Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pressureless Sintering of Hafnium Carbide–Silicon Carbide Ceramics

HfC-30 vol%SiC ceramics with a relative density of 99.7% was obtained by pressureless sintering at 2300°C for 0.5 h. The resultant ceramics showed fine microstructure with HfC grain size around 1 μm. The hardness (20.5 ± 0.2 GPa), bending strength (396 ± 56 MPa), and fracture toughness (2.81 ± 0.18 MPa·m1/2) of HfC-30 vol%SiC ceramics were at least 20% higher than those of monolithic HfC ceramics. The influences of SiC particle size, volume fraction, and the oxide impurity on the microstructure evolution of HfC-based ceramics were examined. The results indicate that SiC addition and the oxygen impurity introduced by ball milling play opposite roles in the HfC grain growth during sintering. The oxide impurity introduced by ball milling caused the HfC grain coarsening, whereas SiC particles inhibited the grain growth of HfC significantly.
The BLM helicase contributes to telomere maintenance through processing of late-replicating intermediate structures

Werner’s syndrome (WS) and Bloom’s syndrome (BS) are cancer predisposition disorders caused by loss of function of the RecQ helicases WRN or BLM, respectively. BS and WS are characterized by replication defects, hyperrecombination events and chromosomal aberrations, which are hallmarks of cancer. Inefficient replication of the G-rich telomeric strand contributes to chromosome aberrations in WS cells, demonstrating a link between WRN, telomeres and genomic stability. Herein, we provide evidence that BLM also contributes to chromosome-end maintenance. Telomere defects (TDs) are observed in BLM-deficient cells at an elevated frequency, which is similar to cells lacking a functional WRN helicase. Loss of both helicases exacerbates TDs and chromosome aberrations, indicating that BLM and WRN function independently in telomere maintenance. BLM localization, particularly its recruitment to telomeres, changes in response to replication dysfunction, such as in WRN-deficient cells or after aphidicolin treatment. Exposure to replication challenge causes an increase in decatenated deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) structures and late-replicating intermediates (LRIs), which are visible as BLM-covered ultra-fine bridges (UFBs) in anaphase. A subset of UFBs originates from telomeric DNA and their frequency correlates with telomere replication defects. We propose that the BLM complex contributes to telomere maintenance through its activity in resolving LRIs.
Predictors of Oxygen Uptake and Performance During Tennis

Tennis ball machine tests permit the concurrent measurement of physiological function and groundstroke performance in a sport specific manner. The purpose of this study was to understand further the demands of groundstroke performance during a test with progressively increasing ball frequency, by determining the running speed between strokes, upper and lower limb acceleration and pulmonary gas exchange throughout. Sixteen tennis players (n = 8, male; n = 8, female; all right handed) completed three 4 min stages of hitting against a ball feed frequency of 15, 20, 25 ball.min(-1) interspersed by 8 min of rest. Stepwise multiple regression analysis identified a predictive model of VO2 containing the variables of left arm acceleration and right ankle acceleration but not running speed (p < 0.0001; adjusted r2 = 0.93; left wrist acceleration Beta = 1.04; right ankle acceleration Beta = - 0.12; S. E. E. = 2.61 ml.kg(-1). min(-1)). Regression analysis found that the strongest predictors of stroke performance (ball speed [m.s(-1)] x stroke accuracy [%]) were right wrist acceleration and stroke economy (p < 0.0001; adjusted r2 = 0.28; right wrist acceleration Beta = - 0.59; movement economy Beta = - 0.28). The findings of this study highlight the contribution of limb acceleration and not running speed to the oxygen cost of tennis groundstroke performance.
Simulation of Ion Beam Irradiation Effects in Perovskite Oxide Memristors

Radiation effects of ion beams in perovskite oxide memristors are analyzedand linked to absorbed dose values, calculated from simulations of ion transport. Several ion species were used in simulations, chosen to represent certain commonly encountered radiation environments. Results indicate that considerable formation of oxygen ion - oxygen vacancy pairs, as well as advent of displaced rare earth and alkaline atoms, is to be expected. Oxygen vacancies can lead to a decrease or increase of active layer resistance, depending on applied voltage polarity. The loss of vacancies from the device is bound to impair the performance of the memristor. Calculated absorbed dose values in the memristor for various incident ion beams are typically on the order of several kGy.
Optimal Regret Bounds for Selecting the State Representation in Reinforcement Learning

