Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Forecasting the Polish Zloty with Non-Linear Models

The literature on exchange rate forecasting is vast. Many researchers have tested whether implications of theoretical economic models or the use of advanced econometric techniques can help explain future movements in exchange rates. The results of the empirical studies for major world currencies show that forecasts from a naive random walk tend to be comparable or even better than forecasts from more sophisticated models. In the case of the Polish zloty, the discussion in the literature on exchange rate forecasting is scarce. This article fills this gap by testing whether non-linear time series models are able to generate forecasts for the nominal exchange rate of the Polish zloty that are more accurate than forecasts from a random walk. Our results confirm the main findings from the literature, namely that it is difficult to outperform a naive random walk in exchange rate forecasting contest.
Propolis as an alternative in prevention and control of dental cavity

Propolis is a natural product, collected by bees from tree buds, flowers and pollen. It possesses various pharmaceutical properties, including antibacterial action against microorganisms involved in the beginning and progression of dental caries. This research aimed to analyze literature regarding propolis and its antimicrobial activity against microorganisms within dental biofilm, and evaluate the possibility of its employment as an adjunct to prevention and ultraconservative treatment of dental caries. Results confirmed propolis’ great potential as a natural medicine with solid therapeutic properties and proven anti-cariogenic action.
Why Study Problematizations? Making Politics Visible

This paper introduces the theoretical concept, problematization, as it is developed in Foucauldian-inspired poststructural analysis. The objective is two-fold: first, to show how a study of problematizations politicizes taken-for-granted “truths”; and second, to illustrate how this analytic approach opens up novel ways of approaching the study of public policy, politics and comparative politics. The study of problematizations, it suggests, directs attention to the heterogenous strategic relations – the politics – that shape lives. It simultaneously alerts researchers to their unavoidable participation in these relations, opening up a much-needed conversation about the role of theory in politics.
Quality nutrition through pigeonpea - a review.

Protein mal-nutrition is widespread among poor of developing and under developed countries. Since animal protein is beyond the reach of this group, their primary protein supply comes from plant based products. Amongst these, pigeonpea or red gram (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millspaugh) is an important food legume that can be grown under rainfed conditions with least inputs. Pigeonpea is rich in starch, protein, calcium, manganese, crude fiber, fat, trace elements, and minerals. Besides its high nutritional value, pigeonpea is also used as traditional folk medicine in India, China, Philippines and some other nations. Literature on this aspect show that pigeonpea is capable to prevent and cure a number of human ailments such as bronchitis, coughs, pneumonia, respiratory infections, dysentery, menstrual disorders, sores, wounds, abdominal tumors, tooth ache, and diabetes.
Effect of addition of clonidine to bupivacaine or ropivacaine on caudal efficacy and effectiveness in pediatric patients undergoing infraumblical surgery

Introduction: Children are not as expressive as adults, but they do feels pain equally. In the perioperative period, pain is the most alarming, upsetting and disturbing symptom for a patient. In pediatric populace, amongst the regional blocks, caudal epidurals with local anesthetics are preferred and universally practiced by anesthesiologists, but comparatively shorter period of analgesia is its major limitation. So, to improve the effectiveness of caudal epidurals, a variety of additives are used besides local anesthetics. Materials and Method: A double-blind, prospective and randomised study was carried on 60 children falling in the age group of 1- 6 years belonging to ASA I or II, posted to undergo surgery infraumblically, were allocated randomly to one of two groups of 30 each who then received injection of 0.25% bupivacaine-clonidine(2ug/kg) or 0.25% ropivacaine-clonidine (2μg/kg) @ 1ml/kg caudally. Haemodynamic variables were documented peri-operatively. Pain was assessed using the Modified Hanallah pain score for 24 hours and complications were observed in the postoperative period. Results: No statistically significant difference was observed when 2ug/kg of clonidine added to 0.25% bupivacaine or 0.25% ropivacaine caudally in pediatric patients, in procedures below the umbilicus with mean duration of analgesia with group BC and RC were mins respectively. Also no significant undesirable side effects like bradycardia, hypotension, urinary incontinence, nausea and vomiting were observed in either of these groups. Conclusion: The mean extent of analgesia was equally prolonged in both the groups postoperatively. So, clonidine in a dose of 2ug/kg added to 0.25% bupivacaine or 0.25% ropivacaine for caudal analgesia, proves safe and effective method in prolonging the duration of analgesia without producing any significant side effects. Keywords: Bupivacaine, Ropivacaine, Caudal, Infraumbilical surgery, Clonidine, Post-operative analgesia
SHORT-TERM FORECASTING OF WEATHER CONDITIONS IN PALESTINE USING ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS

