Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Real-Life/Real-Time Elderly Fall Detection with a Triaxial Accelerometer

The consequences of a fall on an elderly person can be reduced if the accident is attended by medical personnel within the first hour. Independent elderly people often stay alone for long periods of time, being in more risk if they suffer a fall. The literature offers several approaches for detecting falls with embedded devices or smartphones using a triaxial accelerometer. Most of these approaches have not been tested with the target population or cannot be feasibly implemented in real-life conditions. In this work, we propose a fall detection methodology based on a non-linear classification feature and a Kalman filter with a periodicity detector to reduce the false positive rate. This methodology requires a sampling rate of only 25 Hz; it does not require large computations or memory and it is robust among devices. We tested our approach with the SisFall dataset achieving 99.4% of accuracy. We then validated it with a new round of simulated activities with young adults and an elderly person. Finally, we give the devices to three elderly persons for full-day validations. They continued with their normal life and the devices behaved as expected.
A novel high-throughput immunofluorescence analysis method for quantifying dystrophin intensity in entire transverse sections of Duchenne muscular dystrophy muscle biopsy samples

Clinical trials using strategies aimed at inducing dystrophin expression in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) are underway or at advanced planning stage, including splice switching antisense oligonucleotides (AON), drugs to induce read-through of nonsense mutations and viral mediated gene therapy. In all these strategies, different dystrophin proteins, often internally deleted, are produced, similar to those found in patients with the milder DMD allelic variant, Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD). The primary biological endpoint of these trials is to induce functional dystrophin expression. A reliable and reproducible method for quantification of dystrophin protein expression at the sarcolemma is crucial to monitor the biochemical outcome of such treatments. We developed a new high throughput semi quantitative fluorescent immunofluorescence method for quantifying dystrophin expression in transverse sections of skeletal muscle. This technique is completely operator independent as it based on an automated scanning system and an image processing script developed with Definiens software. We applied this new acquisition-analysis method to quantify dystrophin and sarcolemma-related proteins using paediatric control muscles from cases without a neuromuscular disorder as well as DMD and BMD samples. The image analysis script was instructed to recognize myofibres immunostained for spectrin or laminin while dystrophin was quantified in each identified myofibre (from 2,000 to over 20,000 fibres, depending on the size of the biopsy). We were able to simultaneously extrapolate relevant parameters such as mean sarcolemmal dystrophin, mean spectrin and laminin intensity, fibre area and diameter. In this way we assessed dystrophin production in each muscle fibre in samples of DMD, BMD and controls. This new method allows the unbiased quantification of dystrophin in every myofibre within a transverse muscle section and will be of help for translational research projects as a biological outcome in clinical trials in DMD and BMD.
Memory Lost and Regained Following Bilateral Hippocampal Damage

We present a longitudinal neuropsychological study (31 examinations over a period of 18 months) of patient DF. DF demonstrated bilateral atrophy of the hippocampal formation and globus pallidus resulting from carbon monoxide poisoning. Eighteen months after the event, the volume of the hippocampal formation was reduced by 42 on the left side and 28 on the right. The patient initially presented with a severe global amnesia. Then, he showed a gradual, yet selective recovery of episodic memory function. Verbal free recall and spatial memory performance remained reduced, whereas immediate word recall and recognition memory, as well as picture learning and memory, improved to levels at the lower range of normal performance. Interestingly, nonspatial associative learning was never much impaired and recovered completely by the end of testing. These data are taken as evidence that the human hippocampal formation does not equally support different forms of episodic memory.
Global Economic Growth and Expected Returns Around the World: The End-of-the-Year Effect

Global economic growth at the end of the year strongly predicts returns from a wide spectrum of international assets, such as global, regional, and individual-country stocks, FX, and commodities. Global economic growth at other times of the year does not predict international returns. Low growth in the global economy at the end of the year predicts higher returns over the following year. It also predicts the global business cycle. When global economic growth at the end of the year is low, investors expect a worsening of the global business cycle and increase their required returns. This paper was accepted by Lauren Cohen, finance.
A Subseasonal Teleconnection Analysis: PNA Development and Its Relationship to the NAO

