Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exposure to metal fumes among confined spaces welders

The aims of this study were to test pulmonary function of welders, to examine the relation between environmental and biological indices of exposure to metal fumes and to assess the risk related to them for confined spaces welders. Spirometric tests were performed on 9 back welders and 12 controls. Fumes measurement and biomonitoring were performed by related NIOSH analytical methods. Risk assessment was performed using a semi-quantitative method. There was significant difference between welders and controls only for FEV1 in pre and post shift (p<0.05). There were significant correlations between concentrations of cobalt and molybdenum in air and urine. Almost for all metals (in air and urine) there were significant differences between welders and controls (p<0.05). Based on risk assessment, cadmium, total fumes, total chromium, and nickel were ranked in “high” legend. Although there was no significant difference between two groups for pulmonary functions, poor ventilation system in confined spaces causes welders’ exposures to fumes; therefore the potential for debilitating lung disease is even more likely. Concentrations of some urinary metals were not correlated with their personal air monitoring results. Urinary metal may represent more long-term metal exposure rather than air metal measured at the same day. Thus personal air monitoring for just one day may not represent actual personal exposure. Also, some insignificant results may be due to the small sample size. Always based on the pollutants concentrations cannot be judged about their health hazards and made decisions on control approaches and their priorities.
Comparing Experimental Designs for Benchmark Dose Calculations for Continuous Endpoints

The BMD (benchmark dose) method that is used in risk assessment of chemical compounds was introduced by Crump (1984) and is based on dose‐response modeling. To take uncertainty in the data and model fitting into account, the lower confidence bound of the BMD estimate (BMDL) is suggested to be used as a point of departure in health risk assessments. In this article, we study how to design optimum experiments for applying the BMD method for continuous data. We exemplify our approach by considering the class of Hill models. The main aim is to study whether an increased number of dose groups and at the same time a decreased number of animals in each dose group improves conditions for estimating the benchmark dose. Since Hill models are nonlinear, the optimum design depends on the values of the unknown parameters. That is why we consider Bayesian designs and assume that the parameter vector has a prior distribution. A natural design criterion is to minimize the expected variance of the BMD estimator. We present an example where we calculate the value of the design criterion for several designs and try to find out how the number of dose groups, the number of animals in the dose groups, and the choice of doses affects this value for different Hill curves. It follows from our calculations that to avoid the risk of unfavorable dose placements, it is good to use designs with more than four dose groups. We can also conclude that any additional information about the expected dose‐response curve, e.g., information obtained from studies made in the past, should be taken into account when planning a study because it can improve the design.
Association of Infant Feeding Practices with Iron Status and Hematologic Parametersin Thai Infants at 6 Months of Age

Background: An infant's iron intake in the first 6 months of life comes solely from milk intake. However, infants' feeding practices vary, and their association with infants' iron status and hematologic parameters has not been well studied. We aimed to evaluate how different infant feeding practices associate with iron status and hematologic parameters among 6-month-old Thai infants. Methods: In a retrospective chart review, we identified 403 infants who attended a well-baby clinic and received laboratory screening for anemia (complete blood count and serum ferritin) at 6-month visits. Infants were categorized into four groups according to feeding practices. Hematologic parameters and incidence of anemia (hemoglobin [Hb]<11 g/dL), iron deficiency (ID; ferritin<12 ng/mL), and iron deficiency anemia (IDA; Hb<11 g/dL and ferritin<12 ng/mL) were compared between groups. Univariate and multiple logistic regression models were used to identify IDA associated factors among 6-month-old infants. Results: In total, 105 infants were breastfed (BF), 78 were breastfed with iron supplementation (BI), 109 infants were mixed-fed (breast milk and formula) with or without iron supplementation starting at age 4 months (MF), and 111 infants were formula-fed (FF). The BF group had the highest incidence of anemia, ID, and IDA. Anemia was found in 38.1% of BF infants compared with 21.8% of BI, 19.3% of MF, and 16.2% of FF infants (p<0.001). ID was found in 28.6% of BF infants compared with 3.8% of BI, 3.7% of MF, and 0.9% of FF infants (p<0.001). IDA was found in 17.1% of BF infants compared with 2.6% of BI, 0.9% of MF, and 0.9% of FF infants (p<0.001). In multivariate logistic regression, higher weight gain during 0–6 months slightly increased the risk of IDA and higher birth weight slightly decreased this risk. BI, MF, and FF infants had 90.4%, 97.5%, and 96.9% decreased risk of IDA, respectively, with BF infants as a reference group. Conclusion: The incidence of anemia, ID, and IDA at age 6 months was higher in BF than FF or partially BF infants. However, iron supplements in BF infants starting at 4 months significantly reduced their ID and IDA incidence.
Broadband half-mode substrate integrated waveguide (HMSIW) Wilkinson power divider

