Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigation into Shrinkage of High-Performance Concrete Used for Iowa Bridge Decks and Overlays

High-performance concrete (HPC) overlays have been used increasingly as an effective and economical method for bridge decks in Iowa and other states. However, due to its high cementitious material content, HPC often displays high shrinkage cracking potential. This study investigated the shrinkage behavior and cracking potential of the HPC overlay mixes commonly used in Iowa. In the study, 11 HPC overlay mixes were studied. These mixes consisted of three types of cements (Type I, I/II, and IP) and various supplementary cementitious materials (Class C fly ash, slag and metakaolin). Limestone with two different gradations was used as coarse aggregates in 10 mixes and quartzite was used in one mix. Chemical shrinkage of pastes, free drying shrinkage, autogenous shrinkage of mortar and concrete, and restrained ring shrinkage of concrete were monitored over time. Mechanical properties (such as elastic modulus and compressive and splitting tensile strength) of these concrete mixes were measured at different ages. Creep coefficients of these concrete mixes were estimated using the RILEM B3 and NCHRP Report 496 models. Cracking potential of the concrete mixes was assessed based on both ASTM C 1581 and simple stress-to-strength ratio methods. The results indicate that among the 11 mixes studied, three mixes (4, 5, and 6) cracked at the age of 15, 11, and 17 days, respectively. Autogenous shrinkage of the HPC mixes ranges from 150 to 250 microstrain and free dying shrinkage of the concrete ranges from 700 to 1,200 microstrain at 56 days. Different concrete materials (cementitious type and admixtures) and mix proportions (cementitious material content) affect concrete shrinkage in different ways. Not all mixes having a high shrinkage value cracked first. The stresses in the concrete are associated primarily with the concrete shrinkage, elastic modulus, tensile strength, and creep. However, a good relationship is found between cementitious material content and total (autogenous and free drying) shrinkage of concrete.
Expression of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Coactivator 1α Increases After 8-Weeks of Endurance Training in Obese Females

This study aimed to prove the effect of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise on increasing Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1alpha (PGC-1α) levels in obese women. A total of 12 women aged 20-25, with body mass index (BMI) of 25-30 kg/m2, normal systolic blood pressure, and normal resting heart rate as subjects in the study. Subjects were randomly divided into 2 groups, namely K1 (n=6; control without intervention) and K2 (n=6; aerobic exercise). The exercise was carried out with an intensity of 60% -70% HRmax, frequency 3x/week for 8 weeks. Pretest and posttest PGC-1α levels were analyzed using the Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. The data analysis technique uses the Paired Sample T-Test with a significant level of 5%. Based on the results of the study it was concluded that aerobic exercise with an intensity of 60% -70% HRmax with a frequency of 3x/week for 8 weeks affected increasing PGC-1α levels in obese women.
Impacts of the operation of the Three Gorges Reservoir on the lake water level of Lake Dongting

Hydrological regime of Lake Dongting is the overlap of discharge from Yangtze River and four other inlets around the lake(i.e.Xiang,Zi,Yuan and Li Rivers). The operation of the Three Gorges Reservoir(TGR) inevitably disturbs this hydrological regime.In this paper,the water level processes of Chenglingji Station(outlet of Lake Dongting) were simulated by using BP neural networks,to evaluate the independent proportion/weight of water level change caused by the operation of the TGR.In the training phase,the average daily outflow discharge of TGR and the synthetic discharge of other four inlets were chosen as inputs,and the water level of Chenglingji Station as output.In the implementation phase,the outflow discharge of TGR was replaced with the inflow to simulate the water level process without regulation of TGR.The results indicate that significant impacts have been introduced due to the runoff regulation of the reservoir.The water level dropped 2.03m in 2006 and 2.11m in 2009 during the reservoir storage period,and the extreme drop was up to 3.30m and 3.12m,respectively.In view of its potential impacts on the structure and function of lake wetlands,proper attention should be paid to this occurrence.
Super-cubic and sub-cubic law of rough fracture seepage and its experiments study

