Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact Mechanics of PMMA/PC Multi-Laminates with Soft Polymer Interlayers

The main purpose of this thesis is the systematic, experimental investigation of how a soft interlayer affects the impact response and energy dissipation mechanisms of all-polymer multilaminates. An instrumented, intermediate impact velocity experimental setup with strain rates on the order of 100 s -1 , is used to assess the impact mechanics of three-layered samples consisting of a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) front, polymer interlayer or adhesive, and polycarbonate (PC) back layer. Instrumentation of the gas gun is achieved with a shock accelerometer measuring contact force and optical displacement sensors recording deflection. Previous impact research utilizing instrumented gas guns by Levy and Goldsmith, and Delfosse et al. have measured contact force, but did not record simultaneous out-of-plane displacement. Signals acquired are temporally aligned allowing for insight into the response of the multilaminate during impact, which is inaccessible with typical gas guns. Impact testing is completed on bonded and unbonded sample configurations, with two thermoplastic polyurethane and four polyacrylate interlayers. Quantitative metrics from force and displacement signals, along with post-impact damage observations, are used to compare impact performance between configurations and impact velocities (12 and 22 m/s). In general, the presence and bonding of an interlayer increases impact resistance by mitigating and localizing the impact load. The interlayers are characterized at various strain rates in tension, compression, and shear adhesion. In tension, all interlayers display rate dependence, nonlinearity, and hysteretic behavior showing varying degrees of increasing energy dissipation with strain rate. Several trends between sample fracture and energy absorption mechanisms, quasistatic and low rate interlayer response, and metric results are established and discussed.
Perceived Stigma towards Leprosy among Community Members Living Close to Nonsomboon Leprosy Colony in Thailand

Background Interpretation of Leprosy as a sickness differs among society. The set of beliefs, knowledge and perceptions towards a disease play a vital role in the construction of stigma towards a disease. The main purpose of this study was to explore the extent and correlates of the perceived stigma towards leprosy in the community living close to the leprosy colony in Non Somboon region of Khon Kaen Province of Thailand. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 257 leprosy unaffected community participants, above the age of 18 who were living close to the Leprosy colony in Non Somboon region of Thailand. Each participant was asked a questionnaire containing characteristics of the participants in terms of socio-demographic background and knowledge regarding the disease. In addition perceived stigma towards leprosy was measured using EMIC (Explanatory Model Interview Catalogue) questionnaire. Results Among EMIC items, shame or embarrassment in the community due to leprosy was felt by 54.5%, dislike to buy food from leprosy affected persons were 49.8% and difficulty to find work for leprosy affected persons were perceived by 47.1%. Higher total EMIC score was found in participants age 61 years or older (p = 0.021), staying longer in the community (p = 0.005), attending fewer years of education (p = 0.024) and who were unemployed (p = 0.08). Similarly, perceptions about leprosy such as difficult to treat (p = 0.015), severe disease (p = 0.004) and punishment by God (p = 0.011) were significantly associated with higher perceived stigma. Conclusions Perceived stigma towards leprosy was found highest among participants with age 61 years or older, longer duration of stay in community close to the leprosy colony, lower duration of education and participants who were unemployed had higher perceived stigma. Similarly, participants with perceptions of leprosy such as difficult to treat, severe disease and punishment by God had higher perceived stigma towards leprosy. There is an urgent need of stigma reduction strategies focused on education and awareness concerning leprosy.
Role of Protein Carbonylation in Skeletal Muscle Mass Loss Associated with Chronic Conditions

Muscle dysfunction, characterized by a reductive remodeling of muscle fibers, is a common systemic manifestation in highly prevalent conditions such as chronic heart failure (CHF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cancer cachexia, and critically ill patients. Skeletal muscle dysfunction and impaired muscle mass may predict morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic diseases, regardless of the underlying condition. High levels of oxidants may alter function and structure of key cellular molecules such as proteins, DNA, and lipids, leading to cellular injury and death. Protein oxidation including protein carbonylation was demonstrated to modify enzyme activity and DNA binding of transcription factors, while also rendering proteins more prone to proteolytic degradation. Given the relevance of protein oxidation in the pathophysiology of many chronic conditions and their comorbidities, the current review focuses on the analysis of different studies in which the biological and clinical significance of the modifications induced by reactive carbonyls on proteins have been explored so far in skeletal muscles of patients and animal models of chronic conditions such as COPD, disuse muscle atrophy, cancer cachexia, sepsis, and physiological aging. Future research will elucidate the specific impact and sites of reactive carbonyls on muscle protein content and function in human conditions.
FPGA based real-time constrained time area optimized IIR design using digit-serial arithmetic

