Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Trackless Tack Coat Materials: A Laboratory Evaluation for Performance Acceptance

During the design of a pavement structure, the engineer assumes the loads applied by traffic will be distributed in such a manner that minimizes pavement distress. For flexible pavements, the impacts of the loadings are reduced by using high quality materials in the asphalt bound layers at a designed thickness in order to minimize fatigue cracking in the bottom of the asphalt concrete section and rutting in the top of the subgrade. However, when the engineer makes this assumption, they design for a “no slip” (i.e. bonding) condition between asphalt concrete layers resulting in a monolithic structure. Unfortunately, the “no slip” condition is not always provided during construction. While the importance of the bond is known during pavement design, the use of tack coat materials in the field is often omitted or not applied at the specified application rate. The predominant reason for not following the specifications is the tracking of tack onto adjacent pavements. Tracking results in build up at intersections and covering of permanent pavement markings. This leads to additional costs to the contractor as well as safety concerns. Unfortunately, the cost to the pavement’s owner for not achieving good bond is much higher due to premature functional and structural failures. For certain applications, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will specify the use of a tack coat material that meets its special provision for non-tracking tack. This special provision was developed based on experience with one material. Since developed, additional suppliers have provided materials for consideration and acceptance as trackless tack. This paper will outline the approach VDOT used to assess each material and the testing results. This paper will provide conclusions as well as recommendations for future research.
Cycloserine for treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis: a retrospective cohort study in China

Purpose Cycloserine has been used in multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) treatment since the 1950s. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of cycloserine and sought to clarify the role of cycloserine for treatment of simple MDR-TB, pre-extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (pre-XDR-TB), and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB). Materials and methods A retrospective observational study was performed in Zhejiang Province, China. We enrolled 144 cycloserine-treated and 181 cycloserine-nontreated patients consecutively and determined the treatment outcome as the primary outcome. The proportion of patients with sputum culture conversion and the frequency of adverse drug reactions were also assessed. Results One-hundred (69.4%) out of 144 patients in the cycloserine group successfully completed treatment. The HR of any unfavorable treatment outcome after the introduction of cycloserine was 0.58 (95% CI: 0.38–0.86, P=0.008). Subgroup analysis showed that cycloser-ine could benefit simple MDR-TB cases reducing the risk of unfavorable treatment outcomes (HR: 0.43, 95% CI: 0.24–0.76, P=0.004), but not pre-XDR-TB (HR: 0.65, 95% CI: 0.30–1.38, P=0.263) or XDR-TB (HR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.22–2.37, P=0.589). The culture conversion rate at the intensive phase was similar whether cycloserine was administered or not (P=0.703). Of the 144 patients treated with cycloserine, a total of 16 (11.1%) patients experienced side effects attributed to cycloserine. Conclusion Cycloserine is an attractive agent for the treatment of MDR-TB, and its safety profile warrants its use in most MDR-TB cases. Cycloserine significantly improved the chance of a favorable outcome for patients with simple MDR-TB but not pre-XDR-TB and XDR-TB. Thus, more aggressive regimens might be required for pre-XDR-TB or XDR-TB patients.
Understanding the Secret of SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern/Interest and Immune Escape

The global pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), places a heavy burden on global public health. Four SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern including B.1. 1.7, B.1. 351, B.1. 617.2, and P.1, and two variants of interest including C.37 and B.1. 621 have been reported to have potential immune escape, and one or more mutations endow them with worrisome epidemiologic, immunologic, or pathogenic characteristics. This review introduces the latest research progress on SARS-CoV-2 variants of interest and concern, key mutation sites, and their effects on virus infectivity, mortality, and immune escape. Moreover, we compared the effects of various clinical SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and convalescent sera on epidemic variants, and evaluated the neutralizing capability of several antibodies on epidemic variants. In the end, SARS-CoV-2 evolution strategies in different transmission stages, the impact of different vaccination strategies on SARS-CoV-2 immune escape, antibody therapy strategies and COVID-19 epidemic control prospects are discussed. This review will provide a systematic and comprehensive understanding of the secret of SARS-CoV-2 variants of interest/concern and immune escape.
Lorcaserin Inhibit Glucose-Stimulated Insulin Secretion and Calcium Influx in Murine Pancreatic Islets

