Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of human and organizational deficiencies on workers’ safety behavior at a mining site in Iran

OBJECTIVES Throughout the world, mines are dangerous workplaces with high accident rates. According to the Statistical Center of Iran, the number of occupational accidents in Iranian mines has increased in recent years. This study investigated and analyzed the human and organizational deficiencies that influenced Iranian mining accidents. METHODS In this study, the data associated with 305 mining accidents were analyzed using a systems analysis approach to identify critical deficiencies in organizational influences, unsafe supervision, preconditions for unsafe acts, and workers’ unsafe acts. Partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was utilized to model the interactions among these deficiencies. RESULTS Organizational deficiencies had a direct positive effect on workers’ violations (path coefficient, 0.16) and workers’ errors (path coefficient, 0.23). The effect of unsafe supervision on workers’ violations and workers’ errors was also significant, with path coefficients of 0.14 and 0.20, respectively. Likewise, preconditions for unsafe acts had a significant effect on both workers’ violations (path coefficient, 0.16) and workers’ errors (path coefficient, 0.21). Moreover, organizational deficiencies had an indirect positive effect on workers’ unsafe acts, mediated by unsafe supervision and preconditions for unsafe acts. Among the variables examined in the current study, organizational influences had the strongest impact on workers’ unsafe acts. CONCLUSIONS Organizational deficiencies were found to be the main cause of accidents in the mining sector, as they affected all other aspects of system safety. In order to prevent occupational accidents, organizational deficiencies should be modified first.
Cytokinin influence on the nDNA and enzyme activity of sucrose metabolizing pathway during senescence of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) leaves.

Cytokinin influence on the nDNA and enzyme activity of sucrose metabolizing pathway during senescence of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) leaves 1Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine, Kyiv 01033, 64 Volodimirska St., e-mail: topchiy_nataliya@univ.kiev. ua 2Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Ukraine, Kyiv 03022, 31/17 Vasylkivska St.
TOWARD A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE BIOAVAILABILITY , PHYSIOLOGY , AND TOXICITY OF SILVER IN FISH : IMPLICATIONS FOR WATER QUALITY

In its ionic form, silver (Ag) is highly toxic to fish (96-h 50% lethal concentration [LC50]: low mg/L range). However, concentrations of Ag in aquatic environments are extremely low and other more common forms of silver show only low to moderate toxicities (e.g., 96-h LC50: silver thiosulfate .100,000 mg Ag/L; silver chlorides .100 mg Ag/L). In bioassays with freshwater fish, acute toxicity appears to be derived exclusively from the Ag ion concentration of the water. Some other forms of silver are bioavailable but do not show obvious contribution to acute toxicity. Complexation of Ag by chloride, dissolved organic carbon, and sulfide are important in reducing silver toxicity. The protective action of hardness (i.e. calcium) is modest. When added as the readily dissociating silver nitrate salt, the toxicity of silver is considerably lower in seawater (96-h LC50 range: 330–2,700 mg Ag/L) than in freshwater (96-h LC50 range: 5–70 mg Ag/L). Acute silver toxicity to fish is caused by failure of the organism to maintain constant Na and Cl concentrations in the blood plasma. In freshwater fish, Ag exerts its toxic effects on the Na and Cl transport across the gills, whereas the intestine has been indicated as the site of toxicity in seawater fish. Although there are still many gaps in our understanding of silver effects on fish, it can be concluded that present regulatory standards for silver can be much improved by taking into account the important geochemical modifiers of silver toxicity. Keywords—Silver Fish Physiology Toxicology Review
Otolith size and the vestibulo-ocular reflex of larvae of white seabass Atractoscion nobilis at high pCO2

