Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Relation of Having Experienced a Fall in the Past to Lower Cognitive Functioning in Old Age Is Mediated via Less Physical Activity Engagement as Cognitive Reserve Contributor

Simple Summary Experiencing a fall in old age represents a critical life event affecting physical and cognitive health and the ability to engage in physical activities and exercise. This is crucial since physical activity engagement contributes to the accumulation of the so-called cognitive reserve relevant for maintaining cognitive health at old age. The goal of our study was to investigate whether the relationship between having experienced a fall and lower cognitive functioning can be explained by hampered physical activity engagement. Confirming this idea, our findings demonstrated that experiencing a fall at an older age hinders sufficient physical activity engagement and thereby impedes cognitive reserve accumulation, resulting in lower cognitive functioning outcomes. Consequently, our study suggests that at old age, the prevention of falls and related accidents is not only crucial to avoid injuries and preserve physical health, but it is also essential for maintaining one’s ability to engage in physical activities and exercises and, consequently, for preserving cognitive health in later life. Abstract Physical activity and exercise contribute to the accumulation of cognitive reserve, which is instrumental for preserving cognitive health in old age. In a large sample of 701 older adults (mean age = 70.36 years), we investigated whether the relationship between having experienced a fall in the past and lower performance in cognitive functioning was mediated via less physical activity engagement as a cognitive reserve contributor. General cognition was assessed using the mini-mental state examination (MMSE), long-term memory using a word-pair delayed recall test and working memory using a backward digit-span test. In face-to-face interviews, individuals reported information on falls during the past 12 months and their habitual physical activity engagement. Our analyses demonstrated that the relationship between having experienced a fall in the past and lower performance in the cognitive functioning measures was partly mediated (by 16.3% for general cognition, 30.6% for long-term memory, and 33.1% for working memory, respectively) via less physical activity engagement. In conclusion, we suggest as a core bio-psychological mechanism that experiencing a fall at an older age is a critical life event that hinders sufficient physical activity engagement and thereby impedes cognitive reserve build-up, resulting in lower cognitive functioning outcomes.
The Relationship Between Clinical Phenotypes and Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) Stages/Groups in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Background Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) cannot be properly characterised by a single metric, forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), due to its complexity and heterogeneity. The GOLD 2017 report contained the ABCD evaluation method to measure airflow limitation, symptoms, and/or exacerbation risk. Objective The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between clinical characteristics and GOLD groups or stages in patients with COPD. Methods This cross-sectional observational study was conducted at the department of respiratory medicine, King George’s Medical University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, between 2019 and 2022. Here, stable COPD patients' demographics, clinical characteristics, and the number of exacerbations were compared between the groups following the GOLD 2022 report. An unpaired t-test with Welch's correction, chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, one-way ANOVA, and Kruskal-Wallis test were used for statistical significance. Results In this study, 349 stable COPD patients (256 males and 93 females) were selected. The GOLD 2017 categorization placed 78 (22.4%) patients in group A, 158 (45.3%) in B, 44 (12.6%) in C, and 69 (19.8%) in D. Further, we used GOLD 2017 to classify COPD patients into 16 subgroups (1A-4D). FEV1 (% predicted) decreased across groups A to D (p<0.0001). Groups C and D had a longer duration of illness, higher COPD assessment test (CAT) score, higher Modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea scale, longer exacerbation history, and more COPD hospitalizations in the previous year than groups A and B. More symptomatic patients (B and D) exhibited lower FEV1 (% predicted) and more severe airflow limitation than less symptomatic patients (A and C) (p=0.0002). Symptomatic individuals exhibited higher CAT and mMRC dyspnea scores (p<0.0001). Groups C and D comprised older patients and those with longer disease duration, higher mMRC dyspnea scale and CAT, lower FEV1, and more severe airflow limitation (A and B). Conclusion The present study demonstrates the distribution of COPD patients' clinical phenotypes in an Indian population. We conclude that the combined COPD assessment according to the GOLD 2022 guideline provides a better understanding of COPD.
Coastal topography and hydrogeology control critical groundwater gradients and potential beach surface instability during storm surges

