Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Simple mathematical model of a rough fracture

A simple mathematical model of rough-walled fractures in rock is described which requires the specification of only three main parameters: the fractal dimension, the rms roughness at a reference length scale, and a length scale describing the degree of mismatch between the two fracture surfaces. Fractured samples, collected from natural joints and laboratory specimens, have been profiled to determine the range of these three parameters in nature. It is shown how this surface roughness model can be implemented on a computer, allowing future detailed study of the mechanical and transport properties of single fractures and the scale dependence of these properties.
Pivoting for structured matrices with applications

Gaussian elimination is a standard tool for computing triangular factorizations for general matrices, and thereby solving associated linear systems of equations. As is well-known, when this classical method is implemented in nite-precision-arithmetic, it often fails to compute the solution accurately because of the accumulation of small roundo s accompanying each elementary oating point operation. This problem motivated a number of interesting and important studies in modern numerical linear algebra; for our purposes in this paper we only mention that starting with the breakthrough work of Wilkinson, several pivoting techniques have been proposed to stabilize the numerical behavior of Gaussian elimination. Interestingly, matrix interpretations of many known and new algorithms for various applied problems can be seen as a way of computing triangular factorizations for the associated structured matrices, where di erent patterns of structure arise in the context of di erent physical problems. The special structure of such matrices [e.g., Toeplitz, Hankel, Cauchy, Vandermonde, etc.] often allows one to speed-up the computation of its triangular factorization, i.e., to eÆciently obtain fast implementations of the Gaussian elimination procedure. There is a vast literature about such methods which are known under di erent
Capturing climate variability during our ancestors' earliest days

Climate’s role in shaping the environmental and evolutionary history of our earliest ancestors remains an actively debated topic. In PNAS, Magill et al. (1, 2) present records of terrestrial habitat and hydroclimate variation and pacing from Olduvai Gorge sediments during a key interval of our ancestors' divergence and dispersal approximately 2.0 Ma. Although there is general consensus that ecosystem variability shaped resource and landscape distributions on the East African landscape, causing changes in early Homo foraging strategies and diet (3⇓–5), the temporal linkages between climate and environmental changes and hominin evolution remain far more contentious (6). Here, Magill et al. constrain some of these temporal linkages by extracting paleoclimate records of terrestrial plant community change and hydrological cycle dynamics from well-dated, continuously deposited lake sediments associated with hominin archaeological sites. These new archives of terrestrial ecosystem variability reveal distinct orbital pacing in precipitation that drove abrupt changes in the local plant community and shaped the landscape’s water availability during an important interval of hominin evolution.
Reduction of semiconductor optical amplifier induced distortion and crosstalk in a 1.3-μm WDM transport system

A four-wavelength 256-QAM wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) semiconductor-optical-amplifier (SOA) amplified transport system using a light injection technique over an 80-km single-mode fiber (SMF) link is proposed and demonstrated. SOA-induced distortion and crosstalk can be reduced by employing the light injection technique, thus system performance can be further improved. Our proposed WDM transport system can transmit 252 256 quadrature amplitude modulation digital channels with a bit-error rate <10/sup -9/. It can be concluded that our light injection technique is a very useful approach for reducing distortion and crosstalk in an SOA amplified WDM transport system.
Understanding Precursor Phenomena for the R-Phase Transformation in Ti-Ni-Based Alloys

Precursor phenomena are critical issues for martensitic transformations. In this article, we show recent progress in understanding precursor phenomena to the R-phase transformation, which is important for both fundamentals and applications. Structural modulation in the parent phase was intensively studied by means of detailed analyses of the weak diffuse scattering of electrons with the aid of recently developed energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy coupled with x-ray diffraction. A peculiar domain-like structure, which originates from static transverse atomic displacements in the parent phase, was discovered by virtue of these advanced methods. The characteristics of this structure (e.g., size, shape, and temperature-dependence), as well as its role in the subsequent R-phase transformation, are discussed
Effects of danazol on DNA synthesis in rat prostate

Effects of danazol, an isoxazol derivative of the synthetic steroid 17α‐ethinyltestosterone, on activities of thymidylate synthetase and thymidine kinase, which are the DNA‐synthesizing enzymes included in de novo and salvage pathways of pyrimidine metabolism, respectively, were investigated in rat prostate. Danazol markedly reduced plasma levels of luteinizing hormone and testosterone, and organ weight, both enzyme activities and bro‐modeoxyuridine‐immunoreactive cells which were regarded as the S‐phase cells in prostate. These results indicate that danazol shows a property as a potent antigonadotropin. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Ontology Based Improvement of Opening Hours in E-governments

