Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Time-Varying Parameter Vector Autoregression Model for Forecasting Emerging Market Exchange Rates

In this study, a vector autoregression (VAR) model with time-varying parameters (TVP) to predict the daily Indian rupee (INR)/US dollar (USD) exchange rates for the Indian economy is developed. The method is based on characterization of the TVP as an optimal control problem. The methodology is a blend of the flexible least squares and Kalman filter techniques. The out-of-sample forecasting performance of the TVP-VAR model is evaluated against the simple VAR and ARIMA models, by employing a cross-validation process and metrics such as mean absolute error, root mean square error, and directional accuracy. Out-of-sample results in terms of conventional forecast evaluation statistics and directional accuracy show TVP-VAR model consistently outperforms the simple VAR and ARIMA models.
Variability and multiperiodic oscillations in the X-ray light curve of the classical nova V4743 Sgr

The classical nova V4743 Sgr was observed with XMM-Newton for about 10 hours on April 4 2003, 6.5 months after optical maximum. At this time, this nova had become the brightest supersoft X-ray source ever observed. In this paper we present the results of a time series analysis performed on the X-ray light curve obtained in this observation, and in a previous shorter observation done with Chandra 16 days earlier. Intense variability, with amplitude as large as 40% of the total flux, was observed both times. Similarities can be found between the two observations in the structure of the variations. Most of the variability is well represented as a combination of oscillations at a set of discrete frequencies lower than 1.7 mHz. At least five frequencies are constant over the 16 day time interval between the two observations. We suggest that a periods in the power spectrum of both light curves at the frequency of 0.75 mHz and its first harmonic are related to the spin period of the white dwarf in the system, and that other observed frequencies are signatures of nonradial white dwarf pulsations. A possible signal with a 24000 sec period is also found in the XMM-Newton light curve: a cycle and a half are clearly identified. This period is consistent with the 24278 s periodicity discovered in the optical light curve of the source and thought to be the orbital period of the nova binary stellar system.
A configurable 5.9 μW analog front-end for biosignal acquisition

This paper presents a configurable analog front-end (AFE) for the recordings of a variety of biopotential signals, including electromyography (EMG), electrocardiogram (ECG), electroencephalogram (EEG), action potential (AP) signals, etc. The first stage of the AFE employs a chopper-stabilized current-reuse complementary input (CRCI) telescopic-cascode amplifier to achieve high noise-power efficiency and suppress 1/f noise. A tunable impedance-boosting loop (IBL) is utilized, which is robust to process variation and parasitic capacitance and increases the input impedance from 4.3 MΩ to 102 MΩ. The proposed AFE is fabricated in a 0.13 μm CMOS process. The AFE has a mid-band gain from 45.2-71 dB. The low-pass corner is tunable in the range of 70-400 Hz and 1.2-7 kHz. When configured for EEG recordings (0.7-100 Hz), the AFE draws 5.4 μW from a 1.2 V supply while exhibiting input-referred noise of 0.45 μVrms, corresponding to a noise efficiency factor (NEF) of 3.7. When configured for AP recordings (0.7 Hz-7 kHz), the AFE consumes 5.9 μW with input referred noise of 2.93 μVrms and a NEF of 3.0.
Unintentional Injuries in Preschool Age Children

AbstractUnintentional injuries are the leading cause of death among children. Previous research has shown that most of the injuries occur in and around the home. Therefore, parents have a key role in the occurrence and prevention of injuries. In this study, we examined the relationship among home injuries to children and parental attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, parental attitudes, and children's behavioral problems.Forty children who were admitted to the emergency department because of home injuries constitute the study group. The control group also consisted of 40 children, who were admitted for mild throat infections. The parents filled out questionnaires assessing parental ADHD, child behavioral problems, and parenting attitudes.Scores were significantly higher for both internalizing disorders and externalizing disorders in study groups. We also found that ADHD symptoms were significantly higher among fathers of injured children compared with fathers of control groups. Democratic parenting was also found to correlate with higher numbers of injuries.Parenting style, as well as the psychopathology of both the parents and children, is important factors in children's injuries. A child psychiatrist visit following an emergency procedure may help to prevent further unintentional injuries to the child.
Management of Diabetes and Its Complications with Banaba (Lagerstroemia speciosa L.) and Corosolic Acid

