Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effects of light volleyball intervention programme in improving selected physical and psychological attributes of older adults in Hong Kong

Previous research has demonstrated improvements in health outcomes through participation in light volleyball (LVB) among older adults in China (He, 2009). This study examined the effects of a 15-week LVB intervention programme on physical and psychological attributes among older adults in Hong Kong. Participants (N = 78) aged ≥60 years were assigned to one of the three groups: intervention (LVB), comparison [rouliqiu (RLQ)], and control groups (CGs). Participants completed functional fitness measures and physical activity enjoyment questionnaire before and after the intervention. Results revealed significant improvements in agility, cardiovascular endurance, upper and lower extremity muscle strength, and physical activity enjoyment among participants in the LVB group compared to the CG group. Participants in the LVB group also demonstrated greater cardiovascular endurance, upper extremity muscle strength, and physical activity enjoyment than participants in the RLQ group. Health practitioners may consider LVB as an adapted physical activity intervention to promote health outcomes in older adults.
Moment-Based Analysis of Spreading Processes from Network Structural Information

Victor M. Preciado∗ and Ali Jadbabaie† Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104‡ Abstract The intricate structure of many large-scale networked systems has attracted the attention of the scientific community, leading to many results attempting to explain the relationship between network structural properties and dynamical performance. A common approach to study this relationship is the usage of synthetic network models in which the researcher can prescribe structural properties of interest, such as degree distributions. Researchers then estimate performance metrics of the synthetic network and study the effect of structural variations in these metrics. Although very common, this approach present a major flaw: Synthetic network models implicitly induce structural properties that are not directly controlled and can be relevant to the network dynamical performance. Therefore, it is difficult to isolate the role of a particular network property in the dynamical performance using synthetic networks. In this paper, we propose an alternative approach to overcome this flaw. Furthermore, our analysis unveils the set of structural properties that are most relevant to the network dynamical performance. We illustrate our approach by studying the dynamics of viral spreading processes in complex networks. Our analysis builds on algebraic graph theory and convex optimization to study how network structural properties constrain the behavior of viral spreading. We illustrate our approach with nontrivial numerical simulations in an online social network.
Structural Inference in Transition Measurement Error Models for Longitudinal Data

Summary We propose a new class of models, transition measurement error models, to study the effects of covariates and the past responses on the current response in longitudinal studies when one of the covariates is measured with error. We show that the response variable conditional on the error‐prone covariate follows a complex transition mixed effects model. The naive model obtained by ignoring the measurement error correctly specifies the transition part of the model, but misspecifies the covariate effect structure and ignores the random effects. We next study the asymptotic bias in naive estimator obtained by ignoring the measurement error for both continuous and discrete outcomes. We show that the naive estimator of the regression coefficient of the error‐prone covariate is attenuated, while the naive estimators of the regression coefficients of the past responses are generally inflated. We then develop a structural modeling approach for parameter estimation using the maximum likelihood estimation method. In view of the multidimensional integration required by full maximum likelihood estimation, an EM algorithm is developed to calculate maximum likelihood estimators, in which Monte Carlo simulations are used to evaluate the conditional expectations in the E‐step. We evaluate the performance of the proposed method through a simulation study and apply it to a longitudinal social support study for elderly women with heart disease. An additional simulation study shows that the Bayesian information criterion (BIC) performs well in choosing the correct transition orders of the models.
Methane production by ruminants: its contribution to global warming

The aim of this paper is to review the role of methane in the global warming scenario and to examine the contribution to atmospheric methane made by enteric fermentation, mainly by rumi- nants. Agricultural emissions of methane in the EU-15 have recently been estimated at 10.2 million tonnes per year and represent the greatest source. Of these, approximately two-thirds come from enteric fermentation and one-third from livestock manure. Fermentation of feeds in the rumen is the largest source of methane from enteric fermentation and this paper considers in detail the reasons for, and the consequences of, the fact that the molar percentage of the different volatile fatty acids pro- duced during fermentation influences the production of methane in the rumen. Acetate and butyrate promote methane production while propionate formation can be considered as a competitive pathway for hydrogen use in the rumen. The many alternative approaches to reducing methane are considered, both in terms of reduction per animal and reduction per unit of animal product. It was concluded that the most promising areas for future research for reducing methanogenesis are the development of new products/delivery systems for anti-methanogenic compounds or alternative electron acceptors in the rumen and reduction in protozoal numbers in the rumen. It is also stressed that the reason ruminants are so important to mankind is that much of the world's biomass is rich in fibre. They can convert this into high quality protein sources (i.e. meat and milk) for human consumption and this will need to be balanced against the concomitant production of methane.
The spectrum of prime ideals in tensor triangulated categories

