Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Incomplete Discussion on the Costs of Obesity

Despite growing scientific interest in obesity and the uncritical nature of a considerable proportion of the scientific community, a variety of other researchers have queried the idea of an epidemic of obesity. Some of this questioning has highlighted the uncertain moral and ideological nature of the biomedical arguments about the risks of obesity. It should be researchers’ responsibility to question whether the hegemonic discourse against obesity has led to a process of stigmatization and apportionment of blame, such that obese individuals are judged as having socially expensive, lazy and dangerous bodies that they do not take care of, and as being bad bio-citizens. It may therefore be of interest, in addition to discussing the onus of obesity, to identify and debate who the “economic problem of obesity” is of concern or interest to, and also who profits (politically and economically) from maintaining this state or combating it. The aim of the present text was not to establish methodological judgment over papers that have addressed the costs associated with obesity. Our objectives were: 1) to establish a critique of the non-explicit discourse that stems from these investigations; and 2) to reveal the set of factors that contribute towards such expenditure.
The Stability Limit and other Open Questions on Water at Negative Pressure

Liquid water exhibits numerous anomalies, such as its expansion upon cooling below 4◦C. One of the explanations put forward involves polymorphism: two different liquid phases could exist at low temperature, in the supercooled region; this proposal has focused significant experimental and theoretical interest on the supercooled regime. We study another metastable state of water, where the liquid is at negative pressure, as explained in Section 1.2. The properties of water in this region of the phase diagram are largely unknown, although they could shed light on the debate about supercooled water, as argued in Section 1.3. Recent experiments have questioned the exact value of the limit of metastability of water at negative pressure. In Section 1.4, we present some techniques used to explore this exotic state. In Section 1.5 we discuss studies of the stability limit of water under tension based on these techniques. In Section 1.6, we consider other properties of water in this regime. Finally, we
Earthquake input energy to tall and base‐isolated buildings in time and frequency dual domains

Earthquake input energies to tall and base‐isolated buildings are examined by both time‐domain and frequency‐domain methods. Both methods support the validity of evaluating the earthquake input energy each other. It is shown that both methods have different advantages and can compensate for each other. While the time‐domain method has a long history and is applicable to nonlinear models as well, the frequency‐domain method is characterized by the energy transfer function and its equi‐area property plays an important role in the discussion of the stability of earthquake input energy. This equi‐area property can be derived by the residue theorem only in a simple model. It is also demonstrated that this equi‐area property in multi‐degree‐of‐freedom models can be derived by the time‐domain method for an idealized model of input motions with a constant Fourier amplitude spectrum. This idea is applied to tall and base‐isolated buildings. The equi‐area property of the energy transfer function provides a stable characteristic on the input energy as far as the total mass of the buildings is constant. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Air flow over foredunes and implications for sand transport

More than 4000 hourly wind profiles measured on three topographically different foredunes are analysed and discussed. Wind flow over the foredunes is studied by means of the relative wind speed: the ratio between wind speed at a certain location and the reference wind speed at the same height. Relative wind speeds appear to be independent of general wind speed but dependent on wind direction. For perpendicular onshore winds the flow over the foredune is accelerated due to topographic changes and decelerated due to changes in surface roughness. Accelerations dominate over decelerations on the seaward slope. The pattern of acceleration and deceleration in relation to wind direction is more or less comparable for different foredunes, but the magnitudes differ. An increase in foredune height from 6 to 10m leads to an increase in speed-up near the top of the seaward slope from 110 to 150 per cent during onshore wind, but further increase of foredune height from 10 to 23 m appears to have little effect, due to increased roughness and deflection of flow. Topography also influences the direction of the flow. Between beach and top, the flow deflects in the direction of the normal during onshore winds. During offshore winds the flow is deflected to the parallel. Near the dunefoot, deflection is always in the direction of the parallel, and increases with steeper topography. The maximum deflection near the dunefoot was 90", over a 23 m high dune, observed during offshore winds. Patterns of erosion and sedimentation resulting from winds from different directions can be explained by the observed accelerations and decelerations. Owing to speed-up on the seaward front of the foredune, sand transport capacity of the wind increases, which results in erosion if vegetation is absent. During strong onshore wind, sand is lifted near the dunefoot and moves over the foredune in suspension. During weaker winds, vertical wind velocities do not exceed fall velocities of the sand grains, and most of the sand is deposited near the dunefoot.
Centimeter-Accurate UAV Navigation With Cellular Signals

