Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Falls among Rural Community-Dwelling Older People: A Cross-Sectional Study from Southern Sri Lanka

Falls may cause devastating consequences in older people. Conducting surveys on falls and factors associated with falls will inform better preventive health practices among older people to improve their quality of life. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and associated risk factors of falls and recurrent falls among rural community-dwelling older people in Southern Sri Lanka. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Nagoda Divisional Secretariat area, Galle, with 300 participants (females=175) aged 65 years and above. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. To assess the prevalence of falls, participants were asked if they had fallen in the past year, and if so how many times. If any individual reported two or more falls, it was considered a recurrent fall. Biological, behavioral, environmental, and socioeconomic factors were documented as potential risk factors for falls. Multivariate logistic regression was performed with adjusted Odds Ratio (OR). Mean (SD) age was 73 (6.7) years. The prevalence of falls and recurrent falls were reported as 34.3% (95%CI; 29.03-40.04) (n=103) and 9.6% (95%CI; 6.68-13.73) (n=29), respectively. Out of 103 fallers, 37 (35.9%) had sustained injuries, with 40.5% affecting the wrist and 24.3% the hip. The associated factors for falls were age (OR=0.1), gender (OR=3.0), diabetes mellitus (OR=2.7), balance or gait problems (OR=4.2), use of antihypertensive medication (OR=0.2), and use of at least one long-term medication (OR=3.5). Associated factors for recurrent falls were age (OR=0.3), hypertension (OR=3.7), balance or gait problems (OR=3.8), sleep disturbances (OR=2.0), use of antihypertensive medication (OR=0.1), and use of at least one long-term medication (OR=3.4). A high prevalence of falls and low prevalence of recurrent falls among older people were observed. Biological and behavioral factors were reported as associated risk factors. This information is important to inform strategies to prevent falls in older people in Sri Lanka.
Strategic Choices and Performance : Evidence from an Ailing Industry in Nigeria

The textile industry in North West Zone of Nigeria is ailing resulting in massive unemployment. The objective of this paper was to assess the role of strategy in this unpleasant development. Primary and secondary data on resources, strategy and performance were collected for seven surviving companies and analysed using the Kendall’s tau-b. The results showed robust correlation between strategic choices and resource levels and an even stronger correlation between strategic choices and performance levels. Amongst the recommendations were that companies should concentrate on innovative strategies supported by identified relevant resources. Identified pertinent resources included power, raw materials, machine technology and current assets. Management capabilities needed to be beefed up to transform other resources into performance. The Nigerian Government was requested to intensify efforts at creating an enabling environment with particular reference to the provision of electricity and funding at single digit interest rate.
Author ’ s personal copy Prediction of lake depth across a 17-state region in the United States

Lake depth is an important characteristic for understanding many lake processes, yet it is unknown for the vast majority of lakes globally. Our objective was to develop a model that predicts lake depth using map-derived metrics of lake and terrestrial geomorphic features. Building on previous models that use local topography to predict lake depth, we hypothesized that regional differences in topography, lake shape, or sedimentation processes could lead to region-specific relationships between lake depth and the mapped features. We therefore used a mixed modeling approach that included region-specific model parameters. We built models using lake and map data from LAGOS, which includes 8164 lakes with maximum depth (Zmax) observations. The model was used to predict depth for all lakes ≥4 ha (n = 42 443) in the study extent. Lake surface area and maximum slope in a 100 m buffer were the best predictors of Zmax. Interactions between surface area and topography occurred at both the local and regional scale; surface area had a larger effect in steep terrain, so large lakes embedded in steep terrain were much deeper than those in flat terrain. Despite a large sample size and inclusion of regional variability, model performance (R2 = 0.29, RMSE = 7.1 m) was similar to other published models. The relative error varied by region, however, highlighting the importance of taking a regional approach to lake depth modeling. Additionally, we provide the largest known collection of observed and predicted lake depth values in the United States.
A cool model for the Iceland hotspot

