Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of Strength of Concrete Using Design of Experiments and Neural Networks

This paper investigates the potential of using design of experiments and neural networks to determine the effect of fly ash replacements, from 0 to 50%, on early and late compressive strength, from 3 to 56 days , of low- and high-strength concrete, at water-cementitious material ratios in the range of 0.3–0.7. The research reported in this paper shows the following conclusions: (1) using a simplex-centroid mixture experiment design, a much smaller number of experiments need to be performed to obtain meaningful data; (2) high correlations between the compressive strength and the component composition of concrete can be developed using the generalization capabilities of the neural networks; (3) analyses of variance to test the effects of the variables and their interactions on concrete strength can be performed; (4) the strength ratio, i.e., the percentage of strength of concrete containing fly ash to strength of concrete without fly ash (pure-cement concrete) based on the same w∕b and the same age, is sign.
Childhood Overweight: Prevention Strategies for Parents

In recent years, childhood obesity has become a worldwide issue. The growing list of negative outcomes associated with its occurrence is constantly increasing the need for prevention and intervention. Although there is still much to learn about the causes and outcomes associated with childhood obesity, current empirical information is already available and should be used to influence good parenting practices. Observing good nutrition during pregnancy and prenatal monitoring; breastfeeding for 7 months and longer, if possible; introducing young children to healthy food in a positive context; and choosing physical activities are all important strategies for parents in preventing childhood obesity.
Mindfulness Meditation: An Interesting Opportunity for the Rheumatologist

Mindfulness meditation is a mental technique which cultivates attentional focus and stability by directing the mind to remain connected to the present experience, moment by moment. Scientific literature in healthy subjects have correlated mindfulness training to improvements in stress, anxiety and depressed mood. Moreover, basing on evidence we can state that mindfulness may have an important role in treating somatic conditions such as psoriasis, cancer, HIV, infection, irritable bowel syndrome, heart disease, hypertension, lung disease, diabetes mellitus, and chronic pain.
Endogenous interleukin 12 (IL-12) regulates granuloma formation induced by eggs of Schistosoma mansoni and exogenous IL-12 both inhibits and prophylactically immunizes against egg pathology

Morbidity in humans infected with Schistosoma mansoni results primarily from the deposition of parasite eggs in portal areas where they induce a granulomatous response. In mice infected with this helminth granuloma formation is a CD4+ T helper (Th) cell-dependent process that is associated with a strong Th2 cytokine response which appears to evolve through a Th0 phase. In this report, we asked whether endogenously synthesized or exogenously induced interferon (IFN)gamma through its suppression of Th2 cell expansion exerts a regulatory role on egg pathology. Depletion of IFN-gamma or natural killer cells resulted in a marked enhancement of granuloma formation around intravenously injected eggs and was associated with increased Th2 and decreased Th1 and interleukin (IL)12 mRNA expression. Similar changes occurred when egg- injected mice were treated with neutralizing monoclonal antibodies specific for IL-12 indicating a role for this cytokine in the regulation of the granulomatous response. In contrast, treatment with exogenous rIL-12 profoundly inhibited primary granuloma formation while increasing IFN-gamma, IL-2, IL-10, and IL-12 pulmonary mRNA levels and suppressing IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, and IL-13 mRNA expression. Cytokine depletion studies indicated that the effects of IL-12 could be attributed primarily to increased IFN-gamma. Importantly, IL-12 also inhibited secondary granuloma formation in mice presensitized with eggs demonstrating a role for the cytokine in reversing established Th2-type responses. Moreover, mice sensitized with eggs in combination with IL- 12 to precommit them toward a Th1 response developed only minimal granulomas upon subsequent egg challenge. The latter findings suggest that simultaneous vaccination with antigen plus IL-12 may provide a strategy for the prevention of schistosome egg pathology as well as other diseases stemming from Th2 cytokine production.
Overview of mercury measurements in the Antarctic troposphere