We consider an agent interacting with an environment in a single stream of actions, observations, and rewards, with no reset. This process is not assumed to be a Markov Decision Process (MDP). Rather, the agent has several representations (mapping histories of past interactions to a discrete state space) of the environment with unknown dynamics, only some of which result in an MDP. The goal is to minimize the average regret criterion against an agent who knows an MDP representation giving the highest optimal reward, and acts optimally in it. Recent regret bounds for this setting are of order O(T2/3) with an additive term constant yet exponential in some characteristics of the optimal MDP. We propose an algorithm whose regret after T time steps is O(√T), with all constants reasonably small. This is optimal in T since O(√T) is the optimal regret in the setting of learning in a (single discrete) MDP.
Study of the characteristics of polymer droplet deposition in fabricated rectangular microcavities

Micro-flow visualization and computational fluid dynamics have been complementarily performed for studying microcavity deposition phenomena. A piezoelectric inkjet printhead is used to eject the poly(ethylenedioxythiophene) droplets onto rectangular microcavities. By varying the droplet Weber number (We) (9.9–39.4), sidewall contact angle (θs) (22°–50°) and microcavity length-to-width ratio (L/W) (1.00–3.30), various deposition characteristics in microcavities are examined and the critical We (Wec) for filling microcavities with uniform ink films are identified. The physics embedded in the newly observed hole formation in the spreading liquid film is disclosed. The difference in equilibrium deposition film patterns between the rectangular and square microcavities is also addressed. A single correlation governing the functional dependences of Wec on the normalized θs and L/W is deduced for the first time. The unified correlation is believed to provide useful engineering references for operating inkjet printheads and fabricating uniform thin film coating on the bottom substrate of microcavities.
Defining the effective impact mass of elbow and shoulder strikes in ice hockey

Reconstruction of real-life events can be used to investigate the relationship between the mechanical parameters of the impact and concussion risk. Striking mass has typically been approximated as being the mass of the body part coming into contact with the head without accounting for the force applied by the striking athlete. Thus, the purpose of this study was to measure the effective impact mass of three common striking techniques in ice hockey. Fifteen participants were instructed to strike a suspended 50th percentile Hybrid III headform at least three times with their elbow or shoulder. Effective impact mass was calculated by measuring the change in velocity of the player and the headform. Mean effective impact mass for the extended elbow, tucked-in elbow, and shoulder check conditions were 4.8, 3.0, and 12.9 kg, respectively. Peak linear accelerations were lower than the values associated with concussion in American football which could be a reflection of the methodology used in this study as well as inherent differences between both sports.
Modeling reconfigurable information systems by using an executable algebraic framework

The new generation information systems demand higher quality integration of applied physical aspect and corresponding information aspect. Reconfigurability is addressed as a key property to meet the challenges of the rapidly changing physical context. Actually, the modern information systems such as reconfigurable manufacturing systems (RMS) and business process management (BPM) systems demand a high degree of reconfigurability, which requires systems that are built on properties of modularity, flexibility and scalability. We argue that algebraic languages are particularly suitable as a system analytical framework for constructing and implementing a modular, flexible and scalable information system. This paper presents an algebraic framework called algebra of systems (AoS) and the associated supporting modeling tool called object-process networks (OPN). The framework suggests an integration of actions and interactions between the referred physical and information aspects through a process-driven viewpoint, in order to automate and speed up information system reconfigurability analyzing and modeling phases.
Factors Associated with Successful Smoking Cessation in Korean Adult Males: Findings from a National Survey

