderly population is poorly studied. This article will review the management of both disease states and related data through case review.
Regeneration of B cell subsets after transient B cell depletion using anti-CD20 antibodies in rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE Transient B cell depletion with the monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody rituximab has resulted in favorable clinical responses in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, little is known about the regeneration profile of different peripheral B cell subpopulations. The aim of this study was to delineate the regeneration profile of different B cell subsets in the peripheral blood after selective anti-CD20-mediated B cell depletion. METHODS Seventeen patients with RA refractory to standard therapy were treated with rituximab. Patients 1-6 received 4 weekly infusions of rituximab at a dose of 375 mg/m2, and patients 7-17 received 2 infusions of rituximab (1,000 mg), 2 weeks apart. Four-color staining was performed at several time points, using CD38, IgD, and CD27 in addition to other cell surface markers. In one patient, the mutational status of the immunoglobulin receptor was examined. RESULTS The analysis revealed a distinct pattern of B cell regeneration. The first wave of repopulating B cells were immature B cells (CD38high,IgD+,CD10+,CD24high), the immunoglobulin receptors of which were not yet somatically mutated. In parallel, a recirculation of plasma cells was observed. Later, the number of naive B cells increased, and these cells predominated in the peripheral blood B cell pool. CD27+ memory B cells showed a slow and delayed repopulation, and the level of these cells stayed significantly reduced (<50%) compared with baseline values, for more than 2 years. CONCLUSION Our findings provide evidence for a characteristic regeneration pattern of B cell subpopulations, with long-lasting modulation of B cell subset composition, after selective anti-CD20-mediated B cell depletion.
Constructing a Reward-Related Quality of Life Statistic in Daily Life—a Proof of Concept Study Using Positive Affect

Background: Mental healthcare needs person-tailored interventions. Experience Sampling Method (ESM) can provide daily life monitoring of personal experiences. This study aims to operationalize and test a measure of momentary reward-related Quality of Life (rQoL). Intuitively, quality of life improves by spending more time on rewarding experiences. ESM clinical interventions can use this information to coach patients to find a realistic, optimal balance of positive experiences (maximize reward) in daily life. rQoL combines the frequency of engaging in a relevant context (a ‘behavior setting’) with concurrent (positive) affect. High rQoL occurs when the most frequent behavior settings are combined with positive affect or infrequent behavior settings co-occur with low positive affect. Methods: Resampling procedures (Monte Carlo experiments) were applied to assess the reliability of rQoL using various behavior setting definitions under different sampling circumstances, for real or virtual subjects with low-, average- and high contextual variability. Furthermore, resampling was used to assess whether rQoL is a distinct concept from positive affect. Virtual ESM beep datasets were extracted from 1,058 valid ESM observations for virtual and real subjects. Results: Behavior settings defined by Who-What contextual information were most informative. Simulations of at least 100 ESM observations are needed for reliable assessment. Virtual ESM beep datasets of a real subject can be defined by Who-What-Where behavior setting combinations. Large sample sizes are necessary for reliable rQoL assessments, except for subjects with low contextual variability. rQoL is distinct from positive affect. Conclusion: rQoL is a feasible concept. Monte Carlo experiments should be used to assess the reliable implementation of an ESM statistic. Future research in ESM should asses the behavior of summary statistics under different sampling situations. This exploration is especially relevant in clinical implementation, where often only small datasets are available.
CLOSED COMPRESSION TECHNIQUE FOR RUPTURING A CONTRACTED CAPSULE AROUND A BREAST IMPLANT

When a breast becomes hard after an augmentation mammaplasty, the fibrous capsule around the implant can be ruptured, in most cases, by closed compression of the breast-resulting in immediate softness of the breast. As yet the duration of this improvement is unknown, but follow-up examinations to date indicate that it is persisting in about 3 or 4 patients so treated.
ff ects of non-dual and focused attention meditations on the formation of automatic perceptual habits in expert practitioners

Non-dual meditation aims to undo maladaptive cognitive and affective patterns by recognizing their constructed and transient nature. We previously found high-amplitude spontaneous gamma (25–40 Hz) oscillatory activity during such practice. Nonetheless, it is unclear how this meditation state differs from other practices, in terms of perceptual information processing. Here, we hypothesized that non-dual meditation can downregulate the automatic formation of perceptual habits. To investigate this hypothesis, we recorded EEG from expert Buddhist meditation practitioners and matched novices to measure two components of the auditory evoked response: the Mismatch Negativity (MMN) and the Late Frontal Negativity (LFN), a potential observed at a latency sensitive to attentional engagement to the auditory environment, during the practices of Open Presence (OP) and Focused Attention (FA), as well as during a control state, in the context of a passive oddball paradigm. We found an increase in gamma oscillatory power during both meditation states in expert practitioners and an interaction between states and groups in the amplitude of the MMN. A further investigation identified the specific interplay between the MMN and the LFN as a possible marker to differentiate the two meditation states as a function of expertise. In experts, the MMN increased during FA, compared to OP, while the opposite pattern was observed at the LFN latency. We propose that the state of OP in experts is characterized by increased sensory monitoring and reduced perceptual inferences compared to FA. This study represents a first attempt to describe the impact of non-dual meditation states on the regulation of automatic brain predictive processes.
Morphometric and morphological characterization of chicken resources adapted to pastoral and agropastoral areas of southern Ethiopia

