Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Progressive Increase of Food Waste in America and Its Environmental Impact

Food waste contributes to excess consumption of freshwater and fossil fuels which, along with methane and CO2 emissions from decomposing food, impacts global climate change. Here, we calculate the energy content of nationwide food waste from the difference between the US food supply and the food consumed by the population. The latter was estimated using a validated mathematical model of metabolism relating body weight to the amount of food eaten. We found that US per capita food waste has progressively increased by ∼50% since 1974 reaching more than 1400 kcal per person per day or 150 trillion kcal per year. Food waste now accounts for more than one quarter of the total freshwater consumption and ∼300 million barrels of oil per year.
A Hubble Space Telescope Snapshot Survey of Proto-Planetary Nebula Candidates: Two Types of Axisymmetric Reflection Nebulosities

We report the results from an optical imaging survey of proto-planetary nebula candidates using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The goals of the survey were to image low surface brightness optical reflection nebulosities around proto-planetary nebulae and to investigate the distribution of the circumstellar dust, which scatters the star light from the central post-asymptotic giant branch star and creates the optical reflection nebulosities. We exploited the high resolving power and wide dynamic range of HST and detected nebulosities in 21 of 27 sources. The reduced and deconvolved images are presented along with photometric and geometric measurements. All detected reflection nebulosities show elongation, and the nebula morphology bifurcates depending on the degree of the central star obscuration. The star-obvious low-level-elongated (SOLE) nebulae show a bright central star embedded in a faint, extended nebulosity, whereas the dust-prominent longitudinally extended (DUPLEX) nebulae have remarkable bipolar structure with a completely or partially obscured central star. The intrinsic axisymmetry of these proto-planetary nebula reflection nebulosities demonstrates that the axisymmetry frequently found in planetary nebulae predates the proto-planetary nebula phase, confirming previous independent results. We suggest that axisymmetry in proto-planetary nebulae is created by an equatorially enhanced superwind at the end of the asymptotic giant branch phase. We discuss that the apparent morphological dichotomy is caused by a difference in the optical thickness of the circumstellar dust/gas shell with a differing equator-to-pole density contrast. Moreover, we show that SOLE and DUPLEX nebulae are physically distinct types of proto-planetary nebulae, with a suggestion that higher mass progenitor AGB stars are more likely to become DUPLEX proto-planetary nebulae.
The Scientific Base Linking Social and Emotional Learning to School Success

Schools will be most successful in their educational mission when they integrate efforts to promote children’s academic, social, and emotional learning (Elias et al., 1997). There is general agreement that it is important for schools to foster children’s social-emotional development, but all too often educators think about this focus in a fragmented manner, either as an important end in itself or as a contributor to enhancing children’s health (e.g., drug prevention), safety (e.g., violence prevention), or citizenship (e.g., service learning). Although social and emotional learning (SEL) plays important roles in influencing these nonacademic outcomes, SEL also has a critical role in improving children’s academic performance and lifelong learning. This chapter and book make a compelling conceptual and empirical case for linking SEL to improved school attitudes, behavior, and performance. Intrinsically, schools are social places and learning is a social process. Students do not learn alone but rather in collaboration with their teachers, in the company of their peers, and with the support of their families. Emotions can facilitate or hamper their learning and their ultimate success in school. Because social and emotional factors play such an important role, schools must attend to this aspect of the educational process for the benefit of all students. Indeed most do. There is a long history of
Nonparametric higher-order learning for interactive segmentation

In this paper, we deal with a generative model for multilabel, interactive segmentation. To estimate the pixel likelihoods for each label, we propose a new higher-order formulation additionally imposing the soft label consistency constraint whereby the pixels in the regions, generated by unsupervised image segmentation algorithms, tend to have the same label. In contrast with previous works which focus on the parametric model of the higher-order cliques for adding this soft constraint, we address a nonparametric learning technique to recursively estimate the region likelihoods as higher-order cues from the resulting likelihoods of pixels included in the regions. Therefore the main idea of our algorithm is to design two quadratic cost functions of pixel and region likelihoods, that are supplementary to each other, in a proposed multi-layer graph and to estimate them simultaneously by a simple optimization technique. In this manner, we consider long-range connections between the regions that facilitate propagation of local grouping cues across larger image areas. The experiments on challenging data sets show that integration of higher-order cues quantitatively and qualitatively improves the segmentation results with detailed boundaries and reduces sensitivity with respect to seed quantity and placement.
Increased Risk of Cognitive Impairment 3 Months After Mild to Moderate First-Ever Stroke: A Community-Based Prospective Study of Nonaphasic English-Speaking Survivors

