Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exercise in Pregnancy: Effect on Obesity Parameters in Indian Women – A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract Background and aims: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of physical activity and diet during prenatal period and its effect on gestational weight gain (GWG), BMI, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC) and post-partum weight retention (PPWR). Materials and Methods: This was an experimental study (pre-post comparison) with 45 pregnant women having singleton pregnancy of >16 weeks of gestation, BMI>18.5 Kg/m2 and having a mobile phone. They were randomly divided into 3 groups (n=12 each; compliance rate 80%) (i.e.) exercise (n=12), exercise with diet advise (n=12) and control (n=12) group. Exercise groups attended weekly antenatal exercise sessions at the hospital during pregnancy; diet group received regular diet counseling followed by mobile text-messages (reminder, motivational, guidelines and benefits) to maintain adequate diet. The data was analyzed using IBM-SPSS software. Results: Exercise groups gained less weight then control. Similarly, had mean GWG less as compared to control group though not statistically significant. The mean WC changes were significant amongst the groups with the exercise groups having least gain in WC (p<0.05). Conclusion: Adopting an active lifestyle along with proper diet care can prevent development of abdominal obesity and metabolic syndrome in Indian pregnant women which could prevent them from other associated lifestyle diseases in future.
Galaxies in the act of quenching star formation

Detecting galaxies when their star-formation is being quenched is crucial to understand the mechanisms driving their evolution. We identify for the first time a sample of quenching galaxies selected just after the interruption of their star formation by exploiting the [O III]5007/Halpha ratio and searching for galaxies with undetected [O III]. Using a sample of ~174000 star-forming galaxies extracted from the SDSS-DR8 at 0.04 < z < 0.21,we identify the ~300 quenching galaxy best candidates with low [O III]/Halpha, out of ~26000 galaxies without [O III] emission. They have masses between 10^9.7 and 10^10.8 Mo, consistently with the corresponding growth of the quiescent population at these redshifts. Their main properties (i.e. star-formation rate, colours and metallicities) are comparable to those of the star-forming population, coherently with the hypothesis of recent quenching, but preferably reside in higher-density environments.Most candidates have morphologies similar to star-forming galaxies, suggesting that no morphological transformation has occurred yet. From a survival analysis we find a low fraction of candidates (~0.58% of the star-forming population), leading to a short quenching timescale of tQ~50Myr and an e-folding time for the quenching history of tauQ~90Myr, and their upper limits of tQ<0.76 Gyr and tauQ<1.5Gyr, assuming as quenching galaxies 50% of objects without [O III] (~7.5%). Our results are compatible with a 'rapid' quenching scenario of satellites galaxies due to the final phase of strangulation or ram-pressure stripping. This approach represents a robust alternative to methods used so far to select quenched galaxies (e.g. colours, specific star-formation rate, or post-starburst spectra).
Trilingualism and Foreign Language Proficiency

The delicate issue of the development of the monolingual, bilingual, and trilingual speakers learning English as a foreign language was considered in this study. The idea of learning a foreign language and the preparation for participating in the TOEFL test was combined to determine the degree of achievement and progress between monolingual, bilingual and trilingual speakers. Consequently, proposals to integrate the study of foreign language learning and trilingualism have been made as a means of describing some of the ways in which monolingual, bilingual, and trilingual speakers differ in their progress of mastering a foreign language which lead to their success in the TOEFL exam. This study was mainly carried out to test this presupposition that those who have acquired more than one native language might be more successful in learning another one after puberty. The subjects of the study consist of sixty-four students: thirty monolingual, sixteen bilingual, and sixteen trilingual students studying English as a foreign language with the aim of passing the TOEFL test. Their native languages were Persian, Persian and Kurdish or Turkish, Persian and Kurdish and Turkish. The subjects were randomly placed into two groups. The lecturers were the same. The covered topics were grammar, listening and reading comprehension. A pre-test was carried out before the intensive course and a TOEFL test was the final step of the instruction period. The teaching period was four months full-time instruction. The findings did not show the superiority of bilingual and trilingual speakers over the monolingual ones. In fact, the monolingual subjects did slightly better than the other groups. However, the t-test and other statistical analysis proved that the difference is not significant. Consequently, it is possible to infer that after the age of puberty having more than one native like language cannot be of great help in learning a foreign language. The implications of the results might be in methodology addressed in terms of appropriate training content, and the needs for an educationally and linguistically methodology as effective means in teaching English as a foreign language.
Managerial processes: an operations management perspective towards dynamic capabilities