Weather conditions such as quantity of the rain, daily wet or dry temperature, and humidity are important factors affecting the economy in any country. Weather forecasting departments in Palestine use linear statistical methods for forecasting daily, monthly, and yearly weather parameters. This research introduced a non-linear model to forecast daily, monthly, and yearly weather conditions which provided a much more efficient method for weather forecasting compared to the traditional linear statistical methods. This proposed non-linear forecasting model can help predict more accurate results so that meteorology and weather departments can organize their data and put the right plans to maintain the correct progress in their works. The proposed model has the ability to analyze previous weather condition patterns and use them to forecast future weather conditions. The collected weather datasets which consist of daily mean values for the three previous years in Palestine were used as targets for Multilayer Perceptron Feed-Forward Backpropagation Neural Networks (MLPFFNNBP) to forecast the future weather conditions. The dataset of rain quantity in this work consists of preprocessed mean values for ten years. The proposed model is constructed using the corresponding dataset and learning neural network to forecast weather conditions in the north region of the West Bank, Palestine which contributes to the improvement of agricultural plans. Running the proposed model using the previously mentioned data produced significant and accurate forecasted results with an acceptable minimum Mean Square Error (MSE).
Mindfulness for Long-Distance Runners: An Open Trial Using Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement (MSPE)

The present study sought to determine the effects of Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement (MSPE) on runners. Participants were 25 recreational long-distance runners openly assigned to either the 4-week intervention or to a waiting-list control group, which later received the same program. Results indicate that the MSPE group showed significantly more improvement in organizational demands (an aspect of perfectionism) compared with controls. Analyses of pre- to postworkshop change found a significant increase in state mindfulness and trait awareness and decreases in sport-related worries, personal standards perfectionism, and parental criticism. No improvements in actual running performance were found. Regression analyses revealed that higher ratings of expectations and credibility of the workshop were associated with lower postworkshop perfectionism, more years running predicted higher ratings of perfectionism, and more life stressors predicted lower levels of worry. Findings suggest that MSPE may be a us.
Aerobic Fitness Thresholds Associated with Fifth Grade Academic Achievement

Abstract Background: Whereas effects of physical fitness and physical activity on cognitive function have been documented, little is known about how they are related. Purpose: This study assessed student aerobic fitness measured by FITNESSGRAM Mile times and/or Pacer circuits and whether the nature of the association between aerobic fitness and standardized academic performance is dose-response or threshold related. Methods: Standardized academic test scores and aerobic capacity scores were collected from two cohorts of 5th grade students over two years. The Mile run and Pacer circuits results were compared to patterns in students' academic test scores. Results: Sectioning of Mile times and Pacer circuits revealed a sharp peak in academic performance for boys who completed the Mile in 9 minutes or less. Girls' Pacer revealed peaks in academic performance at 12 and 30 circuits. Discussion: Results demonstrate that select achievements in the Mile or Pacer account for significant increases in academic performance on standardized tests. Translation to Health Education Practice: This study identifies aerobic fitness points which, if achieved, offer the greatest probability of increased academic success in fifth graders. Physical education, cross-curricular thematic units, and club activities can be portals of opportunity to increase moderate to vigorous physical activity and fitness in students. Furthermore, school-based physical activity and fitness opportunities may positively impact health risk factors associated with childhood obesity. Policies that increase aerobic activity opportunities in the school setting may increase overall academic performance, encourage positive health habits and improve immediate and future overall health.
Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhi and Paratyphi Responsible of Typhoid and Paratyphoid Fevers Transmitted by Environment and Food

This study deals with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi and Paratyphi responsible of typhoid and paratyphoid fevers transmitted by environment and foods. Typhoid and paratyphoid fevers are systemic diseases caused by the bacteria Salmonella Typhi and Salmonella Paratyphi, respectively. Humans are the only reservoir for Salmonella Typhi (which is the most serious), whereas Salmonella Paratyphi also has animal reservoirs. Humans can carry the bacteria in the gut for very long times (chronic carriers), and transmit the bacteria to other persons (either directly or via food or water contamination). Although S. Typhi and S. Paratyphi are strictly adapted to humans, both serovars can remain viable in the environment, surviving in water and underlying sediment for days to weeks. Foods are susceptible to be contaminated and transport Salmonella include vegetable products such as lettuce. In developping countries, typhoid and paratyphoide fever were generally treat with using antimicrobial such as quinolones, and cephalosporin. Patients were not responding to the most available antibiotics of choice. Some patients, because of ignorance and lack of financial means, prefer street drugs, so they practice self-medication. Those practices can enhance the antibiotics resistances genes. As the ultimate solution for the prevention and eradication of paratyphoid fever, it is essential to improve sanitation such as the provision of safe water and food as well as enhanced public health awareness.
A 5-Gb/s 66 dB CMOS Variable-Gain Amplifier With Reconfigurable DC-Offset Cancellation for Multi-Standard Applications

