Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of hydrostatic pressure on the flow and fracture of a bulk amorphous metal

Abstract The flow and fracture behaviour of a Zr-Ti-Ni-Cu-Be bulk amorphous metal have been determined in tension and compression at room temperature with levels of superimposed hydrostatic pressure ranging from 0.1 to 700 MPa. Metallographically polished cylindrical specimens tested in uniaxial tension and compression were utilized in the high pressure tests, while polished cylindrical torsion specimens were tested at 0.1 MPa (i.e. atmospheric pressure) in order to approach conditions of pure shear. All the tension and torsion tests, regardless of the level of superimposed pressure, exhibited linear elastic failure, as did the compression tests conducted with low levels (e.g. less than 450 MPa) of pressure. At the highest pressures (i.e. 450 MPa or higher), the compression tests exhibited elastic-perfectly plastic behaviour and an increase in the compressive elongation to fracture. The flow stress and fracture stress were not significantly affected by the superposition of pressure as failure occurred in shear, indicative of pressure-independent behaviour over the range tested. However, a change in fracture plane angle was detected. Tensile fracture surfaces were oriented at 50–59°; compression fracture surfaces were oriented at 40°. The flow and fracture behaviours were analysed in terms of a Mohr-Coulomb criterion of the form τc = 950 MPa - 0. 038ω;n over the range of stress states examined. The results are discussed in the light of the various yield criteria and the flow and fracture theories provided for amorphous metallic systems.
Cerebral complications of angiography for transient ischemia and stroke

We examined the records of 147 consecutive patients studied by femoral catheterization to identify factors contributing to angiographic risk in cerebrovascular disease. Cerebral complications occurred in 12.2 percent and were permanent in 5.2 percent. Computer-assisted multivariate analysis of 21 possible risk factors was done. Two of these risk factors correlated strongly with increased risk: number of previous transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) (p < 0.001), and the presence of arterial stenosis of greater than 90 percent (p < 0.03). Risk factors of marginal significance were: diabetes, female sex, and number of selective injections. A discriminant function for estimation of risk was derived: D = [8 × number of TIAs] + [6 × number of arteries catheterized] + [14 if diabetic, 0 if not] + [11 if female, 0 if male]. When D was > 55, 77 percent of patients had a complication. When D was < 55, 98 percent of patients had no complication. Unfortunately, patients in whom the study is most indicated tend to be those at greatest risk.
Media, Aggregators and the Link Economy: Strategic Hyperlink Formation in Content Networks

A key property of the World Wide Web is the possibility for firms to place virtually costless links to third-party content as a substitute or complement to their own content. This ability to hyperlink has enabled new types of players, such as search engines and content aggregators, to successfully enter content ecosystems, attracting traffic and revenues by hosting links to the content of others. This, in turn, has sparked a heated controversy between content producers and aggregators regarding the legitimacy and social costs/benefits of uninhibited free linking. This work is the first to model the implications of interrelated and strategic hyper-linking and content investments. Our results provide a nuanced view of the much-touted Olink economyO, highlighting both the beneficial consequences and the drawbacks of free hyperlinks for content producers and consumers. We show that content sites can reduce competition and improve profits by forming links to each other; in such networks one site makes high investments in content and other sites link to it. Interestingly, competitive dynamics often preclude the formation of link networks, even in settings where they would improve everyone's profits. Furthermore, such networks improve economic efficiency only when all members have similar abilities to produce content; otherwise the less capable nodes can free-ride on the content of the more capable nodes, reducing profits for the capable nodes as well as the average content quality available to consumers. Within these networks, aggregators have both positive and negative effects. By making it easier for consumers to access good quality content they increase the appeal of the entire content ecosystem relative to the alternatives. To the extent that this increases the total traffic flowing into the content ecosystem, aggregators can help increase the profits of the highest quality content sites. At the same time, however, the market entry of aggregators takes away some of the revenue that would otherwise go to pure content sites. Finally, by placing links to only a subset of available content, aggregators further increase competitive pressure on content sites. Interestingly, this can increase the likelihood that such sites will then attempt to alleviate the competitive pressure by forming link networks.
Autoimmune Pancreatitis: A Systemic Immune Complex Mediated Disease

Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) is a mass forming inflammatory pancreatobiliary-centric disease. Recent reports of multiorgan inflammatory mass forming lesions with increased numbers of IgG4 positive plasma cells suggest that AIP may have a systemic component. In this study, we explore the systemic nature of AIP, investigate the relevance of subtyping AIP, perform a systematic study of tissue IgG4 immunoperoxidase, and ultrastructurally evaluate the presence of immune complexes. Our study group consisted of 36 patients with AIP, 21 of whom underwent a Whipple procedure. On the basis of the pattern of inflammation, pancreatic involvement was subtyped as ductocentric (AIP-D) or lobulocentric (AIP-L). Extrapancreatic lesions included bile duct (n=3), salivary glands (n=3), lung (n=2), gallbladder (n=11), and kidney (n=4). Clinical and radiologic data was recorded. Immunohistochemistry for IgG4 was performed on both pancreatic and extrapancreatic tissues and the numbers of IgG4 positive plasma cells were semiquantitatively scored. A control cohort composed of pancreatic adenocarcinoma (n=19) and chronic pancreatitis-not otherwise specified (NOS) (n=14) was also evaluated. Eleven pancreatic specimens, including 2 cases of chronic pancreatitis-NOS and 4 kidneys were evaluated ultrastructurally. The pancreas, bile duct, gall bladder, salivary gland, kidney, and lung lesions were characterized by dense lymphoplasmacytic infiltrates with reactive fibroblasts and venulitis. IgG4 positive plasma cells were identified in all pancreatic and extrapancreatic lesions. The AIP cases showed significantly more pancreatic IgG4 positive plasma cells than chronic pancreatitis-NOS or adenocarcinoma (P=0.001). However, IgG4 positive cells were identified in 57.1% of chronic pancreatitis-NOS and 47.4% of ductal adenocarcinoma. Fifteen of 21 resected cases were classified as AIP-D, and 6 as AIP-L, the latter notably showing significantly more IgG4 positive plasma cells than the former (P=0.02). Additionally, clinical and radiologic differences emerged between the 2 groups. Ultrastructurally, electron dense deposits of immune complexes were identified in the basement membranes of 7 of the 9 AIP cases and in 3 of the 4 renal biopsies evaluated. AIP represents the pancreatic manifestation of a systemic autoimmune disease. Clinical and immunologic findings justify the recognition of pancreatic lobulocentric and ductocentric subtypes. Documentation of increased numbers of tissue IgG4 positive plasma cells, although not an entirely specific marker for AIP, may provide ancillary evidence for the diagnosis of a IgG4-related systemic disease.
Probiotics in the prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea and Clostridium difficile infection

Diarrhoea, as a common side effect of antibiotics, increases treatment costs and length of stay in acute healthcare facilities. One potential strategy to prevent this side effect is the concurrent use of probiotic bacteria or yeast. This review discusses the evidence for the efficacy of probiotics in the prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea and Clostridium difficile infection; the potential mechanisms by which probiotics may work; their safety; what future research is required; and recommendations for use in clinical practice.
Understanding collaborative learning behavior from Moodle log data

Although course management systems (CMSs) were originally designed for teachers to manage their teaching, little interest has been directed at students' learning. Moodle is usually regarded as a CMS. However, how to make full use of its powerful features and design them into learning tools has rarely been investigated. This study investigates two features, embedded in the Moodle system, wiki and assessment tools, to find out how they are designed to support project-based learning. The theory and rationale for using these two features in learning activities are elaborated. The effects of wiki-supported collaboration, peer grading, and feedback on junior secondary students' enquiries in liberal studies are analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression. One hundred and eighty-six students participated in the study. Working on their own wikis, commenting on the work of peers, and previous performance on the humanities course were found to be significant predictors of liberal study project performance.
Effects of negative semantics in product design