Abstract. Polar ecosystems are considered to be the last pristine environments of the earth relatively uninfluenced by human activities. Antarctica in particular, compared to the Arctic is considered to be even less affected by any kind of anthropogenic influences. Once contaminants reach the Polar Regions, their lifetime in the troposphere depends on local removal processes. Atmospheric mercury, in particular, has unique characteristics that include long-range transport to Polar Regions and the transformation to more toxic and water-soluble compounds that may potentially become bioavailable. These chemical-physical properties have placed mercury on the priority list of an increasing number of International, European and National conventions, and agreements, aimed at the protection of the ecosystems including human health (i.e. GEO, UNEP, AMAP, UN-ECE, HELCOM, OSPAR). This interest, in turn, stimulates a significant amount of research including measurements of gaseous elemental mercury reaction rate constant with atmospheric oxidants, experimental and modelling studies in order to understand the cycling of mercury in Polar Regions, and its impact to these ecosystems. Special attention in terms of contamination of Polar Regions is paid to the consequences of the springtime phenomena, referred to as "Atmospheric Mercury Depletion Events" (AMDEs), during which elemental mercury through a series of photochemically-initiated reactions involving halogens, may be converted to a reactive form that may accumulate in polar coastal, or sea ice, ecosystems. The discovery of the AMDEs, first noted in the Arctic, has also been observed at both poles and was initially considered to result in an important net input of atmospheric mercury into the polar surfaces. However, recent studies point out that complex processes take place after deposition that may result in less significant net-inputs from the atmosphere since a fraction, sometimes significant, of deposited mercury may be recycled. Therefore, the contribution of this unique reactivity occurring in polar atmospheres to the global budget of atmospheric mercury, and the role played by snow and ice surfaces of these regions, are important issues. This paper presents a review of atmospheric mercury studies conducted in the Antarctic troposphere, both at coastal locations and on the Antarctic Plateau since 1985. Our current understanding of atmospheric reactivity in this region is also presented.
Temporally organized lexical representations as phonological units

In traditional generative phonology, there is no role for the mechanism of lexical access as a part of linguistic competence. Lexical access is assumed to be relevant only to aspects of linguistic performance such as speech production and perception. In fact, much of what is known about lexical access comes from the study of errors in production and perception. Errors are traditionally considered part of linguistic performance, as competence is assumed to be error free. This paper has two distinct, but related goals. The first goal is to demonstrate that lexical processing does influence linguistic competence, by showing that the beginning-to-end temporal order in which the segments in a word are processed is a functional influence on the phonology. More generally, I claim that cognitive factors influence phonology, and may be the source of language particular constraints or universal linguistic tendencies. In general, cognitive influences should not be ignored or factored out of linguistic theories, rather they should be recognized as sources of explanation for linguistic patterns. The second goal is to investigate a model of gradient constraint combination in the phonotactics of the verbal roots of Arabic, based on the stochastic constraint model (Frisch, Broe, & Pierrehumbert, 1997). It will be shown that the Arabic verbal roots obey a gradient consonant cooccurrence constraint, OCP-Place, which is a dissimilarity constraint that applies to homorganic consonants (McCarthy, 1994; Pierrehumbert, 1993). This
Two Important Criteria for Reducing the Risk of Postoperative Ulcers at the Gastrojejunostomy Site after Gastric Bypass: Patient Compliance and Type of Gastric Bypass

