Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A prospective investigation among middle-aged women in Nurses' Health Study II

Background—Exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) may predispose to the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D), but prospective evidence is needed. Objectives—We investigated the association between plasma-POP concentrations in the late 1990s and incident T2D during more than 11 years of follow-up in the Nurses’ Health Study II. Discussion—Three organochlorine pesticides and 20 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured in banked plasma from 793 case–control pairs of T2D. In a multiviarate-adjusted model, T2D ORs(95%CIs) comparing extreme POP tertiles (high vs. low) were 1.66(1.24, 2.21; Ptrend=0.001) for hexachlorobenzene (HCB), 3.64(2.59, 5.13; Ptrend<0.001) for βhexachlorocyclohexane (β-HCH), 1.56(1.14, 2.13; Ptrend<0.001) for p,p′dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p’-DDE), and 2.00(1.45, 2.74; Ptrend<0.001) for PCB toxicity equivalents (PCB-TEQ). Adjustment for previous weight change and concurrent body mass index attenuated these associations, but that for PCB-TEQ remained (OR[95% CI]=1.74[1.12, 2.70]; Ptrend=0.008). When analysis was stratified by weight change before blood draw, ORs(95% CIs) of T2D comparing extreme (high vs. low) POP groups were 1.97(1.01, 3.85; Ptrend=0.01) for HCB, 2.67(1.34, 5.34; Ptrend<0.001) for β-HCH, and 2.41(1.22, 4.75; Ptrend<0.001) for PCB-TEQ in the lowest weight gain group. In the highest weigh-gain group, corresponding estimates were 1.29(0.74, 2.25; Ptrend=0.46) for HCB, 1.44(0.79, 2.65; Ptrend=0.20) for β-HCH, and 0.91(0.51, 1.65; Ptrend=0.65) for PCB-TEQ (all Pinteraction<0.05). Corresponding Author: Qi Sun, MD, ScD, Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115. Phone: 617-432-7490 Fax: 617-432-2435; qisun@hsph.harvard. edu. Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. Competing financial interests: The authors declare they have no actual or potential competing financial interests. HHS Public Access Author manuscript Environ Int. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2019 May 01. Published in final edited form as: Environ Int. 2018 May ; 114: 334–342. doi:10.1016/j.envint. 2017.12. 010. A uhor M anscript
TRIBOLOGICAL PERFORMANCE OF HIGHLY FINE NICKEL- MOLYBDENUM DISULFIDE POWDERS ADDITIVE TO LUBRICANT OIL

Wear is a phenomenon which is surface materials damage or loss between two contact solids surfaces in sliding, rolling, or impact movement. In most cases, wear is caused by the interaction of surface asperities. To reduce the energy loss and equipment damage generated due to the mechanical parts friction in the operation, around the world is stepping up developing appropriate lubricants and lubrication technology. Molybdenum is one of the major refractory metals (metals with very high resistance to heat and wear). As already noted, for lubricant compositions as fillers can be used soft powder (anti-friction) of metals – nickel. This work focuses on studying an urgency and favorable prospects of practical use of firm powder additives on the basis of MoS2 which particles are coated with one layer of soft metal (Ni), and their effect on tribological characteristics of lubricant oil (SAE 50) at a range of concentration (2 – 8) wt%. Optimum lubricating effect concluded on the level of concentration of the composite additive powder in the range of (3.5 – 4.5) wt %, by the formation of protective boundary layer between sliding tribosurfaces that prevents wear. Tribological characteristics significantly improved i.e.friction coefficient may drop about (1.5-2) times, and the wear rate about (3-3.5) times compared with the case of usig the lubricant oil without additives.
Interactive Exploration of the In-Situ Visualization of a Magnetohydrodynamic Simulation