The authors analyzed the available results about seepage of fracture and revealed that relationship between discharge of seepage and average aperture for rough fracture had two kinds of power relationship,taking average aperture to replace hydraulic aperture.One was supercubic power of larger than 30 and the other was subcubic power of smaller than 30.On the basis of the cubic law of seepage in ideal fractures,the supercubic and subcubic law could be adopted to describe seepage of rough fracture.Results of seepage tests of many types of mannedfracture proved that the supercubic and the subcubic law were coexisting.A preliminary condition of critical was proposed.The test results revealed that the mating rough fracture would follow a supercubic law while the nonmating rough fracture followed a subcubic law. 
An Open Source Device for Operant Licking 1 in Rats 2

8 Increasingly complex data sets are needed to fully understand the complexity in behavior. Credit cardsized single-board computers with multi-core CPUs are an attractive platform for designing devices capable of collecting multi-dimensional behavioral data. To demonstrate this idea, we created an easyto-use device for operant licking experiments and another device that records environmental variables. These systems collect data obtained from multiple input devices (e.g., radio frequency identification tag readers, touch and motion sensors, environmental sensors) and activate output devices (e.g., LED lights, syringe pumps) as needed. Data gathered from these devices can be automatically transferred to a remote server via a wireless network. We tested the operant device by training rats to obtain either sucrose or water under the control of a fixed ratio, a variable ratio, or a progressive ratio reinforcement schedule. The lick data demonstrated that the device has sufficient precision and time resolution to record the fast licking behavior of rats. Data from the environment monitoring device also showed reliable measurements. By providing the code and 3D design under an open source license, we believe these examples will stimulate innovation in behavioral studies. http://github.com/chen42/openbehavior. 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Mechanisms of Methane Release From Lake Sediments

Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that can be produced in bottom sediments of lakes and reservoirs and released through ebullition and other properties. Many studies have quantified ebullition rates, however, the detailed mechanisms remain incompletely understood. This study was undertaken to better understand, through in situ and laboratory measurements, the mechanisms of gas ebullition from lake sediment. Four sites on Lake Elsinore, CA with different properties were evaluated through the use of in situ hydroacoustic measurements made using a BioSonics echosounder with a 201-kHz split-beam transducer. This transducer was rigidly mounted to a telescoping stand that allows highly precise measurements of position, rise velocity, and target strength (size) of bubbles as they are released from the sediment. Methane bubble release from cohesive sediments occurred via the viscoelastic-fracture mechanism with bursts of 2-4 bubbles released from specific locations in small increments of time, typically a few seconds. Target strength of bubbles across all sites was approximately normally distributed with a mean value of -54.6±4.4 dB, corresponding to an average bubble size of 0.073 cm3. Rise velocity was also quantified and averaged 0.21±0.2 m s–1. Properties of the sediment are recognized to regulate the production, storage, and ebullition of methane. Undrained sediment shear strength, Cᵤ, was evaluated for its role in methane storage and transport using a fall cone apparatus for sediments from 3 sites on Lake Elsinore that vary in sediment properties. Values of Cᵤ for these soft cohesive sites were found to range from 0.092-0.342 kPa. Systematic variation under controlled laboratory conditions of water content and temperature resulted in linear changes of Cᵤ. Values of Cᵤ were strongly correlated with sand content and inversely correlated with water content. Sediment shear strength was also influenced by temperature, and decreased at rates of 0.0024-0.0037 kPa/°C for fine-textured cohesive sediment. Vertical bubble pressure was quantified and found to be less than sediment shear strength. Sediment shear strength affects the amount of methane stored in sediment and the mechanism of release. This was seen in the in situ target strength distributions of bubbles released from sediments, as well as laboratory core incubations of gas release from sediments.
CO 2 flux history 1982–2001 inferred from atmospheric data using a global inversion of atmospheric transport