Banaba (Lagerstroemia speciosa L.) extracts have been used for many years in folk medicine to treat diabetes, with the first published research study being reported in 1940. This paper summarizes the current literature regarding Banaba and its constituents. The hypoglycemic effects of Banaba have been attributed to both corosolic acid as well as ellagitannins. Studies have been conducted in various animal models, human subjects, and in vitro systems using water soluble Banaba leaf extracts, corosolic acid, and ellagitannins. Corosolic acid has been reported to decrease blood sugar levels within 60 min in human subjects. Corosolic acid also exhibits antihyperlipidemic and antioxidant activities. The beneficial effects of Banaba and corosolic acid with respect to various aspects of glucose and lipid metabolism appear to involve multiple mechanisms, including enhanced cellular uptake of glucose, impaired hydrolysis of sucrose and starches, decreased gluconeogenesis, and the regulation of lipid metabolism. These effects may be mediated by PPAR and other signal transduction factors. Banaba extract, corosolic acid, and other constituents may be beneficial in addressing the symptoms associated with metabolic syndrome, as well as offering other health benefits.
High-Order Terms in the Asymptotic Expansions of the Steady-State Voltage Potentials in the Presence of Conductivity Inhomogeneities of Small Diameter

We derive high-order terms in the asymptotic expansions of the steady-state voltage potentials in the presence of a finite number of diametrically small inhomogeneities with conductivities different from the background conductivity. Our derivation is rigorous and based on layer potential techniques. The asymptotic expansions in this paper are valid for inhomogeneities with Lipschitz boundaries and those with extreme conductivities.
The Falls In Care Home study: a feasibility randomized controlled trial of the use of a risk assessment and decision support tool to prevent falls in care homes

Objective: To explore the feasibility of implementing and evaluating the Guide to Action Care Home fall prevention intervention. Design: Two-centre, cluster feasibility randomized controlled trial and process evaluation. Setting: Purposive sample of six diverse old age/learning disability, long stay care homes in Nottinghamshire, UK. Subjects: Residents aged over 50 years, who had fallen at least once in the past year, not bed-bound, hoist-dependent or terminally ill. Interventions: Intervention homes (n = 3) received Guide to Action Care Home fall prevention intervention training and support. Control homes (n = 3) received usual care. Outcomes: Recruitment, attrition, baseline and six-month outcome completion, contamination and intervention fidelity, compliance, tolerability, acceptance and impact. Results: A total of 81 of 145 (56%) care homes expressed participatory interest. Six of 22 letter respondent homes (27%) participated. The expected resident recruitment target was achieved by 76% (52/68). Ten (19%) residents did not complete follow-up (seven died, three moved). In intervention homes 36/114 (32%) staff attended training. Two of three (75%) care homes received protocol compliant training. Staff valued the training, but advised greater management involvement to improve intervention implementation. Fall risks were assessed, actioned and recorded in care records. Of 115 recorded falls, 533/570 (93%) of details were complete. Six-month resident fall rates were 1.9 and 4.0 per year for intervention and control homes, respectively. Conclusions: The Guide to Action Care Home is implementable under trial conditions. Recruitment and follow-up rates indicate that a definitive trial can be completed. Falls (primary outcome) can be ascertained reliably from care records.
Fibronectin-Facilitated Invasion of T84 Eukaryotic Cells by Campylobacter jejuni Occurs Preferentially at the Basolateral Cell Surface