We propose a new visualization method for large-scale computer simulations called “4D Street View”. This method uses omnidirectional in-situ visualization cameras to record a simulation from multiple viewpoints. The omnidirectional video dataset produced by the simulation is then analyzed interactively. In this paper, we apply the method to a magnetohydrodynamics turbulence simulation with 64 viewpoints to prove that it is possible to achieve interactive in-situ visualization for supercomputer simulations. Three types of in-situ visualization by omnidirectional cameras (with 4 π steradian solid angle) from each viewpoint are applied. At the end of the simulation, a video dataset with 192 omnidirectional video ﬁles is produced. We demonstrate that we can change the viewing position, angle, and applied visualization method interactively using a specially designed application program.
High Speed Dual Port Pinned-photodiode for Time-Of-Flight Imaging

Sensors for 3D vision open the way for new applications in video gaming, automotive, home TV, robotics. Today, Time-of-flight (TOF) is the easiest threedimensional (3D) vision technique to implement and it offers good 3D reconstruction quality. TOF measurements based on a continuous-wave [1] or a pulsed [2] signal modulation are commonly used and often take advantage of a CMOS/CCD technology. However, the latter needs high voltages, induces high power consumption. Therefore there is a strong motivation for using advanced CMOS process and pinned-photodiode. Thus, pixel architecture developed in a 90nm CMOS image sensor technology and a high speed dual port pinned-photodiode optimized for light pulsed TOF (PLITOF) has been used. I. PULSED LIGHT INDIRECT TIME-OF-FLIGHT PRINCIPLE As explained on Figure 1, PLITOF principle consists in estimating the overlap between the received light pulse and the temporal window TG1. The ratio between the amount of collected carriers when TG1 and TG2 are respectively high is calculated to determine the distance [3]. The contributions of background light and dark current are removed by a correction using the same sampling scheme performed without illumination. Figure 1: Pulsed Light Indirect Time-Of-Flight (PLITOF) principle Calculated distance accuracy is determined after having made an optical power budget of the transmission chain and an uncertainty analysis. Shot noise, readout noise and quantization noise degrade the performance of the system. Specific readout timing and an SRAM bank outside the chip must be implemented to remove kTC noise. The standard deviation of the distance after an average of 6 images has been plotted on Figure 2. 0 0,05 0,1 0,15 0,2 0,25 0,3 0,35 0,4 0,45 0,5 0 1 2 3 4 5 Real distance (in meters) D is ta nc e ac cu ra cy (i n m et er s) 6 ρ=10% ρ=20% ρ=30% ρ=40% ρ=60% ρ=100% Figure 2: Theoretical distance accuracy as a parameter of the reflectance for 4W peak light pulses Assuming the global noise follows a Gaussian law, the last results allow the investigation of a 3D reconstruction for a plane placed 3m away from the optical center and having a 40% reflectance. Distance accuracy has the best value at the center because it is especially the case where the distance travelled by the optical signal is the shortest (Figure 3). Figure 3: Simulation of a 3D reconstruction for a 3m away and 40% reflectance plane TG1 TXCD2 TG2 Emitted light pulse Received light pulse Tpulse Tdelay Symmetrical axis z (in m)
Direct Femtosecond Laser Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Aluminum Alloy Surfaces with Anti-icing Properties

Ice formation is a serious issue in many fields, from energy to aerospace, compromising the devices’ efficiency and security. Superhydrophobicity has been demonstrated to be correlated to the anti-icing properties of surfaces. However, fabricating surfaces with robust water repellence properties also at subzero temperature is still a great challenge. In this work, femtosecond laser (fs-laser) texturing is exploited to produce superhydrophobic surfaces with anti-icing properties on Al2024, an aluminum alloy of great interest in cold environments, in particular for aircraft production. Our textured substrates present self-cleaning properties and robust water repellency at subzero temperatures. Moreover, outstanding anti-icing properties are achieved on the textured surfaces at −20 °C, with water droplets bouncing off the surface before freezing.
MEASURING IMPACT OF AN MBA PROGRAM ON STUDENT ENTREPRENEURIAL ORIENTATION

A methodology to measure student gains in Entrepreneurship Orientation (EO) in an MBA program is presented. Eight variables capturing traits of Entrepreneurship Orientation were identified. A survey instrument was used to measure the variables in a quasi pre-post setting. A cohort of 25 MBA students who were in the final/penultimate semester participated in the study. Factor analysis using principal components extraction and varimax rotation detected three underlying components: innovation, proactiveness, and risk-taking. The three components accounted for 74% of the variability. The t-Test showed an overall gain of 5.39 in the entrepreneurship orientation scale with p=0.008.
Subjective vs. objective assessment of financial literacy – do beliefs meet reality?

