Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intelligent Recommendation-Based User Plane Handover With Enhanced TCP Throughput in Ultra-Dense Cellular Networks

In ultra-dense cellular networks (UDNs) with user/control plane(U/C) splitting, frequent handovers in user planes are unavoidable, which seriously degrades the transmission control protocol (TCP) throughput of mobile station (MS). To enhance the TCP throughput in UDNs, this paper proposes an intelligent recommendation-based user plane handover scheme. Firstly, based on intelligent recommendation algorithms, a mobility prediction algorithm called content-based collaborative hybrid filters (CCHF) is proposed to predict the target small base station (SBS). When the MS moves into the cell-edge of the source SBS, it can pre-access the predicted target SBS and set up connections to the predicted target SBS and the source SBS simultaneously. This is the proposed CCHF-dual-handover scheme. With an accurate prediction and a simultaneous connection, CCHF-dual-handover can present enhanced signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) at cell-edge, reduced handover interruption ratio (HIR), and improved MS’s TCP throughput. Moreover, TCP throughput of CCHF-dual-handover is analyzed to show the impact of various key parameters (such as MS’s velocity and pre-access threshold). Finally, simulations are carried out to evaluate the performance of the proposed CCHF-dual-handover. Given random trajectory, the prediction accuracy using CCHF is increased by more than 100% compared with existing prediction algorithms. Given accurate prediction, the CCHF-dual-handover can improve the TCP throughput by up to 150% compared with that of existing handover schemes.
Influences on Student Learning in Engineering: Some Results from Case Study Fieldwork

Abstract This paper closely examines factors affecting students’ progression in their engineering programs through fieldwork conducted at three Australian universities. To extract clues on how specific teaching methods can be used to maximise learning, the investigation considered factors such as understanding how students take in, process and present information. A number of focus groups were conducted with students, and the data gathered was combined with survey results of students’ and academics’ learning styles. The paper reports on the process followed and provides some analysis of the gathered data, as part of an Australian Learning and Teaching Council Associate Fellowship program.
Optimal sizing of projects in a hydro-based power system

The author considers the problem of obtaining the optimal design of hydroelectric power systems with respect to determining each project's optimal size or capacity. The problem of sizing projects is analyzed from a theoretical and economical standpoint, and a mathematical model is presented to examine project sizing in the general framework of expanding a purely hydroelectric system. The interaction between sizing and sequencing decisions is also discussed. The results give design rules for choosing the optimal size and marginal cost for individual projects, and show the interdependence of scaling and sequencing decisions. According to these rules, it is optimal to make the current marginal cost of each new project equal to the discounted weighted average of the long-term marginal unit cost for all future projects. >
Repairing sinking of the bridge over Guadalquiver River in Alcala del Rio, Seville, Spain

The bridge over Guadalquivir river, near Alcala del Rio in Seville (Spain), has nine spans of 30 m with a total length of 270 m. In 1993 two of the central piers located in the centre of the river sank by 140mm and 60mm. The superstructure is isostatic and is formed of six prefabricated concrete T-beams 1500mm high. The foundations for each support are formed of two circular pier-piles with a diameter of 1.5m. The bridge was constructed between July 1990 and October 1992. In the first week of April 1993 it was observed that the handrails were at a vertical angle in the centre of the bridge, which indicated a sinking of piers P-4 and P-5 in the middle of the river. Following topographic observations showed vertical movements of 139mm and 54mm in the two piers. After studying different solutions it was concluded that the best technical and economic remedial option was to use Jet Grouting injections. By using two concentrical circular crowns of nine Jet Grouting injections, with the most interior vertical and the most exterior inclined to the axe of the pier, a kind of superpile of soil-cement was fomed greatly increasing the factor of safety and the most importantly lifting pillars P-4 and P-5 10 cm and 2.5 cm respectively, reducing almost all the angular distortion of the deck. The remedial works were undertaken in 1993.
Transient state of polarization in optical ground wire caused by lightning and impulse current

This paper describes a transient state of polarization in an optical ground wire (OPGW) theoretically, experimentally and with field measurements in lightning conditions, which is considered one of the fastest phenomena of polarization fluctuations in the natural environment. These characteristics will be required for optical coherent communication for utilities in future and for application to sensing of lightning with OPGW.
Metal‐HisTag coordination for remote loading of very small quantities of biomacromolecules into PLGA microspheres

