Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Engineering Functional Collagen Scaffolds: Cyclical Loading Increases Material Strength and Fibril Aggregation

Variation in collagen fibril diameter in nature is a major factor determining biological material properties. However, the mechanism resulting in this fibril diameter difference is not clear and generally assumed to be cell‐dependent. It is certainly not possible so far to engineer this into implantable scaffold materials. This gap in our knowledge is crucial for the fabrication of truly biomimetic tissue‐like materials. We have tested the idea that fibril diameter can be regulated directly without cell involvement, using cyclical mechanical loading to promote fibril fusion. Specific loading regimes increased collagen fibril diameter (> 2 fold) in direct relation to cycle number, whilst thin fibrils disappeared. Tensile properties increased, producing a 4.5 fold rise in break strength. This represents the first demonstration of direct cyclical load‐promoted fibril fusion and provides a direct relation with material properties. The ability to control material properties in this way makes it possible to fabricate truly biomimetic collagen materials without cells.
Mechanical Properties of Nanotextiles Determined with Digital Image Correlation

The paper is devoted to the assessment of mechanical properties of nanotextiles prepared from polyvinylalcohol by electrospinning. The nanotextile is composed of a multi-layered net of cross-linked fibers with individual diameters of approx. 200-500 nm. Strips of the textiles were tested in a standard electromechanical testing device by uniaxial tension. Precise local strain measurement was provided by the digital image correlation method. The overall nanotextile Young's modulus was found to be 277±9 MPa (for strains <1%) and exhibited small variations as well as ultimate strength (10.3±0.9 MPa at ~13% strain). The deformation mechanism includes alignment and stretching of the fibers in longitudinal (load) direction (initial linear part), yielding with transversal textile smoothing and textile rupture (at strains ~13%). The progress of apparent Poisson's ratio (5.5-0.52) was also monitored with the digital image correlation.
A First Look at 1 Gbps Fiber-ToThe-Home Traffic

Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH) networks are on the cusp of bringing significantly higher capacities to residential users compared to today’s commercial broadband options. While fiber is available to some consumers now, the capacities offered commercially represent an incremental bump over more traditional DSL and cable options. However, a number of high capacity experimental FTTH networks have recently become operational. In this paper we aim to describe how users employ such high capacity in a residential setting by monitoring a neighborhood within an operational FTTH network that provides bi-directional 1 Gbps links to each house for nearly two years.
The Influence of the Milling Environment on the Structure of a W-Cu Composite

This work reports an investigation about the influence of the environment of milling on the characteristics of the powders and on the structure and density of sintered samples made of these powders. Mixtures of composition W-30wt%Cu were milled for 51 hours in a high energy planetary mill in dry and wet (cyclohexane) conditions. The milled powders have composite particles. The powders were pressed and sintered at 1050º, 1150º and 1200°C under flowing hydrogen. The isothermal times were 0 minutes for the first two temperatures and 60 minutes for the latter. The samples reached around 95% of relative density. The powders were characterized by means of XRD and SEM. The sintered samples were characterized by means of SEM, optical microscopy and density measurement.
Environmental Factors Controlling the Distribution of Symbiodinium Harboured by the Coral Acropora millepora on the Great Barrier Reef