A broadband H-plane Wilkinson power divider that makes use of the half-mode substrate integrated waveguide (HMSIW) technique is presented in this work for the first time. This broadband power divider utilizes the half-mode structure of SIWs such that the overall size is largely reduced at least by half. In addition, the lossy network or resistor branch is integrated with the SIW structure in order to obtain good output matching and isolation if unbalanced signals are combined or divided. The proposed concept is then validated by theoretical analysis and measurements. Good input return loss (S 11 ) and insertion loss (S 21 , S 31 ) performances are obtained theoretically and experimentally across a very broad bandwidth from 18 GHz up to 40 GHz. In the meanwhile, output return loss (S 22 , S 33 ) and isolation (S 23 ) better than −10 dB are also ensured across a 64% bandwidth from 18 GHz to 35 GHz.
Preventing Increased Air Pollution in Pennsylvania’s Environmental Justice Communities

Air pollutants are known to cause serious health impacts, and historically marginalized groups are disproportionately exposed to these risks. Other hazardous pollutants often accompany carbon dioxide emissions during fossil fuel combustion, and therefore reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from climate policy can also improve air quality. However, although these policies may reduce pollution overall, existing programs have often increased local emissions levels – particularly in the most overburdened neighborhoods. The adverse health effects caused by a redistribution of emissions must be considered as Pennsylvania plans to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. We recommend the Department of Environmental Protection include an annual impact assessment of their cap-and-trade program on vulnerable communities using both the available carbon dioxide emissions data and additional local air quality measurements.
Reliability-Based Robust Design Optimization of Lithium-Ion Battery Cells for Maximizing the Energy Density by Increasing Reliability and Robustness

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are increasingly employed in electric vehicles (EVs) owing to their advantages, such as low weight, and high energy and power densities. However, the uncertainty encountered in the manufacturing of LIB cells increases the failure rate and causes cell-to-cell variations, thereby degrading the battery capacity and lifetime. In this study, the reliability and robustness of LIB cells were improved using the design of experiments (DOE), and the reliability-based robust design optimization (RBRDO) approaches. First, design factors sensitive to the energy density and power density were selected as design variables through sensitivity analysis using the DOE. RBRDO was performed to maximize the energy density while reducing the failure rate and cell-to-cell variations. To verify the superiority of the reliability and robustness offered by RBRDO, the obtained results were compared with those from conventional deterministic design optimization (DDO), and reliability-based design optimization (RBDO). RBRDO increased the mean of the energy density by 33.5% compared to the initial value and reduced the failure rate by 98.9%, due to improved reliability, compared to DDO. Moreover, RBRDO reduced the standard deviation in the energy density (i.e., cell-to-cell variations) by 30.0% due to the improved robustness compared to RBDO.
Numerical evaluation of the damping‐solvent extraction method in the frequency domain

The damping‐solvent extraction method for the analysis of unbounded visco‐elastic media is evaluated numerically in the frequency domain in order to investigate the influence of the computational parameters—domain size, amount of artificial damping, and mesh density—on the accuracy of results. An analytical estimate of this influence is presented, and specific questions regarding the influence of the parameters on the results are answered using the analytical estimate and numerical results for two classical problems: the rigid strip and rigid disc footings on a visco‐elastic half‐space with constant hysteretic material damping.
A prevalence of running-related injuries among professional endurance runners in the Rift Valley, Kenya

Background Injuries related to endurance running have attracted attention as the sport has become more competitive, and as athletes seek to improve their performance. Consequently, endurance runners are increasingly becoming more susceptible to lower extremity running injuries. Objectives The aim of this study was to establish the prevalence of running-related injuries among professional endurance runners in the Rift Valley, Kenya. Methods We used a cross-sectional survey design targeting professional endurance runners who had participated in both local and international running competitions. The sample size consisted of 209 respondents selected through stratified and simple random sampling techniques, of which 167 participated in the study. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on the prevalence of injuries among the endurance runners. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results The prevalence of running injuries was 63% (n=106). The prevalence among males (n=64; 69%) was higher in comparison with that of females (n=42; 57%). The posterior thigh was the most common site for injuries among the athletes (n=87; 52%), followed by the lower back (n=78; 47%) and ankle (n=63; 38%). Conclusion The prevalence of running-related injuries was high among professional Kenyan endurance runners compared to other populations. These findings therefore form the basis of future research to explore the mechanisms behind the injuries and the feasibility of targeted injury prevention programmes.
Gender Differences in Slip of the Tongue on EFL University Students