Motivated by the view that the managerial processes underpin the dynamic capabilities of the firm, this article seeks to review the current state of knowledge on managerial processes and propose a research agenda towards a better understanding of managerial processes. A systematic approach to the literature review covering business process and strategic management fields concludes that managerial processes are critical for sustaining and developing competitive advantage, but our understanding as to what they are, their contents and how they function is limited. A definition for managerial processes is proposed and the context within which managerial processes function is identified. An empirically based research agenda, comprising research questions, is outlined that would serve to enhance our understanding of the managerial processes that underpin dynamic capabilities.
A study of lipid profile and carotid artery and abdominal aorta intima-media thickness in children with parental history of premature ischemic heart disease

Atherosclerosis is a slow, progressive disease of arteries that starts in childhood and usually manifests itself clinically much later. Hyperlipidemia is considered to be one of the major risk factor in the causation of atherosclerosis. Over the past decade, high-resolution B-mode ultrasonography has proved to be a valid and reliable method in detecting initial structural atherosclerotic changes in the arterial wall. Increased thickness of intima and media of the carotid artery has been found in subjects with risk factors for cardiovascular ABSTRACT
Large‐scale ionospheric disturbances due to the dissipation of convectively‐generated gravity waves over Brazil

In a companion paper, we show that large‐scale secondary gravity waves and circulation cells are created by the body forces generated by the dissipation of convectively generated gravity waves over Brazil on 01 October 2005. In this paper, we show that these fluid perturbations cause large‐scale perturbations of the plasma drift and plasma density in the ionosphere by changing the wind dynamo and transport. These fluid perturbations modify both the amplitude and direction of the plasma drifts. Near the geomagnetic equator, the magnitude of the pre‐reversal enhancement can be increased or weakened, depending on the location and local time. Because the circulation cells persist from late afternoon through midnight, the modulation of the vertical drift near the geomagnetic equator persists until midnight. The largest changes of the wind‐driven currents can occur either in the E or F region and are determined by the magnitudes of the wind perturbations, conductivities, and conductivity perturbations. The contributions to the plasma transport changes are from advection by the neutral winds along field lines, plasma drifts, and ambipolar diffusion, in the order of their relative significance in the numerical results.
Revenue maximization in the dynamic knapsack problem

We analyze maximization of revenue in the dynamic and stochastic knapsack problem where a given capacity needs to be allocated by a given deadline to sequentially arriving agents. Each agent is described by a two-dimensional type that reflects his capacity requirement and his willingness to pay per unit of capacity. Types are private information. We first characterize implementable policies. Then we solve the revenue maximization problem for the special case where there is private information about per-unit values, but capacity needs are observable. After that we derive two sets of additional conditions on the joint distribution of values and weights under which the revenue maximizing policy for the case with observable weights is implementable, and thus optimal also for the case with twodimensional private information. In particular, we investigate the role of concave continuation revenues for implementation. We also construct a simple policy for which per-unit prices vary with requested weight but not with time, and we prove that it is asymptotically revenue maximizing when available capacity and time to the deadline both go to infinity. This highlights the importance of nonlinear as opposed to dynamic pricing.
Violencia a través de las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación en estudiantes de secundaria

The aim of this paper was to analyze violence through Informa- tion and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Compulsory Secondary Education students. To achieve this objective, the School Violence Question- naire-Revised was applied to 638 Compulsory Secondary Education stu- dents, from six high schools in Asturias (Spain). Results show that vio- lence through ICT occurs with a remarkable frequency, although less than some kinds of traditional school violence. Statistically significative differ- ences were found among grades of Compulsory Secondary Education and between rural and urban centers. Violence through ICT is more frequent in second grade and in urban high schools. However, statistically significa- tive differences were barely found between genders. Also, a strong correla- tion between violence through ICT and some kinds of traditional school violence was found. These outcomes are compared with the results of the main previous works about this subject. Some educative implications of these results are discussed.
Dynamics of Protoplanetary Disks

Protoplanetary disks are quasi-steady structures whose evolution and dispersal determine the environment for planet formation. I review the theory of protoplanetary disk evolution and its connection to observations. Substantial progress has been made in elucidating the physics of potential angular momentum transport processes—including self-gravity, magnetorotational instability, baroclinic instabilities, and magnetic braking—and in developing testable models for disk dispersal via photoevaporation. The relative importance of these processes depends upon the initial mass, size, and magnetization of the disk, and subsequently on its opacity, ionization state, and external irradiation. Disk dynamics is therefore coupled to star formation, pre-main-sequence stellar evolution, and dust coagulation during the early stages of planet formation and may vary dramatically from star to star. The importance of validating theoretical models is emphasized, with the key observations being those that probe disk structure.
Generalized SCIDAR Measurements at Mount Graham

