Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modern Society, Technology and Electronic Waste: Who Should Be Responsible?

Electronic waste (e-waste) in modern society is a growing issue that creates risks by degrading natural resources, through the production of the electronic devices in question, but also at a later end-of-life stage when recycled irresponsibly; by harming individuals directly – those who partake in the recycling, but also indirectly when deadly toxins from recycling flow into water and soil sources. This thesis looks specifically at the recent progression into modern society and associated risks as can be linked to the environmental problem of e-waste in Ontario, Canada. It looks at individuals as consumers in society and examines their knowledge about the increasingly prevalent solution of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) as it should perhaps be used as a solution in Ontario. Through the use of semi-structured interviews with consumers – and considering the objective variable of government structure in Canada and Ontario that affects consumer views about e-waste; this study aims to understand what individuals think would work best in Ontario, a state-led directive or an EPR-based solution.
A randomized trial of intravenous labetalol versus oral nifedipine in acute blood pressure control in hypertensive emergencies of pregnancy

Hypertension (HTN) is a worldwide health problem that affects about 25-40% of individuals. Hypertension in pregnancy is associated with adverse effects for both mother and baby which includes fetal growth restriction, preterm delivery and maternal, fetal, and neonatal morbidity and mortality. These women are at greater risk for the development of cardiovascular risk factors (hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and obesity), chronic kidney disease and premature cardiovascular disease. Severe hypertension in pregnancy is defined by a systolic blood pressure of at least 160 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure of at least 110 mm Hg. A combined team of obstetricians and cardiologists is an important prerequisite for management of HTN and cardiovascular disease during pregnancy. Labetalol and nifedipine have quickly emerged as alternative drugs for management of gestational hypertension. A Prospective randomized double blind comparative clinical trial was conducted in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology of Darbhanga Medical College & Hospital, Laheriasarai, Bihar which took the study period from April 2019 to December 2020. The present study was executed upon 106 pregnant women with pre-eclampsia with a gestational period of 28 weeks or beyond with blood pressure reading ≥160/110 mmHg. All the patients were randomly divided into two groups Group A and B. Group A patients received intravenous Labetalol and Group B patients received oral Nifedipine as antihypertensive drugs to achieve the target blood pressure reading 150/100.The present study aimed to compare the two most commonly used drugs, oral nifedipine and IV labetalol in terms of time taken to achieve the target blood pressure and number of dosage required.
Unified Bond Stress–Slip Model for Reinforced Concrete

Despite extensive investigations of bond stress versus slip modeling for RC structures, most existing bond stress-slip models are incomplete, discontinuous, and insufficiently accurate. These problems can cause nonconvergence and other difficulties in computational simulations of concrete structures that use bond-slip models. Through systematical analyses of an existing database of bond-slip behavior and data regressions, this work develops a unified bond stress-slip model that overcomes these difficulties and is suitable for numerical simulations. The model is given by a single and mathematically continuous equation that does not distinguish between plain and confined concrete or splitting and pullout failure because such judgments are arrived at automatically by evaluating the model parameters. Furthermore, the model outperforms the existing models in the precision of its predictions.
Piracy, Music and Movies: A Natural Experiment

This paper investigates the effects of illegal file sharing (piracy) on music and movie sales. The Swedish implementation of the European Union directive IPRED on April 1, 2009 suddenly increased the risk of being caught and prosecuted for file sharing. We investigate the subsequent drop in piracy as approximated by the drop in Swedish Internet traffic and the effects on music and movie sales in Sweden. We find that the reform decreased Internet traffic by 18 percent during the subsequent six months. It also increased sales of physical music by 27 percent and digital music by 48 percent. Furthermore, it had no significant effects on the sales of theater tickets or DVD movies. The results indicate that pirated music is a strong substitute for legal music whereas the substitutability is less for movies.
Using Numerical Analysis in Geotechnical Engineering Practice

Numerical analysis, in the form of the finite element, finite difference or boundary element method, has become a preferred calculation tool in the design of complex geotechnical structures. Even new codes of practice, such as the European EUROCODE 7, encourage the use of numerical analysis in design. However, as there is no general guidance and agreement in the international community on appropriate numerical solvers, constitutive models and boundary conditions, there are often examples of bad practice in the numerical analysis of geotechnical structures. Through examples of the analyses of real problems, this paper investigates the use of appropriate constitutive models and boundary conditions, to highlight both the successful use and the potential pitfalls of modern numerical analysis.
Light Vehicle-Heavy Vehicle Interactions: A Preliminary Assessment Using Critical Incident Analysis

