Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A map of radon flux at the Australian land surface

Abstract. A time-dependent map of radon-222 flux density at the Australian land surface has been constructed with a spatial resolution of 0.05° and temporal resolution of one month. Radon flux density was calculated from a simple model utilising data from national gamma-ray aerial surveys; modelled soil moisture, available from 1900 in near real-time; and maps of soil properties. The model was calibrated against a data set of accumulation chamber measurements, thereby constraining it with experimental data. A notable application of the map is in atmospheric mixing and transport studies which use radon as a tracer, where it is a clear improvement on the common assumption of uniform radon flux density.
Morphological change in Newfoundland caribou: Effects of abundance and climate

The demographic and environmental influences on large mammal morphology are central questions in ecology. We investigated the effects of population abundance and climate on body size and number of male antler points for the La Poile and Middle Ridge caribou (Rangifer tarandus, L. 1758) herds, Newfoundland, Canada. Across 40 years and 20-fold changes in abundance, adult males and females exhibited diminished stature as indicated by jawbone size (diastema and total mandible length) and the number of antler points at the time of harvest. Associations between jawbone size and population abundance at birth were consistently negative for both herds, both sexes, and all age classes. Large-scale climate patterns, as measured by the North Atlantic Oscillation in the winter prior to birth, were also negatively associated with jawbone size. Declines in male antler size, as measured by the number of antler points, were not well predicted by either abundance or climate, suggesting other factors (e.g., current, rather than latent, foraging conditions) may be involved. We conclude that these morphological changes indicate competition for food resources.
Strategies Instruction to Improve the Preparation for English Oral Exams

This article presents the results of an inter-institutional research study that assessed the impact of strategies instruction on students’ preparation for and performance in oral exams. Two teacher-researchers at different universities trained 26 students in their respective B1-English-level courses in using language learning strategies. The study included pre- and post-intervention tests and on-line questionnaires after each oral exam. After comparing the test scores and analyzing the questionnaire responses, we arrived at two main conclusions: First, that strategies instruction, especially in combination with evaluation rubrics, promotes students’ autonomy and enhances their oral test performance. Second, that students’ use of language learning strategies is influenced by instructional variations tied to the relative importance that teachers ascribe to specific aspects of oral communication.
Using subsets of species in biodiversity surveys

Summary 1. In many biodiversity surveys, a small proportion of species require a disproportionate amount of a researcher’s time and effort to detect or identify. If we are interested in predicting species diversity or composition, what are the consequences for statistical power of ignoring difficult species ‐ that is, of surveying only a subset of the full suite of species? 2. We analysed 10 data sets on a variety of taxa, at different spatial scales, to assess correlations for species richness and species composition between a full data set and subsets of data with different numbers of species deleted at random, or according to the time investment required for inclusion. Power analyses characterized the trade-off between the number of sites surveyed and the completeness of the survey in each site. 3. For species richness, the majority of information regarding among-site patterns was retained even with large numbers of species removed. With only half the full species pool, the lower 95th percentile of correlations between the full vs. randomly generated reduced data sets was >0·75 in all 10 cases. With 10% of the full species pool removed, correlations were ≥ 0·95. 4. Subsets of species were not as good at capturing among-site patterns of species composition (ordination scores and pairwise site dissimilarities). With half the full species pool, lower 95th percentile correlations between the full and randomly generated reduced data sets were as low as 0·1. Nonetheless, in most cases the lower 95th percentile correlation with half the number of species was >0·7, and removing 10% of species gave correlations >0·8 across all data sets. 5. For the three data sets in which species were also removed according to the time investment for inclusion, correlations fell within the range of variability observed for random species removals. 6. Synthesis and applications . In biological surveys, ignoring a relatively small proportion of species (e.g. <10%), and often a much larger proportion, results in very little loss of information on patterns of biodiversity. As such, statistical power in many biodiversity studies may be maximized by eliminating difficult species from a survey in order to increase the number of sites surveyed.
Association between Anthropometric Parameters (WC, BMI, WHR) and Type 2 Diabetes in the Adult Yazd Population, Iran

