Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nutrition-related knowledge , attitude , and dietary intake of college track athletes

Although it is recognized that athletic performance is enhanced by optimal nutrition, nutrition-related knowledge deficits and dietary inadequacies continue to persist among many college athletes. The purpose of this study of college track athletes was to measure nutrition knowledge, attitude regarding healthy eating and athletic performance, and dietary intake, identifying relationships among these parameters. A self-administered nutrition knowledge and attitudes survey and the youth/adolescent semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire were used to measure nutrition knowledge and nutrition attitude and to assess diet quality, employing a convenience sample of 113 track athletes from two NCAA Division I schools. Mean knowledge was fair, with highest component scores attained for carbohydrate, vitamins and minerals, and protein. Low scores were found for vitamins E and C. Mean attitude scores were high and similar by sex. Overall mean diet quality was 84 ± 10 (M ± SD) of 110 possible. High mean dietary intake scores were found for vitamins C and A, cholesterol, saturated fat, calcium, and magnesium; low mean dietary intake scores were found for vitamin E, fiber, sodium, and potassium. Weak correlations existed between nutrition knowledge and attitude versus diet quality. In summary, we identified adequate intake and knowledge (carbohydrates), poor intake and knowledge (vitamin E), and adequate intake and lack of knowledge (vitamin C and protein). Future research should explore factors other than knowledge and attitude that may have primary influence on dietary intake among college athletes.
Impact of Performing Bowel Educational Guidelines on Preventing Constipation among Bed Ridden Patients

Nurses are best placed to assess, plan, implement and evaluate care for patients presenting with constipation. Initial management of constipation is recommended through a combination of fluid intake, diet, physical activity and toileting regimen after identifying an individual at risk for constipation. Aim of the current study was to evaluate the impact of performing bowel educational guidelines on preventing constipation among bed ridden patients. Design A quasi-experimental research design was utilized in the current study to achieve the aim of the study. Subjects: Fifty bed ridden patients divided alternatively and randomly into two equal groups, 25 patients for each group. Tools of the study: Three tools were used based on extensive review of literature; structure interview questionnaire, Physical examination of abdomen, and Constipation Scoring System. Results: The study finding illustrated that, the mean age 33.72 ± 11.46 years for the control group and 36.82 ± 13.5 years for the study group. There was a significant improvement in the patient’s knowledge about constipation after intervention among study group as compared to control group. Moreover there was a statistical significant difference between control and study groups regarding to total score of constipation after intervention. Conclusion: Providing bowel educational guidelines to the patients has been shown to be effective for preventing constipation. Recommendation: Applying an educational program for any bed ridden patients and their caregivers to help them to prevent and manage constipation that is associated with immobility.
THE EFFECTS OF DYNAMIC GEOMETRY SOFTWARE ON LEARNING GEOMETRY

The aim of this paper is to present the findings of a pilot study which was designed to collect data about the effects of using dynamic geometry software in the tenth grade geometry lessons on the students’ geometric t hinking, geometry achievement and ability of doing proofs in geometry. It was a q uasiexperimental study in which treatment groups were given dynamic geometry activi ties during the geometry lessons. The findings revealed that the students’ s core from geometric thinking test and proof test increased significantly with respect to the students’ who did not experience those activities.
UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DE MINAS GERAIS LUCAS ARAÚJO LIMA GÉO FREQUÊNCIA, CORRELATOS E PERFIL NEUROPSICOLÓGICO DO TRANSTORNO DA COGNIÇÃO ASSOCIADO COM A INFECÇÃO PEL O HIV

Background: It is estimated that in Brazil approxim ately 630,000 people currently live with HIV or AIDS. HIV-1 can cause several neurological d isorders, collectively known as HIVassociated neurocognitive disorders. Although the i ncidence of dementia-HIV has dropped since the advent of HAART, it continues to be a sig nif cant cause of morbidity in infected patients. In view of the importance of cognitive fu nctions for productivity and performance of daily activities, the objective of the present stud y was to evaluate the frequency of neurocognitive deficits and their risk factors in a s mple of patients with AIDS seen at a referral outpatient facility that provides care to HIV patients in the state of Minas Gerais,
The Adequateness of Glycemic Control in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Accepted 29 September, 2015 Abstract A survey study of 166 patients with type 2 diabetes on medical treatment was investigated for inadequate glycemic control. The study carried out at the outpatient clinic in Al–Hindeya general hospitalover a period of five months. The study aims to find the proportion of glycemic control in type 2 diabetes patients and the factors associated with inadequate control. Fasting blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin were used to assess glycemic control. Patients socio-demographic characters were collected to evaluate the factors related to inadequate control. An HbA1c level of 7% and more was used as an indicator of inadequate control. We found 78.3% of the patients had HbA1c level ≥7%. In the multivariate analysis, female gender (P≤ 0.042), overweight (P≤ 0.005), illiterate (P≤ 0.002), and treatment with insulin (P≤ 0.03) were significantly associated with poor glycemic control.
Performance evaluation and improvement of IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol in wireless ad-hoc networks

