Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prediction of cracking in reinforced concrete structures

The useful life of a buried concrete, containment structure for low level nuclear wii.ste may be controlled by the loss of its load-bearing capacity or an increase in permeability. The latter factor is controlled by the general degradation of the concrete and by the presence of discrete cracks resuking from extermdl y applied loads or from restraint to normal volume changes. To be able to predict the effects of cracks on permeability, it is necessary to understand the causes and mechanisms of discrete crack formation in reinforced concrete structures. The objective of this report is to provide an overview of the design and behavior of reinforced concrete members and to discuss the factors affecting the formation of cracks in hardened concrete. The underlying philosophy of modern reinforced concrete design is presented, and it is shown that it allows for the formation of cracks of controlled widths under service loads. Models for predicting the width of flexural cracks are reviewed. Factors affecting drying shrinkage cracks and approximate methods for considering them are discussed. An example is provided to illustrate how to determine whether drying shrinkage cracks will develop under specific conditions. This is followed by a discussion of techniques to predict the number and widths of drying shrinkage cracks. Finally, there is a discussion of the interaction between flexural and drying shrinkage cracking. The report is directed to the general audience who is unfamiliar with the structural aspects of reinforced concrete.
A nucleosome assembly factor is a constituent of simian virus 40 minichromosomes

Using in vitro replication assays, we compared native with salt-treated simian virus 40 minichromosomes isolated from infected cell nuclei. Minichromosomes from both preparations contain the full complement of nucleosomes, but salt treatment removes histone H1 and a fraction of nonhistone chromatin proteins. Both types of minichromosomes served well as templates for in vitro replication, but the structures of the replication products were strikingly different. Replicated salt-treated minichromosomes contained, on average, about half the normal number of nucleosomes as previously shown (T. Krude and R. Knippers, Mol. Cell. Biol. 11:6257-6267, 1991). In contrast, the replicated untreated minichromosomes were found to be densely packed with nucleosomes, indicating that an assembly of new nucleosomes occurred during in vitro replication. Biochemical and immunological data showed that the fraction of nonhistone chromatin proteins associated with native minichromosomes includes a nucleosome assembly activity that appears to be closely related to chromatin assembly factor I (S. Smith and B. W. Stillman, Cell 58:15-25, 1989). Furthermore, this minichromosome-bound nucleosome assembly factor is able to exert its activity in trans to replicating protein-free competitor DNA. Thus, native chromatin itself contains the activities required for an ordered assembly of nucleosomes during the replication process.
Influence of Swab Material on the Detection of Mycoplasma gallisepticum and Mycoplasma synoviae by Real-Time PCR

SUMMARY. Recent reports have shown an increased recovery of cells from flocked nylon swabs which may improve the specimen quality and the real sensitivity of diagnostic tests in a clinical setting. In this study, the detection of Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) and M. synoviae (MS), using dry swabs of different materials (nylon flocked, cotton, and polyester), was investigated using real-time TaqMan® PCR protocols. Different types of samples, including dilutions of pure broth cultures of MG and MS as well as swabs from tracheas of experimentally infected chickens and field cases of infection, were analyzed. There were no statistical differences in real-time PCR results among the different swab types (P < 0.05), indicating that this is not likely to be a significant factor in MG and MS detection by this method. RESUMEN. Influencia de material del hisopo en la detección de Mycoplasma gallisepticum y Mycoplasma synoviae por PCR en tiempo real. Informes recientes han demostrado un aumento de la recuperación de las células a partir de hisopos de nylon agrupados lo que puede mejorar la calidad de la muestra y la sensibilidad real de las pruebas de diagnóstico en un entorno clínico. En este estudio, se analizó la detección de Mycoplasma gallisepticum y de M. synoviae, utilizando hisopos secos de diferentes materiales (nylon agrupados, algodón y poliéster), y mediante un protocolo de PCR en tiempo real con la tecnología TaqMan®. Se analizaron los diferentes tipos de muestras, incluyendo las diluciones de cultivos puros en caldo de M. gallisepticum y de M. synoviae, así como hisopos de tráquea de pollos infectados experimentalmente y los casos de infecciones en el campo. No se observaron diferencias estadísticas en los resultados de PCR en tiempo real entre los diferentes tipos de hisopo (P < 0.05), indicando que no es probable que el tipo de material de hisopo sea un factor significativo en la detección de M. gallisepticum y de M. synoviae por este método.
Escherichia coli superoxide dismutase expression does not change in response to iron challenge during lag phase: Is the ferric uptake regulator to blame?