Objective: Obesity and particularly abdominal obesity are strongly associated with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study was to quantify the association between three anthropometric measurements (body mass index, waist to hip ratio, waist circumference) and type 2 diabetes mellitus in the adult Yazd population, Iran. Methods: This case-control study conducted among diabetic patients and healthy subjects in the Yazd population, Iran. The study was conducted in a period from December 2012 to May 2013. Studied individuals consisted of 200 patients with Type 2 diabetes and 200 controls without Type 2diabetes. Student t-test was used to assess differences between mean values of two continuous variables. Chi-square analysis was performed to test the differences in proportions of categorical variables between groups and logistic regressions were performed separately for men and women to quantify the association between type 2 diabetes and Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist to Hip Ratio (WHR) and Waist Circumference (WC). Result: 50% of individuals in each group were female and %50 males, mean age of the subjects in the case & control groups were 53.18 yr. and 52.60 yr. respectively. Mean (SD) WC was 91.62 cm (8.9) in non-diabetics men and 97.58 cm (8.64) in diabetics ones, (p<.001). In women, it was 95.5 (11.46) cm for non-diabetics and 101.61 cm (10.26) for diabetics. In the multivariate analysis, Odds ratio [CI95%] for WC was 3.71 [1.32-10.43] in men and 4.86 [1.14-20.65] in women. Results for BMI and WHR were non-significant in both sexes. Conclusion: Our study clearly demonstrates that WC is the strongest anthropometric index that associates with type 2 diabetes in both sexes. And this parameter should be used in routine practice for the follow up of patients with type 2 diabetes.
xpanding the range of the First Step to Success intervention : ertiary-level support for children , teachers , and families ndy

This study presents the findings of a quasi-experimental feasibility study examining the Tertiary First Step intervention, an enhanced version of the First Step to Success early intervention program. Tertiary First Step was developed to engage families more effectively and influence and improve parenting practices for children having challenging behavior. Process (fidelity, dosage, and social validity) and outcome data were collected for all participants in the Tertiary First Step condition (N = 33). Parentand teacher-reported outcomes were collected for the comparison condition (N = 22). Process data suggest the intervention was
THE EFFECT OF LIPID AND OXYGEN CONCENTRATION ON MYOSIN HEAVY CHAIN ISOFORM EXPRESSION IN C 2 C 12 AND CULTURED WEDDELL SEAL ( LEPTONYCHOTES WEDDELLII ) SKELETAL MUSCLE CELLS Submitted

iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . iv CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION . 1 CHAPTER 2 – CHARACTERIZATION OF MYOSIN HEAVY CHAIN ISOFORMS IN CULTURED C2C12 AND WEDDELL SEAL (LEPTONYCHOTES WEDDELLII) SKELETAL MUSCLE CELLS.6 CHAPTER 3 CONSIDERATION OF DIET WAS NECESSARY FOR THE SUCCESSFUL ISOLATION AND CULTURE OF WEDDELL SEAL (LEPTONYCHOTES WEDDELLII) MYOBLASTS . 42 CHAPTER 4 – CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS . 64
Bayesian Testing of Granger Causality in Markov-Switching VARs

Recent economic developments have shown the importance of spillover and contagion effects in financial markets as well as in macroeconomic reality. Such effects are not limited to relations between the levels of variables but also impact on the volatility and the distributions. We propose a method of testing restrictions for Granger noncausality on all these levels in the framework of Markov-switching Vector Autoregressive Models. The conditions for Granger noncausality for these models were derived by Warne (2000). Due to the nonlinearity of the restrictions, classical tests have limited use. We, therefore, choose a Bayesian approach to testing. The inference consists of a novel Gibbs sampling algorithm for estimation of the restricted models, and of standard methods of computing the Posterior Odds Ratio. The analysis may be applied to financial and macroeconomic time series with complicated properties, such as changes of parameter values over time and heteroskedasticity.
Assessing the Effect of Orally Administered Echinacea purpurea Extracts vs. Placebo on Pro-Inflammatory Cytokine Responses Ex Vivo