Background: Ulcers at the gastrojejunostomy site are a common problem after gastric surgery. Their postoperative development seems to be associated with Helicobacter pylori-related gastritis or abuse of nicotine, alcohol or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), but is also dependent on the choice of surgical method (Roux-en-Y or B-II gastric bypass). Patients and Methods: This study evaluated the follow-up of 1,908 patients over a period of 5 years (January 2006–December 2010). In 1,861 cases, we performed a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, and in 47 cases a B-II gastric bypass. Results: All patients (n = 407) with symptoms such as dysphagia, reflux, nausea, vomiting or epigastric pain underwent gastroscopy. In 52 cases, ulcers were found at the gastrojejunostomy site. Of these patients, 39 (75%; p < 0.0001) had consumed alcohol, nicotine or NSAIDs; in 14 patients (27%; p < 0.0001) we detected H. pylorirelated gastritis. A total of 2.4% of the patients after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (45/1,861) and 14.9% of the patients after B-II gastric bypass (7/47) developed ulcers at the gastroenteral junction. The difference is clearly significant (Fisher’s exact test, p = 0.0002). Furthermore, there were significant differences regarding the recurrence rate: 86% of the B-II gastric bypass group and 13.3% of the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass group needed to be treated several times. Conclusions: Every patient needs to be informed preoperatively that there is a markedly increased risk of ulcers at the gastroenteral junction, particularly if the patient cannot avoid potential risk factors (nicotine, alcohol, NSAIDs). Preoperative gastroscopy with H. pylori testing and subsequent eradication can also reduce the risk of ulcers. An increased incidence of peptic ulcers after B-II gastric bypass was noted. All of these patients were converted to Roux-en-Y.
Optimal Control of Upstream Pollution under Asymmetric Information

This paper derives optimal bribes to reduce upstream transfrontieremissions in the presence of asymmetric information on the polluter'sconcern for the environment. In a model in which the starting point forthe negotiations on emission reduction is a Cournot-Nash equilibrium, itis shown that transfers from the victim induce the polluting country toexaggerate its concern for the environment. As a consequence, in thesecond best solution, abatement of all but the least caring type isdistorted downward and optimal bribes may be such that more caring typesturn them down. These results are in sharp contrast to earlier policyproposals derived for a non-equilibrium starting point. They indicatethat under asymmetric information the binding incentive problem is toprevent the polluting country from claiming not to care about theenvironment and that optimal bribes from the victim should be restrictedto sufficiently environmentally concerned polluters.
Desorption of Trichoderma reesei cellulase from cellulose by a range of desorbents

The desorption of Trichoderma reesei cellulase from Avicel by a wide range of desorbents was measured. Emphasis was placed on desorption at alkaline pH. A maximum desorption of 65–68% Avicelase activity was achieved by contact with NaOH, pH 10.0, at 40°C for 5 min in the presence of 0.005% Triton X‐100 or Tween 80. The design of a suitable desorption process using these conditions is discussed. Glycerol was also effective as a desorbent either alone or in combination with alkali and detergent. However, relatively high concentrations of glycerol were needed and the maximum desorption achieved, 68%, was not significantly greater than that with only alkali and detergent.
The Perceptive Workbench: toward spontaneous and natural interaction in semi-immersive virtual environments

The Perceptive Workbench enables a spontaneous, natural and unimpeded interface between the physical and virtual worlds. It uses vision-based methods for interaction that eliminate the need for wired input devices and wired tracking. Objects are recognized and tracked when placed on the display surface. Through the use of multiple light sources, the object's 3D shape can be captured and inserted into the virtual interface. This ability permits spontaneity since either preloaded objects or those objects selected on-the-spot by the user can become physical icons. Integrated into the same vision-based interface is the ability to identify 3D hand position, pointing direction and sweeping arm gestures. Such gestures can enhance selection, manipulation and navigation tasks. In this paper, the Perceptive Workbench is used for augmented reality gaming and terrain navigation applications, which demonstrate the utility and capability of the interface.
Risk Prediction of Emergency Department Revisit 30 Days Post Discharge: A Prospective Study