This paper proposes a variable gain amplifier (VGA) with reconfigurable DC-offset cancellation (DCOC) for multi-standard applications. In this design, a cell-based design method and some bandwidth extension technologies are adopted to achieve a high data rate and a wide gain control range simultaneously. In addition, the DCOC having a tunable lower-cutoff frequency can make an optimum compromise between BER and SNR according to the specified baseband standard. The measurements show that the VGA achieves a gain control range from −6 dB to 60 dB, a bandwidth beyond 3 GHz, and a tunable lower-cutoff frequency from 0 to 300 kHz. When entering a 2<sup>23</sup>−1 pseudo-random bit sequence signal at 5 Gb/s, the VGA consumes 17 mW from a 1.2-V supply and the output data peak-to-peak jitter is less than 40 ps. The VGA is fabricated in a 90-nm CMOS process with a chip size (including all pads) of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$0.52\times0.5$ </tex-math></inline-formula> mm<sup>2</sup>.
Reducing resources for verification of quantum computations

We present two verification protocols where the correctness of a “target” computation is checked by means of “trap” computations that can be efficiently simulated on a classical computer. Our protocols rely on a minimal set of noise-free operations (preparation of eight single-qubit states or measurement of four observables, both on a single plane of the Bloch sphere) and achieve linear overhead. To the best of our knowledge, our protocols are the least demanding techniques able to achieve linear overhead. They represent a step toward further reducing the quantum requirements for verification.
Examining the Relationship Between Principal Leadership and School Climate

The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the relationship between transformative school principal leadership and school climate. The population of this study consisted of two middle schools with grades ranging from six through eight and one high school with grades ranging from nine through twelve. These schools are within the state of Texas. Quantitative data were obtained by using two instruments, the Principal Leadership Questionnaire (Jantzi & Leithwood, 1996) and the School Climate Assessment Instrument (Alliance for the Study of School Climate, 2014), and evaluated to determine if (a) correlations exist between the factors of transformational leadership and school climate, (b) if any predictive linear relationships exist between the factors of transformational leadership and school climate, and (c) if the individual school site, employment role, and tenure influence school climate in the tested Texas schools. This study found that there was: (a) a statistically significant relationship between the six factors of transformational leadership and the leadership decisions factor of school climate, and (b) that the factors of transformational leadership influenced the factors of school climate, and (c) that the school site was the most significant predictor of school
Studying Marine Mammal Cognition in the Wild: A Review of Four Decades of Playback Experiments

The playback of sounds to animals to assess their behavioural responses presents a powerful tool to study animal cognition in the wild. While playbacks are commonly used to study acoustic responses in birds and other terrestrial animals, their application to the study of marine mammal cognition so far has been limited. A survey of the published literature on field playback experiments with marine mammals identified 46 studies, with a trend towards increased use of play-back approaches in recent years. Field playbacks to marine mammals have been used to address questions of wildlife management, the impact of anthropogenic noise, acoustic interactions between predators and prey, individual and kin recognition, as well as the function of communicative sounds. This paper summarizes the major findings of marine mammal playbacks to date and reviews recent advances in the design and execution of playback experiments, with special reference to marine mammals. Issues concerning appropriate presentation of acoustic stimuli, appropriate quantification of behavioural responses, as well as appropriate control and replication of treatments are discussed. An analysis of replication in marine mammal playbacks showed that the use of a small number of playback stimuli to conduct multiple playback trials (pseudoreplication) was common. This overview of playback experiments in the study of marine mammal cognition in the wild showed that such approaches contribute significantly to the field; however, in many cases, there appears to be substantial room for improvement of playback procedure and experimental design.
Developmental Differences in Universal Preventive Intervention for Child Anxiety

We compared the effects of a universal school-based preventive intervention for child anxiety at two developmental stages. Six hundred and ninety-two participants enrolled in either grade 6 ( n = 293), children aged between 9 and 10 years, or grade 9 ( n = 399), children aged between 14 and 16 years, were allocated to either a school-based cognitive-behavioural intervention or to a monitoring group. Participants completed the Spence Child Anxiety Scale and the Child Depression Inventory and were stratified into low-, moderate-And high-risk groups based on their anxiety scores at the start of the study. The effects of the prevention programme were evaluated at post- and 12-month follow-up intervals. Post-study results indicated significant reductions in anxiety ( p < .001) and depression ( p < .05) across high- and moderate-risk groups in both the intervention and monitoring conditions. This trend was evident at 12-month follow-up, however, reductions in anxiety were greater in the intervention condition ( p < .05). At post assessment, grade 6 participants showed significant changes in anxiety compared with grade 9 participants ( p < .001), although both primary and secondary school participants showed equal reductions in anxiety at 12-month follow-up. Overall, findings suggest that universal intervention is potentially successful in reducing anxiety symptoms in children. Primary school children reported the greatest changes in anxiety symptoms, suggesting that earlier preventive intervention is potentially more advantageous than later intervention in adolescence. The implications and limitations of this study and directions for future research are discussed.
Role of Grandparents in Childhood Obesity during First Two Years of Life