Slip of the tongue is one of the most commonly mistake that doing by EFL learners because in EFL context, there some obstacles that will face by EFL students, such as lack of vocabulary, feeling nervous in speaking, bad pronunciation and so on. This research, mainly explore the comparison between male and female of EFL students at Universitas Negeri Padang in the frequency of slip of the tongue and also to find out the influential factors that affecting the EFL students falling on slip of the tongue. This research is a descriptive qualitative research that uses a psycholinguistic approach. In this preliminary stage research, 10 EFL learners were chosen, consist of 5 males and 5 female by using the proportional random sampling technique. The data in this study is obtained from recording of students’ oral presentation. In analyzed the data the researcher use some theories. Those theories were theory proposed by Fromkin (1973) about eight types of slip of the tongue, and Clark (1977) about the factors which influenced the slips of the tongue. According to Fromkin (1973), slips of the tongue were classified into eight types: anticipations, preservations, blends, misderivations/shifts, exchanges, substitutions, additions, and deletions. Based on the result of data analysis, researcher found that, males students produce more slip of the tongue than female. Then, there are various factors that affect them falling on slip of the tongue.
Identification of Correlation among Performance Shaping Factors of SPAR-H Method

Standardized Plant Analysis of Risk-Human reliability analysis (SPAR-H) is an internationally known and accepted human reliability analysis (HRA) method in nuclear power plants (NPPs). However, the eight performance shaping factors (PSFs) overlap, resulting in the double count or over estimation of the human error probabilities (HEPs). To improve its PSFs system, 89 human error event reports related to the operation of operators in the main control room were collected from 219 operating event reports of Chinese NPPs from 2007 to 2017. The correlation among the PSFs was then studied. Therein, three kinds of data mining methods, i.e., association rule analysis, exploratory factor analysis and Pearson correlation analysis, were used. Results show that: a. there is a significant correlation among complexity, stress/stressor, fitness for duty and available time, in which the c the complexity correlates with stress/stressor and fitness for duty, the fitness for duty correlates with stress/stressor, and the stress/stressor correlates with available time; (2) there also exists correlation among work process, procedure, ergonomics/HMI and experience/training. In the event involving the procedure, ergonomics/HMI or experience/training, work process is involved with a high probability. These findings can be used as the reference in the improvement of the PSFs system of SPAR-H and as the basis in the quantitative study of the cause-and–effect dependences among the PSFs.
Moral failure and the evolution of appearing moral

ABSTRACT Standard adaptationist accounts of our moral psychology are motivated largely by our moral successes—empathy, altruism, cooperation, and so on. But a growing body of social psychology research indicates that our moral successes are, if anything, exceeded by our moral failures. One influential reason for such failure, according to the findings, is that compliance with moral norms—when it occurs—is motivated not by an intrinsic interest inbeingmoral, but by an interest in appearing moral. I argue, first, that such research represents a dilemma for standard adaptationist accounts. On the one hand, if the standard account asserts that moral judgment evolved to regulate behavior by ensuring moral compliance even when tempted by egoistic gain, then we should observe regular moral compliance even when tempted by egoistic gain. But this is precisely what the data do not show. On the other hand, if the standard account asserts that moral judgment evolved simply to make moral compliance moral likely, then this puts the standard account in direct competition with other, more modest, accounts, ones that limit evolution’s role to what I call social compliance.
Consumer Willingness to Pay for a Naturally Decay-Resistant Wood Product

Chromated copper arsenate (CCA) is the most widely used chemical wood preservative in the United States. Concerns about the safety of CCA led to an agreement between the Environmental Protection Agency and the wood treatment industry to withdraw CCA for nonindustrial uses by the end of 2003. In light of the publicity surrounding the withdrawal of CCA, this article evaluates consumers' willingness to pay a premium for products manufactured from naturally decay-resistant wood as opposed to chemically treated wood. We use a national contingent valuation survey to quantify consumer willingness to pay for a children's play structure made from Alaska yellow-cedar, as opposed to an identical play structure made from southern pine treated with ammonial copper quaternary, the likely replacement for CCA. Respondents' estimated mean willingness to pay for the Alaska yellow-cedar play structure is $2,013, compared to $1,000 for the treated southern pine structure. This study shows that manufacturers of products made from naturally decay-resistant wood may be able to capture a substantial premium for their products. West. J. Appl. For. 19(3):160-164.
A Survey On Congestion Control Protocols For High Speed Networks

Summary: Conventional TCP suffers from poor performance on high bandwidth delay product links meant for supporting transmission rates of multi Gigabits per seconds (Gbps). This is largely due to TCP’s congestion control algorithm, which can be slow in taking advantage of large amounts of available bandwidth. A number of high-speed variants have been proposed recently, the major ones being BIC TCP, CUBIC, FAST, High-Speed TCP, Layered TCP, Scalable TCP and XCP. In this paper an effort has been made to comparatively analyze the aforementioned protocols based on various parameters viz., Throughput, Fairness, Stability, Performance, Bandwidth Utilization and Responsiveness and study the limitations of these protocols meant for the High Speed Networks.
Confronting Idea Stealers in the Workplace: The Unfortunate Moral Credentialing Granted to Power-Holders