The Pacific‐North American (PNA) teleconnection is a major mode of Northern Hemisphere wintertime climate variability, with well-known impacts on North American temperature and precipitation. To assess whether the PNA teleconnection has extended predictability, comprehensive data analysis is conducted to elucidate PNA evolution, with an emphasis on patterns of PNA development and decay. These patterns are identified using extended empirical orthogonal function (EEOF) and linear regression analyses on pentadresolution atmospheric circulation data from the new Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR). Additionally, dynamical links between the PNA and another important mode of wintertime variability, the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), are analyzed both in the presence and absence of notable tropical convections, for example,the Madden‐Julian oscillation(MJO),which is knownto be influentialon both.The relationship is analyzed using EEOF and regression techniques. It is shown that the PNA structure is similar in both space and time when the MJO is linearly removed from the dataset. Furthermore, there is a small but significant lag between the NAO and PNA, with the NAO leading a PNA of opposite phase on time scales of one to three pentads. It is suggested from barotropic vorticity analysis that this relationship may result in part from excitation of Rossby waves by the NAO in the Asian waveguide.
An updated look at depressive symptoms and job satisfaction in first-year women teachers

This report updates a longitudinal study (Schonfeld, 1992) of the effects of working conditions on newly appointed women teachers. The update included a later graduating cohort and additional outcome measures. Moreover, women who were not fully exposed to work stressors (e.g. part-time work, change of schools) were now excluded from the analyses. Among the 184 teachers, work environment measures were more highly correlated with future depressive symptoms, self-esteem, job satisfaction, and motivation to teach than with pre-employment counterparts of the outcomes. Regression analyses underlined the effects of the work environment on each outcome. Serious problems with depressive symptoms and job satisfaction among teachers exposed to the most adverse work environments were found.
Annual Workshop of the AIS SpecialInterest Group for ICT in Global Development 12-12-2010 IT and Productivity in Developed and Developing Countries

Previous research at the cross-national level has found that IT investment is associated with significant productivity gains for developed countries but not for developing countries. Notwithstanding the lack of evidence of productivity gains, developing countries have increased their investment in IT dramatically. Given all of this investment, there is a need for research to study whether the investment has begun to pay off in greater productivity for developing countries. In this study, we employ production function analysis on new data on IT investment and productivity for 49 countries from 1985-2004, and compare the results from 1994-2004 with the earlier years (1985-1993) that were covered by Dewan and Kraemer (2000). The goal is to find out whether developing countries have been able to achieve significant productivity gains from IT investment in the more recent period as they have increased their IT capital stocks and gained experience with the use of IT. We also incorporate a set of complementary factors missing from previous studies, including telecommunications investment and prices, human resources, and foreign direct investment, to determine whether these factors have an impact on the relationship of IT to productivity. We find that for developing countries, there was no significant effect for IT capital for the 1985-1993 sample, but the relationship is positive and significant for the 1994-2004 sample. On the other hand, for developed countries, IT capital is significant across all time periods. Non-IT capital stock and labor hours also are positive and significant across all samples and time periods as expected. We also find developing countries with higher levels of tertiary education and lower telecommunication prices achieve greater productivity gains. To our knowledge, this is the first empirical research to find productivity impacts from IT investments in developing countries. The finding that developing countries only began to realize payoffs from IT investment in more recent years suggests that there may be some critical level of IT capital stock, or some minimum level of accumulated experience (human capital) required before such gains become evident. For policymakers in developing countries, these findings provide evidence that IT investments are likely to lead to productivity gains and give support for policies to promote IT investment and use. Dedrick et al. IT and Productivity in Developed and Developing Countries
Effects of a 12-Week Modified German Volume Training Program on Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy—A Pilot Study

This study investigated the effect of a 12-week modified German Volume Training intervention, or the 10 sets method, on muscle strength and hypertrophy. Twelve healthy males were randomly assigned to either a 5-SET or 10-SET group and performed 5 or 10 sets, respectively, of 10 repetitions at 60–80% one-repetition maximum (1RM). Muscle strength and body composition measures were taken at baseline, six weeks, and after 12 weeks of training. No significant changes in total, trunk, and arm lean mass were found within and between groups at any time point. There was no significant difference between groups for lean leg mass. However, a decrease in lean leg mass was observed within the 10-SET group between six and 12 weeks (p = 0.02). An increase in 1RM bench press was found within the 5-SET group at week 6 (p = 0.001) and 12 (p = 0.001) when compared to baseline, while no increases in 1RM leg press were observed at any time point within any group. No significant differences were found for 1RM bench press and leg press between groups. For 1RM bench press moderate effect sizes (ES) favored 5-SET and for 1RM leg press small ESs favored 10-SET. Findings suggest performing >5 sets per exercise does not promote greater gains in muscle strength and hypertrophy. Future research should aim to substantiate these preliminary findings in a larger cohort.
Effectiveness of group cognitive behavioral therapy with mindfulness in end-stage renal disease hemodialysis patients

