Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
THE POSSIBLE EFFECT OF FLAXSEED EXTRACT ON LETROZOLE-INDUCED POLYCYSTIC OVARY RAT MODEL: CORRELATIVE HISTOLOGICAL AND FUNCTIONAL STUDY

Background: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common metabolic disorders affecting women in the reproductive age leading to infertility/subfertility. It may occur as a complication of Letrozole (LTZ) therapy in breast cancer patients. Objective: This was a preliminary study to assess the possible protective and/or curative effect of flaxseed extract in a letrozole-induced PCO rat model. Material and Methods: Thirty-six adult female albino rats were divided into five main groups: Group I kept as the control group, Group II (Letrozole-induced PCO group), received letrozole solution (3 mg/kg) orally once daily by gastric tube for 21 days. Group III (combined flaxseed and letrozole group), received aqueous flaxseed extract (500 mg /kg/day) orally one hour before letrozole in the same dose and duration as group II, Group IV (recovery group), received letrozole in the same dose and duration as group II and then left without treatment for the next 4 weeks after PCO induction, Group V (flaxseed-treated group), treated with aqueous flaxseed extract orally once daily for the next 4 weeks after PCO induction. At the end of the experiment, final body weight, ovarian weight, blood glucose, serum antioxidants assay, and sex hormones levels were measured. Also, specimens of ovaries were processed for light and electron microscopic studies. Histomorphometric and statistical analyses were done. Results: letrozole-induced PCO resulted in a significant increase in final body weight, ovarian weight as well as abnormal blood glucose, sex steroids hormone levels, and antioxidant assays. Moreover, numerous ovarian cystic follicles, widespread cytoplasmic vacuolation in the granulosa lutein cells, congested blood capillaries, and increased fibrosis within the ovarian medulla were evident in the PCO group in concomitant with a significant increase in area percentage of collagen fibers. The ultrastructural assessment confirmed these distortions. The protective and curative potential of flaxseed is mostly comparable revealed improvement in the final body weight, biochemical markers and histological changes, with the protective effect was more pronounced than the curative one. Conclusion and Recommendation: Flaxseed succeeded in ameliorating letrozole-induced polycystic ovary owing to its phytochemicals, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties with folliculogenesis potentials. So, it is recommended to use flaxseed as a co-therapy with letrozole to reduce its hyperandrogenic effects.
The Importance of Project Manager, Project Team Towards and Project Related Factors towards Environmental Management Practices (EMP) Success

Most of the construction stakeholders around the world especially in developing countries are not really aware of the Environmental Management Practices (EMP) for their construction projects. Previous studies reported that EMP issues received less attention from the construction industry stakeholders compared to construction costs and time related issues.However, this trend has changed due to the depletion of non-renewable resources, greenhouse gas emissions and global warming.Based on these issues, construction stakeholders worldwide have given wider attention to EMP in their construction projects. Many efforts are being directed to build greener construction projects through proper application of EMP.The focus of this research is to introduce the concept of EMP in achieving sustainability in the Malaysian construction industry. The main objective of this research is to identify the importance of Project Manager and Project Team role for the successful implementation of EMP in the Malaysian construction industry.By using the survey method, questionnaires were sent to the Malaysian construction stakeholders that included consultants, contractors and clients, and 122 questionnaires were analysed. This study found that most of the construction stakeholders agreed that project team commitment, project manager’s leadership skills and communication system effectiveness are very important to ensure the success of EMP.The results further demonstrate that three of the independent variables - Project Manager and Project Team Competency, Project Management aspects, and Procurement Related Factors have significant relationships with EMP Success.
Children, Adolescents, and the Child Labour Debates in Bolivia

The debate as to whether children should be involved in work or not is contentious. Bolivia provides a unique context to study such debates. Not only does Bolivia have a high proportion of children who work, but it also has a very politically active movement of organised working children. In 2014, much to the dissatisfaction of the ILO and other actors, Bolivia became the first country to explicitly lower the legal working age to 10 years old, contravening international standards. This thesis aims to analyse child labour debates in Bolivia by including children’s and adolescents’ perspectives on work. Children’s voices are often excluded from such debates. Theoretically, this research is grounded in three main, yet interrelated bodies of literature: childhood studies, children’s citizenship and children’s rights. Childhood studies literature is frequently used when researching children who work; the concepts of children’s citizenship and children’s rights are less often applied to frame such analysis. The thesis argues that the intersection of these conceptual areas is essential to understanding children’s work and relevant debates, given the ways that children themselves currently understand and articulate their work. The thesis engages with the main actors in the Bolivian debates using a number of qualitative methods. Interviews were conducted with members of children’s organisations, the Bolivian Government, the ILO, Bolivian NGOs and other actors. A sentence completion task was also conducted with schoolchildren. Document analysis of relevant texts supplemented these methods. The thesis finds that children express a range of perspectives on working, which are important to consider in both policy and academic debates. These perspectives reveal that children articulate their positions in these debates through discourses of citizenship – specifically rights and responsibilities – as well as through their intersecting relationships with family and education. Considering these perspectives allows us to move beyond existing ‘child labour’ assumptions and debates, and actually attend to the views and aspirations of children.
MEDICATION ERRORS AND CONSEQUENCES

