Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Using the Choice Experiment Method to Inform Flood Risk Reduction Policies in the Upper Silesia Region of Poland

Since the 1990s flood risk and the effects of flooding episodes have reemerged as an important natural hazard concern in central and northern Europe. These concerns have also been exacerbated as a result of widespread and ever increasing awareness of global climate change, and significant wetland loss due to rising sea levels. Global climate change and wetland loss are expected to increase the frequency and extent of floods in the future (Nichols et al., 1999). These floods are expected to cause significant changes in the current land use and population patterns. Contrary to the flooding episodes of the past centuries, recent floods in Europe have milder effects in terms of loss of human life. Economic costs of flooding, however, are rapidly increasing as a result of high costs of damages to infrastructure and production in primary, secondary and tertiary sectors, and disruptions to transport. In Poland and surrounding countries, the estimated costs of the damages of the floods of 1997 and 2001 are in the region of one billion USD for Poland, and 250 million USD, for the surrounding countries (Brakenridge et al, 1997, 2001). As a consequence of the increasing economic and social costs of floods, European governments have taken a more involved approach in flood risk reduction.
TNF and SOD 3 Targeting MicroRNA-21 Modulates the Levels of Reactive Oxygen Species by Updated

MicroRNA-21 (miR-21) is an oncomir overexpressed in most human tumors in that it promotes malignant growth and progression by acting on multiple targets. Here, we broaden the impact of miR-21 in cancer by showing that it regulates the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that promote tumorigenesis. Key targets of miR-21 in mediating this function were SOD3 and TNFa. We found that miR-21 inhibited the metabolism of superoxide to hydrogen peroxide, produced either by endogenous basal activities or exposure to ionizing radiation (IR), by directing attenuating SOD3 or by an indirect mechanism that limited TNFa production, thereby reducing SOD2 levels. Importantly, both effects contributed to an elevation of IR-induced cell transformation. Our findings, therefore, establish that miR-21 promotes tumorigenesis to a large extent through its regulation of cellular ROS levels. Cancer Res; 72(18); 4707–13. 2012 AACR.
Unintended Allocation of Spatial Attention to Goal-Relevant but Not to Goal-Related Events

We investigated whether words relevant to a person's current goal and words related to that goal influence the orienting of attention even when an intention to attend to the goal-relevant and goal-related stimuli is not present. Participants performed a modified spatial cueing paradigm combined with a second task that induced a goal. The results showed that the induced goal led to the orienting of attention to goal-relevant words in the spatial cueing task. This effect was not found for goal-related words. The results provide evidence for accounts of automatic goal pursuit, which state that goals automatically guide attention to goal-relevant events.
INCREASING RICE PRODUCTIVITY THROUGH INTEGRATED NITROGEN SOURCES UNDER THREE SOIL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS ON A VERTISOL

Rice production in Ghana is relatively low partly due to poor nitrogen and soil management. To increase rice productivity in the country, a field experiment was carried out to assess the effect of nitrogen sources and soil management systems on grain yield, plant nitrogen uptake, nitrogen use efficiency, and chemical properties of the soil. The experiment was conducted at the Soil and Irrigation Research Centre, University of Ghana, Kpong during the 2015 and 2016 cropping seasons and laid out in a split plot design with three replications. Soil management systems and nitrogen (N) sources were the main and sub plot factors respectively. Soil management systems included; continuously flooded (S1), alternate wetting and drying (S2) and aerobic (S3) while the nitrogen sources included no nitrogen fertilizer (N0), urea fertilizer (N1), compost fertilizer (N2) and integrated urea and compost fertilizer (N3). Results from the study revealed that S2 recorded similar grain yield, plant N uptake and N use efficiency of rice as S1. Treatment N3 produced the optimum grain yield and nitrogen use efficiency. S2N3 treatment interaction produced the highest grain yield and N use efficiency. Crop residues left after harvest should be composted and used to improve soil chemical properties as well as increase rice yield. Keywords: Compost, nitrogen use efficiency, rice, soil chemical properties, vertisol
Further study of double-punch test for tensile strength of soils, 1972