Background The Symbiodinium community associated with scleractinian corals is widely considered to be shaped by seawater temperature, as the coral's upper temperature tolerance is largely contingent on the Symbiodinium types harboured. Few studies have challenged this paradigm as knowledge of other environmental drivers on the distribution of Symbiodinium is limited. Here, we examine the influence of a range of environmental variables on the distribution of Symbiodinium associated with Acropora millepora collected from 47 coral reefs spanning 1,400 km on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), Australia. Methodology/Principal Findings The environmental data included Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite data at 1 km spatial resolution from which a number of sea surface temperature (SST) and water quality metrics were derived. In addition, the carbonate and mud composition of sediments were incorporated into the analysis along with in situ water quality samples for a subset of locations. Analyses were conducted at three spatio-temporal scales [GBR (regional-scale), Whitsunday Islands (local-scale) and Keppel Islands/Trunk Reef (temporal)] to examine the effects of scale on the distribution patterns. While SST metrics were important drivers of the distribution of Symbiodinium types at regional and temporal scales, our results demonstrate that spatial variability in water quality correlates significantly with Symbiodinium distribution at local scales. Background levels of Symbiodinium types were greatest at turbid inshore locations of the Whitsunday Islands where SST predictors were not as important. This was not the case at regional scales where combinations of mud and carbonate sediment content coupled with SST anomalies and mean summer SST explained 51.3% of the variation in dominant Symbiodinium communities. Conclusions/Significance Reef corals may respond to global-scale stressors such as climate change through changes in their resident symbiont communities, however, management of local-scale stressors such as altered water quality is also necessary for maintenance of coral-Symbiodinium associations.
Approximate Solutions of Interactive POMDPs Using Point Based Value Iteration

We develop a point based method for solving finitely nested interactive POMDPs approximately. Analogously to point based value iteration (PBVI) in POMDPs, we maintain a set of belief points and form value functions composed of only those value vectors that are optimal at these points. However, as we focus on multiagent settings, the beliefs are nested and the computation of the value vectors relies on predicted actions of others. Consequently, we develop an interactive generalization of PBVI applicable to multiagent settings. We bound the error theoretically and provide empirical results using multiple domains.
The effectiveness of stabilising exercises in pelvic girdle pain during pregnancy and after delivery: A systematic review

BACKGROUND Pelvic girdle pain is a common musculoskeletal disorder which affects women during pregnancy and the postpartum period. In previous years, physiotherapists have focused on managing pelvic girdle pain through stabilizing exercises. PURPOSE The aim of this study was to systematically review studies investigating the effectiveness of the stabilizing exercises for pelvic girdle pain during pregnancy and the postpartum period. METHODS The following electronic databases were utilized to search for eligible studies: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, and Cochrane Library. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were defined a priori. The quality assessment was performed by the two reviewers independently using the PEDro scale (Physiotherapy Evidence-based Database). RESULTS Six studies were identified as eligible with the inclusion and exclusion criteria. All studies evaluated the pain as an outcome measure. The evidence conflicted between the studies. Two studies showed that stabilizing exercises decrease pain and improve the quality of life for pregnant women when they are carried out on a regular basis. There is some limited evidence that stabilizing exercises decrease pain for postpartum women too. CONCLUSION In summary, there is limited evidence for the clinician to conclude on the effectiveness of stabilizing exercises in treating pelvic girdle pain during pregnancy and the postpartum periods.
Friction and wear of 7075 aluminum alloy induced by torsional fretting

扭力的烦恼处于干燥状况对 52100 钢球完全穿 7075 铝合金的测试在一个新高精确的扭力的烦恼穿测试者上被执行。 在不同尖排水量振幅下面的 7075 铝合金的动力学行为和损坏机制详细被调查。 结果证明 7075 铝合金的扭力的烦恼的跑的行为能被三烦恼政体定义(即部分滑动政体(PSR ) ，混合烦恼的政体(MFR ) 并且滑动政体(SR )) 随尖排水量振幅的增加。 在 PSR，损坏与细微环形的形状发生在接触地区的侧面的部分。 在 MFR 和 SR，然而，更严重的损坏被观察，碎片层盖住 wear 疤。 强烈依赖于强加的尖排水量振幅并且在三介绍阶段的磨擦转矩和驱散精力详细被讨论。 扭力的烦恼的机制铝合金穿主要是氧化的穿，磨料穿并且在三烦恼的政体的分层。 另外，氧化碎片在扭力的烦恼期间起一个重要作用穿过程。
Cardiovascular risk assessment with oxidised LDL measurement in postmenopausal women receiving intranasal estrogen replacement therapy