We investigated vestibular function and otolith size (OS) in larvae of white seabass Atractoscion nobilis exposed to high partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) The context for our study is the increasing concentration of CO2 in seawater that is causing ocean acidification (OA). The utricular otoliths are aragonitic structures in the inner ear of fish that act to detect orientation and acceleration. Stimulation of the utricular otoliths during head movement results in a behavioral response called the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR). The VOR is a compensatory eye rotation that serves to maintain a stable image during movement. VOR is characterized by gain (ratio of eye amplitude to head amplitude) and phase shift (temporal synchrony). We hypothesized that elevated pCO2 would increase OS and affect the VOR. We found that the sagittae and lapilli of young larvae reared at 2500 μatm pCO2 (treatment) were 14 to 20% and 37 to 39% larger in area, respectively, than those of larvae reared at 400 μatm pCO2 (control). The mean gain of treatment larvae (0.39 ± 0.05, n = 28) was not statistically different from that of control larvae (0.30 ± 0.03, n = 20), although there was a tendency for treatment larvae to have a larger gain. Phase shift was unchanged. Our lack of detection of a significant effect of elevated pCO2 on the VOR may be a result of the low turbulence conditions of the experiments, large natural variation in otolith size, calibration of the VOR or mechanism of acid−base regulation of white seabass larvae.
Cone-beam CT of the internal carotid artery

The gold standard for NASCET-type stenosis measurements is currently 2D digital subtraction angiography (DSA). In this paper, we evaluate the efficacy of 3D cone-beam, Volumetric Subtraction Angiography (VSA) for assessing internal carotid artery stenosis, by comparison with conventional DSA. VSA perspective maximum intensity projections (MIPs) and DSAs were assessed separately for NASCET-type, minimum stenosis measurements. Although virtually any viewing angle of the VSA was possible, the minimum stenosis grades were not significantly higher than that of the DSAs. Our study of 38 arteries yielded a sensitivity and specificity of 100% (using a clinically relevant 60% stenosis threshold). Measurements from three neuroradiologists provided an average stenosis grade of 75 +/- 6% and 76 +/- 7% for the DSA and VSA respectively. A paired student t-test indicated a 98% confidence of no statistical difference in the means. Thus, VSA provides gold standard 3D information about carotid lumen geometry. While not intended to supplant noninvasive techniques during routine clinical diagnosis, it does provide a 3D reference standard for research investigations. Additionally, cone-beam CT can provide quantification of calcification around the carotid bifurcation.
A global inventory of stratospheric chlorine in 2004

Total chlorine (CITOT) in the stratosphere has been determined using the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS) measurements of HCl, ClONO2, CH3Cl, CCl4, CCl3F (CFC-11), CCl2F2 (CFC-12), CHClF2 (HCFC-22), CCl2FCClF2 (CFC-113), CH3CClF2 (HCFC-142b), COClF, and ClO supplemented by data from several other sources, including both measurements and models. Separate chlorine inventories were carried out in five latitude zones (60°-82°N, 30°-60°N, 30°S-30°N, 30°-60°S, and 60°-82°S), averaging the period of February 2004 to January 2005 inclusive, when possible, to deal with seasonal variations. The effect of diurnal variation was avoided by only using measurements taken at local sunset. Mean stratospheric ClTOT values of 3.65 ppbv were determined for both the northern and southern midlatitudes (with an estimated 1σ, accuracy of ±0.13 ppbv and a precision of ±.09 ppbv), accompanied by a slightly lower value in the tropics and slightly higher values at high latitudes. Stratospheric ClTOT profiles in all five latitude zones are nearly linear with a slight positive slope in ppbv /km. Both the observed slopes and pattern of latitudinal variation can be interpreted as evidence of the beginning of a decline in global stratospheric chlorine, which is qualitatively consistent with the mean stratospheric circulation pattern and time lag necessary for transport.
Data Collection with Privacy Preserving in Participatory Sensing

