Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Homogenization of a Row of Dislocation Dipoles from Discrete Dislocation Dynamics

Conventional discrete-to-continuum approaches have seen their limitation in describing the collective behavior of the multipolar configurations of dislocations, which are widely observed in crystalline materials. The reason is that dislocation dipoles, which play an important role in determining the mechanical properties of crystals, often get smeared out when traditional homogenization methods are applied. To address such difficulties, the collective behavior of a row of dislocation dipoles is studied by using matched asymptotic techniques. The discrete-to-continuum transition is facilitated by introducing two field variables respectively describing the dislocation pair density potential and the dislocation pair width. It is found that the dislocation pair width evolves much faster than the pair density. Such hierarchy in evolution time scales enables us to describe the dislocation dynamics at the coarse-grained level by an evolution equation for the slow-varying variable (the pair density) coupled with an equilibrium equation for the fast-varying variable (the pair width). The time-scale separation method adopted here paves the way for properly incorporating dipole-like (zero net Burgers vector but nonvanishing) dislocation structures, known as the statistically stored dislocations, into macroscopic models of crystal plasticity in three dimensions. Moreover, the natural transition between different equilibrium patterns found here may also shed light on understanding the emergence of the persistent slip bands in fatigue metals induced by cyclic loads.
Simulating Student Programmers

A cognitive model of student programmers is presented. The model is based on protocol studies of students writing Pascal programs, and is implemented in a computer simulation program. The claim of this paper is that a computational cognitive model of student program generation fits within a generate-test-and-debug (GTD) problem solving architecture in which impasse/repair knowledge plays a key role. The claim is supported by showing how the model provides a useful descriptive account of the way students write alternative programs.
Electrical Force Induced Growth of Well-aligned Carbon Nanotubes and Simulation

Large area well-aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were synthesized in flames by applying an electric field. A finite element model was proposed to investigate the electrical force acting on the nanotubes during the growth process and the dependence on CNTs height, inter-tube distance and diameter. The mechanism of electrical force induced growth was theoretically interpreted.
Research on polarization vector characteristics in a microfiber-based graphene fiber laser

We experimentally investigated the polarization vector characteristics in an Er-doped fiber laser based on graphene that was deposited on microfiber. A variety of dynamic states, including polarization locked fundamental soliton, and polarization domain wall square pulses and their harmonic mode locked counterparts have all been observed with different pump powers and polarization states. These results indicated that the microfiber-based graphene not only could act as a saturable absorber but also could provide high nonlinearity, which is favorable for the cross coupling between the two orthogonal polarization components. It was worth to mention that it is the first time to obtain the polarization domain wall solitons in a mode locked fiber laser.
Estimating diagnostic accuracy for clustered ordinal diagnostic groups in the three-class case—Application to the early diagnosis of Alzheimer disease

Many medical diagnostic studies involve three ordinal diagnostic populations in which the diagnostic accuracy can be summarized by the volume or partial volume under the receiver operating characteristic surface for a diagnostic marker. When the diagnostic populations are clustered, e.g. by families, we propose to model the diagnostic marker by a general linear mixed model that takes into account of the correlation on the diagnostic marker from members of the same clusters. This model then facilitates the maximum likelihood estimation and statistical inferences of the diagnostic accuracy for the diagnostic marker. This approach naturally allows the incorporation of covariates as well as missing data when some clusters do not have subjects on all diagnostic groups in the estimation of, and the subsequent inferences on the diagnostic accuracy. We further study the performance of the proposed methods in a large simulation study with clustered data. Finally, we apply the proposed methodology to the data of several biomarkers collected by the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network, an international family-clustered registry to study autosomal dominant Alzheimer disease which is a rare form of Alzheimer disease caused by mutations in any of the three genes including the amyloid precursor protein, presenilin 1 and presenilin 2. We estimate the accuracy of several cerebrospinal fluid and neuroimaging biomarkers in differentiating three diagnostic and genetic populations: normal non-mutation carriers, asymptomatic mutation carriers, and symptomatic mutation carriers.
User Association and Base Station Sleep Management in Dense Heterogeneous Cellular Networks

Dense Heterogeneous Cellular Networks(HCNs) offer a promising approach to meet the target of 1000x increase in aggregate data rates in 5G wireless communication systems. However how to best utilize the available radio resources at densely deployed small cells remains an open problem as those small cells are typically unplanned. In this paper we focus on balancing loads across macro cells and small cells by offloading users to small cells, as well as dynamically switching off underutilized small cells. We propose a joint user association and base station(BS) sleep mangement(UA-BSM) scheme that proactively offloads users to a fraction of the densely deployed small cells. We propose a heuristic algorithm that iteratively solves the user association problem and puts BSs with low loads into sleep. An interference relation matrix(IRM) is constructed to help us identify the candidate BSs that can be put into sleep. User associations are then aggregated to selected small cells that remain active. Simulation results show that our proposed approach achieves load balancing across macro and small cells and reduces the number of active BSs. Numerical results show user signal to interference ratio(SINR) can be improved by small cell sleep control.
Validity and reliability assessment of a peer evaluation method in team-based learning classes

