Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reducing Adolescent Risky Behaviors in a High-Risk Context: The Effects of Unconditional Cash Transfers in South Africa

South African adolescents living in poverty are at significant risk for negative outcomes associated with risky sexual activity and substance use. The South African government introduced the Child Support Grant (CSG) to reduce poverty and provide protection from these risks. We use variation in grant receipt by age to estimate potential effects of this unconditional cash transfer program on adolescent outcomes. The study findings suggest that the CSG may play an important role in reducing adolescent risky behaviors, particularly early sexual debut among females. The results also suggest that policy efforts to expand grant access to children up to adulthood and to reduce barriers to maintaining grant access for those living in poverty should improve outcomes for South African adolescents.
The zooplankton of Santa Catarina continental shelf in southern Brazil with emphasis on Copepoda and Cladocera and their relationship with physical coastal processes

Very few studies have been carried out to exclusively investigate the zooplankton community of Santa Catarina State continental shelf, despite the economic and ecological importance of the area. This coastal region of southern Brazil presents highly relevant oceanographic processes, such as the strong influence of continental inputs, resurgence in the Cabo de Santa Marta Grande and River Plata plume water to the south. Two sampling cruises were carried out, in December 2005 and May 2006, in order to study temporal hydrological variations, and their influence on the biota of the region. Zooplankton samples for analysis were obtained by oblique hauls with Bongo nets at 33 sampling stations arranged in profiles perpendicular to the coast on each cruise. The predominant groups found in the samples were Copepoda, Cladocera, Salpidae and Chaetognatha, which presented higher densities at the stations closer to the coast. In the case of the December 2005 cruise, the salinity and temperature gradients perpendicular to the coast, promoted by the continental inputs to the north of the area and by the upwelling to the south, determined the limits of distribution of Acartia lilljeborgi and Penilia avirostris. However, the temperature and salinity gradients longitudinal to the coast determined on the May 2006 cruise did not explain the species distribution, indicating that biotic forcing mechanisms may have been active in the ecology of the system during this period.
Implementation of active support over time in Australia

ABSTRACT Background: Research indicates the value of active support in achieving good outcomes across a number of quality of life domains for people with intellectual disabilities. However, implementation is not easy, and little research has explored why. We aimed to identify some of the factors that impact on implementation of active support in supported accommodation services. Methods: Data on the quality of active support, staff training and practice leadership were collected through staff questionnaires, observations and manager interviews, for between two and four years across six organisations. Results: Active support improved over time for more able people with intellectual disability, but not for people with higher support needs. There was a weak positive correlation between active support and (1) practice leadership scores, and (2) the percentage of staff reporting active support training. Conclusions: It is important to recognise the influence of practice leadership and staff training on the quality of support and ensure provision for these in funding schemes.
The potential benefits of agricultural adaptation to warming in China in the long run

Abstract Understanding the extent to which agriculture can adapt to climate change and the determinants of farmers' adaptive capacity are of paramount importance from a policy perspective. Based on household survey data from a large sample in rural China, the present article adopts a panel approach to estimate the potential benefits of long-run adaptation and to identify the determinants of farmers' adaptive capacity. The empirical results suggest that, for various model settings and climate change scenarios, long-run adaptations should mitigate one-third to one-half of the damages of warming on crop profits by the end of this century. These findings support the basic argument of the hedonic approach that omitting long-run adaptations will dramatically overestimate the potential damage of climate change. The paper also finds that household-level capital intensity and farmland size have significant effects on farmers' adaptive capacities.
Effect of aspect ratio on the uptake and toxicity of hydroxylated MWCNTs in the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans.

Objectives: In this study, the effect of tube length and outer diameter (OD) size of hydroxylated MWCNTs (OH-MWCNTs) on their uptake and toxicity was investigated in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans using a functional mutant analysis. Methods: The physicochemical properties of three different OH-MWCNTs were characterized. Uuptake and toxicity were subsequently investigated on C. elegans exposed to MWCNTs with different ODss sizes and tube lengths. Results: The results of mutant analysis suggests that the ingestion is the main route of MWCNT uptake. We found that OH-MWCNTs with smaller ODs size were more toxic than those with bigger larger ODs, size and OH-MWCNTs with shorter tube lengths were more toxic than longer tube length ones counterparts to C. elegans. Conclusions: Overall the results suggest the aspect ratio affects the toxicity of MWCNT in C. elegans. Further thorough study on the relationship between physicochemical properties and toxicity needs to be conducted for more comprehensive understanding ofn the uptake and toxicity of MWCNTs.
Large Rayleigh number thermal convection: Heat flux predictions and strongly nonlinear solutions