Abstract Challenges to discovery and preclinical development of long‐acting release systems for protein therapeutics include protein instability, use of organic solvents during encapsulation, specialized equipment and personnel, and high costs of proteins. We sought to overcome these issues by combining remote‐loading self‐healing encapsulation with binding HisTag protein to transition metal ions. Porous, drug‐free self‐healing microspheres of copolymers of lactic and glycolic acids with high molecular weight dextran sulfate and immobilized divalent transition metal (M2+) ions were placed in the presence of proteins with or without HisTags to bind the protein in the pores of the polymer before healing the surface pores with modest temperature. Using human serum albumin, insulin‐like growth factor 1, and granulocyte‐macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (GM‐CSF), encapsulated efficiencies of immunoreactive protein relative to nonencapsulation protein solutions increased from ~41%, ~23%, and ~9%, respectively, without Zn2+ and HisTags to ~100%, ~83%, and ~75% with Zn2+ and HisTags. These three proteins were continuously released in immunoreactive form over seven to ten weeks to 73%–100% complete release, and GM‐CSF showed bioactivity >95% relative to immunoreactive protein throughout the release interval. Increased encapsulation efficiencies were also found with other divalent transition metals ions (Co2+, Cu2+, Ni2+, and Zn2+), but not with Ca2+. Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid was found to interfere with this process, reverting encapsulation efficiency back to Zn2+‐free levels. These results indicate that M2+‐immobilized self‐healing microspheres can be prepared for simple and efficient encapsulation by simple mixing in aqueous solutions. These formulations provide slow and continuous release of immunoreactive proteins of diverse types by using a amount of protein (e.g., <10 μg), which may be highly useful in the discovery and early preclinical development phase of new protein active pharmaceutical ingredients, allowing for improved translation to further development of potent proteins for local delivery.
The Cytotoxicity and Nephroprotective Activity of the Ethanol Extracts of Angelica keiskei Koidzumi Stems and Leaves against the NAPQI-Induced Human Embryonic Kidney (HEK293) Cell Line

Materials and Methods A. keiskei Koidzumi plant was collected from Mount Rinjani, Lombok, Indonesia, and was identified at the School of Biology Sciences and Technology, Bandung Institute of Technology, Indonesia. Extraction of the stems (ASE) and leaves (ALE) was performed by employing ethanol 70% for 3 × 24 h at 26°C. The cytotoxicity study of the extracts was assessed using the water-soluble tetrazolium salt-8 (WST-8) reagent on the HEK293 cell line, while the nephroprotective activity assay was determined on the NAPQI-induced HEK293 cell line. Results The WST-8 assay showed that the cytotoxicity IC50 of ASE = 2322 μg/mL and IC50 of ALE = 2283 μg/mL. The nephroprotective activity assay revealed that ASE possesses nephroprotective activity against the NAPQI-induced HEK293 cell line at 1161 μg/mL, while ALE does not show the nephroprotective activity. Conclusion Taken together, lower concentrations of ASE and ALE (<2000 μg/mL) are not toxic to the HEK293 cell line, and only ASE indicates the activity to protect the HEK293 cell line against NAPQI damage. This Japanese celery could be further explored for its potential as a plant-based nephroprotective drug.
FARMING ANXIETY AS A PREDICTOR OF FARMERS INTENTION IN THE ERA OF FARMING INSECURITIES

Over the years, Nigeria and other African countries have witnessed an increasing rate of insecurities that cuts across all aspects of society. The growing trend of farmer-herdsmen conflict, banditry, and kidnapping that characterizes the contemporary farming sector is undoubtedly affecting the socio-economic growth and food production in the country. There is a growing concern about farmers motivation and willingness to access their farmlands in this era of constant insecurity. The present study aimed to examine farming anxiety as a psychological construct that could account for the variation in farming intention among the farmers. The study was conducted in the middle-belt region of Nigeria, and four hundred and thirteen farmers drawn from some volatile communities in Benue, Kogi, and Nasarawa state participated in the study. The respondents completed self-report measures of farming anxiety and intention. The regression analysis performed on the data revealed a positive interaction between the independent and dependent variables. Thus, the study concluded that farming anxiety is a significant predictor of farming intention.
MEASURING DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION QUALITY COSTS

Several troublesome challenges face the U.S. construction industry; productivity is down, litigation is up, delays are common and expensive, foreign firms are taking a greater share of the market. The reasons are complex, but one important common factor is quality—or rather, the lack of it. In view of these facts, a quality performance tracking system (QPTS) has been developed to provide for the quantitative analysis of certain quality-related aspects of projects, by systematically collecting and classifying costs of quality. By defining quality as “conformance to requirements,” the cost of quality becomes measurable. It consists of two main parts, the cost of quality management efforts and the cost of correcting deviations. A total of 15 categories identify the main quality management efforts. When coupled with 24 deviation categories (plus six “repeat” quality management categories), most of the important quality costs can be identified for tracking and analysis. These categories can be easily changed and adapted to meet individual company requirements for design, construction, and start-up.
Expectancies about the effects of cannabidiol products on anxiety symptoms

