Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The fracture strength under internal pressure of the eggshell of the domestic fowl

Measurements are reported of the internal fluid pressure needed to fracture the shell of the egg of the domestic fowl. The average fracture stress, calculated from the measured pressure, for a set of 38 eggs was 15.2 MPa. This is about half of the fracture stress measured by concentric loading tests previously reported (Entwistle et al. 1995). This difference can be reconciled by taking account of differences in the effective area, AE, of the stressed surfaces. Using the statistical conclusion σ̄ mf AE is a constant, where σ̄f is the average fracture stress and m is the Weibull index, it is predicted from the results of one of the concentric loading tests that the average fracture stress under internal pressure should be 12.6 MPa. This issufficiently close to the measured value, 15.2 MPa, to confirm that the greater part of the difference in measured strength is accounted for by difference of stressed area. Powerful evidence of the effect of stressed area on shell behaviour was the observation that an 0.8 mm diameter hole drilled near the equator of the egg had no effect on the fracture pressure. The small effective stressed area round the hole raised the fracture strength by a factor greater than the stress concentration factor, so fracture occurred at a site away from the hole.
Towards Situation-Aware Mobile Applications in Mental Health

This work describes SituMan (Situation Manager), a mobile system that makes use of the sensors commonly included in most mobile platforms and a fuzzy inference engine to attempt to infer user context and environment. Such "situation" information, has been used to enhance the behaviour of MoodBuster, another mobile application used in the scope of the mental health domain to collect Ecological Momentary Assessments (EMA). EMA has been used in psychotherapy to minimize the effects of recall bias in the assessment of patient mood, as well as in the recollection of other experiences and behaviours. SituMan can enhance the user experience in the scope of EMA by prompting users in the desired situation, instead of at random or fixed-times, thus reducing obtrusiveness. It can also provide new insight to mental health professionals by summarizing the situations experienced by the patient, further allowing correlation of situation information with patient mood within the same time frame.
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and lovastatin suppress the inflammatory response to Plasmodium berghei infection and protect against experimental cerebral malaria

Abstract Cerebral malaria (CM) is a severe complication of Plasmodium falciparum infection, which is associated with high mortality and long-term cognitive impairment even when effective anti-parasitic treatment is administered.12 Supportive therapy is needed to improve both morbidity and mortality associated with this condition. In an accompanying paper, we have demonstrated that in the Plasmodium berghei ANKA (PbA) rodent model, CM can be effectively prevented by a treatment combining sub-lethal doses of lipopolysaccharide S (LPS) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Since LPS is not suitable for human therapy, we investigated whether lovastatin would represent a suitable substitute. This compound, widely used to lower cholesterol levels in plasma, shares with LPS the ability to elicit an anti-inflammatory response by activating the Nrf-2 gene, and when given to P. berghei-infected mice prevents to some extent the onset of CM. We show here that lovastatin- and VEGF-treated mice did not develop CM and showed few signs, if any, of endothelial damage and systemic inflammation. The combination treatment was much more effective than lovastatin and VEGF alone. Immunohistochemistry and gene expression analysis indicated that VEGF and LPS together overturned the two pathogenic mechanisms responsible for the development of CM: endothelial damage and disregulated activation of the inflammatory response. These findings provide the rationale for investigating the therapeutic potential of these compounds in human CM as well as in other inflammatory pathologies that respond poorly to steroid and non-steroid anti-inflammatory therapy.
"Brittle fracture" of composite insulators: why and how they occur

Many studies have been performed to show that the source of the acid that could produce brittle fractures in service was associated with electrical discharges. The paper shows that, although possible, this mechanism is not compatible with many observations of failed insulators. This study shows that the materials and process used for the impregnation of the glass fibers of the FRP rod can lead to the presence of acid particles that will become part of the rod. Tests have been conducted using acids derived from a rod manufacturing process. Typical brittle fractures have been obtained with insulators made with commercially available rods. This source of acid explains the brittle fractures obtained in service and agrees with the examination of failed insulators. It also explains why insulators that should have been vulnerable have not failed.
Multiple Cis-acting elements modulate programmed -1 ribosomal frameshifting in Pea enation mosaic virus