Objective. To investigate the effect of intranasal estrogen replacement therapy administered to postmenopausal women alone or in combination with progesterone on markers of cardiovascular risk. Methods. The study was conducted with 44 voluntary postmenopausal women. In group I (n = 15), the patients were treated with only intranasal estradiol (300 μg/day estradiol hemihydrate). In group II (n = 11), the patients received cyclic progesterone (200 mg/day micronized progesterone) for 12 days in each cycle in addition to continuous intranasal estradiol. Group III (n = 18) was the controls. Serum lipid profiles, oxidised low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and other markers of cardiovascular risk were assessed at baseline and at the 3rd month of the treatment. Results. Lipid profile, LDL apolipoprotein B, lipoprotein a, homocysteine, oxidised LDL values and oxidised LDL/LDL cholesterol ratio were not observed to change after 3 months compared to baseline values within each group (p > 0.016). In comparison to changes between the groups after the treatment, only oxidised LDL levels and oxidised LDL/LDL cholesterol ratios of group II were increased compared to control group (p < 0.05). Conclusions. Intranasal estradiol alone did not appear to have an effect on markers of cardiovascular risk in healthy postmenopausal women. However, the addition of cyclic oral micronized progesterone to intranasal estradiol influenced the markers of cardiovascular risk negatively in comparison to non-users in healthy postmenopausal women.
Recommendations for the Generalized Intelligent Framework for Tutoring Based on the Development of the Deep Tutor Service

We present in this paper the design of DeepTutor, the first dialoguebased intelligent tutoring system based on Learning Progressions, and its implications for developing the Generalized Framework for Intelligent Tutoring. We also present the design of SEMILAR, a semantic similarity toolkit, that helps researchers investigate and author semantic similarity models for evaluating natural language student inputs in conversatioanl ITSs. DeepTutor has been developed as a web service while SEMILAR is a Java library. Based on our experience with developing DeepTutor and SEMILAR, we contrast three different models for developing a standardized architecture for intelligent tutoring systems: (1) a single-entry web service coupled with XML protocols for queries and data, (2) a bundle of web services, and (3) library-API. Based on the analysis of the three models, recommendations are
Examining Perceptions of Rapid Population Growth in North and South Gondar Zones, Northwest Ethiopia

Ethiopia is one of the most populous countries in Africa and ranks second only to Nigeria. Rapid population growth has hampered the country's development, making the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger difficult. This study which had two components—quantitative and qualitative—was aimed at exploring the perceptions of women and other social groups on the prevailing population pressures. The quantitative study involved 3,512 women aged 15–49 years. The qualitative study consisted of five focus-group discussions and six key-informant interviews. Over 90% of women (n=3,512) who participated in the quantitative study and nearly all the focus-group discussants and interviewees (n=39) felt that something should be done to keep the population from growing too fast. Most (over 90%) participants approved of the Government passing a law regarding the maximum number of children that a couple should have. It is, therefore, timely for the responsible bodies to exert maximum effort and commitment in responding to the emerging attitudes of the people by making the population problem a priority.
Financial Literacy and Financial Sophistication in the Older Population: Evidence from the 2008 HRS

This paper analyzes new data on financial literacy and financial sophistication from the 2008 Health and Retirement Study. We show that financial literacy is lacking among older individuals and for the first time explore additional questions on financial sophistication which proves even scarcer. For this sample of older respondents over the age of 55, we find that people lack even a rudimentary understanding of stock and bond prices, risk diversification, portfolio choice, and investment fees. In view of the fact that individuals are increasingly required to take on responsibility for their own retirement security, this lack of knowledge has serious implications.
A novel system on chip for software-defined, high-speed OFDM signal processing