Lorcaserin is a serotonergic agonist specific to the 5-hydroxytryptamine 2c receptor (5-HT2CR) that is FDA approved for the long-term management of obesity with or without at least one weight-related comorbidity. Lorcaserin can restrain patients’ appetite and improve insulin sensitivity and hyperinsulinemia mainly through activating 5-HT2CR in the hypothalamus. It is known that the mCPP, a kind of 5-HT2CR agonist, decreases plasma insulin concentration in mice and previous research in our laboratory found that mCPP inhibited glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) by activating 5-HT2CR on the β cells. However, the effect of lorcaserin on GSIS of pancreatic β cell has not been studied so far. The present study found that 5-HT2CR was expressed in both mouse pancreatic β cells and β-cell–derived MIN6 cells. Dose-dependent activation of 5-HT2CR by lorcaserin suppressed GSIS and SB242084 or knockdown of 5-HT2CR abolished lorcaserin’s effect in vitro. Additionally, lorcaserin also suppressed GSIS in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice in dose-dependent manner. Lorcaserin did not change insulin synthesis ATP content, but lorcaserin decrease cytosolic free calcium level [(Ca2+)i] in MIN6 cells stimulated with glucose and also inhibit insulin secretion and (Ca2+)i in MIN6 treated with potassium chloride. Furthermore, stimulation with the L-type channel agonist, Bay K8644 did not restore GSIS in MIN6 exposed to lorcaserin. Lorcaserin inhibits the cAMP generation of MIN6 cells and pretreatment with the Gα i/o inhibitor pertussis toxin (PTX), abolished lorcaserin-induced suppression of GSIS in β cells, while membrane-permeable cAMP analogue db-cAMP had same effect as PTX. These date indicated lorcaserin coupled to PTX-sensitive Gα i/o proteins in β cells reduced intracellular cAMP level and Ca2+ influx, thereby causing GSIS dysfunction of β cell. These results highlight a novel signaling mechanism of lorcaserin and provide valuable insights into the further investigation of 5-HT2CR functions in β-cell biology and it also provides guidance for the clinical application of lorcaserin.
Monitoring Tacrolimus Concentrations in Whole Blood and Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells: Inter- and Intra-Patient Variability in a Cohort of Pediatric Patients

Tacrolimus (TAC) is a first-choice immunosuppressant for solid organ transplantation, characterized by high potential for drug-drug interactions, significant inter- and intra-patient variability, and narrow therapeutic index. Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of TAC concentrations in whole blood (WB) is capable of reducing the incidence of adverse events. Since TAC acts within lymphocytes, its monitoring in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) may represent a valid future alternative for TDM. Nevertheless, TAC intracellular concentrations and their variability are poorly described, particularly in the pediatric context. Therefore, our aim was describing TAC concentrations in WB and PBMC and their variability in a cohort of pediatric patients undergoing constant immunosuppressive maintenance therapy, after liver transplantation. TAC intra-PBMCs quantification was performed through a validated UHPLC–MS/MS assay over a period of 2–3 months. There were 27 patients included in this study. No significant TAC changes in intracellular concentrations were observed (p = 0.710), with a median percent change of −0.1% (IQR −22.4%–+46.9%) between timings: this intra-individual variability was similar to the one in WB, −2.9% (IQR −29.4–+42.1; p = 0.902). Among different patients, TAC weight-adjusted dose and age appeared to be significant predictors of TAC concentrations in WB and PBMC. Intra-individual seasonal variation of TAC concentrations in WB, but not in PBMC, have been observed. These data show that the intra-individual variability in TAC intracellular exposure is comparable to the one observed in WB. This opens the way for further studies aiming at the identification of therapeutic ranges for TAC intra-PBMC concentrations.
Model-based EV range prediction for Electric Hybrid Vehicles