This paper proposes a framework for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) navigation using carrier phase differential cellular (CD-cellular) measurements. The framework requires no prior knowledge of the UAV’s position and achieves centimeter-level position accuracy. A batch weighted nonlinear least-squares estimator is developed to solve for the integer ambiguities and an extended Kalman filter is formulated to initialize the batch estimator. Monte Carlo simulations are presented to characterize the performance of the proposed framework as a function of the total number of hearable cellular base transceiver stations (BTSs) and the size of the batch estimator. Experimental results are presented demonstrating a UAV navigating exclusively using the proposed framework over a 1.72 km trajectory completed in 3 minutes with 62.11 cm root mean-square error (RMSE).
Institutional Determinants of Financial Development in MENA Countries

Developed and well regulated financial markets are usually seen as a precondition for an efficient allocation of resources and can foster long term economic growth. This paper explores the institutional determinants for financial development in the countries of the Middle East and North African (MENA) region. Institutional conditions are from the International Country Risk Guide. Paneleconometric techniques are applied to assess the development in the banking sector and the stock market. As a main finding, institutional conditions are important in both financial segments, even after controlling for standard macroeconomic determinants and fixed effects. For the banking sector, corruption seems to be most decisive. For the stock market, the impact of corruption and law and order appear to be relevant. While per capita income and inflation do not seem to play a vital role, openess to foreign trade is quite important for all areas of financial development. Hence, Overall, faster real economic integration is of key policy priority to improve financial development as a condition for higher GDP growth. Better law and enforcement practices and anti corruption policies are strategies to accompany this process.
Soil porosity distribution representative elementary area analyzed through gamma-ray computed tomography

Abstract This study aims to use γ-ray computed tomography images to define the representative elementary area of the soil porosity distribution. Different textured soils from Southeast Brazil and different schemes of areas were analyzed. The image acquisition was performed in 2006 using a first generation γ-ray computed tomography system equipped with 241Am radioactive source. Consecutive increasing areas located at the center (scheme 1), the inferior (scheme 2) and superior (scheme 3) borders of the sample computed tomography image, with size areas ranging from 1.2 to 678.8 mm², were selected. The full width at a half maximum parameter was used to describe the samples soil porosity distribution and mathematical analysis concepts were adopted to define the representative elementary area. The representative elementary areas found for the sandy soil (Geric Ferralsol) and clayey soils (Rhodic Ferralsol and Eutric Nitosol) were respectively: 514.3, 514.3 and 555.4 mm² (scheme 1); 279.5, 393.3 and 457.4 mm² (scheme 2); and 457.4, 457.4 and 457.4 mm² (scheme 3). The results confirmed that the representative elementary area were influenced by the soil texture and management. Different schemes were noticed to provide different representative elementary areas for the same soil, which suggests that this procedure was efficient to detect the heterogeneity inside the soil samples.
THE MANAGEMENT OF CHILD WITH SEVERE HEAD INJURY : OUR EXPERIENCE

Objectives: To analyze the children admitted to our Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) for severe neurotrauma and describe the management algorithms adopted by us for pediatric head injury. Methods: All the children affected by severe head injury and admitted to PICU since November 1992 to November 2000 have been examined. Injury severity has been classified using the Glascow Coma Score (GCS), while the long term neurological outcome with the Glascow Outcome Score (GOS). We have described the clinical presentation, the kind and dynamics of injury, the management prior to our admission, the presence of posttraumatic seizures and, finally, the clinical outcome one month after discharge. Results: 122 children with head injury have been identified. The most frequent cause of injury has been represented by car accidents and motorbike or bicycle falls. Patients with severe head injury have presented the following scores: GOS 1 (dead children) 14.7%, GOS 2 (persistent vegetative state) 1.6%, GOS 3 (severe disability) 22.2%, GOS 4 (mild disability) and GOS 5 (no disability) 61.5%. Conclusion: A correct management of children with head injury helps clinicians to improve outcome and to reduce mortality. Therapeutics algorithms suggested by us could be useful for the management of this kind of patients.
Ultrastuctural Intestinal Pathology Induced by Human Blastocystis in Experimentally Infected Mice