We investigate the structure of strongly nonlinear Rayleigh–Benard convection cells in the asymptotic limit of large Rayleigh number and fixed, moderate Prandtl number. Unlike the flows analyzed in prior theoretical studies of infinite Prandtl number convection, our cellular solutions exhibit dynamically inviscid constant-vorticity cores. By solving an integral equation for the cell-edge temperature distribution, we are able to predict, as a function of cell aspect ratio, the value of the core vorticity, details of the flow within the thin boundary layers and rising/falling plumes adjacent to the edges of the convection cell, and, in particular, the bulk heat flux through the layer. The results of our asymptotic analysis are corroborated using full pseudospectral numerical simulations and confirm that the heat flux is maximized for convection cells that are roughly square in cross section.
Comparative Evaluation of the Fracture Strength of Monolithic Crowns Fabricated from Different all-ceramic CAD/CAM Materials (an in vitro study)

The objective of this in vitro study was to evaluate and compare the fracture strength of monolithic crowns fabricated from five different all-ceramic CAD/CAM materials (lithium disilicate, zirconia, reinforced composite, hybrid dental ceramic, and zirconia-reinforced lithium silicate) using single load to failure test. Forty sound human maxillary first premolar teeth extracted for orthodontic purposes were selected for use in this study. Teeth were prepared according to a standard protocol with 1 mm deep chamfer finishing line, 4 mm axial height with planer occlusal reduction and 6º total convergence angle. Teeth were then divided into five groups of eight teeth each according to the material used for the fabrication of the monolithic crowns as follow: Group A: Crowns fabricated from lithium disilicate (IPS e.max CAD, Ivoclar Vivadent), Group B: Crowns fabricated from zirconia (CEREC Zirconia, Dentsply Sirona), Group C: Crowns fabricated from reinforced composite (BRILLIANT Crios, COLTENE), Group D: Crowns fabricated from hybrid dental ceramic (VITA ENAMIC, VITA Zahnfabric), Group E: Crowns fabricated from zirconia-reinforced lithium silicate (CELTRA DUO, Dentsply Sirona). Teeth of all groups were then scanned with CEREC Omnicam digital intraoral scanner and the crowns were then designed using CEREC Premium software (version 4.4.4) and milled using CEREC MC XL milling unit. Post-milling, crowns of each group were subjected to either a firing procedure or to a polishing only according to the manufacturer's instructions of each material. The internal surfaces of the crowns of each group were then subjected to surface treatment according to the manufacturer's instructions of each material and the crowns were then cemented on their respective teeth using a universal dual-cured adhesive resin cement (Duo-Link Universal, Bisco Inc.). All teeth with the cemented crowns were then stored in deionized distilled water at room temperature for 24 hours before testing. All samples were then subjected to compressive axial loading until fracture in computer-controlled universal testing machine (Zwick Z010, Ulm, Germany) at a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min. The data were statistically analyzed using one-way ANOVA test and LSD test at a level of significance of 0.05. The results of this study showed that the highest mean value of fracture strength was recorded by Group B (2337.37), followed by Group C (1880.59), Group E (1404.49), Group A (1085.39) and Group D (767.06), respectively with statistically highly significant differences among the different groups (p<0.01). From the results of this study, it seems that the differences in the chemical composition and microstructure of the tested all-ceramic CAD/CAM materials may be responsible for the differences in the fracture strength of the fabricated crowns.
Endogenous controllability of closed-loop brain-machine interfaces for pain

The ultimate aim of closed-loop brain-machine systems for pain is to directly titrate the ongoing level of an intervention to pain-related neural activity. However pain is highly susceptible to endogenous modulation, raising the possibility that active or passive changes in neural activity provoked by the operation of the system could enhance or interfere with the signals upon which it is based. We studied healthy subjects receiving intermittent pain stimuli in a real-time fMRI-based closed-loop feedback-stimulation task. We showed that multi-voxel pattern decoding of pain intensity could be used to train a control algorithm to learn to deliver less painful stimuli (adaptive decoded neurofeedback). However, the system engaged two types of endogenous processes in the brain. First, despite the inherent incentive for subjects to enhance the neural decodability of pain, decodability was either reduced or unchanged in classic pain-processing regions, including insula, dorsolateral prefrontal, and somatosensory cortices. However, increased decodability was observed in a putative pain modulatory region - the pregenual anterior cingulate cortex (pgACC). Second, we found that pain perception itself was modulated by an endogenous computational uncertainty signal engaged as subjects learned the success rate of the system in reducing pain - an effect that also correlated with pgACC responses. The results illustrate how regionally and computationally specific co-adaptive brain-machine learning influences the efficacy of closed-loop systems for pain, and shows that pgACC acts as a key hub in the endogenous controllability of pain.
Benthic Macroinvertebrates in Logged and Unlogged Low-Order Southeast Alaskan Streams

