Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SGBEM-FEM Alternating Method for Analyzing 3D Non-planar Cracks and Their Growth in Structural Components

The highly accurate and efficient Symmetric Galerkin Boundary Element Method (SGBEM), a Finite Element Method (FEM)-based alternating method, is proposed for analyzing three-dimensional non-planar cracks and their growth. The cracks are modeled using the symmetric Galerkin boundary element method as a distribution of displacement discontinuities, simulating an infinite medium. The finite element method only analyzes the stress for the uncracked body. The solution for the cracked structural component is determined by an iteration procedure. This process alternates between an FEM solution for the uncracked body and the SGBEM solution for a crack in an infinite body. Numerical analysis, and the Java code used, evaluate stress intensity factors and model fatigue crack growth. Examples of non-planar cracks in infinite media and planar cracks in finite bodies, as well as growth under fatigue, show the accuracy of the method.
Gene Turnover and Diversification of the α- and β-Globin Gene Families in Sauropsid Vertebrates

Abstract The genes that encode the α- and β-chain subunits of vertebrate hemoglobin have served as a model system for elucidating general principles of gene family evolution, but little is known about patterns of evolution in amniotes other than mammals and birds. Here, we report a comparative genomic analysis of the α- and β-globin gene clusters in sauropsids (archosaurs and nonavian reptiles). The objectives were to characterize changes in the size and membership composition of the α- and β-globin gene families within and among the major sauropsid lineages, to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the sauropsid α- and β-globin genes, to resolve orthologous relationships, and to reconstruct evolutionary changes in the developmental regulation of gene expression. Our comparisons revealed contrasting patterns of evolution in the unlinked α- and β-globin gene clusters. In the α-globin gene cluster, which has remained in the ancestral chromosomal location, evolutionary changes in gene content are attributable to the differential retention of paralogous gene copies that were present in the common ancestor of tetrapods. In the β-globin gene cluster, which was translocated to a new chromosomal location, evolutionary changes in gene content are attributable to differential gene gains (via lineage-specific duplication events) and gene losses (via lineage-specific deletions and inactivations). Consequently, all major groups of amniotes possess unique repertoires of embryonic and postnatally expressed β-type globin genes that diversified independently in each lineage. These independently derived β-type globins descend from a pair of tandemly linked paralogs in the most recent common ancestor of sauropsids.
Asil decomposition using SMT

The ISO 26262 defines discrete Automotive Safety Integrity Levels (ASILs) to enforce functional safety. Each component in the automotive system under development must have an associated ASIL. Higher ASIL implies more development cost and effort. ASIL decomposition allows reducing ASIL allocated to components whose joint failure is the only cause for the violation of a safety goal. Fault trees are widely used in the safety analysis process and hence in the ASIL allocation. In this paper, we present a new approach for solving the ASIL decomposition problem using Satisfiability Modulo Theories (SMT). The fault tree structure is fully represented in SMT. Compared to other approaches for ASIL decomposition; our approach eliminates the need of finding the Minimal Cut Set (MCS) of the fault tree. Moreover, it does not require assigning a numerical cost value for each ASIL. Recent emerging trend in powerful SMT solvers for solving objective functions is utilized to find the optimal ASIL decomposition.
Neural and behavioral effects of subordinate‐level training of novel objects across manipulations of color and spatial frequency

Perceptual expertise is marked by subordinate‐level recognition of objects in the expert domain. In this study, participants learned one family of full‐color, artificial objects at the subordinate (species) level and another family at the basic (family) level. Discrimination of trained and untrained exemplars was tested before and after training across several image manipulations [full‐color, grayscale, low spatial frequency (LSF) and high spatial frequency (HSF)] while event‐related potentials (ERPs) were recorded. Regardless of image manipulation, discrimination (indexed by d’) of trained and of untrained exemplars was enhanced after subordinate‐level training, but not after basic‐level training. Enhanced discrimination after subordinate‐level training generalized to untrained exemplars and to grayscale images and images in which LSF or HSF information was removed. After training, the N170 and N250, recorded over occipital and occipitotemporal brain regions, were both more enhanced after subordinate‐level training than after basic‐level training. However, the topographic distribution of enhanced responses differed across components. The N170 latency predicted reaction time after both basic‐level training and subordinate‐level training, highlighting an association between behavioral and neural responses. These findings further elucidate the role of the N170 and N250 as ERP indices of subordinate‐level expert object processing and demonstrate how low‐level manipulations of color and spatial frequency impact behavior and the N170 and N250 components independent of training or expertise.
Information and education provision in bronchiectasis: co-development and evaluation of a novel patient-driven resource in a digital era