Programmed -1 ribosomal frameshifting (-1 PRF) is used by many positive-strand RNA viruses for translation of required products. Despite extensive studies, it remains unresolved how cis-elements just downstream of the recoding site promote a precise level of frameshifting. The Umbravirus Pea enation mosaic virus RNA2 expresses its RNA polymerase by -1 PRF of the 5′-proximal ORF (p33). Three hairpins located in the vicinity of the recoding site are phylogenetically conserved among Umbraviruses. The central Recoding Stimulatory Element (RSE), located downstream of the p33 termination codon, is a large hairpin with two asymmetric internal loops. Mutational analyses revealed that sequences throughout the RSE and the RSE lower stem (LS) structure are important for frameshifting. SHAPE probing of mutants indicated the presence of higher order structure, and sequences in the LS may also adapt an alternative conformation. Long-distance pairing between the RSE and a 3′ terminal hairpin was less critical when the LS structure was stabilized. A basal level of frameshifting occurring in the absence of the RSE increases to 72% of wild-type when a hairpin upstream of the slippery site is also deleted. These results suggest that suppression of frameshifting may be needed in the absence of an active RSE conformation.
First Case of Cerebral Abscess Due to a Novel Nocardia Species in an Immunocompromised Patient

ABSTRACT We report the first case of cerebral abscess due to a novel species of Nocardia in a heart transplant patient and describe the antimicrobial susceptibility of this isolate. As our patient was intolerant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, we also discuss alternative therapeutic options in brain abscess due to Nocardia sp.
Analysis of admission control mechanisms using non-linear control theory

All service control nodes can be modelled as a server system with one or more servers processing incoming requests. In this paper we show how non-linear control theory may be used when analyzing admission control mechanisms for server systems. Two models are developed, one linear and one non-linear. We show that, due to the non-linearities appearing in a real server system, linear control theory is sufficient when designing controllers for these systems. With non-linear analysis, however, the dynamics of a server system may be analysed and taken care of by choosing the controller parameters appropriately.
Heuristics-Based Strategies for Resolving Context Inconsistencies in Pervasive Computing Applications

Context-awareness allows pervasive applications to adapt to changeable computing environments. Contexts, the pieces of information that capture the characteristics of environments, are often error-prone and inconsistent due to noises. Various strategies have been proposed to enable automatic context inconsistency resolution. They are formulated on different assumptions that may not hold in practice. This causes applications to be less context-aware to different extents. In this paper, we investigate such impacts and propose our new resolution strategy. We conducted experiments to compare our work with major existing strategies. The results showed that our strategy is both effective in resolving context inconsistencies and promising in its support of applications using contexts.
Hybrid systems modeling and verification with DEVS (WIP)

Hybrid systems (where continuous and discrete phenomena interact) are found in many natural and artificial systems. An important example, real-time embedded systems usually include discrete-event controllers interacting with a continuous plant. Verifying these real-time systems for correct behavior is of utmost importance, as results of incorrect behavior are usually catastrophic. To complement the use of Modeling and Simulation study of such hybrid real-time systems, we extend here the verification method, based on RTA-DEVS, hybrid Timed Automata and the QSS that was introduced in [1], which allows verifying real-time hybrid systems modeled by DEVS formalism. This extension allows the transformation of the QSS model into overapproximation TA model using interval arithmetic to solve the limitation introduced by the purely integer arithmetic available in UPPAAL.
The role of heme oxygenase and carbon monoxide in inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease, is a chronic and recurrent inflammatory disorder of the intestinal tract. Since the precise pathogenesis of IBD remains unclear, it is important to investigate the pathogenesis of IBD and to evaluate new anti-inflammatory strategies. Recent evidence suggests that heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) plays a critical protective role during the development of intestinal inflammation. In fact, it has been demonstrated that the activation of HO-1 may act as an endogenous defensive mechanism to reduce inflammation and tissue injury in various animal intestinal injury models induced by ischemia-reperfusion, indomethacin, lipopolysaccharide-associated sepsis, trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid or dextran sulfate sodium. In addition, carbon monoxide (CO) derived from HO-1 has been shown to be involved in the regulation of intestinal inflammation. Furthermore, administration of a low concentration of exogenous CO has a protective effect against intestinal inflammation. These data suggest that HO-1 and CO may be novel therapeutic molecules for patients with gastrointestinal inflammatory diseases. In this review, we present what is currently known regarding the role of HO-1 and CO in intestinal inflammation.
A meta-analysis of histomorphometric results and graft healing time of various biomaterials compared to autologous bone used as sinus floor augmentation material in humans.

