Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Processes , Transport , Deposition , and Landforms : Quantifying Creep

Hilly upland landscapes are cloaked in a thin layer of soil derived primarily from the underlying parent material and transported by diverse processes. Creep subsumes soil transport processes assumed to be linearly proportional to slope and the authors examined a range of studies that have attempted to quantify these processes. This chapter thus provides a short overview of the conceptual framework, as well as some of the field-based methods, used in these studies. Colluvial soil is also termed regolith and although creep sensu stricto may occur across a wide variety of landforms and sediment types, the authors focus on hilly landscapes in this chapter.
Influence of location of osseointegrated implant on stress distribution in implant supported longitudinal removable partial dentures: 3-dimensional finite element analysis

Unilateral distal extension partial dentures supported by longitudinal fulcrum lines tend to rotate and sink, while adding an implant support has been found to help improve stability. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the biomechanical behavior of a mandibular distal extension removable partial denture associated with an implant, including its difference in the distribution of stress within the bone, alveolar mucosa, and implants, as well as investigating the displacement of alveolar mucosa and RPD using the 3-dimensional finite element method. The results show that, with or without implant support, stress concentrations occur in the buccal side of the alveolar ridge in the premolar area. Using implants to support the RPD can reduce the Von Mises stress on the cortical bone and alveolar mucosa. This also reduces the deformation of the denture and alveolar mucosa, and increases the Von Mises stress of the cancellous bone under load. Moreover, under the functional load, the dentures are prone to uneven deformation, but this deformation occurs in a mistal retainer that is supported by the implant, denture displacement is reduced and the deformation becomes uniform. As the implant grows farther and farther away, the support for the premolar area is gradually eased and support for the molar area increases. The implant bears the majority of a given functional load. We conclude that, in the premolar area, the implant effectively disperses the force and reduces the stress value of the cortical bone, while in the molar area, the cortical bone takes more occlusal force and the implant is protected.
An Appraisal of Effective Provision of Guidance and Counseling Services in Cameroon State Universities; Trends and Challenges

Effective Guidance and counselling programmes in Cameroon state Universities was aimed at assisting students harmonize their abilities, interests and values and thereby develop their full potential. All this is geared towards improving the self-image of the students and facilitating better achievement in academic performance. This conceptual paper sought to establish the influence of guidance and counselling programme or services on Cameroon state Universities and how such services enhance academic performance of students in Cameroon. Students studying in Institutions of higher learning in Cameroon display a host of problems ranging from poor academic performance to low self esteem, which drive them to open drunkenness, skipping of classes, stealing other people’s property, sexual misconduct and actual or attempted suicide. The problems exist despite the fact that guidance and counseling personnel in place in these institutions. The purpose of this study therefore was to establish the challenges facing effective implementation of guidance and counselling programmes in Cameroon state Universities. The paper conceptually explores the meaning and relevance of guidance and counseling services in Universities. An empirical gap was establish based on the fact that, due to continuous allocation of counselors in Universities and secondary schools in Cameroon, students still manifest anti-social behaviours, cheat during exams, indulge into premarital sex etc. the question now is, what impact does guidance and counselors have on students? What are the challenges faced by these counselors and how can they be mitigated? This study was based on the principles of person-centered and social learning theory. The person centered theory emphasizes on the human interaction between two people (the counsellor and the client, in this case). Social learning theory, on the other hand, postulates that a child learns behaviour through social interaction in the form of observation and imitation of what other people in the society are doing. The researcher therefore recommends that there is need for all Cameroon University counsellors to be taken through a thorough and informative training on the importance of giving full support to guidance and counselling programmes in their institutions. There is also need to work to change the negative attitude towards guidance and counselling held by some students and parents.
Effects of Upper Extremity Movements on Sternal Skin Stress

