Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Latch-Based Weibull Model for Polymerie Creep and Recovery

A model to represent creep and recovery in polymeric materials is described. This is based on the Weibull distribution function, which is commonly used for representing the failure of elements in mechanical systems. A mechanical representation of viscoelasticity is discussed, in which viscoelastic response is described by the action of time-dependent latch elements. By analysing experimental data on nylon 6,6, polypropylene and polyether-ether-ketone (PEEK) from a range of sources, it is shown that creep and non-elastic recovery can be represented by two equations, each containing four parameters. The model correlates well with the experimental data analysed, from which it can be used to predict both time-dependent and time-independent strain.
Bandwidth allocation under end‐to‐end percentile delay bounds

We describe an efficient and accurate approximation method for calculating the bandwidth that should be allocated on each link along the path of a point‐to‐point Multiprotocol Label Switching connection, so that the end‐to‐end delay D is less than or equal to a given value T with a probability γ, that is, P(D ≤ T) = γ. We model a connection by a tandem queuing network of infinite capacity queues. The arrival process of packets to the connection is assumed to be bursty and correlated and it is depicted by a two‐stage Markov‐Modulated Poisson Process. The service times are exponentially distributed. The proposed method uses only the first queue of the tandem queuing network to construct an upper and lower bound of the required bandwidth so that P(D ≤ T) = γ. Subsequently, we estimate the required bandwidth using a simple interpolation function between the two bounds. Extensive comparisons with simulation showed that the results obtained have an average relative error of 1.25%. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Type II twinning in devitrite, Na2Ca3Si6O16

Nanometre-scale twins found in the triclinic crystalline phase devitrite, Na2Ca3Si6O16, are shown to exhibit the relatively rare form of twinning, Type II twinning, in which the crystal structure of one of the parts is related to the crystal structure of the other by a rotation of 180° about η 1 = [1 0 0]. Although formally, the twin plane K 1 is irrational, it is in essence (0 1 0).
Giant Molecules: Essential Materials for Everyday Living and Problem Solving

The Building Blocks of Our World Small Organic Molecules Introduction to the Science of Giant Molecules Relationships Between the Properties and Structure of Giant Molecules Nature's Giant Molecules: The Plant Kingdom Nature's Giant Molecules: The Animal Kingdom Derivatives of Natural Polymers Physical and Chemical Testing of Polymers Fibers Rubber (Elastomers) Paints, Coatings, Sealants, and Adhesives Thermoplastics Thermosets Engineering Plastics Inorganic Polymers Specialty Polymers Additives for Polymers The Future of Giant Molecules Index.
Empirical Mode Decomposition-Based Time-Frequency Analysis of Multivariate Signals: The Power of Adaptive Data Analysis

This article addresses data-driven time-frequency (T-F) analysis of multivariate signals, which is achieved through the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) algorithm and its noise assisted and multivariate extensions, the ensemble EMD (EEMD) and multivariate EMD (MEMD). Unlike standard approaches that project data onto predefined basis functions (harmonic, wavelet) thus coloring the representation and blurring the interpretation, the bases for EMD are derived from the data and can be nonlinear and nonstationary. For multivariate data, we show how the MEMD aligns intrinsic joint rotational modes across the intermittent, drifting, and noisy data channels, facilitating advanced synchrony and data fusion analyses. Simulations using real-world case studies illuminate several practical aspects, such as the role of noise in T-F localization, dealing with unbalanced multichannel data, and nonuniform sampling for computational efficiency.
Application of Biopharmaceutical and Clinical Metrics in Analyzing Modification of Platelets Aggregation Curves by Calcium Ion

In context of Evidence Based Medicine concept, Good Clinical Practice rules specify that “data generated should be reliable and robust”. Reliability and robustness are further translated in requirements concerning statistical and clinical significance of results. Paper presents main aspectsconnected with comparison of evolutions of endpoints as function of different parameters like time, administered dose, proportion of active components etc., leading to problems of comparison of curves, with direct application to comparison of platelets aggregation curves in presence of different concentrations of ionic calcium. Theoretical part presents comparison of curves in biopharmacyusing f2 metric and area under curve metric, and comparison of survival curves in clinical studies.Platelet aggregation test was performed using Bornturbidimetric light transmission method using Helena PACKS-4 Aggregometer. Blood samples were collected from patients in internal medicine ward of Colentina Clinical Hospital. Platelet rich plasma (PRP) was obtained by centrifugation at 200G. Washed platelets where extracted by centrifugation of PRP at 2700G. The supernatant was replaced with sodium chloride 0.9%. Platelets aggregation was induced by adding different concentrations of calcium gluconate into cuvettes which contained washed platelets. After digitalization, curves were compared using similarity factor f2and areas under curves. Paper puts in evidence that both type of comparison, after mathematical and statistical evaluation, have to define a clinical threshold for clinical significance. In case of f2, in dissolution studies the threshold is 10%, in case of bioequivalence based on area under curves threshold is 20%. Establishment of the threshold for significant clinical difference in comparison of aggregation curves is not only a problem of statistics.Graphical representation of data suggested significant differences between curves obtained with different concentrations of calcium ion. Application of both f2 method and log-rank test let to conclusion that differences were statistical significant. Representation of aria under curves as function of calcium concentration put in evidence an approximate linear dependence. In spite of apparently objective character of mathematical approach, the problem of comparison of aggregation curves remains practically unsolved since we do not know the threshold between clinical significant and non-significant results.
Scheduling control of AGV system based on game theory

