Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Research status and development of theoretical calculation method on surrounding rock pressure of tunnel

Domestic and foreign scholars have made untiring researches and brought out many research productions on the theoretical calculation method on surrounding rock pressure of tunnel. From the various yield criterion, stress-strain relationship and different modulus in tension and compression of rock and soil, it makes a discussion and evaluation about the present research status at home and abroad of the theoretical calculation method on surrounding rock pressure of circular tunnel under axisymmetric load. On this basis, it puts forward the development of theoretical calculation method on surrounding rock pressure of tunnel that the establishment of the surrounding rock pressure giving a comprehensive consideration of load condition, tunnel form, exist-null lining, yield criterion, modulus in tension and compression, material softening and shear dilatancy, et al.
Extracellular nucleases and extracellular DNA play important roles in Vibrio cholerae biofilm formation

Biofilms are a preferred mode of survival for many microorganisms including Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of the severe secretory diarrhoeal disease cholera. The ability of the facultative human pathogen V. cholerae to form biofilms is a key factor for persistence in aquatic ecosystems and biofilms act as a source for new outbreaks. Thus, a better understanding of biofilm formation and transmission of V. cholerae is an important target to control the disease. So far the Vibrio exopolysaccharide was the only known constituent of the biofilm matrix. In this study we identify and characterize extracellular DNA as a component of the Vibrio biofilm matrix. Furthermore, we show that extracellular DNA is modulated and controlled by the two extracellular nucleases Dns and Xds. Our results indicate that extracellular DNA and the extracellular nucleases are involved in diverse processes including the development of a typical biofilm architecture, nutrient acquisition, detachment from biofilms and the colonization fitness of biofilm clumps after ingestion by the host. This study provides new insights into biofilm development and transmission of biofilm‐derived V. cholerae.
THE RPN METHODOLOGY APPLIED TO QUANTIFY PROCESS OPERABILITY AND CONTROLLER DESIGN

Abstract The RPN indicates how potentially difficult it is for a given system to achieve the desired performance robustly. It reflects both the attainable performance of a system and its degree of directionality. Three new indices, RPN ratio, RPN difference, and relative RPN are introduced to quantify how realizable a given desired performance can be. The predictions made by RPN are verified by closed-loop simulations. These indices are applied to quantify the IO-controllability of the quadruple-tank process and an air separation plant.
The value of the sagittal-oblique MRI technique for injuries of the anterior cruciate ligament in the knee

Abstract Background. Complete rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) does not represent a diagnostic problem for the standard magnetic resonance (MR) protocol of the knee. Lower accuracy of the standard MR protocol for partial rupture of the ACL can be improved by using additional, dedicated MR techniques. The study goal was to draw a comparison between sagittal-oblique MR technique of ACL imaging versus flexion MR technique of ACL imaging and, versus ACL imaging obtained with standard MR protocol of the knee. Patients and methods. In this prospective study we included 149 patients who were referred to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination due to knee soft tissues trauma during 12 months period. MRI signs of ACL trauma, especially detection of partial tears, number of slices per technique showing the whole ACL, duration of applied additional protocols, and reproducibility of examination were analysed. Results. Accuracy of standard MRI protocol of the knee comparing to both additional techniques is identical in detection of a complete ACL rupture. Presentations of the partial ruptures of ACL using flexion technique and sagittaloblique technique were more sensitive (p<0.001) than presentation using standard MR protocol. There was no statistically significant difference between MRI detection of the ruptured ACL between additional techniques (p> 0.65). Sagittal-oblique technique provides a higher number of MRI slices showing the whole course of the ACL and requires a shorter scan time compared to flexion technique (p<0.001). Conclusions. Both additional techniques (flexion and sagittal-oblique) are just as precise as the standard MR protocol for the evaluation of a complete rupture of the ACL, so they should be used in cases of suspicion of partial rupture of the ACL. Our study showed sagittal-oblique technique was superior, because it did not depend on patient’s ability to exactly repeat the same external rotation if standard MR protocol was used or to repeat exactly the same flexion in flexion MR technique in further MR examinations. Sagittal-oblique technique does not require the patient’s knee to be repositioned, which makes this technique faster. We propose this technique in addition to the standard MR protocol for detection of partial ACL tears.
A new methodology for two-dimensional numerical simulation of semiconductor devices