Intracellular iron levels and the expression of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and hydroperoxidase (HP) are regulated in Gram-negative bacteria by the iron(II)-activated ferric uptake regula- tor (Fur). We have previously observed that the expression of SOD in exponential phase Escherichia coli is dependent upon the redox state of iron in media, consistent with the ferrous specificity of Fur regulation (Bertrand et al., Med. Hypotheses 78: 130 - 133, 2012). Through the non-denaturing electrophoretic technique we have determined the Escherichia coli expression profiles of SOD and HP in response to iron challenge throughout lag, logarithmic, and stationary phases of replication. Lag phase SOD presented an unusual expression profile such that SOD expression was unresponsive to iron challenge, analogous to observations of mutant strains lacking Fur and of E. coli incubated in iron-deplete media. Challenging Escherichia coli with iron during logarithmic phase revealed that length of exposure to oxidants is unlikely to be the cause of SOD unresponsiveness in lag phase. HP activity was up-regulated two- or three-fold throughout all growth phases in response to iron challenge, but did not present redox- or growth phase-specific outcomes in a manner analogous to SOD. We hypothesize that low Fur levels during lag phase are responsible for unresponsive SOD.
Fluvoxamine augmentation in risperidone‐resistant schizophrenia: an open trial

We investigated the efficacy and safety of augmenting risperidone with fluvoxamine for the treatment of residual positive and negative symptoms in patients with chronic schizophrenia who had shown an incomplete response to risperidone. A total of 30 patients completed the open trial over a 12‐week period during which fluvoxamine was added to risperidone. The result from the positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS) and Simpson‐Angus extrapyramidal effects (S‐A) scale were examined at baseline, 1, 2, 4, 8 and 12 weeks of treatment. There were no significant differences in PANSS positive, negative and general psychopathology scores, or in S‐A scale scores at any point during the treatment. These results suggest that fluvoxamine appears to be ineffective in augmenting the risperidone treatment response in chronic schizophrenic patients. Further controlled trials will be needed to confirm this observation. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC)

Despite considerable research, the aetiology of asthma and allergic disease remains poorly understood. The International Study of Asthma and Allergies In Childhood (ISAAC), was founded to maximize the value of epidemiological research into asthma and allergic disease by establishing a standardized methodology and facilitating international collaboration. It has achieved its specific aims which are to describe the prevalence and severity of asthma, rhinitis and eczema in children living in different centres and to make comparisons within and between countries; to obtain baseline measures for assessment of future trends in the prevalence and severity of these diseases; and to provide a framework for further aetiological research into genetic, lifestyle, environmental and medical care factors affecting these diseases.
Transnational comparability of advanced pharmacy practice developmental frameworks: a country‐level crossover mapping study

Previous work by the International Pharmaceutical Federation Education Initiative (FIPEd) demonstrates that even though some country‐specific variations occur in pharmacy practice, there exists a set of practice‐related competencies that are globally applicable. This study aimed to evaluate the transnational comparability of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Advanced Pharmacy Framework (RPS‐APF, Great Britain) and the Advanced Pharmacy Practice Framework for Australia (APPF). The objective was to obtain preliminary data on the transnational applicability of the developmental competencies contained in the two frameworks.
Intrinsic susceptibility of uremia rbc for hemolysis

Using in vitro system; the compounds sodium dodecyl sulphate , nitrosocysteine, nitrosoarginine, cysteine and salicylic acid caused more than 60% hemolysis of RBC from uremia patients. This hemolysis was concentration dependent and showed more severity on patients with chronic kidney disease than on dialysis group. The IC50 values of hemolytic in RBC of uremia patients were significantly lower (p < 0.05) than their corresponding values in normal controls. Dialysis managed to decrease the potency of RBC hemolysis when compared with patients having chronic kidney disease. All these hemolytic changes were associated with a defect in total antioxidant capacities of uremia groups. However, some radical scavenger agents like trolox, ascorbic acid and uric acid were partially able to protect the uremia RBC from hemolysis. The current in vitro system has the potential to assess the susceptibility of uremia RBC for hemolysis, and may help to evaluate the degree of RBC exposure to harmful endotoxins or oxidative agents.
A Class Representative Model for Pure Parsimony Haplotyping

Haplotyping estimation from aligned single nucleotide polymorphism fragments has attracted increasing attention in recent years because of its importance in the analysis of fine-scale genetic data. Its application fields range from mapping of complex disease genes to inferring population histories, passing through designing drugs, functional genomics, and pharmacogenetics. The literature proposes several criteria for haplotyping populations, each of them characterized by biological motivations. One of the most important haplotyping criteria is parsimony, which consists of finding the minimum number of haplotypes necessary to explain a given set of genotypes. Parsimonious haplotype estimation is an NP-hard problem for which the literature has proposed several integer programming (IP) models. Here, we describe a new polynomial-sized IP model based on the concept of class representatives, already used for the coloring problem. We propose valid inequalities to strengthen our model and show, through computational experiments, that our model outperforms the best IP models currently known in literature.
Thermal analysis on AlGaInP thin-film LED with ITO p-type contact by electrical method

