Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Graphene-modified LiFePO4 cathodes for advanced Li-/Na-ion secondary batteries

Nowadays, the ways our modern society faces challenges related to climate change, air pollution and energy production represent key concerns worldwide. The global energy scenario confirms a large growth in the implementation of renewable sources, particularly solar and wind-based technologies, which, nonetheless, require a proper storage system to overcome the difficulties given by their intermittent nature. Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are the principal electrochemical energy storage technology for the smart portable electronic market and the choice of reference for powering the newborn electrical automotive sector because they combine high energy and power density with lightweight and design compactness, as well as good cycling stability. Recently, research over materials for electrochemical storage systems opened towards a new path, which combines the striking features of graphene in terms of ionic/electronic conductivity and mechanical stability with the deep knowledge on insertion compounds that can host Li+ ions, responsible for the electrochemical process between the two battery electrodes. So far, much attention has been focused on the materials for the negative electrode and several techniques have been developed to form graphene/insertion compounds hybrids, which exploit the appealing properties of the two materials. However, the cathode is particularly critical in determining the capacity of a Li-ion cell and the enhancement of its characteristics can trigger huge advances in the overall performance of the battery. In this context, this Thesis work focuses on the development and characterization of high performing nanostructured olivine lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) cathode materials, having enhanced conductivity, Li+ ion diffusion and rate capability thanks to the specific addition of graphene oxide during electrode preparation. Thorough electrochemical characterisation was performed in terms of cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge/discharge cycling in laboratory-scale lithium cells, with particular attention on the behaviour under high current regimes. In addition, it explores the possibility to use LiFePO4 as pristine material to obtain, through cationic exchange, the sodiated equivalent NaFePO4 that combines the safety and stability of LiFePO4 with the low-cost and environmental advantages of sodium. This part of the experimental work was carried out during an internship carried out in the Solid State Chemistry and Energy lab at the College de France, Paris, under the supervision of Professor Jean-Marie Tarascon, leading scientist in the developments of Sodium-ion batteries (NIBs), which represent one of the most promising alternatives to traditional LIBs as medium/large-scale stationary energy storage systems able to meet the flexibility requirements of the electric distribution grids in terms of energy/power density, low cost and environmentally friendliness.
Non-Intrusive Detection of Drowsy Driving Based on Eye Tracking Data

Drowsy driving is one of the leading causes of motor vehicle accidents in North America. This paper presents the use of eye tracking data as a non-intrusive measure of driver behavior for detection of drowsiness. Eye tracking data were acquired from 53 subjects in a simulated driving experiment, whereas the simultaneously recorded multichannel electroencephalogram (EEG) signals were used as the baseline. A random forest (RF) and a non-linear support vector machine (SVM) were employed for binary classification of the state of vigilance. Different lengths of eye tracking epoch were selected for feature extraction, and the performance of each classifier was investigated for every epoch length. Results revealed a high accuracy for the RF classifier in the range of 88.37% to 91.18% across all epoch lengths, outperforming the SVM with 77.12% to 82.62% accuracy. A feature analysis approach was presented and top eye tracking features for drowsiness detection were identified. Altogether, this study showed a high correspondence between the extracted eye tracking features and EEG as a physiological measure of vigilance and verified the potential of these features along with a proper classification technique, such as the RF, for non-intrusive long-term assessment of drowsiness in drivers. This research would ultimately lead to development of technologies for real-time assessment of the state of vigilance, providing early warning of fatigue and drowsiness in drivers.
Exploring the Influence of Local Social Context on Strategies for Achieving Fire Adapted Communities

