Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Influence of Cooling on Muscle Force and Viscoelastic Properties of Human Tendon Structures in Vivo

This study was to investigate the influence of cooling on muscle force and viscoelastic properties of tendon structures in themedial gastrocnemius (MG) muscle. The subject was instructed to gradually increase force (10% MVC step) from a relaxed state to MVC within 3 s. At this time, it was measured by an ultrasonographic probe was attached and that an electrode was attached to monitor EMG. The F values at 50 100% of MVC were significantly greater under the cold condition than under the non-cold condition (p values at 80~100% of MVC were significantly higher under the cold condition than under the non-cold condition (p
Some evidence that seasonal malaria chemoprevention with SPAQ has an effect on blood stage antibody responses and pre-erythrocytic stage of Plasmodium falciparum infections in Niger.

Background: In endemic areas, children develop slowly and naturally develop anti-Plasmodium antibodies and become semi-immune. Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine + amodiaquine (SPAQ) is a new strategy to reduce malaria morbidity in young children in West Africa. However, SMC may impact on the natural acquisition of anti-Plasmodium immunity. We evaluated the effect of SMC with SPAQ on malaria antibody concentration in Niger.Methods: This survey was conducted in areas targeted with SMC since 2014 (Zinder district), without SMC (Dosso district), and with one year SMC 2016 (Gaya district). To assess the relationship between SMC and P. falciparum IgG antibody responses, we compared total antibody concentrations against two P. falciparum asexual stage vaccine candidate antigens, circumsporozoite protein (CSP) and glutamate-rich protein R2 (GLURP-R2), in children aged 3-59 months across the three sites. Antibody concentrations were quantified using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) on the elution extracted from positive and negative RDT cassettes.Results: A total of 229 children aged 3-59 months were included in the analysis: 71 in Zinder, 77 in Dosso, and 81 in Gaya. In Zinder (CSP=17.5µg/ml and GLURP-R2=14.3µg/ml) median antibody concentration observed were higher than in Gaya (CSP=7.7 µg/ml and GLURP-R2=6.5 µg/ml) and Dosso (CSP=4.5 µg/ml and GLURP-R2=3.6 µg/ml) (p<0.0001). Conclusion: We have some evidence that seasonal malaria chemoprevention with SPAQ has an effect on blood stage antibody responses and pre-erythrocytic stage of Plasmodium falciparum infections in Niger. Future studies are necessary to provide better understanding of the effect of on malaria immunity.
Investigation of seismic wave gage analysis techniques and comparative evaluation of the seismic wave gage at Chetco River, Oregon

Abstract : High-energy wave environments have made the maintenance of traditional, in situ wave gages expensive and unreliable. An alternative to traditional gages is wave estimates based on microseismic measurements. Microseisms are small ground motions of relatively high frequency (compared with seismic activity) which are observed as a background noise on standard seismographs located close to the shoreline. It is generally accepted that microseismic activity is related to ocean waves and the amplitudes of microseisms often correlate with wave energy. This work evaluates an existing wave meter system during summer wave conditions using digitally recorded data and computer analysis and investigates microseismic analysis techniques which might be useful to improve the seismic wave-measurement system. Both time domain and spectral analysis procedures were applied to seismic data. Correlation with both primary and doubled wave frequency components were investigated. Overall accuracy of the estimates is considerably less than that of in situ wave measurement instruments used currently by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Subject terms: Chetco River, Measurement, Microseisms, Ocean waves, Oceanographic instruments, Oregon.
Characteristics and Risk Factors Associated with Early Mortality in Patients with Polymicrobial Bloodstream Infection: A Retrospective Clinical Study

Background and Objective Polymicrobial bloodstream infections (PBSI) in hospitalized patients are associated with increased mortality, while few studies have characterized the clinical features in this population. This study aimed to assess the risk factors and short-term prognosis of PBSI in hospitalized patients.Materials and Methods 4066 patients with culture-positive blood were included between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2017 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine (Hangzhou, China) in our study. 218 patients were diagnosed as PBSI. The patients were divided into two groups according to the outcome after 30-day follow-up. The number of survival group were 129, while the number of non-survival group were 89. The clinical data, identified microorganisms and severity models were compared between the two groups. A cox regression model was used to identify the risk factors of 30-day mortality in PBSI patients. Five prediction models were compared by Z-test to test the value of these models to predict outcome of PBSI.Results The patients in the non-survival group were more likely to receive inappropriate antibiotic therapy at the time of PBSI and showed more severe in systemic inflammatory. They were more likely to develop to be septic shock and to be admitted in ICU than the patients in the survival group. Inappropriate initial empirical antimicrobial therapy (HR=1.713 95% CI: 1.063-2.760, p=0.027), white blood cell (HR=1.740 95% CI: 1.002-3.020, p=0.049) and platelet (HR=2.940 95% CI: 1.754-4.930, p<0.001) were independent risk factors for 30-day mortality in PBSI patients. SOFA (AUROC=0.882, 95% CI=0.832-0.922) scores was a good prognostic scoring system for predicting short-term mortality in PBSI patients. The SOFA score was more valuable than the other four models in predicting the outcome of PBSI according to the Z-test (p<0.05). Discussion and Conclusions Inappropriate initial empirical antimicrobial therapy, white blood cell and platelet were closely associated with short-term mortality.
Sport Mechanics for Coaches