This paper describes a novel approach using model-based techniques to accurately predict EV range which can be applied to both BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) and PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) applications. The algorithm employs three models a physical model, energy model and State of Charge (SoC) model. The outputs of the models are averaged using a weighted average. This approach provides redundancy and more importantly availability of the function. Methods are employed to provide the driver with an accurate initialisation range value when the ignition is switched on. This utilises past driving history data and determines an output value based on the previous drive cycle. The work describes the flow sequence of the EV range function. Results for several drive cycles are analysed and show that accurate EV range prediction is achieved using the algorithm.
Outcomes of High-Flow Nasal Cannula Vs. Nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure in Young Children With Respiratory Distress: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) has been associated with a lower risk of treatment failure than high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) in pediatric patients with respiratory distress and severe hypoxemia. However, the publication of new trials on children younger than 2 years warrants a review and updated meta-analysis of the evidence. Methods: We conducted a systematic search in the PubMed, Scopus, and Google scholar databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in pediatric patients with acute respiratory distress that examined outcomes of interest by the two usual management modalities (CPAP and HFNC). We used pooled adjusted relative risks (RRs) to present the strength of association for categorical outcomes and weighted mean differences (WMDs) for continuous outcomes. Results: We included data from six articles in the meta-analysis. The quality of the studies was deemed good. Included studies had infants with either acute viral bronchiolitis or pneumonia. Compared to CPAP, HFNC treatment carried a significantly higher risk of treatment failure [RR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.06 to 1.99; I2 = 0.0%, n = 6]. Patients receiving HFNC had a lower risk of adverse events, mainly nasal trauma [RR, 0.30; 95% CI, 0.14 to 0.62; I2 = 0.0%, n = 2] than the others. The risk of mortality [RR, 3.33; 95% CI, 0.95, 11.67; n = 1] and need for intubation [RR, 1.69; 95% CI, 0.97, 2.94; I2 = 0.0%, n = 5] were statistically similar between the two management strategies; however, the direction of the pooled effect sizes is indicative of a nearly three times higher mortality and two times higher risk of intubation in those receiving HFNC. We found no statistically significant differences between the two management modalities in terms of modified woods clinical asthma score (M-WCAS; denoting severity of respiratory distress) and hospitalization length (days). Patients receiving HFNC had the time to treatment failure reduced by approximately 3 h [WMD, −3.35; 95% CI, −4.93 to −1.76; I2 = 0.0%, n = 2] compared to those on CPAP. Conclusions: Among children with respiratory distress younger than 2 years, HFNC appears to be associated with higher risk of treatment failure and possibly, an increased risk of need for intubation and mortality. Adequately powered trials are needed to confirm which management strategy is better.
Clockspeed: Winning Industry Control In The Age Of Temporary Advantage

The Genetics Of Business: Learning From The Fruit Flies * Evolution or Extinction * What Fruit Flies Teach Us About Business * Survival of the Fittest * The Secret of Life Supply Chain Design: The Ultimate Core Capability * The Primacy of Chains * Laws of Nature * DNA Mapping Executive Strategy In The Age Of Temporary Advantage: Three-Dimensional Concurrent Engineering * Cloning in Three Dimensions * Enriching the Gene Pool * Molecular Manipulation * Genetic Engineering in a Fast-Clockspeed World * Back to the Fruit Flies * When Fruit Flies Inherit the Earth
DIAGNOSTIC TEST

