Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of Pumice and Scoria Deposits in Dhamar-Rada ’ Volcanic Field SW-Yemen , as a Pozzolanic Materials and Lightweight Aggregates

The aim of this study is to assess the suitability of Pumice and Scoria pyroclastics from Dhamar Rada’ volcanic field as a pozzolanic materials and lightweight aggregates. Tests were conducted as Portland cement was replaced by Pumice powder or Scoria powder within the range of 0 25% of standard volume, moreover, the effects of these powders as additives on the physical and mechanical properties of mortar was investigated. Fifteen concrete mixtures were produced in three groups in order to study the effects of the combination of coarse aggregates (Pumice and Scoria) with three types of fine aggregates. These mixtures were designed by replacing coarse Pumice aggregate by coarse Scoria aggregate as (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%) of volume, and replacing of fine Pumice aggregate and fine Scoria aggregate by sand. Pumice powder and Scoria powder were added to replace 25% of the Portland cement as pozzolanic materials to study the effects of additives and the cement volume reduction on the physical, mechanical and thermal properties of the concrete samples. The results indicated that the use of 25% Pumice powder or 25% Scoria powder as pozzolanic materials satisfies the requirement of Portland pozzolan cement as per ASTM C 595, however, the initial and final concrete setting time increased with the additive dosage increment respectively. Moreover, the AS group of concrete samples can be classified as light weight concrete in terms of unit weight and compressive strength requirements according to ASTM 330, ACI, and RILEM. While the concrete samples in groups BP and CSC, which have 25% pozzolanic materials, can be used for insulation purposes according to ASTM 332 and RILEM classification. Further symmetrical studies for Pumice and Scoria deposits from other locations in Yemen are recommended due to the predicted promising value of these deposits in feasibilizing many items of developing construction projects.
Express Coefficients in 13-ary , Radix-4 CSD to Create Computationally Efficient Multiplierless FIR Filters

A two’s complement DSP signal can be multiplied by a fixed coefficient using an adder tree operating on input shifts corresponding to nonzero coefficient bits. Alternatively, the signed bits of a canonical-signed-digit (CSD) coefficient representation specify an add/subtract network, with one third fewer terms required on average. That well-known approach is generalized here to a radix-4 CSD system that turns out to save 36% relative to conventional CSD in the FIR-filter application but at a perfilter overhead cost of six small-integer scaling operations that represent common subexpressions implicitly factored from the add/subtract network. The approach works for both direct-form and transposed-form filters and generalizes easily to other number systems.
Domain-Independent turn-level Dialogue Quality Evaluation via User Satisfaction Estimation

An automated metric to evaluate dialogue quality is vital for optimizing data driven dialogue management. The common approach of relying on explicit user feedback during a conversation is intrusive and sparse. Current models to estimate user satisfaction use limited feature sets and rely on annotation schemes with low inter-rater reliability, limiting generalizability to conversations spanning multiple domains. To address these gaps, we created a new Response Quality annotation scheme, based on which we developed turn-level User Satisfaction metric. We introduced five new domain-independent feature sets and experimented with six machine learning models to estimate the new satisfaction metric. Using Response Quality annotation scheme, across randomly sampled single and multi-turn conversations from 26 domains, we achieved high inter-annotator agreement (Spearman's rho 0.94). The Response Quality labels were highly correlated (0.76) with explicit turn-level user ratings. Gradient boosting regression achieved best correlation of ~0.79 between predicted and annotated user satisfaction labels. Multi Layer Perceptron and Gradient Boosting regression models generalized to an unseen domain better (linear correlation 0.67) than other models. Finally, our ablation study verified that our novel features significantly improved model performance.
Measurement of Agglomerates Shape Using Three-Dimensional Reconstruction