Thirteen qualitative and six quantitative variables taken from 303 adult chickens (95 cocks and 208 hens) from three locations/districts were used to phenotypically characterize the indigenous chicken populations in pastoral areas of South Omo Zone, Ethiopia. The studied traits were influenced by the effect of location and sex, where chicken populations from Hamer district and females of all districts were the smallest and lightest. Qualitative characteristics of the studied chicken populations such as normal feather morphology and distribution, plain plumage pattern, flat head shape, triangular body shape, and dominant red eye, earlobe and plumage colour suggest that they constitute previously undescribed populations. Chest circumference, wingspan and body length were the three most important morphometric traits used in discriminating the studied chicken populations. On average, 61% of the sampled populations were classified correctly into their respective locations. The multivariate analysis results discriminate the chicken populations into two groups: the Hamer group and the Omo group (chickens from Bena Tsemay and Male districts). However, such grouping should be confirmed and advanced to ecotype level using further genetic characterization studies as the observed phenotypic differences might be due to genetic or environmental variations. Such confirmation is important to design breeding programmes (for sustainable utilization) specific to each ecotype.
DISSIPATION OF HEAT BY FREE CONVECTION

A body differing in température from the surroundings loses encrgy not only by radiation but also by conduction and convection. The general laws governing the latter dissipation of heat are investigatcd. The many quantities governing this transfer may be combined into a few dimensionless numbers by means of similarity considerations. This leads to an important simplification and facilitates the survey of experimentàl and theoretical results. First, the above-mentioned considerations -are applied to bodies that may be characterized by one linear dimension only (the vertical plate, the horizontal cylinder, the sphere), and further, to bodies characterized by two such quantities (the vertical cylinder of finite height, cooling rihs, the inner surface of vertical tubes).
EFFECT OF LEADERSHIP STYLES ON ORGANIZATIONAL CITIZENSHIP BEHAVIOUR IN EMPLOYEES OF TELECOM SECTOR IN PAKISTAN

This study has been carried out to examine the relationship between leadership styles and organizational citizenship behaviour in telecom companies operating in Pakistan. The three popular styles of leadership including autocratic leadership style, democratic leadership style and Laissez faire leadership style have been observed and their relationship is explored with organizational citizenship behaviour in three major telecom companies of Pakistan. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis and ANOVA have been applied on the data collected from 72 leaders and 144 subordinates to test the hypotheses of the study. Statistical findings demonstrate that there is significant difference in leadership styles across telecom companies. The findings of the study indicate that there is strong positive relationship between leadership styles and organizational citizenship behaviour. This study demonstrates that leadership styles significantly contribute to augment the organizational citizenship behaviour. Democratic leadership style stimulates more organizational citizenship behaviour among the employees. However, autocratic leader is unable to stimulate the feelings of helping others due to its task-oriented nature. Furthermore, Laissez faire leadership style has a very weak relationship with organizational citizenship behaviour.
Molecular Phylogeny of Three Oxymonad Genera: Pyrsonympha, Dinenympha and Oxymonas

Abstract Oxymonads are a morphologically well-characterized and highly diverse lineage of protists. They are, however, under sampled at a molecular level. It has recently been demonstrated that a genus of oxymonads, Pyrsonympha, is phylogenetically related to the excavate taxon Trimastix. Here, we addressed issues of internal oxymonad evolution. Pyrsonympha and Dinenympha are shown, by fluorescent in situ hybridization and phylogenetic evidence, to be separate genera and not morphotypes of the same organism. We demonstrated that three genera of oxymonads, Dinenympha, Pyrsonympha, and Oxymonas are each monophyletic and together form a clade which excludes other known eukaryotes. We have presented a taxonomic scheme of oxymonads taking into account their sisterhood with Trimastix and speculated on morphological evolution of oxymonads, particularly of their attachment apparatuses. Our biogeographical analysis with Japanese and Canadian Pyrsonympha and Dinenympha suggests that these genera diverged before the separation of termites that inhabit Eastern Asia and Western North America.