We present the results of optical turbulence measurements conducted with a Generalized SCIDAR (scintillation detection and ranging) at Mount Graham during 16 nights in 2004 and 2005 at the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope. The principle of the data reduction process is shown, as is the validation of the obtained results. From the measured C2N and wind speed profiles, the astroclimatic parameters, such as seeing ϵ0, isoplanatic angle ϑ0, wave‐front coherence time τ0, and isopistonic angle ϑP, are calculated, and their seasonal variation is studied. With subtraction of the dome seeing, we obtained median values for ϵ0 (0.67″), ϑ0 (2.7″), τ0 (3.6 ms), and ϑP (3.3″) that indicate that the astronomical seeing at Mount Graham is comparable to the best sites in the world. The seasonal variation of the vertical structure of the C2N profiles is studied, and the contribution by the ground‐layer turbulence is analyzed. Furthermore, typical discretized C2N profiles that are suitable for numerical simulations are determined.
A critical test of empirical mass loss formulas applied to individual giants and supergiants

To test our new, improved Reimers-type mass-loss relation, given by Schroder & Cuntz in 2005 (ApJ, 630, L73), we take a look at the best studied galactic giants and supergiants – particularly those with spatially resolved circumstellar shells and winds, obtained directly or by means of a companion acting as a probing light source. Together with well-known physical parameters, the selected stars provide the most powerful and critical observational venues for assessing the validity of parameterized mass-loss relations for cool winds not driven by molecules or dust. In this study, star by star, we compare our previously published relation with the original Reimers relation (1975, Mem. Roy. Soc. Liege 6. Ser. 8, 369), the Lamers relation (1981, ApJ, 245, 593), and the two relations by de Jager and his group (1988, AA 1990, A&A, 231, 134). The input data, especially the stellar masses, have been constrained using detailed stellar evolution models. We find that only the relationship by Schroder & Cuntz agrees, within the error bars, with the observed mass-loss rates for all giants and supergiants.
Detecting grassland spatial variation by a wavelet approach

Insight into the spatial variation of an ecosystem can provide better understanding of ecological processes and patterns in different scales. Detecting these multiple scales of spatial variation in grassland landscapes is valuable for determining management options, designing proper sampling regimes, and selecting suitable resolutions of remote sensing products. The objective of this study is to examine how environmental factors affect spatial variation of biophysical properties in mixed grassland ecosystems. Field leaf area index (LAI), soil moisture, and topographical parameters (relative elevation, upslope length, and a wetness index) were obtained in three parallel transects of a grassland ecosystem in Saskatchewan, Canada in 2004. One 20‐m resolution SPOT 4 (HRVIR) image was acquired at the same period of the growing season but in the following year. Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was calculated from the satellite image of the centre 381‐m transect and two extensive 2560‐m perpendicular transects. A wavelet approach was used to identify the scales of variations. Statistical results showed that LAI is significantly correlated to the wetness index (r2 = 0.37) and soil moisture (r2 = 0.43). The wetness index is better than relative elevation and upslope length in demonstrating the effect of topography on grassland vegetation. The variation of soil moisture is significant at two small scales of about 20 m and 40 m, and that of the wetness index is at the large scale of 120 m. The variation of grassland LAI is significant at three scales (20 m, 40 m, and 120 m), which indicates that the spatial variation of LAI might be controlled by both topography and soil moisture, though the 120 m is the dominant scale of variation in LAI. NDVI significantly correlated with grassland LAI along the centre transect. The effect of topography on grassland LAI is also proven by the significant relationships between NDVI and the wetness index. The wavelet analysis identifies the variation of two extensive transects at the scale of about 120 m, which is similar to the dominant variation scale of grassland LAI. These results confirmed that the effect of topography on spatial variation can be identified from the appropriate satellite image. This study suggests that the spatial scales of soil and topographic data aid in the selection of appropriate satellite image resolution for monitoring and managing ecosystems.
Experimental Ecological Genetics in Plantago II. Lead Tolerance in Plantago Lanceolata and Cynodon Dactylon from a Roadside