Introduction: Childhood obesity is a public health problem in the United States. One consideration that remains relatively unexplored is the influence of the grandparent on weight status of the grandchild in ages 0-2 years. The aim of this paper is to synthesize the literature on a) influence of grandparents’ involvement on child weight gain; b) influence of grandparents’ involvement on breastfeeding behaviors and associated obesity risk; c) effects of grandparents’ support about nutrition, cooperative co-parenting, knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and body mass index on feeding practices and weight gain; d) impact of child temperament and weight status on grandparent feeding practices; e) contribution of cultural norms and acculturation on child weight gain in ages 0-2 years. Method: A literature search of Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Library and Web of Science databases was conducted. A total of 64 studies published between January 1980 and January 2017 met the inclusion criteria. Results: At present, only few studies have investigated whether grandparent involvement is related to feeding practices and subsequent weight outcomes in children aged 0-2 years, with the actual inclusion of the grandparents. Most of these studies suggest a negative association between grandparent characteristics and child weight gain. Challenges exist in studying this topic, which include, defining a “good diet” for young children, measurement of infant diet, confounding, reporting bias, reverse causality and the difficulties of randomized intervention designs in infant feeding. Conclusion: Identification of grandparent characteristics associated with lower obesity risk may provide health professionals the tools to create effective interventions for obesity prevention.
Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii Antibodies in Dogs in Central China

Wang, S. ,1, # Zhou, Y.H. ,2, # Xie, Q. ,1, # Zheng, B. ,1 Zhang, H.Z. ,1 Yao, Z.J,1 Wang, D. ,1 Liu, S.G. 1 and Zhang, Z.C. 1, * 1 School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, Henan, 453003, PR China. 2 Jiangsu Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Key Laboratory on Technology for Parasitic Disease Prevention and Control, Ministry of Health, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory on Molecular Biology of Parasites, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214064, PR China. # These authors contributed equally to this paper.
Increased Production of Calcite and Slower Growth for the Major Sediment-Producing Alga Halimeda as the Mg/Ca Ratio of Seawater is Lowered to a “Calcite Sea” Level

Abstract Laboratory experiments were conducted to subject the calcareous alga Halimeda, a prolific producer of aragonite in the modern ocean, to a variety of ambient Mg/Ca ratios. These experiments were based on three predictions: (1) that Halimeda would calcify at a lower rate when the ambient Mg/Ca ratio was reduced from its high level in modern seawater (5.2); (2) that this alga would grow more slowly under these conditions because its calcification yields as a byproduct CO2, which is available for photosynthesis; and (3) that the calcite content of Halimeda’s skeleton would increase as a percentage of total CaCO3. As predicted, reduction of the Mg/Ca ratio of ambient artificial seawater from its modern level to estimated early Oligocene and early Eocene levels (2.5 and 1.5, respectively) resulted in progressively lower rates of calcification, production of organic matter, and linear growth for Halimeda incrassata colonies. The ambient Mg/Ca ratio exerted a stronger influence over the rate of calcification than [Ca2+], which in the geologic past has risen in seawater whenever the ambient Mg/Ca ratio has declined. Thus, although elevation of [Ca2+] at such times would have promoted the calcification and growth of Halimeda, the concomitant decline of the Mg/Ca ratio would have had a stronger negative effect. In addition, the percentage of skeletal material consisting of calcite rose from 8% in modern-day seawater to 16% in artificial early Oligocene seawater and 46% in artificial early Eocene seawater. Magnesium was incorporated into this calcite as a function of the ambient Mg/Ca ratio with a fractionation pattern differing only slightly from that of nonskeletal calcite. Halimeda exerts less biological control over its biomineralization than the related genera Penicillus and Udotea, which in previous experiments produced only 22–25% of skeletal CaCO3 as calcite in seawater having a very low Mg/Ca ratio (1.0). Nonetheless, it is likely that many taxa of green algae that produce little or no calcite today would have produced a substantial proportion of skeletal low-Mg CaCO3 as calcite in ancient seas, such as those of the Cretaceous, whose Mg/Ca ratios were close to unity.
The thermal conductivity of clustered nanocolloids

We quantify the effect of clustering on the thermal conductivity of colloidal dispersions using silane-treated silica, a system engineered to exhibit reversible clustering under well-controlled conditions. We show that the thermal conductivity increases monotonically with cluster size and spans the entire range between the two limits of Maxwell's theory. The results, corroborated by numerical simulation, demonstrate that large increases of the thermal conductivity of colloidal dispersions are possible, yet fully within the predictions of classical theory.