The agglomeration of particles is a process that modifies the physical properties of a product originally manufactured as a powder. During milk powder agglomeration of fluidized bed, resulting agglomerates are sufficiently porous to improve the solubility of the final product but, at the same time, their rigidity decreases and agglomerates can be destroyed during packing. The porosity and rigidity properties depend on both the volume and shape characteristics of the agglomerates. This paper presents a three-dimensional reconstruction technique based on a laser displacement sensor (LDS) applied to characterize milk agglomerates. This technique allows threedimensional scanning to estimate particle volume and extract shape parameters such as: sphericity, elongation and flatness ratio, shape factor and aspect ratio. This technique was implemented using a mechatronic device with two degrees of freedom. The device is composed of an angular positioning system to rotate the agglomerate and a linear positioning system to displace the LDS. Experimental result allows agglomerates classification according to shape parameters. Keywords— agglomerated particles; laser displacement sensor; shape parameters; three-dimensional reconstruction
Investigating the Potential of the Flipped Classroom Model in K-12 Mathematics Teaching and Learning.

The Flipped Classroom model (FCM) is a promising blended educational innovation aiming to improve the teaching and learning practice in various subject domains and educational levels. However, despite this encouraging evidence, research on the explicit benefits of the FCM on K-12 Mathematics education is still scarce and, in some cases, even inconclusive. Thus, the contribution of this paper is to present an action research for investigating the impact of FCM in K-12 Math (Algebra) teaching and learning in order to support and extend the narrow existing pool of works. The action research was based on a quasi-experimental design (using an experimental-control group protocol), with a sample of 40 students, for a full semester of the school year. The results provide evidence for potential advantages in students’ cognitive learning outcomes (on knowledge of subject domain), students’ level of motivation, as well as better use of teaching time during the face-to-face school-based sessions.
hermal conductivity map of the Avila region ( Spain ) based on hermal conductivity measurements of different rock and soil samples

A thermal conductivity map constitutes an important basis with regards to the design and performance of geothermal heat pump installations. Although the execution of a Thermal Response Test means an ideal solution as it provides the average value of the thermal conductivity over the length of the borehole drilled for the BHE, in small projects it is not possible to carry out these tests because they involve a vailable online 7 September 2016
Hypofractionated EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor limits tumor relapse through triggering innate and adaptive immunity

Proper dosing and timing of EGFR TKI can trigger antitumor T cell responses and potentiate anti–PD-L1 immunotherapy. Enhanced inhibitor Epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR TKIs) block oncogenic receptor signaling and are used as a first-line treatment for EGFR-mutated non–small cell lung cancer. Resistance to EGFR TKIs, including the standard hyperfractionated EGFR TKI (HyperTKI) treatment, is a problem that has driven the development of next-generation inhibitors. Here, Liu et al. describe the improved efficacy of hypofractionated EGFR TKI (HypoTKI) relative to HyperTKI in triggering antitumor T cell responses and preventing relapse in a TKI-sensitive syngeneic murine tumor model through a mechanism involving the type I IFN and MyD88 signaling pathways. Coadministration of HypoTKI with an anti–PD-L1 antibody further improved antitumor responses and reduced tumor relapse, thus suggesting that this combined therapy may be a potential alternative to existing treatment regimens. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are a first-line therapy for rapidly killing tumors such as those associated with non–small cell lung cancer by blocking oncogenic receptor signaling, but tumor relapse often occurs. Here, we have observed that hypofractionated EGFR TKI treatment (HypoTKI) is more potent than standard hyperfractionated EGFR TKI treatment (HyperTKI), and its antitumor effect associated with preventing tumor relapse depends on T cells. HypoTKI triggers greater innate sensing for type I IFN and CXCL10 production through the Myd88 signaling pathway to enhance tumor-specific T cell infiltration and reactivation. We also demonstrate that timely programmed cell death ligand–1 (PD-L1) blockade can synergize with HypoTKI to control advanced large tumors and effectively limit tumor relapse without severe side effects. Our study provides evidence for exploring the potential of a proper combination of EGFR TKIs and immunotherapy as a first-line treatment for treating EGFR-driven tumors.
Lactate dehydrogenase and glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase cooperatively regulate growth and carbohydrate metabolism during Drosophila melanogaster larval development