Thermal characteristics of AlGaInP thin-film LED with transparent conducting ITO p-type contact by electrical method are presented and discussed. Samples without ITO fabricated from the same AlGaInP /GaAs epitaxial material are also prepared as references. The temperature coefficients of the samples are measured firstly and they are used as temperature sensitive parameters to determine the temperature rise. Heating response curves show that the temperature of chip in the sample with ITO is about 9K lower than the sample without ITO when the time of applying 60mA operation current exceeds 105µs. It can be also calculated that thermal resistance(from chip to ambient condition) of the sample with ITO is about 40K/W lower than the one without ITO. Finally we make the conclusion that the ITO layer is helpful for the thermal management of LED and it can improve the reliability the AlGaInP thin-film LED effectively.
Role of xanthine oxidoreductase in the anti-thrombotic effects of nitrite in rats in vivo

Abstract The mechanisms underlying nitrite-induced effects on thrombosis and hemostasis in vivo are not clear. The goal of the work described here was to investigate the role of xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR) in the anti-platelet and anti-thrombotic activities of nitrite in rats in vivo. Arterial thrombosis was induced electrically in rats with renovascular hypertension by partial ligation of the left renal artery. Sodium nitrite (NaNO2, 0.17 mmol/kg twice daily for 3 days, p.o) was administered with or without one of the XOR-inhibitors: allopurinol (ALLO) and febuxostat (FEB) (100 and 5 mg/kg, p.o., for 3 days). Nitrite treatment (0.17 mmol/kg), which was associated with a significant increase in NOHb, nitrite/nitrate plasma concentration, resulted in a substantial decrease in thrombus weight (TW) (0.48 ± 0.03 mg vs. vehicle [VEH] 0.88 ± 0.08 mg, p < 0.001) without a significant hypotensive effect. The anti-thrombotic effect of nitrite was partially reversed by FEB (TW = 0.63 ± 0.06 mg, p < 0.05 vs. nitrites), but not by ALLO (TW = 0.43 ± 0.02 mg). In turn, profound anti-platelet effect of nitrite measured ex vivo using collagen-induced whole-blood platelet aggregation (70.5 ± 7.1% vs. VEH 100 ± 4.5%, p < 0.05) and dynamic thromboxaneB2 generation was fully reversed by both XOR-inhibitors. In addition, nitrite decreased plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 concentration (0.47 ± 0.13 ng/ml vs. VEH 0.62 ± 0.04 ng/ml, p < 0.05) and FEB/ALLO reversed this effect. In vitro the anti-platelet effect of nitrite (1 mM) was reversed by FEB (0.1 mM) under hypoxia (0.5%O2) and normoxia (20%O2). Nitrite treatment had no effect on coagulation parameters. In conclusion, the nitrite-induced anti-platelet effect in rats in vivo is mediated by XOR, but XOR does not fully account for the anti-thrombotic effects of nitrite.
Classification Using Jumping Emerging Patterns and Cosine Similarity

Classification is a common task in Machine Learning and Data Mining. Jumping Emerging Patterns have been applied for classification in different contexts with good results and the advantage of to be easily understandable for users. In this work we propose the use of cosine similarity measure to select the patterns which will be used to predict the classes in the classification process. Two versions of the algorithm were proposed and tested with four different parameter values in 21 datasets. The results were compared with three frequently used classification algorithms from the literature and proposed algorithms showed a promising results achieving in some the datasets best results than C4.5
Radial artery grafts for lower limb revascularisation.

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Implementation of CMOS-MEMS Compound Lens

This study demonstrates the possibility of implementing lens system via CMOS process. The ever first CMOS based optical focusing system successfully demonstrated focusing capability, with 5um by 6um focus spot size at 6 Hum, and capable of moving focal point 12um in axial direction. This system is composed of a lens set and an electrothermal actuated optical bench. One PDMS dispensed planar-convex lens and CMOS made Fresnel lens forms lens system to achieve focusing power as NA equals 0.38. This kind of system has potential to monolithically integrate with optical sensing circuitry with low cost.
Teachers Can Be Involved in the Design of Location-based Learning Games - The Use of the Puzzle Board Metaphor