BACKGROUND To date, no studies have been published in which histomorphometric data from a large group of patients comparing various biomaterials for sinus floor augmentation procedures were evaluated. MATERIALS AND METHODS A meta-analysis of the English literature from January 1993 till April 2009 was carried out. Out of 147 titles, according to our criteria, 64 articles were selected for analysis describing the use of autologous bone and their alternatives, such as allogenic, xenogenic, and alloplastic materials. RESULTS On the basis of autologous bone grafting, a reference value for total bone volume (TBV) of 63% was found. Particulation of the bone graft resulted in a general reduction of −18% in TBV. Delayed implant placement reduced the TBV with −7%. Overall TBV was 8% or 6% higher if a biopsy was, respectively, taken before 4.5 months or after 9.0 months after initial sinus augmentation surgery. Allogenic, xenogenic, alloplastic, or combinations of graft materials all resulted in a significant lower amount of TBV compared to autologous bone grafting ranging from −7% to −26%. Inventorying the effect of "biopsy time" for autologous bone, the TBV was significantly higher before 4.5 and after 9.0 months of healing time compared to period in between. Surprisingly, no significant differences in TBV with respect to "biopsy time" for bone substitutes were found. CONCLUSIONS On the basis of the aspect of TBV autologous bone still has to be considered to be the gold standard in sinus augmentation surgery. However, the consequence of the TBV for implant survival is still unraveled yet.
Neural Control of Movement Noninvasive stimulation of the human corticospinal tract

Taylor, J. L. , and S. C. Gandevia. Noninvasive stimulation of the human corticospinal tract.J Appl Physiol 96: 1496–1503, 2004; 10.1152/japplphysiol. 01116.2003. —Spinal tracts can be stimulated noninvasively in human subjects by passing a high-voltage stimulus between the mastoids or by magnetic stimulation over the back of the head. The stimulus probably activates the corticospinal tract at the cervicomedullary junction (pyramidal decussation) and evokes large, shortlatency motor responses in the arm muscles. These responses have a large monosynaptic component. Responses in leg muscles can be elicited by cervicomedullary junction stimulation or by stimulation over the cervical or thoracic spine. Because nerve roots are more easily activated than spinal tracts, stimulus spread to motor axons can occur. Facilitation of responses by voluntary activity confirms that the responses are evoked synaptically. Stimulation of the corticospinal tract is useful in studies of central conduction and studies of the behavior of motoneurons during different tasks. It also provides an important comparison to allow interpretation of changes in responses to stimulation of the motor cortex. The major drawback to the use of electrical stimulation of the corticospinal tract is that each stimulus is transiently painful.
Association Mapping and the Genomic Consequences of Selection in Sunflower

