Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Half-lives of several polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in cattle serum and tissues

ABSTRACT Cattle that were at steady-state serum polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) concentrations due to several years of exposure to water contaminated by residues of Aqueous Film-Forming (AFFF) firefighting foam had perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS) isomers, perfluoroheptane sulphonate (PFHpS), perfluorohexane sulphonate (PFHxS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) and perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) in serum. Elimination serum half-lives were determined in five heifers from serial blood sampling over 215 days. Eleven additional animals that had blood sampled on day 19 (d19) were euthanised on d63. PFAS half-life estimates from the serial blood sampling and from d19/d63 data were not significantly different. The combined (n = 16) serum half-lives (in days) were: total PFOS (tPFOS, 74.1 ± 13.4), PFHpS (45.7 ± 9.4), PFHxS (9.3 ± 1.3), PFNA (12.3 ± 3.2) and PFDA (60.4 ± 10.4). The half-lives of linear PFOS (L-PFOS, 69.4 ± 11.6) and mono branched PFOS isomers (m-PFOS, 83.6 ± 19) were not significantly different from tPFOS, but for the di-branched isomers (di-PFOS), the serum half-life was significantly lower (29.9 ± 5.8). Animal age (1.4–12.3 years old) and serum concentration at the start of depuration did not influence half-lives, and there was no difference between steers and heifers. Consideration of serum and tissue PFAS concentrations at d63 and d215 indicated there was no difference in tPFOS depuration from serum or muscle, but elimination from liver and kidney may be slightly longer. Depuration of PFHpS is essentially the same in serum, kidney and liver, and it is expected depletion from muscle would be comparable. The short half-life of di-PFOS, PFHxS and PFNA did not allow an assessment of clearance from tissues because they were not measurable at d215 but based on the results for PFOS and PFHpS, elimination of PFHxS from tissues is expected to mirror that from serum. Human health risk assessment implications are discussed.
Levels of Parental Drinking in the Presence of Children: An Exploration of Attitudinal Correlates

Abstract Aims This study aimed to examine perceived social norms, the effect of parental drinking on these norms, alcohol use in front of children, and how norms and consumption vary based on child age and gender of the parent. Methods A cross-sectional online panel survey was undertaken with n = 1000 Australian adults (including 670 parents) aged 18–59 years. The survey assessed: alcohol consumption in front of children; normative attitudes towards drinking in the presence of children; and perceived social norms. Results Overall, 33.9% of parents reported drinking a glass of alcohol each day or a couple of times a week, 18.2% reported getting slightly drunk and 7.8% indicated getting visibly drunk each day or a couple of times a week with their children present. In total, 37.5% reported drinking in front of their children at least weekly. Fathers were more likely to drink in front of children than mothers. Most parents deemed drinking small amounts of alcohol in front of children as acceptable but did not accept drunkenness. Respondents were less concerned about a father drinking one or two drinks in front of their children than a mother. Social expectations were not related to child age, but norms related to others’ perceived behaviour were. Conclusions Many parents, particularly fathers consume alcohol in front of their children. There is a need to target health promotion strategies to adults and parents consuming in excess of health guidelines, and to the many parents who are consuming alcohol at higher levels in front of their children.
THE APPEARANCE OF BENDING LIGHT FROM OTHER VEHICLES

One of the most promising proposals for an Advanced Frontlighting System (AFS) is bending light, in which light from headlamps is directed into the path of a turn. A field study was performed to investigate the appearance of bending light, implemented as a swiveling beam pattern, to other roadway users. Observers were asked to view a series of turning maneuvers performed by a vehicle equipped with bending light and were asked to comment on the maneuvers in three sets of trials. The three sets were structured to direct progressively more of the observer's attention to the vehicle's frontlighting system. Responses were classified to indicate the degree to which observers spontaneously noticed specific details about the frontlighting system. In another series of trials, observers viewed turning maneuvers in which the bending-light function was inactive on half of the trials, and were asked to distinguish whether it was active or inactive. Results suggest that observers are not very sensitive to the movement of bending light and often report lamp movement as variation in the intensity of the lamp; that is, the lamp appears to brighten and dim. Although the appearance of variation in brightness could be used as a signature for bending light, observers demonstrate a limited ability to distinguish bending light from fixed light. Overall, the results suggest that the likelihood that beam movement would either help or hinder other road users is small.
Importance of tumour volume and histology in trimodality treatment of patients with Stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer—results from a retrospective analysis