Background and Purpose— Results of hospital-based studies indicate a high risk of cognitive impairment 3 months after stroke. There are no comprehensive data on this issue from prospective community-based studies comparing first-ever stroke patients with stroke-free subjects. Methods— We administered a comprehensive neuropsychological battery to 99 community-based nonaphasic survivors of first-ever stroke at 3 months and 99 age- and sex-matched (1:1) stroke-free individuals. Domain-specific cognitive deficits were identified by blinded neuropsychological consensus. Methods— Stroke patients were more likely to suffer any cognitive impairment (relative risk [RR], 1.5; 95% CI, 1.1 to 2.1) attributable mainly to a greater risk of single-domain cognitive impairment (RR, 2.8; 95% CI, 1.5 to 5.3) but not multiple-domain cognitive impairment (RR, 1.2; 95% CI, 0.8 to 1.9). Conclusions— In this community-based study, a first-ever stroke of mild to moderate severity was associated with a significant risk of cognitive impairment at 3 months, even in the absence of clinical aphasia. This was due primarily to an increased risk of solitary deficits rather than generalized deficits.
Epistemology, Sociology, and Learning and Teaching in Physics

This paper explores the relationship between epistemology, sociology, and learning and teaching in physics based on an examination of literature from research in science studies, history and philosophy of science, and physics pedagogic research. It reveals a mismatch between the positivist epistemological foundation which seems to underpin the teaching of physics at the undergraduate level and the tentative nature of knowledge and the primarily social-constructivist process of knowledge creation which characterise the practices of professional physicists. Attention is drawn to the consequences of neglecting this mismatch, which is detrimental to students’ understanding of the nature of the discipline, their conceptual development, and the acquisition of skills essential not only for a scientific career but also for students’ development as individuals and citizens. The paper argues for the explicit contemplation of disciplinary epistemology in physics teaching and in pedagogic research to improve student learning and for the avoidance of the dangers of epistemological essentialism.
Effect of Temperature , pH and NaCl on the Isolates of Actinomycetes from Straw and Compost Samples from Savar , Dhaka , Bangladesh

The effect of physiological parameters viz., temperature, pH and NaCl on actinomycetes strains belonging to the genus Streptomyces (JUBM-35-NS-1) and Nocardia (JUBM-35-NS-2), isolated earlier from straw and compost materials used in commercial mushroom cultivation, was studied. Growth maxima were observed at 30°C and 35°C respectively in Streptomyces sp. and Nocardia sp. Arrest in growth for both isolates was found to be at 4°C and 50°C temperatures. The optimum growth was recorded at pH range of 6.0-6.5 for the isolate JUBM-35-NS-1 while it was at 6.5-8.0 for isolate JUBM-35-NS-2. Maximum growth was shown at NaCl concentration of 0% and 0.75% respectively by the isolate JUBM-35-NS-1 and JUBM35-NS-2. The NaCl tolerance for growth of isolate JUBM-35-NS-1 was up to 8% and that for the isolate JUBM-35-NS-2 was up to 2.0%. A lower concentration of NaCl was found stimulatory with decline over 1.5% and complete cessation at 2.5% for the isolate JUBM-35-NS-2 (Nocardia sp.). The isolate JUBM-35-NS-1 (Streptomyces sp.) was found to be salt tolerant showing a stable growth from 0.5% to 8.0% with complete arrest of growth at 8.5% of NaCl concentration in culture medium.
Roots and Rogues in German Child Language

This article is concerned with the proper characterization of subject omission at a particular stage in German child language. It focuses on post-verbal null subjects in finite clauses, here termed Rogues. It is argued that the statistically significant presence of Rogues, in conjunction with their distinct developmental profile, speaks against a Strong Continuity approach to the acquisition of null subject knowledge in German, and urges a reconsideration of the notion of Optionality in early grammars. The significance of the Rogues stage is considered in the context of specific theoretical proposals about argument omission: those of Rizzi (1992; 1994; 2000), and of Wexler (1994; 1998), are contrasted with the Weak Continuity approach proposed by Clahsen and his associates (e.g., Clahsen (1990/1991), Clahsen and Penke (1992), Clahsen, Eisenbeiß, and Penke (1996)). The data presented here, which complement related work by Hamann (1996), provide additional empirical support for these latter hypotheses.
Empathy, Awareness of Others, and Action: How Feeling Empathy for One-Among-Others Motivates Helping the Others

Feeling empathy for a member of the group may result in either favoring this individual at the expense of the group or helping the entire group. We explain these intriguing findings by proposing that the combined influence of feeling empathy for one individual and awareness of others enhances willingness to help both the individual and the others (taken as individuals). The results of three experiments showed that inducing empathy for one individual promotes favoring him or her at the expense of the group, whereas inducing empathy for one-among-others leads to helping these others individually, instead of as a group. Furthermore, the awareness of others mediated the proposed one-among-others effect.
Bluetooth-based indoor proximity sensing for nursing context awareness

