Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Variability and Anisotropy of Fracture Toughness of Cortical Bone Tissue

Bones form protective and load-bearing framework of the body. Therefore, their structural integrity is vital for the quality of life. Unfortunately, bones can only sustain a load until a certain limit, beyond which they fail. Therefore, it is essential to study their mechanical and fracture behaviours in order to get an in-depth understanding of the origins of its fracture resistance that, in turn, can assist diagnosis and prevention of bone's trauma. This can be achieved by studying mechanical properties of bone, such as its fracture toughness. Generally, most of bone fractures occur for long bones that consist mostly of cortical bone. Therefore, in this study, only a cortical bone tissue was studied. Since this tissue has an anisotropic behaviour and possesses hierarchical and complex structure, in this paper, an experimental analysis for the fracture toughness of cortical bone tissue is presented in terms of J-integral. The data was obtained using single-edge-notch bending (SENB) cortical specimens of bone tested in a three-point bending setup. Variability of values of fracture toughness was investigated by testing specimens cut from different cortex positions of bovine femur called anterior, posterior, medial, and lateral. In addition, anisotropy ratios of fracture toughness were considered by examining specimens cut from three different orientations: longitudinal, transverse and radial. Moreover, in order to link cortical bone fracture mechanisms with its underlying microstructure, fracture surfaces of specimens from different cortices and along different orientations were studied. Experimental results of this study provide a clear understanding of both variability and anisotropy of cortical bone tissue with regard to its fracture toughness.
Cultural Paths and Aesthetic Signs

Contemporary philosophical stances toward `artistic truth' derive from Kant's aesthetics. Whereas philosophers who share Kant's emphasis on aesthetic validity discount art's capacity for truth, philosophers who share Hegel's critique of Kant render artistic truth inaccessible. This essay proposes a critical hermeneutic account of aesthetic validity that supports a non-esoteric notion of artistic truth. Using Gadamer and Adorno to read Kant through Hegelian eyes, I reconstruct the aesthetic dimension from three polarities in modern Western societies. Then I describe aesthetic validity as an horizon of imaginative cogency governing the exploration, presentation and creative interpretation of aesthetic signs. The essay argues that aesthetic processes, so construed, are crucial to cultural pathfinding, and that aesthetic validity-claims in art talk contribute significantly to this pursuit. Aesthetic validity, cultural orientation and art talk constitute the hermeneutical matrix from which questions of artistic truth emerge.
Time reversal focusing applied to lithotripsy.

Time reversal of ultrasonic field allows a very efficient approach to focusing pulsed ultrasonic waves through lossless inhomogeneous media. Time reversal mirrors (TRM) are made of large transducer arrays, allowing the incident acoustic field to be sampled, time reversed and re-emitted. Time reversal processing permits a choice of any temporal window to be time reversed, allowing operation in an iterative mode. In multitarget media, this process converges on the most reflective target, i.e., the dominant scatterer. In this paper, the time reversal process is applied to track, in real time, a moving gall bladder or kidney stone embedded in its surrounding medium. We investigate the feasibility of a piezoelectric shock wave generator in which the focal zone is moved electronically to track the stone during a lithotripsy treatment. We show that TRM allows us to obtain sharp focusing on one bright point of the stone. The time of flight profile is then determined and used in a least-mean-square method to calculate the spatial coordinates of the stone.
Translocation of SAPK/JNK to Mitochondria and Interaction with Bcl-xL in Response to DNA Damage*

Activation of the stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK/JNK) by genotoxic agents is necessary for induction of apoptosis. We report here that ionizing radiation ionizing radiation exposure induces translocation of SAPK to mitochondria and association of SAPK with the anti-apoptotic Bcl-xL protein. SAPK phosphorylates Bcl-xL on threonine 47 (Thr-47) and threonine 115 (Thr-115) in vitro and in vivo. In contrast to wild-type Bcl-xL, a mutant Bcl-xL with the two threonines substituted by alanines (Ala-47, Ala-115) is a more potent inhibitor of ionizing radiation-induced apoptosis. These findings indicate that translocation of SAPK to mitochondria is functionally important for interactions with Bcl-xL in the apoptotic response to genotoxic stress.
Computing B-Stationary Points of Nonsmooth DC Programs