Abstract OBJECTIVES Chemoradiotherapy (CRT) has been the backbone of guideline-recommended treatment for Stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, in selected operable patients with a resectable tumour, good results have been achieved with trimodality treatment (TT). The objective of this bi-institutional analysis of outcomes in patients treated for Stage IIIA NSCLC was to identify particular factors supporting the role of surgery after CRT. METHODS In a 2-centre retrospective cohort study, patients with Stage III NSCLC (seventh edition TNM) were identified and those patients with Stage IIIA who were treated with CRT or TT between January 2007 and December 2013 were selected. Patient characteristics as well as tumour parameters were evaluated in relation to outcome and whether or not these variables were predictive for the influence of treatment (TT or CRT) on outcome [overall survival (OS) or progression-free survival (PFS)]. Estimation of treatment effect on PFS and OS was performed using propensity-weighted cox regression analysis based on inverse probability weighting. RESULTS From a database of 725 Stage III NSCLC patients, 257 Stage IIIA NSCLC patients, treated with curative intent, were analysed; 186 (72%) with cIIIA-N2 and 71 (28%) with cT3N1/cT4N0 disease. One hundred and ninety-six (76.3%) patients were treated by CRT alone (high-dose radiation with daily low-dose cisplatin) and 61 (23.7%) by TT. The unweighted data showed that TT resulted in better PFS and OS. After weighting for factors predictive of treatment assignment, patients with a large gross tumour volume (>120 cc) had better PFS when treated with TT, and patients with an adenocarcinoma treated with TT had better OS, regardless of tumour volume. CONCLUSIONS Patients with Stage IIIA NSCLC and large tumour volume, as well as patients with adenocarcinoma, who were selected for TT, had favourable outcome compared to patients receiving CRT. This information can be used to assist multidisciplinary team decision-making and for stratifying patients in studies comparing TT and definitive CRT.
Association Between mRNA Vaccination and COVID-19 Hospitalization and Disease Severity.

Importance A comprehensive understanding of the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination requires consideration of disease attenuation, determined as whether people who develop COVID-19 despite vaccination have lower disease severity than unvaccinated people. Objective To evaluate the association between vaccination with mRNA COVID-19 vaccines-mRNA-1273 (Moderna) and BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech)-and COVID-19 hospitalization, and, among patients hospitalized with COVID-19, the association with progression to critical disease. Design, Setting, and Participants A US 21-site case-control analysis of 4513 adults hospitalized between March 11 and August 15, 2021, with 28-day outcome data on death and mechanical ventilation available for patients enrolled through July 14, 2021. Date of final follow-up was August 8, 2021. Exposures COVID-19 vaccination. Main Outcomes and Measures Associations were evaluated between prior vaccination and (1) hospitalization for COVID-19, in which case patients were those hospitalized for COVID-19 and control patients were those hospitalized for an alternative diagnosis; and (2) disease progression among patients hospitalized for COVID-19, in which cases and controls were COVID-19 patients with and without progression to death or mechanical ventilation, respectively. Associations were measured with multivariable logistic regression. Results Among 4513 patients (median age, 59 years [IQR, 45-69]; 2202 [48.8%] women; 23.0% non-Hispanic Black individuals, 15.9% Hispanic individuals, and 20.1% with an immunocompromising condition), 1983 were case patients with COVID-19 and 2530 were controls without COVID-19. Unvaccinated patients accounted for 84.2% (1669/1983) of COVID-19 hospitalizations. Hospitalization for COVID-19 was significantly associated with decreased likelihood of vaccination (cases, 15.8%; controls, 54.8%; adjusted OR, 0.15; 95% CI, 0.13-0.18), including for sequenced SARS-CoV-2 Alpha (8.7% vs 51.7%; aOR, 0.10; 95% CI, 0.06-0.16) and Delta variants (21.9% vs 61.8%; aOR, 0.14; 95% CI, 0.10-0.21). This association was stronger for immunocompetent patients (11.2% vs 53.5%; aOR, 0.10; 95% CI, 0.09-0.13) than immunocompromised patients (40.1% vs 58.8%; aOR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.35-0.69) (P < .001) and weaker at more than 120 days since vaccination with BNT162b2 (5.8% vs 11.5%; aOR, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.27-0.49) than with mRNA-1273 (1.9% vs 8.3%; aOR, 0.15; 95% CI, 0.09-0.23) (P < .001). Among 1197 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, death or invasive mechanical ventilation by day 28 was associated with decreased likelihood of vaccination (12.0% vs 24.7%; aOR, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.19-0.58). Conclusions and Relevance Vaccination with an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine was significantly less likely among patients with COVID-19 hospitalization and disease progression to death or mechanical ventilation. These findings are consistent with risk reduction among vaccine breakthrough infections compared with absence of vaccination.
A new tripartite landmark in posterior cingulate cortex