ABSTRACT Previous studies have indicated that the ability to bind to fibronectin is a key feature in successful cell invasion by Campylobacter jejuni. Given the spatial distribution of fibronectin and the architecture of the epithelium, this suggests the possibility that C. jejuni cell invasion might preferentially occur at the basolateral cell surface. To test this hypothesis, we examined the interaction of C. jejuni with T84 human colonic cells. When grown under the appropriate conditions, T84 cells form a polarized cell monolayer. C. jejuni translocation of a T84 cell monolayer appeared to occur via a paracellular (extracellular) route as opposed to a transcellular (intracellular) route based on the finding that a C. jejuni noninvasive mutant translocated as efficiently as its isogenic parent. Additional studies revealed that two distinct C. jejuni wild-type isolates could compete with one another for host cell receptors, whereas a C. jejuni fibronectin-binding-deficient mutant could not compete with a wild-type isolate for host cell receptors. Further, C. jejuni adherence and internalization were significantly inhibited by antifibronectin antibodies but only when cells were first treated with EGTA to expose basolateral cell surfaces. Together, these results support the theory that C. jejuni invasion occurs preferentially at the basolateral surface of eukaryotic cells.
Hospital-Acquired Infections After Cardiac Surgery and Current Physician Practices: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background The management of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) with respect to physician practices remains largely unexplored despite increasing efforts to standardize care. In the present study, we report findings from a 2-month audit of all patients that have undergone cardiac surgery at a large referral center in Atlantic Canada. Methods All patients who underwent cardiac surgical procedures during May and June 2013 at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Center in Halifax, Nova Scotia were identified. The prevalence of urinary tract infections (UTIs), pneumonia, leg harvest site infections, superficial sternal wound infections, deep sternal wound infections, and sepsis was examined to determine physician approaches in terms of verification rates (microbiology), time of diagnosis and duration of treatment. Continuous variables were compared using Student’s t-test and categorical variables were analyzed using Fischer’s exact test. Results A total of 185 consecutive patients underwent cardiac surgical procedures, of which 39 (21%) developed at least one postoperative infection. The overall prevalence of infection types, from highest to lowest, was UTI (8%), pneumonia (7%), leg harvest site infection (5%), superficial surgical site infection (4%), and sepsis (2%). There were no deep sternal wound infections. The overall in-hospital mortality rate was 3.8% with a median length of stay (LOS) of 8 days. The overall infection verification rate was 50% (ranged from 100% in sepsis to 10% in leg harvest site infections). In all cases, a full course of antibiotics was administered despite negative microbiology cultures or limited evidence of an actual infection. Conclusions HAIs are commonly treated without being verified and treatment is often not discontinued after negative cultures are received. Our findings highlight the fact that antibiotic treatment is not always supported by evidence, and the effect of this could contribute to increased selective pressure for antimicrobial resistant bacteria.
BROAD IRON LINES IN NEUTRONS STARS: DYNAMICAL BROADENING OR WIND SCATTERING?

Broad iron emission lines are observed in many accreting systems from black holes in active galactic nuclei and X-ray binaries to neutron star low-mass X-ray binaries. The origin of the line broadening is often interpreted as due to dynamical broadening and relativistic effects. However, alternative interpretations have been proposed, included broadening due to Compton scattering in a wind or accretion disk atmosphere. Here we explore the observational signatures expected from broadening in a wind, in particular that the iron line width should increase with an increase in the column density of the absorber (due to an increase in the number of scatterings). We study the data from three neutron star low-mass X-ray binaries where both a broad iron emission line and absorption lines are seen simultaneously, and show that there is no significant correlation between line width and column density. This favors an inner disk origin for the line broadening rather than scattering in a wind.
Is Listening to Music While Exercising Effective in Reducing Stress