Two recently completed on-road in situ data collection efforts, one involving local/short haul trucking and the other long-haul trucking, provided a large data set in which to conduct an examination of critical incidents (crashes and near-crashes) that occurred between light vehicles and heavy vehicles. Video and non-video data collected during the two studies were used to characterize critical incidents that were recorded between light vehicle and heavy vehicle drivers. Across both studies, 210 light vehicle-heavy vehicle (LV-HV) critical incidents were recorded. Of these, 78 percent were initiated by the light vehicle driver. Aggressive driving on the part of the light vehicle driver was found to be the primary contributing factor for light vehicle driver initiated incidents. For heavy vehicle driver initiated incidents, the primary contributing factor was poor driving technique. The results suggest that efforts at addressing LV-HV interaction incidents should focus on light vehicle drivers who drive aggressively. Additionally, it is recommended that heavy vehicle drivers might benefit from improved driver training that includes instruction on defensive driving.
Windage Losses in High Speed Gears—Preliminary Experimental and Theoretical Results

Power losses in high-speed gears come from the friction between the teeth (sliding and rolling), the lubrication process (dip or jet lubrication), the pumping of a gas-lubricant mixture during the meshing and the losses associated with windage effects. The objective of this paper is to present a number of preliminary experimental and theoretical findings on the prediction of windage losses. Experiments were conducted on a test bench whose principle consists in driving a gear to a given speed and then measuring its deceleration once it has been disconnected from the motor. Results are presented for a disk and 4 different gears with no enclosure and in the absence of lubricant at speeds ranging from 0 to 12, 000 rpm. Two different theoretical approaches have been developed: i) a dimensional analysis based upon the dimensionless groups of terms which account for the flow characteristics (Reynolds number), the gear geometry (tooth number, pitch diameter, face width) and the speed, ii) a quasi-analytical model considering in detail the fluid flow on the gear faces and inside the teeth. It is found that both approaches give good results in comparison with the experimental evidence and two analytical formulas aimed at predicting windage losses in high-speed gears are proposed.
An effect of spinal and ankle-foot orthoses on gait of spastic diplegic child: A case report.

BACKGROUND In children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP), the most common motor dysfunction is pathological gait. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness of measures for an individual CP case. METHODS The case of one spastic diplegia child has been analyzed. Both lower extremities and spine were examined under three gait conditions: 1) barefoot, 2) with ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) and thoracolumbosacral spinal orthosis (TLSO), and 3) with TLSO only. Spatiotemporal gait and kinematic parameters of the pelvic, hip, knee, ankle joints, and spine were obtained using Vicon Plug-in-Gait model. The difference (Δ) between the measured values and normative ranges was calculated to determine the efficiency of the orthoses. RESULTS Significant differences were found in kinematic and spatiotemporal parameters comparing results between conditions and body sides. The effectiveness of the measures was confirmed by the smallest Δ values in the double and single support time with the AFOs/TLSO and in the stride and stance time with TLSO. CONCLUSIONS Based on the study results, the best stability of the spine, ankle plantarflexion, and knee hyperextension is achieved with the AFOs/TLSO; therefore, this combination of measures was considered the most effective. However, not only quantitative parameters should be taken into account, but also the child's willingness and comfort.
Skin Disease in Children: Effects on Quality of Life, Stigmatization, Bullying, and Suicide Risk in Pediatric Acne, Atopic Dermatitis, and Psoriasis Patients

Acne, atopic dermatitis (AD), and psoriasis are all chronic dermatologic conditions that greatly impact the lives of pediatric patients and their caregivers. The visible nature of these diseases negatively affects the self-image of children early in life as well as their relationships with their families and peers. Physicians recognize the importance of addressing both the physical and mental symptoms of their patients but are currently not equipped with clear guidelines to manage long-term psychosocial comorbidities in pediatric dermatologic patients. A PubMed and Google Scholar search of key words was conducted to explore self-image in pediatric patients with acne, AD, and psoriasis. Chronic skin diseases put pediatric patients at risk for strained family relationships, poor self-image, psychiatric comorbidities, stigmatization, and eventual suicidal behavior. A limitation of this study is a lack of a validated measure of quality of life in the pediatric population that fulfills enough criteria to evaluate long term quality of life in children and adults. Possible management options, including connecting patients with the same diagnosis and allocating resources to parents and teachers to better understand these chronic skin conditions, may provide pediatric patients with the support they need to develop resilience in the face of these challenges.
Variational analysis of single-mode inhomogeneous planar optical waveguide