Purpose: Sternal precautions given to patients following median sternotomy are based on expert opinion. Although specific limits are often stated within different versions of sternal precautions, no evidence exists to support any specific cut‐off values. The purpose is to determine whether evidence exists for lifting restrictions and transfer methods given as sternal precautions. Methods: 22 healthy subjects (18 female, 4 male), ages 40‐69 (mean 53) were instrumented with a Doppler blood flow probe to measure acceleration of skin overlying the sternum. Participants performed 3 trials each of 4 lifting tasks (arm only, 12‐ounce can, 1‐liter bottle and gallon jug from countertop to shelf). Sit‐to‐stand and supine‐to‐sit were each performed two different ways. Sternal skin stress was recorded while subjects performed transfer techniques taught by therapists to minimize upper extremity use and when using transfers that allow pushing up on the hands. Doppler shift caused by skin acceleration was recorded during each procedure. Results: Sternal skin stress during each lifting task was significantly different from all others (p < 0.001, repeated measures ANOVA, Tukey post‐hoc tests). Sternal skin stress during transfers as taught by therapists was significantly less than that recorded during typical patient‐selected transfer technique (paired t‐tests, p = .007 for sit‐to‐stand and p = 0.015 for supine‐to‐sit). Conclusions: Lifting heavier objects causes more sternal skin stress than lighter objects. Transfer techniques taught as sternal precautions cause less sternal skin stress than commonly used transfer techniques. Although sternal precautions may be based on real differences in sternal skin stress within subjects during movements involving the upper extremities, the large variation among subjects in sternal skin stress suggests that no clear cut off for activities can be supported.
Child Development in the Context of Adversity

The authors examine the effects of poverty-related adversity on child development, drawing upon psychobiological principles of experiential canalization and the biological embedding of experience. They integrate findings from research on stress physiology, neurocognitive function, and self-regulation to consider adaptive processes in response to adversity as an aspect of children’s development. Recent research on early caregiving is paired with research in prevention science to provide a reorientation of thinking about the ways in which psychosocial and economic adversity are related to continuity in human development.
Attitudes as barriers in breast screening: a prospective study among Singapore women

Health care systems do not exist in isolation, but rather, as part of the larger social and cultural mosaic. In particular, perceived attitudes are major obstacles in health promotion exercises. This problem is especially true for non-white populations where little is known about the prevailing social and cultural perceptions towards western biomedical prescriptions. To further our understanding of Asian women's acceptance of mammograms, three attitudinal indexes are conceptualised, constructed and validated. Data from a prospective survey showed the signi®cance of fatalistic attitudes, perceived barriers and perceived ecacy of early detection in predicting women's acceptance of a free mammogram at the National Breast Screening Project. In addition, ®ndings reinforced the importance of social support from the family in the promotion of breast screening among Asian women. 7 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Assessment and Characterization of Hospital Waste in Government and Private Hospitals of Rawalpindi City

Hospital waste management is a growing environmental concern in developing countries. Rawalpindi, is among the big cities of Pakistan which has population over four million and generates large quantities of waste. Many efforts have been made by environmental regulatory agencies and waste generators to better managing the wastes from healthcare facilities in recent years. To better manage, characterization and continuous assessment of hospital waste is essential. With this aim a comparative study was carried out in 34 different hospitals of Rawalpindi. The goals of this study were to characterize the solid waste generated in the hospitals, to provide the current status of waste management and to provide the framework for the safe management of waste in the surveyed hospitals. For this purpose a Questionnaire survey was conducted to gather information about waste handling, safety measures and overall awareness among hospital staff. Type of the hospital was significantly associated with various factors such as total number of beds, number of inpatients, outpatients and total waste generation. A predominantly significant correlation (r = 0.67, P<0.001) between rate of waste generation and number of occupied beds was observed in government hospitals. Results of hospital waste characterization show that 25–35% waste comprises of infectious waste in almost 42.5 % of all hospitals. More than 50% hospitals practiced separation of risk and non-risk waste. Incineration was mostly used as hazardous waste disposal option in the surveyed hospitals (97.5%). The study depicted better conditions in government hospitals as compared to private hospitals such as point segregation and use of colored containers for specific waste type(P<0.05). In term of protective clothing and training facilities to waste handlers, government hospitals had better status. It is recommended that for efficient waste management there is need to improve the training of waste handlers and source separation of the waste.
COPD_A_219125 2575..2585