Math 1010 is a prerequisite for Math 1030. This means that you should have a working knowledge of intermediate algebra. This diagnostic test covers some of this background material. You should give yourself this test and then check your answers with the solution sheet handed out in class on Thursday. 1. Three kinds of apples are all mixed up in a basket. How many apples must you draw (without looking) from the basket to be sure of getting at least two apples of the same kind? Answer: Four since the worst case senario is that you choose three apples, each of a diierent kind, from the barrel originally. Therefore the next one you choose must be the same type as one of the three you have already picked out. 2. There are 150 people in a class. If 80% of them are registered, how many are not registered? Answer: If 80% are registered, then (100-80)%=20% are not registered. Now we solve for what 20% of 150 is by the calculation: 150 0:2 = 30: The answer is that there are 30 people in the class who are not registered. 3. Express \three-fths" as a fraction, a decimal, and as a percentage.
Defense Spending and Economic Growth in Subsaharan Africa: An Econometric Investigation

A four equation - growth rate, defense burden, skilled labor rate, and investment rate - simultaneous model is used to investigate whether increased defense burden increases or decreases economic growth and the channels through which defense burden influences economic growth in Less Developed Countries (LDCs). The model is estimated using cross national data for 39 Subsaharan African countries during the 1973 to 1983 period from ACDA data sources. The estimation procedure is three stage least squares. Defense burden affects economic growth directly through increased demand, technological spin-off, and modernization of attitudes and indirectly through increased supply of skilled labor and decreased investment. The positive effects defense burden has on growth are swamped by the negative effect it has on growth rate through decreased investment. We calculate a defense burden/growth rate multiplier of -0.12. When we re-estimate the model using SIPRI data sources, the qualitative results remain unchanged. The implication of this result is that African countries cannot use increased defense spending to stimulate economic growth because there is a trade-off between high defense burden and economic growth.
Procurement of construction facilities in Guangdong Province, China: factors influencing the choice of procurement method

Argues that the Chinese construction industry faces a daunting challenge as it slowly migrates from a planned to a market oriented economic system, particularly, with the issue of selecting the most appropriate procurement path. One of the fundamental barriers to knowledge transfer is the historically insular nature of the Chinese Government. To overcome this, a questionnaire survey was undertaken to identify the factors influencing the choice of procurement methods adopted in the Guangdong Province. Results show that quality, risk, dispute, arbitration and price certainty were the most important discriminating factors. The traditional procurement methods are regarded as the most suitable approaches for the Guangdong Province.
Occupant Responses and Office Work Performance in Environments with Moderately Drifting Operative Temperatures (RP-1269)

Fifty-two experimental subjects (50% female) were seated in a climate chamber and exposed to operative temperature ramps with different slopes, directions, and durations during two related experiments. The first experiment covered a temperature range of 22°C–26.8°C (71.6°F–80.2°F) and subjects wore light clothing (0.5 clo). The operative temperature was increased in rates of 0.6 K/h (1.1°F/h) (for 8 h), 1.2 K/h (2.2°F/h) (for 4 h), 2.4 K/h (4.3°F/h) (for 2 h), and 4.8 K/h (8.6°F/h) (for 1 h), respectively. In one session, subjects were exposed to a constant temperature of 24.4°C (75.9°F) (for 4 h). The second experiment covered a temperature range of 17.8°C–25°C (64°F–77°F), and subjects wore heavier clothing (0.7 clo). Temperature ramps of 0.6 K/h (1.1°F/h) (for 8 h), 1.2 K/h (2.2°F/h) (for 6 h), 0.6 K/h (−1.1°F/h) (for 8 h), and −1.2 K/h (−2.2°F/h) (for 6 h) and exposure to a constant temperature of 21.4°C (70.5°F) (for 6 h) were examined. Subjects assessed their thermal sensation, acceptability of the thermal environment, perceived air quality, and intensity of sick building syndrome (SBS) symptoms. Subjects' performance was measured by simulated office work, including tasks such as addition, proofreading, reading and comprehension, and text typing. Results of the experiments showed that even moderately changing operative temperature ramps were sensed by sedentary subjects when exposure times exceeded 4 h. No significant effects on SBS symptoms related to local irritation of mucous membranes were found, while intensity of headache, concentration ability, and general well-being were significantly affected in most of the ramps. Linear dependence of perceived air quality on operative temperature was noted. No significantly consistent effects of individual temperature ramps on office work performance were found.
The multicriteria selection of products in technological diversification strategies: an application to the Spanish automotive industry based on AHP