To inform citizens when they can use government services, governments publish the services' opening hours on their website. When opening hours would be published in a machine interpretable manner, software agents would be able to answer queries about when it is possible to contact a certain service. We introduce an ontology for describing opening hours and use this ontology to create an input form. Furthermore, we explain a logic which can reply to queries for government services which are open or closed. The data is modeled according to this ontology. The principles discussed and applied in this paper are the first steps towards a design pattern for the governance of Open Government Data.
TZAP‐ing telomeres down to size

The phenomenon of gradual telomere shortening has become a paradigm for how we understand the biology of aging and cancer. Cell proliferation is accompanied by cumulative telomere loss, and the aged cell either senesces, dies or transforms toward cancer. This transformation requires the activation of telomere elongation mechanisms in order to restore telomere length such that cell death or senescence programs are not induced. Most of the time, this occurs through telomerase reactivation. In other rare cases, the Alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) pathway hijacks DNA recombination‐associated mechanisms to hyperextend telomeres, often to more than 50 kb. Why telomere length is restricted and what sets their maximal length has been a long‐standing puzzle in cell biology. Two recent studies published in this issue of EMBO Reports [1] and recently in Science [2] sought to address this important question. Both built on omics approaches that identified ZBTB48 as a potential telomere‐associated protein and reveal it to be a critical regulator of telomere length homeostasis by the telomere trimming mechanism. These discoveries provide fundamental insights for our understanding of telomere trimming and how it impacts telomere integrity in stem and cancer cells.
Non-Specific Low Back Pain.

BACKGROUND For many years, low back pain has been both the leading cause of days lost from work and the leading indication for medical rehabilitation. The goal of the German Disease Management Guideline (NDMG) on nonspecific low back pain is to improve the treatment of patients with this condition. METHODS The current update of the NDMG on non-specific low back pain is based on articles retrieved by a systematic search of the literature for systematic reviews. Its recommendations for diagnosis and treatment were developed by a collaborative effort of 29 scientific medical societies and organizations and approved in a formal consensus process. RESULTS If the history and physical examination do not arouse any suspicion of a dangerous underlying cause, no further diagnostic evaluation is indicated for the time being. Passive, reactive measures should be taken only in combination with activating measures, or not at all. When drugs are used for symptomatic treatment, patients should be treated with the most suitable drug in the lowest possible dose and for as short a time as possible. CONCLUSION A physician should be in charge of the overall care process. The patient should be kept well informed over the entire course of his or her illness and should be encouraged to adopt a healthful lifestyle, including regular physical exercise.
Polyallelic structural variants can provide accurate, highly informative genetic markers focused on diagnosis and therapeutic targets: Accuracy vs. Precision

Structural variants (SVs) include all insertions, deletions, and rearrangements in the genome, with several common types of nucleotide repeats including single sequence repeats, short tandem repeats, and insertion‐deletion length variants. Polyallelic SVs provide highly informative markers for association studies with well‐phenotyped cohorts. SVs can influence gene regulation by affecting epigenetics, transcription, splicing, and/or translation. Accurate assays of polyallelic SV loci are required to define the range and allele frequency of variable length alleles.
Long-Term Follow-Up of 2.5-mm Narrow-Diameter Implants Supporting a Fixed Prostheses.

BACKGROUND The use of narrow-diameter implants (NDIs; <3.75 mm) constitutes an alternative to bone augmentation procedure. Long-term evaluation of NDIs with a diameter <3.0 mm is still lacking. PURPOSE Analyze the long-term outcomes of 2.5-mm NDIs splinted to regular-sized implants for supporting partial and complete fixed prostheses. MATERIALS AND METHODS Patients charts were retrospectively analyzed to select patients treated by the insertion of at least one 2.5-mm two-piece implant before July 2005. The study was based on the available charts (no patient was recalled). Patient's demographic data were described. The known implant length was used as a reference to calibrate the linear measurements of marginal bone loss on digital periapical radiograph. Implant details, survival and prosthetic complications were analyzed. RESULTS Thirty-seven 2.5-mm implants placed in 20 patients (mean age at surgery: 54.05 ± 9.7 years) in maxilla and mandible were included and evaluated. The implants' mean follow-up time since insertion was 6.5 ± 3.2 years (range 0 to 9.7 years). The follow-up time was more than 7 years for 22 implants. One implant failed due to lack of osseointegration. Two prosthetic complications (connector and porcelain fracture) occurred. The survival rate was 97.3% for implants and 92.0% for prostheses. The mean marginal bone loss at the mesial and distal aspect was 0.70 ± 0.55 and 0.72 ± 0.56 mm, respectively. CONCLUSIONS When dental implants of 2.5 mm in diameter are splinted by a fixed prosthesis, long-term favorable outcomes could be obtained.
A Role-Based Delegation Model and Some Extensions

In Role-based Access control (RBAC) permissions are associated with roles and users are made members of roles thereby acquiring the associated permissions. User delegation in RBAC is the ability of one user (called the delegating user) who is a member of the delegated role to authorize another user (called the delegate user) to become a member of the delegated role. This paper proposes a simple but practically useful model for delegation called RBDM0 (role-based delegation model zero). The paper also explores some extensions to RBDM0 including issues of revocation, partial delegation, multiple step delegation, and delegation with hierarchical roles.
Factors impacting the departure rates of female and male junior medical school faculty: evidence from a longitudinal analysis.