ABSTRACT The dramatic growth that occurs during Drosophila larval development requires rapid conversion of nutrients into biomass. Many larval tissues respond to these biosynthetic demands by increasing carbohydrate metabolism and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity. The resulting metabolic program is ideally suited for synthesis of macromolecules and mimics the manner by which cancer cells rely on aerobic glycolysis. To explore the potential role of Drosophila LDH in promoting biosynthesis, we examined how Ldh mutations influence larval development. Our studies unexpectedly found that Ldh mutants grow at a normal rate, indicating that LDH is dispensable for larval biomass production. However, subsequent metabolomic analyses suggested that Ldh mutants compensate for the inability to produce lactate by generating excess glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P), the production of which also influences larval redox balance. Consistent with this possibility, larvae lacking both LDH and G3P dehydrogenase (GPDH1) exhibit growth defects, synthetic lethality and decreased glycolytic flux. Considering that human cells also generate G3P upon inhibition of lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA), our findings hint at a conserved mechanism in which the coordinate regulation of lactate and G3P synthesis imparts metabolic robustness to growing animal tissues. Highlighted Article: The rapid growth of Drosophila larvae is dependent on the coordinated activity of lactate dehydrogenase and glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase 1, a metabolic relationship that is also observed in human cancer cells.
Abiotic stress modulates root patterning via ABA-regulated microRNA expression in the endodermis initials

ABSTRACT Patterning of the root xylem into protoxylem (PX) and metaxylem is regulated by auxin-cytokinin signaling and microRNA miR165a/166b-mediated suppression of genes encoding Class III HOMEODOMAIN LEU-ZIPPER (HD-ZIPIII) proteins. We found that, in Arabidopsis, osmotic stress via core abscisic acid (ABA) signaling in meristematic endodermal cells induces differentiation of PX in radial and longitudinal axes in association with increased VND7 expression. Similarly, in tomato, ABA enhanced PX differentiation longitudinally and radially, indicating an evolutionarily conserved mechanism. ABA increased expression of miR165a/166b and reduced expression of the miR165a/166b repressor ZWILLE (ZLL) (also known as ARGONAUTE10), resulting in reduced levels of all five HD-ZIPIII RNAs. ABA treatments failed to induce additional PX files in a miR165a/166b-resistant PHB mutant, phb1-d, and in scr and shr mutants, in which miR165a/166b expression is strongly reduced. Thus, ABA regulates xylem patterning and maturation via miR165a/166b-regulated expression of HD-ZIPIII mRNAs and associated VND7 levels. In lateral root initials, ABA induced an increase in miR165a levels in endodermal precursors and inhibited their reduction in the future quiescent center specifically at pre-emergence stage. Hence, ABA-induced inhibition of lateral root is associated with reduced HD-ZIPIII levels. Summary: A non-cell autonomous, miRNA-dependent mechanism by which the ABA-dependent drought stress response regulates the development of xylem and lateral roots, helping roots to adapt to water availability.
Glow Discharge in a High-Velocity Air Flow: The Role of the Associative Ionization Reactions Involving Excited Atoms

A kinetic scheme for non-equilibrium regimes of atmospheric pressure air discharges is developed. A distinctive feature of this model is that it includes associative ionization with the participation of N(2D, 2P) atoms. The thermal dissociation of vibrationally excited nitrogen molecules and the electronic excitation from all the vibrational levels of the nitrogen molecules are also accounted for. The model is used to simulate the parameters of a glow discharge ignited in a fast longitudinal flow of preheated (T0 = 1800–2900 K) air. The results adequately describe the dependence of the electric field in the glow discharge on the initial gas temperature. For T0 = 1800 K, a substantial acceleration in the ionization kinetics of the discharge is found at current densities larger than 3 A/cm2, mainly due to the N(2P) + O(3P) → NO+ + e process; being the N(2P) atoms produced via quenching of N2(A3∑u+) molecules by N(4S) atoms. Correspondingly, the reduced electric field noticeably falls because the electron energy (6.2 eV) required for the excitation of the N2(A3∑u+) state is considerably lower than the ionization energy (9.27 eV) of the NO molecules. For higher values of T0, the associative ionization N(2D) + O(3P) → NO+ + e process (with a low–activation barrier of 0.38 eV) becomes also important in the production of charged particles. The N(2D) atoms being mainly produced via quenching of N2(A3∑u+) molecules by O(3P) atoms.
The role of health and social factors in education outcome: A record-linked electronic birth cohort analysis