A methodology for obtaining the self-consistent solution of semiconductor device equations discretized in the finite-difference scheme is proposed, in which a new discretized Green's function solution method is used to solve the two-dimensional discretized Poisson equation and a surface mapping technique is developed to treat arbitrary surface boundary conditions. The two-dimensional potential distribution can then be expressed in terms of charge density distribution and bias conditions. Using the derived potential distribution, the SLOR-nonlinear iteration for the current continuity equations of both carriers can be performed by incorporating a new algorithm to obtain the self-consistent solution of a full set of semiconductor device equations without any outer iteration. An Si MESFET simulation demonstrates that the convergent rate of the proposed method can be speeded up to 4-8 times that of Gummel's method. The new method can be incorporated with the conventional solution methods to get a stable and efficient computation scheme. >
Predicting India Volatility Index: An Application of Artificial Neural Network

has always been an area of interest for the researchers in various realms of finance especially in the stock market e.g. stock index, return on a stock, etc. Stock market volatility is one such area. Since the inception of implied volatility index (VIX) by the Chicago Board of Options Exchange (CBOE) in 1993, VIX index has generated a lot of interest. This study examines the predicting ability of several technical indicators related to VIX index to forecast the next trading day's volatility. There is a wide set of methods available for forecasting in finance. In this study, Artificial neural network (ANN) modeling technique has been employed to forecast the upwards or downwards movement in next trading day's volatility using India VIX (a volatility index based on the NIFTY Index Option prices) based indicators. The results of the study reveal that ANN models can be real handy in forecasting the downwards movement in VIX. The knowledge about a more probable downwards movement in volatility might be significant value add for the investors and help them in making decisions related to trading.
Height pattern evaluation for coverage area designing on upper floors of multi-story buildings

People use wireless communication systems regardless of the location, outdoor or indoor. It is important to predict the coverage area of wireless communication systems in all places. The goal of this study is the accurate estimation of coverage area in buildings including multi-story buildings. If the received power at the outside buildings of each floor is estimated correctly, the coverage area in indoor buildings for wireless communication can be predicted by higher accuracy. Therefore, the height pattern that shows the characteristic of received power above ground considering surrounding buildings is necessary. To design the novel height pattern model, this paper investigates the characteristics of the received power corresponding to the variation in receiver height near the building. As an approach to analyzing the effect of the varying receiver height and buildings, this paper compared simulated and measured values to traditional propagation loss models. A ray-tracing simulation and measurement in an actual environment were also performed. As a result, the received power near the building was observed to be close to that of the Walfisch-Ikegami model at a lower height than that of the surrounding buildings. In contrast, when the receiver height exceeded that of the surrounding buildings, the characteristic of the received power resembled that of the ground-reflection model by two rays. In addition, the level of average received power was close to that in the free space propagation loss. However, Authors found that there was greater standard deviation of the received power near the building than far away. Moreover, the received power of the measurement is lower than that of the ray-tracing simulation, making it difficult to estimate the received power at each height with the traditional model. To design the novel height pattern, the receiver height and its distance from the closest building must therefore be considered.
Cutting Edge: Primary and Secondary Effects of CD19 Deficiency on Cells of the Marginal Zone1

Marginal zone (MZ) B cells are absent in CD19−/− mice. Possible causes include an intrinsic defect in B cells and/or a secondary defect in the extrinsic MZ microenvironment as a result of changes in B cell differentiation in mice lacking CD19. Cells in the MZ also include MZ macrophages (MZM) and MZ dendritic cells (DC). Although CD19 is only expressed on B cells, SIGN-R1+ MZM are absent and CD11c+ MZ DC distribution is abnormal in CD19−/− mice. Adoptively transferred B cells from normal mice are able to reconstitute MZ B cells in CD19−/− mice. In contrast, CD19−/− B cells could not enter the MZ of the normal mice. Furthermore, MZM distribution and MZ DC distribution are restored following MZ B cell reconstitution in CD19−/− mice. Thus, MZ B cells are required for MZM differentiation and MZ DC localization, but the deficiency of MZ B cells in CD19−/− mice is caused by a defect of intrinsic B cell signaling.
Ameliorative Effect of Adjunct Therapy of Metformin with Atorvastatin on Streptozotocin-induced Diabetes Mellitus in Rats