This paper does a research on how to improve the operating efficiency of the multi-AGV system, and establish the AGV scheduling model with an algorithm that is designed to optimize scheduling process. The algorithm confirms the initial scheduling strategy first, and then optimal scheduling based on game theory. Using game theory could help the system to choose the most appropriate AGV to do one task in a short time and that would reduce the whole response time of the system and could also improve the efficiency of the system. This paper use the regulate speed policy to avoid the conflict and that could help to maximize the efficiency of the system. It is proved with the simulation that the strategy improves flexibility, robustness and efficiency of the AGV system.
Red Algae Respond to Waves: Morphological and Mechanical Variation in Mastocarpus papillatus Along a Gradient of Force

Intertidal algae are exposed to the potentially severe drag forces generated by crashing waves, and several species of brown algae respond, in part, by varying the strength of their stipe material. In contrast, previous measurements have suggested that the material strength of red algae is constant across wave exposures. Here, we reexamine the responses to drag of the intertidal red alga Mastocarpus papillatus Kützing. By measuring individuals at multiple sites along a known force gradient, we discern responses overlooked by previous methods, which compared groups of individuals between “exposed” and “protected” sites. This improved resolution reveals that material strength and stipe cross-sectional area are both positively correlated with drag, suggesting that individual blades or populations can adjust either or both of these parameters in response to their mechanical environment. The combined effect of this variation is a stipe breaking force that is positively correlated with locally imposed drag. Owing to this response to drag, the estimated wave-imposed limit to thallus size in M. papillatus is larger than previously predicted and larger than sizes observed in the field, indicating that factors other than wave force alone constrain the size of this alga on wave-swept shores.
HONselect: Multilingual Assistant Search Engine Operated by a Concept-based Interface System to Decentralized Heterogeneous Sources

Any new user to the Internet will think that to retrieve the relevant document is an easy task especially with the wealth of sources available on this medium, but this is not the case. Even experienced users have difficulty formulating the right query for making the most of a search tool in order to efficiently obtain an accurate result. The goal of this work is to reduce the time and the energy necessary in searching and locating medical and health information. To reach this goal we have developed HONselect [1]. The aim of HONselect is not only to improve efficiency in retrieving documents but to respond to an increased need for obtaining a selection of relevant and accurate documents from a breadth of various knowledge databases including scientific bibliographical references, clinical trials, daily news, multimedia illustrations, conferences, forum, Web sites, clinical cases, and others. The authors based their approach on the knowledge representation using the National Library of Medicine's Medical Subject Headings (NLM, MeSH) vocabulary and classification [2,3]. The innovation is to propose a multilingual "one-stop searching" (one Web interface to databases currently in English, French and German) with full navigational and connectivity capabilities. The user may choose from a given selection of related terms the one that best suit his search, navigate in the term's hierarchical tree, and access directly to a selection of documents from high quality knowledge suppliers such as the MEDLINE database, the NLM's ClinicalTrials.gov server, the NewsPage's daily news, the HON's media gallery, conference listings and MedHunt's Web sites [4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]. HONselect, developed by HON, a non-profit organisation [10], is a free online available multilingual tool based on the MeSH thesaurus to index, select, retrieve and display accurate, up to date, high-level and quality documents.
Fuzzy optimization model of high risk navigational area based on AIS data