Alessandro Marchioni Roberto Tonelli 1,2 Riccardo Fantini Luca Tabbì Ivana Castaniere Francesco Livrieri Sabrina Bedogni 4 Valentina Ruggieri Lara Pisani Stefano Nava Enrico Clini 1 1University Hospital of Modena, Pneumology Unit and Center for Rare Lung Diseases, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy; 2PhD Course in Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy; 3Respiratory Disease Unit, Hospital Carlo Poma, Mantova, Italy; 4School of Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy; 5Department of Specialistic, Diagnostic and Experimental Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy Background: Although non-invasive mechanical ventilation (NIV) is the gold standard treatment for patients with acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD) developing respiratory acidosis, failure rates still range from 5% to 40%. Recent studies have shown that the onset of severe diaphragmatic dysfunction (DD) during AECOPD increases risk of NIV failure and mortality in this subset of patients. Although the imbalance between the load and the contractile capacity of inspiratory muscles seems the main cause of AECOPD-induced hypercapnic respiratory failure, data regarding the influence of mechanical derangement on DD in this acute phase are lacking. With this study, we investigate the impact of respiratory mechanics on diaphragm function in AECOPD patients experiencing NIV failure. Methods: Twelve AECOPD patients with respiratory acidosis admitted to the Respiratory ICU of the University Hospital of Modena from 2017 to 2018 undergoing mechanical ventilation (MV) due to NIV failure were enrolled. Static respiratory mechanics and endexpiratory lung volume (EELV) were measured after 30 mins of volume control mode MV. Subsequently, transdiaphragmatic pressure (Pdi) was calculated by means of a sniff maneuver (Pdisniff) after 30 mins of spontaneous breathing trial. Linear regression analysis and Pearson’s correlation coefficient served to assess associations. Results: Average Pdisniff was 23.3 cmH2O (standard deviation 29 cmH2O) with 3 patients presenting bilateral diaphragm palsy. Pdisniff was directly correlated with static lung elastance (r=0.69, p=0.001) while inverse correlation was found with dynamic intrinsic PEEP (r=−0.73, p=0.007). No significant correlation was found with static intrinsic PEEP (r=−0.55, p=0.06), EELV (r=−0.4, p=0.3), airway resistance (r=−0.2, p=0.54), chest wall, and total elastance (r=−0-01, p=0.96 and r=0.3, p=0.36, respectively). Significant linear inverse correlation was found between Pdisniff and the ratio between Pdi assessed at tidal volume and Pdi sniff (r=−0.82, p=0.02). Conclusion: The causes of extreme DD in AECOPD patients who experienced NIV failure might be predominantly mechanical, driven by a severe dynamic hyperinflation that overlaps on an elastic lung substrate favoring volume overload.
Growth and Haematological Studies of African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus) Juveniles Fed with Housefly Larva (Musca dometica) as Feed Supplement