ABSTRACT Background Nearly one-third of American adults receive an anxiety disorder diagnosis in their lifetimes. Although evidence-based anxiety interventions exist, these treatments might have limited availability and efficacy. Though preliminary evidence supports the use of cannabidiol (CBD) to alleviate anxiety, no prior work investigates individuals’ expectancies about CBD’s impact on anxiety. Methods The present study examines relevant anxiety symptoms and expectancies about CBD’s effects in a sample of 455 CBD-using adults recruited from Amazon’s MTurk platform. Results Participants reported moderate anxiety without the influence of CBD. Moreover, they expected global and symptom-level anxiolytic effects of CBD. Anxiety scores positively covaried with usual cannabis intoxication, providing support for a self-medication hypothesis. Results revealed a positive relation between anxiety symptoms and expectancies about CBD’s anxiolytic properties; those who were most anxious expected more CBD-related relief. CBD consumption decreased as age increased, but showed little variation with other demographic variables. Conclusions Overall, individuals appear to hold positive expectancies about CBD’s anxiolytic potential. Results support placebo-controlled randomized clinical trials for CBD as an anxiolytic.
Single-feed dual-frequency rectangular microstrip antenna

A novel design of a dual-frequency rectangular microstrip antenna with embedded spur lines and integrated reactive loading has been demonstrated. The present design uses a new resonant mode of TM/sub /spl beta/0/ (0</spl beta/<1) and the fundamental TM/sub 10/ mode for dual-frequency operation. The two operating frequencies have the same polarization planes and similar broadside-radiation characteristics with a tunable frequency range of about 1.1 to 1.6. The proposed dual-frequency antenna is suitable for applications in which a low frequency ratio of the two operating frequencies is required.
Comparison of Fundamental and Simulative Test Methods for Evaluating Permanent Deformation of Hot-Mix Asphalt

Rutting has long been a problem in hot-mix asphalt (HMA) pavement. Through the years, researchers have used different kinds of fundamental and simulative test methods to estimate the rutting performance of HMA. It has been recognized that most fundamental tests are very complex and simulative tests are generally easy to perform. A comparative study of two fundamental tests [repeated shear at constant height (RSCH) and repeated load confined creep (RLCC) tests] and one simulative test [asphalt pavement analyzer (APA) rut test] is documented. A comparison and correlation of various parameters (permanent deformation or strain, slopes, and intercepts from linear or power law regressions) from these three test results were conducted. The analysis data indicated that the two fundamental tests had significant correlation with APA rut tests. The relationship between the deformation rates and the correlation between initial deformation from the RSCH and RLCC indicate similar deformation behavior of HMAs under RSCH and APA loading conditions. Based on the observed relationships and the existing guidelines for interpreting RSCH permanent shear strain and RLCC permanent strain, preliminary guidelines were recommended for evaluating rut resistance on the basis of APA rut depth. Compared with the existing APA criteria developed by the Georgia Department of Transportation, the acceptable rut depth criteria generated from this study are reasonable and applicable.
E. coli Transport through Surface-Connected Biopores Identified from Smoke Injection Tests

Macropores are the primary mechanism by which fecal bacteria from surface-applied manure can be transported into subsurface drains or shallow groundwater bypassing the soil matrix. Limited research has been performed investigating fecal bacteria transport through specific macropores identified in the field. The objective of this research was to better understand how fecal bacteria, using Escherichia coli (E. coli) as an indicator organism, are transported through naturally occurring macropores and potential interactions between the macropore and soil matrix domains in the field under controlled experimental conditions. Direct injection/infiltration tests were conducted in two naturally occurring, surface-connected macropores (biopores) that penetrated to the subsurface drain depth, as identified by smoke tests. Data included total drain flow rate (baseflow rate and biopore flow rate), biopore inflow rate, and Rhodamine WT and E. coli concentrations in the drains. Analysis techniques included determining increases in subsurface drain flow rates due to the infiltration tests and percentage of the injected concentration reaching the subsurface drains after dilution with the drain baseflow. In the absence of data for mechanistic models, empirically based rational polynomial models were compared to the more commonly utilized lognormal distribution for modeling the load rate breakthrough curves. Load estimates were derived from integrated forms of these empirical functions, and percent reductions were calculated for Rhodamine WT and E. coli. Peak total drain flow rates increased nearly two-fold due to direct injection into the biopores. Less than 25% of the initial concentrations injected into the biopores reached the drain after dilution with the baseflow in the drain. Lognormal distributions best fit the Rhodamine WT load rate breakthrough curves (R2 = 0.99 for both biopores) and the E. coli load rate data for one of the biopores (R2 = 0.98). A rational fractional polynomial model that tailed off more slowly best fit the E. coli load rate data for the other biopore (R2 = 0.98). Approximately one log reduction was estimated for E. coli loads due to interaction with the soil profile as water flowed through the tortuous path of the biopores; in other words, the soil surrounding the biopore filtered approximately 90% of the E. coli load that entered the biopore compared to approximately 75% for Rhodamine WT. Considering that applied animal manure can contain millions of bacteria per mL, high concentrations and loads are still possible in the subsurface drain flow if macropores are present.
Chrysophanol Inhibits the Progression of Gastric Cancer by Activating NLRP3

