Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Perivascular Adipose Tissue Oxidative Stress in Obesity

Perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) adheres to most systemic blood vessels in the body. Healthy PVAT exerts anticontractile effects on blood vessels and further protects against cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Healthy PVAT regulates vascular homeostasis via secreting an array of adipokine, hormones, and growth factors. Normally, homeostatic reactive oxygen species (ROS) in PVAT act as secondary messengers in various signalling pathways and contribute to vascular tone regulation. Excessive ROS are eliminated by the antioxidant defence system in PVAT. Oxidative stress occurs when the production of ROS exceeds the endogenous antioxidant defence, leading to a redox imbalance. Oxidative stress is a pivotal pathophysiological process in cardiovascular and metabolic complications. In obesity, PVAT becomes dysfunctional and exerts detrimental effects on the blood vessels. Therefore, redox balance in PVAT emerges as a potential pathophysiological mechanism underlying obesity-induced cardiovascular diseases. In this review, we summarise new findings describing different ROS, the major sources of ROS and antioxidant defence in PVAT, as well as potential pharmacological intervention of PVAT oxidative stress in obesity.
Not all exclusions are created equal: effects of physical and social components of exclusion on well-being, prosocial, and antisocial behavioral intentions

ABSTRACT Over decades, research has shown that people are negatively affected by social exclusion. However, no experimental research has examined the effects of physical exclusion and how it might combine and interact with social exclusion. Across two studies (N = 1,238), we manipulated both components of exclusion separately via an imaginative scenario paradigm and measured their impact on established social exclusion outcomes. Social exclusion, irrespective of being paired with physical in- or exclusion, affected individuals more negatively than mere physical exclusion. Social inclusion was not able to reduce the impact of physical exclusion per se but to protect overall levels of well-being to some extent. Our findings add to a more nuanced understanding of social and physical aspects of exclusionary experiences.
Effect of Government Capital Expenditure on Tourism Sector Growth in Kenya

Tourism is a vital sector of Kenya’s economy by contributing to employment, alleviation of poverty, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), foreign exchange earnings, and balance of payments surplus. Tourism is a productive economic activity that needs a stable macroeconomic environment in terms of budgetary resource allocation for sustainable and continued growth. Thus, this study sought to establish the effect of government capital expenditure on tourism sector growth in Kenya. The study adopted a causal research design using quarterly time series data from 2012 to 2021. The findings revealed that government capital expenditure (t=3.4746, p<0.05), government recurrent expenditure (t=6.1303, p<0.05), and taxation (t=2.8608, p<0.05) had positive significant effects on tourism sector growth in Kenya. The study recommends an increase in capital budgetary allocation for continued growth of the sector which is the main source of foreign revenue in Kenya.
Immigrants and Resource Sharing: The Case of Carpooling

Immigration has altered the demographic composition of California where the foreign-born population now comprises more than one-quarter of the population. Despite this staggering figure, surprisingly little academic scholarship has focused on the travel patterns and behavior of immigrants. Existing studies on this population group have largely centered on their use of public transit, yet most immigrants travel by automobile. In this study, we use data from the 2000 Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) of the U.S. Census and multinomial logistic models to examine the carpooling behavior of foreign-born workers in California relative to solo driving, public transit, and walking. The models focus on the effect of nativity, length of residency, and race and ethnicity on mode choice. The findings show that with time in the U.S. immigrants tend to assimilate away from alternative modes of transportation (carpool, public transit, and walking) toward solo driving. Despite this trend, the odds of carpooling for Asian and Hispanic immigrants remain high even after many years in the U.S. These findings help us to better understand the prevalence and role of resource sharing among immigrant households. Further, they will aid transportation planners in planning for the transportation needs of this growing population group.
An Internal Magnetic Core Termination Integration Method for LLC Four-Elemental Matrix Transformer