Purpose Team-based learning (TBL) is increasingly employed in medical education because of its potential to promote active group learning. In TBL, learners are usually asked to assess the contributions of peers within their group to ensure accountability. The purpose of this study is to assess the validity and reliability of a peer evaluation instrument that was used in TBL classes in a single medical school. Methods A total of 141 students were divided into 18 groups in 11 TBL classes. The students were asked to evaluate their peers in the group based on evaluation criteria that were provided to them. We analyzed the comments that were written for the highest and lowest achievers to assess the validity of the peer evaluation instrument. The reliability of the instrument was assessed by examining the agreement among peer ratings within each group of students via intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) analysis. Results Most of the students provided reasonable and understandable comments for the high and low achievers within their group, and most of those comments were compatible with the evaluation criteria. The average ICC of each group ranged from 0.390 to 0.863, and the overall average was 0.659. There was no significant difference in inter-rater reliability according to the number of members in the group or the timing of the evaluation within the course. Conclusion The peer evaluation instrument that was used in the TBL classes was valid and reliable. Providing evaluation criteria and rules seemed to improve the validity and reliability of the instrument.
Towards Designing an Email Classification System Using Multi-view Based Semi-supervised Learning

The goal of email classification is to classify user emails into spam and legitimate ones. Many supervised learning algorithms have been invented in this domain to accomplish the task, and these algorithms require a large number of labeled training data. However, data labeling is a labor intensive task and requires in-depth domain knowledge. Thus, only a very small proportion of the data can be labeled in practice. This bottleneck greatly degrades the effectiveness of supervised email classification systems. In order to address this problem, in this work, we first identify some critical issues regarding supervised machine learning-based email classification. Then we propose an effective classification model based on multi-view disagreement-based semi-supervised learning. The motivation behind the attempt of using multi-view and semi-supervised learning is that multi-view can provide richer information for classification, which is often ignored by literature, and semi-supervised learning supplies with the capability of coping with labeled and unlabeled data. In the evaluation, we demonstrate that the multi-view data can improve the email classification than using a single view data, and that the proposed model working with our algorithm can achieve better performance as compared to the existing similar algorithms.
The Tick Microbiome: Why Non-pathogenic Microorganisms Matter in Tick Biology and Pathogen Transmission

Ticks are among the most important vectors of pathogens affecting humans and other animals worldwide. They do not only carry pathogens however, as a diverse group of commensal and symbiotic microorganisms are also present in ticks. Unlike pathogens, their biology and their effect on ticks remain largely unexplored, and are in fact often neglected. Nonetheless, they can confer multiple detrimental, neutral, or beneficial effects to their tick hosts, and can play various roles in fitness, nutritional adaptation, development, reproduction, defense against environmental stress, and immunity. Non-pathogenic microorganisms may also play a role in driving transmission of tick-borne pathogens (TBP), with many potential implications for both human and animal health. In addition, the genetic proximity of some pathogens to mutualistic symbionts hosted by ticks is evident when studying phylogenies of several bacterial genera. The best examples are found within members of the Rickettsia, Francisella, and Coxiella genera: while in medical and veterinary research these bacteria are traditionally recognized as highly virulent vertebrate pathogens, it is now clear to evolutionary ecologists that many (if not most) Coxiella, Francisella, and Rickettsia bacteria are actually non-pathogenic microorganisms exhibiting alternative lifestyles as mutualistic ticks symbionts. Consequently, ticks represent a compelling yet challenging system in which to study microbiomes and microbial interactions, and to investigate the composition, functional, and ecological implications of bacterial communities. Ultimately, deciphering the relationships between tick microorganisms as well as tick symbiont interactions will garner invaluable information, which may aid in the future development of arthropod pest and vector-borne pathogen transmission control strategies.
Synthesis of Nanocrystalline Hydroxyapatite Using Eggshell and Trimethyl Phosphate