Background and objective Health status in childhood is correlated with educational outcomes. Emergency hospital admissions during childhood are common but it is not known how these unplanned breaks from schooling impact on education outcomes. We hypothesised that children who had emergency hospital admissions had an increased risk of lower educational attainment, in addition to the increased risks associated with other health, social and school factors. Methods This record-linked electronic birth cohort, included children born in Wales between 1 January 1998 and 31 August 2001. We fitted multilevel logistic regression models grouped by schools, to determine whether emergency hospital inpatient admission before age 7 years was associated with the educational outcome of not attaining the expected level in a teacher-based assessment at age 7 years (KS1). We adjusted for pregnancy, perinatal, socio-economic, neighbourhood, pupil mobility and school-level factors. Results The cohort comprised 64 934 children. Overall, 4680 (7.2%) did not attain the expected educational level. Emergency admission to hospital was associated with poor educational attainment (OR 1.12 95% Credible Interval (CI) 1.05, 1.20 for all causes during childhood, OR 1.19 95%CI 1.07, 1.32 for injuries and external causes and OR 1.31 95%CI 1.04, 1.22 for admissions during infancy), after adjusting for known determinants of education outcomes such as extreme prematurity, being small for gestational age and socio-economic indicators, such as eligibility for free school meals. Conclusion Emergency inpatient hospital admission during childhood, particularly during infancy or for injuries and external causes was associated with an increased risk of lower education attainment at age 7 years, in addition to the effects of pregnancy factors (gestational age, birthweight) and social deprivation. These findings support the need for injury prevention measures and additional support in school for affected children to help them to achieve their potential.
Endoscopic closure using polyglycolic acid sheets for delayed perforation after colonic endoscopic submucosal dissection

Recently, polyglycolic acid (PGA) sheets and fibrin glue have been reported to close perforations in several areas of the gastrointestinal tract [1–5]. However, delayed perforation after colonic endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) usually requires emergency surgery. We report on a case of delayed perforation after colonic ESD that was treated with PGA sheets and fibrin glue. An 81-year-old man with a 40mm laterally spreading tumor in the ascending colon underwent ESD without perforation (▶Fig. 1). On postoperative Day 2, he had high fever and abdominal pain, and computed tomography showed free air. Conservative treatment with antibiotics improved his symptoms and blood test findings; however, the free air persisted. Colonoscopy revealed a small perforation on the ESD ulcer. Therefore, we attempted to close the perforation through endoscopic closure using PGA sheets and fibrin glue (▶Video 1). Initially, the PGA sheet (Neoveil; Gunze, Kyoto, Japan) was cut into 10×10mm pieces, and then, the perforation site was filled and covered with these pieces using biopsy forceps through the scope channel of a colonoscope (PCF-Q260JI; Olympus, Tokyo, Japan) (▶Fig. 2 a). Thereafter, fibrin glue (Beriplast P Combi-Set; CSL E-Videos
Short Term Stability Testing of Efavirenz-Loaded Solid Lipid Nanoparticle (SLN) and Nanostructured Lipid Carrier (NLC) Dispersions