Background: Blastocystis spp. is a single-celled anaerobic enteric parasite that inhabits the lower gastrointestinal tract of humans and many animals. This emerging parasite with a worldwide distribution is often identified as the most common eukaryotic organism reported in human fecal samples that showed a dramatic increase in recent years; however its pathogenicity still shows many contradictions. Aim of the Work: To evaluate the histological and ultrastructural pathological changes induced by human Blastocystis isolates in the intestine of experimental infected mice. Methodology: Fecal samples positive for Blastocystis were collected from patients, and processed for culture using Jones' medium. Cultured samples were subjected to examination by light and transmission electron microscopy. Blastocystis cyst stages were isolated and orally fed to immunocompetent BALB/c mice. Mice were sacrificed 2 weeks post infection. Semi-thin and ultra-thin sections prepared from their intestine were examined by both light and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), respectively. Results: Blastocystis showed different forms: vacuolar, granular, amoeboid and cysts within 24 hours in culture. Histological examination of infected intestine showed vacuolar, granular and amoeboid forms in the caecum, but only cyst forms were observed in the colon. Intense inflammatory cell infiltration, edematous lamina propria, and villous atrophy were noticed. Ultrastructure of Blastocystis hominis by TEM revealed the surface coat with outer fibrillar layer, nuclei with multiple chromatin masses, and mitochondria with some pathological tubular changes. Atrophy and sloughing of microvilli of infected intestine was noticed in comparison to the mucosa of control non-infected mice that showed normal brush border and microvilli. Conclusion: Infection with Blastocystis may be self limited in some hosts however it may cause considerable pathological changes such as enterocytes invasion and intestinal mucosal atrophy of infected mice. Blastocystis mitochondrial vacuolations were detected within intestine of infected mice compared to culture forms. Thus, apparently B. hominis is capable of causing pathogenicity.
Potato Sorting Based on Size and Color in Machine Vision System

Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is cultivated as a major food resource in some countries that have moderate climate. Manual sorting is labor intensive. Furthermore in mechanical sorting the crop damages is high, for this reason we must operate a system in which the crop damages would be diminished. For sorting of potatoes fast, accurate and less labor intensive modern techniques such as Machine vision is created. Machine vision system is one of the modern sorting techniques. The basis of this method is imaging of samples, analysis of the images, comparing them with a standard and finally decision making in acceptance or rejection of samples. In this research 110 numbers of potatoes from Agria variety were prepared. Samples were pre-graded based on quantitative, qualitative and total factors manually before sorting. Quantitative, qualitative and total sorting in Machine vision system was performed by improving images quality and extracting the best thresholds. The accuracy of total sorting was %96.823.
Self-Presence in Online Gamers: Differences in Gender and Genre

Self-presence is described as the extent to which people connect to their avatars on three distinct but interrelated levels of self: body, emotion, and identity [1]. Building on previous research about self-presence in collaborative virtual environments [2, 3], the present article examines gender and genre differences in selfpresence within a convenience sample of online gamers (N = 307). Factor analysis of the self-presence questionnaire (SPQ) supports previous findings that this measure is internally consistent. Females report more self-presence across all three levels, which is consistent with some previous research on the concept of presence. First-person shooter game players report higher levels of proto self-presence than massively multiplayer online game players, which is consistent with expectations. Unexpectedly, there were no genre differences for core or extended self-presence. Skew in population sample limits the external validity of these findings, but internal validity is maintained. Overall, these results provide support for the claim that self-presence is a valuable concept for research on virtual self-representations and that the SPQ is an appropriate measurement tool for this concept across various virtual contexts. Keywords---Self-presence, presence, avatars, virtual reality, MMO, FPS
Impact of vegetation die‐off on spatial flow patterns over a tidal marsh

Large‐scale die‐off of tidal marsh vegetation, caused by global change, is expected to change flow patterns over tidal wetlands, and hence to affect valuable wetland functions such as reduction of shoreline erosion, attenuation of storm surges, and sedimentation in response to sea level rise. This study quantified for the first time the effects of large‐scale (4 ha) artificial vegetation removal, as proxy of die‐off, on the spatial flow patterns through a tidal marsh channel and over the surrounding marsh platform. After vegetation removal, the flow velocities measured on the platform increased by a factor of 2 to 4, while the channel flow velocities decreased by almost a factor of 3. This was associated with a change in flow directions on the platform, from perpendicular to the channel edges when vegetation was present, to a tendency of more parallel flow to the channel edges when vegetation was absent. Comparison with hydrodynamic model simulations explains that the vegetation‐induced friction causes both flow reduction on the vegetated platform and flow acceleration towards the non‐vegetated channels. Our findings imply that large‐scale vegetation die‐off would not only result in decreased platform sedimentation rates, but also in sediment infilling of the channels, which together would lead to further worsening of plant growth conditions and a potentially runaway feedback to permanent vegetation loss.
Operationalizing and Measuring Competition: Determinants of Competition in Private Banking Industry in India