This study investigated four types of negative semantics (sadness, anger, disgust, fear) and their implications for product design. A total of 66 product images that had negative semantics were evaluated by 66 subjects. The results revealed that product designs containing negative meanings could spark curiosity and surprise. Disgust designs were discovered to have similar effects to fear designs, causing subjects to feel pain and that the design was beyond their tolerance. However, the fear designs had more connotations of practicality, focus, and energy than the disgust designs. Furthermore, the sadness semantics were identified as contrary to anger. The sadness designs were practical, made people feel focused and energized, enabled contemplation, and did not cause feelings of pain or were beyond the participants' tolerance; however, this was not true of the anger designs. The results demonstrated that product design with negative semantics can be beneficial and that design involving sadness semantics is worthy of further study in particular.
Ectodermal Dysplasia: A Genetic Review

Abstract Ectodermal dysplasia is a rare hereditary disorder with a characteristic physiognomy. It is a genetic disorder affecting the development or function of the teeth, hair, nails and sweat glands. Depending on the particular syndrome ectodermal dysplasia can also affect the skin, the lens or retina of the eye, parts of the inner ear, the development of fingers and toes, the nerves and other parts of the body. Each syndrome usually involves a different combination of symptoms, which can range from mild to severe. The history and lessons learned from hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (HED) may serve as an example for unraveling of the cause and pathogenesis of other ectodermal dysplasia syndromes by demonstrating that phenotypically identical syndromes can be caused by mutations in different genes (EDA, EDAR, EDARADD), that mutations in the same gene can lead to different phenotypes and that mutations in the genes further downstream in the same signaling pathway (NEMO) may modify the phenotype quite profoundly. The aim of this paper is to describe and discuss the etiology, genetic review, clinical manifestations and treatment options of this hereditary disorder. How to cite this article: Deshmukh S, Prashanth S. Ectodermal Dysplasia: A Genetic Review. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2012; 5(3):197-202.
Novel Inhibitors of Staphylococcus aureus Virulence Gene Expression and Biofilm Formation

Staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen and one of the more prominent pathogens causing biofilm related infections in clinic. Antibiotic resistance in S. aureus such as methicillin resistance is approaching an epidemic level. Antibiotic resistance is widespread among major human pathogens and poses a serious problem for public health. Conventional antibiotics are either bacteriostatic or bacteriocidal, leading to strong selection for antibiotic resistant pathogens. An alternative approach of inhibiting pathogen virulence without inhibiting bacterial growth may minimize the selection pressure for resistance. In previous studies, we identified a chemical series of low molecular weight compounds capable of inhibiting group A streptococcus virulence following this alternative anti-microbial approach. In the current study, we demonstrated that two analogs of this class of novel anti-virulence compounds also inhibited virulence gene expression of S. aureus and exhibited an inhibitory effect on S. aureus biofilm formation. This class of anti-virulence compounds could be a starting point for development of novel anti-microbial agents against S. aureus.
Allosteric Modulators of G Protein-Coupled Receptors: Future Therapeutics for Complex Physiological Disorders