The economic recession, the dynamism and complexity of the markets and the generalised globalisation of the world economy have forced many companies to rethink and reorganise their industrial strategies. Through identifying and taking advantage of the key technologies of a company, this work presents a new and original methodology for dealing with a general technological diversification process. The methodology, which includes an innovative cognitive perspective and its corresponding decisional tool (decision support system) has been used to select the best product in a process of technological diversification that, along with the key technologies, identifies the sub-levels consonant to the sub-technologies and applications to sectors and products. The multicriteria selection tool employed in the proposed methodology, based on the analytic hierarchy process, allows the integration of multiple scenarios, actors and criteria, both tangible and intangible. The methodology has been applied to a case study in the Spanish automotive auxiliary sector.
Customer Satisfaction in Home Building

To successfully compete in the long term, a company must be sure current customers are satisfied. Providing superior quality and keeping customers satisfied are rapidly becoming the ways companies differentiate themselves from competitors. This study examines empirically home builders' performance as measured by the degree of home buyers' satisfaction. Sixteen Florida-based home builders agreed to participate in the study and to allow contact with their recent home buyers. Nearly 300 of these home buyers provided valuable input to the study. A model was proposed, describing home-buyer satisfaction as a three-dimensional composite of satisfaction with house design, house quality, and service. All three dimensions were found to be significant predictors of overall home-buyer satisfaction. Service emerged as the most important component in shaping the overall satisfaction. However, service was the area in which home builders demonstrated the poorest performance. The study results suggest that service deserve.
An experiment on human sensory measurement and its objective measurement: Case of the measurement of seam pucker level

Presents a report on a recent experiment on the evaluation of seam pucker level by the objective method. Explains that human beings measure physical quantity and quality by means of subjective methods. Fabric hand evaluation is an example of this type of evaluation and an example of a relatively complex measurement with many relating physical variables. The measurement of seam pucker is a much simpler measurement than fabric hand evaluation, as only the fabric geometry along a seam line is visually observed and evaluated. This simplicity, however, is useful when investigating the human objective judgement of a geometrical phenomenon. Suggests that this investigation may be applied directly to the development of an objective system of seam pucker level.
Strong convergence theorems of a split common null point problem and a fixed point problem in Hilbert spaces

In this paper, we introduce a new iterative method for ﬁnding a common solution of the split common null point problem and the ﬁxed point problem in Hilbert spaces. We obtain the strong convergence of the new iterative method. We also give some applications and numerical experiments to support our main convergence results.
Dry Stone Masonry Walls in Bending—Part I: Static Tests

A series of static 1:5-scale tests on dry stone masonry walls were performed with the main objective to verify existing analytical expressions for computation of resistance to horizontal loading proportional to the self-weight of masonry. The resistance is expressed by means of a collapse load multiplier, and the experiments were conceived to reproduce various out-of-plane bending failure mechanisms using an inclined plane machine built with steel profiles and with an aluminum platform. The collapse multiplier was calculated from the inclination angle of the platform that caused collapse. Since the walls were constructed without mortar, the shear strength along the joints was given purely by friction. The “bricks” were cut from marble—the selection criteria being the accuracy for the cutting, the hardness and durability of the material, and an appropriate friction coefficient. In total, 42 configurations were tested, varying the length of the walls, the presence and position of openings, the staggering ratio, the quality of the connection between walls, the existence of vertical overburden loads in the walls, and the number of stories. The test results are presented in terms of the measured collapse load multipliers and detailed descriptions of the associated collapse mechanisms.