Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Potentiel cancer risk associated to CT scan : state of the art of epidemiological studies

Introduction: The increasing use of computed tomography (CT) scans in paediatric population raises the question of a possible health impact of ionizing radiation exposure associated with CT scans. Material and methods Two large cohort studies have been recently published that assessed the risk of cancer related to CT examinations of children and young adults. Methodology and results of these studies are presented. Results The UK cohort included over 176,000 young people, who underwent one or more CT scans between 1985 and 2002. The Australian study compared the risk of cancer and leukaemia in a population of 680,000 young people exposed to CT scans between 1985 and 2005 to non-exposed similar age people. Both studies showed a significant dose-response relation between exposure to CT and leukaemia or brain tumour risks. These results are consistent with predictions from A-bomb survivors’ data. However, uncertainties in dosimetric estimation and potential bias linked to underlying medical conditions should be considered. Conclusion and perspectives Further studies with more accurate dosimetry and assessment of potential bias and uncertainties are needed. Ongoing national studies and the European collaborative EPI-CT study will help to better understand the relation between low level radiation exposure and cancer and to support recommendations for patients’ radiation protection.
Effects of Body Mass Index on Brain Structures in the Elderly: Longitudinal Analyses

The relationship between obesity and neurocognitive consequences is complex. Here we investigated associations between body mass index (BMI) and subsequent changes in brain structures, cognitive changes, and the onset of dementia after adjustment of a wide range of potential confounding variables using a large prospective cohort data of UK Biobank. After correcting for confounding factors, higher BMI was associated with greater retention in visuospatial memory performance (decline in error numbers) [beta = -0.019 (CI:-0.027~-0.016), N = 39191], increase in depression tendency scores [beta = 0.036(0.027~0.045)] as well as decreased risk of incident dementia [increasing BMI by 1 is associated with HR of 0.981 (CI:0.969~0.992), N = 398782], but not changes in fluid intelligence or reaction time. Whole brain multiple regression analyses (volumetric analyses: N = 1253, other analyses: N = 1241) revealed positive associations between BMI and subsequent changes in regional gray matter volume (rGMV) in multiple areas, regional white matter volume changes in widespread white matter (WM) tracts, fractional anisotropy changes in several tracts, and intracellular volume fraction (ICVF) and orientation dispersion (OD) in widespread areas, and isotropic volume fraction (ISOVF) in a few areas, and negative associations between BMI and subsequent changes in rGMV in the bilateral medial temporal lobe areas, mean, axial and radial diffusivity, and ISOVF in widespread areas. These results are mostly consistent with the view that less BMI precedes greater neurocognitive aging or atrophy, with a few exceptions including OD findings and the rGMV finding of the medial temporal lobes as most of significant longitudinal associations of higher BMI were opposite to those seen in higher age and dementia. Future epidemiological studies should consider separating effects of higher BMI itself from potential confounders.
Thomson Scattering Measurements of Temperature and Density in a Low-Density, Laser-Driven Magnetized Plasma

We present electron temperature and density measurements from Thomson scattering on recent collisionless shock experiments on the Trident laser at Los Alamos National Laboratory. A graphite target placed inside a static magnetic field (1 kG) created by a 50 cm-diameter Helmholtz coil was ablated by a 1053 nm beam, which created a low-density, magnetized plasma. A separate 527 nm beam was used for Thomson scattering to characterize the plasma 3 cm radially from the target and 0.5-8.5 μs after ablation. The electron temperature was found to be relatively constant over 8 μs at 11-13 eV and, combined with Rayleigh scattering, the electron density was found to be 2 × 1014−4 × 1014 cm−3 over the same timescale. Several carbon emission lines were also observed in the Thomson spectrum and were utilized to independently measure the electron temperature and density and to characterize the plasma charge state.
Pengaruh Model Project Based Learning Terhadap Berpikir Kreatif Peserta Didik dalam Pembelajaran IPA

Pada penelitian ini memiliki tujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh penggunaan model Project Based Learning terhadap berpikir kreatif siswa. Metode penelitian kuantitatif pra eksperimen dengan desain penelitian one group pretest-postest design yang diujikan kepada satu kelas eksperimen dengan menggunakan instrumen penilaian berupa soal tes berbentuk essay sebanyak 4 soal untuk mengetahui berpikir kreatif siswa. Populasi yang digunakan adalah siswa kelas VIII di SMP Dharma Wirawan 3 Tanggulangin. Analisis data menggunakan uji-t melalui aplikasi IBM SPSS 23.0. Hasil penelitian ini persentase berpikir kreatif siswa setelah di diberikan perlakuan menggunakan model Project Based Learning dapat dihitung dari setiap indikator dalam soal. Berdasarkan hasil analisis uji-t menggunakan paired simple t-test diperoleh nilai signifikan 0,000 lebih kecil dari taraf signifikan 0,05; kelas eksperimen berpengaruh pada model Project Based Learning terhadap berpikir kreatif siswa. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian tersebut dapat disimpulkan bahwa terdapat pengaruh model Project Based Learning terhadap berpikir kreatif siswa berada pada katagori baik setelah diterapkan model Project Based Learning.
Determination of muscle strength and function in plesiosaur limbs: finite element structural analyses of Cryptoclidus eurymerus humerus and femur