Abstract. Ocean surges pose a global threat for coastal stability. These hazardous events alter flow conditions and pore pressures in flooded beach areas during both inundation and subsequent retreat stages, which can mobilize beach material, potentially enhancing erosion significantly. In this study, the evolution of surge-induced pore-pressure gradients is studied through numerical hydrologic simulations of storm surges. The spatiotemporal variability of critically high gradients is analyzed in three dimensions. The analysis is based on a threshold value obtained for quicksand formation of beach materials under groundwater seepage. Simulations of surge events show that, during the run-up stage, head gradients can rise to the calculated critical level landward of the advancing inundation line. During the receding stage, critical gradients were simulated seaward of the retreating inundation line. These gradients reach maximum magnitudes just as sea level returns to pre-surge levels and are most accentuated beneath the still-water shoreline, where the model surface changes slope. The gradients vary along the shore owing to variable beach morphology, with the largest gradients seaward of intermediate-scale (1–3 m elevation) topographic elements (dunes) in the flood zone. These findings suggest that the common practices in monitoring and mitigating surge-induced failures and erosion, which typically focus on the flattest areas of beaches, might need to be revised to include other topographic features.
Notes on 'particle detectors'

The authors examine the theory of 'particle detectors' in quantum field theory on curved space-times. The historical background of the subject is discussed and then an example is given to show that an observer accelerating uniformly through the Minkowski vacuum can carry a detector which remains unexcited. The notion of a family of natural detectors for any given observer (based on an appropriate definition of rigidity) is introduced, and the response of such detectors is investigated. The theory is illustrated by consideration of a rotating detector in flat space-time. An extensive discussion is given of the radiation effects arising both from the walls of the detector and from the interaction with the external field. These effects have, in the past, led to some confusion in the interpretation of detector response; the authors clarify this interpretation here.
Boreal lakes moderate seasonal and diurnal temperature variation and perturb atmospheric circulation: analyses in the Community Earth System Model 1 (CESM1)

ABSTRACT We used a lake thermal physics model recently coupled into the Community Earth System Model 1 (CESM1) to study the effects of lake distribution in present and future climate. Under present climate, correcting the large underestimation of lake area in CESM1 (denoted CCSM4 in the configuration used here) caused 1 °C spring decreases and fall increases in surface air temperature throughout large areas of Canada and the US. Simulated summer surface diurnal air temperature range decreased by up to 4 °C, reducing CCSM4 biases. These changes were much larger than those resulting from prescribed lake disappearance in some present-day permafrost regions under doubled-CO2 conditions. Correcting the underestimation of lake area in present climate caused widespread high-latitude summer cooling at 850 hPa. Significant remote changes included decreases in the strength of fall Southern Ocean westerlies. We found significantly different winter responses when separately analysing 45-yr subperiods, indicating that relatively long simulations are required to discern the impacts of surface changes on remote conditions. We also investigated the surface forcing of lakes using idealised aqua-planet experiments which showed that surface changes of 2 °C in the Northern Hemisphere extra-tropics could cause substantial changes in precipitation and winds in the tropics and Southern Hemisphere. Shifts in the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone were opposite in sign to those predicted by some previous studies. Zonal mean circulation changes were consistent in character but much larger than those occurring in the lake distribution experiments, due to the larger magnitude and more uniform surface forcing in the idealised aqua-planet experiments.
Efficacy of Nonpreserved Sodium Hyaluronate Artificial Tears in Dry Eye Disease Patients Treated with Prostaglandin Analogs for Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma: A Prospective, Nonrandomized, Open-Label Pilot Study

Purpose Dry eye disease (DED) can be triggered using preserved ophthalmic formulations or prostaglandin analogs. In this prospective, nonrandomized, open-label pilot study, we evaluated the efficacy of a 0.15% hyaluronic acid (HA) nonpreserved ophthalmic formulation in decreasing DED symptoms in patients with open-angle glaucoma treated with prostaglandin analogs. Methods 30 patients with DED receiving chronic treatment with prostaglandin analogs for primary open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension were administered ophthalmic formulations 3 times daily for 12 weeks. Foreign body sensation, burning, stinging, dryness, pain, frequency of symptoms, Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI), conjunctival hyperaemia, corneal fluorescein staining (CFS), tear film break-up time (TBUT), best-corrected visual acuity, Schirmer test results, and 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire score between the baseline and 4 and 12 weeks were evaluated. Results The analysis shows that all primary endpoints improved; in particular, burning sensation and the frequency of symptoms after 4 and 12 weeks of treatment (p < 0.001) and dryness and pain after 12 weeks of treatment (p < 0.001 and p=0.03, respectively) were reduced significantly. Secondary outcomes confirmed the positive results, with a statistically significant change in the OSDI score and CFS between the baseline and 4 (p=0.02 and p < 0.001, respectively) or 12 weeks (both p < 0.001) and TBUT after 4 weeks (p=0.01). Conjunctival hyperaemia improved in both eyes in >90% of cases at 12 weeks of treatment. Conclusion The present study shows that the ophthalmic formulation containing 0.15% HA has a promising beneficial effect on reducing the signs and symptoms of DED in patients treated with prostaglandin analogs.
The Construction of a Footbridge Prototype with Biological Self-Healing Concrete: A Field Study in a Humid Continental Climate Region

