Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Anchoring of Amyloid-β onto Polyunsaturated Phospholipid Membranes

Abstract The interaction between the toxic amyloid-β and phospholipid membranes in the early stage of Alzheimer’s disease is complicated and depends on many factors. It was found that polyunsaturated fatty acids affect the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease. The number of double bonds in the phospholipid layer may play an important role in the molecular dynamic behavior of amyloid-β on cell membranes. In the present paper, the interactions between Aβ(25-35) and each of four phospholipids, 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC), 1-stearoyl-2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (SAPC), 1-stearoyl-2-docosahexaenooyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (SDPC), and 1,2-diarachidonoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DAPC), are investigated by using all-atom molecular dynamics simulation. It is interesting that, as the number of double bonds in the membrane increases, the peptide fragment prefers to stay in the surface region of the membrane rather than penetrates deeply into the membrane. With the increasing number of double bonds, the interaction between Aβ(25-35) and the membrane surface becomes stronger, especially for the interaction between the residue 28 (LYS28) in Aβ(25-35) and the phospholipids, anchoring Aβ(25-35) onto the membrane. The double bonds in phospholipid determine not only the adsorption of the peptide fragment Aβ(25-35) but also its conformation, which will influence further aggregation of Aβ in later stages. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma
Shape memory textiles – technological background and possible applications

While shape memory alloys (SMAs) and shape memory polymers (SMPs) can already be found in diverse applications, shape memory textiles are less often used. Nevertheless, they are regularly investigated. Typical ways to produce shape memory textiles (SMTs) are introducing shape memory wires, printing shape memory polymers on them (“4D printing”), or using textile materials such as poly(lactic acid) (PLA) which show shape memory properties on their own. This review gives a brief overview of these technological possibilities and possible applications of shape memory textiles.
Development And Use Of An Engineer Profile

Engineering educators, students, and practitioners possess “understandings” of what constitutes quality performance by the engineering professional. Misguided or mismatched understandings can lead to inappropriate career decisions, ineffective curriculum, and poor performance evaluations. This paper describes a process and defines the profile of an engineer performing well in professional practice. Developed with input from both academic and non-academic engineers, the profile presents technical, interpersonal, and professional skills or behaviors that align with key roles performed by the engineer. The profile is a valuable resource for educators and for students aspiring to become high performing professionals in the field of engineering.
Engagement at the Epicentre

On February 22nd 2011 a major earthquake struck Christchurch forcing the evacuation and closure of Canterbury University. The institution was forced to suddenly confront significant damage and loss of physical teaching space and infrastructure on the second day of Semester One. As in many other tertiary institutions (Meyer& Wilson, 2011) there was no plan for academic continuity in place, yet it was necessary to adopt strategies for delivering courses and supporting students online from a city with severely damaged infrastructure. As Learning Advisors, we wanted to take advantage of a rich source of data that presented itself in the period following the earthquake to obtain insights into lecturer and student engagement. Although we could not be certain that the observed changes in engagement came about because of particular lecturer interventions with their students rather than the effects of the earthquake itself, we felt that it was worthwhile. In this concise paper we document lecturer reactions and strategies using technology to compensate for the loss of physical spaces and subsequent opportunities for face-to-face interaction with students. To frame our investigation we posed the question: How did lecturers engage students in a time of crisis and did it show good pedagogy
Extinguishment Of Enclosed Gas Fires With Water Spray

ABSTRACf. Experiments have been performed in a 2.5 x 2.5 x 5 m:2 enclosure with various water spray nozzles fighting a 1 MW propane fire.Ventilation is provided through an inlet opening at floor level, and an outlet opening at ceiling level. Fire induced ventilation has been examined. The fire source is propane forming an equivalent pool fire with dimensions 0.3 x 1.3 m£. The nozzles produce sprays with a full cone coverage, with mean nominal water droplet diameter varying from about 0.5 mm to 1.6 mm.
Effects of ionizing radiation on the noise properties of DMOS power transistors