-In this paper, an efficient and area optimized infinite impulse response (IIR) filter realization in field programmable gate arrays is proposed. The realized IIR filter emulates the frequency dependent magnitude and phase characteristic of a transmission line or data transmission cable of variable length. Because of the real time nature of the emulation (determined by the physical propagation delay of the cable), processing time is strictly limited. The optimal and efficient realization described uses a cascade of second order IIR filters with large word size. The sample rate exceeds 10 MSPS, using serial-digit arithmetic in field programmable gate arrays (FPGA Xilinx SpartanII XC2S200). Key-Words: IIR Design, Biquad, FPGA, Distributed Arithmetic, Hybrid Multiplier, Pipelining
ACO-MTS: A new approach for multiprocessor task scheduling based on ant colony optimization

In this paper, a new proposed approach named ACO-MTS to multiprocessor task scheduling based on ant colony optimization is introduced. Optimized task scheduling is one of the most important problems in parallel and distributed systems. Task scheduling in multiprocessor architectures is NP-hard so that finding the best possible solution is generally impossible. Ant colony optimization is a metaheuristic approach inspired from social behavior of real ants. It is a multi-agent approach, in which agents (artificial ants) try to find the shortest path for solving the given problem using an indirect communication. The proposed ACO-MTS is evaluated in comparison with not only the traditional heuristics but also the genetic algorithm. Finally, it outperforms the heuristic approaches, and had identical performance with genetic algorithm. However, the genetic algorithm examines too more solutions to achieve the best scheduling compared to ACO-MTS. Presented results demonstrate that the proposed approach is so successful in multiprocessor task scheduling.
Evidence that multiple genes influence baseline concentrations and diet response of Lp(a) in baboons.

We investigated the response of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] levels to dietary fat and cholesterol in 633 baboons fed a series of 3 diets: a basal diet low in cholesterol and fat, a high-fat diet, and a diet high in fat and cholesterol. Measurement of serum concentrations in samples taken while the baboons were sequentially fed the 3 diets allowed us to analyze 3 Lp(a) variables: Lp(a)(Basal), Lp(a)(RF) (response to increased dietary fat), and Lp(a)(RC) (response to increased dietary cholesterol in the high-fat environment). On average, Lp(a) concentrations significantly increased 6% and 28%, respectively, when dietary fat and cholesterol were increased (P<0.001). As expected, most of the variation in Lp(a)(Basal) was influenced by genes (h(2)=0.881). However, less than half of the variation in Lp(a)(RC) was influenced by genes (h(2)=0.347, P<0. 0001), whereas the increase due to dietary fat alone was not significantly heritable (h(2)=0.043, P=0.28). To determine whether Lp(a) phenotypic variation was due to variation in LPA, the locus encoding the apolipoprotein(a) [apo(a)] protein, we conducted linkage analyses by using LPA genotypes inferred from the apo(a) isoform phenotypes. All of the genetic variance in Lp(a)(Basal) concentration was linked to the LPA locus (log of the odds [LOD] score was 30.5). In contrast, linkage analyses revealed that genetic variance in Lp(a)(RC) was not linked to the LPA locus (LOD score was 0.036, P>0.5). To begin identifying the non-LPA genes that influence the Lp(a) response to dietary cholesterol, we tested, in bivariate quantitative genetic analyses, for correlation with low density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDLC; ie, non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol less the cholesterol contribution from Lp(a)]. LDLC(Basal) was weakly correlated with Lp(a)(Basal) (rho(P)=0.018). However, LDLC(RC) and Lp(a)(RC) were strongly correlated (rho(P)=0. 382), and partitioning the correlations revealed significant genetic and environmental correlations (rho(G)=0.587 and rho(E)=0.251, respectively). The results suggest that increasing both dietary fat and dietary cholesterol caused significant increases in Lp(a) concentrations and that the response to dietary cholesterol was mediated by a gene or suite of genes that appears to exert pleiotropic effects on LDLC levels as well. The gene(s) influencing Lp(a) response to dietary cholesterol is not linked to the LPA locus.
ORGANIZED MOTION IN TURBULENT FLOW 8184