Abstract We define the spectrum of a tensor triangulated category as the set of so-called prime ideals, endowed with a suitable topology. In this very generality, the spectrum is the universal space in which one can define supports for objects of . This construction is functorial with respect to all tensor triangulated functors. Several elementary properties of schemes hold for such spaces, e.g. the existence of generic points or some quasi-compactness. Locally trivial morphisms are proved to be nilpotent. We establish in complete generality a classification of thick ⊗-ideal subcategories in terms of arbitrary unions of closed subsets with quasi-compact complements (Thomason’s theorem for schemes, mutatis mutandis). We also equip this spectrum with a sheaf of rings, turning it into a locally ringed space. We compute examples and show that our spectrum unifies the schemes of algebraic geometry and the support varieties of modular representation theory.
Interconversion between active and inactive TATA-binding protein transcription complexes in the mouse genome

The TATA binding protein (TBP) plays a pivotal role in RNA polymerase II (Pol II) transcription through incorporation into the TFIID and B-TFIID complexes. The role of mammalian B-TFIID composed of TBP and B-TAF1 is poorly understood. Using a complementation system in genetically modified mouse cells where endogenous TBP can be conditionally inactivated and replaced by exogenous mutant TBP coupled to tandem affinity purification and mass spectrometry, we identify two TBP mutations, R188E and K243E, that disrupt the TBP–BTAF1 interaction and B-TFIID complex formation. Transcriptome and ChIP-seq analyses show that loss of B-TFIID does not generally alter gene expression or genomic distribution of TBP, but positively or negatively affects TBP and/or Pol II recruitment to a subset of promoters. We identify promoters where wild-type TBP assembles a partial inactive preinitiation complex comprising B-TFIID, TFIIB and Mediator complex, but lacking TFIID, TFIIE and Pol II. Exchange of B-TFIID in wild-type cells for TFIID in R188E and K243E mutant cells at these primed promoters completes preinitiation complex formation and recruits Pol II to activate their expression. We propose a novel regulatory mechanism involving formation of a partial preinitiation complex comprising B-TFIID that primes the promoter for productive preinitiation complex formation in mammalian cells.
Performance of MAC protocols in linear VANETs under different attenuation and fading conditions

Vehicular Ad hoc networks (VANETs) are an important example of Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs) because they can save lives by improving safety on our road networks. They are difficult to design however due their inherent characteristics e.g., quickly changing topology, node density and relative speeds of vehicles. These characteristics also make current wireless Media Access Control (MAC) protocols unsuitable for use in VANETs without modifications. In this paper we study the performance of these protocols to see how they can be tuned to design a VANET with optimal network throughput. We do a simulation study of two popular MAC schemes (Aloha and CSMA) in a linear VANET and analyze them in terms of density of progress of the transmissions under different attenuation and fading conditions. The results show how network performance deteriorates with changes in the conditions and how we can improve it by tuning the MAC protocols. The results presented in this paper can be useful for the design and optimal tuning of VANETs in varying network conditions (attenuation, fading and noise).
Observational Evidence of Mixed Rossby‐Gravity Waves as a Driving Force for the MJO Convective Initiation and Propagation

Based on observational data analyses of a Madden‐Julian Oscillation (MJO) event during the field campaign of the Years of the Maritime Continent Project, we propose a new mechanism for MJO convective initiation and propagation to which mixed Rossby‐gravity waves (MRGs) contribute significantly. The intensive observation captured midtropospheric wind variations associated with MRGs, and those signals propagated westward over the Indian Ocean in the MJO‐suppressed phase. The transition to the MJO active phase follows tight MRG‐convection coupling, which is enhanced when the wavelength becomes shorter due to weak midlevel convergence in the western Indian Ocean. Basin‐scale anomalous midtropospheric moistening caused by MRG shallow circulations also contributes. These processes lead to the lower‐tropospheric MRG wave packet formation and successive triggering of MJO convection, with the eastward MRG group velocity corresponding to MJO propagation. Additional analysis for other MJO cases implicates potential for robustness of this MJO‐MRG relationship.
Treatment Outcome and Mortality among Patients with Multidrug-resistant Tuberculosis in Tuberculosis Hospitals of the Public Sector

