Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Why Ecological Footprint Calculators Should Move beyond Information Provision – An Empirical Study of the Relationship between Environmental Knowledge and Ecological Footprint

Ecological footprint calculators are digital tools that help individuals calculate their environmental or climate impact, with the aim of stimulating pro-environmental behaviour change. These footprint calculators typically take an information-provision approach, but this strategy assumes that increased levels of knowledge result in increased levels of pro-environmental behaviour (i.e., a reduced footprint). This is not a given – existing literature on the relationship between environmental knowledge and pro-environmental behaviour is inconclusive, and this relationship may be different from that of environmental knowledge and ecological footprint. As such, we investigated the relationship between environmental knowledge and ecological footprint as estimated by a footprint calculator. 448 Dutch participants completed an online survey, including an ecological footprint calculator. We found no evidence for a relationship between environmental knowledge and ecological footprint calculator outcome. Rather, an exploratory analysis of our data showed that environmental values were more important predictors of ecological footprint. The finding that increased levels of knowledge are not related to a reduced ecological footprint suggests that calculators would do well to move beyond information provision, and employ additional behaviour change strategies. Based on our exploratory analysis, we provide several concrete examples of potential strategies.
Patient Navigation Programs for People With Dementia

Patient navigation programs are generally community-based service delivery interventions (such as collaborative care, coordinated care, and case management) intended to enhance timely access to the diagnosis and treatment of individuals with chronic conditions, including dementia. Overall, for coordinated care compared with usual care, clinical findings were either mixed or there were no between-group differences in terms of hospitalization, institutionalization, or nursing home admissions; quality of life; or symptoms. For coordinated care compared with usual care, there was no statistically significant between-group difference in mortality. However, there was evidence of improvement in terms of behaviour with coordinated care compared with usual care. According to 1 economic evaluation, for patients with dementia, with the majority having no or mild cognitive impairment, collaborative dementia care management provided increased benefit (quality-adjusted life-years gained) at decreased cost. Three guidelines were identified that provided recommendations for care coordination. One guideline recommends coordinated care for people living with dementia that is organized by a single-named health or social care professional. The second guideline recommends the use of digital technology to enhance care coordination in persons with mental illness. The third guideline recommends coordinated care for people with delirium, dementia, and depression. Findings need to be interpreted in the light of limitations (such as lack of information in the study populations’ type of dementia, mixed findings in outcomes, and lack of information beyond 24 months of follow-up).
Terapia komórkowa w neurologii – obawy i nadzieje.

Opracowanie standardow kontroli bezpieczenstwa i efektywnośc iterapii chorob neurologicznych na podstawie unikatowych wlaściwości komorek macierzystych stanowi pilne zadanie dl środowiska lekarskiego. Wiekszośc z zarejestrowanych do tej pory badan klinicznych oparto na autologicznych przeszczepieniach mezenchymalnych komorek macierzystych (MSC, mesenchymal stem cells , alternatywnie mesenchymal stromal cells ) otrzymywanych w warunkach hodowlanych in vitro z roznych, dojrzalych i plodowych tkanek ludzkich, ktorych pierwotne pochodzenie i precyzyjny rodowod pozostają przedmiotem dyskusji. W przeprowadzonych badaniach klinicznych nad terapią komorkami macierzystymi, z ktorych ponad 80% dotyczylo chorob ukladu nerwowego, nie zaobserwowano powazniejszych powiklan zagrazający zyciu i zdrowiu pacjentow. Wskazuje to na wysoki stopien bezpieczenstwa terapii z zastosowaniem komorek macierzystych/progenitorowych pochodzenia tkankowego, jednak ostateczne potwierdzenie tego wniosku wymaga rozszerzonego zakresu badan podstawowych, a przede wszystkim dluzszego czasu obserwacji pacjentow. Nalezy sie takze spodziewac, ze lepsze poznanie mechanizmow terapeutycznego dzialania komorek macierzystych wraz z ustaleniem opartych na nich standardow postepowania lekarskiego doprowadzi do zwiekszonej skuteczności tych terapii.
Shared Automated Mobility with Demand-Side Cooperation: A Proof-of-Concept Microsimulation Study

