Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome and Its Predicting Factors among Small-sized Company Workers

Purpose: This study was aimed to examine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and cardiovascular risk factors among workers at small-sized companies having fewer than 50employees in Korea. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using a secondary data analysis on workers' health examination data.Data from 21,784 employed workers were analyzed, including 16,488 males (mean age 38.7years)and 5,296 females (mean age 40.5 years). Participants were newly enrolled in annual health check-ups at a professional health clinic from 2009 to 2011. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify age-adjusted gender specific predicting factors of MetS incidence. Results: The prevalence of MetS was 13.4% in male and 7.7% in female workers. Logistic regression analysis showed that, when age was adjusted for, family history of cardiovascular disease (CVD) was a predicting factor in both male and female workers. For male workers, heavy alcohol drinking and non-manual occupation (office workers/drivers) predicted MetS. Conclusion: Health care providers should screen for MetS periodically in small work places especially for those with a family history of CVD. Educational counseling needs to be given to male workers with sedentary occupations with an aim to reduce heavy drinking and encourage lifestyle modification.
Exchange Rate Pass-Through to Consumer Prices: Theory and Recent Evidence

In an open economy such as Canada’s, exchange rate movements can have a material impact on consumer prices. This is particularly important in the current context, with the significant depreciation of the Canadian dollar vis-a-vis the U.S. dollar since late 2012. This paper provides a broad overview of the various mechanisms by which exchange rate movements pass through to consumer prices and discusses the implications of exchange rate pass-through (ERPT) for the conduct of monetary policy. It then describes some of the tools used at the Bank of Canada to help quantify ERPT. We conclude by taking a closer look at the current situation in Canada, presenting a range of evidence that suggests ERPT has played an important role in recent inflation dynamics.
Objective Sleep Quality in Subjects with Restless Legs Syndrome versus with Psychophysiological Insomnia: Polysomnography and Cardiopulmonary Coupling Analysis

Address for correspondence Eun Yeon Joo, MD, PhD Sleep Disordered Clinic, Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Samsung Biomedical Research Institute, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 81 Irwon-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 135-710, Korea Tel: +82-2-3410-3597 Fax: +82-2-3410-0052 E-mail: eunyeon.joo@gmail.com Objectives: To compare the sleep quality in the view of polysomnography (PSG) and cardiopulmonary coupling (CPC) analysis in subjects with restless legs syndrome (RLS) versus with psychophysiological insomnia (PPI). Methods: The PSG data of 109 subjects with RLS and 86 with PPI (apnea-hypopnea index <5 /h) were collected. All subjects reported sleep onset and maintenance insomnia. CPC parameters were obtained using CPC analyzer in RemLogic. Sleep spectrogram by CPC analyses categorized sleep as “stable” [high-frequency coupling (HFC), 0.1–0.4 Hz] and “unstable” [low-frequency coupling (LFC), 0.1–0.01 Hz], independent of sleep stages. We compared PSG and CPC parameters between two groups and performed correlation analyses to find the PSG parameters to affect CPC parameters. Results: In PSG parameters, subjects with PPI showed significantly longer sleep latency (14.2±20.06 vs. 27.5±34.96, p<0.001), and decreased sleep efficiency (SE, 80.5±14.96 vs. 76.5±14.45, p=0.009) than RLS. CPC parameters were not significantly different between groups. In both groups HFC was positively correlated with total sleep time and SE and was negatively associated with time of wake after sleep onset in both groups. Meanwhile, very LFC showed the opposite results to HFC with the same PSG parameters. Conclusions: Although subjects with RLS or PPI present sleep onset and maintenance insomnia, objective sleep quality was worse in PPI than RLS. It suggests that CPC as a factor to differentiate sleep quality between the RLS and the PPI has a limited role. J Sleep Med 2015;12(1):13-17
The impact of induced drought on transpiration and growth in a temperate pine plantation forest

The effects of early growing season droughts on water and carbon balances in conifer forests are poorly understood. In this study, the response of canopy transpiration (Ec) and growth rates to reduced precipitation input during the early growing season was evaluated in a 70‐year old temperate white pine (Pinus strobus L.) plantation forest, in Southern Ontario, Canada. In order to induce the drought, a 20 × 20 m throughfall exclusion setup was established. Throughfall was excluded from 1 April to 3 July 2009. During this period, 270 mm of rainfall occurred (27% of annual precipitation), of which more than 90% was excluded. Sapflow, stem growth, soil moisture and soil temperature were measured in both drought and reference plots. Prior to the induced drought, both plots showed similar soil water content, transpiration rates and tree diameters. The primary control on forest water loss was vapour pressure deficit, whereas soil moisture had an effect when it reached below 0.068 m3 m−3 during the growing season. The rainfall exclusion did not negatively affect Ec until early June, approximately 54 days after drought initiation. Ec was 27% less in the drought plot compared to the reference plot when evaluated at the end of the growing season in November. Tree growth estimates at the end of the growing season indicated a 17% decrease in growth in the drought plot as compared to the reference plot. Because climate predictions foresee changes in precipitation pattern, drought spells – similar to this artificial short‐term rainfall manipulation – may be more frequent in the future. Hence, although overall precipitation may remain the same, the short‐term deficit in water supply may have important implications for forest ecosystems. The findings of this rainfall manipulation will help quantify the impacts of spring and early summer water deficit on forest ecosystems and evaluate their potential responses to future climate regimes. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Merging compact binaries in hierarchical triple systems: Resonant excitation of binary eccentricity