AimGastric cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors.Chrysophanol has been reported to have antitumor effects on a variety of cancers, but the role of chrysophanol in gastric cancer remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of chrysophanol on proliferation, pyroptosis, migration and invasion of gastric cancer cells.MethodsMKN 28 and AGS cells were treatde with different concentrations of chrysophanol, then cell proliferation, migration,invasion and pyroptosis were decteed by CCK-8, Colony-forming assay, Wound Healing assay, Transwell and flow cytometry, respectively.Subsequently, NLRP3 siRNA was transfected into MKN 28 cells, cell proliferation pyroptosis, migration and invasion were reassessed in these transfected cells. The expression of caspase-1 and IL-1β in the downstream of NLRP3 was detected by qRT PCR and Western blot.ResultsChrysophanol significantly inhibited the proliferation of GC cells, promoted pyroptosis, inhibited cell migration and invasion, and up-regulated the expression level of NLRP3 inflammasome in GC cells. Silencing NLRP3 inhibited the effects of chrysophanol on proliferation, pyroptosis, migration and invasion of MKN 28 cells. Chrysophanol plays an anti-cancer role through high expression of NLRP3.CoclusionsChrysophanol can inhibit the proliferation, migration and invasion of gastric cancer cells by regulating NLRP3, promote the death of gastric cancer cells, and play an anti-tumor role,which is a clinical strategy with great potential for the treatment of gastric cancer.
Dielectric properties of an improved magnet wire for inverter-fed motors

The ability to predict accurately the long-term pulse endurance performance of wire is essential both to the wire manufacturer and to the motor manufacturer. This paper provides information about the new magnet wire that can help design engineers employ it effectively in their applications. Accelerated pulse endurance test results of this new wire with and without varnishes at different pulse voltage levels, different pulse frequencies, different oven temperatures, and different rise times are presented.
Evolution and Genetic Diversity of the Retroviral Envelope in Anamniotes

Although the retroviral envelope (Env) protein in amniotes has been well studied, its evolutionary history in anamniotic vertebrates is ambiguous. By analyzing more than 30,000 copies of ERV lineages with gamma-type Env (GTE) in anamniotes, several important evolutionary features were identified. ABSTRACT Retroviruses are widely distributed in all vertebrates, as are their endogenous forms, endogenous retroviruses (ERV), which serve as “fossil” evidence to trace the ancient origins and history of virus-host interactions over millions of years. The retroviral envelope (Env) plays a significant role in host range determination, but major information on their genetic diversification and evolution in anamniotes is lacking. Here, by incorporating multiple-round in silico similarity search and phylogenomic analysis, more than 30,000 copies of ERV lineages with gamma-type Env (GTE), covalently associated Env, were discovered by searching against all fish and amphibian genomes and transcriptomic assemblies, but no beta-type Env (BTE), noncovalently associated Env, was found. Furthermore, a nine-type classification system of anamniote GTE was proposed by combining phylogenetic and domain/motif analyses. The elastic genomic organization and overall phylogenetic incongruence between anamniotic Env and its neighboring polymerase (Pol) implied that early retroviral diversification in anamniotic vertebrates was facilitated by frequent recombination. At last, host cellular opioid growth factor receptor (OGFr) gene capturing by anamniotic ERVs with GTE was reported for the first time. Overall, our findings overturn traditional Pol genotyping and reveal a complex evolutionary history of anamniotic retroviruses inferred by Env evolution. IMPORTANCE Although the retroviral envelope (Env) protein in amniotes has been well studied, its evolutionary history in anamniotic vertebrates is ambiguous. By analyzing more than 30,000 copies of ERV lineages with gamma-type Env (GTE) in anamniotes, several important evolutionary features were identified. First, GTE was found to be widely distributed among different amphibians and fish. Second, nine types of GTE were discovered and defined, revealing their great genetic diversity. Third, the incongruence between the Env and Pol phylogenies suggested that frequent recombination shaped the early evolution of anamniote retroviruses. Fourth, an ancient horizontal gene transfer event was discovered from anamniotes to ERVs with GTE. These findings reveal a complex evolution pattern for retroviral Env in anamniotes.