Most existing shared automated mobility (SAM) services assume the door-to-door manner, i.e., the pickup and drop-off (PUDO) locations are the places requested by the customers (or demand-side). While some mobility services offer more affordable riding costs in exchange for a little walking effort from customers, their rationales and induced impacts (in terms of mobility and sustainability) from the system perspective are not clear. This study proposes a demand-side cooperative shared automated mobility (DC-SAM) service framework, aiming to fill this knowledge gap and to assess the mobility and sustainability impacts. The optimal ride matching problem is formulated and solved in an online manner through a micro-simulation model, Simulation of Urban Mobility (SUMO). The objective is to maximize the profit (considering both the revenue and cost) of the proposed SAM service, considering the constraints in seat capacities of shared automated vehicles (SAVs) and comfortable walking distance from the perspective of customers. A case study on a portion of a New York City (NYC) network with a pre-defined fleet size demonstrated the efficacy and promise of the proposed system. The results show that the proposed DC-SAM service can not only significantly reduce the SAV’s operating costs in terms of vehicle-miles traveled (VMT), vehicle-hours traveled (VHT), and vehicle energy consumption (VEC) by up to 53, 46 and 51%, respectively, but can also considerably improve the customer service by 30 and 56%, with regard to customer waiting time (CWT) and trip detour factor (TDF), compared to a heuristic service model. In addition, the demand-side cooperation strategy can bring about additional system-wide mobility and sustainability benefits in the range of 4–10%.
Use of Orem’s self-care model to understand how traditional masculinity affects men’s health

Masculinity ideology, particularly traditional masculinity ideology, has been identified as an influential factor in the healthcare decisions taken by men. Orem’s theory of self-care can be applied to explain the influence that masculinity ideology has on a person’s self-care behaviours. Use of Orem’s theory can give nurses a conceptual frame of reference by which they can examine masculinity ideology in its relation to self-care behaviours among men of various races and cultural backgrounds.
Controllability of PDEs model for type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is the worldwide issue nowadays. Partial differential equations (PDEs) models are used to control the disease with different techniques. Efforts are being made to find the controllability of the model for designing the feedback loop control. The concept of controllability and observability is used for the purpose to control the human glucose insulin systems by designing a feedback loop control if the system is controllable and observable. Return method is used to find controllability of the model. This technique is more reliable in case of PDE model to design the fully automatic artificial pancreas to control the diseases.
The Footprint of the 11‐Year Solar Cycle in Northeastern Pacific SSTs and Its Influence on the Central Pacific El Niño

Applying statistical analyses to reanalysis products during the period 1900–2018, this study finds the 11‐year solar cycle to have a significant correlation with sea surface temperature (SST) variations in the Northeastern Pacific. The solar influence is first manifested and amplified in the lower stratosphere, which then alters the strength of Hadley circulation in the troposphere. Lastly, the changes in the sinking branch of the Hadley circulation modulate surface heat fluxes to give rise to the SST footprint. The footprint has a structure similar to that of the Pacific meridional mode (PMM) that is known to be an important trigger of the central Pacific (CP) type of the El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The 11‐year solar cycle is thus shown to contribute to the slow modulation of the CP ENSO and, in particular, to be associated with more CP El Niño (La Niña) events during the active (inactive) phase of the cycle.
Land Subsidence Spatial Modeling and Assessment of the Contribution of Geo-Environmental Factors to Land Subsidence: Comparison of Different Novel Ensemble Modeling Approaches

Land subsidence is a worldwide threat. In arid and semiarid land, groundwater depletion is the main factor that induce the subsidence and results in environmental damages, with high economic losses. To foresee and prevent the impact of land subsidence is necessary to develop accurated maps of the magnitude and evolution of the subsidences. Land subsidence susceptibility maps (LSSMs) provide one of the effective tools to manage vulnerable areas, and to reduce or prevent land subsidence. In this study, we used a new approach to improve Decision Stump Classification (DSC) performance and combine it with machine learning algorithms (MLAs) of Naive Bayes Tree (NBTree), J48 decision tree, alternating decision tree (ADTree), logistic model tree (LMT) and support vector machine (SVM) in land subsidence susceptibility mapping (LSSSM). We employ data from 94 subsidence locations, among which 70% were used to train learning hybrid models, and the other 30% were used for validation. In addition, the models’ performance was assessed by ROC-AUC, accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, odd ratio, root-mean-square error (RMSE), Kappa, frequency ratio and F-score techniques. A comparison of the results obtained from the different models, reveal that the new DSC-ADTree hybrid algorithm has the highest accuracy (AUC = 0.983) in preparing LSSSMs as compared to other learning models such as DSC-J48 (AUC = 0.976), DSC-NBTree (AUC = 0.959), DSC-LMT (AUC = 0.948), DSC-SVM (AUC = 0.939) and DSC (AUC = 0.911). The LSSSMs generated through the novel scientific approach presented in our study provide reliable tools for managing and reducing the risk of land subsidence.
The Homogeneous B 1 Model as Polynomial Eigenvalue Problem