In nearly every area of fluid mechanics, our understanding is limited by the onset or presence of turbulence. Although recent years have seen a great increase in our physical understanding, a predictive theory of turbulent flow has not yet been established. Aside from certain results that can be derived through dimensional reasoning, it is still not possible to solve from first principles the simplest turbulent flow with the simplest conceivable boundary conditions. Our continuing inability to make accurate, reliable predictions seriously limits the technological advancement of aircraft design, design of turbomachinery, combustors, mixers, and a wide variety of other devices that depend on fluid motion for their operation. Anyone who is introduced to the subject of turbulence for the first time quickly encounters the decomposition of the unsteady flow first proposed by Osborne Reynolds in 1895. Various flow variables are divided into a mean and fluctuating part, and upon substitution into the Navier-Stokes equations the result is a system of equations identical in form to the original system except for convective stress terms, which arise from averaging products of velocity fluctuations. In order to close the system of equations, a second relation is needed between the convective stresses and the mean velocity field. Until recently, much theoretical and experimental effort was focused on finding relationships that could be applied to larger and larger classes of mean flows with the ultimate hope of finding a universal constitutive relation for "turbulent fluid. " There was never any guarantee that such a relation actually exists and the goals of this effort remain largely unrealized. Hope for a universal turbulence model has been slowly replaced by the growing www.annualreviews. org/aronline Annual Reviews
Heart Rate in Hypertensive Patients Treated With ACE Inhibitors and Long-Acting Dihydropyridine Calcium Antagonists

Rapid heart rate (HR) has been reported to be a predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in hypertensive patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of ACE inhibitors and long-acting dihydropyridine calcium antagonists on clinic and ambulatory HR in patients with essential hypertension. We selected 292 hypertensive patients treated with ACE inhibitors and 198 hypertensive patients treated with dihydropyridine calcium antagonists. Groups were balanced for age, gender, body mass index, baseline blood pressure (BP) and HR, treatment duration and occupation. Patients had been submitted to clinic evaluation and noninvasive monitoring of BP and HR at baseline and during chronic therapy. Clinic and ambulatory BP were significantly and similarly reduced in patients treated with ACE inhibitors and calcium antagonists. Globally, clinic and 24-h HR were significantly reduced in patients treated with ACE inhibitors and remained unchanged in those treated with calcium antagonists. When patients were grouped according to baseline clinic HR (< 65 beats/min, 65–74 beats/min, 75–84 beats/min, and >85 beats/min), ACE inhibitors did not significantly change HR in subjects with baseline clinic HR <74 beats/min but significantly reduced clinic, 24-h, daytime and nighttime HR in those with baseline HR >75 beats/min and particularly in those with baseline HR >85 beats/min. Calcium antagonists did not significantly change clinic, 24-h, daytime and nighttime HR in various subgroups. Our study shows that ACE inhibitors reduce both clinic and ambulatory HR in hypertensive patients with faster HR, who seem to be at higher risk, and that long-acting dihydropyridine calcium antagonists do not induce significant changes in HR during chronic treatment (neither decrease nor increase). Whether this aspect is associated with a better prognostic impact of ACE inhibitors in essential hypertension should be determined in prospective studies.
Proerectile pharmacological effects of Tribulus terrestris extract on the rabbit corpus cavernosum.

INTRODUCTION The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of oral treatment of Tribulus terrestris (TT) extract on the isolated corpus cavernosal tissue of New Zealand white (NZW) rabbits and to determine the mechanism by which protodioscin (PTN), a constituent of the TT, exerts its pharmacological effects. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-four NZW rabbits were randomly assigned to 4 experimental groups of 6 each. Group I served as control. Groups II to IV were treated with the extract at different dose levels, i.e. 2.5 mg/kg, 5 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg body weight, respectively. The TT extract was administered orally, once daily, for a period of 8 weeks. The rabbits were then sacrificed and their penile tissue isolated to evaluate the responses to both contracting and relaxing pharmacological agents and electrical field stimulation (EFS). RESULTS PTN on its own had no effect on the isolated corpus cavernosal strips. The relaxant responses to EFS, acetylcholine and nitroglycerin in noradrenaline precontracted tissues from treated groups showed an increase in relaxation of a concentration dependent nature compared to that of the tissues from control group. However, the contractile, anti-erectile response of corpus cavernosal tissue to noradrenaline and histamine showed no significant change between the treatment and the control groups. CONCLUSIONS The relaxant responses to acetylcholine, nitroglycerin and EFS by more than 10%, 24% and 10% respectively compared to their control values and the lack of such effect on the contractile response to noradrenaline and histamine indicate that PTN has a proerectile activity. The enhanced relaxant effect observed is probably due to increase in the release of nitric oxide from the endothelium and nitrergic nerve endings, which may account for its claims as an aphrodisiac. However, further study is needed to clarify the precise mechanism of its action.
Living With Arthritis

In this article, we explore how adults with arthritis use self-care strategies in their valued leisure activities, and variations in use based on their access to environmental resources. We conducted six focus groups (N = 34) with adults aged 55 and older with a diagnosis of arthritis. Adults living in residential communities were recruited, with 31% of the sample residing in subsidized housing. Focus group transcripts were analyzed using content analysis based on themes of selective optimization with compensation. We found some differences in strategy use between the resource-rich and resource-poor participants. Adults highlighted the value of their leisure activities and the importance of leisure in maintaining their health and well-being. Our findings point to the need to incorporate leisure education into interventions and programs targeting adults with arthritis.
Introductory Programming: Let Us Cut through the Clutter!