Objective: The objective of this selective evidence based medicine (EBM) review is to determine whether or not listening to music while exercising is effective in reducing stress. Study Design: Review of three English language randomized control trials published in 2011 and 2013Data Sources: The double-blind placebo-controlled randomized control trials were obtained via PubMed. Outcomes Measured: Pretest-posttest surveys included the SF-36 Health Survey to assess selfreported health-related quality of life, the ActivationDeactivation Adjective Check List (ADACL) to measure mood, and a 9-item measure to assess emotion. Results: Listening to music while exercising increased pleasant emotions in all 3 studies. Significant findings of relaxation and being able to handle stress were seen in the 2013 study and a decrease in feeling anxious was found in the Lane et al 2011 study. However, reduction in perceived stress and increased calmness were significantly seen only when exercising alone indoors in comparison to listening to an Ipod while exercising in either setting in the Plante et al 2011 study. Conclusions: Two out of three studies showed an association with listening to music while exercising and a reduction in stress. Although there is evidence showing that listening to music while exercising can reduce stress, the duration of this effect and to what degree in comparison to pharmacology therapy still needs to be explored.
Epidemiological assessment of predictors of caries increment in 7-10-year-olds: a 2-year cohort study

Objective The aim of this 2-year cohort study (2003 to 2005) was to investigate how caries experience, at initial lesions (early or non-cavited lesions) and cavited stages, predicts caries increment in permanent teeth in 7-10- year-olds. Material and Methods The random sample of 765 children attending public schools in the city of Piracicaba, SP, Brazil, was divided into two groups: 423 children aged 7-8 years and 342 children aged 9-10 years. All subjects were examined by a calibrated examiner, using dental mirror and ball-ended probes, after tooth brushing and air-drying in an outdoor setting, based on the World Health Organization criteria. Active caries with intact surfaces were also recorded as initial lesion (IL). Univariate analysis was used for statistical analysis (Odds Ratios and Chisquare). Results The association between the DMFT (decayed, missing and filled teeth) increment and the presence of IL was significant only for 9-10-year-old children. The children with DMFT>0 at baseline were more prone to have DMFT increment, with the highest risk for caries increment occurring in children aged 7-8 years. Conclusion The predictors of caries increment were the presence (at baseline) of caries experience in permanent teeth for both age groups (7-8; 9-10-year-olds) and the presence of the IL (at baseline) for 9-10-year-olds.
Strategic tool to estimate the consumption patterns of non-residents spectators at sporting events (Liga NOS): Adaptation to Portuguese reality

The purpose of this study was to adapt the questionnaire of Preuss, Seguin and O’Reilly (2007) to Portuguese reality to analyse the phenomenon of consumption patterns of non-residents spectators at sporting events. For this, an exploratory study was conducted to check its psychometric properties when applied to Portuguese reality. For the sample, 58 non-resident spectators were randomly selected in the match between Futebol Clube Pacos de Ferreira and Sporting Clube de Portugal of 19th round of Liga NOS in the city of Pacos de Ferreira. Data analysis was based on descriptive statistics and Cronbach’s alpha reliability test. The results suggest acceptable values for internal consistency and reliability. As main conclusions, the adapted version can be used to analyse the profile and consumption patterns of non-residents spectators, which will help to define marketing strategies more effective and efficient for clubs and host cities, thus contributing to improving offer and more quality in the services provided for spectators of such events.
Paclitaxel-resistant Human Ovarian Cancer Cells Have Mutant β-Tubulins That Exhibit Impaired Paclitaxel-driven Polymerization*

Acquired resistance to paclitaxel can be mediated by P-glycoprotein or by alterations involving tubulin. We report two paclitaxel-resistant sublines derived from 1A9 human ovarian carcinoma cells. Single-step paclitaxel selection with verapamil yielded two clones that are resistant to paclitaxel and collaterally sensitive to vinblastine. The resistant sublines are not paclitaxel-dependent, and resistance remained stable after 3 years of drug-free culture. All cell lines accumulate [3H]paclitaxel equally, and no MDR-1mRNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction following reverse transcription. Total tubulin content is similar, but the polymerized fraction increased in parental but not in resistant cells following the paclitaxel addition. Purified tubulin from parental cells demonstrated paclitaxel-driven increased polymerization, in contrast to resistant cell tubulin, which did not polymerize under identical conditions. In contrast, epothilone B, an agent to which the resistant cells retained sensitivity, increased assembly. Comparable expression of β-tubulin isotypes was found in parental and resistant cells, with predominant expression of the M40 and β2 isotypes. Sequence analysis demonstrated acquired mutations in the M40 isotype at nucleotide 810 (T → G; Phe270 → Val) in 1A9PTX10 cells and nucleotide 1092 (G → A; Ala364 → Thr) in 1A9PTX22 cells. These results identify residues β270 and β364 as important modulators of paclitaxel’s interaction with tubulin.
Triplet chemotherapy combination with cisplatin, gemcitabine and docetaxel in patients with chemotherapy-naive advanced non-small cell lung cancer