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are one of the most important classes of proteins in the genome, not only because of their tremendous molecular diversity but because they are the targets of nearly 50% of current pharmacotherapeutics. The majority of these drugs affect GPCR activity by binding to a similar molecular site as the endogenous cognate ligand for the receptor. These “orthosterically” targeted drugs currently dominate the existing pharmacopeia. Over the past two decades, novel opportunities for drug discovery have risen from a greater understanding of the complexity of GPCR signaling. A striking example of this is the appreciation that many GPCRs possess functional allosteric binding sites. Allosteric modulator ligands bind receptor domains topographically distinct from the orthosteric site, altering the biological activity of the orthosteric ligand by changing its binding affinity, functional efficacy, or both. This additional receptor signaling complexity can be embraced and exploited for the next generation of GPCR-targeted therapies. Despite the challenges associated with detecting and quantifying the myriad of possible allosteric effects on GPCR activity, allosteric ligands offer the prospect of engendering a facile stimulus-bias in orthosteric ligand signaling, paving the way for not only receptor-selective but also signaling pathway-selective therapies. Allosteric modulators possess specific advantages when considering the treatment of multifactorial syndromes, such as metabolic diseases or age-related cognitive impairment, because they may not greatly affect neurotransmitter or hormone release patterns, thus maintaining the integrity of complex signaling networks that underlie perception, memory patterns, or neuroendocrinological axes while introducing therapeutically beneficial signal bias.
Object-level document analysis of PDF files

The PDF format is commonly used for the exchange of documents on the Web and there is a growing need to understand and extract or repurpose data held in PDF documents. Many systems for processing PDF files use algorithms designed for scanned documents, which analyse a page based on its bitmap representation. We believe this approach to be inefficient. Not only does the rasterization step cost processing time, but information is also lost and errors can be introduced. Inspired primarily by the need to facilitate machine extraction of data from PDF documents, we have developed methods to extract textual and graphic content directly from the PDF content stream and represent it as a list of "objects" at a level of granularity suitable for structural understanding of the document. These objects are then grouped into lines, paragraphs and higher-level logical structures using a novel bottom-up segmentation algorithm based on visual perception principles. Experimental results demonstrate the viability of our approach, which is currently used as a basis for HTML conversion and data extraction methods.
Advantages of Parallel Processing and the Effects of Communications Time

Many computing tasks involve heavy mathematical calculations, or analyzing large amounts of data. These operations can take a long time to complete using only one computer. Networks such as the Internet provide many computers with the ability to communicate with each other. Parallel or distributed computing takes advantage of these networked computers by arranging them to work together on a problem, thereby reducing the time needed to obtain the solution. The drawback to using a network of computers to solve a problem is the time wasted in communicating between the various hosts. The application of distributed computing techniques to a space environment or to use over a satellite network would therefore be limited by the amount of time needed to send data across the network, which would typically take much longer than on a terrestrial network. This experiment shows how much faster a large job can be performed by adding more computers to the task, what role communications time plays in the total execution time, and the impact a long-delay network has on a distributed computing system.
Design and evaluation of intermediate retransmission and packet loss schemes for MPEG4 transmission

Transmission of video data through the Internet is a time critical application. The RTP protocol is commonly used for sending and receiving multimedia (Kikuchi et al., 2000). Associated with RTP we have the RTCP protocol (Friedman et al., 2003) and the RTP retransmission protocol (Rey et al., 2003) for ensuring a certain quality of service. RTP retransmission is an end to end protocol and hence the latency associated with retransmission is high. We propose an In-network solution which uses network processors routers which can request for retransmission and also service retransmission requests. The amount of parallelism provided by network processors would serve to reduce the packet processing time. We have derived the expected number of paths traversed by a packet before it reaches the client in our method and we also discussed the design of the router on the Intel IXP network processor.
Preparation of Al2O3 Nano-Particles Reinforced Fe-Based Composite Materials via In Situ Synthesis

Al2O3 reinforced iron based composite were prepared via in-situ synthesis with aluminum nitrate, citric acid and iron powder as raw materials, a little C and Mo as additive. The influences of the contents of Al2O3, C and Mo on the microstructure and micro-hardness of the Fe based composites were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM and micro-hardness tester. The results showed that the Fe-based composite materials with high bonding strength between matrix and Al2O3 can be prepared by in situ synthesis method. The best ratio of the nine Al2O3 particles reinforced Fe-based composite materials in three groups is 3vol. % C, 5vol. % or 7vol. % Al2O3, sintering temperature is 1300°C and quenching temperature is 900°C. The microstructure of the matrix without C addition is ferrite before and after quenching; the microstructure of the matrix with C addition is pearlite before quenching, and the microstructure become to martensite after quenching, the α-Al2O3 and FeC3 are reinforced phases. The microstructure of the matrix with Mo addition is ferrite and FeAl2O4 before and after quenching.
Carbon Black Reinforced Epoxy Resin Nanocomposites as Bending Sensors