This paper investigates the problem of financial literacy, which is analysed from two perspectives. The first is the knowledge about saving and loans, and the other – the relations between subjective knowledge (SK) and objective knowledge (OK) and their impact on financial decisions. The analyses were made on the basis of quantitative studies conducted using the structured face-to-face interviews method. The sample consisted of 438 persons from Wielkopolska (Poland). The results suggest that there is a higher differentiation of knowledge about saving compared with the knowledge about loans and in general, slightly higher level of knowledge about loans. The research confirms significant relations between chosen financial behaviours (being experienced or unexperienced) and the level of SK and OK. The greater differences were measured for SK. The study also featured a group of respondents who self-assess their knowledge on a level close to their objective knowledge, as well as those who overestimate and those who underestimate it. These segments were described taking into account demographic and economic features.
Empirical Analysis on the Effects of Japanese Fiscal Policy under the Effective Lower Bound

For the Japanese economy, we examine whether the fiscal multiplier is higher under the effective lower bound of the nominal interest rate. Using a time-varying parameter vector autoregression model with Tobit-type nonlinearity, we calculate the fiscal multipliers under two monetary policy positions. We find that when government spending shocks are inflationary, the fiscal multiplier under the zero interest rate policy increases steadily as a result of the decrease in the real interest rate. This evidence is robust to different definitions of effective lower bound, output, and government spending.
Study on Evolutionary Characteristics of Toppling Deformation of Anti-Dip Bank Slope Based on Energy Field

The evolution of toppling deformation of anti-dip slope is essentially a process of energy dissipation and transformation. Aiming to study the characteristics of energy evolution in different stages, the DEM (discrete element method) software PFC (Particle Flow Code) was utilized to establish a two-dimensional numerical model for a bank slope in Chongqing based on geological background data and field investigation. The DEM model was proven to be reliable not only because the deformation discrepancy between the numerical model and actual bank slope was not large but also because some obvious fractures in the actual bank slope can readily be found in the numerical model as well. In this article, content about displacement in the shallow layer was analyzed briefly. Special effort was made to analyze the energy field and divide the toppling deformation process into three stages. (1) Shear deformation stage: this is an energy accumulating stage in which the strain energy, friction energy, and kinetic energy are all small and the deformation is mainly shear deformation in the slope toe. (2) Stage of main toppling fracture surface hole-through: all three kinds of energy present the increasing trend. The shear deformation in the slope toe expands further, and the toppling deformation also appears in the middle and rear parts of the bank slope. (3) Stage of secondary toppling and fracture surface development: strain energy and friction energy increase steadily but kinetic energy remains constant. Deformation consists mainly of secondary shearing and a fracture surface in the shallow layer. Secondary toppling and fracture surface develop densely.
Ensemble Held–Suarez Test with a Spectral Transform Model: Variability, Sensitivity, and Convergence