Abstract. Based on about 20 years of NOAA/CMDL's atmospheric CO 2 concentration data and a global atmospheric tracer transport model, we estimate interannual variations and spatial patterns of surface CO 2 fluxes in the period 01/1982-12/2000, by using a time-dependent Bayesian inversion technique. To increase the reliability of the estimated temporal features, particular care is exerted towards the selection of data records that are homogeneous in time. Fluxes are estimated on a grid-scale resolution (~8o latitude x 10o longitude), constrained by a-priori spatial correlations, and then integrated over different sets of regions. The transport model is driven by interannually varying re-analyzed meteorological fields. We make consistent use of unsmoothed measurements. In agreement with previous studies, land fluxes are estimated to be the main driver of interannual variations in the global CO 2 fluxes, with the pace predominantly being set by the El Nino/La Nina contrast. An exception is a 2-3 year period of increased sink of atmospheric carbon after Mt. Pinatubo's volcanic eruption in 1991. The largest differences in fluxes between El Nino and La Nina are found in the tropical land regions, the main share being due to the Amazon basin. The flux variations for the Post-Pinatubo period, the 1997/1998 El Nino, and the 1999 La Nina events are exploited to investigate relations between CO 2 fluxes and climate forcing. A rough comparison points to anomalies in precipitation as a prominent climate factor for short-term variability of tropical land fluxes, both through their role on NPP and through promoting fire in case of droughts. Some large flux anomalies seem to be directly related to large biomass burning events recorded by satellite observation. Global ocean carbon uptake shows a trend similar to the one expected if ocean uptake scales proportional to the anthropogenic atmospheric CO 2 perturbation. In contrast to temporal variations, the longterm spatial flux distribution can be inferred with lesser robustness only. The tentative pattern estimated by the present inversion exhibits a northern hemisphere land sink on the order of 0.4 PgC/yr (for 01/1996-12/1999, non-fossil fuel carbon only) that is mainly confined to North America. Southern hemisphere land regions are carbon neutral, while the tropical land regions are taking up carbon (e.g., at a rate of 0.8 PgC/yr during 01/1996-12/1999). Ocean fluxes show larger uptake in the Northern mid to high latitudes than in the Southern mid latitude regions, in contrast to the estimates by Takahashi et al. (1999) based on in-situ measurements. On a regional basis, results that differ the most from previous estimates are large carbon uptake of 1 to 1.5 PgC/yr by the Southern temperate Pacific ocean region, weak outgassing from the Southern ocean, and a carbon source from eastern Europe.
The efficiency of surface-applied corrosion inhibitors as a method for the repassivation of corroded reinforcement bars embedded in ladle furnace slag mortars

Surface-applied corrosion inhibitors are investigated as an efficient method for the repassivation of corroded rebars embedded in mortar specimens, with ladle furnace slag. Prismatic specimens measuring 6 ? x 8 x? 2 cm3, into which 3 steel rebars had been embedded, were analyzed through electrochemical and gravimetric tests. The results show that the corrosion inhibitors are more effective on the reference specimens than on the specimens with LFS and are capable of lowering corrosion rate in specimens with chloride ion percentages of 0.8%, but are not effective on any of the specimens with chloride ion percentages of 1.2% and 2.0% by weight of cement.
THE NEW ZEALAND MEDICAL JOURNAL