In order to enhance the safety of maritime transportation, index evaluation system of safe navigation in different sea areas is established based on relative data extracted and analyzed by ship-borne Automatic Identification System (AIS). Firstly, according to the AIS-based index evaluation system, a fuzzy optimization model are established based on system fuzzy decision theory and multi-objects and multi-layers fuzzy optimization theory. Then, sorted by optimal degree of the vector, the sea areas are calculated from lower-layer to higher-layer. At last, the sea area that has higher navigational risk is selected. By comparing the results provided by the model with the actual situation in a certain sea area, it is proved that the fuzzy optimization model is scientific and practical. With this model, navigational risk judgments in different waters can be offered, thus providing navigational management references to masters, shipping companies and related maritime supervision departments.
Specificity of the STAT4 Genetic Association for Severe Disease Manifestations of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a genetically complex disease with heterogeneous clinical manifestations. A polymorphism in the STAT4 gene has recently been established as a risk factor for SLE, but the relationship with specific SLE subphenotypes has not been studied. We studied 137 SNPs in the STAT4 region genotyped in 4 independent SLE case series (total n = 1398) and 2560 healthy controls, along with clinical data for the cases. Using conditional testing, we confirmed the most significant STAT4 haplotype for SLE risk. We then studied a SNP marking this haplotype for association with specific SLE subphenotypes, including autoantibody production, nephritis, arthritis, mucocutaneous manifestations, and age at diagnosis. To prevent possible type-I errors from population stratification, we reanalyzed the data using a subset of subjects determined to be most homogeneous based on principal components analysis of genome-wide data. We confirmed that four SNPs in very high LD (r(2) = 0.94 to 0.99) were most strongly associated with SLE, and there was no compelling evidence for additional SLE risk loci in the STAT4 region. SNP rs7574865 marking this haplotype had a minor allele frequency (MAF) = 31.1% in SLE cases compared with 22.5% in controls (OR = 1.56, p = 10(-16)). This SNP was more strongly associated with SLE characterized by double-stranded DNA autoantibodies (MAF = 35.1%, OR = 1.86, p<10(-19)), nephritis (MAF = 34.3%, OR = 1.80, p<10(-11)), and age at diagnosis<30 years (MAF = 33.8%, OR = 1.77, p<10(-13)). An association with severe nephritis was even more striking (MAF = 39.2%, OR = 2.35, p<10(-4) in the homogeneous subset of subjects). In contrast, STAT4 was less strongly associated with oral ulcers, a manifestation associated with milder disease. We conclude that this common polymorphism of STAT4 contributes to the phenotypic heterogeneity of SLE, predisposing specifically to more severe disease.
Plant-Incorporated Bacillus thuringiensis Resistance for Control of Fall Armyworm and Corn Earworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Corn

Abstract Fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), and corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), perennially cause leaf and ear damage to corn, Zea mays L. , in the southeastern United States. Transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) hybrids with the Bt11, MON810, or 176 events expressing the Cry1Ab insecticidal endotoxin from were evaluated for control fall armyworm and corn earworm at seven locations in Georgia during 1999 and 2000. Corn was planted at the recommended time for each location and 1 and 2 mo later in the southern locations. All Bt events consistently reduced whorl infestation and damage, although event 176 did not prevent whorl damage in the later plantings in the southern locations in both years. All events also reduced seedling damage by the lesser cornstalk borer, Elasmopalpus lignosellus (Zeller), in one trial and stalk infestations and tunnel length by southwestern corn borers, Diatraea grandiosella Dyar, in another trial. Hybrids containing Bt11 and MON810 events reduced ear infestations in all trials, although reductions were small in later plantings. Nevertheless, both events reduced grain damage from earworms and armyworms by an average ± SE of 52.5 ± 5.1% in all trials. The hybrid containing event 176 did not reduce ear infestations and damage. Total grain aflatoxin concentrations were not significantly affected by Bt resistance in any trial (N = 17). Yield responses were variable with the prevention of yield loss being proportional to the severity of insect damage. Although plantings made after the recommended time did not consistently benefit from Bt resistance, Bt11 and MON810 events were effective in reducing damage to field corn when large infestations occurred. The Bt11 and MON810 events mitigated the risk of severe lepidopteran damage to corn, thereby making later plantings of corn feasible in double-cropping systems.
Finding satisfying global states: all for one and one for all

Summary form only given. Given a distributed computation and a global predicate, predicate detection involves determining whether there exists at least one consistent cut (or global state) of the computation that satisfies the predicate. On the other hand, computation slicing is concerned with computing the smallest sub-computation - with the least number of consistent cuts - that contains all consistent cuts of the computation satisfying the predicate. We investigate the relationship between predicate detection and computation slicing and show that the two problems are equivalent. Specifically, given an algorithm to detect a predicate b in a computation C, we derive an algorithm to compute the slice of C with respect to b. The time-complexity of the (derived) slicing algorithm is O(n|E|) times the time-complexity of the detection algorithm, where n is the number of processes and E is the set of events. We discuss how the "equivalence " result can be utilized to derive a faster algorithm for solving the general predicate detection problem. Slicing algorithms described in our earlier papers are all off-line in nature. We also give an online algorithm for computing the slice for a predicate that can be detected efficiently. The amortized time-complexity of the algorithm is O(n(c + n)) times the time-complexity of the detection algorithm, where c is the average concurrency in the computation.
Facilitating Collaborative Decision Making with the Software Architecture Video Wall

Although capturing and documenting the design making process in software architecture is an important task, few tools exist to support the architect in this task. Often, such decisions are made during discussions with other stakeholders, but typically these remain implicit. We envision the Software Architecture Video Wall as a collaborative decision making tool for the software architect. The video wall serves as a whiteboard for discussions that automatically records the screenplay. Combined with the audio recordings of the discussion participants, a rich data set is obtained that may serve as input to track design decisions, and argumentation mining, to generate architecture rationale documentation. The video wall serves different uses as explained in several possible scenarios. However, as shown in the paper, much research is still required to realize this vision.
Effect of platelet-rich plasma on the healing of intra-bony defects treated with a natural bone mineral and a collagen membrane.