Background Many patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) undergoing hemodialysis (HD) experience depression. Depression influences patient quality of life (QOL), dialysis compliance, and medical comorbidity. We developed and applied a group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program including mindfulness meditation for ESRD patients undergoing HD, and measured changes in QOL, mood, anxiety, perceived stress, and biochemical markers. Methods We conducted group CBT over a 12-week period with seven ESRD patients undergoing HD and suffering from depression. QOL, mood, anxiety, and perceived stress were measured at baseline and at weeks 8 and 12 using the World Health Organization Quality of Life scale, abbreviated version (WHOQOL-BREF), the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II), the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Biochemical markers were measured at baseline and after 12 weeks. The Temperament and Character Inventory was performed to assess patient characteristics before starting group CBT. Results The seven patients showed significant improvement in QOL, mood, anxiety, and perceived stress after 12 weeks of group CBT. WHOQOL-BREF and the self-rating scales, BDI-II and BAI, showed continuous improvement across the 12-week period. HAM-D scores showed significant improvement by week 8; PSS showed significant improvement after week 8. Serum creatinine levels also improved significantly following the 12 week period. Conclusion In this pilot study, a CBT program which included mindfulness meditation enhanced overall mental health and biochemical marker levels in ESRD patients undergoing HD.
A TMDTO Attack Against Lizard

Lizard is a very recently proposed lightweight stream cipher that claims 60 bit security against distinguishing (related to state recovery) and 80 bit security against key recovery attack. This cipher has 121 bit state size. In this paper, we first note that using <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\psi$</tex-math><alternatives> <inline-graphic xlink:href="maitra-ieq1-2773062.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula> key stream bits one can recover <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\psi$</tex-math><alternatives> <inline-graphic xlink:href="maitra-ieq2-2773062.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula> unknown bits of the state when <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\tau$</tex-math><alternatives> <inline-graphic xlink:href="maitra-ieq3-2773062.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula> state bits are fixed to a specific pattern. This is made possible by guessing the remaining state bits. We present certain values of <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\psi, \tau$</tex-math><alternatives> <inline-graphic xlink:href="maitra-ieq4-2773062.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula> based on the state size that helps in mounting a generic conditional TMDTO attack following the BSW sampling. For Lizard, we obtain the preprocessing complexity as <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$2^{67}$</tex-math><alternatives> <inline-graphic xlink:href="maitra-ieq5-2773062.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula>, and the maximum of Data, Time and Memory complexity during the online phase as <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$2^{54}$</tex-math> <alternatives><inline-graphic xlink:href="maitra-ieq6-2773062.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula>. The parameters in the online phase are significantly less than <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$2^{60}$</tex-math> <alternatives><inline-graphic xlink:href="maitra-ieq7-2773062.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula>.
Heat hardening in a tropical lizard: geographic variation explained by the predictability and variance in environmental temperatures

Over the coming decades, our planet will experience a dramatic increase in average temperatures and an increase in the variance around those temperatures leading to more frequent and harsher heat waves. These changes will impact most species and impose strong selection on physiological traits. Rapid acclimation is the most direct way for organisms to respond to such extreme events, but we currently have little understanding of how the capacity to mount such plastic responses evolves. Accordingly, there is some urgency to determine how the physiological response to high temperatures varies within species, and how this variation is driven by the environment. Here, we investigate heat-hardening capacity - a rapid physiological response that confers a survival advantage under extreme thermal stress - across 13 populations of a rain forest lizard, Lampropholis coggeri, from the tropics of north-eastern Australia. Our results reveal that heat hardening is constrained in these lizards by a hard upper thermal limit for locomotor function (approximately 43 degrees C). Further, hardening response shows strong geographic variation associated with thermal environment: lizards from more predictable and more seasonal thermal environments exhibited greater hardening compared with those from more stochastic and less seasonal habitats. This finding - that predictability in thermal variation influences hardening capacity - aligns closely with theoretical expectations. Our results suggest that tropical species may harbour adaptive variation in physiological plasticity that they can draw from in response to climate change, and this variation is spatially structured in locally adapted populations. Our results also suggest that, by using climatic data, we can predict which populations contain particular adaptive variants; information critical to assisted gene flow strategies.
Production , Characterization and Effect of Te Doping on FeSe-11 Compounds

In this work, FeTe0.7Se0. 3 single crystals have been synthesized by using the self-flux method, in order to understand effect of Te doping in the Fe-chalcogenides. For this purpose, the physical properties of sample have been investigated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and magnetic techniques. The XRD results show that the sample has tetragonal structure, with some impurity peaks. SEM results demonstrate that the sample is distributed in a terrace-like formation. EDX results indicate that the distribution of Fe, Te and Se on the surface of the sample is homogenous. According to χ -1 -T measurement, antiferromagnetic interaction is observed. In addition, M-H curves show nearly paramagnetic behavior for the sample measured.
Follicular Dynamics, Steroid Hormones and Blood Metabolites Concentrations During Long Term Protein Flushing in Subtropical Ewes