The 1/f noise properties of DMOS (double-diffused MOS) power transistors were examined as a function of total ionizing dose. The results indicate that radiation causes significant changes in the frequency dependence of the noise of the power MOSFETs studied. Before exposure to radiation, the noise power spectral density indicated a 1/f/sup lambda / relationship where lambda ranged from approximately 0.5 to 1.0. As the total dose level increased. lambda approached unity, while the magnitude of the noise increased proportionally with the radiation-induced charge density. In addition, noise measurements were performed after irradiation, while the devices were annealing under a +or-12 V bias. It was found that, under the +12 V bias, lambda increased and under the -12 V bias, lambda decreased. Finally, no correlation was found between the pre-irradiation 1/f noise magnitude and the radiation hardness of these DMOS power transistors. >
The Effects of Headlight Glare on Vehicle Detection at Dusk and Dawn

Ten experienced drivers performed a series of closed-course tests to determine whether a target vehicle, located between other oncoming vehicles in a single-lane convoy, could be detected under various levels of ambient illumination, with its low beam headlights on and off, and with different headlight configurations on the surrounding vehicles. Levels of ambient illumination varied from approximately 0.2 to 2100 lx during the experiment. Results indicated that low beam headlights on surrounding vehicles masked the unlit target vehicle. The degree of masking depended on the level of veiling luminance emitted by the surrounding vehicles and on the level of ambient illumination. It was also found that the target vehicle was more visible under all experimental conditions when its headlights were on than when they were off. Results are discussed in relation to subject and weather variations and in terms of current lights-on laws.
Contributions of Reality TV Consumption to College Women’s Endorsement of the Heterosexual Script and Acceptance of Sexualized Aggression

A prominent feature of mainstream television, especially reality programming, is a heterosexual script that outlines women’s and men’s traditional courtship roles. Although frequent media use is believed to produce greater acceptance of this script, existing analyses have not fully delineated contributions of scripted versus reality programming or tested these notions using a holistic heterosexual script scale. We addressed these limitations in two studies. In Study 1, 466 undergraduate women indicated their support of the heterosexual script and their consumption of popular reality programs, sitcoms, and dramas. Heavier viewing of reality programming predicted greater support for the heterosexual script, and heavier viewing of sitcoms predicted weaker support. In Study 2, we used longitudinal data to explore relations between viewing reality television, acceptance of the heterosexual script, and acceptance of sexualized aggression during undergraduate women’s first 2 years in college (N = 244). We found that reality television consumption was not a direct predictor of acceptance of sexualized aggression but was a significant, indirect predictor through endorsement of the heterosexual script. These studies contribute to our understanding of unique media contributions to endorsement of the heterosexual script and illuminate one process by which women may come to normalize sexual mistreatment. Campus educational programming on sexuality, sexual assault, and healthy relationships may be able to intervene in this normalization through critique of the heterosexual script and media portrayals of dating and relationships. Online slides for instructors who want to use this article for teaching are available on PWQ's website at http://journals.sagepub. com/doi/suppl/10.1177/03616843211044686
MATERNAL INVESTMENT OF BIOMASS IN POD S , SEEDS AND SEED PAC KAGING IN DELONIX REGIA (BOJER) RAFIN (CAESALPINIACEAE)