By blending electrically conducting carbon black particles and silica into poly(bisphenol A-co-epichlorohydrin) epoxy resin polymer, conductive nanocomposites were prepared by printing onto transparency films and curing. Application of a milling procedure prior to application is beneficial for the reduction of cracks in the subsequent nanocomposites. Electrical conduction of nanocomposite is CB content dependent. A percolation region (19—24% CB on mass of resin) exists where the nanocomposite exhibits a transition from an electrical insulator to conductor. Nanocomposites with 14% and 19% CB on mass of resin demonstrated greatest sensitivity to changes in bending angle, attributed to greater localized changes in the conductive paths within a semi-conducting sensor. Good reproducibility was observed as a result of molecular interactions between CB particles and the epoxy resin.
Genetic Analysis of the Roles of BMP2, BMP4, and BMP7 in Limb Patterning and Skeletogenesis

Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) family members, including BMP2, BMP4, and BMP7, are expressed throughout limb development. BMPs have been implicated in early limb patterning as well as in the process of skeletogenesis. However, due to complications associated with early embryonic lethality, particularly for Bmp2 and Bmp4, and with functional redundancy among BMP molecules, it has been difficult to decipher the specific roles of these BMP molecules during different stages of limb development. To circumvent these issues, we have constructed a series of mouse strains lacking one or more of these BMPs, using conditional alleles in the case of Bmp2 and Bmp4 to remove them specifically from the limb bud mesenchyme. Contrary to earlier suggestions, our results indicate that BMPs neither act as secondary signals downstream of Sonic Hedghog (SHH) in patterning the anteroposterior axis nor as signals from the interdigital mesenchyme in specifying digit identity. We do find that a threshold level of BMP signaling is required for the onset of chondrogenesis, and hence some chondrogenic condensations fail to form in limbs deficient in both BMP2 and BMP4. However, in the condensations that do form, subsequent chondrogenic differentiation proceeds normally even in the absence of BMP2 and BMP7 or BMP2 and BMP4. In contrast, we find that the loss of both BMP2 and BMP4 results in a severe impairment of osteogenesis.
Features and Applications of Tennis Racket

The study introduced tennis rackets and listed their categories firstly. The purpose was to analyze features of tennis racket. This study showed the influence of vibration mode on response of tennis rackets and Player sensitivity to changes in string tension in a tennis racket. Combining bounce of a tennis ball, made out the applications of tennis racket: a analysis of the ball and racket during first and second tennis serves.
Implementing remote fork() with checkpoint/restart

We describe a method for implementing checkpoints on a UNIXÒ system. The method requires no special operating system support. The checkpoints (a term we use both for the act of saving state and the result) are created in the file system name space. Availability in the name space allows facilities to duplicate and transfer files to be applied; in this case, we get replicated processes and process migration rather naturally. We describe the process migration implementation. Our process migration implementation was easily optimized to achieve an execution speed improvement of greater than 7 times over our first implementation; this was accomplished by a combination of a faster file transfer mechanism and a change in the underlying protocol. We have incorporated the mechanism into a library routine, rfork(). We conclude with a discussion of advantages, limitations and applications of our approach.
The numbers game.

Determining the ideal number of nurses needed on a ward or in a community setting has always been a challenge. Traditionally the task has been seen more as an art than a science, with decisions taken by senior nurses based on their experience and intuition rather than on hard and fast ratios underpinned by rigorous research.