The benthic macroinvertebrate communities of three low-order streams in southeast Alaska exhibiting pre- and post logging conditions were examined. The logged watersheds had the highest densities and biomass of benthic macroinvertebrates, while an unlogged coniferous climax forest watershed had the lowest. Benthic macroinvertebrate community composition was similar for key species among the three streams. Collector-gatherers were generally the most abundant functional group comprising up to 80% of the insect community; predator-engulfers were the second most abundant functional group. Salmonid fishes greatly altered the macroinvertebrate community composition during spawning because of mass disturbance of the streambed. Gravels disturbed during spawning were most rapidly recolonized by mayflies and stoneflies, especially Alloperla spp.
On the spectral depolarisation and lidar ratio of mineral dust provided in the AERONET version 3 inversion product

Abstract. Knowledge of the particle lidar ratio (Sλ) and the particle linear depolarisation ratio (δλ) for different aerosol types allows for aerosol typing and aerosol-type separation in lidar measurements. Reference values generally originate from dedicated lidar observations but might also be obtained from the inversion of AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) sun/sky radiometer measurements. This study investigates the consistency of spectral Sλ and δλ provided in the recently released AERONET version 3 inversion product for observations of undiluted mineral dust in the vicinity of the following major deserts: Gobi, Sahara, Arabian, Great Basin, and Great Victoria. Pure dust conditions are identified by an Ångström exponent <0.4 and a fine-mode fraction <0.1. The values of spectral Sλ are found to vary for the different source regions but generally show an increase with decreasing wavelength. The feature correlates to AERONET, retrieving an increase in the imaginary part of the refractive index with decreasing wavelength. The smallest values of Sλ=35–45 sr are found for mineral dust from the Great Basin desert, while the highest values of 50–70 sr have been inferred from AERONET observations of Saharan dust. Values of Sλ at 675, 870, and 1020 nm seem to be in reasonable agreement with available lidar observations, while those at 440 nm are up to 10 sr higher than the lidar reference. The spectrum of δλ shows a maximum of 0.26–0.31 at 1020 nm and decreasing values as wavelength decreases. AERONET-derived δλ values at 870 and 1020 nm are in line with the lidar reference, while values of 0.19–0.24 at 440 nm are smaller than the independent lidar observations by a difference of 0.03 to 0.08. This general behaviour is consistent with earlier studies based on AERONET version 2 products.
Analysis of Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase ( MTHFR ) Polymorphisms ( C 677 t & A 1298 c ) in Recurrent Pregnancy Loss ( RPL )

Introduction and Objectives Recurrent Pregnancy Loss (RPL) is a multifactorial disorder responsible for 15 % of pregnancy failures. The underlying etiology of RPL remains unknown and literature suggests that MTHFR polymorphisms to be the primary genetic risk factors for RPL. Accordingly aim of this study was to find out the frequencies of MTHFR C677T and A1298C MTHFR polymorphisms associated with RPL. Method: From the eligible studies 17,780 cases and 22,346 controls were considered as study subjects. Results: A positive MTHFR polymorphisms associated with RPL were seen in 75 % (26/35) of the study (p = 0.002). Among the positive studies, 35 % had both C677T and A1298C polymorphisms. C677T polymorphism was the only polymorphism associated with RPL in 50 % of cases, while 15 % found A1298C polymorphism associated with RPL. Analysis also showed the prevalence of MTHFR-C677T polymorphism in the partners of women suffered from RPL. Conclusion: The study confirms that the MTHFR C677T polymorphism is significantly associated with RPL (p = 0.043). Accordingly the C677T polymorphism could be used as a genetic marker for early diagnosis of RPL. Study further suggests paternal screening is equally important as maternal screening in the early diagnosis of RPL.
Experiements in Polic Discretion: Scientific Boon or Dangerous Knowledge?

Scientific experimentation holds the potential for revolutionizing police discretion.2 It has already begun to erode the ignorance police have of the consequences of their actions after they leave an encounter. Science may soon be able to guide the discretionary allocation of scarce criminal justice resources to those offenders who are most deterrable, as well as to those who commit the most offenses. Science may also be able to tell police when not to act, if their actions would produce more harmful consequences than benefits. Before rushing headlong into a brave new world of scientifically based police discretion, one must carefully consider its implications. Detailed knowledge of the consequences of police discretion in a wide range of situations could produce dangerous forms of inequity and discrimination. Moreover, that "knowledge" may be faulty in its application to particular cases. Yet, attempts to refine the knowledge to produce more accurate predictions in particular cases may produce even greater dangers of discrimination. This article describes the problem that experiments in police discretion may solve, the experiments themselves, and the problems their findings may create. It articulates three familiar value models of police work that can be used to examine the uses or abuses of knowledge about the consequences of police discretion. Finally, it uses those models to examine the implications of (1) not knowing the consequences of police decisions, (2) knowing the average
Anthropometrical Profile of Judo Athletes: Comparative Analysis Between Weight Categories