Background Among patients who are discharged from the Emergency Department (ED), about 3% return within 30 days. Revisits can be related to the nature of the disease, medical errors, and/or inadequate diagnoses and treatment during their initial ED visit. Identification of high-risk patient population can help device new strategies for improved ED care with reduced ED utilization. Methods and Findings A decision tree based model with discriminant Electronic Medical Record (EMR) features was developed and validated, estimating patient ED 30 day revisit risk. A retrospective cohort of 293,461 ED encounters from HealthInfoNet (HIN), Maine's Health Information Exchange (HIE), between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2012, was assembled with the associated patients' demographic information and one-year clinical histories before the discharge date as the inputs. To validate, a prospective cohort of 193,886 encounters between January 1, 2013 and June 30, 2013 was constructed. The c-statistics for the retrospective and prospective predictions were 0.710 and 0.704 respectively. Clinical resource utilization, including ED use, was analyzed as a function of the ED risk score. Cluster analysis of high-risk patients identified discrete sub-populations with distinctive demographic, clinical and resource utilization patterns. Conclusions Our ED 30-day revisit model was prospectively validated on the Maine State HIN secure statewide data system. Future integration of our ED predictive analytics into the ED care work flow may lead to increased opportunities for targeted care intervention to reduce ED resource burden and overall healthcare expense, and improve outcomes.
Virtual Public Networks

Universal access to Internet is crucial. Several initiatives have recently emerged to enable wider access to the Internet. Public Access WiFi Service (PAWS) enables free Internet access to all and is based on Lowest Cost Denominator Networking (LCDNet) -- a set of network techniques that enable users to share their home broadband network with the public. LCDNet takes advantage of the available unused capacity in home broadband networks and allows Less-than-Best Effort (LBE) access to these resources. LCDNet can enable third-party stakeholders, such as local governments, to setup, configure and operate home networks for public Internet access in cooperation with Internet Service Providers. Software-defined networking (SDN) creates new opportunities for the remote configuration and management of such networks at large scale. In this paper, we present Virtual Public Networks (VPuN), home networks created, deployed and managed through an evolutionary SDN control abstraction. This offers more flexibility to users and network operators, allowing them to share and control the network, while providing opportunities for new stakeholders to emerge as virtual network operators.
Hadoop Mapreduce Performance Enhancement Using In-node Combiners

While advanced analysis of large dataset is in high demand, data sizes have surpassed capabilities of conventional software and hardware. Hadoop framework distributes large datasets over multiple commodity servers and performs parallel computations. We discuss the I/O bottlenecks of Hadoop framework and propose methods for enhancing I/O performance. A proven approach is to cache data to maximize memory-locality of all map tasks. We introduce an approach to optimize I/O, the in-node combining design which extends the traditional combiner to a node level. The in-node combiner reduces the total number of intermediate results and curtail network traffic between mappers and reducers.
Place of Residence Moderates the Risk of Infant Death in Kenya: Evidence from the Most Recent Census 2009

Background Substantial progress has been made in reducing childhood mortality worldwide from 1990–2015 (Millennium Development Goal, target 4). Achieving target goals on this however remains a challenge in Sub-Saharan Africa. Kenya’s infant mortality rates are higher than the global average and are more pronounced in urban areas as compared to rural areas. Only limited knowledge exists about the differences in individual level risk factors for infant death among rural, non-slum urban, and slum areas in Kenya. Therefore, this paper aims at 1) assess individual and socio-ecological risk factors for infant death in Kenya, and at 2) identify whether living in rural, non-slum urban, or slum areas moderated individual or socio-ecological risk factors for infant death in Kenya. Methodology We used a cross-sectional study design based on the most recent Kenya Population and Housing Census of 2009 and extracted the records of all females who had their last child born in 12 months preceding the survey (N = 1,120,960). Multivariable regression analyses were used to identify risk factors that accounted for the risk of dying before the age of one at the individual level in Kenya. Place of residence (rural, non-slum urban, slum) was used as an interaction term to account for moderating effects in individual and socio-ecological risk factors. Results Individual characteristics of mothers and children (older age, less previously born children that died, better education, girl infants) and household contexts (better structural quality of housing, improved water and sanitation, married household head) were associated with lower risk for infant death in Kenya. Living in non-slum urban areas was associated with significantly lower infant death as compared to living in rural or slum areas, when all predictors were held at their reference levels. Moreover, place of residence was significantly moderating individual level predictors: As compared to rural areas, living in urban areas was a protective factor for mothers who had previous born children who died, and who were better educated. However, living in urban areas also reduced the health promoting effects of better structural quality of housing (i.e. poor or good versus non-durable). Furthermore, durable housing quality in urban areas turned out to be a risk factor for infant death as compared to rural areas. Living in slum areas was also a protective factor for mothers with previous child death, however it also reduced the promoting effects of older ages in mothers. Conclusions While urbanization and slum development continues in Kenya, public health interventions should invest in healthy environments that ideally would include improvements to access to safe water and sanitation, better structural quality of housing, and to access to education, health care, and family planning services, especially in urban slums and rural areas. In non-slum urban areas however, health education programs that target healthy diets and promote physical exercise may be an important adjunct to these structural interventions.
The SSL landscape: a thorough analysis of the x.509 PKI using active and passive measurements