Biological self-healing concrete (BSHC) offers a sustainable and economical way of increasing the lifespan of structures vulnerable to cracking. In recent decades, an enormous research effort has been dedicated to developing and optimizing the bacterial healing process. Nevertheless, most studies have been carried out under laboratory conditions. To verify the effectiveness and longevity of the embedded healing systems under normal service conditions, field studies on BSHC structures must be performed. In the present study, BSHC beams were designed as a structural part of a prototype footbridge. To select the optimal BSHC mix composition, a series of laboratory tests were also carried out. Laboratory tests have shown that the healing ratio in BSHC elements under rain-simulating healing conditions was several times higher in comparison to control specimens. Based on the laboratory results, the BSHC mix composition was selected and applied for structural bridge beams. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the present study reports the first application of BSHC in a prototype footbridge. The long-term data gathered on the healing process in a humid continental climate zone will allow the benefits of biological self-healing to be quantitatively evaluated and will pave the way for the further optimization of this material.
Students’ Willingness to Communicate in English: Czech Adaptation of Willingness to Communicate Inside the Classroom Scale

: Quality communication between a teacher and a student or students contributes to the process of learning a foreign language. Communication in foreign language teaching is both a means of communication and the content of teaching. The model of willingness to communicate in a foreign language describes individual characteristics and situational variables that affect a pupil’s readiness to enter dialogue with another person at some point. The present study provides information on the process and results of scale adaptation Willingness to Communicate Inside the Classroom scale. The process of adaptation to Czech conditions includes the verification of content validity, construct validity, and the identification of a factor structure of the instrument. Using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) procedures in the JASP program 0.14. 1. the suitability of the use of the originally designed scale was verified and a reduction from twenty-seven to eighteen items was proposed. The internal consistency of the Czech version of the Willingness to Communi-cate Inside the Classroom scale showed a sufficient Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of . 82, thus we can assume that the tested scales show sufficient reliability.
Sensitivity of Tropical Cyclones to Surface Exchange Coefficients and a Revised Steady-State Model incorporating Eye Dynamics

Abstract Numerical and theoretical models of tropical cyclones indicate that the maximum wind speed in mature storms is sensitive to the ratio of the enthalpy and momentum surface exchange coefficients and that the spinup time of tropical cyclones varies inversely with the magnitude of these coefficients. At the same time, the Carnot cycle model developed by the author predicts that the central pressure of mature cyclones is independent of the magnitude of the exchange coefficients. The author presents numerical simulations that prove this last prediction false and suggest that the reason for this failure is the neglect of eye dynamics in the steady-state theory. On this basis, the existing theory is modified to account for eye dynamics, and the predictions of the revised theory are compared to the results of numerical simulations. Both the revised theory and the numerical modeling results, when compared to observations, suggest that the ratio of enthalpy to momentum exchange coefficients in real hurrican.
Authentic Leadership and Its Relationship With Job Satisfaction: The Mediator Role of Organizational Dehumanization

The objective of this research was to examine the mediating role that organizational dehumanization plays between authentic leadership and job satisfaction. The study was carried out with a sample of 422 participants, 50.7% were men and 49.3% women, with an average age of 38.96 years. The workers belong to different public and private organizations in Chile, and they responded to instruments of sociodemographic characterization, employment history and the scales of organizational dehumanization, authentic leadership, and job satisfaction. Data analysis included descriptive, correlational, and mediation analyses. The results allow us to maintain the hypothesis that organizational dehumanization plays a mediator role in the relationship between authentic leadership and job satisfaction. Implications of these findings are discussed.
Microvascular Changes after Scleral Buckling for Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment: An Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Study

This retrospective study aimed to investigate macular microvascular alterations after successful scleral buckling (SB) for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD). Nineteen eyes with macula-on RRD and 18 eyes with macula-off RRD were included. In all cases, an encircling band was placed. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) was performed at baseline and postoperatively. Changes in the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area and vessel density (VD) of the superficial capillary plexus (SCP) and deep capillary plexus (DCP) were the primary outcomes. Correlations between OCTA findings and clinical variables were considered secondary outcomes. In both the macula-on and macula-off groups, the FAZ area was comparable with controls. In the macula-on group, VD in the whole SCP was lower compared with controls at both baseline (p < 0.001) and 6 months (p = 0.03), but showed a significant increase after surgery (p = 0.004). In the macula-off group, postoperative VD in both whole SCP and whole DCP was lower compared with controls (p < 0.001). In the macula-on group, there was an inverse correlation between axial length increase and SCP VD change (r = −0.508; p = 0.03). These findings demonstrated microvascular alterations after SB for RRD. However, VD impairment seems to be mitigated after surgery. A greater increase in postoperative axial length was associated with a poorer VD outcome.
Emerging trends in flame retardancy of rigid polyurethane foam and its composites: A review