An investigation was carried out to determine the effect of supplementing conventional fish feed (coppens), with Musca domestic maggots on the growth and haematological performance of Clarias gariepinus. Fifteen juvenile Clarias girepinus were stocked each in three treatment tanks and twenty in a control experiment. They were cultured in mini plastic water baths of 30 litres capacity at 24.526. 5°c temprature. Initial mean weight and length recorded in the four treatment tanks were 6.81± 0.3g, 9.53± 0.9g, 10.71±1.0g and 7.52±0.4g, and 10.1±0.9cm, 9.5±0.08cm, 8.26±0.05cm, 5.4±0.03cm for T1, T2, T3, and T4 (control Tank) respectively. The percentage of the conventional feed to maggot inclusions were 70% to 30%, 55% to 45%, 35% to 65%, and 100% conventional feed for T1, T2, T3, and T4 respectively. The juveniles were fed at 3% body weight for 12 weeks and the final mean weights recorded were 54.72±. 1.0g, 74.67± 1.5g, 31.17±0.8g and 26.45±0.6g for T1, T2, T3, and control(T4) respectively. The highest mean weight of 61.6g with specific growth rate of 1.8775, food conversion ratio of 24.28 and survival rate of 92% was observed in treatment 2 (T2). The result of this study shows that a combination of 50% compounded ration and 45% maggot gives the best growth performance. The juveniles fed with maggot showed significant variation (p<0.05) in the haematological values recorded. In T2 the haematological records were Haemoglobin count (HB) (9.5±2.4 a ), Pack cell volume (PCV) (28.0±6.6 a ),Total red blood cell (TRBC) (5.0±2.5 a ) Total white blood cell (TWBC) (3.7±2.12 a ), Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) (7.0±2.0 b ), Mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) (2.33±0.72 b ), Mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCVC) (3.3±0.08 a ). The control experiment recorded the following values control (HB5.7±0.50 a ), PCV (16.7±1.5 b ), TRBC (1.4±0.20 a ), TWBC (2.4±0.32 a ), MCV (11.9±0.66 b ), MCH (4.0±0.25 a ), MCHC (3.4±0.02 a ). It can hence be concluded that using housefly maggot directly as supplementary feed for Clarias girepinus at appropriate ration will enhance its growth and haematological performance.
Preliminary Findings of the South Africa Power System Capacity Expansion and Operational Model Study: Preprint

Wind and solar power contract prices have recently become cheaper than many conventional new-build alternatives in South Africa, and trends suggest a continued increase in the share of variable renewable energy (vRE) on South Africa’s power system with coal technology seeing the greatest reduction in capacity. Consequently it is essential to perform a state-of-the-art grid integration study examining the effects of potential high penetrations of vRE on South Africa’s power system. Under the 21st Century Power Partnership (21CPP), funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has created a detailed model of the South African power system to investigate leastcost options for continued vRE expansion. To achieve this, NREL developed, tested, and ran a combined capacity expansion and operational model of the South African power system including spatially disaggregated detail and geographical representation of system resources. New software to visualize and interpret modelling outputs has been developed, and scenario analysis of stepwise vRE build targets provides new insight into associated planning and operational impacts and costs. The model, built using PLEXOS®, is split into two components: a capacity expansion model and a unit commitment with economic dispatch model. The capacity expansion model optimizes new generation decisions to achieve the lowest cost, with a full understanding of capital cost and an approximated understanding of operational cost. The operational model has a greater set of detailed operational constraints and is run at daily resolutions. Both are run from 2017 through 2050. This investigation suggests that running both models in tandem may be the most effective means to plan the least-cost South African power system, as build plans seen to be more expensive than optimal by the capacity expansion model can actually produce greater operational cost savings that are seen only in the operational model.
Definitive Radiotherapy for Locally Advanced Merkel Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck Region: A Case Report

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a highly aggressive neuroendocrine malignancy of skin origin. It is most commonly managed with upfront surgical resection which is then followed by radiotherapy as soon as possible postoperatively. Radiotherapy alone has been used in inoperable cases and in cases of patient preference to omit surgical management. MCC is a very radiosensitive disease, and an ideal location for definitive radiotherapy is the head and neck region (which represents the majority of cases), where resection often leads to reduced outcomes given the number of critical structures in the region and the inability of surgery to achieve the excision margins required for the aggressive nature of the disease without leading to severely impacted cosmesis and function. This case study looks at an elderly woman who was treated with definitive dose fractionation (to a total dose of 60 Gray in 30 fractions) radiotherapy to the head and neck region for Stage III, T1N2M0 disease, following rapid loco-regional relapse after surgical wide local excision. Two years postdefinitive radiotherapy, she has had complete loco-regional control both clinically and radiologically.
Dynamic Splinting for Hallux Valgus and Hallux Varus: A Pilot Study