Biomass investment in pod s , seed s and seed packaging has been studied in a tree of Delonix regia (Bojer) Rafin from the campus of the University of Karachi, Pakistan . The pods are woody and tardily dehiscent or indehiscent for long period of time and seeds are mottled and transver sely placed in the pod . The weight of air - dried pods (PW) varied from 19.40 to 98.36 g (CV = 34.23%) and averaged to 61.6797 ± 2.5238 g . The pod weight distributed normally [ Kolmogorov - Smirnov z (KS - z) = 0.792; p<0.557 ] . The brood size ( TNS, number of norma l seeds per pod ( sensu Uma Shaanker et al., 1998 ) averaged to 13. 4 3 ± 0.668 (CV: 41.63%) . As the value of KS - z, 0.764 , was insignificant (p<0.603) the brood size tended to be normally distributed. The seed mass per pod (SWPP) averaged to 5.3 435 ± 0. 2995 g per pod and varied by a quantum of 48.64%. The distribution of mean single seed weight for a pod ( MSSW ) was symmetrical among the pods. It averaged to 0.3951 ± 0.0117g and varied from 0.1414 to 0.5573g. The pericarp mass per pod vari ed from 18.15 to 89.31 g (CV: 33.79%) and averaged to 56.291 ± 2.271g. The pericarp mass tended to be normally distributed. Some 91.45 ± 0.302 % of the pod biomass was allocated to pericarp ( seed protecti on ) and 8.52 ± 0.302 % to the seeds ( reproductive function ) . The three para meters of pod (PW, SWPP and TNS) collectively interacted in a model to significantly influence the MSSW (R 2 = 0 . 899). In split sub models , PW coupled with TNS and SW PP couple d with TNS as independent variables influenced MSSW significantly (p<0.0001) and in both cases TNS (brood size) associated with M S SW negatively . The weight of individual seed for a sample of 946 seeds averaged to 397.40 ± 3.936mg varying from 55.81 to 638.10 mg (11.52 - fold variation). Seed packaging cost (SPC) in D. regia was 11.912 ± 0.5272 g.g - 1 . seeds and 4.5493 ± 0.1882 g.seed - 1 - quite higher than several pod - dehiscent - legumes. The seed packaging cost (SPC 2 = g.g - 1 .seeds) related with brood size in accordance with a negative power model (exp. = - 0.54841) i.e. the investment of bioma ss in pericarp had a negative trade - off with brood size .
Design and Experimental Learning of Swimming Gaits for a Magnetic, Modular, Undulatory Robot

Here we developed an experimental platform with a magnetic, modular, undulatory robot (μBot) for studying fish-inspired underwater locomotion. This platform will enable us to systematically explore the relationship between body morphology, swimming gaits, and swimming performance via reinforcement learning methods. The μBot was designed to be easily modifiable in morphology, compact in size, easy to be controlled and inexpensive. The experimental platform also included a towing tank and a motion tracking system for real-time measurement of the μBot kinematics. The swimming gaits of μBot were generated by a central pattern generator (CPG), which outputs voltage signals to μBot's magnetic actuators. The CPG parameters were learned experimentally using the parameter exploring policy gradient (PGPE) method to maximize swimming speed. In the experiments, two μBot designs with the same body morphology but different caudal-fin shapes were tested. Results showed that swimming gaits with back-propagating traveling waves can be learned experimentally via PGPE, while the shape of the caudal fins had moderate influences on the learned gaits and the swimming speed. Furthermore, robot swimming speed was sensitive to the undulating frequency and the voltage magnitude of the last three posterior actuators. In contrast, swimming gaits and speed were relatively invariant to the variances within the inter-module connection weights of CPG and the voltage applied to the anterior actuator.
Bus Following Model: A Case Study in Edinburgh

A number of car following models have been developed and calibrated for the purpose of understanding and simulating the behaviour of driving under various traffic and transportation management systems. Such studies are useful for safety impact studies, network analysis and capacity analysis. However bus following is a special behaviour, which impacts on other traffic especially in the absence of dedicated bus lanes. This paper reports on a study in the City of Edinburgh which was undertaken to investigate and understand the behaviour of buses in the city. A commuter bus equipped with a data logging device was followed by an instrumented vehicle to collect data to study bus following behaviour. A model of distance difference as a function of the acceleration/deceleration, speed and speed difference has been developed for bus following behaviour. The GHR model was used to investigate and calibrate the parameters of the model of the car following a bus. The study findings show that the speed and acceleration of the following vehicle are influenced by the leading commuter bus in both acceleration and deceleration regimes. The results also show that a car following a bus behaves differently to a car following a car. This is because of the limited visibility, huge delays for buses on the corridor and the different driving characteristics of the bus with respect to the car.
Recorded Motions of the 6 April 2009 Mw 6.3 L'Aquila, Italy, Earthquake and Implications for Building Structural Damage: Overview