Chapter 1. Making a Smart Move Chapter 2. Starting With Basics Chapter 3. Getting a Move On Chapter 4. Rocking and Rolling Chapter 5. Don't Be a Pushover Chapter 6. Going With the Flow Chapter 7. Analyzing Sport Skills Chapter 8. Identifying and Correcting Errors in Sport Skills Chapter 9. Mechanics of Selected Sport Skills.
Interaction of ocean waves with wave generated by surfing ship

D. Anderson (George Mason University) R. Buckmire (Occidental College) P. Cook (University of Delaware) E. Cumberbatch (Claremont Graduate University) A. Fitt (University of Southampton) P. Howell (University of Nottingham) P. Kramer (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) H. Ockendon (Oxford Centre for Industrial and Applied Mathematics) E. Phifer (University of Delaware) R. Platte (University of Delaware) C. Please (University of Southampton) S. Rethorst (Vehicle Research Corporation) L. Rossi (University of Massachusetts–Lowell) D. Schwendeman (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) B. Tilley (New Jersey Institute of Technology) E. Varley (Lehigh University)
Model System to Evaluate Impacts of Vehicle Purchase Tax and Fuel Tax on Household Greenhouse Gas Emissions

This paper proposes a model system to forecast household-level greenhouse gas emissions (GHGEs) from private transportation and evaluate the effects of car-related taxation schemes on vehicle emissions. The system contains four submodels that specifically capture households' vehicle and vintage, quantity, usage, and GHGE rates (GHGERs) by vehicle type. The vehicle GHGERs are calculated with the Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator 2014, which is authorized by the Environmental Protection Agency. The whole model system was applied to the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. The 2009 National Household Travel Survey was employed with supplementary data from Consumer Reports, American Fact Finder, and 2009 state motor vehicle registrations. The study proposed two tax schemes, vehicle purchase tax and fuel tax, and predicted their effects on reductions in vehicle GHGEs. The average annual GHGE per vehicle was 5.86 tons of carbon dioxide–equivalent gas without the proposed taxes. After two taxation policies were implemented, the results showed the following: (a) the impacts on reducing GHGEs from fuel taxes were higher than those from purchase taxes, (b) purchase taxes reduced GHGEs mainly by decreasing the number of cars of households with more vehicles, and (c) fuel taxes successfully reduced GHGEs by decreasing the use of cars by households with fewer vehicles. The model system can be extended to other zones, counties, states, and nations.
Marketing Strategies and Acceptance of Edible Insects Among Thai and Chinese Young Adult Consumers

Abstract The adverse environmental impact associated with producing animal foods (e.g. chick, pork, beef, and fish) presents an opportunity for insect foods to meet the rising global demand for meat products. This paper investigates consumer behavior relating to edible insect products among young adult consumers from China and Thailand. A sample of 616 young adults was analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The empirical results revealed edible insect phobia, neophilic tendency, and marketing strategies to be the primary constructs influencing the consumption of edible insects. The SEM results suggest marketing strategies to be the most crucial mediator affecting an individual’s insect consumption, including attractive advertising and promotion strategies and accessible distribution channels. Our results also revealed edible insect phobia to be significantly higher among Chinese consumers compared to Thai consumers. Among several implications, the marketers may use a promotional tool such as buy one get one free to stimulate insect consumption.
Implementation a of 3-axis inclinometer for RTK-GPS antenna correction of EMI sensor platform.