The existing four-elemental matrix transformer terminal integration methods lay out secondary rectifier devices (SRs) outside the magnetic core, resulting in additional footprint area or core loss problems. To address these limitations, this letter proposes an internal magnetic core terminal integration method by excavating the center area of the upper and lower magnetic plates and integrating SRs with the secondary winding. First, the center area of the upper and lower magnetic plates is verified to have a low magnetic density, so excavating this area has a small effect on the magnetic flux density of the core. Then, the transformer loss model of the proposed magnetic core is built, and the PCB winding integration with this core is implemented. Finally, two 480 W LLC prototypes were built to verify the superiority of the proposed method by comparing efficiency and temperature.
The costs and benefits of image acquisition and pre-processing for coral reef remote sensing

[Extract] With the large variety of image data products currently available, users have a big task in determining which image will best suit their needs, budget and staff expertise for processing and analysing the data. It is important to realise that while there are many new and exciting data types available, purchasing a product does not necessarily mean that upon delivery it will be immediately useable for high-level analysis. Uncorrected, raw image data with all its inherent distortions may be not more useful than a wall hanging. The most commonly cited pre-processing operations reduce atmospheric attenuation and assign coordinates to your image so that you can locate yourself and your field sites. Other tasks may be to remove variable brightening effects (eg. hotspots) or sun glitter from the surface of water bodies. Here we outline some of these pre-processing requirements in marine environments for different image data types, both multispectral and hyperspectral, from airborne and satellite platforms.
Social Support among Older Persons and Its Association with Smoking: Findings from the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2018

Background: Globally, the average age of the world’s population of older people continues to rise and having a good social support network becomes increasingly relevant with the aging populace. Overall, in Malaysia, social support prevalence was low among older persons. This study was conducted to determine the association between social support and smoking status among the older Malaysian population. Methods: Data were obtained from the National Health and Morbidity (NHMS) 2018 survey on the health of older Malaysian adults and analyzed. This cross-sectional population-based study used a two-stage stratified random sampling design. Sociodemographic characteristics, smoking status, and social support data were collected from respondents aged 60 years and more. A validated Malay language interviewer-administered questionnaire of 11-items, the Duke Social Support Index, was utilized to assess the social support status. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association of social support and smoking status among the respondents. Results: The prevalence of good social support was significantly higher among the 60–69 years old (73.1%) compared to the ≥80 years old respondents (50%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that respondents aged ≥80 years old were 1.7 times more likely to have poor social support compared to those aged 60–69 years. Respondents with no formal education were 1.93 times more likely to have poor social support compared to respondents who had tertiary education. Respondents with an income of MYR 3000. Former smokers had good social support compared to current smokers (73.6% vs. 78.7%). For current smokers, they had poor social support, which is almost 1.42 times higher than that for non-smokers. Conclusion: There was poor social support among older people who were current smokers, had an increased age, had no formal education and had a low income. The findings obtained from this study could assist policymakers to develop relevant strategies at the national level to enhance the social support status among older smokers and aid in their smoking cessation efforts.
The Burden of Pediatric Visual Impairment and Ocular Diagnoses in Barbados

Visual impairment (VI) negatively affects a child’s quality of life. The prevalence of VI in the Caribbean is nearly three times higher than in the United States, but the causes remain uncertain. This study leverages Barbados’ unique eye care system to survey the eye diseases and VI prevalence in Barbadian children. Medical records of all patients aged <19 years who received ophthalmic care in Barbados’ two public eye care centers between January and December 2019 were reviewed, capturing the entirety of public pediatric eye care within the study period. Age at the first visit to the clinic and at the final visit in 2019, sex, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), past medical history, and clinical diagnoses were extracted and analyzed. VI was defined as a BCVA of 6/12 or worse in the better-seeing eye. There were 3278 patient records with a mean age at the first visit of 7.8 ± 3.9 years. There were 80 (2.4%) children with VI, 62.5% of which were attributed to amblyopia. A total of 94% of VI was preventable or treatable. The most common diagnoses were refractive error (87.5%), strabismus (27.5%), and allergic eye disease (20.0%). Amblyopia is the major cause of pediatric VI in Barbados and is largely avoidable.
Comparative Performance of Spray Chrysanthemum Cultivars under Polyhouse and Open-Field Cultivation at Different Dates of Planting