Objective: To determine if aqueous, polysaccharide-containing Echinacea purpurea extracts taken orally increase pro-inflammatory cytokine responses ex vivo. Design: In two separate studies, the levels of TNF-alpha (TNF), interleukins 2 and 6 (IL-2 and IL-6) and interferon gamma (IFN-γ) secreted by phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from healthy adults randomized to take one of three E. purpurea formulations or placebo orally for 10 consecutive days were measured. Blood was obtained from participants at baseline and on days 2, 3, 7, and 10 while on study medication. PBMC were isolated and stimulated with PHA for 24 h, and supernatants collected for measurement of pro-inflammatory cytokine levels.Outcome Measures: Primary outcomes were peak concentrations of PHA-induced TNF, IL-2, IL-6, and IFN-γ from PBMC isolates collected while on study medication. Cytokine responses of PBMC from participants randomized to one of the Echinacea formulations were compared with those of placebo recipients by regression analysis.Results: Cytokine levels were obtained from mitogen-activated PBMC from 86 participants, collected while on study medication. No significant differences in the peak levels of PBMC-secreted TNF, IL-2, IL-6 and IFN-γ were observed between PBMC from those taking active Echinacea preparation vs. a placebo. After adjusting for age, a trend toward increased IL-6 secreted by PHA-stimulated PBMC isolated on day 3 of oral administration was observed for the group taking one of the E. purpurea formulations compared with placebo (P=0.064). Conclusions: Oral administration of E. purpurea did not significantly enhance peak pro-inflammatory cytokine responses in mitogen-stimulated PBMC.
Induction of Anti-inflammatory Cytokines in CD11b- and Gr-1- Positive Cells after Neuropathogenic Coronaviral Infection

Mu-3 virus (Mu-3), a neuropathogenic strain of the mouse hepatitis virus, induces the apoptosis of pyramidal neurons in CA2 and CA3 subregions of the hippocampus at 4 days post-inoculation (dpi), without showing destructive changes or viral invasion there at 3 dpi. Since it has been considered that the apoptotic lesions occur through the indirect effects of infection, local expression of cytokines was examined in the brain in our previous study, revealing that the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 is produced by pyramidal neurons of CA2 and CA3 after infection. However, infection of primary brain culture failed to elevate IL-10 production. Therefore, in order to examine whether Mu-3 infection elevates IL-10 production, CD11b-expressing Peritoneal Exudate Cells (PECs) were used, which showed an increased level of IL-10 production in the supernatant of PEC culture after infection. The finding that IL-10-producing cells expressed Lewis X (Lex) supports our previous hypothesis that Lex expression is involved in the immunosuppressive state induced by viral infection. In addition, in combination with an experiment involving ex vivo infection, it was indicated that Mu-3 elicits M2 macrophages or Gr-1+CD11b+ Myeloid- Derived Suppressor Cells (MDSCs) that produce IL-10 and TGF-β to circumvent the host immune response after infection.
A Classification-Based Surrogate-Assisted Evolutionary Algorithm for Expensive Many-Objective Optimization

Surrogate-assisted evolutionary algorithms (SAEAs) have been developed mainly for solving expensive optimization problems where only a small number of real fitness evaluations are allowed. Most existing SAEAs are designed for solving low-dimensional single or multiobjective optimization problems, which are not well suited for many-objective optimization. This paper proposes a surrogate-assisted many-objective evolutionary algorithm that uses an artificial neural network to predict the dominance relationship between candidate solutions and reference solutions instead of approximating the objective values separately. The uncertainty information in prediction is taken into account together with the dominance relationship to select promising solutions to be evaluated using the real objective functions. Our simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm outperforms the state-of-the-art evolutionary algorithms on a set of many-objective optimization test problems.
The Relationship between Interest Rate and Exchange Rate in Namibia