Participatory sensing has increasingly become a new paradigm of data collection from a wide physical area and a large population. One of the major challenges in participatory sensing is the privacy issue. Sensing data from smartphones may contain sensitive information such as user locations. Thus, it is of great importance to preserve privacy throughout the data collection process in participatory sensing. It is however very challenging because of the distributed nature of the network, many potential malicious attackers and the convergecast model of data collection . In this paper, we present a data collection approach which preserves user privacy in participatory sensing. In this approach,a smartphone node utilizes other smartphones as intermediate nodes to transfer its sensing data. In addition, asymmetric encryption is used to prevent malicious reverse tracking along the data forwarding route, hence anonymizing the originator of the data. We analyze the security of the approach and show that it achieves a high level of security. Extensive simulations demonstrate that the proposed approach has a low overhead.
Band tail recombination in polymer:fullerene organic solar cells

Recombination through band tail localized states is studied analytically and by measurement of the forward-bias dark current as a function of temperature in three different organic bulk-heterojunction solar cells. The Shockley-Read-Hall mechanism is analyzed for the specific case of recombination between mobile carriers and an exponential distribution of localized band tail states. The analysis gives a simple relation between the dark current ideality factor and the band tail slope. Assumptions of the model are verified by numerical drift-diffusion modeling. Diode current-voltage measurements give good agreement with the analytical model, confirming that the band tail recombination mechanism applies to at least some organic solar cells. Deep traps provide a secondary recombination channel in some devices.
Hypothyroidism and Hypoparathyroidism in Thalassemia Major Patients: A Study in Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran

Background Hypothyroidism (HT) and hypoparathyroidism (HPT) are common endocrine complications in thalassemia major (TM) patients. Objectives In the present study, we assessed the frequency of HT and HPT in a population of TM patients in Southeast of Iran. Methods This cross sectional study was performed on 194 TM patients in Zabol, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran, during February - July 2016. The demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were collected via interviews and history - taking. For hormone measurements, specific ELISA kits were used. Statistical analysis was performed in SPSS version 16. Results A total of 103 (53.1%) and 91 (46.9%) females and males were recruited in this study, respectively. The mean age of the patients was 15 ± 7.5 years. HT and HPT showed overall frequencies of 8.2% (18/194) and 18% (35/194), respectively. Subclinical and overt HT were observed in 13 (6.7%) and 5 (2.6%) patients, respectively. There was no significant association between HT and age, while patients with HPT were significantly older than those without HPT (20.1 ± 5.8 vs. 13.9 ± 6.2 years; P < 0.001). HPT was significantly associated with the mean received blood per transfusion (P = 0.009), total transfused blood per year (P = 0.01), splenomegaly (P < 0.001), splenectomy (P < 0.001), hepatomegaly (P = 0.01), and chelation regimen (P < 0.001). The ferritin level was correlated with neither HT nor HPT. Also, no significant difference was observed between patients with or without HT or HPT regarding the cooccurrence of either diabetes or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. In the multivariate analysis, splenectomy remained an independent risk factor for HPT after correction for potential covariates (OR, 6.5; 95% CI, 1 - 39.2; P = 0.04). Conclusions In patients with TM, HT was a complication with a relatively low frequency, while HPT was more common. Based on the findings, HPT was more frequent in older patients receiving regular blood transfusions, thereby necessitating close monitoring of these patients.
Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)‐7 in Barrett's esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma: expression, metabolism, and functional significance

Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)‐7, unlike many MMPs, is typically expressed in epithelial cells. It has been linked to epithelial responses to infection, injury, and tissue remodeling including the progression of a number of cancers. We have now examined how MMP‐7 expression changes in the progression to esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), and have studied mechanisms regulating its expression and its functional significance. Immunohistochemistry revealed that MMP‐7 was weakly expressed in normal squamous epithelium adjacent to EAC but was abundant in epithelial cells in both preneoplastic lesions of Barrett's esophagus and EAC particularly at the invasive front. In the stroma, putative myofibroblasts expressing MMP‐7 were abundant at the invasive front but were scarce or absent in adjacent tissue. Western blot and ELISA revealed high constitutive secretion of proMMP‐7 in an EAC cell line (OE33) that was inhibited by the phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3‐kinase inhibitor LY294002 but not by inhibitors of protein kinase C, or MAP kinase activation. There was detectable proMMP‐7 in cultured esophageal myofibroblasts but it was undetectable in media. Possible metabolism of MMP‐7 by myofibroblasts studied by proteomic analysis indicated degradation via extensive endopeptidase, followed by amino‐ and carboxpeptidase, cleavages. Myofibroblasts exhibited increased migration and invasion in response to conditioned media from OE33 cells that was reduced by MMP‐7 knockdown and immunoneutralization. Thus, MMP‑7 expression increases at the invasive front in EAC which may be partly attributable to activation of PI 3‐kinase. Secreted MMP‐7 may modify the tumor microenvironment by stimulating stromal cell migration and invasion.
On perceptual distortion measures and parametric modeling