The normal-faulting earthquake of 6 April 2009 in the Abruzzo Region of central Italy caused heavy losses of life and substantial damage to centuries-old buildings of significant cultural importance and to modern reinforced-concrete-framed buildings with hollow masonry infill walls. Although structural deficiencies were significant and widespread, the study of the characteristics of strong motion data from the heavily affected area indicated that the short duration of strong shaking may have spared many more damaged buildings from collapsing. It is recognized that, with this caveat of short-duration shaking, the infill walls may have played a very important role in preventing further deterioration or collapse of many buildings. It is concluded that better new or retrofit construction practices that include reinforced-concrete shear walls may prove helpful in reducing risks in such seismic areas of Italy, other Mediterranean countries, and even in United States, where there are large inventories of deficient structures.
Prevailing Food Safety Practices and Barriers to the Adoption of the WHO 5-Keys to Safer Food Messages in Rural Cocoa-Producing Communities in Ghana

In most developing countries, food safety studies and interventions such as education have focused on urban centres with little attention to rural communities. This study therefore focused on members of the Cocoa Farmers’ Cooperatives in eighteen rural cocoa-producing communities in Ghana. The objective was to assess their current food safety practices, educate them on the WHO five-keys to safer food messages, and identify barriers that may inhibit the adoption of the messages. Data was collected through focus group discussions in each community. Prevailing food safety practices include (1) washing hands at various instances but not following the recommended hand-washing procedures that can adequately remove microbes from their hands; (2) engaging in practices that can promote cross-contamination; (3) mostly cooking foods thoroughly but reheating food improperly to effectively destroy microbes that might have contaminated the food; (4) mostly keeping cooked food and leftovers at room temperatures and repeatedly reheating them to prevent spoilage; (5) inadequate protection of boreholes, streams, rivers, and wells from microbial and chemical contamination; (6) misuse of agrochemicals and food additives and food adulteration. Barriers that may limit the adoption of the five-keys to safer food messages include lack of knowledge on various food safety issues, lack of amenities such as potable water and electricity that facilitate appropriate food safety practices, inadequate food safety extension and advisory services, lack of enforcement of food safety and environmental laws, illiteracy, and misplaced priorities among community members. Findings imply that people in rural communities have the tendency to engage in practices that can potentially affect food safety and their health. Therefore, interventions should focus on intensive and continuous food safety education and develop and implement strategies for eliminating barriers that can possibly limit the adoption of recommended messages.
Benchmark Evaluation of the Neutron Radiography (NRAD) Reactor Upgraded LEU-Fueled Core

Benchmark models were developed to evaluate the cold-critical start-up measurements performed during the fresh core reload of the Neutron Radiography (NRAD) reactor with Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) fuel. The final upgraded core configuration with 64 fuel elements has been completed. Evaluated benchmark measurement data include criticality, control-rod worth measurements, shutdown margin, and excess reactivity. Dominant uncertainties in keff include the manganese content and impurities contained within the stainless steel cladding of the fuel and the 236 U and erbium poison content in the fuel matrix. Calculations with MCNP5 and ENDF/B-VII.0 nuclear data are approximately 1.4% greater than the benchmark model eigenvalue, supporting contemporary research regarding errors in the cross section data necessary to simulate TRIGA-type reactors. Uncertainties in reactivity effects measurements are estimated to be ~10% with calculations in agreement with benchmark experiment values within 2σ. The completed benchmark evaluation details are available in the 2014 edition of the International Handbook of Evaluated Reactor Physics Experiments (IRPhEP Handbook). Evaluation of the NRAD LEU cores containing 56, 60, and 62 fuel elements have also been completed, including analysis of their respective reactivity effects measurements; they are also available in the IRPhEP Handbook but will not be included in this summary paper.
Delphi consensus on the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ physical status classification in an Asian tertiary women’s hospital