Abstract Metformin has been used for the treatment of diabetes, whereas atorvastatin reduces the incidence of atherosclerosis and ischemic heart disease. Therefore, combined treatment with meformin plus atorvastatin may be beneficial in diabetic patients associated with cardiac disease. The present study was designed to evaluate the combination therapy of metformin and atorvastatin on streptozotocin-induced diabetes mellitus in rats. Blood pressure, serum insulin, glucose, lipid profiles and antioxidant enzymes in pancreatic tissues were measured. Histopathological examination of pancreatic tissues was performed. Streptozotocin treated rats showed significant decrease in body weight and body mass index. Streptozotocin-treated rats showed a significant increase in the levels of blood pressure, serum glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance as well as a significant decrease in the levels of serum insulin, high density lipoprotein and reduced glutathione in pancreatic tissues. Administration of metformin plus atorvastatin for a period of 14 days significantly improved these biochemical parameters near to normal. The protective effect of metformin plus atorvaststin against streptozotocin-induced diabetes was further confirmed by histopathological examination. The results of present study suggest that metformin plus atorvastatin possess antioxidant activity and has a significant protective effect against streptozotocin-induced diabetes mellitus.
The On-line Study of Sentence Comprehension: Eyetracking, ERPs and Beyond

M. Carreiras, C. Clifton, Jr., On the On-line Study of Language Comprehension. D.C. Mitchell, On-line Methods in Language Processing: Introduction and Historical Review. M.J. Pickering, S. Frisson, B. McElree, M.J. Traxler, Eye Movements and Semantic Composition. J.E. Boland, Linking Eye Movements to Sentence Comprehension in Reading and Listening. S.A. McDonald, R.C. Shillcock, Lexical Predictability Effects on Eye Fixations During Reading. M. Betancort, E. Meseguer, M. Carreiras, The Empty Category PRO: Processing What Can't Be Seen. R.P.G. van Gompel, S.P. Liversedge, J. Pearson, Antecedent Typicality Effects in the Processing of Noun Phrase Anaphors. P.C. Gordon, C. Christine Camblin, T.Y. Swaab, On-line Measures of Coreferential Processing. A.J. Sanford, P. Sturt, L. Moxey, L. Morrow, C. Emmott, Production and Comprehension Measures in Assessing Plural Object Formation. C. Scheepers, M.W. Crocker, Constituent Order Priming from Reading to Listening: A Visual-world Study. F. Huettig, G.T. M. Altmann, The Online Processing of Ambiguous and Unambiguous Words in Context: Evidence from Head-mounted Eye-tracking. S. Brown-Schmidt, D.K. Byron, M.K. Tanenhaus, That's Not It and It is Not That: Reference Resolution and Conceptual Composites. J.J.A. van Berkum, Sentence Comprehension in a Wider Discourse: Can We Use ERPs to Keep Track of Things? L. Osterhout, J. McLaughlin, A. Kim, R. Greenwald, K. Inoue, Sentences in the Brain: Event-related Potentials as Real-time Reflections of Sentence Comprehension and Language Learning. H. Barber, E. Salillas, M. Carreiras, Gender or Genders Agreement? M. Hoen, P.F. Dominey, Evidence for a Shared Mechanism in Linguistic and Non-linguistic Sequence Processing? ERP Recordings of Online Function- and Content-information Integration. C.J. Fiebach, M. Schlesewsky, I.D. Bornkessel, A.D. Friederici, Distinct Neural Correlates of Legal and Illegal Word Order Variations in German: How can fMRI Inform Cognitive Models of Sentence Processing? M.K. Tanenhaus, On-line Sentence Processing: Past, Present and Future.
Comparison of the DNA damage response in BEAS-2B and A549 cells exposed to titanium dioxide nanoparticles