This paper investigates the relationship between the exchange rate and the interest rate for Namibia. Time series techniques such as unit root tests, cointegration test, impulse response and variance decomposition. The study used quarterly data for the period 1993:Q1 to 2012:Q4. The results for cointegration show that there is no cointegration among the variables. The empirical results of this study have been unable to detect a clear systematic relationship between interest rates and exchange rates. However, the variance decomposition further revealed that the errors in the forecast of both the exchange rate and interest rate are dominated by itself and an insignificant percentage is also attributed to other variables.
Simplicial AutoEncoders : A connection between Algebraic Topology and Probabilistic Modelling

Within representation learning and dimensionality reduction, there are two main theoretical frameworks: probability and geometry. Unfortunately, there is a lack of a formal definition of a statistical model in most geometry-based dimension reduction works, which perpetuates the division. We introduce a statistical model parameterized by geometric simplicial complexes, which allows us to interpret the construction of an embedding proposed by UMAP as an approximate maximum a posteriori estimator. This is a step towards a theory of unsupervised learning which unifies geometric and probabilistic methods. Finally, based on the the notion of structure preservation between simplicial complexes we define Simplicial AutoEncoders. Along with the construction of a probabilistic model for the codes in the latent space, Simplicial AutoEncoders provide a parametric extension of UMAP to a generative model.
The Non-Linear Trade-Off between Return and Risk: A Regime-Switching Multi-Factor Framework

This study develops a multi-factor framework where not only market risk is considered but also potential changes in the investment opportunity set. Although previous studies find no clear evidence about a positive and significant relation between return and risk, favourable evidence can be obtained if a non-linear relation is pursued. The positive and significant risk-return trade-off is essentially observed during low volatility periods. However, this relationship is not obtained during periods of high volatility. Also, different patterns for the risk premium dynamics in low and high volatility periods are obtained both in prices of risk and market risk dynamics.
CORRIGENDUM: Ground-state entropy and algebraic order at low temperatures

A rescaling argument is applied to systems with a highly degenerate ground state. It is suggested that these systems can exhibit a distinctive low-temperature phase in which correlations decay algebraically with distance. This behaviour seens to be permitted when the spatial dimensionality is sufficiently high, d>or=dc. In addition, we find at dc an infinite-order phase transition ( nu = infinity , alpha =- infinity ) occurring at non-zero temperature, and only paramagnetic behaviour at d<dc. Since our results arise from a one-parameter renormalisation-group viewpoint, they should be seen as suggestive rather than definitive.
Pilot studies on photogrammetric bridge deformation measurement

The analysis of the stability of bridges or similar structures includes the measurement of deformations under defined load and the determination of amplitude and frequency of vibrations caused by traffic and/or wind. Digital photogrammetry is a rather suitable technique for these measurement tasks: It offers the capability of simultaneous monitoring of a large number of signalised or non-signalised points; in addition, many cameras offer the inherent capability of image sequence acquisition. The processing of deformation monitoring image sequences can be largely automated, and a precision potential in the order of 1 : 200,000 of the largest object dimension can be predicted. The paper will present the results of two pilot studies on bridge deformation measurement. The goal of the studies was the verification of the practical applicability and accuracy potential of photogrammetric techniques. The image sequences were taken by a high resolution stillvideo camera and a megapixel machine vision camera. Due to the primarily onedimensional nature of the expected deformation patterns, data acquisition and processing could be restricted to tracking in monocular image sequences. The 3-D coordinates of the targets to be tracked as well as the camera orientation parameters can be determined beforehand by photogrammetric techniques based on bundle adjustment. As a consequence of the relative nature of deformation measurement, the accuracy potential is hardly influenced by systematic errors of the imaging system, making it relatively easy to achieve the predicted accuracy potential.
Propofol accelerates lung cancer cells apoptosis through regulation of Rno-miR-665 and BCLXL expression