The idealized test case proposed by Held and Suarez is carried out with the atmospheric general circulation model ECHAM5 of the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology. The aim is to investigate the sensitivity of the solutions of the spectral dynamical core to spatial and temporal resolution, and to evaluate the numerical convergence of the solutions. Low-frequency fluctuations at time scales as long as thousands of days are found in ultralong integrations. To distinguish the effect of changed resolution from the fluctuations caused by the internal variability, the ensemble method is employed in experiments at resolutions ranging from T31 to T159 with 16 to 81 vertical levels. Significance of the differences between ensembles is assessed by three different statistical tests. Convergence property of the numerical solution is concisely summarized by a ratio index. Results show that the simulated climate state in the Held–Suarez test is sensitive to spatial resolution. Increase of horizontal resolution leads to slight weakening and poleward shift of the westerly jets. Significant warming is detected in high latitudes, especially near the polar tropopause, while the tropical tropopause becomes cooler. The baroclinic wave activity intensifies considerably with increased horizontal resolution. Higher vertical resolution also leads to stronger eddy variances and cooling near the tropical tropopause, but equatorward shift of the westerly jets. The solutions show an indication of convergence at T85L31 resolution according to all the three statistical tests applied. Differences between integrations with various time steps are judged to be within the noise level induced by the inherent low-frequency variability.
Examining the Relationship Between Social Capital And Self Efficacy: A Study Amongst Postgraduate Students

Inspired by the scarcity of studies on social capital and its effect on self-efficacy among postgraduate students, a study was conducted to fill this gap. An empirical based framework connecting social capital and self efficacy was developed and tested using data obtained using survey research method. A total of 121 respondents participated in the study, and the results indicate that social capital, dimensionalized into six constructs, namely a sense of belonging, shared language, trust, networks, norm of reciprocity and shared vision, is found to have a significant relationship with self efficacy. Further analysis showed that shared language, trust and shared vision are the significant predictors of self-efficacy. The findings further signify the contribution of social capital in increasing the level of self-efficacy in the context of students in Higher Education Institutions (HEI).
GAN-BASED SYNTHESIS OF DEEP LEARNING TRAINING DATA FOR UAV MONITORING

Abstract. Wind energy is a critical part of overcoming the use of fossil or nuclear energy usage. The price pressure on the renewable industry sector demands to cut the costs for costly regular inspections carried out by industrial climbers. Drone-based video-inspection reduces costs as well as increases the safety of inspection personal. To further increase the throughput, automatic or semi-automatic solutions to analyze these videos are needed. However, modern machine learning architectures need a lot of data to work reliably. This is by design a problem, as structural damage is rather rare in industrial infrastructure. Our proposed approach uses Generative Adversarial Networks to generate synthetic unmanned aerial vehicle imagery. This allows us to create a large enough training dataset (> 103) from a dataset, which is at least an order of magnitude smaller (approx. 102). We show that we can increase the classification accuracy of up to 6 percentage points.
Recent developments in the separation of nickel and cobalt from sulphate solutions by solvent extraction

SYNOPSIS The properties of some recently developed solvent-extraction reagents for the separation of cobalt and nickel in sulphate solutions are reported. New commercial extractants based on alkyl phosphonic and alkyl phosphinic acids are described. These reagents show much improved selectivity for cobalt compared with established extractants. Some novel extractants developed at Mintek for the selective recovery of nickel in the presence of cobalt are also described. These reagents, which are based on mixtures of carboxylic acids and non-chelating oximes, are of interest in that no commercial nickel-selective reagents are currently available. Graphs showing metal loading and stripping, and pH-functionality, are presented. together with details of the metal separations achieved in batch countercurrent-extraction experiments with the various reagents.
Physicochemical and Preference Evaluation of Silages from Cucurbita argyrosperma Huber Residues and Its Effect on the Production and Composition of Milk from Dual-purpose Cows in Campeche, Mexico: Pilot Study

Livestock systems can contribute to food security by making use of available resources not suitable for human consumption such as Cucurbita argyrosperma Huber residue (CR). The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate preference and physicochemical characteristics of CR silages and their effect on milk production and milk composition from cows in a dual-purpose system in Campeche, Mexico. Three completely randomized experiments were performed. In experiment 1, physicochemical characteristics of four CR plus hay grass silages were evaluated: CR-77, CR-71, CR-65 and CR-59, containing 77%, 71%, 65% and 59% of CR, with 25%, 30%, 35% and 40% of estimated dry matter (DM), respectively. In experiment 2, silages intake preferences were determined in cattle. In experiment 3, the effect of CR silage or corn silage on milk production and milk composition of grazing cows in a dual-purpose system was evaluated. The results in experiment 1 showed that DM content differed between treatments (p 0.05), but differences in DM intake of silages in experiment 3 were observed (p < 0.05). Even with the limitations of this pilot study, it is feasible to produce silages with CR with a good fermentation process as a feeding alternative for cows in a dual-purpose system in Campeche, Mexico.
Black and White Rendering in Complex Background