How and when do employees confront one another for stealing their ideas? Business communication literature on confronting unethical behavior is synthesized with moral licensing theory to better understand responses to unethical actors about unjustified credit taking in the workplace. In this message production experiment, working adults (N = 344) were randomly assigned to respond to a supervisor, peer coworker, or subordinate who stole or ignored the participant’s intellectual contributions. Content and statistical analyses revealed subordinates were comparatively less direct when confronting bosses, suggesting third-party moral licensing and moral credentialing were measurable in communication patterns. Importantly, this dynamic was not attributable to perceptions of task interdependence. Instead, subordinates perceived the stealing or ignoring of their ideas to be less unethical than did bosses. Additionally, individuals whose ideas have been stolen in the workplace were less confrontational compared to those who have not. Thus, data suggest incremental acquiescence to this form of workplace wrongdoing, particularly when the transgressor holds high hierarchical status. Taken together, these data may explain how recognition for ideas tends to spread vertically to bosses (labeled here, vertical credit creep), which may function to reinforce established power arrangements and to perpetuate unjustified credit taking in the workplace.
Social mix in context: Comparing housing regeneration programs in Australia and Israel

ABSTRACT During the past 30 years, social mix has been on the policy agenda of many countries as a tool for deconcentrating urban disadvantage and enhancing social inclusion. However, these projects often take diverse forms in different institutional and policy contexts. In this article, we compare two separate studies of current urban regeneration programs in Australia and Israel. The comparative analysis reveals major similarities and differences regarding the physical and social outcomes of social mix. Our findings suggest that although both projects did not declare to create socially mixed communities, the resulting resident makeup was mixed. Despite differences in the projects’ physical designs, both resulted in two communities living side-by-side but not interacting meaningfully, and therefore not gaining from the possible benefits of social mix. We argue that international comparative studies of social mix policies in different contexts allow for a better understanding of the practicalities of social mix processes for policymakers and planners.
Indoor temporal variations at 800 MHz band

The spatial and short time variations in the indoor radio channel are studied and determined by performing wideband propagation measurements in line of sight (LOS) and obstructed line of sight (OLOS) environments at UHF frequency of 800 MHz. It is shown that the spatial fluctuations in multipath power are more in (OLOS) than (LOS) channel. Moreover, it is shown that the short fluctuations in multipath power are higher for (LOS) than for (OLOS) channel. The results presented may be used in the design of broadband wireless LAN and serve as a basis for the development of theoretical model capable of predicting channel temporal variation characteristics under a variety conditions.
Electron collection and ion feedback in GEM-based detectors

We report the results of systematic experimental investigations on electron transparency and ions feedback in a single GEM detector for the operating region close to unitary gain. Critical factors for obtaining good collection are the transverse diffusion coefficient and the holes' diameter. A unit gain GEM can be used for instance as first element in a cascade to improve collection efficiency and ion feedback suppression in Time Projection Chambers.
PowerCore/sup TM/, combining structure and batteries for increased energy to weight ratio

Much of the mass of a battery is comprised of nonreactive materials. In an Ni-H/sub 2/ battery, this includes the pressures vessel and 50% of the positive electrode PowerCore/sup TM/ reconfigures the battery materials to serve as a structural sandwich panel. The effective specific energy of the new device can exceed 100 Wh/kg. PowerCore/sup TM/ is intended to handle power demands of low Earth orbiting communications satellites such as IRIDIUM(R). This paper describes the concept and development progress.
Production potential of Douglas fir at mesotrophic sites of Křtiny Training Forest Enterprise

The study evaluates production parameters (height, diameter at breast height, volume) of Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) at mesotrophic sites of the Křtiny Training Forest Enterprise in mature stands. In total, 29 mixed stands were assessed with the registered proportion of Douglas fir at an age of 85 to 136 years. Com - paring the 10 largest Douglas firs with the 10 largest spruces or larches higher, and as a rule markedly higher, produc - tion potential of introduced Douglas fir was found in all assessed stands. There were also groups of trees where the volume of Douglas fir was twice to 3 times higher than the volume of spruce or larch (see Tabs. 5 to 10). For example, in stand 177B11, the mean volume of 9.12 m 3 was recorded in the 10 largest Douglas fir trees but the volume of spruce reached only 3.17 m 3 and the volume of larch was 3.70 m 3 . Differences in mensurational parameters of Douglas fir found on the one hand and of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst. ) or European larch ( Larix decidua Mill.) on the other hand compared by ANOVA tests were statistically highly significant. Annual ring analyses have shown that at present the volume increment of particular Douglas fir trees ranges from 0.12 to 0.16 m 3 per year in mature stands (i.e. about 1.5 m 3 every 10 years).