Bronchiectasis presents a significant burden of disease for patients, their families and healthcare services, with recurrent hospital admissions and poorer health-related quality of life, in addition to higher rates of fatigue, depression and cardiovascular disease [1–3]. The increasing prevalence and burden of bronchiectasis is recognised worldwide [3–6]. Patient education is a fundamental part of long-term management planning, as highlighted in the new European Respiratory Society guidelines, yet there is a lack of information available to patients in comparison to other chronic respiratory conditions. Improvements in information for those living with bronchiectasis should use patient-driven co-development processes http://ow.ly/vWCB30iCn2M
Opposite effects of GCN5 and PCAF knockdowns on the alternative mechanism of telomere maintenance

Cancer cells can use a telomerase-independent mechanism, known as alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT), to elongate their telomeres. General control non-derepressible 5 (GCN5) and P300/CBP-associated factor (PCAF) are two homologous acetyltransferases that are mutually exclusive subunits in SAGA-like complexes. Here, we reveal that down regulation of GCN5 and PCAF had differential effects on some phenotypic characteristics of ALT cells. Our results suggest that GCN5 is present at telomeres and opposes telomere recombination, in contrast to PCAF that may indirectly favour them in ALT cells.
Effects of polysilicate aluminum sulfate on fire resistance of ultra-low density materials

The preparation of ultra-low density materials( ULDMs) was fabricated based on organic polymers( including waste fiber,polyvinyl alcohol and polyacrylamide) and inorganic polymer polysilicate aluminum sulfate( PASS) using the method of oganic-inoganic hybrid and liquid frothing in pulp solution. To illustrate the effects of PASS on fire resistance of ULDMs,crack development of PASS,microstructure of ULDMs before and after combustion as well as the film thickness on fibres were investigated. Then the influence of PASS on the flame retardancy of ULDMs was investigated by cone calorimeter. The results showed high temperature resistance of PASS and presence of hybrid layer. The inner and outer average thickness was 0. 182 and 0. 667 μm,respectively. And there was a synergistic effect between PASS and CP-70 on the fire properties for low heat release and high charred residue. In conclusion,fire resistance of ULDMs was improved by oganic-inoganic hybrid with PASS.
tgp: A Task-Granularity Profiler for the Java Virtual Machine

The analysis of task granularity in parallel applications (i.e., the amount of work to be performed by parallel tasks) is essential to unveil performance problems and to optimize taskparallel applications. Too small task granularities may result in high parallelization overheads, while too large task granularities may indicate missed parallelization opportunities. Despite the importance of task granularity, this metric is not considered by existing profilers for parallel applications on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). In this paper we present tgp, a novel taskgranularity profiler for multi-threaded applications on the JVM. tgp collects bytecode- and hardware-level metrics to characterize task granularity, assisting the developer in diagnosing and locating parallelization shortcomings.
Under Consideration for Publication in Theory and Practice of Logic Programming a Logic Programming Approach for Access Control over Rdf

The Resource Description Framework (RDF) is an interoperable data representation format suitable for interchange and integration of data, especially in Open Data contexts. However, RDF is also becoming increasingly attractive in scenarios involving sensitive data, where data protection is a major concern. At its core, RDF does not support any form of access control and current proposals for extending RDF with access control do not fit well with the RDF representation model. Considering an enterprise scenario, we present a modelling that caters for access control over the stored RDF data in an intuitive and transparent manner. For this paper we rely on Annotated RDF, which introduces concepts from Annotated Logic Programming into RDF. Based on this model of the access control annotation domain, we propose a mechanism to manage permissions via application-specific logic rules. Furthermore, we illustrate how our Annotated Query Language (AnQL) provides a secure way to query this access control annotated RDF data.
Predictors of Institutionalization in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease in South Korea

Background and Purpose We investigated predictors of institutionalization in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) in South Korea. Methods In total, 2,470 patients with AD aged 74.5±7.8 years (mean±standard deviation, 68.1% females) were enrolled from November 2005 to December 2013. The dates of institutionalization were identified from the public Long-Term-Care Insurance program in January 2014. We used a Cox proportional-hazards model to identify predictors for future institutionalization among characteristics at the time of diagnosis in 2,470 AD patients. A similar Cox proportional-hazards model was also used to investigate predictors among variables that reflected longitudinal changes in clinical variables before institutionalization in 816 patients who underwent follow-up testing. Results A lower Mini Mental State Examination score [hazard ratio (HR)=0.95, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.92–0.97] and higher scores for the Clinical Dementia Rating and Neuro-Psychiatric Inventory (HR=1.01, 95% CI=1.00–1.01) at baseline were independent predictors of institutionalization. The relationship of patients with their main caregivers, presence of the apolipoprotein E e4 allele, and medication at baseline were not significantly associated with the rate of institutionalization. In models with variables that exhibited longitudinal changes, larger annual change in Clinical Dementia Rating Sum of Boxes score (HR=1.15, 95% CI=1.06–1.23) and higher medication possession ratio of antipsychotics (HR=1.89, 95% CI=1.20–2.97) predicted earlier institutionalization. Conclusions This study shows that among Korean patients with AD, lower cognitive ability, higher dementia severity, more-severe behavioral symptoms at baseline, more-rapid decline in dementia severity, and more-frequent use of antipsychotics are independent predictors of earlier institutionalization.
A rare BRAF T599dup mutation conferring sensitivity to BRAF inhibitor in a patient with metastatic melanoma