BACKGROUND High rates of attrition have been documented nationally in assistant professor faculty of U.S. medical schools. Our objective was to investigate the association of individual level risk factors, track of academic appointment, and use of institutional leave policies with departure in junior faculty of a research-intensive school of medicine. METHODS Participants included 901 faculty newly hired as assistant professors from July 1, 1999, through December 30, 2007, at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The faculty affairs database was used to determine demographics, hiring date, track of appointment, track changes, time to departure, and use of work-life policies for an extension of the probationary period for mandatory review, reduction in duties, and leave of absence. RESULTS Over one quarter (26.7%) of faculty departed during follow-up. Faculty appointed on the clinician educator or research tracks were at increased risk of departure compared to the tenure track (hazard ratio [HR] 1.87, confidence interval, [CI] 1.28-2.71; HR 4.50, CI 2.91-6.96; respectively). Women appointed on the clinician educator track were at increased risk of departure compared to men (HR 1.46, CI 1.04-2.05). Faculty who took an extension of the probationary period were at decreased risk of departure (HR 0.36, CI 0.25-0.52). CONCLUSIONS At this institution, junior faculty on the tenure track were least likely to depart before their mandatory review compared to faculty on the clinician educator or research tracks. Female assistant professors on the clinician educator track are of significant risk for departure. Taking advantage of the work-life policy for an extension of the probationary period protects against attrition.
Optimizing Large-Scale ODE Simulations

We present a strategy to speed up Runge-Kutta-based ODE simulations of large systems with nearest-neighbor coupling. We identify the cache/memory bandwidth as the crucial performance bottleneck. To reduce the required bandwidth, we introduce a granularity in the simulation and identify the optimal cluster size in a performance study. This leads to a considerable performance increase and transforms the algorithm from bandwidth bound to CPU bound. By additionally employing SIMD instructions we are able to boost the efficiency even further. In the end, a total performance increase of up to a factor three is observed when using cache optimization and SIMD instructions compared to a standard implementation. All simulation codes are written in C++ and made publicly available. By using the modern C++ libraries Boost.odeint and Boost.SIMD, these optimizations can be implemented with minimal programming effort.
Low Birthweight Is Associated With Narrower Arterioles in Adults

Low birthweight is associated with increased risk of hypertension, but underlying mechanisms are obscure. We hypothesized structural microvascular alterations may be one such mechanism. We examined the association of birthweight and retinal arteriolar caliber in 3800 persons aged 51 to 72 years participating in a population-based study in 4 US communities (the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study). Participants reported full-term birth and their birthweight and had retinal photography. Retinal arteriolar and venular calibers were measured from digitized retinal photographs using a validated computer-assisted method. Lower birthweight was associated with narrower retinal arteriolar caliber, with each kg lower birthweight associated with 2.4 &mgr;m (95% confidence intervals, 1.3 to 3.5, P<0.001) narrower retinal arteriolar caliber, after controlling for age, gender, race, education, smoking, alcohol consumption, adult body mass index, and height. Additional adjustment for blood pressure averaged over the past 6 years and fasting glucose did not alter these findings, with each kg lower birthweight associated with a 1.7 &mgr;m (95% confidence intervals, 0.7 to 2.8, P<0.001) narrower retinal arteriolar caliber. This association was also present in persons without hypertension or diabetes. Lower birthweight was not associated with retinal venular caliber. These findings provide evidence that structural alterations in the arteriolar microcirculation may be a potential mechanism linking restricted fetal growth with subsequent risk of hypertension.
Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals in the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is now the leading cause of death globally and is a growing health concern. Dietary factors are important in the pathogenesis of CVD and may to a large degree determine CVD risk, but have been less extensively investigated. Functional foods are those that are thought to have physiological benefits and/or reduce the risk of chronic disease beyond their basic nutritional functions. The food industry has started to market products labelled as “functional foods. ” Although many review articles have focused on individual dietary variables as determinants of CVD that can be modified to reduce the risk of CVD, the aim of this current paper was to examine the impact of functional foods in relation to the development and progression of CVD. Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated the association between certain dietary patterns and cardiovascular health. Research into the cardio-protective potential of their dietary components might support the development of functional foods and nutraceuticals. This paper will also compare the effect of individual bioactive dietary compounds with the effect of some dietary patterns in terms of their cardiovascular protection.
Genetic and developmental mechanisms underlying the formation of the Drosophila compound eye