There is a growing recognition that the social diversity of communities at risk from wildland fire may necessitate divergent combinations of policies, programs and incentives that allow diverse populations to promote fire adapted communities (FACs). However, there have been few coordinated research efforts to explore the perceived utility and effectiveness of various options for FACs among residents, professionals, and local officials in disparate communities with different social contexts. The research presented here attempts to systematically explore the combination of local social factors that influence support for coordinated wildfire risk management across locations. We conducted 19 interactive focus groups across five communities spanning five Western U.S. states using a mixed-method design that allowed for the collection of quantitative and qualitative data. Results indicate a number of significant differences in effectiveness ratings for adaptation approaches across communities, including requirement of vegetation mitigations on private properties, fostering Firewise communities, and zoning efforts in fire-prone areas. We used qualitative data to help explain the differences between communities as a function of unique local social context operating in each location. We also compare our results with existing frameworks promoting community “archetypes” to evaluate their continued use in wildfire management planning or response.
Inferring air–water temperature relationships from river and catchment properties

Water temperature (Tw) is a key determinant of freshwater ecosystem status and cause for concern under a changing climate. Hence, there is growing interest in the feasibility of moderating rising Tw through management of riparian shade. The Loughborough University Temperature Network (LUTEN) is an array of 36 water and air temperature (Ta) monitoring sites in the English Peak District set‐up to explore the predictability of local Tw, given Ta, river reach, and catchment properties. Year 1 of monitoring shows that 84%–94% of variance in daily Tw is explained by Ta. However, site‐specific logistic regression parameters exhibit marked variation and dependency on upstream riparian shade. Perennial spring flows in the lower River Dove also affect regression model parameters and strongly buffer daily and seasonal mean Tw. The asymptote of the models (i.e. maximum expected Tw) is particularly sensitive to groundwater inputs. We conclude that reaches with spring flows potentially offer important thermal refuges for aquatic organisms against expected long‐term warming of rivers and should be afforded special protection. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Influence of sodium butyrate on salmonella infection in broiler chicks

One hundred and ten 1-day-old broiler chickens were obtained from commercial breeder farm and kept under strict hygienic measures and were proved to be salmonella free. The birds were divided into 5 equal groups. The first group was kept as negative control. The second group was infected with (1×108) Salmonella entertidis intra crop at 8th day of age. The third group was given Sodium butyrate 0.98 mg/mL orally in drinking water from the first day till the end of experiment at 40th day of age. The fourth group was treated with Sodium butyrate from the 1st day as in the 3rd group and infected with Salmonella enteritidis at 8th day of age. The fifth group was infected with inoculum containing (1×108) Salmonella entertidis intra crop at 8th days of age and treated Sodium butyrate 0.98 mg/mL in drinking water for 5 successive days after appearance of signs. Blood and serum samples were collected from each group at 14, 21 and 28 days of age for estimation of macrophages phagocytosis, malondialdehyde (MDA), Superoxide dismutase (SOD), total protein, albumin, globulin and Nitric Oxide (NO). Live body weight and feed intake were recorded for each repetition on days 7, 14, 28 and 35. Reisolation of inoculated organism from the muscle, liver, and two ceci of experimentally infected chicks was carried out and confirmed by PCR. Tissue specimens from intestine were collected for histopathological examination. The results showed significant increase in total protein and globulin level in groups 2, 3 and 4. MDA showed significant decrease in group 2 and 4 in the first week, on the other hand MDA showed significant decrease in group 2 and 5 in the second week, but decrease in group 2 only in the third week. SOD showed significant decrease in group 2 in the first week, but in the second week, there were decrease in groups 2, 4 and 5. While SOD showed significant increase in groups 3, 4 and 5 in the third week. NO showed significant increase in groups 2 and 3 in the first week but in the second week there was significant increase in NO level in groups 2, 3 and 4 but in the third week the results revealed significant increase in groups 3 and 4 only. Macrophage showed significant decrease in groups 2 and 5. Phagocytic activity showed significant decrease in group 2 and significant increase in group 3. Body weight showed significant increase in group 3 during the second and the third week of experiment, but in the fourth and fifth week there was significant decrease in group 2 and increase in group 3. Histopathological examination revealed that Group 3 (sodium butyrate) showed high absorptive surface from tall and thick intestinal villi and hyper activation of intestinal crypts and proliferation of villous enterocytes. The results indicated that sodium butyrate can be used as antioxidant so improve the growth performance in chickens under stress and this may be attributed to enhancing the immune response and reduce tissue damage. It was concluded that sodium butyrate can be used in control and prevention of salmonella infection in chickens.
Fragmented Food Habits and the Disintegration of Traditional Meal Patterns: A Challenge to Public Health Nutrition in Canada?