This paper proposes a Bluetooth-based indoor proximity detection method for nursing context awareness. We exploit proximity between Bluetooth devices attached to people and objects for estimating 1) room-level proximity of people and objects, and 2) mutual proximity between moving people and objects. We show that the proximity information exchanged between several devices can be updated at a rate of more than 1 Hz by effectively choosing the timing parameters of Bluetooth inquiry mechanism. Empirical results of evaluating the receiver signal strength indicator (RSSI) at various distances between devices are also shown.
Coping strategies and mental health in white collar public sector employees

Abstract A self-completion questionnaire survey of coping behaviours and associated perceptions amongst 675 white collar public sector employees is reported. In addition to identifying underlying dimensions of coping behaviour, the relationship between reported use of coping strategies and perceptions related to work stress, general mental well-being, and job satisfaction were explored. From the responses concerning frequency of use of various coping methods, five dimensions of coping strategy were identified: problem-focused, health and leisure-oriented, social support seeking, avoidant, and formal relaxation. It was found that use of avoidant coping methods was significantly associated with perceived problems with coping at work, with lower job satisfaction, and with poorer levels of general mental health. Higher reported use of problem-focused methods was significantly associated with fewer problems with coping at work, higher job satisfaction, and better levels of general mental health.
Computational interlocking furniture assembly

Furniture typically consists of assemblies of elongated and planar parts that are connected together by glue, nails, hinges, screws, or other means that do not encourage disassembly and re-assembly. An alternative approach is to use an interlocking mechanism, where the component parts tightly interlock with one another. The challenge in designing such a network of interlocking joints is that local analysis is insufficient to guarantee global interlocking, and there is a huge number of joint combinations that require an enormous exploration effort to ensure global interlocking. In this paper, we present a computational solution to support the design of a network of interlocking joints that form a globally-interlocking furniture assembly. The key idea is to break the furniture complex into an overlapping set of small groups, where the parts in each group are immobilized by a local key, and adjacent groups are further locked with dependencies. The dependency among the groups saves the effort of exploring the immobilization of every subset of parts in the assembly, thus allowing the intensive interlocking computation to be localized within each small group. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our technique on many globally-interlocking furniture assemblies of various shapes and complexity.
‘Use Condoms for Safe Sex!’ Youth-led video making and sex education

Situated at the intersection between child-led visual methods and sex education, this paper focuses on the potential of youth-led video making to enable young people to develop guiding principles to inform their own sexual behaviour. It draws on findings from a video-making project carried out with a group of South African young people, which engaged them in identifying and tackling critical issues of HIV and AIDS. By analysing one of the youth-generated videos using critical visual analysis, we conclude that youth-led video making can be an effective tool to allow young people to talk about their interests and concerns and to develop guiding principles for their own sexual behaviour. This tool is especially relevant to young people whose needs are not being met by the current sexual health curriculum and can be a fun medium through which to engage participants in ensuring that sex education needs are met.
Management System of Occupational Diseases in Korea: Statistics, Report and Monitoring System

The management system of occupational diseases in Korea can be assessed from the perspective of a surveillance system. Workers' compensation insurance reports are used to produce official statistics on occupational diseases in Korea. National working conditions surveys are used to monitor the magnitude of work-related symptoms and signs in the labor force. A health examination program was introduced to detect occupational diseases through both selective and mass screening programs. The Working Environment Measurement Institution assesses workers' exposure to hazards in the workplace. Government regulates that the employer should do health examinations and working conditions measurement through contracted private agencies and following the Occupational Safety and Health Act. It is hoped that these institutions may be able to effectively detect and monitor occupational diseases and hazards in the workplace. In view of this, the occupational management system in Korea is well designed, except for the national survey system. In the future, national surveys for detection of hazards and ill-health outcomes in workers should be developed. The existing surveillance system for occupational disease can be improved by providing more refined information through statistical analysis of surveillance data.
Pathogenesis of cleft lip and its relation to embryonic face shape in A-J and C57BL mice.