Background The Plesiosauria (Sauropterygia) are secondary marine diapsids. They are the only tetrapods to have evolved hydrofoil fore- and hindflippers. Once this specialization of locomotion had evolved, it remained essentially unchanged for 135 Ma. It is still controversial whether plesiosaurs flew underwater, rowed, or used a mixture of the two modes of locomotion. The long bones of Tetrapoda are functionally loaded by torsion, bending, compression, and tension during locomotion. Superposition of load cases shows that the bones are loaded mainly by compressive stresses. Therefore, it is possible to use finite element structure analysis (FESA) as a test environment for loading hypotheses. These include muscle reconstructions and muscle lines of action (LOA) when the goal is to obtain a homogeneous compressive stress distribution and to minimize bending in the model. Myological reconstruction revealed a muscle-powered flipper twisting mechanism. The flippers of plesiosaurs were twisted along the flipper length axis by extensors and flexors that originated from the humerus and femur as well as further distal locations. Methods To investigate locomotion in plesiosaurs, the humerus and femur of a mounted skeleton of Cryptoclidus eurymerus (Middle Jurassic Oxford Clay Formation from Britain) were analyzed using FE methods based on the concept of optimization of loading by compression. After limb muscle reconstructions including the flipper twisting muscles, LOA were derived for all humerus and femur muscles of Cryptoclidus by stretching cords along casts of the fore- and hindflippers of the mounted skeleton. LOA and muscle attachments were added to meshed volumetric models of the humerus and femur derived from micro-CT scans. Muscle forces were approximated by stochastic iteration and the compressive stress distribution for the two load cases, “downstroke” and “upstroke”, for each bone were calculated by aiming at a homogeneous compressive stress distribution. Results Humeral and femoral depressors and retractors, which drive underwater flight rather than rowing, were found to exert higher muscle forces than the elevators and protractors. Furthermore, extensors and flexors exert high muscle forces compared to Cheloniidae. This confirms a convergently evolved myological mechanism of flipper twisting in plesiosaurs and complements hydrodynamic studies that showed flipper twisting is critical for efficient plesiosaur underwater flight.
Nutrient Metabolism Exocrine Pancreatic Secretion Is Stimulated in Piglets Fed Fish Oil Compared with Those Fed Coconut Oil or Lard 1 , 2

An experiment was conducted to study the effect of feeding diets containing fat sources with different fatty acid composition (fish oil, coconut oil or lard, 10 g/100 g diet) on exocrine pancreatic secretion in piglets after weaning. A total of 16 barrows were weaned at 4 wk of age; 3 d later, they were surgically fitted with a catheter in the pancreatic duct for continuous collection of pancreatic juice. Collections of pancreatic juice were made every other day starting 4 d postsurgically. Piglets fed the fish oil diet secreted a significantly greater volume of pancreatic juice than piglets fed the coconut oil or lard diets. The output [U/(h kg)] of lipase was higher in piglets fed fish oil than in piglets fed lard or coconut oil. The output of colipase was greater in piglets fed fish oil and coconut oil than in those fed lard. The dietary treatments did not affect the output of carboxylester hydrolase. The output of trypsin was significantly lower in piglets fed lard than in piglets fed fish oil or coconut oil diets and the output of carboxypeptidase B was greater in those fed the fish oil diet. Protein, chymotrypsin, carboxypeptidase A, elastase and amylase outputs did not differ among the dietary treatment groups. The apparent digestibilities of nutrients and energy were measured in feces and did not differ among groups. Thus, the greater output of lipase in fish oil–fed piglets did not result in a greater digestibility of fat in this diet. J. Nutr. 131: 3222–3226, 2001.
On the small-scale structure of turbulence and its impact on the pressure field

Understanding the small-scale structure of incompressible turbulence and its implications for the non-local pressure field is one of the fundamental challenges in fluid mechanics. Intense velocity gradient structures tend to cluster on a range of scales which affects the pressure through a Poisson equation. Here we present a quantitative investigation of the spatial distribution of these structures conditional on their intensity for Taylor-based Reynolds numbers in the range [160, 380]. We find that the correlation length of the second invariant of the velocity gradient is proportional to the Kolmogorov scale. It is also a good indicator for the spatial localization of intense enstrophy and strain-dominated regions, as well as the separation between them. We describe and quantify the differences in the two-point statistics of these regions and the impact they have on the non-locality of the pressure field as a function of the intensity of the regions. Specifically, across the examined range of Reynolds numbers, the pressure in strong rotation-dominated regions is governed by a dissipation-scale neighbourhood. In strong strain-dominated regions, on the other hand, it is determined primarily by a larger neighbourhood reaching inertial scales.
Large-Signal Model of the Metal–Insulator–Graphene Diode Targeting RF Applications