Over the past two decades, there has been much interest in incorporating human sound perception in signal processing algorithms, often in the form of perceptual distortion measure or an approximation thereof. An example of this is MDCT‐based audio coding where a good quality can be achieved at very low bit‐rates by taking masking effects into account. More recently, the same principles have been applied to parametric modeling and coding of audio signals. We discuss the inherent tradeoffs in choosing a perceptual distortion measure and a parametric model and the pros and cons of various ways of implementing such perceptual distortion measures is discussed. An important question that we seek to answer is whether perception should be taken into account in the estimation of model parameters or this should be done in a separate step.
Communal or competitive? Stable isotope analysis provides evidence of resource partitioning within a communal shark nursery

ABSTRACT: Quantifying the diet of sympatric co-occurring predatory species is a challenging task, made more so when investigations attempt to focus on specific age groups. This is the task that confronts efforts to understand dietary resource partitioning among co-occurring juvenile shark species within nursery areas. Here, stable isotope analysis (δ13C and δ15N) is used to overcome these challenges in describing species dietary resource partitioning strategies within the communal shark nursery area of Cleveland Bay, Queensland, Australia. We analyzed the isotopic composition of 3 distinct tissues, (muscle, blood plasma, and red blood cells), for 7 species of shark and 3 species of large predatory teleost to investigate whether these communal areas support their diverse array of predators without the need for resource partitioning strategies. Clustered δ15N values for all examined species indicated feeding within the same trophic level; however, wide ranging δ13C values denoted exploitation of several primary carbon sources. Our results demonstrate inter-species resource partitioning strategies at work within the examined communal shark nursery, altering the previous interpretation of these areas as resource-rich and/or competition-limited environments.
User identification across online social networks in practice: Pitfalls and solutions

To take advantage of the full range of services that online social networks (OSNs) offer, people commonly open several accounts on diverse OSNs where they leave lots of different types of profile information. The integration of these pieces of information from various sources can be achieved by identifying individuals across social networks. In this article, we address the problem of user identification by treating it as a classification task. Relying on common public attributes available through the official application programming interface (API) of social networks, we propose different methods for building negative instances that go beyond usual random selection so as to investigate the effectiveness of each method in training the classifier. Two test sets with different levels of discrimination are set up to evaluate the robustness of our different classifiers. The effectiveness of the approach is measured in real conditions by matching profiles gathered from Google+, Facebook and Twitter.
Flexible strain sensors based on electrostatically actuated graphene flakes

In this paper we present flexible strain sensors made of graphene flakes fabricated, characterized, and analyzed for the electrical actuation and readout of their mechanical vibratory response in strain-sensing applications. For a typical suspended graphene membrane fabricated with an approximate length of 10 µm, a mechanical resonance frequency around 136 MHz with a quality factor (Q) of ~60 in air under ambient conditions was observed. The applied strain can shift the resonance frequency substantially, which is found to be related to the alteration of physical dimension and the built-in strain in the graphene flake. Strain sensing was performed using both planar and nonplanar surfaces (bending with different radii of curvature) as well as by stretching with different elongations.
Media, Sleep and Memory in Children and Adolescents