Several primary features of the Iceland region require a posteriori adaptions of the classical plume hypothesis to explain them, which erodes confidence in this model. These include the lack of a time-progressive volcanic track and the paucity of evidence for a seismic anomaly in the lower mantle. Diverse studies suggest a mantle potential temperature anomaly beneath the region of no more than 50–100 K, which is probably insufficient for a thermally buoyant plume. We suggest an alternative model that attributes the enhanced magmatism in the Iceland region to high local mantle fertility from subducted Iapetus oceanic crust trapped in the Laurasian continental mantle lithosphere within the collision zone associated with the Caledonian suture. This crust is recycled into the melt zone locally beneath the mid-Atlantic ridge where isentropic upwelling of eclogitized crust or a crust–peridotite mixture produces excess melt. The production of anomalously large volumes of melt on this part of the spreading ridge has built a zone of thick seismic crust that traverses the whole north Atlantic. A weak, downward continuation of the seismic low-velocity zone into the transition zone between the Charlie Gibbs and Jan Mayen fracture zones may correspond to a component of partial melt, too low to be extractable, that indicates the depth extent of enhanced fusibility or volatiles resulting from the recycled crust. The Iceland region separates two contrasting oceanic tectonic regions to its north and south that may behave independently to some degree. Perhaps as a result of this, it has persistently been characterized by complex and unstable tectonics involving spreading about a parallel pair of ridges, intervening microplates, ridge migrations, and local variations in the spreading direction. These tectonic complexities can explain a number of primary features observed on land in Iceland. A captured microplate that may contain oceanic crust up to ~30 m.y. old underlies central Iceland submerged beneath younger lavas. This may account for local thickening of the seismic crust to ~40 km there. Eastward-widening, fanshaped extension about a west–east zone that traverses central Iceland culminates in northwest Vatnajokull and may cause the enhanced volcanism there that is traditionally assumed to indicate the center of a plume. The general locus of spreading has not migrated east as is often suggested in support of an eastward-migrating plume model. The model suggested here attributes the Iceland melting anomaly to structures and processes related to plate tectonics that are sourced in the shallow upper mantle. Similar models may explain other bhotspots.Q Such models suggest a simplifying view of mantle convection since they require
INFLUENCE OF ORGANIC MANURES AND AMENDMENTS ON GROWTH , FLOWERING , YIELD , QUALITY AND POSTHARVEST LIFE OF BANANA CV

Proceedings of National Conference on Harmony with Nature in Context of Ecotechnological Intervention and Climate Change (HARMONY 2014) November 28 30, 2014, Udaipur, Rajasthan organized by Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Earth Sciences, M. L. Sukhadia University, Udaipur (Rajasthan) in association with National Environmentalists Association, India www.neaindia. org K. Vanilarasu et al. INFLUENCE OF ORGANIC MANURES AND AMENDMENTS ON GROWTH, FLOWERING, YIELD, QUALITY AND POSTHARVEST LIFE OF BANANA CV. GRAND NAINE
The Shadow Price of CO 2 Emissions in China ’ s Iron and Steel Industry

As China becomes the world’s largest energy consumer and CO2 emitter, there has been a rapidly emerging literature on estimating China’s abatement cost for CO2 using a distance function approach. However, the existing studies have mostly focused on the cost estimates at macro levels (provinces or industries) with few examining firm-level abatement costs. No work has attempted to estimate the abatement cost of CO2 emissions in the iron and steel industry. Although some have argued that the directional distance function (DDF) is more appropriate in the presence of bad output under regulation, the choice of directions is largely arbitrary. This study provides the most up-to-date estimate of the shadow price of CO2 using a unique dataset of China’s major iron and steel enterprises in 2014. The paper uses output quadratic DDF and investigates the impact of using different directional vectors representing different carbon mitigation strategies. The results show that the mean CO2 shadow price of China’s iron and steel enterprises is very sensitive to the choice of direction vectors. The average shadow prices of CO2 are 407, 1226 and 6058 Yuan/tonne respectively for the three different direction vectors. We also find substantial heterogeneity in the shadow prices of CO2 emissions among China’s major iron and steel enterprises. Larger, listed enterprises are found to be associated lower CO2 shadow prices than smaller, unlisted enterprises.
The study and analysis of the distribution of sexually transmitted disease condition through homosexuality in Egyptian male .