Background: Hallux Abductovalgus (HAV) is a deformity causing excessive angulation of the great toe towards the second toe, and this condition affects over 3.6 million Americans. Conversely hallux varus is excessive medial deviation and this pathology occurs secondary to procedures correcting hallux valgus and as a pediatric/congenital anomaly. The purpose of this pilot study was to report the benefits that Dynamic Splinting (DS) had on reducing contracture in hallux varus and hallux valgus. Methods: Ten patients treated with DS were examined and these patients included six diagnosed with HAV and four patients diagnosed with hallux varus. The outcome measures reported include changes in maximal, active range of motion (AROM) and resting alignment. Results: The patients treated for HAV regained a mean 10° active range of motion (AROM) in one month. The patients treated for hallux varus regained a mean 9° AROM in 3 months. Conclusions: Dynamic splinting was beneficial for all patients in this study. The HAV patients regained a mean 10° of AROM (mean duration 1 month) and the hallux varus patients gained a mean 9° (mean duration 2 months). The modality which delivered low-torque stretching for prolonged durations was effective in reducing these conditions without requiring surgery.
Environmental Protection or Local Protectionism? Evidence from Tailpipe Emission Standards in China∗

Many cities in China adopted tailpipe emissions standards from 2008 under the stated goal of improving local air quality. This city-level policy restricted the import of used vehicles from other cities that do not meet the local emission standard. By leveraging the staggered roll-out of the policy across cities and the universe of new and used vehicles registration, this paper examines the impacts of the policy on local air pollution, intercity trade of used vehicles, and new vehicle market to shed light on the policy choices by local governments. The analysis shows that the policy significantly reduced the intercity trade of used vehicles that do not meet the standard. However, there is no evidence that the policy improved air quality. Importantly, the policy dramatically increased the sales of locally produced brands. Our findings point to local governments engaging in practices of local protectionism in the name of environmental protection.
Prepared for submission to JINST Ionization Electron Signal Processing in Single Phase LArTPCs I. Algorithm Description and Quantitative Evaluation with MicroBooNE Simulation

We describe the concept and procedure of drifted-charge extraction developed in the MicroBooNE experiment, a single-phase liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC). This technique converts the raw digitized TPC waveform to the number of ionization electrons passing through a wire plane at a given time. A robust recovery of the number of ionization electrons from both induction and collection anode wire planes will augment the 3D reconstruction, and is particularly important for tomographic reconstruction algorithms. A number of building blocks of the overall procedure are described. The performance of the signal processing is quantitatively evaluated by comparing extracted charge with the true charge through a detailed TPC detector simulation taking into account position-dependent induced current inside a single wire region and across multiple wires. Some areas for further improvement of the performance of the charge extraction procedure are also discussed.
THE EFFECTS OF 8 WK INTENSIVE JUDO TRAINING ON THE HUMORAL IMMUNE SYSTEM IN JUDO FIGHTERS

The influence of intensive Judo training on serum immunoglobulins IgG, IgM, and IgA was studied in 24 Judo fighters. Subjects were assigned to an exercise training group (EXE; n=12) and non-exercise control group (Con; n=12). Subjects in EXE group participated in exercise sessions 4 days a week for 8 wk. Serum samples were collected before, immediately and 1wk after study period. The IgG levels were significantly increased immediately after exercise training (p=0.001) in EXE compared to Con. However, IgM and IgA concentrations showed significant decrease immediately after exercise in EXE (p=0.001). The concentrations of all immunoglobulins had returned to baseline by 1wk of recovery. In conclusion the increased IgG levels are possibly due to isotype switching or a secondary antibody responses that could be considered as enhancement in immune system function. However, chronic suppression of immuniglobulins IgM and IgA may be mediated by hormonal changes associated with exhausting exercise.