Aims To investigate the perceptions of final year medical students’ (known as trainee interns or TIs) at the University of Otago about maternity care in general practice, their possible future roles in general practice maternity care, and factors influencing this. Methods An anonymous questionnaire using the online programme SurveyMonkey was emailed to the 227 Otago University TIs. Results were analysed using SurveyMonkey statistical analysis. Results The response rate was 50.7%. About 90% of the TIs thought GPs should provide antenatal and postnatal care, 80.7% supported shared care and 55.7% thought GPs should provide full maternity care if interested and trained to do so. Almost 80% thought women should have access to full maternity care in general practice. If practicing as a GP 90% or more of respondents would consider providing prenatal, early pregnancy, antenatal, postnatal care, or shared care and 64.0% full maternity care. Of the 29 TIs (25.2%) who had seen a GP practicing full maternity care 82.8% would consider offering this level of care if practicing as a GP. And 68.3% of the 65 TIs interested in a rural general practice career would consider providing full maternity care. Issues of training, professional support, funding and continuity of care for patients were important factors in contemplating providing full maternity care. Conclusions TIs are interested in providing a wide range of maternity services if practicing as a GP. Many professional and lifestyle issues could influence our future doctors when deciding whether to practice maternity care in general practice. Maternity care workforce shortages are a problem in New Zealand. There is a shortage of both midwives and specialist obstetricians in some regions and a dramatic decline in the number of GPs providing full maternity care means that most women do not have the choice of a GP obstetrician (GPO). Since the changes to maternity care legislation in the 1990s, and the introduction of the lead maternity carer (LMC) model of care, midwives can practice independently in New Zealand. The LMC has overall clinical and budgetary responsibility for a woman’s primary maternity care. Midwives now provide at least 80% of LMC services. Women choose their LMC, who can be either a midwife, GPO or obstetrician. An increasing number of women experience difficulties finding a suitable LMC, especially in rural areas. The government has allocated funding for training and retraining of GPs in maternity care. This raises the question: are the future doctors of New Zealand interested in providing maternity care?
THE NEW ZEALAND MEDICAL JOURNAL

Aim To investigate safety and efficiency of non-contact first specialist assessments (NCFSA) in neurology. Methods Out of a cohort of 1107 patients referred to a neurology clinic, a total of 222 (20%) was triaged into NCFSA and investigated with a 6 months observational study of safety and efficiency indicators. Results There were three (1.35%) adverse events (delay in diagnosis) recorded, one of which with actual detriment to the patient. After 6 months the rate of re-referrals was 11.26%, and inpatient admission rate 5.86%. Conclusions There is a potential for NCFSAs to optimise the use of available resources in a neurology outpatient setting with low risk of delay in diagnosis. Non-contact first specialist assessments (NCFSAs) offer an opportunity to improve access to a specialist service when resources are limited, but safety and efficiency have not been established in a general neurology outpatient setting. As NCFSA strays from the traditional face-to-face history and examination assessment of safety, quality, and cost-effectiveness is paramount. The NCFSA is based on specialist advice given according to clinical history and findings as reported by the referring practitioner, and it can be defined as a form of store-and-forward telemedicine. Whilst telemedicine is described as safe and efficient in a variety of specialties, concerns have also been raised. This matters particularly in neurology, which heavily relies not only on expert interpretation of clinical history, but also neurological examination findings. Several studies investigated aspects of neurology consultations via video-link, but there is limited data regarding NCFSA in neurology. This article describes a 6month observational study of safety and efficiency for a large cohort of outpatients referred to a general neurology clinic and triaged into NCFSA.
COMPLEMENTARY COMPOSITIONAL ANALYSES OF CERAMICS FROM TWO GREAT HOUSE COMMUNITIES IN WEST-CENTRAL NEW MEXICO

by Caitlin Anne Wichlacz Washington State University May 2009 Chair: Andrew I. Duff Cerro Pomo and Cox Ranch Pueblos, in west-central New Mexico, represent some of the southernmost examples of the Chacoan great house pattern, and are located within the northern reaches of the traditional Mogollon culture area. These great houses and the smaller sites around them exhibit a blend of characteristically Puebloan and Mogollon traits, evident in architectural patterns and in the use of both grey and brown ceramic utility wares. Grey corrugated wares are traditionally associated with Ancestral Pueblo peoples, and brown wares with the Mogollon. The coexistence of these suites of material culture traits within individual sites is a pattern that persists into later periods in the region. Settlements within this region of cultural overlap provide a unique opportunity for the study of identity and interaction along both spatial and historical scales. With that potential in mind, this work focuses on ceramic compositional variation in assemblages from the Cerro Pomo and Cox Ranch great house communities. Visual analyses of tempering materials and refired paste color, paired with electron microprobe assays of clay pastes, reveal distinct differences within and between wares. These complementary methods provide data which are examined here with three aims. These
THE NEW ZEALAND MEDICAL JOURNAL