The combination of large-scale population genomic analyses and trait-based mapping approaches has the potential to provide novel insights into the evolutionary history and genome organization of crop plants. Here, we describe the detailed genotypic and phenotypic analysis of a sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) association mapping population that captures nearly 90% of the allelic diversity present within the cultivated sunflower germplasm collection. We used these data to characterize overall patterns of genomic diversity and to perform association analyses on plant architecture (i.e., branching) and flowering time, successfully identifying numerous associations underlying these agronomically and evolutionarily important traits. Overall, we found variable levels of linkage disequilibrium (LD) across the genome. In general, islands of elevated LD correspond to genomic regions underlying traits that are known to have been targeted by selection during the evolution of cultivated sunflower. In many cases, these regions also showed significantly elevated levels of differentiation between the two major sunflower breeding groups, consistent with the occurrence of divergence due to strong selection. One of these regions, which harbors a major branching locus, spans a surprisingly long genetic interval (ca. 25 cM), indicating the occurrence of an extended selective sweep in an otherwise recombinogenic interval.
Common Effects of Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment on Resting-State Connectivity Across Four Independent Studies

Resting-state functional connectivity is a promising biomarker for Alzheimer's disease. However, previous resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging studies in Alzheimer's disease and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) have shown limited reproducibility as they have had small sample sizes and substantial variation in study protocol. We sought to identify functional brain networks and connections that could consistently discriminate normal aging from aMCI despite variations in scanner manufacturer, imaging protocol, and diagnostic procedure. We therefore combined four datasets collected independently, including 112 healthy controls and 143 patients with aMCI. We systematically tested multiple brain connections for associations with aMCI using a weighted average routinely used in meta-analyses. The largest effects involved the superior medial frontal cortex (including the anterior cingulate), dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, striatum, and middle temporal lobe. Compared with controls, patients with aMCI exhibited significantly decreased connectivity between default mode network nodes and between regions of the cortico-striatal-thalamic loop. Despite the heterogeneity of methods among the four datasets, we identified common aMCI-related connectivity changes with small to medium effect sizes and sample size estimates recommending a minimum of 140 to upwards of 600 total subjects to achieve adequate statistical power in the context of a multisite study with 5–10 scanning sites and about 10 subjects per group and per site. If our findings can be replicated and associated with other established biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (e.g., amyloid and tau quantification), then these functional connections may be promising candidate biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease.
On the effects of dynamical evolution on the initial mass function of globular clusters

In this paper we show the results of a large set of N-body simulations modelling the evolution of globular clusters driven by relaxation, stellar evolution and disc shocking, and including the effects of the tidal field of the Galaxy. We investigate the evolution of multi-mass models with a power-law initial mass function (IMF) starting with different initial masses, concentrations, slopes of the IMF and located at different galactocentric distances. We show to what extent the effects of the various evolutionary processes alter the shape of the IMF and to what extent these changes depend on the position of the cluster in the Galaxy. The changes in both the global and the local mass functions (measured at different distances from the cluster centre) are investigated, showing whether and where the local mass function keeps memory of the IMF and where it provides a good indication of the current global mass function. The evolution of the population of white dwarfs is also followed in detail, and we supply an estimate of the fraction of the current value of the total mass expected to be in white dwarfs depending on the main initial conditions for the cluster (mass and position in the Galaxy). Simple analytical expressions have been derived by which it is possible to calculate the main quantities of interest (total mass, fraction of white dwarfs, slope of the mass function) at any time t for a larger number of different initial conditions than those investigated numerically.
Inductive Definition and Domain Theoretic Properties of Fully Abstract Models for PCF and PCF+