We study the secular dynamics of compact binaries (consisting of white dwarfs, neutron stars or black holes) with tertiary companions in hierarchical triple systems. As the inner binary (with initially negligible eccentricity) undergoes orbital decay due to gravitational radiation, its eccentricity can be excited by gravitational forcing from the tertiary. This excitation occurs when the triple system passes through an ``apsidal precession resonance,'' when the precession rate of the inner binary, driven by the gravitational perturbation of the external companion and general relativity, matches the precession rate of the outer binary. The eccentricity excitation requires the outer companion to be on an eccentric orbit, with the mutual inclination between the inner and outer orbits less than $\ensuremath{\sim}40\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$. Gravitational wave (GW) signals from the inner binary can be significantly modified as the system evolves through the apsidal precession resonance. For some system parameters (e.g., a white dwarf binary with a brown dwarf tertiary), the resonance can happen when the binary emits GWs in the ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}4}\ensuremath{-}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}1}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{Hz}$ range (the sensitivity band of LISA).
Characterization of the Granule‐Bound Starch Synthase I Gene in Chenopodium

Chenopodium L. is a relatively under‐studied genus that includes the cultivated seed crop quinoa (C. quinoa Willd.). Quinoa is an allotetraploid (2n = 4x = 36, AABB genomes) that is cultivated by subsistence farmers and commercial growers in the Andean regions of South America. Approximately 60% of a quinoa seed is starch, a glucose polymer that is an important carbohydrate energy source in the human diet. Seed starch is normally composed of amylose and amylopectin in a 1:3 ratio. The accumulation of the amylose fraction of starch is controlled by a single dominant gene in quinoa, GBSSI. We report the sequencing and characterization of the GBSSI gene in 18 accessions of Chenopodium, including Andean quinoa and the related Mesoamerican chenopod domesticate, C. berlandieri subsp. nuttalliae Saff. Two distinct homeologs (GBSSIa and GBSSIb) were identified in the tetraploid accessions, and 19 different alleles were identified, including three null mutants—one in an accession of quinoa and two in a waxy landrace of C. berlandieri subsp. nuttalliae. Expression analysis of the null mutants revealed that GBSSIa and GBSSIb were both strongly expressed late in seed development. GBSSI sequences were used to analyze the phylogenetic relationships between quinoa and other members of the Chenopodium genus. This study and the discovery of Chenopodium GBSSI null‐mutants will assist in the development of new Chenopodium crops with novel starches.
The Effects of View in Depth on the Identification of Line Drawings and Silhouettes of Familiar Objects: Normality and Pathology

Three experiments are reported into the effects of viewpoint in depth, and of stimulus type (line drawings vs silhouettes) on picture identification. Clear effects of both factors were observed. Strongly foreshortened views were harder to identify than more canonical views, and silhouettes were harder to identify than line drawings. Furthermore, there was a strong interaction. The foreshortening disadvantag e was greatly increased if silhouettes rather than line drawings were presented. Our results suggest that the internal information available in line drawings (but not silhouettes) is critical for identifying foreshortened views of objects. Additional results from an agnosic patient, HJA, suggest that certain forms of brain damage can disrupt the use of internal information for identification, reducing differences between performance with line drawings and silhouettes.
A Low Level of CD 4 + CD 28 + T Cells Is an Independent Predictor of High Mortality in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 – Infected Patients

This study investigated coexpression of CD28, CD45RA, and CD45RO on CD4 and CD8 cells in 107 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1–infected patients, who were followed-up prospectively and were not treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy, and 65 control subjects. The most important novel finding was that a 50% reduction in CD4CD28 cells predicted increased mortality (relative hazards [HR], 1.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0–2.6; ), even after adjusting for the CD4 cell counts, virus load, b2P p . 04 microglobulin and hemoglobin levels, and HIV disease stage. Patients with progressed HIV infection had decreased concentrations of all studied cell subsets. Concerning the proportions of cells, only CD4CD28, CD4CD45RA, and CD8CD45RO cells decreased with HIV progression. Low proportions of CD4CD45RA, CD8CD45RA, and CD8CD45RO cells predicted mortality only in univariate but not in multivariate Cox analyses. If our results are confirmed in other studies, coexpression of CD28 on CD4 cells may be a useful marker to evaluate HIV progression.
Social sustainability, residential design and demographic balance: neighbourhood planning strategies in Freiburg, Germany