Background: Recently, the use of synthetic bone graft substitutes has garnered attention and become more popular than tradi- tional methods for reconstructing osseous defects in the fields of orthopedics and maxillofacial surgery. Commercially available hydroxyapatites (HAs) have been widely reported to be eective bone graft substitutes. Unfortunately, they are expensive to pro- duce. Thus, there is a need to develop methods of producing HA bone graft substitutes from inexpensive sources. Objectives: To synthesize nanocrystalline HA using recycled eggshell and trimethyl phosphate. Until date, several phosphate solu- tions have been utilized for this purpose. However, this is for the first time to the best of our knowledge that trimethyl phosphate is used as a source of phosphate to synthesize eggshell-derived HA. Methods: To produce HA, calcined hen's eggshell was used as a source of calcium, and trimethyl phosphate was used as a source of phosphate in a sol-gel method at a controlled temperature. The results were estimated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observantion to evaluate surface morphology, X-ray diraction (XRD) to analyze phase composition, and transmission electron mi- croscopy (TEM) to evaluate the shape and size of prepared HA. Micro-chemical analysis was conducted using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was employed to identify the functional groups of the prepared HA. Results: XRD evaluation showed that high-purity synthetic HA powder was obtained. The results of the SEM, XRD, TEM, EDX, and FTIR analyses demonstrated that the synthesis yielded nanostructured HA. Conclusions: A complete synthesis of nanocrystalline HA was obtained by using trimethyl phosphate and eggshells in a sol-gel method at a controlled temperature. A spherical particle morphology and particle size ranged 19 - 41 nm were achieved. Eggshell waste material is inexpensive and can be considered a viable choice for high-volume HA powder production, based on the present results.
Simplified and age‐appropriate recommendations for added sugars in children

Excess sugar intake increases risk for obesity and related comorbidities among children. The World Health Organization (WHO), American Heart Association (AHA) and the 2015 USDA dietary recommendations have proposed guidelines for added sugar intake to reduce risk for disease. WHO and USDA recommendations are presented as a percentage of daily calories from added sugar. This approach is not easily understood or translated to children, where energy needs increase with age. The AHA recommendation is based on a fixed value of 25 g of added sugar for all children 2–19 years of age. This approach does not take into account the different levels of intake across this wide age range. Due to these limitations, we adapted current recommendations for added sugars based on daily energy needs of children 2–19 years. We used those values to derive simple regression equations to predict grams or teaspoons of added sugars per day based on age that would be equivalent to 10% of daily energy needs. This proposed approach aligns with the changing nutritional needs of children and adolescents during growth.
Doming in compressional orogenic settings: New geochronological constraints from the NW Himalaya

In the central and southeastern parts of the Himalayas, the High Himalayan Crystalline (HHC) high‐grade rocks are mainly exhumed in the frontal part of the range, as a consequence of a tectonic exhumation controlled by combined thrusting along the Main Central Thrust (MCT) and extension along the South Tibetan Detachment System (STDS). In the NW Himalaya, however, the hanging wall of the MCT in the frontal part of the range consists mainly of low‐ to medium‐grade metasediments (Chamba zone), whereas most of the amphibolite facies to migmatitic gneisses of the HHC of Zanskar are exposed in a more internal part of the orogen as a large‐scale dome structure referred to as the Gianbul dome. This Gianbul dome is cored by migmatitic paragneisses formed at peak conditions of 800°C and 8 kbar. This migmatitic core is symmetrically surrounded by rocks of the sillimanite, kyanite ± staurolite, garnet, biotite, and chlorite mineral zones. The structural data from the Miyar‐Gianbul Valley section reveal that the Gianbul dome is bounded by two major converging thrust zones, the Miyar Thrust Zone and the Zanskar Thrust Zone, which were reactivated as ductile zones of extension referred to as the Khanjar Shear Zone (KSZ) and the Zanskar Shear Zone (ZSZ), respectively. Geochronological dating of monazites from various migmatites and leucogranite in the core of the Gianbul dome indicates ages between 26.6 and 19.8 Ma. These results likely reflect a high‐temperature stage of the exhumation history of the HHC of Zanskar and consequently constrain the onset of extension along both the ZSZ and the KSZ to start shortly before 26.6 Ma. Several recent models interpret that ductile extrusion of the high‐grade, low‐viscosity migmatites of HHC reflects combined extension along the ZSZ and thrusting along the MCT. Hence our new data constrain the onset of the thrusting along the MCT to start shortly before 26.6 Ma.
Development of lignin carbon fibers: Evaluation of the carbonization process

The use of lignin as a renewable resource for the production of less-expensive carbon fibers has in recent years attracted great interest. In order to develop the strength properties, the stabilization and carbonization processes have to be optimized. For this reason, the process parameters during carbonization have here been studied on stabilized lignin fibers in the temperature interval from 300 to 1300 °C. The effects of temperature, heating rate, and straining of fibers during carbonization on the strength properties of carbon fibers were investigated. The heating rate, in the range from 1 to 40 °C/min, was shown to have no effect on the property development of the fibers. During carbonization with no load applied to the fibers, a shrinkage of 20% was noted. Counteracting the shrinkage by imposing a load on the fibers during the carbonization resulted in fibers with a greater stiffness. The tensile strength was not, however, affected by this loading. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 43965.
Estimating the effective number of breeders from single parr samples for conservation monitoring of wild populations of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar.