For some decades production of titanium dioxide nanoparticle (TiO2-NP) has been increasing at a considerable rate; concerns as to the toxicity of these particles upon inhalation have been raised. Indeed, TiO2-NPs have been shown to induce significant genotoxicity and to adversely affect both major DNA repair mechanisms: base excision repair (BER) and nucleotide excision repair (NER). The aims of the present study were to (i) compare the genotoxicity of TiO2-NPs and their impact on DNA repair processes on A549 alveolar carcinoma and BEAS-2B normal bronchial lung cell lines and (ii) delve deeper into the mechanisms leading to these effects. To achieve these goals, TiO2-NPs effects on cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, DNA repair activity and DNA repair gene expression were investigated in both cell lines upon exposure to 1–100 µg/mL of anatase/rutile, 21 nm TiO2-NPs. Our results show that TiO2-NPs induce comparable cytotoxic and genotoxic responses in BEAS-2B and A549 cells. Functional response to DNA damage is observed in both cell lines and consists of an overall downregulation in DNA repair processes. When evaluating the relative importance of the two DNA repair pathways, we observed a lower impact on BER compared with NER activities, suggesting that repair of oxidatively generated DNA damage is still triggered in these cells. This response becomes measureable at 4 h of exposure in BEAS-2B but only after 48 h of exposure in A549 cells. The delayed response in A549 cells is due to an initial overall and intense downregulation of the genes encoding DNA repair proteins. This overall downregulation correlates with increased methylation of DNA repair gene promoters and downregulation of NRF2 and BRCA1, which may thus be considered as upstream regulators. These results strengthen the evidence that TiO2-NP induces indirect genotoxicity in lung cells, via modulation of DNA repair processes, and shed some light on the mechanisms behind this effect.
Speaking, Seeing, Understanding: Correlating semantic models with conceptual representation in the brain

Research in computational semantics is increasingly guided by our understanding of human semantic processing. However, semantic models are typically studied in the context of natural language processing system performance. In this paper, we present a systematic evaluation and comparison of a range of widely-used, state-of-the-art semantic models in their ability to predict patterns of conceptual representation in the human brain. Our results provide new insights both for the design of computational semantic models and for further research in cognitive neuroscience.
Characterization of the Distal Tail Fiber Locus and Determination of the Receptor for Phage AR1, Which Specifically InfectsEscherichia coli O157:H7

ABSTRACT Phage AR1 is similar to phage T4 in several essential genes but differs in host range. AR1 infects various isolates ofEscherichia coli O157:H7 but does not infect K-12 strains that are commonly infected by T4. We report here the determinants that confer this infection specificity. In T-even phages, gp37 and gp38 are components of the tail fiber that are critical for phage-host interaction. The counterparts in AR1 may be similarly important and, therefore, were characterized. The AR1 gp37 has a sequence that differs totally from those of T2 and T4, except for a short stretch at the N terminus. The gp38 sequence, however, has some conservation between AR1 and T2 but not between AR1 and T4. The sequences that are most closely related to the AR1 gp37 and gp38 are those of phage Ac3 in the T2 family. To identify the AR1-specific receptor, E. coliO157:H7 was mutated by Tn10 insertion and selected for an AR1-resistant phenotype. A mutant so obtained has an insertion occurring at ompC that encodes an outer membrane porin. To confirm the role of OmpC in the AR1 infection, homologous replacement was used to create an ompC disruption mutant (RM). When RM was complemented with OmpC originated from an O157:H7 strain, but not from K-12, its AR1 susceptibility was fully restored. Our results suggest that the host specificity of AR1 is mediated at least in part through the OmpC molecule.
FORTHCOMING IN ACADEMY OF MANAGEMENT JOURNAL The Burden of Celebrity: The Impact of CEO Certification Contests on CEO Pay and Performance

We used the results from Financial World’s widely publicized certification contest, CEO of the Year, to investigate the impact of such contests on firm performance and executive compensation. A certification contest ranks actors on performance criteria that key stakeholders accept as credible and legitimate. We found that certified CEOs received higher compensation than noncertified CEOs when performance was high but lower remuneration when performance was poor. Although certifications appear to generate positive abnormal returns when they are first announced, the longer-term impact of CEO certifications appears to be negative.
Evidence for an extended 7SL RNA structure in the signal recognition particle.

