Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of steep sided landfill lining systems

The EC Landfill Directive (1999), which is enforced in England and Wales through the Landfill (England and Wales) Regulations (2002), has increased the technical challenge associated with the design and construction of landfill containment systems, in particular those on steep side slopes. Increased numbers of lining system components, varied configurations, and complex loading scenarios require advanced analysis tools to facilitate design. This project involved the development of advanced numerical modelling techniques, based on the FLAC finite difference modelling code. The analysis toolbox can be used to predict the behaviour of multilayered geosynthetic and soil lining systems, during and after staged construction. The model can include non-linear interface and geosynthetic axial properties, represent complex loading, including downdrag from the waste mass, whilst retaining the flexibility to represent varied geometries and include engineered support structures. Whilst numerical modelling is becoming increasingly commonplace in commercial design, there is little evidence of the validation of numerical models with field or experimental data. Validation of the analysis toolbox described in this document was conducted by back analysis of published data, modelling of landfill failure mechanisms, and comparisons to large scale laboratory testing. Design of field scale instrumentation has also been carried out as part of this project. The influence of interface shear strength variability has been assessed through the compilation of a comprehensive database, and the effect of this variability on lining system behaviour assessed through reliability based analyses. This has shown probability of failures may be higher than proposed limiting values when adopting traditional accepted factors of safety. A key area of interest identified during the project was the requirement for support, potentially through reinforcement, of the geological barrier. The inclusion of randomly reinforced fibres in bentonite enhanced soil has shown the potential for increased strength, without adverse effects on hydraulic barrier performance. ii Additionally, the influence of geomembrane seams on lining system integrity has been investigated, showing that fusion welded seams can result in stress concentration and extruded seams can cause significant stress concentration.
An Evaluation of the Source and Content of Dupuytren’s Disease Information Available on the Internet

Introduction The internet continues to expand in both size and number of users, and patients are using the internet with increasing frequency to research orthopedic conditions and treatment options. Despite the prevalence of patients searching for medical information, the quality of the available information varies substantially. The purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability and accuracy of the information available on the internet for Dupuytren’s disease. We hypothesized that the informational content found on the internet regarding this condition would be of acceptable quality. Methods The search phrasing “‘Dupuytren’ OR ‘Dupuytren’s’” was used to mimic how patients would likely search for information on the disease. These terms were entered into the five English-language search engines with the most frequent use on the internet. On each search engine, the first 50 URLs were recorded, including sponsored sites. The 250 total sites were filtered to remove duplicate sites and URLs linking to other search engines, resulting in a final list of 84 websites for informational scoring. A previously published information evaluation protocol was used to grade each website. Each site was graded according to these guidelines by two authors and scored based on authorship, content, disease summary, treatment options, pathogenesis, complications, and results. A third author resolved any conflict on authorship or content before analysis. The resultant “informational value” is the sum of the disease summary, treatment options, pathogenesis, complications, and results and can range from 0-100. Results The mean total information score for all sites was 47.5 out of 100 points. Forty-three (51.2%) of the websites evaluated were authored by a physician or academic institution, and thirty-four (40.5%) of the sites were commercial in nature. The final seven websites (8.3%) had nonphysician, unidentified, or lay authorship. Physician and academic institution authored websites had an average informational score of 55.5 out of 100 points, compared to 39.7 out of 100 for all other websites. This difference was statistically significant (p <0.01). The mean informational score for the 10 sponsored websites was 16.4 out of 100. Conclusion We concluded that internet information on Dupuytren’s disease is of poor quality and incomplete. Academic and physician authored sites have higher quality than commercial sites, but significant room for improvement still exists. Patients should be advised to identify the authorship of the websites they obtain information from and avoid advertisements and commercial sites.
An eCoach-Pain for Patients with Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain in Interdisciplinary Primary Care: A Feasibility Study

eHealth could support cost-effective interdisciplinary primary care for patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain. This study aims to explore the feasibility of the eCoach-Pain, comprising a tool measuring pain complexity, diaries, pain education sessions, monitoring options, and chat function. Feasibility was evaluated (June–December 2020) by assessing learnability, usability, desirability, adherence to the application, and experiences from patients and general practitioners, practice nurses mental health, and physiotherapists. Six primary healthcare professionals (PHCPs) from two settings participated in the study and recruited 29 patients (72% female, median age 50.0 years (IQR = 24.0)). PHCPs participated in a focus group. Patient data was collected by evaluation questionnaires, individual interviews, and eCoach-Pain-use registration. Patients used the eCoach during the entire treatment phase (on average 107.0 days (IQR = 46.0); 23 patients completed the pain complexity tool and used the educational sessions, and 12 patients the chat function. Patients were satisfied with the eCoach-Pain (median grade 7.0 (IQR = 2.8) on a 0–10 scale) and made some recommendations for better fit with patient-specific complaints. According to PHCPs, the eCoach-Pain is of added value to their treatment, and patients also see treatment benefits. However, the implementation strategy is important for successful use of the eCoach-Pain. It is recommended to improve this strategy and involve a case-manager per patient.
Performance characterization of a high power factor power supply with a single power stage