Abstract This study examines the shifting patterns in meal consumption practices among Canadians and the sources of disruption of meal habits. It analyses the notion of breakfast, lunch, dinner, out-of-household consumption of food, cooking, and snacking which could be considered as disrupting eating habits. Meal skipping, primarily breakfast and lunch was common, particularly among women, as was consumption of food outside the home, particularly among lower income earners and respondents with lower education attainment. The findings of this survey suggest that contemporary Canadians are experiencing a disruption of meal times, a rise in the frequency of snacking and an erosion of the will or ability to prepare or cook meals at home. For many Canadians, the traditional notion of three-meals a day is becoming an ideal, rather than a daily reality. Fragmented food habits and the disintegration of traditional meal patterns represent a challenge to public health nutrition in Canada.
Shining a Light: Youth in Residential Treatment with History of Sexual Exploitation

ABSTRACT Residential treatment providers increasingly are aware of histories of sexual exploitation among youth they serve, and have begun to question whether these youth require specialized programs and treatment. While it is evident that Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) is a significant problem with profound emotional and behavioral consequences, there is little research focusing on treatment. This study assesses the perceived incidence of CSEC among youth in residential treatment, and explores treatment currently provided by residential programs. A survey instrument was administered to members of The Association of Children’s Residential Centers (ACRC), and follow-up interviews were undertaken with providers of CSEC-focused program. Nearly two-thirds of organizations reported CSEC history among youth. Despite this high proportion, only six agencies provided explicit, discrete programs/units specifically to treat these youth. Follow-up phone interviews conducted with the six providers with specialized treatment programs/units revealed many commonalities with respect to referral source, admission criteria, and treatment approach. Recommendations are proposed for improving screening, awareness, treatment, evaluation and research for CSEC-involved youth in residential treatment, and to increase communication and interaction both among providers of services to CSEC youth as well as with the advocacy community.
School choice in England: evidence from national administrative data

ABSTRACT We study school choice in England using a new dataset containing the choices of all parents seeking a school place in state secondary schools. We provide new empirical evidence to inform how the school choice market functions, including the number of choices made, whether the nearest school is the first choice and the probability of an offer from the first choice school. These indicators show that school choice is actively used by many households in England. We use the rich data available to describe how choices vary by pupil, school and neighbourhood characteristics and how school choice is used differently by different groups and in different parts of the country. For the first time, we are able to present national data on how the school choices made by parents vary according to pupils’ ethnic group and across urban and rural areas. We show, contrary to some existing literature that has relied on smaller and less representative samples of parents and pupils, that school choices do not vary significantly by social background. We show that parents pro-actively use the choice system and present new evidence on the extent to which the current school admissions criteria that prioritise distance penalise poorer families.
Characterization of moulds associated with spoilage of bread soldin Ilaro, Yewa-South, Nigeria