In this paper, we present an algorithm for abstracting images with complex background into monochrome art images. Mould et al. rendered monochrome images by inputting photos which have only one object and have no complex background. To render images with complex background, we firstly segment the input image and extract the foreground from the background automatically. Then the belief propagation algorithm based on Hidden Markov Model is used to render the foreground objects and Otsu method is used to render the background. Finally, we combine the results and obtain the black and white image as the output. Comparing with the results gained with only one rendering method, by using different method to render the foreground and the background, we get more details of the foreground objects and stand out them from the background.
The Use of Endogenous and Synthetic Cannabinoids in Prostate Cancer Therapy

Cannabinoids are mainly used as an antiemetic and for cancer-related pain, however, studies have implicated an anti-proliferative role in various cancer models. This thesis examines the therapeutic potential of cannabinoids anandamide and WIN55,212-2 in prostate cancer. In vitro studies on prostate cancer cells showed that the cannabinoids significantly reduce proliferation, migration, invasion, and induce apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. Inhibition of cannabinoid receptor 2 resulted in a reversal of the anti-proliferative effects. Cell cycle analysis revealed that WIN55,212-2 caused arrest in G1/2 phases, and mechanistic studies demonstrated that these effects were mediated through alterations in key cell cycle regulators. Based on these studies, the effect of WIN55,212-2 was assessed using a xenograft model, resulting in a reduction in tumor volume compared to control. Evidence from this thesis provides a framework for future studies and provides a more in-depth understanding of the potential benefit of cannabinoid use in prostate cancer.
Advances in the microrheology of complex fluids Thomas Andrew Waigh Influence of microfluidic shear on keratin networks in living cells Jens-Friedrich Nolting and Sarah Köster Cell investigation of nanostructures: zero-mode waveguides for plasma membrane studieswith single molecule resolution

Single-particle tracking (SPT) is of growing importance in the biophysical community. It is used to investigate processes such as drug and gene delivery, viral uptake, intracellular trafficking or membrane-bound protein mobility. Traditionally, SPT is performed in two dimensions (2D) because of its technical simplicity. However, life occurs in three dimensions (3D) and many methods have been recently developed to track particles in 3D. Now, is the third dimension worth the effort? Here we investigate the differences between the 2D and 3D analyses of intracellular transport with the 3D development of a time-resolved mean square displacement (MSD) analysis introduced previously. The 3D trajectories, and the 2D projections, of fluorescent nanoparticles were obtained with an orbital tracking microscope in two different cell types: in Dictyostelium discoideum ameba and in adherent, more flattened HuH-7 5 Authors to whom any correspondence should be addressed. Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI. New Journal of Physics 15 (2013) 075008 1367-2630/13/075008+17$33.00 © IOP Publishing Ltd and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft
WHAT AND HOW MATHEMATICS SHOULD BE TAUGHT: VIEWS OF SECONDARY MATHEMATICS TEACHER CANDIDATES WITH STEM BACKGROUNDS

This qualitative study examines what mathematics teacher candidates with STEM backgrounds think about their future work as mathematics teachers. The content preparation for a STEM career is not identical with that taken by traditional teacher candidates and may not develop the pedagogical content knowledge necessary for candidates to connect their experience with the grade 7-12 classroom. Candidates were found to emphasize applied mathematics in both what, and how, with little attention given to mathematical proof. Given their interest applications of mathematics, they, surprisingly, struggled to articulate how to meaningfully integrate science and mathematics.