Motivated by a class of applied problems arising from physical layer based security in a digital communication system, in particular, by a secrecy sum-rate maximization problem, this paper studies a nonsmooth, difference-of-convex (dc) minimization problem. The contributions of this paper are (i) clarify several kinds of stationary solutions and their relations; (ii) develop and establish the convergence of a novel algorithm for computing a d-stationary solution of a problem with a convex feasible set that is arguably the sharpest kind among the various stationary solutions; (iii) extend the algorithm in several directions including a randomized choice of the subproblems that could help the practical convergence of the algorithm, a distributed penalty approach for problems whose objective functions are sums of dc functions, and problems with a specially structured (nonconvex) dc constraint. For the latter class of problems, a pointwise Slater constraint qualification is introduced that facilitates the ver.
Reconnaissance de caractères par méthodes markoviennes et réseaux bayésiens

Cette these porte sur la reconnaissance de caracteres imprimes et manuscrits par methodes markoviennes et reseaux bayesiens. La premiere partie consiste a effectuer une modelisation stochastique markovienne en utilisant les HMMs classiques dans deux cas: semi-continu et discret. Un premier modele HMM est obtenu a partir d'observations de type colonnes de pixels (HMM-vertical), le second a partir d'observations de type lignes (HMM-horizontal). Ensuite nous proposons deux types de modeles de fusion : modele de fusion de scores qui consiste a combiner les deux vraisemblances resultantes des deux HMMs, et modele de fusion de donnees qui regroupe simultanement les deux observations lignes et colonnes. Les resultats montrent l'importance du cas semi-continu et la performance des modeles de fusion. Dans la deuxieme partie nous developpons les reseaux bayesiens statiques et dynamiques, l'algorithme de Jensen Lauritzen Olesen (JLO) servant comme moteur d'inference exacte, ainsi que l'apprentissage des parametres avec des donnees completes et incompletes. Nous proposons une approche pour la reconnaissance de caracteres (imprimes et manuscrits) en employant le formalisme des reseaux bayesiens dynamiques. Nous construisons certains types de modeles: HMM sous forme de reseau bayesien dynamique, modele de trajectoire et modeles de couplages. Les resultats obtenus mettent en evidence la bonne performance des modeles couples. En general nos applications nous permettent de conclure que l'utilisation des reseaux bayesiens est efficace et tres prometteuse par le fait de modeliser les dependances entre differentes observations dans les images de caracteres.
What Drives Participation in State Voluntary Cleanup Programs?: Evidence from Oregon

Virtually all U.S. states have now created voluntary cleanup programs (VCPs), offering liability relief and other incentives for responsible parties to remediate contaminated sites. We use a multinomial probit model to analyze participation in Oregon's two VCPs. In contrast to previous VCP research, we find that these programs attract sites with significant contamination, not just clean ones. Furthermore, we find that regulatory pressure—in particular, the public listing of contaminated sites—drives participation. These findings imply Oregon has been able to spur voluntary remediation via public disclosure, a result that comports with themes in the literature on voluntary environmental regulation.
Peptic ulcer and Helicobacter pylori

PREVIEW As evidence about the relationship between Helicobacter pylori infection and peptic ulcers accumulates, accurate testing and treatment are becoming increasingly important. However, big questions remain about the best strategies for detecting and managing this infection. In this article, the authors discuss the association between H pylori and peptic ulcer disease, the available tests for detecting the infection, and the latest treatment strategies for effective eradication.
Radiochemotherapy of malignant glioma in adults. Clinical experiences.