The signal recognition particle (SRP) functions in conjunction with the SRP receptor to target nascent ectoplasmic proteins to the protein translocation machinery of the endoplasmic reticulum membrane. SRP is a ribonucleoprotein consisting of six distinct polypeptides and one molecule of 7SL RNA 300 nucleotides long. SRP has previously been visualized by a variety of electron microscopic techniques as a rod‐shaped particle 24 nm long and 6 nm wide. We report here microanalysis by electron spectroscopic imaging which localizes the RNA molecule in SRP to primarily the two ends of the particle. These results suggest that the single 7SL RNA molecule spans the length of the particle. Micrographs from a scanning transmission electron microscope permit visualization of unstained SRP with low electron exposure, as well as the direct measurement of the mol. wt of the particle. These micrographs confirm our earlier suggestion that SRP is divided into three structural domains and allow discrimination of the two ends of the structure. The results of both techniques have been combined in a model for the structure of SRP in which we propose the basic orientation of the 7SL RNA. The structure proposed is consistent with the secondary structure predicted for the RNA and with biochemical data.
The FAST-AIMS Clinical Mass Spectrometry Analysis System

Within clinical proteomics, mass spectrometry analysis of biological samples is emerging as an important high-throughput technology, capable of producing powerful diagnostic and prognostic models and identifying important disease biomarkers. As interest in this area grows, and the number of such proteomics datasets continues to increase, the need has developed for efficient, comprehensive, reproducible methods of mass spectrometry data analysis by both experts and nonexperts. We have designed and implemented a stand-alone software system, FAST-AIMS, which seeks to meet this need through automation of data preprocessing, feature selection, classification model generation, and performance estimation. FAST-AIMS is an efficient and user-friendly stand-alone software for predictive analysis of mass spectrometry data. The present resource review paper will describe the features and use of the FAST-AIMS system. The system is freely available for download for noncommercial use.
Comparison between disclosure and non-disclosure approaches for trisomy 21 screening tests.

BACKGROUND First-trimester nuchal translucency (NT) and second-trimester triple test (TT) are common screening programmes for trisomy 21. The aim of this study was to compare disclosure and non-disclosure approaches of combining those tests. METHODS Likelihood ratios of both NT and TT tests, among 508 normal and 23 trisomy 21-affected pregnancies, were used for calculating population-adjusted risks. Disclosure approach incorporated all cases which, by either NT or TT, exhibited a risk > or = 1:250 whereas non-disclosure approach generated a new integrated figure > or = 1:250. RESULTS Among women aged < or = 34 years, the disclosure and non-disclosure approaches were associated with false positive rates of 4.3 and 1.1%, detection rates of 76.4 and 61.2%, positive predictive value (PPV) of 1:53 and 1:17, and false negative rate of 1:3129 and 1:1985 respectively. CONCLUSIONS The disclosure approach resulted in considerably higher detection rates. The non-disclosure approach, however, was four times better regarding the number of invasive procedures required to detect one case of trisomy 21. However, the positive predictive value associated with the disclosure policy was still much more beneficial than that obtained in women aged > or = 37 years, who are routinely referred to fetal karyotyping.
Type theory via exact categories

Partial equivalence relations (and categories of these) are a standard tool in semantics of type theories and programming languages, since they often provide a cartesian closed category with extended definability. Using the theory of exact categories, we give a category-theoretic explanation of why the construction of a category of partial equivalence relations often produces a cartesian closed category. We show how several familiar examples of categories of partial equivalence relations fit into the general framework.