Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association between perfluoroalkyl substance exposure and asthma and allergic disease in children as modified by MMR vaccination

Abstract Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are highly persistent chemicals that might be associated with asthma and allergy, but the associations remain unclear. Therefore, this study examined whether pre- and postnatal PFAS exposure was associated with childhood asthma and allergy. Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination in early life may have a protective effect against asthma and allergy, and MMR vaccination is therefore taken into account when evaluating these associations. In a cohort of Faroese children whose mothers were recruited during pregnancy, serum concentrations of five PFASs – Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), and perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) – were measured at three timepoints (maternal serum in pregnancy week 34–36 and child serum at ages 5 and 13 years) and their association with immunoglobulin E (IgE) (cord blood and at age 7 years) and asthma/allergic diseases (questionnaires at ages 5 and 13 years and skin prick test at age 13 years) was determined. A total of 559 children were included in the analyses. Interactions with MMR vaccination were evaluated. Among 22 MMR-unvaccinated children, higher levels of the five PFASs at age 5 years were associated with increased odds of asthma at ages 5 and 13. The associations were reversed among MMR-vaccinated children. Prenatal PFAS exposure was not associated with childhood asthma or allergic diseases regardless of MMR vaccination status. In conclusion, PFAS exposure at age 5 was associated with increased risk of asthma among a small subgroup of MMR-unvaccinated children but not among MMR-vaccinated children. While PFAS exposure may impact immune system functions, this study suggests that MMR vaccination might be a potential effect-modifier.
Closer look at challenges faced by women in the military

Research surrounding female service members in the United States military has shown differences in the effect of the military on male and female mental health. However, the reasons for these differences, as well as higher rates of physical injury for women, have yet to be determined. The purpose of this study is to record the challenges faced by women in the United States military, as they themselves perceive them. Qualitative interview data is used to determine whether such challenges differ from those that male service members face, and what might cause any differentiation. Results show that gender discrimination is most commonly a result of the inherent differences in physical capacity for men and women. Mental distress discussed by participants is commonly caused by a fear of such discrimination integrated in the military culture over time. Therefore, perceptions of physical differences correlate with the differences in military experience for males and females.
Producing and resolving multi-modal referring expressions in human-robot interaction

Introduction People exploit various information modalities to produce and resolve referring expressions (REs) in situated communication. While the given (visual) situation provides a context such that linguistic references can be grounded in the actual world, speakers and listeners themselves provide multi-modal information to further constrain and facilitate interpretation within this context. In addition to linguistic REs, cues such as pointing gestures and eye gaze constitute (possibly redundant or complementary) visual references. Ideally, all these cues identify the same object in the scene. However, it may occur that a person looks at a mug while saying ”Pass me the glass, please. ” and the listener may be in doubt about what to do. Visual references thus have considerable impact on the resolution of linguistic REs and our aim is to investigate this relationship in more detail, in the context of situated humanrobot communication. While pointing gestures are often used deliberately, frequently substituting parts of a linguistic RE (when definite noun phrases, for instance, are replaced by deictic pronouns and an according pointing gesture (Bangerter, 2004)), gaze is mostly an uncontrolled cue that automatically accompanies our utterances. This view is supported by psycholinguistic studies that have shown, for instance, that referential speech and gaze are temporally extremely closely aligned. On one hand, speakers often look at what they intend to talk about: Referential gaze in speech production typically precedes the onset of the corresponding linguistic reference by about 800ms-1sec (Griffin, 2001; Meyer, Sleiderink, & Levelt, 1998). On the other hand, listeners fixate potential referents in visual scenes as soon as there is enough linguistic information to delimit a set of potential referents (Tanenhaus, Spivey-Knowlton, Eberhard, & Sedivy, 1995). Among others, Altmann and Kamide (2004) have shown that people look at the referent about 200-300ms after the onset of the referential noun. Because of this close temporal coupling of gaze and speech, gaze cues can contribute to the resolution of linguistically underspecified REs. Hanna & Brennan (2007), for instance, have shown that listeners use speakers’ gaze to identify a referent in the scene before the utterance unambiguously identifies that referent. Their study also showed that the speaker’s gaze helps to identify possible referents even when (a) Congruent multi-modal reference to one object (b) Incongruent multi-modal reference to two different objects
Commodity prices, exchange rate and economic growth in West Africa: Case study of Cote dIvoire and Ghana