Fifteen cultivars of spray chrysanthemum were evaluated in polyhouse and open-field, with three planting dates from mid-July to mid-August during 2003-05. Overall plant growth, flower stem length, number of flowers per plant, shelf life and vase life of flower were found to be maximum under 15th July planting compared to 30th July and 15th August plantings both under polyhouse and open-field conditions. Flower size and flower yield (g/plant) was highest under 30th July planting in polyhouse condition, whereas, in open-field it was the 15th July planting. Early flowering was recorded in 15th August planting both in polyhouse and open-field. Cultivar Arati showed maximum flower stem length and flower yield. Some of the other cultivars, viz., Yellow Anemone, Sarad Mala, Apsara Violet and Aditi also exhibited high yield both under polyhouse and open-field conditions. Polyhouse always recorded higher yield than open-field. Cultivar Yellow Anemone planted on 15th July recorded highest number of flowers per plant regardless of growth environment. Highest flower yield (794.94g) per plant was recorded in cv. Arati in 30th July planting under polyhouse, while, it was maximum in 15th July planting in open-field.
Estimating Redundancy-Reliability of CNNs Based on Strip-Median Attributes

Redundancy-reliability calculation for deep neural networks is of great importance for their lightweight operation. This article proposes a method for calculating the redundancy-reliability of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) based on strip-median attributes. First, based on the common cause principle, an input-sample-oriented reliability calculation method with automatic boundary detection is constructed to measure the network reliability differences caused by normal classification boundary changes. Next, the adaptive clustering algorithm is used and combined with strip-median attributes to identify the redundant strips of each convolutional layer (CONV) in the networks. Then, based on the central limit theorem and the Pauta criterion, a fault injection method with adaptive convergence ability is constructed to effectively calculate the soft-error-oriented redundancy-reliability of CNNs. The tests of multiple widely used CNNs with multiple datasets showed that with the results of the Monte Carlo (MC) model as the references, the reliability calculation accuracy of the proposed method was approximately 0.9834 and was 3.0% higher than that of the logical flips at bit level (LFBL) method. Additionally, the identification accuracy of the proposed method for redundant nodes in CNNs was better than that of the HRank method and the $1 \times N$ pruning method, by average factors of approximately 14.32 and $1.55\times $ , respectively. Furthermore, the redundant protection and the adaptive layer geometric center searching mechanism designed by the proposed method were effective. Thus, the proposed method can effectively achieve a one-to-one correspondence between the redundancy and reliability of CNNs.
The Effects of Assist Algorithms for Gait Assist Robot on Physical Stability During Unplanned Gait Termination

One of the challenges in the daily use of the gait assist robot is stability, which sometimes decreases after gait perturbations. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze and quantify the effect of the assist on the wearer’s stability after gait perturbations such as sudden gait termination. This study focuses on unplanned gait termination and investigates the effect of assistive torque on the wearer’s gait parameters. The experiment was performed to compare the parameters of the wearer under the conditions that the gait assist was continued and stopped after the gait terminate stimulus. Results of the experiment suggested that gait assistance whose torque was less than half of the torque required for normal gait did not significantly change the wearer’s movement during unplanned gait termination.
Transformation of urban lake governance in Bangalore, India : A comparison of civic initiatives