In this paper the authors describe a novel system on chip (SoC) that is especially developed for digital signal processing of high-speed orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signals with data rates up to gigabits per second. Besides offering a new degree of freedom for the tradeoff between flexibility and performance during runtime, the modular concept of the SoC also allows a tradeoff between performance and costs during design time. The flexibility to adapt the OFDM system parameters by software enables even system designers without a good knowledge of hardware design to implement high-speed OFDM systems. An example configuration of the architecture was implemented on a Virtex-6 FPGA in order to set up a software-defined OFDM transmitter, achieving data rates of several gigabits per second. The paper closes with implementation and performance results of experiments using the developed transmitter and an optical transmission of the generated OFDM signals.
Fibulin-2 stabilizes tumor extracellular matrix and drives malignant progression of lung adenocarcinoma

The ECM of epithelial carcinomas undergoes structural remodeling during periods of uncontrolled growth, creating regional heterogeneity and torsional stress. How tumors maintain ECM integrity in the face of dynamic biophysical forces is still largely unclear. This study addresses these deficiencies using mouse models of human lung adenocarcinoma. Spontaneous lung tumors were marked by disorganized basement membranes, dense collagen networks, and increased tissue stiffness. Metastasis-prone lung adenocarcinoma cells secreted fibulin-2 (Fbln2), a matrix glycoprotein involved in ECM supra-molecular assembly. Fibulin-2 depletion in tumor cells decreased the intra-tumoral abundance of matrix metalloproteinases and reduced collagen cross-linking and tumor compressive properties resulting in inhibited tumor growth and metastasis. Fbln2 deposition within intra-tumoral fibrotic bands was a predictor of poor clinical outcome in patients. Collectively, these findings support a feed-forward model in which tumor cells secrete matrix-stabilizing factors required for the assembly of ECM that preferentially favors malignant progression. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence that tumor cells directly
Well–definedness and efficient inference for probabilistic logic programming under the distribution semantics

Abstract Distribution semantics is one of the most prominent approaches for the combination of logic programming and probability theory. Many languages follow this semantics, such as Independent Choice Logic, PRISM, pD, Logic Programs with Annotated Disjunctions (LPADs), and ProbLog. When a program contains functions symbols, the distribution semantics is well–defined only if the set of explanations for a query is finite and so is each explanation. Well–definedness is usually either explicitly imposed or is achieved by severely limiting the class of allowed programs. In this paper, we identify a larger class of programs for which the semantics is well–defined together with an efficient procedure for computing the probability of queries. Since Logic Programs with Annotated Disjunctions offer the most general syntax, we present our results for them, but our results are applicable to all languages under the distribution semantics. We present the algorithm “Probabilistic Inference with Tabling and Answer subsumption” (PITA) that computes the probability of queries by transforming a probabilistic program into a normal program and then applying SLG resolution with answer subsumption. PITA has been implemented in XSB and tested on six domains: two with function symbols and four without. The execution times are compared with those of ProbLog, cplint, and CVE. PITA was almost always able to solve larger problems in a shorter time, on domains with and without function symbols.
Two-Dimensional Roughness Growth at Surface and Interface of SiO2 Films during Thermal Oxidation of 4H-SiC(0001)

The surface and interface roughness of SiO2/4H-SiC(0001) was investigated in terms of Si emission from the interface and oxidation induced compressive stress. It was demonstrated that the SiO2 surface roughness growth was strongly related with oxidation mechanism, as well as SiO2 on Si substrate. A model for surface roughening was proposed with areal Si density and Young’s modulus to inclusively explain the surface roughness of SiO2 on various substrates.
A Software Architecture for Object Perception and Semantic Representation

In the near future, robots are expected to exhibit advanced capabilities when interacting with humans. In order to purposely understand humans and frame their requests in the right context, one of the major requirement for robot design is to develop a knowledge representation structure able to provide sensory data with a proper semantic description. This paper describes a software architecture aimed at detecting geometrical properties of a scene using an RGB-D sensor, and then categorising the objects within to associate them with a proper semantic annotation. Preliminary experiments are reported using a Baxter robot endowed with a Kinect RGB-D sensor.
Constraints on perspective images and circular panoramas