A single high-frequency full-bridge power stage produces two outputs. One is connected in series with the rectified AC line to boost the bus voltage, and the other is the desired DC output. The boosting stage, implemented as a series-resonant power converter, is frequency controlled over the 120 Hz cycle to maintain the bus constant at an optimum fraction above the peak line voltage. This provides adequate wave shaping of the line current to maintain the high input power factor. Regulation of the main DC output is achieved by phase shifting the inverter pole voltages. Independent control of the two outputs provides the strong decoupling necessary, and hence good transient response. The soft switching nature of the converter improves performance and allows reduction in size/weight at frequencies in the hundreds of kilohertz. Experimental results show a power factor above 95% from 100% to 20% load, with peak efficiencies in the range of 85-86%. <<ETX>>
How and Why Do Judges Cite Academics? Evidence from the Singapore High Court

Abstract Legal academics were once thought to be parasitic on the work of judges, so much so that citing academic work was said to weaken a judgment's authority. Recent times have however seen prominent academics appointed to the highest courts, and judicial engagement with academic materials appears to have increased. In this light, this article empirically studies academic citation practices in the Singapore High Court. Using a dataset of 2,772 first-instance High Court judgments, we show that citation counts have indeed increased over time. This increase was distributed across most legal areas, and was not limited to, though more pronounced in, judgments authored by judges with post-graduate law degrees. Books, not journal articles, have consistently accounted for the bulk of the court's citations. The study sheds new statistical light on the evolving relationship between judges and academics, particularly in the context of an Asian, first-instance court.
An Experimental Study on the Biological Fixation and Effective Use of Carbon Using Biogas and Bacterial Community Dominated by Methanotrophs, Methanol-Oxidizing Bacteria, and Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria

This study used biogas from a wastewater treatment plant and bacterial community where methanotrophs, Methylophilus, and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria clusters coexisted to propose an effective method for biological carbon fixation and nitrogen removal in wastewater treatment for carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS). Biogas from wastewater treatment plant was provided, instead of purified CH4, to provide operation and maintenance conditions of bio-catalyst reaction for efficient biological carbon fixation by bacterial community using methane and CO2. This study assessed the conditions to induce type X methanotrophs that can use CO2 as a carbon source, as dominant species in the bacterial community and continuously and effectively supply reducing equivalents required for the conversion of CO2 to methanol within the system. Herein, the results of inducing efficient co-existence of methanotrophs, Methylophilus, and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria cluster in the bacterial community were shown.
To Hope and Belong in Adolescence: A Potential Pathway to Increased Academic Engagement for African American Males

Abstract Despite the best intentions of many educators, scholars have theorized that systemic racism and sexism are major impediments to the academic engagement of African American males. The current study explored a potential pathway to address this issue. In a sample of 223 African American male high school students, this study examined the relationship between hope and school belonging to all three aspects of academic engagement (i.e., behavioral engagement, emotional engagement, and intellectual engagement) to better understand how these psychosocial perceptions relate to, and might be a potential pathway to increase, the academic engagement of African American males. Utilizing a series of hierarchical regressions, results indicated that hope and school belonging accounted for around 24% to 46% of all three aspects of African American males’ academic engagement. Given that hope and school belonging have been found to be easily increased, these results suggest a potential path forward to increased engagement for African American males. Impact Statement African American males combat pervasive gender and racial discrimination within the school context. This discrimination suppresses their academic engagement via extinguishing their hope and sense of belonging within the academic domain. The current study proposes a way forward.
Gebruik van vloerverwarming bij vleeskuikens

ASG heeft onderzoek gedaan naar het gebruik van vloerverwarming bij vleeskuikens. Het gebruik van vloerverwarming had geen effect op de technische resultaten en slachtrendementen, maar leidde wel tot minder voetzoollaesies en brandhakkenASG has conducted a broiler study with underfloor heating. Underfloor heating did not affect performance and processing yields, however the prevalence of foot pad lesions and hock burns was reduced
PENGUJIAN SAMBUNGAN FINGER JOINT UNTUKMENGKAJI KUAT LENTUR PADA BALOK KAYU