Abstract Geophysical sensor measurements are often made by towing a mobile platform over the soil surface. Surface irregularity and inadequate travel speed can significantly reduce the stability of the platform and negatively affect the quality of the measurements.The objective of this study was implemented and developed a methodology to correct the RTK-GPS location of a mobile sensor platform for continuous EC a measurements with associated GPS locations at discrete time intervals. A 3-axis inclinometer was mounted directly above the EMI sensor and below the GPS antenna to monitor platform pitch, roll and yaw. Northing and Easting showed similar percentages of correction 30%. The results indicate that elevation measurements for generating DEMs, and geo-referencing geophysical measurements require additional correction for antenna deviations. Key words: Geophysical sensor, soil apparent electrical conductivity (ECa), inclinometer, precision agriculture 1. Introduction
Ageing and Life-course Issues

Phased retirement systems are considered to contribute to the policy objective of longer working careers. There are a wide range of instruments that enable the gradual transition between work and retirement such as the change of job content or a working time reduction. The impact of these systems on the effective retirement age is however still under investigation. In this chapter we present the Belgian career break system, a system that provides financial incentives for 50+ workers to reduce their working time by one fifth or by half. In order to assess the performance of the system against the objectives criteria like the coverage of the scheme, its costs and direct and indirect effects are considered. Besides the Belgian scheme the Dutch life-course scheme and some other types of phased retirement schemes are briefly described. We find that in general working time reduction is a valuable tool for experienced employees in order to keep them active. It is however clear that the policy implementation especially in case of the Belgian career break scheme needs to be reinforced in order to improve the results in terms of coverage (biased profile of participants) and in terms of increasing the effective retirement age of persons participating to the scheme.
Evaluation of new methods to determine antimicrobial efficiency

The work for this master's thesis, which was performed at Medibiome, was a part of a Vinnova-funded national project “Innovation mot Infektion” for the establishment and evaluation of a draft standard FprEN 16615 in order to evaluate different disinfection and analytical methods. Healthcare associated infections are a global issue and the need for new methods to reduce contamination and evaluate efficiency of disinfection is increasingly recognized in scientific, clinical and political communities. In order to evaluate the antibacterial efficiency of cleaning and disinfecting products, test floorings were inoculated with bacterial suspensions and an interfering substance, and wiped with a product. A unitary weight was used to standardize the wiping. The bacteria load on the surface was swabbed after wiping and the remaining bacterial load was evaluated after plate cultivation.The ATP bioluminescence analysis was used during a similar procedure to replace the plate cultivation method. The enzyme luciferase provided light emission while degrading the ATP contained into bacteria. The light emission is measured to determine the bacterial load on the surface. The compatibility of wiping materials and cleaning agents was also tested with a test suspension of S. aureus. The recovery of S.aureus and P. aeruginosa after different drying times on surfaces was studied. The results show that three disinfectants meet the requirements of the standard FprEN 1661: DES45, Rely+On™ Virkon® and Wet Wipe. Input was transmitted to the standard committee, especially regarding the need to sterilize the wipes, to standardize and improve the release of bacteria from the swab, and to decrease the weight of the granite block for more clinical relevance. ATP analysis could be performed without background by using an interfering substance modified with Triton X-100 at 0.2%. It seems to be a promising technique, as it is both fast and cost-efficient but further study needs to be done in order to solve technical issues and standardize the method
Efficient Aviation Security: Strengthening the Analytic Foundation for Making Air Transportation Security Decisions

Since the goal of aviation security is not just to reduce risk in the aviation system, but to do so efficiently—particularly in an era when fiscal constraints require difficult choices between spending resources on security or other important national priorities, this document examines a set of issues that are either overlooked or not well captured in analyses of the costs and benefits of security measures. The authors present a series of distinct analyses focused on tools and approaches they believed were missing and therefore hurting efforts to develop efficient security strategies, implement tactics, and get the best outcomes for the resources spent to ensure aviation security. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to this document. Chapter Two discusses terrorist risk to the aviation system, considering both historical and prospective future threats. Chapter Three examines uncertainty in the costs of security measures and approximate ways to address that uncertainty in policy analysis. Chapter Four focuses on layered security strategies and the assessment of performance of different security measures used in concert. Chapter Five examines the issue of deterrence, an important effect of security that is often neglected in cost-benefit or cost-effectiveness analysis. Chapter Six looks at how intended and unintended consequences of security measures trade off and affect outcomes, focusing on the specific issue of a trusted traveler program to focus security screening activities. Chapter Seven looks at assessment as a system, exploring both the modeling challenges related to benefits estimation and integrative approaches for making security policy choices. Finally, Chapter Eight provides a set of conclusions derived from the preceding chapters.
A heavy tailed statistical model applied in anti-collision calculations for petroleum wells