Owing to the superior thermal insulating attributes of rigid polyurethane foam (RPUF) compared to other insulating materials (expanded and extruded polystyrene, mineral wool), it remains the most dominant insulating material and most studied polymer foam. Like other polyurethane foam, RPUF is highly flammable, necessitating the incorporation of flame retardants (FR) during production to lower combustibility, promoting its continuous use as insulation material in construction, transportation, and others. The popular approaches for correcting the high flammability of RPUF are copolymerization and blending (with FR). The second method has proven to be most effective as there are limited trade-offs in RPUF properties. Meanwhile, the high flammability of RPUF is still a significant hindrance in emerging applications (sensors, space travel, and others), and this has continuously inspired research in the flame retardancy of RPUF. In this study, properties, and preparation methods of RPUF are described, factors responsible for the high flammability of PUF are discussed, and flame retardancy of RPUF is thoroughly reviewed. Notably, most FR for RPUF are inorganic nanoparticles, lignin, intumescent FR systems of expandable graphite (EG), ammonium polyphosphate (APP), and hybridized APP or EG with other FR. These could be due to their ease of processing, low cost, and being environmentally benign. Elaborate discussion on RPUF FR mechanisms were also highlighted. Lastly, a summary and future perspectives in fireproofing RPUF are provided, which could inspire the design of new FR for RPUF. Graphical Abstract
The PVT properties of water VI. Deuterium oxide in the range 150-500 °c and 0-100 MPa

The density of heavy water has been measured at 11 temperatures from 150 to 500 °C, usually at intervals of 6 MPa but sometimes less, from near saturation to 100 MPa and to a precision of ca. 0.01 % . The H : D and 18O : 16O ratios of the water are 0.000 33 and 0.00590 + 0.00003 respectively.
The Moderating Effects of Institutional Framing on Authentic Leadership-Physical Asset Management Practices Relationships in Local Governments in Uganda

Purpose of the study: Resource scarcity forces governments to face institutional problems amidst a toxic leadership environment, making the management of physical assets progressively more challenging. This study examines the moderating effect of institutional framing on the relationship between authentic leadership and physical asset management (PAM) practices in Local Governments in Uganda. Methodology: It is a cross-sectional study that uses a questionnaire to collect data from 261 employees of four selected LGs in Acoliland in mid-north Uganda. With the help of the statistic program for social scientists (SPSS) and Hayes’ (2018) analysis, the research established the moderating effect of institutional framing on the authentic leadership-PAM practices relationship. Main Findings: Results indicate a positive and significant result between authentic leadership and institutional framing, as well as between institutional framing and PAM practices. It also shows that institutional framing fully mediates the relationship between authentic leadership and PAM practices. Research limitations/implications: Given the current study is quantitative in nature, it stifles causal inferences from being drawn with regard to the results which are revealed in connection to the relationship between the studied variables. Also, the authenticity of the leaders to promote positive institutional framing may be considered as a guide in solving PAM practices problem issues. Novelty/Originality of this study: The study is the first of its kind to examine the moderating role of institutional framing on the relationship between authentic leadership and PAM in a local government setting in a developing country.
Analysis Methods for RF, Microwave, and Millimeter-Wave Planar Transmission Line Structures

This book covers the analysis methods of planar transmission line structures from basics to advanced levels. All important fundamental concepts and principles are covered as far as is possible within a text of reasonable size. The content of the book may be split into three parts. The introduction gives a perspective of realized applications that require a thorough mathematical treatment. In the second part the essential fundamentals of electromagnetic theory are explained. A reader with some basic knowledge of vector mathematics can easily follow the treatment of Maxwell's equations in the text. The author not only explains the rules, but also gives valuable hints on how to solve special problems, thus reducing the otherwise inevitable search of the literature. In the third part various methods used to solve Maxwell's equations are described and applied to many to the usual realized line systems. A mathematical treatment as well as practical formulas and results of commonly used structures are provided. The examples guide the reader from the start to the solution of the problem (e.g. Schwarz-Christoffel Mapping). This book, with its thorough mathematical treatment, addresses students of electromagnetic theory but it also addresses the engineer who is in need of knowledge and practical, easy-to-apply formulas for the various line systems. It would have been better if a discussion of important and emerging numerical methods such as FDFD and FDTD had been included. F J Schmückle