The compound eye of Drosophila melanogaster consists of individual subunits (“ommatidia”), each containing photoreceptors and support cells. These cells derive from an undifferentiated epithelium in the eye imaginal disc and their differentiation follows a highly stereotypic pattern. Sequential commitment of pluripotent cells to become specialized cells of the visual system serves as a unique model system to study basic mechanisms of tissue development. In the past years, many regulatory genes that govern the development of the compound eye have been identified and their mode of action genetically dissected. Transcription factor networks in combination with cell–cell signalling pathways regulate the development of the eye tissue in a precise temporal and spatial manner. Here, we review the recent advances on how a single‐cell‐layered epithelium is patterned to give rise to the compound eye. We discuss the molecular pathways controlling differentiation of individual photoreceptors, through which they acquire their functional specificity. Developmental Dynamics 241:40–56, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Binding of S protein by Neisseria gonorrhoeae and potential role in invasion

An agglutination assay was used to examine the binding of purified human S protein (vitronectin, serum spreading factor) to 201 clinical isolates of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Strains belonging to the protein IA serovars were significantly (P less than 0.001) more reactive in agglutination tests with human S protein and were more serum resistant than strains belonging to the protein IB serovars. The strains from patients with disseminated infections belonged predominantly to the IA serovar (19 of 23) and, with the exception of IA-4 and certain IB serovars, avidly agglutinated with S protein. The serovar IA-4 and IB strains isolated from joint or cerebrospinal fluid failed to agglutinate with S protein and appeared to be less serum resistant than most other IA isolates. Cysteine hydrochloride or 2-mercaptoethanol inhibited agglutination of S protein and a more than twofold increase in resistance to killing by fresh human serum following preincubation with S protein; the serum-sensitive parent strain did not agglutinate S protein, and serum resistance was not increased following preincubation with this protein. Binding of S protein by gonococci may represent a novel pathogenic mechanism that can contribute to serum resistance.
Age of peak performance in elite male and female Ironman triathletes competing in Ironman Switzerland, a qualifier for the Ironman world championship, Ironman Hawaii, from 1995 to 2011

Background The age of peak performance in elite endurance athletes has been investigated for elite marathoners, but not for elite Ironman triathletes. The aim of this study was to analyze the age of peak performance in swimming (3.8 km), cycling (180 km), running (42 km), and overall race time for elite female and male Ironman triathletes competing in Ironman Switzerland, a qualifier for the Ironman world championship, known as the Ironman Hawaii. Methods The age of the annual top ten overall swimmers, cyclists, runners, and annual overall finishers for both male and female elite triathletes and their corresponding split and overall race times at the Ironman Switzerland were analyzed between 1995 and 2011. Results The mean age of the elite Ironman triathletes was 33 ± 3 years for men and 34 ± 4 years for women. For women, the age of peak performance was not significantly different between the three disciplines (P > 0.05), while for men, the best swimmers (29 ± 3 years) were significantly (P < 0.05) younger than the best runners (35 ± 5 years). During the study period, the age of peak performance remained unchanged for men at 31 ± 3 years (P > 0.05), but increased for women from 30 ± 4 years in 1995 to 36 ± 5 years in 2011 (P < 0.01). Conclusion Although both women and men improved their overall race times during the 1995–2011 period, the age of peak performance was similar between women and men in the three disciplines and in overall race time. Future studies need to examine the change in age of peak performance across years in the Ironman Hawaii world championship event.
Passivity Test of Immittance Descriptor Systems Based on Generalized Hamiltonian Methods

A generalized Hamiltonian method (GHM) and its half-size variant (HGHM) are proposed to characterize the spectral behaviors of descriptor systems (DSs). With the preprocess improper part test, GHM and HGHM can be applied to test the passivity of immittance (impedance or admittance) DSs without system decomposition, system index assumption, or minimal realization requirement, which are the major bottlenecks of existing algebraic DS passivity tests. The proposed method allows exact detection of nonpassive frequency intervals, which is not possible with frequency-sweeping techniques. Numerical results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed methods.
The fundamentals of hybrid systems modelers

Hybrid systems modelers have become the corner stone of embedded system development, with Simulink a de facto standard and Modelica a new player. Such tools still raise a number of issues that, we believe, require more fundamental understanding. In this paper we propose using non standard analysis as a semantic domain for hybrid systems — non standard analysis is an extension of classical analysis in which infinitesimals (the ε and η in the celebrated generic sentence ∀ε∃η… in college maths) can be manipulated as first class citizens. This allows us to provide a denotational semantics and a constructive semantics for hybrid systems, thus establishing simulation engines on a firm mathematical basis. In passing, we cleanly separate the job of the numerical analyst (solving differential equations) from that of the computer scientist (generating execution schemes). 1