In recent years, wireless ad-hoc networks have attracted considerable research interest as they are easy to deploy and maintain. The unique characteristics of such networks make the design of an efficient Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol very challenging. As IEEE 802.11 is the de facto standard for wireless LANs, it is also popularly used in the wireless ad-hoc networks. However, as IEEE 802.11 is not designed for wireless ad-hoc networks, it suffers from many problems (e.g., unfairness). In this thesis, our main objective is to evaluate and improve the performance of IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol in wireless ad-hoc networks. In the performance evaluation part, we first present an analytical model for the single-hop IEEE 802.11 networks. It is very different from the models reported in the literature, which have focused either on throughput or on delay. Our model is unique as it obtains the throughput, delay, and fairness all together. Using the proposed model, we carry out an extensive performance evaluation of IEEE 802.11 by varying the various system parameters. From the results, we arrive at several important conclusions that are contrary to those appeared in the ones published in the literature because these models are imprecise. However, the above model as well as most of the published models is not applicable in the hidden-terminal scenario. In light of this, we then propose an embedded-Markov chain model, which is able to precisely explain and predict the short-term unfairness presented in the hidden-terminal scenario. To address the unfairness problem that has been analytically revealed in the performance evaluation part, we present two novel fairness schemes: Fair MAC by Cooperation between Sender and Receiver (FMAC/CSR), and Adaptive Transmission Control (ATC). The basic idea of the above schemes is that, based on the information at the senders as well as at the receivers, the flows detect the occurrence of unfairness in a dynamic and distributed manner, and then they contend for the medium with dynamic priorities so as to compensate for their past usages of the shared medium. FMAC/CSR and ATC differ from each other in the methods of compensation, and in the role that the receiver plays. Extensive simulation results show that the proposed schemes substantially improve the MAC fairness without unduly degrading the throughput. vii ATTENTION: The Singapore Copyright Act applies to the use of this document. Nanyang Technological University Library
Tidal drift removes the need for area-restricted search in foraging Atlantic puffins

Understanding how animals forage is a central objective in ecology. Theory suggests that where food is uniformly distributed, Brownian movement ensures the maximum prey encounter rate, but when prey is patchy, the optimal strategy resembles a Lévy walk where area-restricted search (ARS) is interspersed with commuting between prey patches. Such movement appears ubiquitous in high trophic-level marine predators. Here, we report foraging and diving behaviour in a seabird with a high cost of flight, the Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica), and report a clear lack of Brownian or Levy flight and associated ARS. Instead, puffins foraged using tides to transport them through their feeding grounds. Energetic models suggest the cost of foraging trips using the drift strategy is 28–46% less than flying between patches. We suggest such alternative movement strategies are habitat-specific, but likely to be far more widespread than currently thought.
Short-term climate-induced change in French plant communities

Latitudinal and altitudinal range shifts in response to climate change have been reported for numerous animal species, especially those with high dispersal capacities. In plants, the impact of climate change on species distribution or community composition has been documented mainly over long periods (decades) and in specific habitats, often forests. Here, we broaden the results of such long-term, focused studies by examining climate-driven changes in plant community composition over a large area (France) encompassing multiple habitat types and over a short period (2009–2017). To this end, we measured mean community thermal preference, calculated as the community-weighted mean of the Ellenberg temperature indicator value, using data from a standardized participatory monitoring scheme. We report a rapid increase in the mean thermal preference of plant communities at national and regional scales, which we relate to climate change. This reshuffling of plant community composition corresponds to a relative increase in the abundance of warm- versus cold-adapted species. However, support for this trend was weaker when considering only the common species, including common annuals. Our results thus suggest for the first time that the response of plant communities to climate change involves subtle changes affecting all species rare and common, which can nonetheless be detected over short time periods. Whether such changes are sufficient to cope with the current climate warming remains to be ascertained.
The strange case of AMPK and cancer: Dr Jekyll or Mr Hyde?†

The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) acts as a cellular energy sensor. Once switched on by increases in cellular AMP : ATP ratios, it acts to restore energy homeostasis by switching on catabolic pathways while switching off cell growth and proliferation. The canonical AMP-dependent mechanism of activation requires the upstream kinase LKB1, which was identified genetically to be a tumour suppressor. AMPK can also be switched on by increases in intracellular Ca2+, by glucose starvation and by DNA damage via non-canonical, AMP-independent pathways. Genetic studies of the role of AMPK in mouse cancer suggest that, before disease arises, AMPK acts as a tumour suppressor that protects against cancer, with this protection being further enhanced by AMPK activators such as the biguanide phenformin. However, once cancer has occurred, AMPK switches to being a tumour promoter instead, enhancing cancer cell survival by protecting against metabolic, oxidative and genotoxic stresses. Studies of genetic changes in human cancer also suggest diverging roles for genes encoding subunit isoforms, with some being frequently amplified, while others are mutated.
Revisiting metazoan phylogeny with genomic sampling of all phyla