Homosexuality is the commonest psychosexual disorder, however few data present upon in Egypt. This study aimed to determine the epidemiology of homosexuality in male youth populations in Upper Egypt, and associated sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Methods: a sample of 1,500 Egyptian 18-35 years old men attending for medical examination in Qena University Hospital (QUH) outpatient department between March 2013 and March 2014 were randomly selected; prevalence of homosexuality and associated sexually transmitted diseases were studied. Results: A low rate of marriage with subsequent late age of marriage among the study group has been found, mainly due to economic causes. On contrary to the expected, only 36 (2.4%) young adults gave history of illegal sex behavior, only one of whom admitted to have homosexual activity, compared to the remaining individuals who were all heterosexuals. In parallel to such reduced illegal sexual behavior, human immune deficiency virus (HIV) /acquire immunodeficiency disease (AIDS), syphilis and gonorrhea, all were absent among the studied population Conclusions: Homosexuality is unlikely among male Egyptian youth. Islamic moral code and Coptic Christianity which forbid adultery render homosexuality, and extramarital sex, less likely as a public health problem. In turn, an essential route for spread of the STDs in general and HIV/AIDS in particular is largely diminished.
Studies on nephrotoxicity due to combined effect of Aflatoxin and Ochratoxin in broilers and their amelioration with adsorbents

The present study was undertaken to study the combined effect of AF (Aflatoxin) and OA (Ochratoxin A) on kidney function parameters in broilers and their amelioration using adsorbents. AF and OA were mixed with the broiler diet to attain a concentration 1 ppm and 2 ppm respectively. Activated charcoal @0.4% level and lyophilized yeast culture@0.2 % level were selected for testing their efficacy in ameliorating the combined toxicity in broiler chicks. Total of 128 no., one day old broiler chicks were divided into 4 groups with 4 replicates of 8 birds each in a completely randomized design. Each group was fed with 4 different diets for 6 weeks to study the effect on kidneys function parameters. Group 1 is toxin free basal diet (Control). Group 2 is a mixture of basal diet, AF and OA. Group 3 is a mixture of basal diet, AF, OA and activated charcoal. Group 4 is a mixture of basal diet, AF, OA, activated charcoal and lyophilized yeast culture. The birds in group 2 recorded significantly higher serum uric acid and lower BUN level compared to control group. The birds in group 3 recorded significant improvement in kidney function parameters as compared to group 2 but still significantly varying from groups 4 and 1, indicating that activated charcoal @ 0.4. % level has only partial ameliorating effect on combined toxicity. Birds in group 4 have shown significant improvement in the kidney function parameters as compared to group 2 and 3 but there is still a significant difference from the control group. From the results it is observed that the addition of activated charcoal @0.4% has only partial ameliorating effect on combined toxicity where as a combination of activated charcoal @0.4% and yeast culture @ 0.2 % has complimentary effect in ameliorating the combined toxicity in broilers. However, combination of activated charcoal and yeast culture also could not completely ameliorate the combined toxicity in broilers.
TRADITIONS OF ART AND CRAFT DECORATION AND ARCHITECTURE OF KAZAKH YURT AS A SOURCE OF MODERN ART