Treatment for patients with V600 mutation of the B-Raf protooncogene BRAF (BRAF-V600) and metastatic stage IV or unresectable stage III melanoma has greatly advanced with the introduction of selective BRAF inhibitors (BRAFi), such as vemurafenib and dabrafenib, combined with mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase inhibitors (MEKi), such as cobimetinib and trametinib, as first-line therapy [1,2]. Two mutations, V600E and V600K, are routinely searched in patients with stage IV and unresectable stage III cancer. The presence of the V600 mutation allows for prescribing BRAFi combined with MEKi according to the European Medicine Agency. Other non- BRAF-V600 mutations have been increasingly found by next-generation sequencing (NGS) and question the possible efficiency of BRAFi associated with MEKi with these mutations [3]. Here we report a case of metastatic melanoma in a patient with a non-BRAF-V600 mutation responding to combined BRAFi and MEKi treatment. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Health‐related quality of life in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia receiving first‐line therapy with nilotinib

Although a wealth of efficacy and safety data is available for many tyrosine kinase inhibitors used in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), there is a dearth of information on their impact on patients' health‐related quality of life (HRQOL). The primary objective of this study was to evaluate HRQOL and fatigue outcomes in patients with CML receiving first‐line therapy with nilotinib.
How does a national poverty programme influence sexual debut among Kenyan adolescents?

ABSTRACT Cash transfer programmes have recently emerged as promising interventions for HIV prevention among adolescents in Africa. However, the pathways through which risk reduction occurs are not well understood. We examine data on 1429 adolescents and youth from the Kenya Cash Transfer for Orphans and Vulnerable Children, which has been shown to result in delayed sexual debut among adolescents. We explored three potential mediating pathways: schooling, socio-economic status and psycho-social status. None of these hypothesised mediators greatly altered the main effect. However, school attendance had a larger protective effect on sexual debut among females but was only increased by the programme among males. This gendered pattern of effects may explain why we did not see a mediating effect of the cash transfer through schooling, despite schooling's protective effects against early sexual debut. Results also suggest that cash transfer programmes in Africa can contribute to the reduction of HIV related risk behaviours.
Preparation and property of coating on degradable Mg implant

To be an implant material,it is necessary to have good corrosion resistance for magnesium and magnesium alloy in the period of tissue healing process.To improve corrosion resistance of pure magnesium,dipping technology was employed in the present work to prepare the poly(lactic acid) coating on Mg implant.Different molecular mass poly(lactic acid) and a surface pretreatment technology applying silane coupling agents on Mg implant was used to improve adhesion strength between Mg implant and poly lactic acid.Scanning electron microscopy(SEM) was used to gain the effect of dipping time,polymer concentration and dipping times for the thickness of coating.The results show that poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide)(PLGA) with relative molecular mass of 200 thousand can meet the need of degradation condition and strength adhesion of biodegradable implant.The mass loss of PLGA film coated Mg implant is decreased obviously after they are immersed in Hank’s solution.It can be concluded that PLGA coating can effectively protect magnesium from corrosion in simulation biology solution.
Antineoplastic Drug-Induced Cardiotoxicity: A Redox Perspective

Antineoplastic drugs can be associated with several side effects, including cardiovascular toxicity (CTX). Biochemical studies have identified multiple mechanisms of CTX. Chemoterapeutic agents can alter redox homeostasis by increasing the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species RNS. Cellular sources of ROS/RNS are cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, stromal and inflammatory cells in the heart. Mitochondria, peroxisomes and other subcellular components are central hubs that control redox homeostasis. Mitochondria are central targets for antineoplastic drug-induced CTX. Understanding the mechanisms of CTX is fundamental for effective cardioprotection, without compromising the efficacy of anticancer treatments. Type 1 CTX is associated with irreversible cardiac cell injury and is typically caused by anthracyclines and conventional chemotherapeutic agents. Type 2 CTX, associated with reversible myocardial dysfunction, is generally caused by biologicals and targeted drugs. Although oxidative/nitrosative reactions play a central role in CTX caused by different antineoplastic drugs, additional mechanisms involving directly and indirectly cardiomyocytes and inflammatory cells play a role in cardiovascular toxicities. Identification of cardiologic risk factors and an integrated approach using molecular, imaging, and clinical data may allow the selection of patients at risk of developing chemotherapy-related CTX. Although the last decade has witnessed intense research related to the molecular and biochemical mechanisms of CTX of antineoplastic drugs, experimental and clinical studies are urgently needed to balance safety and efficacy of novel cancer therapies.
Information Search Processes in Complex Tasks