Anti-collision calculations are done during the planning of a new petroleum well. These calculations are required in order to control the risk of having a well-collision, which is an unwanted event at any cost. The risk of having a well-collision is closely related to the position uncertainty both of the well that is planned and of the existing wells in the given region. Earlier literature has indicated that the distribution of the position errors are more heavy-tailed than a normal distribution, which leads to the question whether the current methods are accurate enough. The currently used industry standard calculates the standard deviation of the centre to centre distance by an approximation, and assumes that the centre to centre distance is normally distributed. In this thesis we use a heavy-tailed Normal Inverse Gaussian (NIG) distribution for the declination error source in MWD magnetic directional surveying, which lead to a position uncertainty that is heavy-tailed relative to the multivariate normal distribution. The parameters of the NIG-distribution are estimated from processed magnetic field data from the Tromso geomagnetic observation station. The NIG-distribution requires the use of Monte Carlo simulations in order to apply the currently used industry approach. Other error sources are also included in the error model to give a more realistic position uncertainty. Three different anti-collision cases demonstrate the differences in using the NIG error model and the normal error model. We compare the simulation based results against the currently used methodology. The results are very dependent on the well geometries. The results differ significantly, and the NIG error model is the most conservative distribution in most cases, with respect to whether a wellplan should be realized or not. However, there are cases where a normally distributed declination error gives more conservative decisions than the NIG-distribution. As an alternative to change the distribution of the declination error, we propose two corrective actions to improve the existing anti-collision methodology. One action is to exchange one of the approximations in the current methodology with simulations or analytical computations. The other action is to correct for bias in the expected position, which is caused by the NIG error model.
EVALUATION OF THE MOTOR CARRIER MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM CRASH FILE, PHASE ONE

This document is the first in a series of papers presenting the results of an evaluation of the Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) Crash file undertaken by the Center for National Truck Statistics at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. The MCMIS Crash file was developed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to allow for research on motor carrier safety problems, and to potentially provide a census of all trucks and buses involved in a traffic crash. The Crash file contains state-supplied data from police crash reports involving drivers and vehicles of all motor carriers operating in the U.S. It now includes a standard set of data elements that the states are required to supply on all trucks and buses involved in traffic crashes that meet a specific severity threshold. The purpose of this evaluation is to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the MCMIS Crash file, to identify problems with the data, and to propose solutions. This first phase examines the overall level of reporting of MCMIS data by the states, and evaluates the extent of missing data. Results from the 1994-2000 period show that about 42 of the 50 states and the District of Columbia are making efforts at full reporting of the required cases. However, for trucks the overall reporting level of fatal and nonfatal involvements is quite low at 63% of those expected, and for buses the rate is only 44% of expected. There has been continuous improvement in reporting trucks involved in fatal crashes, but less improvement for fatal bus involvements. There is a relative overreporting of injury crash involvements, but underreporting of towaway crashes. Missing data rates are reasonable for variables that provide simple descriptive information about the accident scene, but unacceptably high for details about the vehicle and driver.
Efficiency study of testing and selection in progeny-row yield trials and multiple-environment yield trials in soybean breeding

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] is the leading source of plant protein and oil in the world. The soybean seed has an average of 40 percent protein, one of the highest among all food crops, and approximately 20 percent oil, second only to peanut [Arachis hypogaea L. ] among all food legumes. Soybean meal is also rich in calcium, phosphorus, and iron. Soybean is used mainly in human foods and for animals in poultry, livestock, and aquaculture feed. It has been used in many industrial products, such as pharmaceutical products and biofuel. The increased demand of soybean grain globally has fueled the research to improve the predictability of soybean yield as a means to improve the efficiency of soybean breeding. The objective of this research is to improve the efficiencies of the soybean breeding test and selection at early stages of the progeny-row yield trials (PRYT) by experimental design and spatial modeling, and at late stages of the multiple environment trials by optimization of the multiple year and location trials (MYLT). In the study of the efficiency improvement for test and selection in the PRYT, our results indicated that large spatial variations in soybean PRYT field could be present as evaluated by the Uniform Study conducted with two commercial lines. In this experiment, the use of the two-dimensional thin plate spline spatial model (TPS) proved to be effective in reducing the error variance and the coefficient of variability, with an improvement in relative efficiency (IRE) of 37.9%. In the Early Generation Tests, 2565 lines were evaluated within test-sets along with three checks. The TPS model also was effective in the Early Generation Tests, the IRE was 40.4%. The correlation coefficients calculated between yield