Kazakhstan is a country with a rich cultural heritage. Carpeting patterns and ornaments of silver and golden jewellery, portable dwelling – yurt are the greatest inventions of nomads. Architecture and inner decoration of yurt comprise an imaginary-conceptual model of the world while the interior comprises the best folk traditions of craft and pattern creativity. Activity of scientists of Russian Geographical society on study of cultural and artistic traditions of Kazakh folk allowed presenting yurt and items of national art and craft as museum exhibit for the first time. Formation of the system of art education in Kazakhstan by Russian painters contributed into translation of traditions of folk art into easel painting. Ethnic traditions comprise valuable artistic achievements of the folk, determine the individuality of creative method and the style of the Kazakhstan artists, and remain the source of modern Kazakh art.
IMPACT OF REFORESTATION OF A REGROWTH SECONDARY FOREST WITH ( L . ) TEN YEARS AFTER ON UNDERSTORY SPECIES COMPOSITION AND DISTRIBUTION IN ILE-IFE , SOUTHWESTERN

Understory species composition, density, diversity, and tree population structure were studied in a plantation 10 years after establishment and compared with a re-growth secondary forest of tropical forest zone in Southwestern Nigeria. The total number of understorey species in the re-growth secondary forest was 28 while 23 species were recorded in the plantation. The numbers of shrub and climber species in the re-growth secondary forest were higher (nine) than the plantation stand (five); however, the number of herbaceous species remained the same in both the plantation and the re-growth secondary forest, The dominant understorey species in the re-growth secondary forest were which got reduced from 70 (26.5%) to 13 (12.3%) in the plantation; from 29 (12.2%) to 6 (5.7%); from 25 (10.5%) to 5 (4.7%); from 17 (7.1%) to 6 (5.7%). The families most abundantly represented in the plantation were Acanthaceae, Combretaceae and Papilionaceae while the family most abundantly represented in the re-growth secondary forest were Acanthaceae, Combretaceae and Amaranthaceae. In the re-growth secondary forest, lower dbh (0 20 cm) classes showed higher density while intermediate girth dbh class (41-60 cm) had the higher density in the plantation. In general, the forest stand had more density of trees in each dbh class with a peak in the intermediate girth class. The study reveals that the establishment of ten years after, in a re-growth secondary forest, has altered the understory composition and structure. aiodiwe@oauife.edu. ng (Received: March, 2012; Accepted: June, 2012)
SMEs’ Access to Finance: An European Perspective

The paper presents a complex analysis regarding a top European priority: European SMEs and their access to finance. The first part of the paper reflects the macroeconomic situation and the challenges faced by the European SMEs in financing their activities. Relevant aspects from the related literature and research are included in the first part. The second part of the paper presents the research data and methodology, based on the Value at Risk analysis and two relevant surveys, developed by the European Commission and the European Central Bank (Bank Lending Survey and SAFE). The third part of the paper shows the analysis and empirical results of the quantitative study, based on two categories of factors (macroeconomic and business sector level), for a selection of six European countries (Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain), during a period of eleven years (from 2003 to 2014). The paper also adds a qualitative analysis in the third part, by mixing quatitative and qualitative instruments. The last part reflects our concluding remarks, which may support future policy actions. SMEs represent a strategic sector, both for every individual European economy and for Europe. Improving the SMEs’ access to finance represents a catalyst for growth.
Study of Graphite – Polymer – Turbostratic Carbon Composites by Acoustic Emission Method at Perpendicular Geometry

The purpose of this paper was to search the relations between the structure of the compressed expanded graphite – polymer – turbostratic carbon composites on successive stages of technological treatment and parameters describing the acoustic emission phenomena in these materials. The acoustic emission method can be used for measurements of changes in the structure and many different properties of materials. These investigations are a continuation of our earlier studies concerning physical, mechanical and chemical properties of porous composites created on the basis of a compressed expanded graphite matrix, obtained after successive technological procedures of impregnation, polymerization and carbonization of polyfurfuryl alcohol. The aim of this work was to investigate materials obtained at different levels of technological processing, thus with different densities, porosity, physical and chemical properties, by using the acoustic emission method. In compressed expanded graphite composites structures one can differentiate two basic directions: perpendicular to the bedding plane of graphite flakes and parallel to this one. The all presented results were obtained for the uniaxial strain applied in the direction perpendicular to the bedding plane of the composite structure. Analysis of acoustic emission parameters provides information on physical and chemical processes in these materials.
Monetary Policy & the Economy Q1/05