Abstract Background Smoking cessation rates have remained stagnant globally. This study was conducted to explore the factors associated with successful smoking cessation among South Korean adult males using nationally representative data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) from 2007 to 2012. A comparison was made between successful quitters and those who failed to quit after attempts to stop smoking. Methods A total of 7,839 males, aged 19–65 years, were included in this cross-sectional study. The outcome measures were the success and failure rates in smoking cessation, sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, health behaviors, perceived health status, quality of life, and mental health. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to examine the various factors associated with smoking cessation success. Results The cessation success and failure rates were 45.5% and 54.5%, respectively. Smoking cessation was related to older age, marriage, higher income, smoking larger amounts of cigarettes, use of willpower, alcohol abstinence, cancer history, better mental health, and higher levels of quality of life, after controlling for multiple variables. Second-hand smoke exposure at home and using nicotine replacement therapy were associated with a lower likelihood of smoking cessation. Conclusion A smoke-free environment, use of willpower, alcohol abstinence, and better stress management are important for smoking cessation. Unlike previous studies, not using nicotine replacement therapy and higher levels of daily cigarette consumption were associated with successful smoking cessation, suggesting that motivation appears to be important to smoking cessation in Korean adult male population.
Renal Embolization: Feasibility of Magnetic Resonance-Guidance Using Active Catheter Tracking and Intraarterial Magnetic Resonance Angiography

Rationale and Objectives:Magnetic resonance (MR)-guidance of endovascular interventions offers various advantages, including the absence of ionizing radiation, excellent soft tissue contrast, and multiplanar and functional imaging capabilities. The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of MR-guided renal embolization using active catheter tracking with automatic slice positioning and intraarterial contrast-enhanced MR angiography (MRA). Materials and Methods:MR-guided embolization of 16 kidneys was attempted in 15 pigs using real-time tracking of active 5-Fr. catheters. Embolization was monitored by selective intraarterial projection MRA. Intraarterial three-dimensional (3D) MRA was used for the assessment of embolization results. Additional pathologic correlation was available in 2 animals. The image quality of intraarterial 3D contrast-enhanced-MRA was rated by an independent radiologist who was not involved in the animal experiments. Results:Active catheter tracking with automatic slice positioning allowed reliable catheter guidance and catheterization of the renal artery in all animals. Embolization was successful in all kidneys (11 left, 5 right), as verified by intraarterial 3D contrast-enhanced MRA (ce-MRA) and/or pathology. The image quality of intraarterial 3D ce-MRA was rated excellent in 10 animals, moderate in 4 animals, and poor in 1 animal. Conclusion:Renal embolization using active catheter tracking and intraarterial ce-MRA is feasible. Selective intraarterial ce-MRA allows the assessment of blood supply and organ perfusion before, during, and after therapeutic interventions, thereby complementing MR-guided endovascular interventions.
Thermal stress in high temperature cylindrical fasteners

Uninsulated structures fabricated from carbon or silicon-based materials, which are allowed to become hot during flight, are attractive for the design of some components of hypersonic vehicles. They have the potential to reduce weight and increase vehicle efficiency. Because of manufacturing contraints, these structures will consist of parts which must be fastened together. The thermal expansion mismatch between conventional metal fasteners and carbon or silicon-based structural materials may make it difficult to design a structural joint which is tight over the operational temperature range without exceeding allowable stress limits. In this study, algebraic, closed-form solutions for calculating the thermal stresses resulting from radial thermal expansion mismatch around a cylindrical fastener are developed. These solutions permit a designer to quickly evaluate many combinations of materials for the fastener and the structure. Using the algebraic equations developed, material properties and joint geometry were varied to determine their effect on thermal stresses. Finite element analyses were used to verify that the closed-form solutions derived give the correct thermal stress distribution around a cylindrical fastener and to investigate the effect of some of the simplifying assumptions made in developing the closed-form solutions for thermal stresses.
An Immune Response Directed to Proteinase and Adhesin Functional Epitopes Protects against Porphyromonas gingivalis-Induced Periodontal Bone Loss1