: Medication therapy is becoming increasingly more complex as new drugs are developed and more therapeutic targets are elucidated. In addition, polypharmacy (≥5 scheduled medications) has become exceedingly common in geriatric patients and in patients with chronic disease states. As the complexity of drug therapy and the number of medications increase, patients are at a high risk for medication errors and adverse drug events (ADEs), or injuries resulting from medication. The type of adverse events may be associated with professional practices, healthcare products, procedures, and systems including prescription, communication through instructions, drug labeling, packaging and nomenclature, reformulation, dissolution, distribution, administration, education, monitoring, and use. Classification and evaluation of medication errors according to their importance may constitute an important factor for process improvement in order to render the administration of medicines as safe as possible. In hospitals, medication errors occur at a rate of about one per patient per day. A dispensing error is one made by pharmacy staff when distributing medications to nursing units or directly to patients in an ambulatory-care pharmacy; the error rates for doses dispensed via the cart-filling process range from 0.87% to 2.9%. Technology has grown to be a constituent part of medicine these days. A few advantages that technology can supply are categorized as follows: the assisting of communication between clinicians; enhancing medication safety; decreasing potential medical errors and adverse events; rising access to medical information and encouraging patient-centered healthcare. The aim of this article is to provide a compendious literature review regarding Medication errors.
Intergenerational transmission of field of study

This paper analyzes the parental influence on children’s choice of field of study as an outcome of educational transmission in Canada based on the confidential major file of the 2011 National Household Survey. We present a model that reflects the degree of children’s attraction to their parents’ field of study as a function of the spousal “appreciation” of each partner’s field of study and the relatedness of each parent’s field of study to their occupation. To provide new and more direct evidence beyond a simple association, we estimate the model in a non-parametric assortative matching setting with two-toone matches that improves the identification issues arising from unobservable family endowments. While the results reveal a strong field-of-study transmission, the maternal influence is significantly lower than the paternal effect depending on children’s gender. Moreover, this transmission increases further when the parents work in jobs that are related to their field of study.
Correlation and Path Analysis in Certain Inbred Genotypes of Maize (Zea Mays L.) at Varanasi

The phenotype as well as genotype correlation and path analysis of agronomic yield and yield contributing characters were analysed in 39 inbreds of maize (Zea mays L.). Grain yield has positive and significant correlation with ear diameter, number of kernels per row, number of kernel rows per ear, ear height, ear weight with husk, ear weight without husk, plant height, 100 grain weight and ear length both at genotypic and phenotypic levels. Path analysis revealed that that ear weight with husk, number of kernel rows per ear, number of kernels per row and 100 grain weight showed highest direct effect on grain yield per plant. The direct effects of plant height, ear height and ear diameter were also considerable. Whereas the remaining characters exhibited negative direct effect on grain yield per plant.
The development of a new testing protocol for sulphur compounds in structural backfills

The presence of sulphur compounds in soils and rocks can lead to chemical attack on construction materials such as steel and concrete when these materials are used as backfill to structures. Sulphate attack on concrete is a well-known phenomenon and BRE guidance to some of the causes and prevention measures has been available for some time. However, recent cases of the corrosion of corrugated steel buried structures and thaumasite attack on concrete bridge foundations have highlighted the role played by sulphides such as pyrite. The sulphides can oxidise, producing high sulphate concentrations and acid conditions, which can then attack construction materials. Present methods of assessing corrosion potential tend to concentrate on sulphate and pH, and do not fully address the problem of sulphides. This paper describes research carried out by TRL Limited and the University of Sheffield for the Highways Agency that aimed to develop better test methods for sulphur compounds in structural backfills. Advances in chemical test methods such as direct determination of sulphur by ICP-AES and novel methods of extraction have been investigated and compared with traditional methods for a range of materials with widely varying sulphur contents and mineralogy. The research led to recommendations for a revised suite of tests for sulphur compounds in structural backfills, appropriate methods of sampling and storage and limiting values for species such as reduced sulphur which are not covered by existing guidance. The research will be implemented by means of revisions to the relevant sections of the Specification for Highway Works and Design Manual for Roads and Bridges. The paper also aims to highlight the distribution of naturally occurring sulphur species within the UK geological materials. As a result of inadequate sampling, storage and assessment procedures, these sulphur species may cause problems to buried steel and concrete structures.
The Integration of Social Media to the Theory of Planned Behavior: A Case Study in Indonesia