Social sustainability remains a relatively underdeveloped and contested field. Recalling older notions of social mixing and ‘balanced neighbourhoods’ two concepts of ‘sustainability of community’ and ‘social equity’ have recently emerged as core social sustainability principles, but uncertainty remains over the spatial scale at which the principles should be applied. The aim of this paper is to broaden the existing literature by means of detailed case study research on neighbourhood development in the German city of Freiburg, where demographic concentration has led to ageing in place and the undermining of community infrastructure and services. Although new car-reduced neighbourhoods of Vauban and Rieselfeld look likely to replicate this pattern, the city has shifted policy towards smaller ‘fresh cell’ developments designed to inject younger residents into ageing neighbourhoods to create a more even social balance, viable services and community infrastructure.
From local to global behavior in competitive Lotka-Volterra systems

In this paper we exploit the linear, quadratic, monotone and geometric structures of competitive Lotka-Volterra systems of arbitrary dimension to give geometric, algebraic and computational hypotheses for ruling out nontrivial recurrence. We thus deduce the global dynamics of a system from its local dynamics. The geometric hypotheses rely on the introduction of a split Liapunov function. We show that if a system has a fixed point p ∈ int R n + and the carrying simplex of the system lies to one side of its tangent hyperplane at p, then there is no nontrivial recurrence, and the global dynamics are known. We translate the geometric hypotheses into algebraic hypotheses in terms of the definiteness of a certain quadratic function on the tangent hyperplane. Finally, we derive a computational algorithm for checking the algebraic hypotheses, and we compare this algorithm with the classical Volterra-Liapunov stability theorem for Lotka-Volterra systems.
Prevalence of Staphylococcus Lugdunensis Nasal Colonization among Apparently Healthy Ruminants and Their Handlers in Maiduguri Borno State, Nigeria

A study was carried out to determine the Prevalence of Microbial characteristics and antibiotic susceptibilities of staphylococcus lugdunensis nasal colonization among apparently healthy ruminants and their handlers in Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria. A total of six hundred (600) nasal swab samples were aseptically collected using simple random technique from the ruminants and their human handlers at the Maiduguri livestock market. 150 samples each were collected from cattle, sheep, goats and their handlers respectively. 195 (32.62%) were presumptively identified as coagulase negative Staphylococcus species. Staphylococcus lugdunensis nasal colonization was 9(4.62%) of 195, 5(55.56%) of 9 isolates were positive for clumping factor, however, all the 9 isolates were tube coagulase negative, but positive for DNase, Omithine Decarboxylase (ODC) test, betta – hemolysis and synergistic hemolysis.4(44.4%) of the 9 isolates were positive for mecA virulence gene, 2(22.2%) positive for Staphylococcus Protein A (SPA) and 3(33.3%) were positive for slime (Biofilm) production. The antibiotic susceptibility pattern of these isolate were found to be highly variable. With the forging characteristics shown by Staphylococcus lugdunensis above, the organism can easily be misidentified with Staphylococcus aureus. Keyword: Staphylococcus, farm animals, antibiotic, susceptibility profiles, Maiduguri
Turbulent drag reduction by surfactants

Drag reduction of turbulent flows by surfactant additives is studied. The surfactant forms a shear-induced gel phase in both rheological and turbulent flows. In both flows, the fracture of the gel causes an apparent wall slip. The slipping in turbulent flows decreases the wall friction and therefore immediately leads to drag reduction, providing a detailed mechanism for drag reduction by surfactants.
Caste, Inequality, and Poverty in India

This paper analyses inequality and poverty in India within the context of caste-based discrimination. It does so by decomposing the difference between (caste) Hindu and Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) households in: their average household incomes; their probabilities of being in different income percentiles; their probabilities of being at different levels of poverty into: a "discrimination effect", which stems from the fact that a household's income level, into which its (income-generating) profile translates, depends on whether it is SC/ST; an "attributes (or residual) effect" which stems from the fact that there are systematic differences between SC/ST and Hindu households in their (income-generating) profiles. The results, based on unit record data for 28,922 households, showed that at least one-third of the average income/probability differences between Hindu and SC/ST households was due to the "unequal treatment" of the latter. Copyright Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2005.
Implications and impacts of transforming lognormal variables into normal variables in VAR