Some trial fields are proposed for obtaining the propagation characteristics of single-mode inhomogenous planar waveguides, based on the scalar variational principle. A comparison with other trial fields and the exact numerical results shows that the authors' results are more accurate than those obtained by the existing trial fields. The proposed trial fields also agree favorably with the real inhomogeneous index profiles. >
Visualisation of the Lip Motion of Brass Instrument Players, and Investigations of an Artificial Mouth as a Tool for Comparative Studies of Instruments

When playing a brass instrument the lips of the player fulfil a similar role to the cane reeds of wood-wind instruments. The nature of the motion of this lip-reed determines the flow of air through the lips, between the player’s mouth and the instrument. It is a complicated feedback system in which the motion of the lips controls the air flow, which itself affects the behaviour of the lips. In recent years several designs of artificial mouth have been developed; these model the human lips using latex rubber tubes filled with water. These artificial mouths are increasingly used in experiments rather than enlisting the services of a musician as they have many advantages including greater accessibility and the stability of the embouchure. In this thesis factors affecting the reproducibility of the embouchure of one such artificial mouth are investigated with reference to the measured resonances of the lips. Using these results, procedures and practical design improvements are suggested. Two examples of comparative studies of historic instruments are presented. In order to provide detailed information on the behaviour of the lips of brass players high speed digital photography is used to image the self-oscillating lipreed. Variation in the lip opening, over a wide range of notes and different players, is investigated, providing experimental evidence to aid the process of refining physical models of the behaviour of the brass player’s lips. Particular attention is paid to the relationship between the area and height of the lip opening. Results suggest that during extremely loud playing the lip motion is qualitatively similar to that in quieter notes and therefore is not the origin of the dramatic increase in the levels of the high harmonics of the radiated sound. Investigation of the behaviour at the start of a note has shown evidence relating the lip motion to the transient in the mouthpiece pressure waveform. Comparison is made between the behaviour of the artificial lips and that of the lips of musicians providing evidence of the suitability of the use of the artificial mouth as a model for real brass players. Results show that although differences exist, particularly when looking at behaviour over a wide range of dynamic levels, the general features of behaviour are reproduced by the artificial mouth.
Design of widely tunable semiconductor three-branch lasers

We describe the design and operating principles of the new, widely tunable, three-branch semiconductor Y3-lasers, which we have demonstrated recently. This multibranch tunable laser structure is formed by a cascade of Y-junctions and uses a geometrical tuning leverage to achieve wide-range discrete frequency tuning. Y3-lasers have demonstrated experimentally a tuning range of 45 nm (5.6 THz) and access to 50 frequency channels, with potential access to more than a 100 channels. Among the important issues discussed in this paper are the Y3-laser structure, mode selection of the Y3-laser filter, laser side-mode suppression, number of accessible channels, tuning range, and the tuning mechanism of the Y3-laser. A specific design example is also presented. The simplicity of Y3-laser fabrication and the powerful digital channel-access control make these lasers important electronically-tunable sources for multichannel wavelength-division-multiplexed (WDM) optical communication networks. >
Candida central nervous system infection after neurosurgery: a single-institution case series and literature review.