Background The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score is generated based on patients’ clinical status. Accurate ASA classification is essential for the communication of perioperative risks and resource planning. Literature suggests that ASA classification can be automated for consistency and time-efficiency. To develop a rule-based algorithm for automated ASA classification, this study seeks to establish consensus in ASA classification for clinical conditions encountered at a tertiary women’s hospital. Methods Thirty-seven anesthesia providers rated their agreement on a 4-point Likert scale to ASA scores assigned to items via the Delphi technique. After Round 1, the group’s collective responses and individual item scores were shared with participants to improve their responses for Round 2. For each item, the percentage agreement (‘agree’ and ‘strongly agree’ responses combined), median (interquartile range/IQR), and SD were calculated. Consensus for each item was defined as a percentage agreement ≥ 70%, IQR ≤ 1.0, and SD < 1.0. Results All participants completed the study and none had missing data. The number of items that reached consensus increased from 25 (51.0%) to 37 (75.5%) in the second Delphi round, particularly for items assigned ASA scores of III and IV. Nine items, which pertained to alcohol intake, asthma, thyroid disease, limited exercise tolerance, and stable angina, did not reach consensus even after two Delphi rounds. Conclusions Delphi consensus was attained for 37 of the 49 study items (75.5%), facilitating their incorporation into a rule-based clinical support system designed to automate the prediction of ASA classification.
Mesenchymal stem cells-derived extracellular vesicles as ‘natural’ drug delivery system for tissue regeneration

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have abilities to mediate tissue protection through mechanisms of antiapoptosis, anti-oxidative stress and anti-fibrosis as well as tissue regeneration through mechanisms of cell proliferation, differentiation and angiogenesis. These effects by MSCs are mediated by a variety of factors, including growth factors, cytokines and extracellular vesicles (EVs). Among these factors, EVs, containing proteins, mRNA and microRNAs (miRNA), may carry their contents into distant tissues with high stability. Therefore, the treatment with MSC-derived EVs may be promising as ‘natural’ drug delivery systems (DDS). Especially, the treatment of MSCderived EVs with the manipulation of specific miRNAs expression has been reported to be beneficial under a variety of diseases and tissue injuries. The overexpression of specific miRNAs in the EVs might be through pre-loading method using the gene editing system by plasmid vector or post-loading method to load miRNA mimics into EVs by electroporation or calcium chloride-mediated transfection. Despite current several challenges for clinical use, it should open the next era of regenerative medicine for a variety of diseases. In this article, we highlight the therapeutic potential of MSC-derived EVs as ‘natural’ DDS and current challenges.
English Education at University Level: Who is at the Centre of the Learning Process?

This case study investigates: 1) how the English Language Preparatory Education (ELPE) at a Private University in Ankara matches with the learners' needs, 2) the extent of learner-centred activities to improve learner autonomy, 3) the level of autonomy perceptions of the learners, 4) and its influence on the General Point Averages (GPAs). The study was conducted in the fall of 2009-2010 academic year. Population for the study consisted of 173 learners. The study employed both qualitative and quantitative research techniques to strengthen the design through triangulation. A 'Learning Needs Scale' was developed to identify learners' perceptions in view of appropriateness of the ELPE for their learning needs. The data collected through the scale was supported with semi-structured interviews. An 'Autonomy Perception Scale' was developed to measure perceptions of the learners considering their autonomous learning skills. Data through semi-structured observations were also obtained to support the data collected by the scale. Findings indicated that: 1) approximately two thirds of the learners think the ELPE matches with their needs, 2) their perceptions in view of appropriateness of the ELPE for their needs change according to the schools they graduated from, 3) learner-centred activities are not practised effectively in the classes, 4) the level of autonomous skills of the learners is not sufficient to take responsibility for their own learning, 5) there is no correlation between the 'Autonomy Perception Scale' scores and the GPAs of the learners. In line with the findings, suggestions have been made to solve the problem.