This study was conducted to evaluate treatment outcome, mortality, and predictors of both in patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) at 3 TB referral hospitals in the public sector of Korea. We included MDR-TB patients treated at 3 TB referral hospitals in 2004 and reviewed retrospectively their medical records and mortality data. Of 202 MDR-TB patients, 75 (37.1%) had treatment success and 127 (62.9%) poor outcomes. Default rate was high (37.1%, 75/202), comprising 59.1% of poor outcomes. Male sex (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.91; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13-7.49), positive smear at treatment initiation (aOR, 5.50; 95% CI, 1.22-24.90), and extensively drug-resistant TB (aOR, 10.72; 95% CI, 1.23-93.64) were independent predictors of poor outcome. The all-cause mortality rate was 31.2% (63/202) during the 3-4 yr after treatment initiation. In conclusion, the treatment outcomes of patients with MDR-TB at the 3 TB hospitals are poor, which may reflect the current status of MDR-TB in the public sector of Korea. A more comprehensive program against MDR-TB needs to be integrated into the National Tuberculosis Program of Korea.
Public transport and people with impairments – exploring non-use of public transport through the case of Oslo, Norway

abstract Despite the attention given to universal design in recent years, many people with impairments still refrain from travelling on public transport. This explorative case study, conducted in the greater Oslo region in Norway, aims to add knowledge on why this is so. Findings indicate that insecurity while travelling and expectations of problems along the way are significant barriers. For many it is the sum of all challenges combined, from experience or anticipation that leads to non-use of public transport. The study shows that universal design policy, as of today, does not lead to accessible public transport systems that rendered impairments irrelevant. If society could safeguard the individuals’ travel needs, this might have profound societal repercussions through increased workforce participation and value added in society. Only then can society make the best use of all its inhabitants while championing inclusiveness and equality.
Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Locally-Acquired Dengue Transmission in Northern Queensland, Australia, 1993–2012

Background Dengue has been a major public health concern in Australia since it re-emerged in Queensland in 1992–1993. We explored spatio-temporal characteristics of locally-acquired dengue cases in northern tropical Queensland, Australia during the period 1993–2012. Methods Locally-acquired notified cases of dengue were collected for northern tropical Queensland from 1993 to 2012. Descriptive spatial and temporal analyses were conducted using geographic information system tools and geostatistical techniques. Results 2,398 locally-acquired dengue cases were recorded in northern tropical Queensland during the study period. The areas affected by the dengue cases exhibited spatial and temporal variation over the study period. Notified cases of dengue occurred more frequently in autumn. Mapping of dengue by statistical local areas (census units) reveals the presence of substantial spatio-temporal variation over time and place. Statistically significant differences in dengue incidence rates among males and females (with more cases in females) (χ2 = 15.17, d.f. = 1, p<0.01). Differences were observed among age groups, but these were not statistically significant. There was a significant positive spatial autocorrelation of dengue incidence for the four sub-periods, with the Moran's I statistic ranging from 0.011 to 0.463 (p<0.01). Semi-variogram analysis and smoothed maps created from interpolation techniques indicate that the pattern of spatial autocorrelation was not homogeneous across the northern Queensland. Conclusions Tropical areas are potential high-risk areas for mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue. This study demonstrated that the locally-acquired dengue cases have exhibited a spatial and temporal variation over the past twenty years in northern tropical Queensland, Australia. Therefore, this study provides an impetus for further investigation of clusters and risk factors in these high-risk areas.
Nouchis, ziguéhis et microbes d’Abidjan : déclassement et distinction sociale par la violence de rue en Côte d’Ivoire

Les « microbes », des bandes de delinquants se distinguant par leur jeunesse et leur violence, sont apparus en Cote d’Ivoire au cours de l’annee 2012. La violence dont ils sont porteurs semble n’etre qu’une reecriture, dans un contexte autrement fragile, de celle perpetree par les ziguehis et les nouchis, jeunesses urbaines en quete de visibilite et de reconnaissance sociales dans la Cote d’Ivoire « conjoncturee » de l’apres decennie 1970. En procedant a une historicisation du declassement social des jeunes et de sa traduction en phenomene de distinction sociale par la violence, la presente contribution analyse les ruptures et les continuites entre ce que l’on pourrait considerer comme deux modalites « generationnelles », distantes contextuellement, mais proches en termes de processus sociaux de reinvention violente de soi, dans la rue, de jeunes urbains relegues a la marge de la societe.
A New Sentence Similarity Method Based on a Three-Layer Sentence Representation