Porphyromonas gingivalis, a pathogen associated with periodontitis, bound to fibrinogen, fibronectin, hemoglobin, and collagen type V with a similar profile to that of its major virulence factor, the cell surface RgpA-Kgp proteinase-adhesin complex. Using peptide-specific, purified Abs in competitive inhibition ELISAs and epitope mapping assays, we have identified potential adhesin binding motifs (ABMs) of the RgpA-Kgp complex responsible for binding to host proteins. The RgpA-Kgp complex and synthetic ABM and proteinase active site peptides conjugated to diphtheria toxoid, when used as vaccines, protected against P. gingivalis-induced periodontal bone loss in the murine periodontitis model. The most efficacious peptide and protein vaccines were found to induce a high-titer IgG1 Ab response. Furthermore, mice protected in the lesion and periodontitis models had a predominant P. gingivalis-specific IL-4 response, whereas mice with disease had a predominant IFN-γ response. The peptide-specific Abs directed to the ABM2 sequence (EGLATATTFEEDGVA) protected against periodontal bone loss and inhibited binding of the RgpA-Kgp complex to fibrinogen, fibronectin, and collagen type V. Furthermore, the peptide-specific Abs directed to the ABM3 sequence (GTPNPNPNPNPNPNPGT) protected against periodontal bone loss and inhibited binding to hemoglobin. However, the most protective Abs were those directed to the active sites of the RgpA and Kgp proteinases. The results suggest that when the RgpA-Kgp complex, or functional binding motif or active site peptides are used as a vaccine, they induce a Th2 response that blocks function of the RgpA-Kgp complex and protects against periodontal bone loss.
On the Design and Evaluation of a Precise, Robust and Scalable Fiducial Marker Framework

In this paper we present an improved color-based planar fiducial marker system. Our framework provides precise and robust full 3D pose estimation of markers with superior accuracy when compared with many fiducial systems in the literature, while color information encoding enables using over 65 000 distinct markers. Unlike most color-based fiducial frameworks, which requires prior classification training and color calibration, ours can perform reliably under illumination changes, requiring but a rough white balance adjustment. Our methodology provides good detection performance even under poor illumination conditions which typically compromise other marker identification techniques, thus avoiding the evaluation of otherwise falsely identified markers. Several experiments are presented and carefully analyzed, in order to validate our system and demonstrate the significant improvement in estimation accuracy of both position and orientation over traditional techniques.
Use of the curved linear-array echo endoscope to identify gastrorenal shunts in patients with gastric fundal varices.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS : Balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (B-RTO) has emerged as an effective, minimally invasive treatment for fundal varices. B-RTO requires a spontaneously developed gastrorenal shunt as a pathway for the balloon catheter to reach the fundal varices. We used a curved linear-array (CLA) echo endoscope in patients with fundal varices to identify gastrorenal shunts, and compared the detection rate with the gold standard, contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT). PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 40 patients with fundal varices were examined with both CLA echo endoscopy and CECT. The CECT images were retrospectively and independently evaluated by two gastroenterologists who were unaware of the clinical details, including the results of the CLA echo endoscopy. RESULTS CLA echo endoscopy identified gastrorenal shunts in 26/40 patients with fundal varices. It visualized the shunt in a longitudinal direction and provided images of the connections of the shunt at both ends, the fundal varices and the left renal vein/branch of the inferior adrenal vein. The kappa index for CLA echo endoscopy and CECT for the identification of gastrorenal shunt was 0.9 (95 % CI, 0.6 to 1.0). When the cutoff point for the diameter of the gastrorenal shunt detected by the CLA echo endoscope was set at equal to or greater than 5 mm, the kappa index was 1.0 (95 % CI, 0.7 to 1.0). CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that CLA echo endoscopy can successfully identify gastrorenal shunt and provide detailed morphological information. It also efficiently identifies patients suitable for B-RTO, particularly in cases of acute bleeding. It also has considerable potential for providing detailed information with regard to the treatment of gastric varices.
An Affordable Solution for Binocular Eye Tracking and Calibration in Head-mounted Displays