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of long-term high-protein flushing on ovarian function and metabolic status in Ossimi ewes. Fourteen cycling Ossimi ewes were divided into high protein (210 % of maintenance crude protein) or treatment group (TG; n = 7) and control group (CG; n = 7). Oestrous was synchronized by PGF2α, monitored ultrasonographically daily for two oestrous cycles. The CG fed a maintenance diet (9.5 % CP) through-out the experiment. The mean number of small (2–2.9 mm), medium (3–5 mm) ovarian follicles, and follicular waves were higher (P<0.01) in ewes of TG compared to that of CG in the first and second oestrous. The size of large, subordinate and ovulatory follicles were greater (p <0.05) in ewes of TG compared to those of CG. Ewes of the TG recorded a higher (p <0.05) ovulation rate in the first cycle while, ovulation rate did not show any significant change in second oestrous. Long term flushing of high-protein ration significantly influenced the concentration of glucose and some metabolic profiles. Concentration of serum total proteins was greater at 0, 1 and 13 days, while serum total cholesterol was greater at day 0 and 1 after first oestrous (ovulation is day 0) in ewes of TG as compared to ewes of CG. Serum glucose was increased significantly (p<0.05) at day 3 and 13 after first oestrous and at day 0 and 7 after second ovulation in TG when comparing to CG. There was significant (p < 0.05) increase in serum concentrations of progesterone at day 13 after first oestrous in TG and at day 3 after second oestrous. The level of serum estradiol 17-β increased significantly at day 0, 1, 3, 7 and 13 in the first oestrous and at day 0 on second oestrous in TG as compared to CG. In conclusion, the long term protein flushing increased the number of small and medium follicles and follicular waves, the size of ovulatory follicles in the first and second oestrous, the reproductive efficiency in subtropical ewes. Long term protein flushing increase ovulation rate in the first but had no effect on the second oestrous.
Adoption, attachment, and relationship concerns: A study of adult adoptees

We examined the impact of adoptive status and family experiences on adult attachment security and how attachment predicts relationship outcomes. Adults adopted as infants (N = 144) and a sample of nonadoptees (N = 131) completed measures of attachment security at recruitment and 6 months later; other measures assessed parental bonding and adoptees' reunion experiences (Time 1), and relationship variables (e.g., loneliness, relationship quality; Time 2). Insecurity was higher for adoptees and those reporting negative childhood relationships with parents. For adoptees only, recent relationship difficulties also predicted insecurity. Attachment dimensions were more important than adoptive status in predicting relationship variables and mediated the effects of adoptive status. The results support the utility of attachment theory in understanding adoptees' relationship concerns.
The Political Economy of Institutions and Corruption in American States

Theoretically, this article draws on political agency theory to formulate hypotheses. Empirically, it shows that political institutions have a role in explaining the prevalence of political corruption in American states. In the states, a set of democracies where the rule of law is relatively well established and the confounding effects of differing electoral systems and regimes are absent, institutional variables relating to the openness of the political system inhibit corruption. That is, other things equal, the extent to which aspiring politicians can enter and gain financial backing, and to which voters can focus their votes on policies and thereby hold incumbent politicians accountable for policy outcomes and find substitutes for them if dissatisfied with those outcomes, reduce corruption as a general problem of agency. These institutional effects are estimated in the presence of controls for variables representing other approaches.
Behavior and social structure of the sperm whales of Dominica, West Indies

There is substantial geographic variation in the behavior and social structure of sperm whales worldwide. The population in the Eastern Caribbean is thought to be isolated from other areas in the North Atlantic. We describe the behavior and social structure of the sperm whales identified off Dominica during an eight year study (2005–2012; 92% of photographic identifications) with supplementary data collected from seven other organizations dating as far back as 1981. A total of 419 individuals were identified. Resighting rates (42% of individuals between years) and encounter rates with sperm whale groups (mean = 80.4% of days at sea) among this population were both comparatively high. Group sizes were small (7–9 individuals) and were comprised of just one social unit (mean = 6.76 individuals, SD = 2.80). We described 17 units which have been reidentified off Dominica across 2–27 yr. Mature males are seen regularly off Dominica, but residency in the area lasts only a few days to a few weeks. Males were reidentified across years spanning up to a decade. Management of this population within the multinational Wider Caribbean Region will require governments to work towards international agreements governing sperm whales as a cross-border species of concern.