Understanding brain structure-function relationships, and their development and evolution, is central to neuroscience research. Here, we show that morphological differences in posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), a hub of functional brain networks, predict individual differences in macroanatomical, microstructural, and functional features of PCC. Manually labeling 4,319 sulci in 552 hemispheres, we discovered a consistently localized shallow cortical indentation (termed the inframarginal sulcus; ifrms) within PCC that is absent from neuroanatomical atlases, yet co-localized with a region within the cognitive control, but not default mode, network. Morphological analyses in humans and chimpanzees showed that unique properties of the ifrms differ across the lifespan and between hominoid species. Intriguingly, the consistency of the ifrms also debunks the uniqueness of the morphology of Einstein’s PCC. These findings support a classic theory that shallow, tertiary sulci serve as landmarks in association cortices. They also beg the question: how many other cortical indentations have we missed?
The Nexus Between CAMELS Index Toward Net Profit

This study aims to determine whether the CAMELS variable can affect the net profit generated by Bank Mualamalat simultaneously and partially. CAMELS variables include: Capital Adequency Ratio (CAR), NonPerforming Financing (NPF), Net Profit Margin (NPM), Net Operating Margin (NOM), Financing to Deposit Ratio (FDR), Net Open Position (NOP). This study used quarterly financial data for the years 2012 - 2019. Data analysis techniques used multiple linear regression analysis. The results of the F test, the CAMELS variable simultaneously show that significant affect on net profit with adjusted R square 64%. In the t test, partially CAR and PDN variables significantly influence on net profit, but the NPF, NPM, NOM, and FDR variables did not have effect on net profit.
A Multicriteria Based Quantitative Framework for Assessing Sustainability of Pile Foundations

viii CHAPTER 1 SUSTAINABILITY AND GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING: OVERVIEW AND SCOPE . 1 1.0 Introduction . 1 1.1 Sustainability and Technology: Perspectives. 3 1.2 Sustainability: Concepts and Definitions . 8 1.2.1 Ethical Concepts underlying Sustainability . 10 1.2.2 Definitions of Sustainability . 11 1.3 Sustainability Quantification. 14 1.4 Sustainability and Built Environment . 16 1.4. 1 Sustainable Construction and Green Building. 18 1.4. 2 Green Building Movement and LEED Rating System. 19 1.5 Sustainability in Geotechnical Engineering . 21 1.6 Scope and Organization of Thesis. 33 CHAPTER 2 FUNDAMENTALS. 35 2.0 Sustainability Assessment Framework in Engineering. 35 2.1 Concepts, Tools and Elements for Sustainable Engineering Processes . 37 2.2 Sustainability Concepts in Engineering . 41 2.3 Tools for Ascertaining Process Sustainability . 46 2.3. 1 Life Cycle Assessment. 46 2.3. 1.1 Inventory Analysis. 49 2.3. 1.2 Environmental Impact Assessment . 57 2.3. 2 Cost Benefit Analysis . 59 2.3. 3 Multicriteria Analysis . 60
Library Impact Data Project Phase II: the data strikes back