In this paper we compare two different approaches to deal with lognormal variables/observations, and hence their errors, in a 3-dimensional variational data assimilation framework. The first approach uses a transform to make the lognormal random variable into a normal random variable and hence we can use the current data assimilation techniques. The second approach uses the correct distribution for a collection of normal and lognormal random variables through a hybrid distribution which gives a different cost function to minimise. The properties of these two different approaches is that the first finds an analysis median whilst the second find the analysis mode. The two are compared through using the Lorenz 1963 model with different observational error variances and different lengths of time between the observations. It is demonstrated that the second approach out-performs the first here; however, the first is often used in operational centres with a form of bias correction and so we discuss this implication at the end of the paper.
The science and practice of workforce analytics: Introduction to the HRM special issue

D'Amore-McKim School of Business, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts Correspondence Mark A. Huselid, D'Amore-McKim School of Business, Northeastern University, 315B Hayden Hall, Boston, MA 02115. Email: mark@markhuselid.com This special issue of Human Resource Management is focused on the latest thinking, research, and practical advances in the emerging field of Workforce Analytics. The eight diverse papers in this issue present new theoretical developments, methodological and statistical tools, and examples of innovative workforce analytics in practice. Taken as a whole, the findings show that workforce analytics can significantly enhance the ability of leaders and managers to achieve their operational and strategic objectives through more effective workforce management. But capitalizing on these opportunities will require both HR and line managers to develop a comprehensive understanding of how the workforce contributes to their firm's strategic success—and this understanding must be reflected in the workforce metrics and analytics they develop and deploy.
Do Feedback Environment and Coaching Communication Determine Self-Efficacy of Teaching? A Case of Malaysian Polytechnic Lecturers

This quantitative descriptive study aimed to identify the influence of coaching communication on the relationship between feedback environment and self-efficacy of teaching. In particular, the objective of this study was to identify whether the coaching communication would be able to become a mediator in the relationship between feedback environment and self-efficacy of teaching. A total of 411 lecturers randomly selected from the five three polytechnics which successfully obtained an overall excellent performance including academic standards and quality management through the recognition of the polytechnic ratings. Data for this survey were collected through a questionnaire which was adapted from literature review (Steelman et al., 2004; Heslin et al., 2006; Tschannen-Moran and Hoy, 2001). The results of multiple regression analysis showed that feedback environment and coaching communication had positive and significant influence on self-efficacy of teaching. In addition, feedback environment also had an impact on all dimensions of coaching communication. Meanwhile coaching communication acts as a full mediator on the relationship between feedback environment and self-efficacy of teaching. In term of the implications, this study showed the role of the middle manager is extremely important in creating the feedback environment in the workplace in order to improve coaching communication performance.
Dense Optical Flow Estimation using Diffusion Distances

Diffusion maps have been shown to model relations between points by considering the overall connectivity of the graph. This report outlines how we can apply the diffusion framework to dense optical flow estimation where diffusion maps are used to embed distributions of local spatial gradients. We review the problem of dense optical flow estimation and several broad types of approaches to computing accurate estimate of the flow. We then review the diffusion framework and its predecessors in the manifold learning literature. Local image features are recorded by diffusion distances calculated from the graph Laplacian whose kernel function depends on inter-pixel intensity differences in a certain neighbourhood. These features are then used in a correlational optical flow estimation algorithm to illustrate the improvement to the dense estimate of optical flow by using a richer description of features as the elementary unit in the estimation. By considering systems of correlation vectors from image neigbourhoods, we also increase the smoothness of the estimate. The present work compares several smoothing principles, including the vector mean, vector median, marginal median which are based on both the maximum correlation and minimum rank of correlation vectors from the correlation matrix. A large number of very accurate estimates, spread through the image can be identified based on level of consensus with the estimates from surrounding pixels, which we term as confidence. We use this confidence information as a basis for smoothing the motion estimate by filling regions with poor confidence with estimates from neighboring high confidence regions. The proposed methodology was applied on two distinct image sequences from the Middlebury data set, as well as a fluid motion data set. Results show the robustness of our method to the different types of input data.
ASSESSMENT OF GENDER ACCESS TO AGRICULTURAL LOANS FROM COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES IN DEKINA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF KOGI STATE, NIGERIA

This study assessed gender access to agricultural loans from cooperative societies in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, Nigeria. Primary data used were collected from 160 registered cooperative members in the study area. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics, binary Logit regression analysis, and mean score. Results of the findings showed that 62.9% and 54.3% of the male and female cooperative members were married with household size of 1 – 5 members. Most of the respondents were within the age bracket of 31 – 50 years. Finding on gender difference indicated that male cooperative members had more access (3.52) to loan than the female (2.88). Estimates of the binary logit model showed that the slope coefficients of household size, educational status, years of membership, and income were positive and statistically significant at 10% and 5% for the male and female cooperative members respectively. Furthermore, the major problems faced by cooperative members in accessing loans are reluctance from financial institutions (M=2.8) and fear of repayment by borrowers (M=2.7). Amongst others, comprehensive development of gender specific policy interventions by government to enhance access to loan by female cooperative members was recommended.