EUR/USD exchange rate in the period from 2002 to 2003. Our analysis has shown that both fundamental and nonfundamental factors seem to have played a role. Regarding fundamental factors, an accommodating U.S. monetary policy in light of a weak labor market as well as the rising U.S. current account deficit contributed to weakening the U.S. dollar and thus strengthening the euro. The Bank of Japan s large intervention purchases of U.S. dollars, which have been widely considered important in the economic policy debate, do not appear to have had a significant impact on the EUR/USD exchange rate; however, they seem to have weakened the Japanese yen both vis-a‘-vis the U.S. dollar and the euro. In addition to these factors, the accounting scandals in the U.S. stock markets as well as fears of war and terrorism had a dampening effect on market sentiment, thus adding to the strain on the U.S. dollar. Measurement problems render it difficult to assess the role of euro area monetary policy and of European economic data. With a view to nonfundamental factors, we discuss the role of the trend-following behavior of agents in the foreign exchange market on the basis of a technical foreign exchange trading system used in practice. The buy and sell recommendations of such systems may also help explain the appreciation of the euro in the period in question. All in all, these fundamental and nonfundamental factors may explain the direction to which the EUR/USD exchange rate moved, but not the extent of this movement or the relative significance of these factors in determining the EUR/USD exchange rate in the period in question.
An overview of the Mallee Fire and Biodiversity Project

Fire is a widespread natural disturbance and an important ecological process in mallee ecosystems. Understanding the effects of fire on plants and animals presents a key challenge for the conservation and management of biodiversity in the Mallee. Commencing in 2006, the Mallee Fire and Biodiversity Project was developed to investigate the effects of fire on a range of taxa (plants, invertebrates, reptiles, birds and mammals). This project represents one of the largest ecological studies of fire ever undertaken in Australia. The project has had a particular focus on investigating the influence of the properties of ‘fire mosaics’ on biota. To do this, we employed a novel ‘whole of landscape’ design, in which we sampled the flora and fauna in 28 landscapes (each 4 km in diameter, 12.5km) across a 104,000 km area of the Murray Mallee region of Victoria, SA and NSW. Here, we present a summary of some key results and outputs from this project. These include: detailed maps of a) fire history (from 1972 – 2007), and b) major vegetation types; a method for predicting the age of mallee vegetation beyond that which can be accomplished using satellite images; novel information about the distribution of fire age-classes in the region; and changes to vegetation structure and the occurrence of reptile, bird and mammal species over a century long post-fire time-frame. We also present results on the effects that landscape properties of fire mosaics (extent of particular age classes and the diversity of fire age classes) have on the diversity of fauna in different landscapes. A wealth of knowledge has been developed through the Mallee Fire and Biodiversity Project that will assist in management of mallee ecosystems in southern Australia, and contribute to the conservation of threatened mallee species such as Malleefowl Leipoa ocellata.
Tourism employees' interpretation of the business social responsibility concept in the Western Cape Province, South Africa

In developing countries, tourism businesses develop and implement business social responsibility (BSR) programmes. However, their implementation is usually unsuccessful because BSR’s success depends on employees’ understanding and knowledge. A total of 307 tourism businesses were selected through a stratified sampling method. Purposive sampling assisted to identify employees, of which 452 were surveyed. Government tourism departments were identified as the key informants. Data was captured through the Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) and analysed using a stakeholder framework. The majority of respondents agreed that BSR is all about moral issues and managers are ultimately responsible for its implementation. Tourism businesses’ length of operation, size and the government’s involvement were all found to affect BSR interpretation and implementation. Governments should support and encourage long-term business operation and expansion towards enhanced sustainability.