Proper biological interpretation of a phylogeny can sometimes hinge on the placement of key taxa—or fail when such key taxa are not sampled. In this light, we here present the first attempt to investigate (though not conclusively resolve) animal relationships using genome-scale data from all phyla. Results from the site-heterogeneous CAT + GTR model recapitulate many established major clades, and strongly confirm some recent discoveries, such as a monophyletic Lophophorata, and a sister group relationship between Gnathifera and Chaetognatha, raising continued questions on the nature of the spiralian ancestor. We also explore matrix construction with an eye towards testing specific relationships; this approach uniquely recovers support for Panarthropoda, and shows that Lophotrochozoa (a subclade of Spiralia) can be constructed in strongly conflicting ways using different taxon- and/or orthologue sets. Dayhoff-6 recoding sacrifices information, but can also reveal surprising outcomes, e.g. full support for a clade of Lophophorata and Entoprocta + Cycliophora, a clade of Placozoa + Cnidaria, and raising support for Ctenophora as sister group to the remaining Metazoa, in a manner dependent on the gene and/or taxon sampling of the matrix in question. Future work should test the hypothesis that the few remaining uncertainties in animal phylogeny might reflect violations of the various stationarity assumptions used in contemporary inference methods.
Biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships in fish communities: biomass is related to evenness and the environment, not to species richness

The relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) is a topic of considerable interest to scientists and managers because a better understanding of its underlying mechanisms may help us mitigate the consequences of biodiversity loss on ecosystems. Our current knowledge of BEF relies heavily on theoretical and experimental studies, typically conducted on a narrow range of spatio-temporal scales, environmental conditions, and trophic levels. Hence, whether a relationship holds in the natural environment is poorly understood, especially in exploited marine ecosystems. Using large-scale observations of marine fish communities, we applied a structural equation modelling framework to investigate the existence and significance of BEF relationships across northwestern European seas. We find that ecosystem functioning, here represented by spatial patterns in total fish biomass, is unrelated to species richness—the most commonly used diversity metric in BEF studies. Instead, community evenness, differences in species composition, and abiotic variables are significant drivers. In particular, we find that high fish biomass is associated with fish assemblages dominated by a few generalist species of a high trophic level, who are able to exploit both the benthic and pelagic energy pathway. Our study provides a better understanding of the mechanisms behind marine ecosystem functioning and allows for the integration of biodiversity into management considerations.
Bumblebees learn foraging routes through exploitation–exploration cycles

How animals explore and acquire knowledge from the environment is a key question in movement ecology. For pollinators that feed on multiple small replenishing nectar resources, the challenge is to learn efficient foraging routes while dynamically acquiring spatial information about new resource locations. Here, we use the behavioural mapping t-Stochastic Neighbouring Embedding algorithm and Shannon entropy to statistically analyse previously published sampling patterns of bumblebees feeding on artificial flowers in the field. We show that bumblebees modulate foraging excursions into distinctive behavioural strategies, characterizing the trade-off dynamics between (i) visiting and exploiting flowers close to the nest, (ii) searching for new routes and resources, and (iii) exploiting learned flower visitation sequences. Experienced bees combine these behavioural strategies even after they find an optimal route minimizing travel distances between flowers. This behavioural variability may help balancing energy costs–benefits and facilitate rapid adaptation to changing environments and the integration of more profitable resources in their routes.
On the Design of Incentive-Aware P2P Streaming

We study peer–to–peer (P2P) multicast streaming protocols for high bandwidth streams to large numbers of heterogeneous and transient users. First, the shortcomings of tree–based P2P schemes are discussed. Subsequently, a scalable swarm–based scheme is introduced that avoids maintaining a rigid logical topology. Peers self–organize into an unstructured overlay in an ad-hoc fashion. Stream data are divided into small– sized units and distributed in a fashion that fully utilizes the upload capacity of all peers. A credit–based incentive scheme is introduced to encourage peers to contribute their capacity. The incentive scheme operates based exclusively on local information. We evaluate the proposed scheme through simulations in a dynamic and heterogeneous environment. A key benefit of the proposed scheme is its ability to operate under resource– constrained conditions where traditional tree–based approaches typically fail.
Does ‘When’ really feel more certain than ‘If’? Two failures to replicate Ballard and Lewandowsky (2015)