This paper presents the theoreti.cal and experimental studies of the newly developed double-punch test method for determination of the tensile strength of compacted soils. Some factors that may effect the doublepunch test are studied. These factors include sample-punch size, rate of loading, compressive strength, and soil types. The comparis'ons of tensile tests determined from double-punch and split tensile tests for various materials including concrete, mortar, rock, and stabilized materials are also presented. lAssociate Professor of Civil Engineering and Director, Geotechnical Engineering Division, Fritz Engineering Laboratory, Lehigh University. 2Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, Fritz Engineering Laboratory, Lehigh University.
Artery Bypass Surgery May Pred Low Circulating Levels of Growth Differentiation Factor-15 Before Coronary ict Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation

Objectives: To assess the role of growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) as a potential new predictor of postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) after off-pump (OFP) and on-pump (ONP) coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Design: Prospective, single-center, observational study. Setting: University teaching hospital. Participants: The first 50 patients planned for OFP surgery and the first 50 patients planned for ONP surgery among patients referred for CABG with the following exclusion criteria: age o18 or 480 years, previous atrial fibrillation/ flutter, previous treatment with amiodarone, previous cardiac surgery, and emergency surgery. Interventions: Included patients were equipped with longduration (7 days) Holter-ECG monitoring. Measurements and Main Results: POAF was defined as an AF episode lasting 430 seconds. All patients underwent preoperative echocardiography to assess left ventricular ejection fraction and left atrial diameter. GDF-15 levels were
Carcass and meet characteristics of very young Angus x Nelore steers in the Agreste Potiguar region

Objetivou-se avaliar as caracteristicas quantitativas e qualitativas de carcaca e da carne de novilhos superprecoces ½ Red Angus x Nelore (NEL) e ¾ Red Angus x Nelore (RED). Foram utilizados 50 machos, sendo 25 de cada grupo genetico, alimentados em confinamento desde o desmame (7 meses) ate atingirem idade para abate (15 meses). Foi verificado diferenca entre os grupos geneticos para os ganhos na desmama (158,57 kg NEL e 181,60 kg RED) e o peso ao abate nao apresentou diferencas estatisticas (412,33 kg NEL e 426,53 kg RED). O rendimento de carcaca fria e quente nao foi influenciado pelo grupo genetico, com os bovinos NEL apresentando rendimento de 50,49 e 52,55% e os RED 50,91 e 52,89%, respectivamente. As porcentagens de musculo (55% NEL e 53% RED), gordura (26% NEL e 27% RED), osso (18% NEL e 18% RED), e espessura de gordura subcutânea (4,1 mm NEL e 4,0 mm RED) foram similares em ambos os grupos geneticos. Animais ¾ Angus x ½ Nelore apresentaram maior perda por descongelamento (9,05%). Nao houve diferenca para as caracteristicas sensoriais como impressao global, maciez, suculencia e forca de cisalhamento nos genotipos avaliados. Os grupos geneticos apresentaram similaridade das caracteristicas tanto da carne quanto da carcaca.
Parasitism capacity of Telenomus remus Nixon (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) on Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) eggs

This work studied the parasitism capacity of Telenomus remus Nixon (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) on Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) eggs at 15, 20, 25, 28, 31, and 35°C, aiming to use this natural enemy in biological control programs in crops where S. frugiperda was considered pest. The parasitism during the first 24 h was 60.90, 81.65, 121.05, 117.55 and 108.55 parasited eggs per female from egg masses of approximately 150 eggs, at 15, 20, 25, 28 and 31°C, respectively. Females of T. remus reached parasitism higher than 80% at 15, 20, 25, 28 and 31oC at 5, 27, 8, 2, and 2 days, respectively. At 35oC, there was no parasitism. The highest parasitism rates occurred at 20, 25, 28 and 31°C. T. remus female longevity varied from 15.7 to 7.7 days from 15 to 31°C. The highest tested temperature (35°C) was inappropriate for T. remus development. At that temperature, female longevity was greatly reduced (1.7±0.02) and egg viability was null. All T. remus survival curves were of type I, which showed an increase in mortality rate with time.
Investigation of Size-Dependency in Free-Vibration of Micro-Resonators Based on the Strain Gradient Theory