Abstrak Kayu di pasaran umumnya ukurannya terbatas sehingga diperlukan adanya konstruksi sambungan. Sambungan merupakan bagian yang paling lemah, sehingga banyak kegagalan atau kerusakan struktur, yang disebabkan oleh gagalnya sambungan. Oleh karena itu teknik penyambungan sangat berperan untuk mendapatkan struktur yang baik. Penelitian ini mengulas sambungan jari (finger joint) dengan berbagai macam tingkat perbandingan kemiringan, dan pengaruhnya terhadap kuat lentur dan modulus elastisitas balok kayu. Hasil pengujian kuat lentur balok kayu tanpa sambungan, balok kayu dengan sambungan jari (finger joint) 1:2, 1:4, 1:8 berturut-turut sebagai berikut : 537,268 kg/cm2, 115,541 kg/cm2, 151,014 kg/cm2, dan 282,791 kg/cm2, dan besarnya modulus elastisitas berturut-turut sebagai berikut : 100.654,91 kg/cm2, 78.122,62 kg/cm2, 79.257,39 kg/cm2, dan 80.333,91 kg/cm2. Dari hasil penelitian disimpulkan bahwa kuat lentur dan modulus elastisitas meningkat seiring dengan bertambahnya panjang sambungan, karena semakin besar perbandingan panjang sambungan yang dibuat akan mengakibatkan bertambahnya luasan perekatan. Sambungan jari 1:8 dapat menjadi alternatif yang lebih baik dibandingkan dengan sambungan jari 1:2 dan sambungan jari 1:4 Kata kunci: Kayu, kuat lentur, sambungan finger joint . Abstract Woods in the market generally are limited in size and therefore a joint in wood construction is needed. The joint is the weakest part of woods as indicated by many of structural failures or damage that is caused by the failure of joints. Hence technique of wood joint is important to obtain a good structure. This research explored the finger joint with various vertical-horizontal ratios and its influence on flexural strength and modulus of elasticity of wood beams. It was recorded that flexural strength of wood beams for respective samples of plain without joint, wood with a finger joint 1:2, 1:4, 1:8 were 537,268 kg/cm2 , 115,541 kg/cm2 , 151,014 kg/cm2 , and 282,791 kg/cm2 and their respective modulus of elasticity were 100.654,91 kg/cm2 , 78.122,62 kg/cm2 , 79.257,39 kg/cm2 , and 80.333,91 kg/cm2 . It can be concluded that the flexural strength and the modulus of elasticity the increases followings increasing length of wood joint. This is because the smaller vertical-horizontal ratio of the wood joint has larger area of bonding. The finger joint of 1:8 vertical-horizontal ratio performed better than those of 1:2 and 1:4 Keywords: finger joint, flexural strength, wood
Proceedings of the 2nd Workshop on Distributed User Interfaces:Collaboration and Usability

Although Web search is typically regarded as a solitary activity, collaborative search approaches are becoming an increasingly relevant topic for HCI and distributed user interfaces (DUIs). Today’s collaborative search systems lack comprehensive search support that also involves preor post-search activities such as preparation or sensemaking. We believe that post-WIMP DUIs can help to better support social search and have identified four design goals that are critical for their successful design. In consequence, we present TwisterSearch, an interactive DUI prototype that meets our four design goals. Author
Preclinical Evaluation of Polymeric Nanocomposite Containing Pregabalin for Sustained Release as Potential Therapy for Neuropathic Pain

This study offers a novel oral pregabalin (PG)-loaded drug delivery system based on chitosan and hypromellose phthalate-based polymeric nanocomposite in order to treat neuropathic pain (PG-PN). PG-PN has a particle size of 432 ± 20 nm, a polydispersity index of 0.238 ± 0.001, a zeta potential of +19.0 ± 0.9 mV, a pH of 5.7 ± 0.06, and a spherical shape. Thermal and infrared spectroscopy confirmed nanocomposite generation. PG-PN pharmacokinetics was studied after a single oral dose in male Wistar rats. PG-PN showed greater distribution and clearance than free PG. The antinociceptive effect of PG-PN in neuropathic pain rats was tested by using the chronic constriction injury model. The parameter investigated was the mechanical nociceptive threshold measured by the von Frey filaments test; PG-PN showed a longer antinociceptive effect than free PG. The rota-rod and barbiturate sleep induction procedures were used to determine adverse effects; the criteria included motor deficit and sedative effects. PG-PN and free PG had plenty of motors. PG-PN exhibited a less sedative effect than free PG. By prolonging the antinociceptive effect and decreasing the unfavorable effects, polymeric nanocomposites with pregabalin have shown promise in treating neuropathic pain.
Stem Cell Therapy Enhances Motor Activity of Triceps Surae Muscle in Mice with Hereditary Peripheral Neuropathy