A comparison was made of early face embryology in the inbred A/J mouse strain with a spontaneous frequency of about 12% cleft lip and the C57BL/6J strain which virtually never has cleft lip. From the time of their appearance the medial nasal, lateral nasal and maxillary processes are connected by an isthmus. Subsequently there is fusion between the adjacent epithelia of medial and lateral nasal processes. Failure of this fusion, followed by breakdown of the isthmus, results in cleft lip. Just before and when the adjacent epithelia of medial nasal and lateral nasal processes meet and fuse at the posterior end of the nasal pit, the medial nasal processes of A/J embryos were more prominent, more medially placed, and diverged less than those of C57BL/6J. It is suggested that (a) cleft lip is a threshold character or quasi-continuous variant such that a very slight change in the divergence of the medial nasals leads to their partial or complete lack of fusion with the lateral nasals. This is followed by a lack of fusion of medial and maxillary processes, and a complete or partial breakdown of the isthmus, resulting in a cleft lip; (b) the strain differences in type of aspirin-induced cleft lip and in topography and growth of the facial processes between the two strains are causally related to the A/J predisposition to cleft lip.
Summarization Evaluation: An Overview

A new and distinct variety of Raphiolepis indica found as an openly pollinated seedling of Raphiolepis indica 'Jack Evans'. The new variety is distinct with its large, thick, coriaceous leaves, rust colored tomentose new growth, stout stems, single, white flowers, improved cold hardiness, and increased resistance to leaf spot and fireblight.
The Moderating Roles of Race and Gender-Role Attitudes in the Relationship Between Sexual Harassment and Psychological Well-Being

Although previous research has linked sexual harassment to negative psychological outcomes, few studies have focused on moderators of these relationships. The present study surveyed Black (n = 88) and White (n = 170) female undergraduates who endorsed experiences of sexual harassment to examine whether traditional gender attitudes differentially moderated the relationship between sexual harassment and three outcomes: posttraumatic stress symptoms, general clinical symptoms, and satisfaction with life. We replicated past findings that sexual harassment is related to negative outcomes. Further, the results supported our hypothesis that less traditional gender attitudes (i.e., more feminist attitudes) would buffer the negative effects of sexual harassment for White women, whereas the same attitudes would exacerbate its negative effects for Black women. We discuss reasons for these differences, including Black women's double consciousness and differences in the meaning of feminist and traditional gender attitudes for Black and White women.
Fuzzy logic based reactive controller for heaving wave energy converters

This paper presents a new control strategy based on fuzzy logic for maximizing the absorbed energy of heaving wave energy converters (WEC). The fuzzy logic controller is responsible of minimizing the discrepancy between the optimal reference buoy velocity and the actual buoy velocity, hence maximizing the captured power for irregular sea environment. The proposed controller performed well compared to a conventional fixed reactive control strategy.
Right ventricular pacing impairs endothelial function in man.

AIMS Clinical trial data show that right ventricular pacing worsens cardiovascular outcomes. The underlying pathophysiology of this is undetermined. We studied the effects of right ventricular pacing on cardiac measures of vascular health (endothelial function), ventricular wall stress (B-type natriuretic peptide), and cardiac reserve (cardiac output response to exercise) in subjects with pacemakers. METHODS AND RESULTS Twenty-two subjects [mean age 68.4 ± 8.8 (SD) years] with dual-chamber pacemakers implanted for sino-atrial disease were studied in a randomized crossover study comparing minimal right ventricular pacing [RVP-min; pacing with long atrioventricular delay (AVD)] to maximal right ventricular pacing (RVP-max; pacing with short AVD). Endothelial function was measured with reactive hyperaemia peripheral arterial tonometry. Cardiac output at rest and during exercise was determined using an inert gas rebreathing method. Right ventricular pacing was significantly higher in RVP-max when compared with RVP-min (90 ± 16 vs. 15 ± 20%, P < 0.001). Reactive hyperaemia peripheral arterial tonometry index was significantly lower after RVP-max vs. RVP-min (1.73 ± 0.33 vs. 1.96 ± 0.37, P < 0.05). B-type natriuretic peptide was not significantly different between pacing modes (113 ± 80 vs. 104 ± 108 pg/mL, P = NS). Cardiac output at peak exercise was significantly lower during RVP-max (7.65 ± 3.15 vs. 7.05 ± 2.61 L/min, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Right ventricular pacing is associated with worsened endothelial function and cardiac reserve.
A Comparison of Unilamellar and Multilamellar Lipoplexes in Terms of Transfection Efficiency of Human Embryonic Kidney Cells

Therapeutic gene therapy has offered a useful strategy for treatment of acquired and inherited diseases through transfection of malfunctioning cells by specific defective genes[1,2]. Gene therapy could help to correct genetic deficiencies in many genetic diseases including, malignant melanoma, cystic fibrosis and Gaucher’s disease[3]. Owing to the fact that the efficiency of naked DNA injection is insufficient for applications, such as DNA vaccination, one of the main challenges in this field is how to deliver nucleic acids to target cells and tissues. Therefore, reliable carrier systems are required. Hence, different viral (include retrovirus, lentivirus, adenovirus, herpes virus, pox virus and so on) and 1 Department of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran 2 Human Genetic Research Centre, Baqiyatallah Medical Sciences University, Tehran, Iran