This paper investigates the vibration behavior of micro-resonators based on the strain gradient theory, a non-classical continuum theory capable of capturing the size effect appearing in micro-scale structures. The micro-resonator is modeled as a clamped-clamped micro-beam with an attached mass subjected to an axial force. The governing equations of motion and both classical and non-classical sets of boundary conditions are developed based on the strain gradient theory. The normalized natural frequency of the micro-resonator is evaluated and the influences of various parameters are assessed. In addition, the current results are compared to those of the classical and modified couple stress continuum theories.
Statins as treatments of dyslipidemia and atherosclerosis Babelova

HMG-CoA-Reductase inhibitors, also known as statins, are currently the most powerful cholesterol-lowering drugs available on the market. Clinical trials and experimental evidence suggest that statins have anti-atherosclerotic effects. These are in part consequence of lipid lowering but also result from pleiotropic actions of the drugs. In this article, the antiatherosclerotic actions of statins will be reviewed.
Six charts showing biostratigraphic zones, and correlations based on conodonts from the Devonian and Mississippian rocks of the Upper Mississippi Valley

Six charts are presented and are titled: (1) Preliminary Chart, Ranges of important Devonian and Mississippian conodont genera in the Mississippi Valley; (2) Ranges of important species of Siphonodella ; (3) Preliminary Chart, Ranges of important species of Gnathodus; (4) Ranges of conodont species from the Che sterian Series; (5) Correlation of European goniatite zones with Upper Devonian and Mississippian sections in the Mississippi Valley; and (6) Upper Devonian and Mississippian conodont assemblage zones in the Mississippi Valley. Each chart uses revised ranges of important conodont genera, and three charts incorporate new ranges for species of Gnathodus and Siphonodella . Altogether 22 new conodont assemblage zones are delimited in the Upper Devonian, Kinderhookian, Valmeyeran, and Chesterian Series and their correlation to equivalent zones in western Europe is shown. No new genera or species are named, although several are described briefly or illustrated diagrammatically .
A real-time online decision support system for intermodal passenger travel.

The transportation system in the United States is disjointed and inefficient as a result of the different transportation modes in use and their respective industries which have developed independently. In addition, public transportation is not well used in passenger trips compared to other developed countries. For example, public transportation accounts for 20% of passenger trips in large U.S. cities compared to 50% in Europe. Also, development of the passenger intermodal transportation system has lagged behind development of the freight transportation system. To improve utilization of intermodal transit and efficiency in the U.S, the authors developed an intelligent decision support system for passenger travel decisions using real-time general transit feed specifications (GTFS) data. In this system, an automatic data collection strategy was created to collect GTFS and flight data across different platforms, and an “all-in-one” database was designed to store the data. The database was used to: 1) construct intermodal transit networks using a “node-link” scheme, and 2) estimate travel time and travel time reliability for links and transit routes. Using this real-time data, a data-driven travel decision model was developed to determine the best route based on passenger preferences. Several chance constraints were added in the decision model to guarantee the reliability of the travel route under uncertainties. Additionally, a user-friendly interface was developed in Python to allow travelers to plan their trips, and a geographic information system (GIS), Google Earth, was employed to allow users to visualize the optimized route options. The proposed system was validated using real-time GTFS data collected in Tucson, Arizona, and Boston, Massachusetts. This validation demonstrated that the system can determine optimal travel routes for passengers. In addition, three sets of sensitivity analysis experiments were developed to investigate three model considerations: 1) the effect of chance constraints on path choice, 2) the effect of confidence levels on path choice, and 3) the difference between weekend and weekday travel planning. The results suggested that the optimal anticipated travel time increases with an increasing on-time arrival confidence level, and walking is preferred by passengers instead of transferring buses during peak hours. As an example, approximately 30% additional time serves as a reference for allocating travel buffer time to ensure a higher on-time arrival confidence level for transit trips to the Tucson International Airport.
Inclusion criteria Only work-related nasal symptoms from bleaching powder No work-related airway symptoms No exposure to bleaching powder Nasal symptoms Atopy by history Exclusion criteria Asthma Atopy by history Asthma Atopy by history Asthma 123