The synergistic effects of new generation chemotherapeutics when combined with cisplatin have encouraged the development of new triplet combination regimens in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of triplet chemotherapy using weekly cisplatin-gemcitabine-docetaxel (CGD) for patients with chemotherapy-naive NSCLC. Twenty-seven patients with stage IIIB/IV disease and performance status of 0 to 2 were included in this prospective trial. A combination of gemcitabine 750 mg/m2, cisplatin 25 mg/m2 and docetaxel 25 mg/m2 was administered on days 1, 8 and 15, with cycles repeated every 3 weeks. Leucopenia and/or neutropenia and to a lesser extent thrombocytopenia were the main dose-limiting toxicities. Grade III–IV neutropenia and thrombocytopenia occurred in 26 and 7% of the patients, respectively. Only one patient developed febrile neutropenia. Dose reductions were required in 26% of patients, delays in 44% of patients and early treatment discontinuation in 15% of patients. The overall response rate was 52% and all of them experienced a partial response. The median progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) times were 6 and 13 months, respectively. The one-year survival rate was 46%. In conclusion, weekly administration of CGD is an active first-line therapy with acceptable toxicity in advanced NSCLC patients.
Inclusión educativa. Actitudes y estrategias del profesorado

Inclusive education serves the entire population of students at schools independent of their diverse characteristics and needs. This situation has required methodological, curricular and attitudinal changes among teachers.The objectives of this study are to evaluate teachers´ attitudes towards inclusion and the strategies used in the classroom. Furthermore this study pretends to evaluate the influence of sociodemographic variables and variables related to professional practice on these attitudes and strategies. A quantitative methodology, which included the application of the questionnaire Attitudes and practices of teachers related to inclusion, was used.The sample is formed by 82 teachers. The results indicate the presence of positive attitudes towards inclusion and a frequent use of inclusive strategies. There is a correlation between the attitudes and the use of inclusive strategies: the more positive the attitudes the more use of inclusive strategies. Professional variables have a greater impact on the attitudes and the strategies than sociodemographic variables.
It's a kind of magic—what self-reports can reveal about the phenomenology of insight problem solving

Magic tricks usually remain a mystery to the observer. For the sake of science, we offered participants the opportunity to discover the magician's secret method by repeatedly presenting the same trick and asking them to find out how the trick worked. In the context of insightful problem solving, the present work investigated the emotions that participants experience upon solving a magic trick. We assumed that these emotions form the typical “Aha! experience” that accompanies insightful solutions to difficult problems. We aimed to show that Aha! experiences can be triggered by magic tricks and to systematically explore the phenomenology of the Aha! experience by breaking it down into five previously postulated dimensions. 34 video clips of different magic tricks were presented up to three times to 50 participants who had to find out how the trick was accomplished, and to indicate whether they had experienced an Aha! during the solving process. Participants then performed a comprehensive quantitative and qualitative assessment of their Aha! experiences which was repeated after 14 days to control for its reliability. 41% of all suggested solutions were accompanied by an Aha! experience. The quantitative assessment remained stable across time in all five dimensions. Happiness was rated as the most important dimension. This primacy of positive emotions was also reflected in participants' qualitative self-reports which contained more emotional than cognitive aspects. Implementing magic tricks as problem solving task, we could show that strong Aha! experiences can be triggered if a trick is solved. We could at least partially capture the phenomenology of Aha! by identifying one prevailing aspect (positive emotions), a new aspect (release of tension upon gaining insight into a magic trick) and one less important aspect (impasse).