The SSL and TLS infrastructure used in important protocols like HTTPs and IMAPs is built on an X.509 public-key infrastructure (PKI). X.509 certificates are thus used to authenticate services like online banking, shopping, e-mail, etc. However, it always has been felt that the certification processes of this PKI may lack in stringency, resulting in a deployment where many certificates do not meet the requirements of a secure PKI. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of X.509 certificates in the wild. To shed more light on the state of the deployed and actually used X.509 PKI, we obtained and evaluated data from many different sources. We conducted HTTPs scans of a large number of popular HTTPs servers over a 1.5-year time span, including scans from nine locations distributed over the globe. To compare certification properties of highly ranked hosts with the global picture, we included a third-party scan of the entire IPv4 space in our analyses. Furthermore, we monitored live SSL/TLS traffic on a 10Gbps uplink of a large research network. This allows us to compare the properties of the deployed PKI with the part of the PKI that is being actively accessed by users. Our analysis reveals that the quality of certification lacks in stringency, due to a number of reasons among which incorrect certification chains or invalid certificate subjects give the most cause for concern. Similar concerns can be raised for the properties of certification chains and many self-signed certificates used in the deployed X.509 PKI. Our findings confirm what has long been believed -- namely that the X.509 PKI we often use in our everyday's lives is in a sorry state.
Synthesis and characterisation of porous luminescent glass ceramic scaffolds containing europium for bone tissue engineering

Eu2O3 was added to bioactive glass ceramic in the system CaO–SiO2–P2O5–MgO–CaF2 to prepare porous luminescent scaffold with high mechanical property. The crystal structure, compressive strength, in vitro bioactivity, cell affinity and luminescent property under ultraviolet of samples was evaluated. According to results, Eu2O3 improved the crystallisation behaviour but inhibited fluorapatite formation in the glass ceramics. Although scaffolds had connective porous structure, the compressive strength could be improved to as high as 3·6 MPa with the addition of Eu2O3. The in vitro bioactivity test showed a decrease in Ca release ability and a retardation of apatite forming on the samples with increasing substitution of Eu2O3 for CaO. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-dipheyltetrazolium bromide assay and SEM observation results displayed that ROS17/2·8 cells could attach and differentiate on all the scaffolds. Moreover, the Eu2O3 doped scaffolds fluoresced well a red colour under ultraviolet, and a decrease in the emission intensities could be observed after the cell coculturing process.
Bibliographic Review on Distributed Kalman Filtering

In recent years, a compelling need has arisen to understand the effects of distributed information structures on estimation and filtering. In this paper, a bibliographical review on distributed Kalman filtering (DKF) is provided. The paper contains a classification of different approaches and methods involved to DKF. The applications of DKF are also discussed and explained separately. A comparison of different approaches is briefly carried out. Focuses on the contemporary research are also addressed with emphasis on the practical applications of the techniques. An exhaustive list of publications, linked directly or indirectly to DKF in the open literature, is compiled to provide an overall picture of different developing aspects of this area.