Sentence similarity methods are used to assess the degree of likelihood between phrases. Many natural language applications such as text summarization, information retrieval, text categorization, and machine translation employ measures of sentence similarity. The existing approaches for this problem represent sentences as vectors of bag of words or the syntactic information of the words in the phrase. The likelihood between phrases is calculated by composing the similarity between the words in the sentences. Such schemes do not address two important concerns in the area, however: the semantic problem and the word order. This paper proposes a new sentence similarity measure that attempts to address such problems by taking into account the lexical, syntactic, and semantic analysis of sentences. The new similarity measure proposed outperforms the state of the art systems in around 6%, when tested using a standard and publically available dataset.
Some diophantine equations with many solutions

be an irreducible binary form of degree n >, 3. In 1100, Thue proved that for each integer m the equation F(x, y) = m has only finitely many solutions in integers x, y. Mahler extended Thue's result by proving that the number of solutions of F(x, y) = m can be bounded in terms of F and the prime divisors of m. Several bounds for the number of solutions have been given. Let S = { p BLOCKINp,,. } be a set of prime numbers. Evertse solved an old conjecture of Siegel by proving that if F has non-zero discriminant, then the number of coprime pairs x, y c-Z such that F(x, y) is composed of primes from S does not exceed exp (n 3 (4s + 7)). In the proofs of these results S-unit equations are used. An example of an S-unit equation is the equation x + y = z in coprime positive integers x, y, z each composed of primes from S. Evertse also showed that this equation has at most exp (4s + 6) solutions. These results played a key role in the solution of an old conjecture of Erdös and Turán. Györy, Stewart and Tijdeman showed that if A and B are finite sets of k and l positive integers, respectively, and k >, l > 2, then there exist a in A and b in B such that the greatest prime factor of a + b exceeds C log k loglog k where C is some positive constant. In this paper we want to prove that there are Diophantine equations of above mentioned types which have surprisingly many solutions, thereby showing that some of the above results are not far from being the best possible ones. In §1 we consider the problem of Erdös and Turán. It follows from Theorem 1 that the bound C log k loglog k cannot be replaced by (log k loglog k)2. In §2 we turn to S-unit equations. We show in Theorem 4 that the equation x + y = z can have more than exp ((s/log s)' iz) solutions in coprime positive integers x, y, z each composed of primes
A comparison of two approaches to measuring frailty in elderly people.

BACKGROUND Many definitions of frailty exist, but few have been directly compared. We compared the relationship between a definition of frailty based on a specific phenotype with one based on an index of deficit accumulation. METHODS The data come from all 2305 people 70 years old and older who composed the clinical examination cohort of the second wave of the Canadian Study of Health and Aging. We tested convergent validity by correlating the measures with each other and with other health status measures, and analyzed cumulative index distributions in relation to phenotype. To test criterion validity, we evaluated survival (institutionalization and all-cause mortality) by frailty index (FI) score, stratified by the phenotypic definitions as "robust," "pre-frail," and "frail. " RESULTS The measures correlated moderately well with each other (R=0.65) and with measures of function (phenotypic definition R=0.66; FI R=0.73) but less well with cognition (phenotypic definition R=-0.35; FI R=-0.58). The median FI scores increased from 0.12 for the robust to 0.30 for the pre-frail and 0.44 for the frail. Survival was also lower with increasing frailty, and institutionalization was more common, but within each phenotypic class, there were marked differences in outcomes based on the FI values-e.g., among robust people, the median 5-year survival for those with lower FI values was 85%, compared with 55% for those with higher FI values. CONCLUSION The phenotypic definition of frailty, which offers ready clinical operationalization, discriminates broad levels of risk. The FI requires additional clinical translation, but allows the risk of adverse outcomes to be defined more precisely.
Synthesis of mechanical networks: the inerter

The paper is concerned with the problem of synthesis of (passive) mechanical one-port networks. One of the main contributions of the paper is the introduction of a device, which will be called the inerter, which is the true network dual of the spring. This contrasts with the mass element which, by definition, always has one terminal connected to ground. The inerter allows electrical circuits to be translated over to mechanical ones in a completely analogous way. The inerter need not have large mass. This allows any arbitrary positive real impedance to be synthesised mechanically using physical components which may be assumed to have small mass compared to other structures to which they may be attached. The possible application of the inerter is considered to a vibration absorption problem and a suspension strut design.