Some West African countries have extensive access to natural resources and rely heavily on revenues from the export of these primary commodities. The heavy dependence of Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire on revenues from the exportation of cocoa raises the possibility that these economies are vulnerable to external commodity price fluctuations. This paper seeks to examine the relationship between cocoa prices, exchange rate and economic growth using time series data for the period 1980 to 2011. Using autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) modelling approach, the study found intriguing results. The study revealed that higher cocoa price reduces long-run economic growth in Ghana but cannot be an important ingredient in short-run growth. In Cote d’Ivoire, it does not play any significant role in both long-run and short-run economic growth. Increases in cocoa exports rather enhance economic growth of the two countries. Appreciation of the Communaute Financiere Africaine (CFA) franc enhances economic growth but that of the Ghana Cedi is only in the short-run. Higher rates of inflation reduce economic growth of Ghana but enhance that of Cote d’Ivoire. Improvements in life expectancy augment economic growth in Ghana but reduce that of Cote d’Ivoire. Key words: Cocoa price, cocoa export, inflation, exchange rate, economic growth.
Impacts of future land use and land cover change on mid-21st-century surface ozone air quality: distinguishing between the biogeophysical and biogeochemical effects

Abstract. Surface ozone (O3) is an important air pollutant and greenhouse gas. Land use and land cover is one of the critical factors influencing ozone, in addition to anthropogenic emissions and climate. Land use and land cover change (LULCC) can on the one hand affect ozone “biogeochemically”, i.e., via dry deposition and biogenic emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). LULCC can on the other hand alter regional- to large-scale climate through modifying albedo and evapotranspiration, which can lead to changes in surface temperature, hydrometeorology, and atmospheric circulation that can ultimately impact ozone “biogeophysically”. Such biogeophysical effects of LULCC on ozone are largely understudied. This study investigates the individual and combined biogeophysical and biogeochemical effects of LULCC on ozone and explicitly examines the critical pathway for how LULCC impacts ozone pollution. A global coupled atmosphere–chemistry–land model is driven by projected LULCC from the present day (2000) to the future (2050) under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios, focusing on the boreal summer. Results reveal that when considering biogeochemical effects only, surface ozone is predicted to have slight changes by up to 2 ppbv maximum in some areas due to LULCC. It is primarily driven by changes in isoprene emission and dry deposition counteracting each other in shaping ozone. In contrast, when considering the combined effect of LULCC, ozone is more substantially altered by up to 5 ppbv over several regions in North America and Europe under RCP4.5, reflecting the importance of biogeophysical effects on ozone changes. In boreal and temperate mixed forests with intensive reforestation, enhanced net radiation and sensible heat induce a cascade of hydrometeorological feedbacks that generate warmer and drier conditions favorable for higher ozone levels. In contrast, reforestation in subtropical broadleaf forests has minimal impacts on boundary-layer meteorology and ozone air quality. Furthermore, significant ozone changes are also found in regions with only modest LULCC, which can only be explained by “remote” biogeophysical effects. A likely mechanism is that reforestation induces a circulation response, leading to reduced moisture transport and ultimately warmer and drier conditions in the surrounding regions with limited LULCC. We conclude that the biogeophysical effects of LULCC are important pathways through which LULCC influences ozone air quality both locally and in remote regions even without significant LULCC. Overlooking the effects of hydrometeorological changes on ozone air quality may cause underestimation of the impacts of LULCC on ozone pollution.
The employment of Aboriginal Australians in the labour market

This paper is the second of two examining the effect of Aboriginality on employment and labour market status using data from the 1986 Population Census. It begins by presenting the data from the full-count of the 1986 Census showing that Aboriginal men and women had a lower employment rate (employment to population ratio) than non-Aboriginal men and women in each State and Territory and in each section-of-State. The results of a formal analysis of employment status using data from the 1 per cent sample of the Census show that there is a statistically significant negative effect of Aboriginality on the probability of employment. Most of the difference in the employment probabilities between Aborigines and non-Aborigines cannot be explained by the standard human capital variables but rather by factors associated with Aboriginality. The implications of these results for Aboriginal employment policy are considered in the conclusion.
ready to Navigate ! A Methodology for the Estimation of the Time-to-First-Fix

m a r c h / a P r I L 2 0 1 0 InsideGNSS 47 A fter three decades of increasingly widespread use, satellite navigation-based services have changed significantly, especially for general users in the mass market. New technology enablers such as assisted GPS (A-GPS), the use of massively parallel correlation, and the application of advanced positioning techniques have significantly enhanced the time-to-firstfix (TTFF) and sensitivity of today’s receivers. Although these techniques have increased satisfaction for end users, they could partially mask many particular differences expressed among the various GNSS signals, today and in the future. These new signals contain many innovations, including the use of longer spreading codes, new modulation techniques, and new navigation message structures using channel-coding techniques. With such a wide variety of signals, it is essential to define criteria that enable us to understand the main differences among the signals, as well as under which conditions one would perform better than others and their relative suitability for particular applications. Among the different performance metrics, estimating and comparing the various signals’ TTFF is an excellent tool for evaluating the design trades made on GNSS signal structures, especially those concerning spreading codes and navigation messages. In this article we propose a methodology to account for and evaluate what happens in a conventional receiver working papers
The Role of the Reduced Laplacian Renormalization in the Kinetic Energy Functional Development