The short term stability of efavirenz-loaded solid lipid nanoparticle and nanostructured lipid carrier dispersions was investigated. Hot High Pressure Homogenization with the capability for scale up production was successfully used to manufacture the nanocarriers without the use of toxic organic solvents for the first time. Glyceryl monostearate and Transcutol® HP were used as the solid and liquid lipids. Tween® 80 was used to stabilize the lipid nanocarriers. A Box-Behnken Design was used to identify the optimum operating and production conditions viz., 1100 bar for 3 cycles for the solid lipid nanoparticles and 1500 bar for 5 cycles for nanostructured lipid carriers. The optimized nanocarriers were predicted to exhibit 10% efavirenz loading with 3% and 4% Tween® 80 for solid lipid nanoparticles and nanostructured lipid carriers, respectively. Characterization of the optimized solid lipid nanoparticle and nanostructured lipid carrier formulations in relation to shape, surface morphology, polymorphism, crystallinity and compatibility revealed stable formulations with particle sizes in the nanometer range had been produced. The nanocarriers had excellent efavirenz loading with the encapsulation efficiency >90%. The optimized nanocarriers exhibited biphasic in vitro release patterns with an initial burst release during the initial 0–3 h followed by sustained release over a 24 h period The colloidal systems showed excellent stability in terms of Zeta potential, particle size, polydispersity index and encapsulation efficiency when stored for 8 weeks at 25 °C/60% RH in comparison to when stored at 40 °C/75% RH. The formulations manufactured using the optimized conditions and composition proved to be physically stable as aqueous dispersions.
Factors Associated with Marital Satisfaction and Quality of Life in Family Caregivers of Patients with Mental Disorders

(1) Background: The aim of this research was to analyze factors associated with quality of life (QoL) and marital satisfaction in married family caregivers of patients with mental disorders. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in all community mental health services in Goiania municipality, Brazil, in 2016–2017. Married family caregivers of patients with severe and persistent mental disorders were recruited and their QoL and marital satisfaction was assessed by using the World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument Abbreviated version (WHOQOL-BREF) and Marital Satisfaction Scale. Multiple linear regressions were performed to identify factors associated with QoL and marital satisfaction. (3) Results: For 163 family caregivers, the psychological and environmental QoL domains presented the best and the worst scores, respectively. Factors independently associated with better QoL for caregivers were male caregiver, the younger age of a caregiver, >8 years of schooling, ≥5 years as a caregiver who performed physical activities, caregiver without chronic disease, and no patient’s crisis in the last 30 days. Factors independently associated with marital satisfaction of the caregiver were male caregiver, caregiver with >8 years of schooling, caregiver who received support by relatives to care for the patient, caregiver who performed physical activities, no patient’s crisis in the last 30 days, and patient hospitalization in the last six months; (4) Conclusions: The main predictor for marital satisfaction was support by relatives, and for QoL it was no patient’s crisis in the last 30 days.
Global patterns in price elasticities of sugar-sweetened beverage intake and potential effectiveness of tax policy: a cross-sectional study of 164 countries by sex, age and global-income decile

Objective To quantify global relationships between sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intake and prices and examine the potential effectiveness of tax policy. Design SSB intake data by country, age and sex from the Global Dietary Database were combined with gross domestic product and price data from the World Bank. Intake responsiveness to income and prices was estimated accounting for national income, age and sex differences. Setting 164 countries. Population Full adult population in each country. Main outcome measures A consumer demand modelling framework was used to estimate the relationship between SSB intake and prices and derive own-price elasticities (measures of percentage changes in intake from a 1% price change) globally by age and sex. We simulated how a 20% tax would impact SSB intake globally. Tax policy outcomes were examined across countries by global income decile for representative age and sex subgroups. Results Own-price responsiveness was highest in lowest income countries, ranging from −0.70 (p<0.100) for women, age 50, to −1.91 (p<0.001) for men, age 80. In the highest income countries, responsiveness was as high as −0.49 (p<0.001) (men, age 20), but was mostly insignificant for older adults. Overall, elasticities were strongest (more negative) at the youngest and oldest age groups, and mostly insignificant for middle-aged adults, particularly in middle-income and high-income countries. Sex differences were mostly negligible. Potential intake reductions from a 20% tax in lowest income countries ranged from 14.5% (95% CI: 29.5%, −0.4%) in women, 35 ≤ age < 60, to 24.9% (44.4%, 5.3%) in men, age ≥60. Intake reductions decreased with country income overall, and were mostly insignificant for middle-aged adults. Conclusions These findings estimate the global price-responsiveness of SSB intake by age and sex, informing ongoing policy discussions on potential effects of taxes.