Our understanding of search processes triggered by complex tasks are limited [1]. It is not well known how does the information search process evolve during task performance and how search behavior varies by task process. How do changes in in information needs reflect in search formulation and tactics, in selecting contributing sources and interacting with sources for task outcome? A better understanding of these issues helps in identifying success criteria for various parts of search process. The results contribute also to designing support tools for complex search tasks. In the talk I analyze information search processes in complex tasks. By task I mean larger tasks, which lead people to engage in search tasks for finding information to advance those tasks [2]. Search process consists of activities from query formulation to working with sources selected for task outcome [3]. I approach task performance from cognitive point of view conceptualizing it as changes in cognitive structures [4,5]. These structures consist of concepts and their relations representing some phenomenon. I analyze how changes in knowledge structures are associated to query formulation and search tactics, selecting contributing sources and working with sources for creating a task outcome. As a result I suggest hypotheses concerning associations between changes in knowledge structures and search behaviors. I present also some ideas for success indicators at various stages of search process.
Independent Actuation of Two-Tailed Microrobots

A soft two-tailed microrobot in low Reynolds number fluids does not achieve forward locomotion by identical tails regardless to its wiggling frequency. If the tails are nonidentical, zero forward locomotion is also observed at specific oscillation frequencies (which we refer to as the reversal frequencies), as the propulsive forces imparted to the fluid by each tail are almost equal in magnitude and opposite in direction. We find distinct reversal frequencies for the two-tailed microrobots based on their tail length ratio. At these frequencies, the microrobot achieves negligible net displacement under the influence of a periodic magnetic field. This observation allows us to fabricate groups of microrobots with tail length ratio of <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$1.24 \pm 0.11$</tex-math> </inline-formula>, <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$1.48 \pm 0.08$</tex-math></inline-formula>, and <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$1.71 \pm 0.09$</tex-math></inline-formula>. We demonstrate selective actuation of microrobots based on prior characterization of their reversal frequencies. We also implement simultaneous flagellar propulsion of two microrobots and show that they can be controlled to swim along the same direction and opposite to each other using common periodic magnetic fields. In addition, independent motion control of two microrobots is achieved toward two different reference positions with average steady-state error of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${\text{110.1}} \pm {\text{91.8}}$</tex-math></inline-formula> <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu$</tex-math></inline-formula>m and <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX"> ${\text{146.9}} \pm {\text{105.9}}$</tex-math></inline-formula> <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu$ </tex-math></inline-formula>m.
Development and Modeling of Thermal Energy Harvesting Setup

A setup for a thermal energy harvesting based on a conversion of a thermal energy into a mechanical energy followed by a conversion of the mechanical energy into an electric field energy has been developed. The key elements of such a setup are a bimetal spring and electrodes covered by electret layers with a permanent charge. The electrodes are kept at different temperatures. The bimetal spring exchanges the thermal energy with the "hot" and "cold" electrodes. The heating and cooling stimulates the spring vibratios. During the vibrations the spring acts as a common plate of two variable capacitors. The electrodes with the electret layers are the fixed plates of these capacitors. The charge induced continuously at the plates of the capacitors is transferred via a rectifying circuit to the external capacitor.Several aspects of the setup development have been considered, including different electret materials, different methods of the electret charging, and different load capacitors.A compact model of the charging effect has been also developed. It has been implemented in Qucs program, where it is represented as a so-called equation defined device component.
Automatic Translating between Ancient Chinese and Contemporary Chinese

Chinese language has evolved a lot during the long time of development. Native speakers now have trouble in reading sentences in ancient Chinese. In this paper, we intend to build an end-to-end neural model to automatically translate between ancient and contemporary Chinese. However, the existing ancient-contemporary Chinese parallel corpora is not aligned at the sentence level, making it difﬁ-cult to train our model. To build the sentence level parallel training data for our model, we propose an unsupervised algorithm that constructs sentence-aligned ancient-contemporary pairs out of the abundant passage-aligned corpus by using the fact that the aligned sentence pair shares many of the tokens. Based on the aligned corpus, we propose an end-to-end neural model with copy mechanism to translate between ancient and contemporary Chinese. Experiments show that the proposed unsupervised algorithm achieves 99.4% F1 score for sentence alignment, and the translation model achieves 26.95 BLEU from ancient to contemporary, and 36.34 BLEU from contemporary to ancient.