Background: Non-small-cell lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in human worldwide. Propofol is widely used in general anesthesia and sedation, which is also well-known for its anti-tumor function in many cancer cells. Methods: Cck8 assay was used for cell proliferation test; Flow cytometer, TUNEL assay and caspase-3 activity analysis were used for cell apoptosis. After transfected with rno-miR-665 mimics or inhibitor in A549 cells, the functions of proliferation and apoptosis was investigated. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis and western blot were performed to detect the expression of related proteins in A549 cells. The target gene of rno-miR-665 was determined by luciferase assay and Western blot. Results: Propofol inhibited A549 cell proliferation and induced cell apoptosis significantly in vitro. Introduction of rno-miR-665 mimics apparently suppressed the proliferation and induced apoptosis of A549 cells, while transfection with rno-miR-665 inhibitor in A549 cells contributed to propofol not alter cell proliferation and apoptosis. Moreover, luciferase reporter assay identified the 3'-UTR of bcl-xl mRNA contained a complementary sequence for rno-miR-665. Bcl-xl was a direct target of rnomiR-665. Conclusion: Propofol inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of A549 cells through, at least partly, regulation of rno-miR-665. Our study provided a better understanding of propofol function in NSCLC cells.
Time dependent solutions for a fractional Schrödinger equation with delta potentials

We investigate, for an arbitrary initial condition, the time dependent solutions for a fractional Schrodinger equation in the presence of delta potentials by using the Green function approach. The solutions obtained show an anomalous spreading asymptotically characterized by a power-law behavior, which is governed by the order of the fractional spatial operator present in the Schrodinger equation.
History, Virulence Genes, Identification and Antimicrobial Resistance of Enterococcus faecalis Isolated from Diabetic Foot Patients

1 Al Bukayriyah General Hospital, Qassim, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 2 Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia 3 Department of Bacteriology, Mycology and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Sadat City University, Sadat, Egypt 4 Department of Public Health, College of Public Health and Health Informatics, Qassim University, Buraidah, Saudi Arabia
Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Breast Self-Examination Practice among Female Students in Sulaimani Polytechnic University

Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women all over the world. it is estimated to account for around 25% of all malignant in women, and incidence shows continuously increasing trend in many countries all over the world. The aim of the study is to determine level of knowledge, awareness, and BSE practice for breast among SPU female students. A descriptive study was conducted a pre- tested questionnaire was used to determine knowledge, attitude and practices of female students in SPU regarding breast cancer and BSE. The face to face interview questionnaire was filled by systematic random sampling to 216 female students from 4 different colleges belongs to SPU, after getting verbal consent to participate voluntary in the study. Data were entered into Epi-data version 3.1. 1 and exported to analyse in SPSS version 17. Descriptive analysis was performed and frequencies and percentages were reported. The mean age of participants was 20.7, the study result shows that the knowledge mean score of participants was 3.95 (SD ± 1.78). 181(83.8%) have information of breast cancer, and 157(72.7%) have information on breast cancer sign,136(63.0%) have information on factor that increase change to get breast cancer,150(69.4%)have information on (BSE),86(39.8%)have information how to do (BSE),101(46.8%)have information on mammography . 91(42.1%)practice of (BSE), only 10 ( 4.6 %) female students has performing this examination regularly , percentage of students that did not done mammography was 193 (89.4%) . only 2 (0.9 %) performs mammography screening regularly, 18 (8.3 %) have a family member that get breast cancer. Knowledge of female student about breast cancer was at unsatisfactorylevel. Knowledge of female student about S.B. E was also at unsatisfactory level. Poor practice was observed, regarding BSE. Knowledge regarding mammography was also poor.