Recent research in the Game-Based Learning domain shows that location-based games can lead to positive effects in studentsâ? motivation and engagement. However, the potential effectiveness of these approaches depends on to what extent their design is aligned with the requirements of specific educational situations. For this reason, involving teachers in the design of their own location-based learning games becomes crucial to fulfil their teaching requirements. This paper presents a metaphor based on puzzle boards as a technique to involve teachers in the design of their own location-based games. A design-based research methodology has been followed to evaluate the proposed metaphor. Previous research experiments have shown the feasibility of the puzzle-based games approach to allow secondary education teachers the design of these types of learning experiences. However, some issues in terms of understanding specific elements of the proposed metaphor were detected. A second iteration of the research methodology is described in the paper to evaluate the changes made to the definitions of the metaphorâ? s elements and the dynamics of the game design task. The evaluation is carried out with 20 primary and secondary education teachers who completed a paper-based design task. The main findings show that teachers did not have problems using the proposed metaphor and they successfully designed their own location-based learning games.
Dynamic Control of Runway Configurations and of Arrival and Departure Service Rates at JFK Airport Under Stochastic Queue Conditions

High levels of flight delays require implementation of airport congestion mitigation tools. In this paper, we optimize the use of airport capacity at the tactical level in the face of operational uncertainty. We formulate an original Dynamic Programming model that jointly and dynamically selects runway configurations and the balance of arrival and departure service rates at a busy airport to minimize congestion costs, under stochastic queue dynamics and stochastic operating conditions. Control is exercised as a function of flight schedules, of arrival and departure queue lengths, and of weather and wind conditions. We implement the model in a realistic setting at JFK Airport. The exact Dynamic Programming algorithm terminates within reasonable time frames. In addition, we implement an approximate one-step look-ahead algorithm that considerably accelerates execution of the model and results in close-to-optimal policies. Together, these solution algorithms enable online implementation of the model using real-time information on flight schedules and meteorological conditions. Application of the model shows that the optimal policy is path-dependent, i.e., it depends on prior decisions and on the stochastic evolution of arrival and departure queues during the day. This underscores the theoretical and practical need for integrating operating stochasticity into the decision-making framework. From comparisons with an alternative model based on deterministic queue dynamics, we estimate the benefit of considering queue stochasticity at 5% to 20%. Finally, comparisons with heuristics designed to imitate actual operating procedures suggest that the model can yield significant cost savings, estimated at 20% to 30%.
A Watchdog Sensor for Assuring the Quality of Various Perishables with Subthreshold CMOS Circuits

We developed a CMOS integrated-circuit sensor that emulates the change in quality of various perishables. This sensor is attached to perishable goods such as farm and marine products and is carried from producers to consumers along with the goods. During their distribution process, the sensor experiences the surrounding temperature and emulates the deterioration of the goods caused by the surrounding temperatures. By reading the output of the sensor, consumers can determine whether the goods are fresh or not. This sensor consists of subthreshold CMOS circuits with a low-power consumption of 5muW or less
Understand NBTI Mechanism by Developing Novel Measurement Techniques

Our recent investigations and understanding of the negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) degradation in p-MOSFETs with ultrathin SiON gate dielectric are reviewed. The progressive understanding of NBTI mechanism is mainly related to the novel measurement techniques we developed. We show in this paper the following: 1) For the conventional charge pumping and direct-current current-voltage interface trap measurement, the interface trap density Nit is underestimated due to the recovery during measurement delay. The existing Nit data should be reexamined; 2) an ultrafast pulsed I-V method [fast pulsed measurement (FPM)] is developed to measure DeltaVth with measurement time tM = 100 ns. It can be considered as free from recovery during measurement; 3) due to the degradation during the initial threshold voltage measurement, the existing slow on-the-fly (OTF) DeltaVth measurement distorts (overestimates) the slope and induces a kink at early stress time in the Log-Log curve of the time evolution of NBTI degradation. A fast OTF DeltaVth measurement method is developed to overcome this problem; 4) a novel OTF interface trap (OFIT) measurement method is developed which is free from interface trap recovery during measurement. The OFIT measurement provides the most reliable data to inspect the interface trap R-D model; 5) combining the OFIT and FPM measurements, we decompose the NBTI DeltaVth into two components: A slow DeltaVth it component contributed by with a slow recovery time longer than 50mus and a fast DeltaVth ox component contributed by DeltaVox with a broad spectrum of recovery time, including a component with very fast recovery time (100 ns); and 6) the dynamic degradation by DeltaVth it component is frequency-independent and can be measured by a dc method, whereas the dynamic degradation DeltaVth ox by component measured by FPM is increased by increasing frequency. The ten-year lifetime of the p-MOSFETs is mainly determined by the degradation of the DeltaVth it component.