Purpose The aim of this study was to examine the eVects of persulphate on the nasal mucosa and on the immune cells in hairdressers suVering from bleaching powder associated rhinitis (BAR) versus subjects with rhinitis not previously exposed to bleaching powder. Methods Fifteen hairdressers (S) with BAR, 14 without symptoms (WS) and 12 atopics (A) with rhinitis but without exposure to bleaching powder were studied. Each performed a nasal challenge with persulphates. EVect parameters were symptom score, acoustic rhinometry, albumin in nasal lavage, subpopulations of lymphocytes in blood and speciWc serum antibodies. Results The S group had a post-challenge increase in nasal symptoms and nasal lavage albumin. The A group reacted to a lesser intent. The S and A groups showed an increase in Th1 cells. An HLA class II cell expression was noticed in both groups of hairdressers. No evidence of a type 1 reaction (immediate type) to persulphate was noticed. Conclusions Persulphate challenge aVects hairdressers with BAR, but also atopics. The reaction may be driven by a Th1 cell activation.
Effects of Salt Concentration and Drying Time on the Quality Characteristics of Pork Jerky during Dehydration

This study was conducted in order to evaluate the effects of brine pre-soaking at different concentrations and drying time on the quality characteristics of pork jerky. The physicochemical properties of pork jerky including final moisture content, water activity (aw), shear force, microstructure, and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) values were investigated. The sensory attributes of pork jerky were evaluated and used as parameters for determining the optimum drying condition. The sliced pork samples were pre-soaked at salt concentrations ranging from 0 to 10% for 3 h and then dried at 70oC for up to 10 h. The pre-soaked samples in the salt solution showed higher final moisture content than the control sample after drying for 10 h. The final moisture content of pork jerky increased with increasing salt concentrations. On the other hand, the water activity with regards to the pre-soaked samples in a 10% salt solution showed the lowest value for up to 8 h drying. The shear force values of pork jerky decreased with increasing salt concentration while the TBARS values of the samples increased with increasing salt concentrations. Sensory evaluation suggested that the color, flavor, juiciness, and tenderness of the pork jerky samples were improved by pre-soaking in a 2% salt solution and the highest likeability score of pork jerky among the samples were obtained by pre-soaking in a 2% salt solution prior to drying.
Assessing rating-curve uncertainty and its effects on hydraulic model calibration

This study considers the overall uncertainty affecting river flow measurements and proposes a framework for analysing the uncertainty of rating-curves and its effects on the calibration of numerical hydraulic models. The uncertainty associated with rating-curves is often considered negligible relative to other approximations affecting hydraulic studies, even though recent studies point out that rating-curves uncertainty may be significant. This study refers to a ~240 km reach of River Po and simulates ten different historical flood events by means of a quasi-twodimensional (quasi-2-D) hydraulic model in order to generate 50 synthetic measurement campaigns (5 campaigns per event) at the gauged cross-section of interest (i.e. Cremona streamgauge). For each synthetic campaign, two different procedures for rating-curve estimation are applied after corrupting simulated discharges according to the indications reported in the literature on accuracy of discharge measurements, and the uncertainty associated with each procedure is then quantified. To investigate the propagation of rating-curve uncertainty on the calibration of Manning's roughness coefficients further model simulations are run downstream Cremona's cross-section. Results highlight the significant role of extrapolation errors and how rating-curve uncertainty may be responsible for estimating unrealistic roughness coefficients. Finally, the uncertainty of these coefficients is analysed and discussed relative to the variability of Manning's coefficient reported in the literature for large natural streams.
Constraining Gluon Distributions in Nuclei Using Dijets in Proton-Proton and Proton-Lead Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV.