The Laplacian of the electronic density diverges at the nuclear cusp, which complicates the development of Laplacian-level meta-GGA (LLMGGA) kinetic energy functionals for all-electron calculations. Here, we investigate some Laplacian renormalization methods, which avoid this divergence. We developed two different LLMGGA functionals, which improve the kinetic energy or the kinetic potential. We test these KE functionals in the context of Frozen-Density-Embedding (FDE), for a large palette of non-covalently interacting molecular systems. These functionals improve over the present state-of-the-art LLMGGA functionals for the FDE calculations.
An Appraisal of Substantive Soil and Water Conservation Techniques Adopted on Different Farm Locations in Yola South LGA, Adamawa state, Nigeria

The practice of soil and water conservation techniques by the peasant farmers received considerable attention on increasing food production in the tropic. However, some effective conservation techniques are not or less adopted on most farmlands by majority of the farmers particularly in Yola South LGA. Therefore, this study saddled in appraising substantive soil and water conservation techniques adopted on different farm locations in Yola south LGA, of Adamawa state, Nigeria. The study was quantitative in nature and had adopted survey approach, where five different farm locations (Mbamba, Bole, Namtari, Yolde pate and Wuro-chekke) were purposively selected and administeredrandomly welldefined and structured questionnairesto 30 farmers in each farm location culminating to 150 total respondents respectively. Data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics. It was revealed that tillage practices was the most adopted physical conservation techniques by 27 % of the respondents, while animalmanurig received 29 % respondents adopted as biological soil and water conservation techniques on most of the farm locations in the area. Similarly, multiple cropping as cultural techniques revealed to have largely adopted with 30 % of the respondents. From the result obtained. Soil and water conservation techniques were foundo have adopted by the farmers. However, some effective techniques are not or less adoptive by majority of the farmers due to lack of technical skills and knowledge application on other effective techniques. Therefore, farmers in the study area should properly trained on the modern techniques to be adopted on their farmlands by the extension workers and soil scientist for improving and conserving the soil nutrients and water content for optimum food production for the growing population.
Effect of taxifolin on physicochemical and microbiological parameters of dry-cured pork sausage 

The effect of taxifolin (TXF) with starter cultures (SC), such as Leuconostoc carnosum, or a mixture of strains Pediococcus pentosaceus and Staphylococcus xylosus, on the TXF stability was evaluated. UPLC analysis demonstrated that after 181 days of storage total TXF content was the highest in samples with TXF and L. carnosum (60%), compared to the 1st day of storage. The sausages with TXF and the mixture of P. pentosaceus and S. xylosus (56%) followed next. The samples treated only with TXF retained 40% of TXF, compared to the 1st day of storage. TXF had no significant effect on the growth of lactic acid bacteria. The accumulation of biogenic amines (BA), including histamine and putrescine, was more effectively reduced in sausages inoculated with the TXF plus P. pentosaceus and S. xylosus mixture. Using this mixture, the rate of lipolysis and processes of lipid oxidation were effectively slowed down. Fatty acid (FA) composition was stable in all cases.
Land use influence on the aquatic insect communities on tropical forest streams of Liwagu River, Sabah, Malaysia

The diversity of aquatic insect communities from three types of land use (forest, agricultural and urban development) of Liwagu River, Sabah was investigated to study the relationships between aquatic insects with physico-chemical parameters and habitat quality parameters. Two stations of the forest area recorded highest species richness, abundance and proportion of sensitive aquatic insects taxa compared to the agricultural and urban development area. Cluster analysis illustrated the association of aquatic insect communities with the three types of land use. The functional feeding group of collectorgatherer and collector-filterer were dominant in all sampling stations. The results of the canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) shown the physico-chemical parameters (dissolved oxygen, temperature, phosphate, nitrate and conductivity) in addition to habitat quality assessment (canopy cover, epifaunal substrate, bank stability, vegetative protection, riparian vegetation zone and total habitat assessment) were the important factors that affecting the diversity of aquatic insect communities at Liwagu River, Sabah, Malaysia.
The role of carbon risk diclosure in the relation between analyst following and market value

In times when environmental disclosure by firms becomes more and more important, this research investigates to what extent carbon risk disclosure moderates the relationship between analyst following and market value for 3.715 European and US firms in the period 2011-2017. In this research, analyst following is defined as the number of analysts following a firm. The results suggest that carbon risk disclosure has a positive moderating role. This implicates that the relationship between analyst following and market value becomes stronger when a firm discloses its carbon risks. These results were found for all three sorts of carbon risk disclosure: regulatory, physical and miscellaneous. In addition, carbon risk disclosure positively moderates the relationship between analyst following and information asymmetry, implicating that it weakens the negative effect of analyst following on information asymmetry. This study also provides further elaborations, limitations and suggestions for future research.
A New Sensitivity Study of Thermal Stress Distribution for a Planar Solid Oxide Fuel Cell