Background Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is a preventable disease which remains a prominent burden of health in New Zealand, with an annual incidence comparable to that of developing countries. Aim The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiology of ARF and recurrent ARF cases in the Waikato District Health Board (DHB) area of New Zealand from 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2011. Methods A total of 106 cases of ARF and four cases of recurrent ARF were identified through the Public Health Database – EpiSurv and the Hospital coding system, ICD10. Results The overall Waikato DHB annual incidence of ARF was 3.1 per 100,000 population with Māori children aged 5–14 years experiencing higher rates of 46.1 per 100,000 population. Eighty-five percent of the cases were of Māori ethnicity, and 10% Pacific. Almost three-quarters of all cases lived in areas of the three most deprived deciles as described by the New Zealand Deprivation Index 2006. Discussion The rates of ARF seen in the Waikato DHB are comparable to that seen previously locally and nationally. High risk groups have been identified as children aged 5–14 years, Māori and Pacific ethnicity, and those living in lower socioeconomic areas which could be targeted by the Rheumatic Fever Prevention Programme (RFPP) with the intention to reduce the incidence of ARF nationally to 0.4 cases per 100,000 population by 2017. Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is an autoimmune response to a sore throat caused by the bacteria, Group A Streptococcus (GAS). This can subsequently lead to chronic damage to the heart – rheumatic heart disease (RHD). ARF rates have reduced worldwide, with the highest rates experienced in developing countries within the school-aged population. New Zealand has yet to see the removal of ARF as a public health burden, and consistently experiences higher rates in Māori and Pacific children compared to European. The disproportionally high rates of AFR in Māori and Pacific children have been attributed to poor socioeconomic conditions, in particular overcrowding and inadequate access to health care. ARF and RHD remain a significant cause of morbidity, mortality and cost to patients, families and the New Zealand Health Service. A 2012 study showed that the
Tectonic control on rock uplift, exhumation, and topography above an oceanic ridge collision: Southern Patagonian Andes (47°S), Chile

The subduction of bathymetric anomalies at convergent margins can profoundly affect subduction dynamics, magmatism, and the structural and geomorphic evolution of the overriding plate. The Northern Patagonian Icefield (NPI) is located east of the Chile Triple Junction at ~47°S, where the Chile Rise spreading center collides with South America. This region is characterized by an abrupt increase in summit elevations and relief that has been controversially debated in the context of geodynamic versus glacial erosion effects on topography. Here we present geomorphic, thermochronological, and structural data that document neotectonic activity along hitherto unrecognized faults along the flanks of the NPI. New apatite (U‐Th)/He bedrock cooling ages suggest faulting since 2–3 Ma. We infer the northward translation of an ~140 km long fore‐arc sliver—the NPI block—results from enhanced partitioning of oblique plate convergence due to the closely spaced collision of three successive segments of the Chile Rise. In this model, greater uplift occurs in the hanging wall of the Exploradores thrust at the northern leading edge of the NPI block, whereas the Cachet and Liquiñe‐Ofqui dextral faults decouple the NPI block along its eastern and western flanks, respectively. Localized extension possibly occurs at its southern trailing edge along normal faults associated with margin‐parallel extension, tectonic subsidence, and lower elevations along the Andean crest line. Our neotectonic model provides a novel explanation for the abrupt topographic variations inland of the Chile Triple Junction and emphasizes the fundamental effects of local tectonics on exhumation and topographic patterns in this glaciated landscape.