BACKGROUND Regenerative periodontal therapy with a combination of platelet-rich plasma (PRP)+a natural bone mineral (NBM)+guided tissue regeneration (GTR) has been shown to result in significantly higher probing depth reductions and clinical attachment-level gains compared with treatment with open flap debridement alone. However, at present, it is unknown to what extent the use of PRP may additionally enhance the clinical outcome of the therapy compared with treatment with NBM+GTR. AIM To clinically compare treatment of deep intra-bony defects with NBM+PRP+GTR with NBM+GTR. MATERIAL AND METHODS Thirty patients suffering from advanced periodontal disease, and each of whom displayed one advanced intra-bony defect were randomly treated with a combination of either NBM+PRP+collagen membrane (GTR) or NBM+GTR. The following clinical parameters were evaluated at baseline and at 1 year after treatment: plaque index, gingival index, bleeding on probing, probing depth (PD), gingival recession and clinical attachment level (CAL). CAL changes were used as the primary outcome variable. RESULTS No differences in any of the investigated parameters were observed at baseline between the two groups. Healing was uneventful in all patients. At 1 year after therapy, the sites treated with NBM+PRP+GTR showed a reduction in mean PD from 8.9+/-2.3 mm to 3.4+/-2.0 mm (p<0.001) and a change in mean CAL from 10.9+/-2.2 mm to 6.4+/-1.8 mm (p<0.001). In the group treated with NBM+GTR, the mean PD was reduced from 8.9+/-2.5 mm to 3.4+/-2.3 mm (p<0.001), and the mean CAL changed from 11.1+/-2.5 mm to 6.5+/-2.3 mm (p<0.001). In both groups, all sites gained at least 3 mm of CAL. CAL gains of > or = 4 mm were measured in 80% (i.e. in 12 out of 15 defects) of the cases treated with NBM+PRP+GTR and in 87% (i.e. in 13 out of 15 defects) treated with NBM+GTR. No statistically significant differences in any of the investigated parameters were observed between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS Within its limits, the present study has shown that (i) at 1 year after regenerative surgery with both NBM+PRP+GTR and NBM+GTR, significant PD reductions and CAL gains were found, and (ii) the use of PRP has failed to improve the results obtained with NBM+GTR.
Process Mediation in an Extended Roman Model

A mediator is a software module that provides sharing of services and and agglomeration of resources into complex services. Mediators will play a pivotal role in successful infrastructures for Semantic Web Services. Process mediation in Web Services involves issues of process compatibility and composability. Evolving standards of web services, such as the web service Execution Environment (WMSX [21]) focus mostly on compatibility issues in a B2B environment, whereas the problem of dynamic composition of web services is still maturing in the research community. In this paper we contribute to the composition aspect of process mediation. Web service process specification has reached well accepted standards, such as the Business Process Execution Language (BPEL4WS [9]). Moreover, it has recently been shown that process algebra provides a useful interpretation of BPEL specifications. Works such as [12, 19] provide the mapping from BPEL to process algebra, and show how the algebra can be used to describe Web Services during design stage. These works also demonstrate how process algebraic descriptions can be extracted from existing Web Services for reverse engineering purposes. This enables the use of numerous verification tools that are available for process algebra (e.g. LOTOS) in web service development. When it comes to the question of composability of web services some of the most fruitful results have been achieved within the Roman model [3, 2, 7, 11, 14, 5], an evolving framework that takes a highly computational approach to Web Service composition. In this paper we extend the Roman model by incorporating features from process algebra that will allow a fuller use of important functionalities of Web Services, such as parallelism, nondeterminism, and task decomposition. Our contributions are as follows:
A Recall-Based Cluster Formation Game in Peer-to-Peer Systems

In many large-scale content sharing applications, participants or peers are grouped together forming clusters based on their content or interests. In this paper, we deal with the maintenance of such clusters in the presence of updates. We model the evolution of the system as a strategic game, where peers determine their cluster membership based on a utility function of the query recall. Peers are guided either by selfish or altruistic motives: selfish peers aim at improving the recall of their own queries, whereas altruistic peers aim at improving the recall of the queries of other peers. We study the evolution of such clusters both theoretically and experimentally under a variety of conditions. We show that, in general, local decisions made independently by each peer enable the system to adapt to changes and maintain the overall recall of the query workload.