BACKGROUND Standard treatment in patients with malignant glioma consists of surgery and postoperative radiotherapy. A high early recurrence rate, particularly in glioblastoma, has led to the investigation of additional chemotherapy. MATERIAL AND METHODS Recent results of radiochemotherapy published in the literature were reviewed with respect to outcome in phase II and III trials. Based on these experiences, aspects of future strategies were discussed. RESULTS 3 decades of intensive research had, unfortunately, little impact on the overall results. While early prospective studies established adjuvant nitrosoureas, particularly BCNU, as suitable adjuvant to surgery and postoperative radiotherapy, further studies largely concentrated on combined chemotherapeutic protocols, mostly procarbazine, CCNU and vincristine (PCV), which was shown to prolong survival in anaplastic astrocytoma. The recent MRC study, however, showed no effect for adjuvant PCV in grade III and IV malignant glioma. Only in high-grade glioma with an oligodendroglial component, additional chemotherapy may be of a decisive benefit. The introduction of newer drugs such as paclitaxel, temozolomide, or gemcitabine demonstrated no decisive advantage. Different modes of application and sequencing of radiotherapy and chemotherapy are presently actively investigated, but failed to substantially improve outcome. CONCLUSIONS Therefore, search for newer and more effective drugs continues, as well as for "optimal" administration and sequencing, especially from the standpoint of accompanying acute and late toxicity. Finally, recent endeavors focused on basic research such as angiogenesis, migration and invasion, or induction of cell differentiation, but these strategies are still away from broader clinical investigation.
Linkshändigkeit als Privileg oder Nachteil bei Notebookeingabegeräten?

Diese experimentelle Studie untersucht die Leistung von Links- und Rechtshändern mit ihrer dominanten vs. nicht-dominanten Hand bei der Bearbeitung einer einfachen Selektionsaufgabe mit den etablierten Notebookeingabegeräten Touchpad und Trackpoint. Linkshänder sind häufig gezwungen, für alltägliche Handlungen die rechte Hand zu benutzen. Dadurch sind sie mit ihrer nicht-dominanten Hand geübter. Es gibt bisher kaum Untersuchungen in der Mensch-Computer-Interaktion bezüglich der Usability für Linkshänder. Die Ergebnisse unserer Studie zeigen, dass tendenziell nur Linkshänder mit der nicht-dominanten Hand eine bessere Leistung zeigen. Mit der dominanten Hand ist die Leistung zwischen Links- und Rechtshändern vergleichbar gut. Integrierte Eingabegeräte sind somit bei einfachen Selektionsaufgaben unabhängig von Händigkeit oder Handdominanz. Allerdings ist ein Touchpad (bewegungstransformierend) effizienter bedienbar als ein Trackpoint (krafttransformierend).
The Reduced Definite Article th’ in Late Middle English and Beyond: An Insight from the Definiteness Cycle

I first show that the reduced form of the definite article th’ is present throughout Middle English and Early Modern English. Then I highlight the differences in the pragmatic functions of the reduced form and full form of the article in three prose texts taken from the late 15th century and the 16th century. Given the differences, late Middle English and the first century of Early Modern English are closer to having two definite articles rather than one. The development of the reduced form th’ is part of the DP cycle in that th’ emerges as the function of the weakens. Finally, I tentatively argue that th’ is reanalyzed as the head of DP around 1500, after being initially base-generated in nP, at which point th’ is closer to a nominal marker than to a definite article. *
Implementation of faster than Nyquist signaling on LTE-uplink like system models

As the data rate requirements are increasing rapidly, so is the need to design better bandwidth e cient digital communication systems. Higher bandwidth e ciency can be achieved by di erent methods, but in this thesis we procured it by increasing the data rates beyond the Nyquist rate while keeping the bandwidth constant. This approach of increasing the data rate beyond the Nyquist rate is called faster than Nyquist signaling or simply FTN. In FTN the transmitted data symbols in time domain are disturbed by the controlled amount of interference from the neighboring symbols known as the intersymbol interference (ISI). This technique of intentionally sending the data sequence a ected by the controlled amount of ISI was rst put forth by James Mazo in 1975. Since then the research in the eld of FTN has been extended in many directions. The LTE-uplink system is based on single carrier transmission and can be extended to the faster than Nyquist signaling to achieve better bandwidth e ciency. The aim of this thesis is to implement the FTN on an LTE-uplink like system model and compare it with the traditional LTEuplink system. The performance of the systems is compared on the basis of bit error rates (BER) and spectral e ciency. The mathematical model for the FTN signaling have been derived according to the `Ungerboeck model' and `Forney model' for the Nyquist based systems. Moreover two separate cases are presented, the uncoded FTN and coded FTN. In the uncoded case, for the optimal detection (ML detection) of the received FTN signal sequence we used a sphere decoder. In the coded case, we have used a LDPC encoder of code rate Rc = 1 2 at the transmitter side and a soft-input-softoutput MMSE equalizer cascaded with an iterative LDPC decoder at the receiver side.
Aip1 Promotes Actin Filament Severing by Cofilin and Regulates Constriction of the Cytokinetic Contractile Ring*