Introductory programming courses often leave students unimpressed. We feel this is because teaching approaches (a) overemphasize the syntactic aspects of the programming language being taught instead of using programming to do interesting things, (b) do not respect the computational maturity/intellectual leanings of the students, and (c) are simply not fun enough. We have developed an approach which we believe addresses these issues in the context of teaching introductory programming to college students majoring in science and engineering. We use the C++ programming language augmented with a graphics library and some linguistic devices we have developed. We believe that our approach enables interesting material to be handled from day one and generally garners more student interest.
Processing and characterization of TiB2‐TiNiFeCrCoAl high‐entropy alloy composite

A series of TiB2-TiNiFeCrCoAl high-entropy alloy (HEA) composites with HEA contents of 5, 10, and 20 wt. % were fabricated to a relative density of above 95% without applied external pressure at 1550°C in flowing argon. Research indicates (i) the formation of liquid HEA is promoted with the assistance of an optimized ball mill process, which facilitates the sintering through a liquid phase sintering mechanism, and (ii) HEA can react with the oxide impurities in TiB2 and can consequently enhance the densification. Continual observations on microstructures and properties indicate that the sintered composites have a submicronmeter grain size of 0.90±0.11, 0.79±0.09, and 0.74±0.07 μm; a high hardness of 23.3±0.9, 21.6±1.0, and 17.5±1.2 GPa; and a high indentation fracture toughness of 8.7±0.4, 11.1±0.6, and 12.8±0.6 MPa·m1/2, respectively, for samples with 5, 10, and 20 wt. % HEA. The addition of HEA to TiB2 can significantly enhance the densification, results in fine microstructures, and improve the mechanical performance.
Tracking of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles using an Autonomous Surface Vehicle with ranger interrogator system

This paper presents a tracking algorithm of an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) using an Autonomous Surface Vehicle (ASV) equipped with a ranger interrogator system. Worldwide, there has been increasing interest in the use of ASVs to execute missions of increasing complexity without direct supervision by human operators. A key-enabling element for the execution of such missions is the availability of advanced systems for motion control of ASVs. The problems of motion control can be roughly classified into three groups: i) point stabilization, where the goal is to stabilize a vehicle at a given target point with a desired orientation; ii) trajectory tracking, where the vehicle is required to track a time parameterized reference; and iii) path following, where the objective is for the vehicle to converge to and follow a desired geometric path, without an explicit timing law assigned to it. The proposed algorithm allows the ASV to follow after the AUV without the need to know the actual position of the platform. Additionally, the algorithm allows computing the possible location of the AUV, which can be used to reduce the error of AUV navigation.
Biological Sciences Tutorial: CryoEM with Phase Plates

Phase plates for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) have been in development for many years but only recently became commercially available. Their main function is improving the image contrast by enhancing the phase contrast performance of the microscope. This is especially beneficial for cryoelectron microscopy (cryoEM) where low image contrast is a typical issue. Phase plates add more complexity to the operation of the microscope and thus require additional training and experience. In this tutorial you will learn about the principle of operation, basic microscope alignments and image processing approaches associated with the use of phase plates.
Fabrication and Multiprobe Electrical Characterization of Nanostructures

Engineering of graphene for modifying electrical properties, such as opening an electronic band gap, has been shown both theoretically and experimentally by creating periodic holes in the graphene sheet, however at the price of lower carrier mobility. Such holes can be made with special fabrication techniques, such as colloidal lithography or block copolymers lithography, which covers the entire sample. This project presents graphene devices with periodic holes fabricated by electron beam lithography. Only partial coverage of holes are fabricated by making from one to many rows of holes perpendicular to the current direction. The results show a decrease in carrier mobility with increasing number of rows, but does not indicate a band gap opening with holes sizes of 50 nm and a pitch of 100 nm, which suggests that smaller holes and pitch are necessary for creating band gap in graphene. Electrical characterization of graphene and other nanostructures usually involves lithographic processing which can alter or damage fragile materials, and metal electrodes are permanently placed to the sample. This project presents a fast method for electrical characterization for graphene and other nanostructures by the use of micro four-point probes. My contribution to knowledge includes characterization of graphene using micro four-point probes, which proves to be a fast and reliable method for electrical and mechanical characterization. The micro-four point probe technique is shown to apply to other fragile nanostructures, such as nanograss and silver nanowires. Furthermore, antidot lattice of di erent sizes are made in graphene, to investigating the dependence of number of holes needed for modifying the electronic properties of graphene.