Converting chemical energy into electricity is done by an electro-chemical device known as a fuel cell. Thermal stress is caused at high operating temperature between 700 oC to 1000 oC of SOFC. Thermal stress causes gas escape, structure variability, crack initiation, crack propagation, and cease operation of the SOFC before its lifetime. The aim of this study is to present a method that predicts the initiation of cracks in an anisotropic porous planar SOFC. The temperature and stress distribution are calculated. The code uses the generated data, stress intensity factor, and the J-integral of the materials to predict the initiation of the crack inside the porous anode and cathode. The results show that the highest thermal stress occurs at the upper corners of cathode and at the lower corners of the anode. In addition, the thickness of cathode electrode on the left side is increased by 1.5 %. Finally, the crack initiation occurs on the left side between the upper and lower corners of the cathode.
SIAG/OPT Views and News 27(2)

Articles Recent results on the traveling salesman problem Jakub Tarnawski and Vera Traub . 1 In memory of Egon Balas Gérard Cornuéjols . 7 In memory of Andy Conn Philippe Toint and Nick Gould . 9 Bulletin Event Announcements . 10 Book Announcements . 11 Other Announcements . 11 Chair’s Column Tamás Terlaky . 12 Comments from the Editors Jennifer Erway & Pietro Belotti . 12
Species Composition, Production and Energetic Sustainability of Homegardens in the Highlands of Eastern Mizoram, India

An in-depth study was undertaken in three villages taking 38 farms to analyze different components of homegardens and to critically analyze into various functional attributes so as to propose options for their improvement. We found homegarden sizes from 0.035 ha to 2 ha area (median = 1925 m). All together 199 plant species belonging to 67 families of which 80 were trees and 22 were shrubs were recorded from the homegardens. Mean number of species per garden was significantly higher in large gardens (53±10.8) as compared to small and medium (P<0.01). Shannon Weiner index for trees and shrubs was also higher in large gardens (H ́=3.73, P<0.005). Mean number of species per garden and no of tree and shrubs species per garden significantly increases from small to large garden (P<0.01) where as there is no significant difference for herbs while mean number of species per 100 m and trees and shrubs per 100 m significantly decreases from small to large gardens (P<0.005). The energy input ranged from 125 MJ per m in small to 31 MJ per 100 m in large gardens. The energy efficiency was found to significantly (P<0.04) vary from 27 in small garden to 36 and 54 in medium and large gardens respectively. The monetary input significantly (P<0.02) varies from Rs. 928 per 100 m in small to Rs. 228 per 100 m in large gardens while there is no significant difference for the monetary output and the output-input ratio significantly (P<0.05) varies from 2.6 in small to 4.4 and 6.6 in medium and large gardens respectively. Mean net financial value of the homegardens ranged from Rs. 19,890 in small gardens to Rs. 1,31,476 in large gardens and the proceeds from the sale contributes 29.2% (small garden) to 52% (large gardens) of the total household income. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Predictors of the burden on family carers of patients on haemodialysis in Jordan.

Background Family caregivers of patients on haemodialysis can experience life changes and depression. Aims This study assessed the self-perceived burden on their family caregivers of haemodialysis patients in Jordan, and the caregivers' perceived burden of caregiving and depression. The predictors of caregiver outcomes were determined. Methods This cross-sectional study included 190 patients on haemodialysis and their caregivers in Jordan. Patients' self-perceived burden on their caregivers was assessed using the self-perceived burden scale. For caregivers, burden was assessed using the Oberst caregiving burden scale and Bakas caregiving outcomes scale - difficulty subscale. Caregivers' depression was assessed using the patient health questionnaire-9. Mean scores and standard deviations (SD) were calculated. Multiple regression analysis was done to determine the predictors of caregiver outcomes. Results Patients thought that they were a moderate to severe burden on their caregivers (mean score 36.31, SD 3.48). Caregivers perceived themselves as moderately burdened, and thought that their lives had changed for the worse because of caregiving (mean score 2.82, SD = 0.98). Caregivers were moderately depressed (mean score 1.80, SD 0.42). Multiple regression analysis showed that the perceived difficulty of caregiving tasks and patients' self-perceived burden predicted the caregiver outcomes. The difficulty of caregiver tasks explained 38% of the overall variance in the caregiver outcomes. Patient's self-perceived burden on their caregivers explained 16.4% of the variance. Conclusion Factors that affect the burden on caregivers of dialysis patients should be identified and interventions considered to support caregivers and reduce this burden.