Background: Aip1 cooperates with cofilin to disassemble actin filaments. Results: Aip1 increases the rate of filament severing by cofilin by binding the sides of actin filaments, and Δaip1 mutants have cytokinesis defects. Conclusion: Aip1 promotes actin filament severing by the high concentrations of cofilin in cells. Significance: We provide the first evidence that Aip1 promotes filament severing and illustrate its importance to cytokinesis. Aip1 (actin interacting protein 1) is ubiquitous in eukaryotic organisms, where it cooperates with cofilin to disassemble actin filaments, but neither its mechanism of action nor its biological functions have been clear. We purified both fission yeast and human Aip1 and investigated their biochemical activities with or without cofilin. Both types of Aip1 bind actin filaments with micromolar affinities and weakly nucleate actin polymerization. Aip1 increases up to 12-fold the rate that high concentrations of yeast or human cofilin sever actin filaments, most likely by competing with cofilin for binding to the side of actin filaments, reducing the occupancy of the filaments by cofilin to a range favorable for severing. Aip1 does not cap the barbed ends of filaments severed by cofilin. Fission yeast lacking Aip1 are viable and assemble cytokinetic contractile rings normally, but rings in these Δaip1 cells accumulate 30% less myosin II. Further, these mutant cells initiate the ingression of cleavage furrows earlier than normal, shortening the stage of cytokinetic ring maturation by 50%. The Δaip1 mutation has negative genetic interactions with deletion mutations of both capping protein subunits and cofilin mutations with severing defects, but no genetic interaction with deletion of coronin.
Structural basis of reverse nucleotide polymerization

Significance Template-dependent RNA and DNA polymerization is a vital reaction in the cell and is believed to occur exclusively in the forward direction (5′-3′), which poses significant challenges to the cell in, for example, lagging strand synthesis. Although cells are mostly limited to unidirectional polymerization, we find that reverse polymerization is structurally and chemically possible utilizing the same structural core, the conserved palm domain of canonical polymerases. The structure of a unique reverse nucleotide polymerase-tRNA complex revealed that the direction of polymerization is determined by the orientation of approach of the polynucleotide substrate. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that reverse nucleotide polymerization is a primordial activity of the polymerase family. Nucleotide polymerization proceeds in the forward (5′-3′) direction. This tenet of the central dogma of molecular biology is found in diverse processes including transcription, reverse transcription, DNA replication, and even in lagging strand synthesis where reverse polymerization (3′-5′) would present a “simpler” solution. Interestingly, reverse (3′-5′) nucleotide addition is catalyzed by the tRNA maturation enzyme tRNAHis guanylyltransferase, a structural homolog of canonical forward polymerases. We present a Candida albicans tRNAHis guanylyltransferase-tRNAHis complex structure that reveals the structural basis of reverse polymerization. The directionality of nucleotide polymerization is determined by the orientation of approach of the nucleotide substrate. The tRNA substrate enters the enzyme’s active site from the opposite direction (180° flip) compared with similar nucleotide substrates of canonical 5′-3′ polymerases, and the finger domains are on opposing sides of the core palm domain. Structural, biochemical, and phylogenetic data indicate that reverse polymerization appeared early in evolution and resembles a mirror image of the forward process.
Electromagnetic Performance of Novel Variable Flux Reluctance Machines With DC-Field Coil in Stator