Abstract The homogeneous version of the B 1 leakage model is a non-linear eigenvalue problem which is generally solved iteratively by a root-finding algorithm, combined to the supplementary eigenvalue problem of the multiplication factor. This problem is widely used for ordinary cross section preparation in reactor analysis. Our work approximates this problem with a polynomial eigenvalue problem, which can be easily transformed into an ordinary linear generalized eigenproblem of size equal to the initial one multiplied by the polynomial degree used for the approximation of a transcendental function. This procedure avoids recurring to numerical root-finding methods supported by extra eigenvalue problems. The solution of the fundamental buckling with increasing approximation order is compared to the reference value obtained by inverse iterations.
Modeling of the Resonant X-ray Response of a Chiral Cubic Phase

The structure of a continuous-grid chiral cubic phase made of achiral constituent molecules is a hot topic in the field of thermotropic liquid crystals. Several structural models have been proposed so far. Resonant X-ray scattering (RXS), which gives information on the molecular orientation in the unit cell, could be applied to select the most appropriate model. We modeled the RXS response for the recently proposed chiral cubic phase structure with an all-hexagon chiral continuous grid. A tensor form factor of a unit cell is constructed, which enables calculation of intensities of peaks for all Miller indices. We find that all the symmetry allowed peaks are resonantly enhanced, and their intensity is much stronger than the intensity of the symmetry forbidden (resonant) peaks. In particular, we predict that a strong resonant enhancement of the symmetry allowed peaks (011) and (002), not observed in a nonresonant scattering, could be observed by RXS at the carbon absorption edge. By RXS at the sulfur absorption edge, one might observe a resonant peak (113) and resonantly enhanced peak (233), and resonant enhancement of all the peaks that are observed in a nonresonant scattering, which probably hide the rest of the predicted resonant peaks.
A deep reinforcement learning-based approach for autonomous driving in highway on-ramp merge

In this paper, we focus on the problem of highway merge via parallel-type on-ramp for autonomous vehicles (AVs) in a decentralized non-cooperative way. This problem is challenging because of the highly dynamic and complex road environments. A deep reinforcement learning-based approach is proposed. The kernel of this approach is a Deep Q-Network (DQN) that takes dynamic traffic state as input and outputs actions including longitudinal acceleration (or deceleration) and lane merge. The total reward for this on-ramp merge problem consists of three parts, which are the merge success reward, the merge safety reward, and the merge efficiency reward. For model training and testing, we construct a highway on-ramp merging simulation experiments with realistic driving parameters. The experimental results show that the proposed approach can make reasonable merging decisions based on the observation of the traffic environment. We also compare our approach with a state-of-the-art approach and the superior performance of our approach is demonstrated by making challenging merging decisions in complex highway parallel-type on-ramp merging scenarios.
The Gender Gap in Workplace Authority: Variation across Types of Authority Positions

Abstract:The finding that men are disproportionately represented in positions of workplace authority to an extent that cannot be explained by human capital attributes and location within the structure of the economy is well documented. Arguing that different authority positions are differentially gendered, this article tests a more refined hypothesis: that the gender gap in authority is larger in positions that are relatively seen as more suitable for men. We distinguish authority positions by the amount of authority and the gender-typed control over resources they involve, hypothesizing a larger gender gap in positions with larger proportions of supervisory, as opposed to nonsupervisory tasks, and in positions with control over organizational, as opposed to human, resources. Our findings, based on Dutch linked survey and administrative data from about 32,000 employees who have started their careers between 1999 and 2016, largely support these ideas. We find an overall larger gender gap in positions with largely supervisory tasks as opposed to positions with only some supervisory tasks. Additionally, the authority gender gap is the largest in largely supervisory positions with control over organizational resources and smallest in positions with control over human resources. We discuss both theoretical and practical implications of our findings.
Dimeric Tacrine (10)-Hupyridone Effectively Combats Alzheimer’s Disease as A Multi-Target-Directed Ligand

Background Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder with multiple pathological features. Therefore, multi-target-directed ligands (MTDLs) strategy has been developed to combat this disease. We have previously designed and synthesized dimeric tacrine (10)-hupyridone (A10E), a novel tacrine derivative with acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) activation activity, by linking tacrine and a fragment of huperzine A. However, it was largely unknown whether A10E could act on other AD targets and produce cognition-enhancing ability in AD animal models. Methods Behavioral and biochemical methods were applied to evaluate multi-target cognitive-enhancing effects and mechanisms of A10E in APP/PS1 transgenic mice and β-amyloid (Aβ) oligomers-treated mice. The neuroprotective mechanisms of A10E were explored in SH-SY5Y cells. And the anti-aggregation effects of A10E on Aβ were directly investigated in vitro. Results A10E could prevent cognitive impairments in both APP/PS1 mice and Aβ oligomers-treated mice, with higher potency than tacrine and huperzine A. Moreover, A10E could effectively inhibit Aβ production and deposition, reduce neuroinflammation, enhance brain derived brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression, and elevate cholinergic neurotransmission in vivo. A10E, at nanomolar concentrations, could also inhibit Aβ oligomers-induced neurotoxicity via the activation of the TrkB/Akt pathway. Furthermore, Aβ oligomerization and fibrillization could be directly disrupted by A10E. Conclusion A10E could produce anti-AD neuroprotective effects via multi-target mechanisms, including the inhibition of Aβ aggregation, the activation of the BDNF/TrkB pathway, the reduction of neuroinflammation and the decrease of AChE activity. As MTDLs could produce additional benefits, such as overcoming the deficits of drug combination and enhancing the compliance of AD patients, our results suggested that A10E might be developed as a promising MTDL lead for the treatment of AD.
Particle-in-cell simulations of heat flux to tokamak divertors in an oblique magnetic field