Using an appropriate theoretical framework and econometric methodology, the study has sought to measure and model competition in private banking industry in India in an attempt to analyse the process of market dynamics in the industry. The changing scenario of private banking consequent to deregulation provided the motivation behind the study. It used the concept of competition proposed by Stigler (1961) and measured it by Bodenhorn’s (1990) measure of mobility. The study provides a critique of the mechanism of inducing competition, which is implicit in the Narasimham Committee (1991). It then provides the theoretical background of an alternative mechanism based on Structure-Conduct-Performance paradigm, which incorporates basic conditions and strategic groups, apart from including entry, economies of scale, product differentiation and price cost margin, One basic contention of the study is that competition goes beyond “conduct” and encompasses all the four components of S-C-P paradigm: basic conditions, structure, conduct and performance. Accordingly, a three equation simultaneous equation model is used to ultimately estimate the equation of competition through Tobit technique. The result demonstrates that variables related to basic conditions, structure, and conduct and performance influence competition. The study has found evidence against the simplistic relationship between concentration and competition, which remained implicit in the literature. The study also developed a methodology to arrive at market form from an analysis of three aspects of a market and concludes that private banking industry in India is characterized by monopolistic competition.
Biogeography, macroecology and species' traits mediate competitive interactions in the order Lagomorpha

In addition to abiotic determinants, biotic factors, including competitive, inter- specific interactions, limit species' distributions. Environmental changes in human disturbance, land use and climate are predicted to have widespread impacts on interactions between species, especially in the order Lagomorpha due to the higher latitudes and more extreme environmental conditions they occupy. 2. We reviewed the published literature on interspecific interactions in the order Lagomorpha and compared the biogeography, macroecology, phylogeny and traits of species known to interact with those of species with no reported interactions, to investigate how projected future environmental change may affect interactions and potentially alter species' distributions. 3. Thirty-three lagomorph species have competitive interactions reported in the literature; the majority involve hares (Lepus sp.) or the eastern cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus floridanus). Key regions for interactions are located between 30-50°N of the Equator, and include eastern Asia (southern Russia on the border of Mongolia) and North America (north-western USA). 4. Closely related, large-bodied, similarly sized species occurring in regions of human-modified, typically agricultural landscapes, or at high elevations, are sig- nificantly more likely to have reported competitive interactions than other lago- morph species. 5. We identify species' traits associated with competitive interactions, and high- light some potential impacts that future environmental change may have on inter- specific interactions. Our approach using bibliometric and biological data is widely applicable, and with relatively straightforward methodologies, can provide insights into interactions between species. 6. Our results have implications for predicting species' responses to global change, and we advise that capturing, parameterizing and incorporating interspe- cific interactions into analyses (e.g. species distribution modelling) may be more important than suggested by the literature.
The intrinisc and extrinisc motivation factors of scholarship and non-scholarlship athletes at a Historically Black College

THE INTRINSIC AND EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION FACTORS OF SCHOLA RSHIP AND NON-SCHOLARSHIP ATHLETES AT A HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE By Oliver T. Jenkins, Jr. The purpose of this study was to replicate and extend the previous work of Amorose and Horn (2001) by examining the levels of interest/enjoyment of scholarship and non-schola r hip athletes at a Historically Black College (HBCU). Male and female athletes (N=227) from a mid-major Division I HBCU completed a demographic questionnaire and the Sports-Oriented vers ion of the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) at a pre-season athletic department st udent body meeting. Cronbach alpha coefficients for each of the IMI subscales were found to be rel ia le (alpha > .70). The results of the one-way ANOVA yielded no significant findings in interest/e njoyment among scholarship status (F (2, 113) = 0.28, p >. 05) and grade classification (F (3, 207) = 1.44, p > . 05) for the student-athletes. Additionally, no significant finding was reported for g ender (p > .05). However, a significant finding in interest/enjoyment for team sport type (p< .05) and revenue sport type (p< .05) was revealed using an independent samples t-test. Specifica lly, team sport athletes reported greater enjoyment than individual sport athletes and reven ue-sport athletes (namely, football, basketball) enjoyed their sport experience more than non-reve nue sport athletes. Findings partially supported earlier work. Team sport athletes and revenue sport athletes greater enjoyment may have resulted from the greater recog nition received through the opportunity to play in larger venues and exposure of larger media markets. Lastl y, it was noted that the Black College Experience in itself might have influenced the result s of the study.
Does better quality contracting improve pay and HR practices? Evidence from for-profit and voluntary sector providers of adult care services in England

This article investigates the complex interaction between contracting arrangements and quality of human resources (HR) practices. It draws on quantitative and qualitative empirical evidence for the adult social care sector in England where most services are purchased by local authorities and delivered by private for-profit and voluntary sector organisations. The study finds sufficient evidence among surveyed care providers that higher fees and partnership-oriented contracting have positive influences on pay levels and quality of HR practices to suggest that better local authority contracting may be an enabling condition for the improvement of employment standards. However, the relatively weak statistical associations suggest other factors mediate, or distort, the anticipated relationship between quality of contracting and quality of HR practices. The type of provider is identified as a key mediator: private, for-profit providers and those managed by a national chain are least likely to distribute the benefits of better quality contracting fairly through improved employment standards.