In this paper, novel variable flux reluctance machines (VFRMs) with different rotor pole numbers, which employ a doubly salient structure together with field windings identically located in the stator for each phase, are investigated and compared. Different from other doubly salient machines, such as switched reluctance machines (SRM) and doubly fed doubly salient machines (DFDSM), the equation for determining the stator/rotor pole numbers, i.e., $N_{\rm r}=N_{\rm s}\pm 2k$ , is no longer limited in VFRMs. More feasible selections of rotor pole numbers can be used if the stator/rotor pole numbers can satisfy $N_{\rm r}\ne kN_{\rm ph}$ . Thus, for a 6-stator pole machine not only the rotor pole number can be selected as even numbers, such as 4- and 8-rotor poles, which are commonly used for SRM and DFDSM, but odd numbers, such as 5- and 7- rotor poles, are also feasible. The benefits of using 5- and 7-rotor poles are the cancellation of even-order harmonics together with the third-order harmonic in the flux-linkage and back-EMF. Hence, more sinusoidal back-EMF can be obtained to produce a lower torque ripple. The cancellation in 5- and 7-rotor pole machines is because the flux generated by field and armature windings can pass through the adjacent stator poles to form a shorter flux path, which can further increase their average torque. To validate the analysis, four prototype machines with different rotor pole numbers are manufactured and tested.
SEUSS and AINTEGUMENTA Mediate Patterning and Ovule Initiation during Gynoecium Medial Domain Development1[W][OA]

The Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) gynoecium, the female floral reproductive structure, requires the action of genes that specify positional identities during its development to generate an organ competent for seed development and dispersal. Early in gynoecial development, patterning events divide the primordium into distinct domains that will give rise to specific tissues and organs. The medial domain of the gynoecium gives rise to the ovules, and several other structures critical for reproductive competence. Here we report a synergistic genetic interaction between seuss and aintegumenta mutants resulting in a complete loss of ovule initiation and a reduction of the structures derived from the medial domain. We show that patterning events are disrupted early in the development of the seuss aintegumenta gynoecia and we identify PHABULOSA (PHB), REVOLUTA, and CRABS CLAW (CRC) as potential downstream targets of SEUSS (SEU) and AINTEGUMENTA (ANT) regulation. Our genetic data suggest that SEU additionally functions in pathways that are partially redundant and parallel to PHB, CRC, and ANT. Thus, SEU and ANT are part of a complex and robust molecular system that coordinates patterning cues and cellular proliferation along the three positional axes of the developing gynoecium.
Anchorage of annulus fibrosus within the vertebral endplate with reference to disc herniation

Purpose: To describe the microarchitecture of the annulus‐endplate region with reference to disc herniation. Methods: Twenty‐five motion segments (L1‐2 to L5‐S1) were harvested from five cadaveric spines (four males, one female). Superior and inferior annulus‐endplate junctions were divided into anterior, lateral and posterior regions. Tissue blocks were fixed, decalcified, and embedded in paraffin. Thin sections (4 µm) were stained with H&E and Masson's trichrome for light microscopy. Results: Annulus fibrosus presents a laminated structure, with lamellae becoming wider and more disordered close to the nucleus. Each lamella comprises parallel bundles of collagen fibers. On entering the hyaline cartilage endplates, fiber bundles from the outer annulus often change direction, branch into sub‐bundles separated by hyaline cartilage matrix, and no longer exhibit the undulating “crimp” structure of the annulus. Their three‐dimensional multileaf morphology appears to provide direct mechanical anchorage in vertebral bone. Calcification is present at the annulus‐cartilage and cartilage‐bone interfaces, especially posteriorly. In the inner annulus and nucleus, annulus fibers branch and merge obliquely with the hyaline cartilage matrix. The diameter of collagen fiber bundles and sub‐bundles increased significantly in the outer annulus compared with middle annulus, and increased at lower spinal levels, but no significant differences were observed between superior and inferior endplates. Conclusions: The branching of annulus collagen fiber bundles within the endplates increases the interface area with surrounding matrix, reducing shear stresses and (probably) increasing strength. Calcification may also increase strength. These observations can explain why disc herniations often contain cartilage and bone fragments from the endplate. Microsc. Res. Tech. 78:754–760, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.