BACKGROUND Candida central nervous system (CNS) infection is a rare complication following neurosurgery. This disease often occurs during the treatment of bacterial CNS infection, and common bacterial culture results have a high false negative rate, which delays diagnosis and treatment, and seriously affect the prognosis of patients. The purpose of this study was to discuss the diagnosis, treatment process, and results of this disease through a small series of cases, so as to provide data support and a theoretical basis for the timely diagnosis and treatment of Candida CNS infection after neurosurgery. METHODS A retrospective analysis was conducted on eight patients with confirmed Candida CNS infection following neurosurgery in our department between June 2011 and June 2019. Their clinical symptoms, treatment schemes, outcomes, risk factors, and complications were analyzed. RESULTS Four patients received intravenous administration of fluconazole and were cured. Three patients received intravenous administration of amphotericin B. Two of them were cured, and the other died. One patient was cured after intravenous administration of voriconazole throughout the treatment. The overall cure rate was 87.5% (7/8), and the death rate was 12.5% (1/8). Among the three patients treated by amphotericin B, one patient suffered vomiting and renal function impairment. After drug discontinuation, this patient gradually improved. Another patient had acute renal failure, and the conditions were not improved after drug discontinuation. The remaining patient suffered from anemia and vomiting, which were relieved after drug discontinuation. One patient had hematuria during voriconazole treatment, and the symptoms were improved after the therapy was changed to fluconazole. Four patients treated with fluconazole did not have apparent adverse reactions. None of the cured patients relapsed during the 3-12 months follow-up after discharge. CONCLUSIONS Candida CNS infection following neurosurgery is a rare condition; however, it may result in disastrous consequences. Early diagnosis and timely use of antifungal agents are considered the primary treatment principles. Blood culture of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is useful for early diagnosis. Fluconazole is the preferred choice for the clinical treatment of Candida CNS infection as it has both good efficacy and safety.
Synthesis of a low-sensitivity multiloop feedback active RC filter

A general, low-sensitivity multiloop feedback configuration for realizing higher order transfer functions is presented. A synthesis procedure, which incorporates the desirable building block approach of cascade design, is described. In particular, the paper is concerned with the realization of higher order narrow-band bandpass (BP) functions where either biquad or Tarmy-Ghausi (TG) networks are used as active blocks. A sensitivity expression, dependent explicitly on the individual active block Q's and loop gains, is derived and minimized. The results demonstrate the low-sensitivity performance of the structure which, for some designs is superior to that of the "leapfrog" (LF) configuration, especially over a wide-band of frequencies.
Wage inequality, entrepreneurship and creative people in regional labour markets

ABSTRACT We examine the impact of entrepreneurship and creative occupations on wage inequality in regional labour markets. We apply dynamic models to longitudinal linked employer–employee data for Portugal. Our results indicate that regional labour markets where job creation by new firms is stronger and creative occupations represent a greater proportion of total employment are associated with greater inequality. The wage structures of new firms are less compressed than those of incumbents. New firms pay lower average wages but offer a greater share of high-paying jobs. Opportunity-based entrepreneurship and creative occupations are linked to a higher share of top earners.
Influence of the Bow Shape on Loads in High and Steep Waves

To ensure survival of floating structures in rough seas, a precise knowledge of global and local loads is an inevitable integral part for safe design. One of the key parameters is the vertical bending moment. Not only vertical forces but — as previous investigations revealed — also longitudinal forces significantly contribute to the vertical wave bending moment. Three segmented ships, equipped with force transducers, are investigated systematically in high and steep regular waves and in harsh wave environments at several cruising speeds to identify the structural loads. The model tests are carried out in the seakeeping basin of the Technical University Berlin at a scale of 1:70. To cover possible influences of the bow geometry, three different types of vessels are chosen, a bulk carrier with a full bow, a Ro/Ro vessel and a container vessel with a V-shaped frame design. For identifying the influence of the wave height and steepness on the vertical bending moment, model tests in regular waves with different crest/trough asymmetries are performed with the Ro/Ro vessel and the bulk carrier. The program can be subdivided into three parts, each characterized by the same wave lengths with varying wave steepness. The first test series includes regular waves with small amplitudes, thus linear wave theory can be applied. In the second part the same (regular) wave lengths have been generated with increased wave heights, i.e. increasing crest/trough asymmetries and wave profiles within Stokes II domain. During the last part of the experimental program the wave heights are further increased to reach wave profiles within Stokes III domain. For the evaluation of the test results in regular waves — in particular in high steep waves — the results are compared to the respective Response Amplitude Operator determined by the transient wave package technique. Here the focus lies on the asymmetry of the hogging and sagging loads with respect to the wave steepness and the bow geometry of the investigated ship models. Furthermore, the influence of the freeboard height on the vertical bending moment is analysed. For this purpose a container vessel is investigated with two different freeboard configurations in a harsh wave environment.Copyright © 2010 by ASME