Impaired motor and sensory functions are the main features of Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease. Mesenchymal stem cell (MSCs) therapy is one of the possible treatments for this disease. It was assumed that MSCs therapy can improve the contractile properties of the triceps surae (TS) muscles in mice with hereditary peripheral neuropathy. Murine adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (AD-MSCs) were obtained for transplantation into TS muscles of FVB-C-Tg(GFPU)5Nagy/J mice. Three months after AD-MSCs transplantation, animals were subjected to electrophysiological investigations. Parameters of TS muscle tension after intermittent high frequency electrical sciatic nerve stimulations were analyzed. It was found that force of TS muscle tension contraction in animals after AD-MSCs treatment was two-time higher than in untreated mice. Normalized values of force muscle contraction in different phases of electrical stimulation were 0.3 ± 0.01 vs. 0.18 ± 0.01 and 0.26 ± 0.03 vs. 0.13 ± 0.03 for treated and untreated animals, respectively. It is assumed that the two-fold increase in TS muscle strength was caused by stem cell therapy. Apparently, AD-MSCs therapy can promote nerve regeneration and partial restoration of muscle function, and thus can be a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of peripheral neuropathies.
GAP FILLERS OR PIONEERS: INFORMAL WATER SUPPLIERS IN PERI-URBAN AREAS OF THE TECHIMAN MUNICIPALITY OF GHANA

There is continuous expansion and growth of urban and peri urban areas in Sub-Saharan Africa with projections indicating that this will double. Some peri-urban areas such as those in the Techiman municipality of Ghana are experiencing this trend. Nonetheless, the spate of growth of these areas outstrips the supply of utilities by municipal water distribution networks. As a result, some areas have little or no public provision. In order to address the water supply challenge, places with favourable hydrological settings are witnessing the emergence of informal water suppliers as “gap fillers” or “pioneers”, providing water services. Noteworthy, however, existing studies about informal water suppliers in peri-urban areas in Ghana lump them together, without considering the water source. This study differs in that it specifically examines the evolution and the features of informal water suppliers who privately and independently abstract and supply groundwater. Additionally, it attempts to understand the nature of informality of the suppliers and the possibility of formalisation. The paper is an exploratory study using the case of private mechanised borehole operators who supply water in their respective areas. The findings showed that in some peri-urban areas in the Techiman municipality, some dwellers constructed and operated mechanised boreholes, which provide in-situ water and utilities to others. They are mostly pioneer water suppliers in some of the areas. Their services are informal by nature because they are largely independent of the formal sector and apply informal arrangements in rendering their services. Seen also as business enterprises, they are not licenced. However, the boreholes are registered with the Municipal Assembly, which indicated some level of formalisation. The study recommended that efforts to formalise them further should focus on improving water quality monitoring for consumption and promoting sustainable abstraction.
Construction and Validation of a Scale to Measure Loneliness and Isolation During Social Distancing and Its Effect on Mental Health

A variety of factors contribute to the degree to which a person feels lonely and socially isolated. These factors may be particularly relevant in contexts requiring social distancing, e.g., during the COVID-19 pandemic or in states of immunodeficiency. We present the Loneliness and Isolation during Social Distancing (LISD) Scale. Extending existing measures, the LISD scale measures both state and trait aspects of loneliness and isolation, including indicators of social connectedness and support. In addition, it reliably predicts individual differences in anxiety and depression. Data were collected online from two independent samples in a social distancing context (the COVID-19 pandemic). Factorial validation was based on exploratory factor analysis (EFA; Sample 1, N = 244) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA; Sample 2, N = 304). Multiple regression analyses were used to assess how the LISD scale predicts state anxiety and depression. The LISD scale showed satisfactory fit in both samples. Its two state factors indicate being lonely and isolated as well as connected and supported, while its three trait factors reflect general loneliness and isolation, sociability and sense of belonging, and social closeness and support. Our results imply strong predictive power of the LISD scale for state anxiety and depression, explaining 33 and 51% of variance, respectively. Anxiety and depression scores were particularly predicted by low dispositional sociability and sense of belonging and by currently being more lonely and isolated. In turn, being lonely and isolated was related to being less connected and supported (state) as well as having lower social closeness and support in general (trait). We provide a novel scale which distinguishes between acute and general dimensions of loneliness and social isolation while also predicting mental health. The LISD scale could be a valuable and economic addition to the assessment of mental health factors impacted by social distancing.
Modeling and Measuring the Business Value of Information Technology

Determining the 'business value' of information technology (IT) requires managersto choose performance measures which are well-suited to capturing the economic impacts of theapplication they are evaluating. In this paper, the authors discuss a promising approach for bridgingthe gap between a theory for rational decisions and management practice in evaluating investmentsin IT: Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The referent discipline for the discussion isproduction economics, and the authors review basic concepts concerning performance measurement,efficiency, productivity and economic contribution or value-added from an economist'sperspective. DEA's promise lies in its ability to handle multiple input and output production environmentsand its management action orientation. As an illustration of this potential, DEA isapplied to assessing the performance of an automated teller machine (ATM) network, an ITwhich creates economic impacts at various organizational levels of a commercial bank.