We present a circuit-design compatible large-signal compact model of metal–insulator–graphene (MIG) diodes for describing its dynamic response for the first time. The model essentially consists of a voltage-dependent diode intrinsic capacitance coupled with a static voltage-dependent current source, and the latter accounts for the vertical electron transport from/toward graphene, which has been modeled by means of the Dirac-thermionic electron transport theory through the insulator barrier. Importantly, the image force effect has been found to play a key role in determining the barrier height, so it has been incorporated into the model accordingly. The resulting model has been implemented in Verilog-A to be used in the existing circuit simulators and benchmarked against an experimental 6-nm TiO2 barrier MIG diode working as a power detector.
Dependence on Supplier, Supplier Trust and Green Supplier Integration: The Moderating Role of Contract Management Difficulty

This study aims to investigate the impacts of dependence on supplier and supplier trust on green supplier integration, and the moderating role of contract management difficulty. In this study, we develop a dependence-trust-integration model based on resource dependence theory, social capital theory and transaction cost theory. We examine the hypothesized relationships using hierarchical regression analyses based on data collected from 187 Chinese firms. Our findings suggest that dependence on supplier has positive impacts on green supplier integration and supplier trust. Supplier trust partially mediates the relationship between dependence on supplier and green supplier integration. In addition, contract management difficulty negatively moderates the relationship between supplier trust and green supplier integration. This research contributes to the literature by offering empirical evidence concerning the indirect relationship between dependence on supplier and green supplier integration via supplier trust, and the trust-integration link depends on the level of contract management difficulty.
A Compact Dual-Band Antenna Using Hexagonal Complementary Split Ring Resonator

This work illustrates a novel design of metamaterial inspired structure on miniaturization of microstrip patch antenna. The proposed structure consists of a hexagonal microstrip patch antenna loaded with two hexagonal complementary split ring resonator unit cells etched in the ground plane along with a shortening pin. The proposed dualband antenna with resonances at 3.394 GHz and 4.852 GHz possess the advantages of having simple and miniaturized structure, good impedance matching and VSWR with very low return loss at both resonances. The overall dimension of the proposed antenna is 0. 22λ0 x 0. 22λ0. Also, the electromagnetic characteristics of the resulting composite medium were evaluated from the simulated complex scattering parameters to demonstrate the extant of metamaterial.
Experimental Realization of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen-Bohm Gedankenexperiment : A New Violation of Bell's Inequalities

The linear-polarization correlation of pairs of photons emitted in a radiative cascade of calcium has been measured. The new experimental scheme, using two-channel polarizers (i.e., optical analogs of Stern-Gerlach filters), is a straightforward transposition of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen-Bohm gedankenexperiment. The present results, in excellent agreement with the quantum mechanical predictions, lead to the greatest violation of generalized Bell's inequalities ever achieved.
Design, Characterization, and Dynamic Simulation of the MAHI Open Exoskeleton Upper Limb Robot

Stroke and spinal cord injury are becoming ever more prevalent in the United States. Recent research has shown that rehabilitation robots have the potential to positively impact the rehabilitation process by providing a platform for repetition-based movement therapy. To advance the field, future research directions for robotic rehabilitation are focused on advanced model-based control algorithms, and the combination of robotics with cutting-edge neuromodulation technologies. These approaches necessitate devices that not only feature kinematic and dynamic properties well-suited for model-based control, but also require devices that allow for easy placement of sensors and electrodes on the limb when inserted in the robot. With these design goals in mind, we present the MAHI Open Exoskeleton, a four-degree-of-freedom robot with an open mechanical structure and simplified dynamics, combined with open-source software, that together lay the groundwork for advanced model-based control. The dynamic properties of each joint were characterized and compared against other recently developed rehabilitation robots. Open-source software was developed for the robot, which provides users with both low-level and application-level interfaces to implement a variety of control strategies. Dynamic equations were developed and implemented into a real-time simulation with a visualization, including a seamless interface to the developed software library. Impedance control and model predictive control were implemented and compared to the simulation, proving the value of the new designs.
Fire Whirls