Leader and leadership are one of the important aspects in the life of a country. This study aims to predict the intention of young voters to vote for state leader elections by expanding the theory of planned behavior to the Indonesian context. Apart from the importance of the presidential election, research rarely uses the theory of planned behavior, and to the best of researchers’ knowledge, there are no studies that have applied the theory of planned behavior to predict the intention to vote for the president. Therefore, this study is an attempt to fill that gap. Two hundred questionnaires were distributed using non-probability purposive sampling. Data analysis was carried out using the structural equation modeling (SEM) approach. The results showed that attitude and behavior control were positively related to voters’ intention to elect presidential candidates. Furthermore, information from social media also has a positive relationship with the attitude of choosing presidential candidates. However, the results also show that subjective norms do not have a significant relationship with voters’ intention. This study contributes knowledge to researchers, practitioners, and policymakers about the factors that influence youth intention to vote in Indonesia, namely, attitudes, perceived behavior control, and information from social media.
Quantitative analysis of fruit firmness by near infrared spectroscopy and least-squares support vector machine

Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy has been proved to be a powerful analytical tool for fruit internal quality determination. This paper proposes the use of least-squares support vector machine (LS-SVM) as an alternative multivariate calibration method for the quantification of pear firmness, using near infrared spectroscopy with direct measurements by diffuse reflectance in the spectral range of 800-2500 nm. Spectrum outliers were diagnosed and removed based on Chauvenet test before modeling. LS-SVM models were established using principal component (PC) scores based on principal component analysis (PCA) and spectral information from factor loadings based on partial least square regression (PLSR). The performances of LS-SVM models using PC scores were not so good. The calibration results of LS-SVM model using spectral information were almost the same as those of PLSR model with 6 factors used; while the prediction results of LS-SVM model using spectral information were much better, with much smaller RMSEP. rc, rp, RMSEC and RMSEP were 0.89, 0.88, 2.40 N and 2.57 N, respectively. From the results, it can be concluded that LS-SVM model using spectral information from factor loadings of PLSR is a feasible and promising method for predicting pear firmness based on NIR spectra.
Response of non-structural components mounted on irregular RC buildings: comparison between FE and EC8 predictions

This paper investigates the seismic response of lightweight acceleration-sensitive non-structural components (NSCs) mounted on irregular reinforced concrete (RC) primary structures (P-structures) using non-linear dynamic finite element (FE) analysis. The aim of this paper is to study the influence of NSC to P-structure vibration period ratio, peak ground acceleration, NSC to P-structure height ratio, and P-structure torsional behaviour on the seismic response of the NSCs. Representative constitutive models were used to simulate the behaviour of the RC P-structures. The NSCs were modelled as vertical cantilevers fixed at their bases with masses on the free ends and varying lengths so as to match the frequencies of the P-structures. Full dynamic interaction is considered between the NSCs and P-structures. A set of 21 natural and artificial earthquake records were used to evaluate the seismic response of the NSCs. The numerical results indicate that the behaviour of the NSCs is significantly influenced by the investigated parameters. Comparison between the FE results and Eurocode (EC8) predictions suggests that EC8 underestimates the response of NSCs mounted on the flexible sides of irregular RC P-structures when the fundamental periods and heights of the NSCs match those of the P-structures. The perceived cause of this discrepancy is that EC8 does not take into account the amplification in the dynamic response of NSCs induced by the torsional behaviour of RC P-structures.
Occupational and lifestyle risk factors in a wellness programme associated with low back injuries in a Midwest university

ABSTRACT Employers need a clear understanding of the risk factors associated with low back (LB) injury for future prevention in the workplace. A data mining approach was used to analyse data-sets (Workers' Compensation claims data for employees participating in a health and wellness programme at a Midwestern university) in a retrospective study to summarise the risk factors associated with LB injury. Eight risk factors (age, cause of injury, night shift, fatigue, emotional health, stress level, physical and emotional impairment) are associated with LB injury in the workplace. Age was an effect modifier: lifting, twisting, bending (LTB) and emotional risk factors were associated for employees younger than 40 years old, whereas LTB, slips, trips, falls, and physical risk factors for employees 40 and older. Future considerations discussed not only engineering solutions, but the psychological and lifestyle risk factors associated with LB injury and the need for development of preventative programmes.
Influence of Model Parameter Uncertainty on Seismic Transverse Response and Vulnerability of Steel–Concrete Composite Bridges with Dual Load Path