We report on two independent failures to conceptually replicate findings by Ballard & Lewandowsky (Ballard and Lewandowsky 2015 Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A 373, 20140464 (doi:10.1098/rsta.2014.0464)), who showed that certainty in, and concern about, projected public health issues (e.g. impacts of climate change) depend on how uncertain information is presented. Specifically, compared to a projected range of outcomes (e.g. a global rise in temperature between 1.6°C and 2.4°C) by a certain point in time (the year 2065), Ballard & Lewandowsky (Ballard and Lewandowsky 2015 Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A 373, 20140464 (doi:10.1098/rsta.2014.0464)) showed that focusing people on a certain outcome (a global rise in temperature of at least 2°C) by an uncertain time-frame (the years 2054–2083) increases certainty in the outcome, and concern about its implications. Based on two new studies that showed a null effect between the two presentation formats, however, we recommend treating the projection statements featured in these studies as equivalent, and we encourage investigators to find alternative ways to improve on existing formats to communicate uncertain information about future events.
Determination of the evolutionary pressure on Camellia oleifera on Hainan Island using the complete chloroplast genome sequence

Camellia oleifera is one of the four largest woody edible oil plants in the world with high ecological and medicinal values. Due to frequent interspecific hybridization, it was difficult to study its genetics and evolutionary history. This study used C. oleifera that was collected on Hainan Island to conduct our research. The unique island environment makes the quality of tea oil higher than that of other species grown in the mainland. Moreover, a long-term geographic isolation might affect gene structure. In order to better understand the molecular biology of this species, protect excellent germplasm resources, and promote the population genetics and phylogenetic studies of Camellia plants, high-throughput sequencing technology was used to obtain the chloroplast genome sequence of Hainan C. oleifera. The results showed that the whole chloroplast genome of C. oleifera in Hainan was 156,995 bp in length, with a typical quadripartite structure of a large single copy (LSC) region of 86,648 bp, a small single copy (SSC) region of 18,297 bp, and a pair of inverted repeats (IRs) of 26,025 bp. The whole genome encoded a total of 141 genes (115 different genes), including 88 protein-coding genes, 45 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. Among these genes, nine genes contained one intron, two genes contained two introns, and four overlapping genes were also detected. The total GC content of Hainan C. oleifera’s chloroplast genome was 37.29%. The chloroplast genome structure characteristics of Hainan C. oleifera were compared with mainland C. oleifera and those of the other eight closely related Theaceae species; it was found that the contractions and expansions of the IR/LSC and IR/SSC regions affected the length of chloroplast genome. The chloroplast genome sequences of these Theaceae species were highly similar. A comparative analysis indicated that the Theaceae species were conserved in structure and evolution. A total of 51 simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci were detected in the chloroplast genome of Hainan C. oleifera, and all Camellia plants did not have pentanucleotide repeats, which could be used as a good marker in phylogenetic studies. We also detected seven long repeats, the base composition of all repeats was biased toward A/T, which was consistent with the codon bias. It was found that Hainan C. oleifera had a similar evolutionary relationship with C. crapnelliana, through the use of codons and phylogenetic analysis. This study can provide an effective genomic resource for the evolutionary history of Theaceae family.
Optical microscopic study of surface morphology and filtering efficiency of face masks

Background Low-cost face masks made from different cloth materials are very common in developing countries. The cloth masks (CM) are usually double layered with stretchable ear loops. It is common practice to use such masks for months after multiple washing and drying cycles. If a CM is used for long time, the ear loops become stretched. The loop needs to be knotted to make the mask loop fit better on the face. It is not clear how washing and drying and stretching practices change the quality of a CM. The particulate matter (PM) filtering efficiency of a mask depends on multiple parameters, such as pore size, shape, clearance, and pore number density. It is important to understand the effect of these parameters on the filtering efficiency. Methods We characterized the surface of twenty different types of CMs using optical image analysis method. The filtering efficiency of selected cloth face masks was measured using the particle counting method. We also studied the effects of washing and drying and stretching on the quality of a mask. Results The pore size of masks ranged from 80 to 500 μm, which was much bigger than particular matter having diameter of 2.5 μm or less (PM2.5) and 10 μm or less (PM10) size. The PM10 filtering efficiency of four of the selected masks ranged from 63% to 84%. The poor filtering efficiency may have arisen from larger and open pores present in the masks. Interestingly, we found that efficiency dropped by 20% after the 4th washing and drying cycle. We observed a change in pore size and shape and a decrease in microfibers within the pores after washing. Stretching of CM surface also altered the pore size and potentially decreased the filtering efficiency. As compared to CMs, the less frequently used surgical/paper masks had complicated networks of fibers and much smaller pores in multiple layers in comparison to CMs, and therefore had better filtering efficiency. This study showed that the filtering efficiency of cloth face masks were relatively lower, and washing and drying practices deteriorated the efficiency. We believe that the findings of this study will be very helpful for increasing public awareness and help governmental agencies to make proper guidelines and policies for use of face mask.