Este estudio comparo las caracteristicas antropometricas de atletas de judo de diferentes categoriasde peso. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 104 judocas hombres brasilenos de nivel nacional/internacional de las siete categorias oficiales de peso: superligero (-60 kg; n = 16), semiligero (-66 kg; n= 12), ligero (-73 kg; n= 24), semimedio (-81 kg; n= 25), medio (-90 kg; n= 15), semipesado (-100 kg; n= 7) y pesado (+100 kg; n= 5). Se tomaron lassiguientesmedidasantropometricas: masa corporal, estatura, pliegues cutaneos (triceps, subescapular, suprailiaco, abdominal, muslo frontal y pierna medial), circunferencias (pecho, brazo relajado, brazo contraido, antebrazo, muneca, muslo proximal, pantorrilla y tobillo) y diametros oseos (humero y femur, biacromial, pecho, profundidad del pecho y biliocristal). El somatotipo de los grupos de las siete categorias de peso secalculo mediante el metodo de tres dimensiones. Se utilizo unanalisis unidireccional de varianza y la prueba de Tukey para comparar los gruposen aquellos datos distribuidos normalmente, mientras quese utilizo la prueba de Kruskal-Wallis en aquellos datos que no siguieron una distribucion normal (P<0,05). Los principales resultados obtenidos fueron: (1) la altura diferia en las categorias de pesono consecutivas, excepto entre las categorias de -60 kg y -66 kg; (2) los pliegues cutâneos de las cuatro categorias mas ligeras no difirieron entre ellos, y el grupo de +100 kg presento los valores mas altos en comparacion conlas demas categorias de peso; (3) en la mayoria de circunferencias, los grupos de -60 kg y -66 kg presentaronvalores mas bajos en comparacion con las tres categorias de mayor peso (-90 kg, -100 kg and +100 kg); (4) las categorias de somatotipo fueron similares en los tres grupos mas ligeros (-60 kg, -66 kg,-73 kg), mientras que la categoria mas pesada difirio del resto de grupos; (5) la mayor parte de las diferencias entre los grupos se localizaron en los diametros oseos. En conclusion, las principales diferencias entre las categorias de pesofueron los diametros oseos y las circunferencias, mientras que la altura y espesor de los pliegues cutaneos variaron principalmente entre las categorias mas ligeras y pesadas.
Low Emission Zone: Lisbon's Experience

 Abstract—The problem of air quality in urban areas is an issue that has earned increasing attention of European Union and the Portuguese State throughout the last twenty years, culminating in the approval in 1996 of the European Air Quality Directive and its enforcement obligation in each European Country. The national Portuguese public body responsible for air quality management and monitoring elaborated Air Quality Plans and Programs and the respective execution programs for territories that don’t comply with the defined air quality legal limits, which is the case of Lisbon Metropolitan Area. Only with the
Functions of PDGF-A and -C: Essential Ligands for the PDGF Alpha Receptor

Altered protein kinase activity is a contributing factor in many diseases including most forms of human malignancies, and there is reason to believe that protein kinases will prove to be major drug targets in the treatment of cancer. Protein kinases mediate most of the signal transduction in eukaryotic cells, regulating cellular events such as transcription, metabolism, proliferation, cytoskeletal rearrangement, migration, differentiation and apoptosis. Protein phosphorylation also plays a critical role in intercellular communication during embryonic development, especially through activation of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK:s). This study focuses on the Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) family, secreted molecules whose functions are to bind to, and activate, two structurally related RTK:s, PDGF receptor alpha and beta. To gain insight into the developmental role of PDGF-A and -C, three lines of mice were generated in which these genes were modified by gene targeting. As a common principle, PDGF-A and -C, secreted from epithelial cells, induced proliferation, and possibly migration, of mesenchymal progenitor cells expressing PDGF receptor alpha. Mice deficient for PDGF-A died perinatally and displayed defective lung development due to lack of alveolar formation. This phenotype was coupled to a loss of alveolar smooth muscle cells and reduced parenchymal elastin, resulting in a picture resembling emphysema. The sixth exon in PDGF-A is normally alternatively spliced, and, when present, it confers binding to extracellular matrix structures. The second line of mice generated carried a mutation in the sixth exon splice acceptor, so that only the short, freely diffusible form of PDGF-A was being produced. Analysis of these mice suggested overlapping functions for PDGF-A and -C, and also revealed that extracellular retention of PDGF-A is important for normal development of gastrointestinal villi. Depending on genetic background, PDGF-C negative mice died postnatally due to a cleft palate accompanied by moderate spina bifida. Interestingly, PDGF-A / PDGF-C double deficient mice were phenotypically indistinguishable from mice carrying a null mutation in PDGF receptor alpha. Taken together, the results of this study imply that PDGF-A and -C are the physiologically important ligands for PDGF receptor alpha during development.