Bread is an important staple food; however, it is highly susceptible to microbial spoilage due to postproduction contamination and improper storage. This study aimed at determining moulds associated with bread spoilage and their hydrolytic activities. Fifteen (15) brands of bread were sampled and moulds that are responsible for their spoilage were isolated using spread plate technique. The isolates were identified on the basis of colonial and microscopic characteristics. Characterization of the moulds was on the basis of their hydrolytic activities. The mould counts of the bread ranged from 1.0 x 104 cfu/g to 7.7 x 106 cfu/g. The highest count was recorded in sample JB and the least count was in sample PB. The moulds associated with spoilage of the bread samples were; Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Mucor sp. , Rhizopus sp. , and Penicillium sp. The predominant organism was Aspergillus niger. The moulds showed varying degrees of hydrolytic activities on milk, starch and olive oil agar media. On the basis of their hydrolytic activities, all the moulds played vital roles in the spoilage of bread. Bread, a ready-to-eat food could be a source of food-related illnesses due to moulds associated with its spoilage. Keywords : Bread, spoilage, hydrolytic activities illnesses.
Neurodégénérescence secondaire de la substance noire après un infarctus touchant le striatum : évaluation par relaxométrie R2*

Objectif : demontrer que la neurodegenerescence a long terme de la substance noire (SN) secondaire a un infarctus supratentoriel peut etre mesuree avec une imagerie sensible au fer et contribue de maniere independante a l’evolution clinique du patient. Materiels et methodes : 181 patients victimes d’un AVC ischemique (75 concernant le striatum, 106 concernant d’autres localisations) ont ete prospectivement evalues cliniquement et par IRM, avec relaxometrie R2* pour mesurer la charge en fer, a 24-72h (initialement) et a un an (suivi). La SN a ete segmentee afin d’obtenir les valeurs de R2* puis de calculer un index d’asymetrie (SN-AI). Le 95eme percentile de cet index (SN-AI95) a ete retenu comme le parametre refletant les fortes concentrations en fer dans la SN. Ce parametre a ete compare selon la localisation de l’infarctus par un test de Student non apparie et analyse a l’echelle du voxel a partir de cartographies de moyennes des valeurs de R2*. Une analyse multivariee a aussi ete realisee pour prendre en compte les facteurs susceptibles d’influencer l’accumulation de fer. L’identification des voxels infarcis significativement associes a un SN-AI95 eleve a ete realisee grâce a la methode Voxel-based Lesion- Symptom Mapping (VLSM). Enfin l’association entre le SN-AI95 et les scores cliniques a ete testee par des modeles de regression multiple. Resultats : l’inspection visuelle, le SN-AI95 et les cartographies de moyennes ont demontre une augmentation significative retardee (a 1 an mais pas a 24-72h) de la charge en fer si le striatum etait touche par l’infarctus par rapport a s’il ne l’etait pas (p<0.0001). La methode VLSM a confirme que le striatum mais aussi l’insula, les capsules interne et externe etaient associees a un SN-AI95 eleve. Cette association etait independante du volume de l’infarctus, du SN-AI95 initial, du nombre de microbleed, de l’âge et du genre (β=4.99 [2.94; 7.04], p<0.0001). L’augmentation du SN-AI95 contribuait de maniere independante a l’evolution motrice pejorative des patients (Box-and-Block, p=0.01) mais n’influencait pas les domaines cognitifs et emotionnels. Conclusion :la neurodegenerescence a long-terme de la SN secondaire a un infarctus homolateral peut etre mesuree par relaxometrie R2* et contribue independamment a l’evolution motrice du patient durant le suivi.
Maize and Bone: An Evaluation and Expansion of a Proposed Model for the Differential Diagnosis of Pellagra in Human Remains

ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . iii DEDICATION . iv LIST OF TABLES . viii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS . ix CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION . 1 CHAPTER IIMAIZE NUTRITION, NIXTAMALIZATION, AND PELLAGRA IN THE PAST AND PRESENT . 5 Nutrition and Nixtamalization of Maize . 5 Current Biomedical Research on the Skeletal Effects of Niacin Deficiency. 7 Niacin and Dental Health . 7 Niacin and Osteoporosis . 8 Early Medical Literature on the Effects of Pellagra on Skeletal Tissue . 9 Bioarchaeological Studies of the Effects of Pellagra on the Human Skeleton . 10 Summary . 15 CHAPTER III – MATERIALS AND METHODS . 16 The Hamann-Todd Collection . 16 Pathological Analysis. 19 Alveolar Bone Absorption . 19 vi Caries . 20 Osteoporosis . 20 Periostitis. 21 Porotic Hyperostosis and Cribra Orbitalia . 21 Comparisons . 22 Summary . 23 CHAPTER IV RESULTS . 24 Alveolar Bone Absorption . 24 Dental Caries . 26 Periostitis. 28 Porotic Hyperostosis and Cribra Orbitalia . 34 Osteoporosis . 38 CHAPTER V– DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS . 40 Discussion of Results . 40 Periostitis. 40 Alveolar Bone Absorption . 41 Dental Caries . 41 Porotic Hyperostosis and Cribra Orbitalia . 42 Osteoporosis . 42 Contributions of Findings and Recommendations for Future Study . 45 vii APPENDIX A– Hamann-Todd Osteological Collection Research Request . 47 APPENDIX B – Radiographs of Phalanges . 50 REFERENCES . 56
Virulence Genotyping of Enterococcus species isolated from meat and milk products

Enterococci have recently emerged as nosocomial pathogens. Their ubiquitous nature determines their frequent findingin foods as contaminants. As little is known about their virulence potential, this study aimed to investigate the frequencyof five potential virulence determinants in Enterococcus species isolated from various foodstuffs in Sharkia and DakahliaGovernorates, Egypt. A total of 59 enterococci isolates (59%) were recovered according to standard microbiologicalmethods, with milk and meat being most contaminated (76 and 60%, respectively). Species-specific PCR of tenenterococci isolates identified by 16S rDNA revealed the presence of E. faecalis, E. faecium and unidentified enterococciin 70, 20 and 10% of the isolates, respectively. PCR screening for esp (enterococcal surface protein), gelE (gelatinase),asa1 (aggregation substance), hyl (hyaluronidase) and ace (collagen binding antigen) virulence factors showed that allthe identified isolates were found to carry one or more virulence-encoding genes, with two or three being the mostcommon pattern. The esp and gelE were the predominant virulence traits among all investigated enterococci isolates (80%each), followed by ace, asa1 and hyl genes (50, 30 and 10%, respectively). Notably, E. faecalis and E. faecium isolatesshowed different patterns of virulence determinants; esp, gelE, ace and asa1 genes were more prevalent in E. faeciumthan E. faecalis. Simultaneous presence of virulence markers was observed among the analyzed isolates. Therefore, theresults of this study showed that food can play an important role in the spread of enterococci with virulence potentialthrough the food chain to the human population
Prevalence of hypertension and associated risk factors in older adults in Kurdistan, Iraq.

Background Hypertension is an important public health problem and one of the leading risk factors for morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular diseases. Aims To determine the prevalence of hypertension in a population of older adults in Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq and identify the risk factors associated with hypertension. Methods A community-based cross-sectional survey based on household visits was carried out from April to June 2017. The study involved 1480 adults selected through a multistage sampling method. We used a specially designed questionnaire to collect sociodemographic and clinical data from the participants through direct interview and measurement of blood pressure. Results Of the 1480 study participants, 809 (54.7%) had hypertension. Of these 809 hypertensive patients, 375 (46.4%) were known cases of hypertension and 434 (53.6%) were diagnosed during the survey. The multivariate analysis identified age [odds ratio (OR) = 1.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.08-1.11], male sex (OR = 2.72, 95% CI = 1.91-3.87), unemployment (OR = 1.85, 95% CI = 1.33-2.56), and obesity (OR = 2.20, 95% CI = 1.51-3.21) as significant factors associated with hypertension. Conclusion The prevalence of hypertension in Erbil City is high, with a high prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension. Treatment compliance was high but access to drugs was primarily from private pharmacies. This high prevalence of hypertension in Erbil City necessitates effective preventive and control measures, including comprehensive health education and screening programmes.