A population of Planitago lanceolata (ribwort plantain) from a roadside was found to have higher Pb tolerance than populations away from the roadside; this reflected the sharp differences in Pb content of the soil and the plants at these sites. Tolerance tests on seedlings showed that the Pb tolerance was transmitted to seed progeny. Cynodonl dactylon (Bermuda grass) showed generally a higher Pb tolerance than P. lanceolata, but there was no evidence of a greater Pb tolerance of the roadside population when compared with populations from control sites. These results suggest that the Pb level found at the roadside was sufficiently high to impose selection pressure for the evolution of tolerance in a sensitive species, but no overt effect was seen in a species with a greater inherent tolerance. This provides another example of rapid and highly localized evolutionary change in plants.
Allometric equations for below-ground biomass of four key woody species in West African savanna-woodlands

Accurate estimates of both above-ground biomass (AGB) and below-ground biomass (BGB) are essential for estimating carbon (C) balances at various geographical scales and formulating effective climate change mitigation programs. However, estimating BGB is challenging, particularly for forest ecosystems, so robust allometric equations are needed. To obtain such equations for savanna-woodlands of the West African north sudanian zone, we selected four common native woody species (Anogeissus leiocarpa (DC.) Guill. & Perr. , Detarium microcarpum Guill. & Perr. , Piliostigma thonningii (Schumach.) Milne-Redh. and Vitellaria paradoxa C.F. Gaertn. ). At two sites in Burkina Faso, we determined the BGB of 30 trees of each of these species by excavation, and measured various above-ground dimensional variables. The root:shoot ratio varied widely among the species, from 0.1 to 3.4. Depending on the species, allometric equations based on stem basal area at 20 cm height, basal area at breast height and tree height explained 50–95% of the variation in BGB. The best generic equation we obtained, based on basal area at 20 cm, explained 60% of the variation in BGB across the species. Three previously published generic allometric equations underestimated BGB by 8 to 63%. The presented equations should significantly improve the accuracy of BGB estimates in savanna-woodlands and help avoid costly needs to excavate root systems.
Influence of dietary choline levels on growth performance and carcass characteristics of growing Japanese quail.

This experiment was conducted using 204 day-old Japanese quail chicks to evaluate the effect of different levels of dietary choline on growth performance and carcass characteristics. The experimental diets consisted of 4 levels of choline: 1000, 1500, 2000 and 2500 mg/kg diet. Each dietary treatment was assigned to 3 replicate groups of 17 chicks and the experiment lasted 35 days. Live body weight and body weight gain was significantly (P< 0.01) increased with increasing choline level from 1000 to 2000 mg/kg diet at all different ages, except body weight gain was not affect by dietary choline levels during 21-42 days of age. Feed consumption and feed conversion ratio were affected by the different levels of choline at the different ages (P< 0.05), vs. feed conversion ratio was not significantly affect by dietary choline levels during 21-42 days of age. In conclusion, the obtained results showed that the diet containing 2000 mg/kg choline diet is recommended for feeding grow- ing Japanese quail during the fattening period (7 to 42 days of age).
How Does Fiscal Consolidation Impact on Income Inequality?

In this paper, we assess the impact of fiscal consolidation on income inequality. Using a panel of 18 industrialized countries from 1978 to 2009, we find that income inequality significantly rises during periods of fiscal consolidation. In addition, while fiscal policy that is driven by spending cuts seems to be detrimental for income distribution, tax hikes seem to have an equalizing effect. We also show that the size of the fiscal consolidation program (in percentage of GDP) has an impact on income inequality. In particular, when consolidation plans represent a small share of GDP, the income gap widens, suggesting that the burden associated with the effort affects disproportionately households at the bottom of the income distribution. Considering the linkages between banking crises and fiscal consolidation, we find that the effect on the income gap is amplified when fiscal adjustments take place after the resolution of such financial turmoils. Similarly, fiscal consolidation programs combined with inflation are likely to increase inequality and the effects of fiscal adjustments on inequality are amplified during periods of relatively low growth. Our results also provide support for a nonlinear relationship between inequality and income and corroborate the idea that trade can promote a more equal distribution of income.
The Best Path to Systemic Educational Policy: Standard/Centralized or Differentiated/Decentralized?

Systemic educational policy recommends creating more ambitious instruction in schools through a centralized strategy of mandatory curriculum frameworks, high-stakes student assessments, and coordinated teacher training. This article suggests serious problems with such a strategy and recommends a decentralized alternative involving local choice of curricula, technical assistance, and professional development. Arguments for, problems with, and alternatives to the centralized strategy are examined in eight dimensions of educational policy: curriculum development, curriculum stratification, educational indicators, high-stakes examinations for students, school improvement, educational finance, educational governance, and teacher training. The article concludes with recommendations for policy and research.