Fire whirls have long fascinated the research community, however their destructive power has hidden many features of their formation, growth and propagation. Most of what is known about fire whirls, therefore, comes from scale modeling experiments in the laboratory. Both the methods of formation, dominated by wind and geometry, and the inner structure of the whirl, including velocity and temperature fields, have been studied at this scale. The particular case of quasi-steady fire whirls directly over a fuel source forms the bulk of current experimental knowledge, despite many other cases existing in nature. The present article reviews the state of knowledge concerning the fluid dynamics of fire whirls, including the conditions for their formation, their structure and the mechanisms which control their unique state. Finally, recent discoveries will be highlighted as well as potential research avenues for the future.
A Comparative Study Of Ant Colony Optimization

Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) belongs to a class of biologically-motivated approaches to computing that includes such metaheuristics as artificial neural networks, evolutionary algorithms, and artificial immune systems, among others. Emulating to varying degrees the particular biological phenomena from which their inspiration is drawn, these alternative computational systems have succeeded in finding solutions to complex problems that had heretofore eluded more traditional techniques. Often, the resulting algorithm bears little resemblance to its biological progenitor, evolving instead into a mathematical abstraction of a singularly useful quality of the phenomenon. In such cases, these abstract computational models may be termed biological metaphors. Mindful that a fine line separates metaphor from distortion, this paper outlines an attempt to better understand the potential consequences an insufficient understanding of the underlying biological phenomenon may have on its transformation into mathematical metaphor. To that end, the author independently develops a rudimentary ACO, remaining as faithful as possible to the behavioral qualities of an ant colony. Subsequently, the performance of this new ACO is compared with that of a more established ACO in three categories: (1) the hybridization of evolutionary computing and ACO, (2) the efficacy of daemon actions, and (3) theoretical properties and convergence proofs.
Parental reflective functioning and preschool children’s psychosocial functioning: the mediating role of children’s emotion regulation

ABSTRACT Parental reflective functioning (PRF) is considered to be a key factor in the development of emotion regulation in children, which in turn plays an important role in their psychosocial functioning. This study aimed to explore the mediating role of children’s emotion regulation in the relationship between parental reflective functioning and children’s social, emotional, and behavioural functioning in a sample of preschool-age children. Participants were 257 mothers (Mean age = 35.63, SD = 4.55) and their preschool children (Mean age = 4.83, SD = .89; 46.7% girls), recruited through convenience sampling. Mothers’ reflective functioning was measured using Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (PRFQ), which includes three subscales: Pre-Mentalizing (PM), Certainty about Mental States (CMS), and Interest and Curiosity in the Mental States (IC). Also, mothers reported on their child’s emotion regulation and psychosocial functioning using the Emotion Regulation Checklist (ERC), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and Social Skills Rating System (SSRS). Findings revealed that PM, as expected, was positively associated with psychosocial difficulties and negatively associated with emotion regulation and social strengths. IC, as expected, was negatively associated with psychosocial difficulties and positively associated with emotion regulation and social strengths. CMS, unexpectedly, was not associated with psychosocial difficulties and was positively associated with emotion regulation and social strengths. In addition, results of structural equation modelling showed that children’s emotion regulation mediated the relationship between parental reflective functioning and children’s social, emotional, and behavioural functioning. Our results highlight the importance of parental reflective functioning and children’s emotion regulation for children’s social, emotional, and behavioural functioning, and shed light on the possible role of emotion regulation through which parental reflective functioning exerts its influence on children’s psychosocial functioning.
Scientific Opinion on the safety of ‘ yeast beta-glucans ’ as a Novel Food ingredient

Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the safety of „yeast beta-glucans‟ as a novel food ingredient in the context of Regulation (EC) No. 258/97 taking account of the comments/objections of a scientific nature raised by the Member States. „Yeast beta-glucans‟ consists of complex, high molecular mass polysaccharides derived from the cell wall of baker‟s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This novel food application concerns both insoluble as well as soluble „yeast beta-glucans‟. The source, characterisation, specification and production process do not give reasons for concern. The applicant intends to market „yeast beta-glucans‟ in food supplements at dose levels of up to 375 mg per day and in foods for particular nutritional uses (PARNUTS) at dose levels of up to 600 mg per day. It is not intended for infant formulae and follow-on formulae. In addition, the applicant intends to market „yeast beta-glucans‟ in a variety of foods including beverages for the general population. The Panel notes that the “high intake” scenario for „yeast beta-glucans‟ is grossly similar to the background intake of beta-glucans from other dietary sources. Data provided on (sub)acute and sub-chronic toxicity, absorption, and limited human data do not give reason for concern. The Panel considers that the allergenic risk of the „yeast beta-glucans‟ is not higher than the risk from other products containing baker‟s yeast. Beta-glucans from other sources have already been evaluated for safety by EFSA. On the basis of the nature of „yeast beta-glucans‟, the significant history of use of its source, the provided intake estimate and the supplementary data from human and animal studies, Panel concludes that „yeast beta-glucans‟ is safe at the proposed conditions of use.