The Library Impact Data Project (LIDP) brought its initial findings to the NAG Conference in September 2011, showing a statistically significant relationship across a number of universities between library activity data (specifically the number of items borrowed and logins to e-resources in the library) and student attainment. Phase II of LIDP seeks to deepen our understanding of this relationship by investigating additional data from the University of Huddersfield. This data will be used to identify predictors for student outcomes, with a particular focus on engagement with library services, in order to understand better how library activity relates to student attainment, including causal relationships. This paper will show some of the results from our quantitative data analysis: 1. Demographic factors and library use, examining whether there is a relationship between demographic variables and all measures of library use, and to see which factors carry the most weight in such a relationship. 2. Retention vs. non-retention, to see whether there is a relationship between patterns of library use (including increasing or decreasing intensity of use and time of use) and retention. 3.We will discuss in house projects, such as MyReading and Lemon Tree and describe how these could be used to encourage greater use of library resources and therefore improve attainment. 4. Predicting final grade. We will discuss whether we can use demographic and library usage data to test whether you can predict a student’s final grade from available data. Finally the paper will recommend further study and suggest strategic aims and objectives that could result from the project.
Design and performance of family of diffusing scrolls with mixed-flow impeller and vaneless diffuser

A family of diffusing scrolls was designed for use with a mixed-flow impeller and a small-diameter vaneless diffuser. The design theory, intended to maintain a uniform pressure around the scroll inlet, permits determination of the position of scroll cross sections of preassigned area by considering the radial variation in fluid density and the effects of friction along the scroll. Inasmuch as the design method leaves the cross-sectional shape undetermined, the effect of certain variations in scroll shape was investigated by studying scrolls having angles of divergence (of the scroll walls downstream of the entrance section) of 24 degrees, 40 degrees, and 80 degrees. A second 80 degree scroll was of asymmetrical construction and a third was plaster-cast instead of sand-cast. Each scroll was tested as a compressor component at actual impeller tip speeds of 700 to 1300 feet per second from full throttle to surge.
Microfluidic Pumping With Surface Tension Force and Magnetohydrodynamic Drive

Micropumping is difficult to design and control as compared to their macro-scale counterparts due to the size limitation. The first part of this dissertation focuses on micropumping with surface tension forces. A simple, single-action, capillary pump/valve consisting of a bi-phase slug confined in a non-uniform conduit is described. At low temperatures, the slug is solid and seals the conduit. Once heated above its melting temperature, the liquid slug moves spontaneously along a predetermined path due to surface tension forces imbalance. This technique can be easily combined with other propulsion mechanisms such as pressure and magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). The second part of this dissertation focuses on MHD micropumping, which provides a convenient, programmable means for propelling liquids and controlling fluid flow without a need for mechanical pumps and valves. Firstly, we examined the response of a model one dimensional electrochemical thin film to timeindependent and time-dependent applied polarizations, using the Nernst-Planck (NP) model with electroneutrality and the Poisson-Nernst-Planck (PNP) model without electro -neutrality, respectively. The NP model with well designed boundary conditions was v developed, proved capable of describing the bulk behavior as accurate as the full PNP model. Secondly, we studied the MHD propelled liquid motion in a uniform conduit patterned with cylinders. We proved equivalence in MHD and pressure driven flow patterns under certain conditions. We examined the effect of interior obstacles on the electric current flow in the conduit and showed the existence of particular pillar geometry that maximizes the current. Thirdly, we looked at MHD flow of a binary electrolyte between concentric cylinders. The base flow was similar to the pressure driven flow in the same setup. The first order perturbation fields, however, behave differently as the traditional Dean’s flow. We carried out one-dimensional linear stability analysis for the unbounded small gap situation and solved it as an eigenvalue problem. Two-dimensional nonlinear simulation was performed for finite gap size or bounded situations. We observed strong directionality of the applied electric field for the onset of stability. Results in this study could help enhance the stability of the system or introduce secondary motion depending on the nature of the applications. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Mechanical Engineering & Applied Mechanics First Advisor Haim H. Bau This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn. edu/edissertations/385
Materno-fetal and neonatal outcomes associated with caesarean section delivery in private and public hospitals in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review