Immersion is the ultimate goal of head-mounted displays (HMD) for Virtual Reality (VR) in order to produce a convincing user experience. Two important aspects in this context are motion sickness, often due to imprecise calibration, and the integration of a reliable eye tracking. We propose an affordable hard- and software solution for drift-free eye-tracking and user-friendly lens calibration within an HMD. The use of dichroic mirrors leads to a lean design that provides the full field-of-view (FOV) while using commodity cameras for eye tracking. Our prototype supports personalizable lens positioning to accommodate for different interocular distances. On the software side, a model-based calibration procedure adjusts the eye tracking system and gaze estimation to varying lens positions. Challenges such as partial occlusions due to the lens holders and eye lids are handled by a novel robust monocular pupil-tracking approach. We present four applications of our work: Gaze map estimation, foveated rendering for depth of field, gaze-contingent level-of-detail, and gaze control of virtual avatars.
Ntyft/Ntyxt Rules Reduce to Ntree Rules

Groote and Vaandrager introduced thetyft/tyxt formatfor Transition System Specifications (TSSs), and established that for each TSS in this format that iswell-founded, the bisimulation equivalence it induces is a congruence. In this paper, we construct for each TSS in tyft/tyxt format an equivalent TSS that consists oftree rulesonly. As a corollary we can give an affirmative answer to an open question, namely whether the well-foundedness condition in the congruence theorem for tyft/tyxt can be dropped. These results extend to tyft/tyxt with negative premises and predicates.
Comparison of the Effects of Hollowing and Bracing Exercises on Cross-sectional Areas of Abdominal Muscles in Middle-aged Women

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of hollowing and bracing exercises on cross-sectional areas of abdominal muscles. [Subjects] Thirty healthy female adults participated in this study. The exclusion criteria were orthopedic or neurologic diseases. [Methods] The subjects of this study were assigned randomly to one of two groups, each with 15 people. Each group performed a 60-minute exercise program, one performed a bracing exercise, and the other performed a hollowing exercise, with both groups performing the exercise three times a week for six weeks. [Results] The changes in cross-sectional areas after the bracing exercise showed statistically significant differences in the left rectus abdominis and both internal and external obliques. The changes in cross-sectional areas after the hollowing exercise showed statistically significant differences in the left and right transversus abdominis and left rectus abdominis. [Conclusion] Performing bracing exercises rather than hollowing exercises is more effective for activating the abdominal muscles.
Single-dose azithromycin for the treatment of children with acute otitis media

Azithromycin is an azalide with in vitro activity against otitis media pathogens, good middle ear penetration and a prolonged half-life. A total of four clinical trials have evaluated the clinical success rate, safety and compliance of single-dose azithromycin (30 mg/kg) in the treatment of children with otitis media. Among all the patients treated with single-dose azithromycin (30 mg/kg), and presented previously in four published clinical trials, end-of-treatment clinical success was 88% (544 out of 619) and maintained clinical success at the end-of-study was 82% (498 out of 610). Three of the four studies included a mandatory baseline tympanocentesis. The overall end-of-treatment and end-of-study clinical success rates among all culture-positive patients was 84% (222 out of 263) and 80% (210 out of 263), respectively. Per pathogen end-of-treatment clinical success rates observed were 91% (125 out of 137) among patients with Streptococcus pneumoniae, 77% (75 out of 97) among patients with Haemophilus influenzae, 100% (14 out of 14) among patients with Moraxella catarrhalis, 64% (seven out of 11) among patients with baseline Streptococcus pyogenes and 25% (one out of four) among patients with a S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae mixed infection. Clinical success was observed in 90% (106 out of 118) of patients with baseline macrolide-susceptible S. pneumoniae and in 67% (14 out of 21) among patients with baseline macrolide-resistant S. pneumoniae (p = 0.01). Adverse events were uncommon, mostly mild and transitory gastrointestinal complaints, and in the two larger comparative trials, were less frequent than the rates observed with the comparator agents. Compliance was excellent (99–100%). Single-dose azithromycin (30 mg/kg) represents an alternative for the treatment of pediatric patients with uncomplicated acute otitis media, particularly in those geographic regions where high-level S. pneumoniae macrolide resistance is uncommon, and for those patients that require directly observed therapy or when compliance may be a problem.