This study assesses whether the effective number of breeders (Nb ) can be estimated using a time and cost-effective protocol using genetic sibship reconstruction from a single sample of young-of-the-year (YOY) for the purposes of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar population monitoring. Nb was estimated for 10 consecutive reproductive seasons for S. salar in the River Nivelle, a small population located at the rear-edge of the species distribution area in France, chronically under its conservation limit and subjected to anthropogenic and environmental changes. Subsampling of real and simulated data showed that accurate estimates of Nb can be obtained from YOY genotypes, collected at moderate random sampling intensity, achievable using routine juvenile electrofishing protocols. Spatial bias and time elapsed since spawning were found to affect estimates, which must be accounted for in sampling designs. Nb estimated in autumn for S. salar in the River Nivelle was low and variable across years from 23 (95% C.I. 14-41) to 75 (53-101) and was not statistically correlated with the estimated number of returning adults, but it was positively correlated with the estimated number of YOY at age 9 months. Nb was found to be lower for intermediate levels of redd aggregation, suggesting that the strength of the competition between males to access females affects reproductive success variance depending on redd spatial configuration. Thus, environmental factors such as habitat availability and quality for spawning and YOY development predominate over demographic ones (number of returning adults) in driving long-term population viability for S. salar in the River Nivelle. This study showcases Nb as an integrated parameter, encompassing demographic and ecological information about a reproductive event, relevant to the assessment of both short-term effects of management practices and long-term population conservation status.
Interaction of iron nanoparticles with nervous system: an in vitro study

Nanoparticles (NPs) are one of the interesting and widely studying issues mainly because of their particular physico-chemical features and broad applications in the field of biomedical sciences, such as diagnosis and drug delivery. In this study, the interaction of iron nanoparticles (Fe–NPs) with Tau protein and PC12 cell, as potential nervous system models, was investigated with a range of techniques including dynamic light scattering, intrinsic fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism, [(3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium-bromid] assay, and acridine orange/ethidium bromide (AO/EB) dual staining method. An inverse correlation between Stern and Volmer constant (KSV) and temperature indicated a probable static quenching mechanism occurred between Tau protein and Fe–NPs. The number of binding site (n = 0.86) showed that there is almost one binding site of Fe–NP per protein. The negative values of ∆H (−53.21 kJ/mol) and T∆S (−42.44 kJ/mol) revealed that Fe–NPs interacts with Tau protein with dominate role of hydrogen bonds and van der Waals interactions and this interaction was spontaneous (∆G = −10.77 kJ/mol). Also, Fe–NPs stabilized the random coil structure of Tau protein. Moreover, Fe–NPs reduced PC12 cells viability by fragmentation of DNA in an apoptotic manner. In conclusion, induced conformational changes of Tau protein and cytotoxicity of PC12 cells by Fe–NP were revealed to be in a concentration and time-dependent manner.
Volume of Anesthetic Agents and IANB Success: A Systematic Review.

The aim of this study was to provide an evidence-based answer to the question: "Is 3.6-mL volume of an anesthetic agent more effective than 1.8-mL volume in providing anesthesia for mandibular molars? " Following formulation of research question and keyword selection, a comprehensive search of the following databases was conducted: Cochrane library, PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, ProQuest, and Clinicaltrials.gov. Three-phase eligibility appraisal and quality assessment of the studies were carried out by 2 independent reviewers. To reduce clinical heterogeneity, the included studies were divided into 2 groups: studies on healthy teeth and studies on teeth with pulpitis. The data of included studies were statistically combined through meta-analysis using a fixed-effects model. A total of 20,778 records were initially retrieved from the search. Following screening and eligibility assessment, 8 studies met the eligibility criteria and were included for qualitative synthesis. Of those, 5 studies were qualified for meta-analysis. In the irreversible pulpitis group, increasing the volume of anesthetic agent from 1.8 to 3.6 mL significantly increased the success rate of inferior alveolar nerve block (risk ratio = 2.45, 95% CI: 1.67-3.59, p < .001). However, there was insufficient evidence to draw a conclusion regarding healthy teeth.