Background: Advancement in medicine has improved birth assistance. As a result, caesarean section delivery (CSD) has become the most commonly performed surgical procedure. The exponential growth has now skewed toward low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) despite the well-established morbimortality risk and extra costs associated to this procedure. The expansion of private healthcare sector may be playing a significant role. The objective of this review synthesizes knowledge and investigates the difference in materno-fetal and neonatal outcomes of CSD in the perinatal period, between private and public hospitals. Methods: Medline, Embase, Cinhal, Cochrane Database, LILACS, and HINARI were screened for peer-reviewed published studies in English and French, from 1990 to 2019, in human subjects and supplemented by manual searches. The studies included were prospective and retrospective cohort studies, cross-sectional and Delphi studies comparing perinatal outcomes of women whose neonates were delivered by caesarean section and by vaginal delivery in public and private hospitals. In total, the searches yielded 7,762 studies, assessed independently by two assessors. Of these, 26 quantitative studies were included which risk of bias was considered fairly low.Results: Elective or not, CSD is associated with a variety of outcomes, including death for both the mother and the neonate. Low quality of life, postpartum depression, infections, and scars were burdens attributable to CSD in both sectors. CSD is associated with less urinary incontinence compared to vaginal delivery but no difference exists in early skin-to-skin contact or in early breastfeeding introduction. Finally, across continents, Africa leads in terms of adverse consequences.Discussion/Conclusion: Private facilities surpassed public ones in CSD rate but were associated with the least severe materno-neonatal outcomes. Countries like China are succeeding through robust policies interventions formulation to contain the CSD epidemic and the health issues associated thereto.
Robust GaN HEMT Low-Noise Amplifier MMICsfor X-Band Applications

This work presents MMIC low-noise amplifiers based on AlGaN/GaN HEMT technology on SiC substrate for robust receiver applications at X-band between 8 GHz and 11 GHz. Three versions of one-stage and two versions of two-stage amplifiers are presented with a noise figure of 1.81 dB at 10 GHz and 18 dB of small-signal gain for the two-stage device fully integrated in coplanar passive technology. The paper describes modeling and circuit design, bias dependence of the small-signal and noise circuit parameters of the MMICs realized, and highpower and intermodulation behavior.
Use of Semidefinite Optimization in Emergency Power System Control

This thesis is a study of long-term voltage stability in power systems following a severe disturbance. An optimization method for solving the optimal power flow problem is used on power system models. The method tries to optimize the generated active power while fulfilling the requirements from the consumers. Dynamic limitations of the generators are taken into account and an extension of the optimization routine which optimizes over several time steps is constructed. The results from the optimization are then applied to a power system simulator during a scenario where the system is bound to collapse. Whether the stability of the system is improved or not is analysed and discussed.
The Role of Threat and Counterarguing in Therapeutic Inoculation

ABSTRACT Although inoculation theory was originally developed as a prophylactic strategy to protect favorable attitudes from challenges, scholars have begun to demonstrate the potential for therapeutic inoculation aimed at audiences with unfavorable and neutral attitudes. The current investigation builds on our previous work showing that inoculation messages fostered attitude change and protection among people who originally held negative and neutral attitudes. We return to our original three-phase experiment to explore the previously-unconsidered role of threat and counterarguing for promoting resistance in therapeutic inoculation. Results indicate that, while audiences with initially favorable attitudes demonstrated elevated levels of threat and counterarguing, neutral and opposed audiences did not. These results suggest that different mechanisms may drive resistance in the therapeutic inoculation among audiences who initially hold neutral and opposing attitudes.