The pseudorapidity distributions of dijets as functions of their average transverse momentum (p_{T}^{ave}) are measured in proton-lead (pPb) and proton-proton (pp) collisions. The data samples were collected by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC, at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV. A significant modification of the pPb spectra with respect to the pp spectra is observed in all p_{T}^{ave} intervals investigated. The ratios of the pPb and pp distributions are compared to next-to-leading order perturbative quantum chromodynamics calculations with unbound nucleon and nuclear parton distribution functions (PDFs). These results give the first evidence that the gluon PDF at large Bjorken x in lead ions is strongly suppressed with respect to the PDF in unbound nucleons.
A close look at secular evolution: boxy/peanut bulges reduce gas inflow to the central kiloparsec

In this letter we investigate the effect of boxy/peanut (b/p) bulges on bar-induced gas inflow to the central kiloparsec, which plays a crucial role on the evolution of disc galaxies. We carry out hydrodynamic gas response simulations in realistic barred galaxy potentials, including or not the geometry of a b/p bulge, to investigate the amount of gas inflow induced in the different models. We find that b/p bulges can reduce the gas inflow rate to the central kiloparsec by more than an order of magnitude, which leads to a reduction in the amount of gas available in the central regions. We also investigate the effect of the dark matter halo concentration on these results, and find that for maximal discs, the effect of b/p bulges on gas inflow remains significant. The reduced amount of gas reaching the central regions due to the presence of b/p bulges could have significant repercussions on the formation of discy- (pseudo-) bulges, on the amount of nuclear star formation and feedback, on the fuel reservoir for AGN activity, and on the overall secular evolution of galaxies.
Endothelial Cell Traction Forces on RGD-Derivatized Polyacrylamide Substrata †

Receptor-mediated adhesion involves both mechanical and chemical signals occurring at the cell−substrate interface. Using a relatively new technique called traction force microscopy, the magnitude, direction, and spatial location of mechanical forces exerted by endothelial cells on a RGD-peptide-derivatized hydrogel substrate were measured. We constructed a surface with a controlled density of cell adhesion nonapeptide containing RGD, which can ligate endothelial cell integrin receptors and induce cell spreading. Increasing the concentration of the RGD peptide increases cell spreading on an otherwise nonadhesive surface of polyacrylamide, and cell area is a monotonically increasing function of peptide concentration. Correlating the force exerted by the cell to the cell area reveals that force is a linear, increasing function of cell area, with a mean increase in cell force of 104 dyn/cm2 cell area. Additionally, we have found that tractions exerted by endothelial cells are concentrated at the ends of pseu.
Atopic dermatitis.

Received March 16, 2010, Revised April 28, 2010, Accepted for publication April 30, 2010 Corresponding author: Thomas Bieber, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, D-53105 Bonn, Germany. Tel: 49-228287-1-4388, Fax: 49-228-287-1-4881, E-mail: Thomas.Bieber@ukb. uni-bonn.de Ann Dermatol Vol. 22, No. 2, 2010 DOI: 10.5021/ad.2010. 22.2. 125
She resi

Material and methods. Four groups (10-12 each) that comprised 3 self-adhesive cements (SmartCem2; RelyX Unicem; seT SDI) and a conventional resin-based cement (RelyX ARC) were tested. Cylindrical cement specimens (diameter, 3 mm; height, 3 mm) were applied to nickel-free base metal alloy (Sheradent) disks with a diameter of 12 mm, and the surface was treated with airborne-particle abrasion of 50 mm aluminum oxide. The metal disks were fixed in brass molds specifically designed for the shear bond test device. Test specimens were incubated at 37 C for 24 hours and then the shear bond was tested with a Zwick Roll testing machine at a 0.8 mm/min cross-head speed. In addition, bond failures were investigated and categorized as adhesive, cohesive, or mixed. Shear bond strengths were calculated by dividing the maximum debonding force over the cross-sectional area of each specimen. One-way ANOVA and the Tukey (honestly significant difference) post hoc test were used to test statistical significant differences among the groups (a1⁄4.05).
Determinants of Financial Inclusion in Africa: A Dynamic Panel Data Approach

This study documents the determinants of financial inclusion in Africa for the period 2005 to 2014, using the dynamic panel data approach. The study finds that per capita income, broad money (% of GDP), literacy, internet access and Islamic banking presence and activity are significant factors explaining the level of financial inclusion in Africa. Domestic credit provided by financial sector (% of GDP), deposit interest rates, inflation and population have insignificant impacts on financial inclusion. The findings of this study are of utmost value to African central banks, policymakers and commercial bankers as they advance innovative approaches to enhance the involvement of excluded poor people in formal finance in Africa.