Media usage across children and adolescents is steadily increasing and captures a significant amount of their usual waking time. Excessive media use affects sleep quality and quantity including increased sleep onset latency, night awakenings and overall reduced sleep duration. Healthy sleep is important for overall health, as well as physical and mental performance and disrupted sleep during early childhood and adolescent results in emotional and behavioral consequences including impaired school performance, attention problems and a higher risk for ADHD and obesity. The present review summarizes recent findings related to the effects of media on sleep and memory in children and adolescent and provides practical recommendations for children’s’ and adolescent’s media and sleep behavior.
Análisis de la motivación de logro al implementar la TI-Nspire Cx Cas en el aprendizaje de la matemática

El presente trabajo muestra el analisisde la escala atribucional de motivacion de logro, al implementar la calculadoraTI- Nspire CX CAS como herramienta tecnologica de trabajo guiada por ladidactica de la Matematica en Contexto de las Ciencias. Se analizaron 22 itemsde la escala atribucional de motivacion al logro antes y despues deimplementada la tecnologia Texas Instrument en la asignatura de ecuacionesdiferenciales del tercer semestre de la carrera de Ingenieria Quimica Petrolera,para el grupo control constituido por una muestra de 30 alumnos. Los resultadosmuestran un cambio de apreciacion respecto al logro de exito en la evaluacion hacialas ganas de estudiar, asi como de las causas atribucionales percibidas por losalumnos por los examenes y la suerte, hacia el interes y esfuerzo del alumno yla capacidad pedagogica del docente.
UV/O3 treatment as a surface modification of rice husk towards preparation of novel biocomposites

The use of rice husks (RH) to reinforce polymers in biocomposites are increasing tremendously. However, the incompatibility between the hydrophilic RH fibers and the hydrophobic thermoplastic matrices leads to unsatisfactory biocomposites. Surface modification of the fiber surface was carried out to improve the adhesion between fiber and matrix. In this study, the effect of surface modification of RH via alkali, acid and ultraviolet-ozonolysis (UV/O3) treatments on the properties of composites recycled high density polyethylene (rHDPE) composites was investigated. The untreated and treated RH were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The composites containing 30 wt% of RH (treated and untreated) were then prepared via extrusion and followed by compression molding. As compared to untreated RH, all surface treated RH exhibited rougher surface and showed improved adhesion with rHDPE matrix. Tensile strength of UV/O3-treated RH composites showed an optimum result at 18.37 MPa which improved about 5% in comparison to the composites filled with untreated RH. UV/O3 treatment promotes shorter processing time and lesser raw material waste during treatment process where this is beneficial for commercialization in the future developments of wood plastic composites (WPCs). Therefore, UV/O3 treatment can be served as an alternative new method to modify RH surface in order to improve the adhesion between hydrophilic RH fibre and hydrophobic rHDPE polymer matrix.
Aspergillus flavus and Aflatoxin Contamination of Poultry Feeds in Tamil Nadu, India

A survey was conducted during 2013 in different regions of Tamil Nadu, India and a total of 51 poultry feed samples were collected from poultry farms and poultry feed dealers. The presence of Aspergillus flavus in the feeds was detected by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay using specific primers based on the O-methyltransferase gene (omt-A) that is involved in the aflatoxin B1 biosynthesis. The contamination levels of Aflatoxin (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1 and AFG2) were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results indicated that 98% of the tested samples were contaminated with AFB1 and the levels ranged from 0 to 160.7 ppb and the levels of AFB1 in 29% of the samples exceeded 20 ppb. Aflatoxin B2 contamination was observed in more than 82% of the samples tested and the levels of AFB2 in 17% of the samples exceeded 20 ppb. The levels of AFB2 ranged from 0 to 95.5 ppb. AFG1 and AFG2 were not detected in any of these samples. In the PCR analysis using omt-A primers, A. flavus specific 300-bp PCR product was amplified from DNA extracted from most of the AFB1 contaminated feeds. However, some of the feed samples even though contain AFB1 failed to amplify the 300-bp product in PCR.