We describe an algebraic constraint on corresponding image points in a perspective image and a circular panorama and provide a method to estimate it from noisy image measurements. Studying this combination of cameras is a step forward in localization and recognition since a database of circular panoramas captures completely the appearance of objects and scenes, and perspective images are the simplest query images. The constraint gives a way to use a RANSAC-like algorithm for image matching. We introduce a general method to establish constraints between (non-central) images in the form of a bilinear function of the lifted coordinates of corresponding image points. We apply the method to obtain an algebraic constraint for a perspective image and a circular panorama. The algebraic constraints are interpreted geometrically and the constraints estimated from image data are used to auto-calibrate cameras and to compute a metric reconstruction of the scene observed. A synthetic experiment demonstrates that the proposed reconstruction method behaves favorably in presence of image noise. As a proof of concept, the constraints are estimated from real images of indoor scenes and used to reconstruct positions of cameras and to compute a metric reconstruction of the scene.
Durability of one-part polyurethane bonds to wood improved by HMR coupling agent

In a previous study on the strength and durability of a new class of wood adhesives called one-part polyurethanes, four commercial one-part polyurethanes, along with a resorcinol-formaldehyde adhesive representing a standard of performance, were compared in bonds to yellow birch and Douglas-fir in a series of industry-accepted tests (7). The polyurethanes all performed essentially the same: high in dry and wet strength but low in wet wood failure and resistance to delamination. In the study described in this paper, we look at improving the durability of polyurethane bonds to wood by priming before bonding with a hydroxymethylated resorcinol (HMR) coupling agent that is known to enhance adhesion of all thermosetting wood adhesives. The HMR dramatically increased the wet wood failure and resistance to delamination of polyurethanes that were found deficient in the previous study, to levels comparable with the highly durable resorcinol adhesive. One-part polyurethane adhesives met the strength and durability requirements of the most rigorous of tests, specifically American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard D 2559 (3), when wood surfaces were primed with the HMR coupling agent.
Investigation of the Effects of Feedback Channel Losses for Wireless TCP Experiments

The complex behaviour of TCP over wireless channels has been the focus of much attention in recent years, and researchers experimenting with TCP are always keen to show the effectiveness of their enhancements by presenting results from many tests over differing network conditions, mainly through the use of popular network simulators, and occasionally through the use wireless testbeds. In this paper we present some initial results from TCP experiments over an emulation testbed that clearly highlight the significance of packet losses on the feedback channel when trying to test the performance of TCP over wireless channels. Our observations are aimed mainly at those working with simulation tools and emulation testbeds, as this is where assumptions are usually made prior to the presentation of any results. A number of issues of practical concern have been highlighted, and it is hoped that researchers working in this area fully understand the implications of excluding a packet loss model for the reverse path of TCP experiments.
Developer prioritization in bug repositories

Developers build all the software artifacts in development. Existing work has studied the social behavior in software repositories. In one of the most important software repositories, a bug repository, developers create and update bug reports to support software development and maintenance. However, no prior work has considered the priorities of developers in bug repositories. In this paper, we address the problem of the developer prioritization, which aims to rank the contributions of developers. We mainly explore two aspects, namely modeling the developer prioritization in a bug repository and assisting predictive tasks with our model. First, we model how to assign the priorities of developers based on a social network technique. Three problems are investigated, including the developer rankings in products, the evolution over time, and the tolerance of noisy comments. Second, we consider leveraging the developer prioritization to improve three predicted tasks in bug repositories, i.e., bug triage, severity identification, and reopened bug prediction. We empirically investigate the performance of our model and its applications in bug repositories of Eclipse and Mozilla. The results indicate that the developer prioritization can provide the knowledge of developer priorities to assist software tasks, especially the task of bug triage.