A construction of fully abstract typed models for PCF and PCF^+ (i.e., PCF + "parallel conditional function"), respectively, is presented. It is based on general notions of sequential computational strategies and wittingly consistent non-deterministic strategies introduced by the author in the seventies. Although these notions of strategies are old, the definition of the fully abstract models is new, in that it is given level-by-level in the finite type hierarchy. To prove full abstraction and non-dcpo domain theoretic properties of these models, a theory of computational strategies is developed. This is also an alternative and, in a sense, an analogue to the later game strategy semantics approaches of Abramsky, Jagadeesan, and Malacaria; Hyland and Ong; and Nickau. In both cases of PCF and PCF^+ there are definable universal (surjective) functionals from numerical functions to any given type, respectively, which also makes each of these models unique up to isomorphism. Although such models are non-omega-complete and therefore not continuous in the traditional terminology, they are also proved to be sequentially complete (a weakened form of omega-completeness), "naturally" continuous (with respect to existing directed "pointwise", or "natural" lubs) and also "naturally" omega-algebraic and "naturally" bounded complete -- appropriate generalisation of the ordinary notions of domain theory to the case of non-dcpos.
Effect of Calcium and Vitamin D Supplementation on Blood Pressure: The Women's Health Initiative Randomized Trial

Experimental and epidemiological studies suggest that calcium and vitamin D supplements may lower blood pressure. We examined the effect of calcium plus vitamin D supplementation on blood pressure and the incidence of hypertension in postmenopausal women. The Women's Health Initiative Calcium/Vitamin D Trial randomly assigned 36 282 postmenopausal women to receive 1000 mg of elemental calcium plus 400 IU of vitamin D3 daily or placebo in a double-blind fashion. Change in blood pressure and the incidence of hypertension were ascertained. Over a median follow-up time of 7 years, there was no significant difference in the mean change over time in systolic blood pressure (0.22 mm Hg; 95% CI: −0.05 to 0.49 mm Hg) and diastolic blood pressure (0.11 mm Hg; 95% CI: −0.04 to 0.27 mm Hg) between the active and placebo treatment groups. This null result was robust in analyses accounting for nonadherence to study pills and in baseline subgroups of interest, including black subjects and women with hypertension or high levels of blood pressure, with low intakes of calcium and vitamin D or low serum levels of vitamin D. In 17 122 nonhypertensive participants at baseline, the hazard ratio for incident hypertension associated with calcium/vitamin D treatment was 1.01 (95% CI: 0.96 to 1.06.) In postmenopausal women, calcium plus vitamin D3 supplementation did not reduce either blood pressure or the risk of developing hypertension over 7 years of follow-up.
The Effect of Intravenous Administration of Active Recombinant Factor VII on Postoperative Bleeding in Cardiac Valve Reoperations; A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: Postoperative bleeding after cardiac reoperations is among the most complicating problems, both for the physicians and for the patients. Many modalities have been used to decrease its adverse effects and the need for blood products administration. Objectives: In a randomized double-blinded clinical trial of redo cardiac valve surgery in adult, the effect of active recombinant factor VII (rFVIIa) on postoperative bleeding was compared with placebo. Chest tube drainage was used for comparison of bleeding between the two groups. Patients and Methods: Two groups of 18 patients undergoing redo valve surgeries were treated and compared regarding chest tube drainage, need for blood products, prothrombin time (PT), partial thromboplastin time (PTT), hemoglobin and hematocrit, platelet count, and international normalized ratio (INR) in first 24 hours after surgery. Bleeding was assessed at 3rd, 12th, and 24th hour after operation. In rFVIIa group, 40 µg/kg of AryoSeven was administered before end of surgery and same volume of normal saline was administered as placebo in the control group. Results: Study groups showed no difference regarding baseline variables. Three patients in rFVIIa group (16.67%) and 13 in placebo group (72.23%) received blood products (P < 0.01). Chest tube blood drainage at 24th hour after operation was 315 ± 177 mL in rFVIIa group and 557 ± 168 mL in control group (P = 0.03). At third and 12th hour after operation, the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.71 and P = 0.22, respectively). Postoperative ICU stay was not different; while extubation was longer in the placebo group (352 ± 57 vs. 287 ± 46 minutes; P = 0.003). Conclusions: Our study demonstrated the efficacy of rFVIIa in controlling postoperative bleeding in redo cardiac valve surgeries regarding subsequent blood loss and transfusion requirement; however, outcome results remains to be defined.