The management of excessive heat flux to tokamak divertors is one of the most important issues, especially for long-pulse operations of EAST. Different simulation codes based mainly on fluid models have been developed to study the physical processes in edge plasma, including the heat flux to divertor target plates. In these simulations, only the neutral region is included and the heat flux is estimated by using energy transmission coefficients based on a simplified sheath model. In this paper, particle-in-cell simulations are conducted to study the heat flux flowing to the EAST divertor target plates by taking the sheath into account. It is found that the parallel electron velocity distribution function (VDF) in the sheath is a cut-off Maxwellian distribution so the electron sheath energy transmission can be obtained analytically, while ion VDFs in the sheath strongly depend on the incident angle between the magnetic field and divertor target plates. For a small incident angle, in the sheath, the ions move along open orbits and are accelerated mainly in the direction perpendicular to the plane formed by the magnetic field and target plates due to the Lorentz force. An analytical expression for the ion heat flux to the target plates is presented and the obtained results are in good agreement with the simulation results.
The impact of the COVID-19 response on the provision of other public health services in the U.S.: A cross sectional study

Introduction Funding and staff formerly dedicated to routine public health tasks (e.g., responding to communicable and non-communicable diseases, investigating foodborne outbreaks, conducting routine surveillance) and services (e.g., environmental health, substance abuse, maternal-child health) may no longer be available in many public health departments due to the COVID-19 response. The objective of this study was to assess the extent to which staffing for essential public health services has been redirected to the COVID-19 response. Materials and methods This is a cross-sectional study using a survey distributed through the Qualtrics platform. Individuals (N = 298) working in public health across governmental and academic public health departments in the U.S. during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic response were surveyed. Survey items measured multiple domains including professional experience (i.e., training, years of experience, content expertise, job functions, hours worked), mental and physical health status (i.e., generalized anxiety, depression, burnout), and career plans (i.e., pre-pandemic vs. current career plans). Results The total number of content expertise areas and programmatic functions covered by individual public health workers increased between January and September of 2020, with 26% (73 of 282) of respondents reporting an increase in both. The total number of respondents working in infectious disease and preparedness remained constant, while declines were reported in program evaluation (-36%) and health education (-27%) and increases were reported in disease investigation (+35%). Conclusions The provision of many essential public health functions and tasks have been limited or eliminated while the U.S. public health workforce responds to the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings highlight opportunities for funding and professional development of public health systems, both during and after the COVID-19 response, to help ensure the continuity of essential public health services, staffing sustainability, and preparedness for future public health emergencies in the U.S.
From raising alarms to sound practices: The impacts of water sector reforms on communities in Tanzania

ABSTRACT This article examines the process of institutional reforms in the water sector in Tanzania and its impact on the ground. Information for this article was obtained through in-depth interviews, observation and focus group discussions. The findings revealed that although the system of water permits has improved water accessibility to the owners of water use permits, on the other hand the system has failed to guarantee water accessibility to the poor- non holders of water use permits. Water User associations (WUAs) to a large extent, are operating through the formalization of traditional rules and practices. Though WUAs are promising to be good vehicles for attracting and mobilizing resources for expansion and maintenance of water systems, the process is very gradual such that it fails to cater for the needs of the expanding population. This article recommends that the current institutional arrangements for water governance at the community level need to be given a new impetus such that they fairly accommodate all members of the community.
Valuing Personal Safety and the Gender Earnings Gap

Are there gender differences in the willingness to pay (WTP) for safer jobs? Using a laboratory experiment, we elicit participants’ WTP for an early (perceived ‘safer’) on-site shift. We find that women forego larger earnings in order to secure an early shift more than men do, with a safety concern about the late shift being a key driver, explaining up to 20% of the estimated gender gap. We do not observe a gender gap if the job can be completed remotely. Results are robust to controlling for morning-types, household and demographic characteristics, attitudes toward risk and uncertainty, victimization, and information provision about crime. Controlling for crime exposure reduces the estimated gender gap. Thus, our results suggest that policies that reduce gender disparities in safety concerns may affect women’s labor supply.