This paper uses a fully probabilistic approach to investigate the seismic response of multispan continuous bridges with dissipative piers and a steel-concrete composite (SCC) deck, the motion of which is transversally restrained at the abutments. This bridge typology is characterized by complex dual load path behavior in the transverse direction, with multiple failure modes involving both the deck and the piers. Proper assessment of the seismic vulnerability of these structural systems must rigorously take into account all pertinent sources of uncertainty, including uncertainties in both the seismic input (record-to-record variability) and the properties defining the structural model (model parameters). Model parameter uncertainty affects not only the structural capacity, but also the seismic response of a structural system. However, most of the procedures for seismic vulnerability assessment focus on the variability of the response resulting solely from seismic input uncertainty. These procedures either neglect model parameter uncertainty effects or incorporate these effects only in a simplified way. A computationally expensive but rigorous procedure is introduced in this work to include the effects of model parameter uncertainty on the seismic response and vulnerability assessment of SCC bridges with dual load path. Monte Carlo simulation with Latin hypercube sampling, in conjunction with probabilistic moment-curvature analysis, is used to build probabilistic finite-element models of the bridges under study. Extended incremental dynamic analysis is used to propagate all pertinent sources of uncertainty to the seismic demand. The proposed pro- cedure is then applied to the assessment of three benchmark bridges exhibiting different seismic behavior and dominant failure modes. Comparison of the response variability induced by seismic input uncertainty and the response variability induced by model parameter un- certainty highlights the importance of accounting for the latter when evaluating the safety of the typology of bridges considered in this study. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)ST.1943-541X.0000456. © 2012 American Society of Civil Engineers. CE Database subject headings: Steel; Concrete; Composite bridges; Finite element method; Seismic effects; Dynamic analysis; Earthquake engineering; Load factors; Uncertainty principles.
Engineering geomorphology for road design in unstable mountainous areas: lessons learnt after 25 years in Nepal

Twenty-five years after the publication of the pioneering work in the field of mountain road engineering geomorphology by D. Brunsden, J. C. Doornkamp, D. K. C. Jones and others, the design and construction performance of the Dharan-Dhankuta road in Nepal vindicates the approach that was applied in this geotechnically challenging part of the Himalayas. The use of engineering geomorphology as a forerunner to more detailed geotechnical studies during design and construction proved an extremely worthwhile exercise. Despite this, the wider use of engineering geomorphology in Nepal since then has been disappointingly low. There are instances where a lack of engineering geological or geomorphological appreciation has led to recurrent problems, leading to design and even alignment modifications. Elsewhere, engineering geology has provided sufficient information and interpretation to enable design to proceed effectively, and the evaluation of slope and drainage hazards as past, recurrent and potential future risk elements has required geomorphological assessment as the critical path activity. However, rapid geomorphological reconnaissance mapping remains a largely judgemental exercise, and one that still suffers from outcome uncertainty despite the passage of 25 years of applied Himalayan geomorphology. Nevertheless, as an observational and interpretative technique that attempts to combine past geology with current and predicted future geomorphology, it should be a critical element in any mountain road engineer’s geological tool box. The future for engineering geomorphology is reliant on a greater integration between landforms, processes and hazards, and the development of a wider appreciation and commitment in both the training and industrial spheres.
Leakage Fault Detection in Hydraulic Actuators Subject to Unknown External Loading

Abstract This paper describes development and experimental evaluation of a hydraulic actuator leakage fault detector based on the extended Kalman filtering (EKF). Identification of external leakage at either side of the actuator as well as the internal leakage between the two chambers is examined. The present work is built upon previous work by the authors, but incorporates a significant improvement in that the new scheme is capable of detecting leakage faults for actuators that are also subject to unknown loading and/or significant friction. Experiments on a laboratory-based hydraulic actuator, using both structured (sinusoidal) and unstructured (pseudorandom) test signals show that: (i) under normal (no- fault) operating condition, the EKF-based state estimator closely predicts the states of the system and the external load, including actuator friction, using only a few measurements, (ii) in the presence of leakage faults, the level of residual errors between the estimated and the measured line pressures increase indicating the occurrence of faults and (iii), different leakage fault types and levels can be identified by tracking the pattern of the residual errors and without a need to model leakage faults. The present work lays a foundation for developing on-line leakage monitoring systems for hydraulic actuators.