Urban lakes connected though channels across the city of Bangalore generate multiple ecosystem services including flood control, groundwater recharge, and water use for local livelihoods as well as recreation. However, on-going lake restorations often focus on recreation while excluding other users such as the urban poor, and fail to take into account lake connectivity and ecological function. Furthermore, restoration events are not followed up with adequate management actions. This study analyses and contrasts five lakes with co-management agreements, of which two were in more advanced state, and present the findings based on interviews with individuals involved in the initiatives. Aim was to a) identify key phases in navigating change, and b) actors who were key in the different phases and their characteristics. The results suggest that strong leadership connected with emotional ties to ecosystems is key to initiating and navigating early stages of the transformation efforts, while successful interactions with formal authorities seem to be leveraged by politically engaged actors with knowledge about the functioning of the government system across scales. Stages related to the preparation of plans and proposals require the presence of actors with ecosystem-oriented knowledge, as their inputs seem to be strongly connected with improved ecological outcomes. Finally, a varied set of actors organized in sub-groups seem to facilitate phases related to building resilience in improved states. In identifying and analysing the capacities and competencies needed to initiate, develop, and facilitate transformation, the study reflects on general lessons for local and cross-scale governance of urban commons in complex governance contexts.
The Modern Anthropology of South-East Asia: An Introduction

1. Southeast Asia: A Field of Anthropological Enquiry? 2. Anthropology and the Colonial Impact (1900-1950) 3. Anthropology in the Period of Decolonization (1950-1970): The American Tradition 4. Anthropology in the Period of Decolonization (1950-1970): The European Tradition 5. Social and Economic Change: 'Peasants' as Part-Societies 6. Ethnicity, Identity and Nationalism 7. Ecology and Environmental Change 8. Gender and the Sexes 9. Urban Ways of Life 10. Summary, Conclusions and Trends
Could Purpose in Life Help Unmotivated Students to Thrive? When Motivation and Purpose in Life Matter for Peer Mentoring

Purpose The present study investigated the effect of extrinsic motivation, amotivation, the presence of and search for purpose, and their interaction effects on the perceived positive outcomes of being a peer mentor in college. Methods We tested a cross-sectional data using correlation design and moderation model. Participants were 232 undergraduate students who served as mentors for freshmen. Data was collected through an online survey. Results Extrinsic motivation was positively, but amotivation not significantly, associated with perceiving the benefits of being a mentor. The presence of and search for purpose showed positive correlation with positive outcomes. Both the search for and presence of purpose moderated the relation between amotivation and the positive outcomes of being a mentor. Conclusion The presence of purpose and the search for purpose moderates the relationship between amotivation and the positive outcomes of being a mentor.
Clinical Background Factors as Predictors of the Efficacy of 5-Aminosalicylic Acid Suppositories in Patients with Ulcerative Colitis

Introduction: Although the efficacy of 5-aminosalicylic acid (ASA) suppositories for ulcerative colitis (UC) has been reported in many studies, many studies have also described poor adherence to 5-ASA suppository regimens. We aimed to identify the clinical background factors that influence adherence to 5-ASA suppositories to improve adherence and efficacy of the treatment. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 61 patients with active UC who were using 5-ASA suppositories. All patients underwent endoscopy and rectal biopsy for histological diagnosis prior to 5-ASA suppository treatment. The efficacy of 5-ASA suppository treatment was compared in relation to clinical background factors (sex, age, disease duration, disease type, clinical activity, Ulcerative Colitis Endoscopic Index of Severity, histological activity, serum C-reactive protein level, concomitant use of immunomodulators, history of steroid use, and dose of oral 5-ASA). Results: The efficacy of 5-ASA suppositories was significantly related to low Lichtiger Colitis Activity Index (LCAI) scores and proctitis type prior to its use. In terms of sex, females tended to show higher efficacy. Multivariate logistic regression analysis using these three factors showed high predictive value for the efficacy of 5-ASA suppositories (AUC, 0.788; sensitivity, 87.2%; and specificity, 63.7%). Conclusion: This study is the first to extract clinical background factors for predicting the efficacy of 5-ASA suppositories. The use of 5-ASA suppositories in patients who are expected to show efficacy will be effective in improving patient co-operation.
Direct and Indirect Energy Consumption of Households in Beijing

China's economy has grown at remarkable rates in the last three decades, bringing about big improvements in people's quality of life. On the downside, the increased economic activity has contributed to serious environmental problems, many of which are related to the country's energy system. Focusing particularly on Beijing, this study aims at illuminating how income growth and lifestyle changes relate to energy use in the society. An extended input-output analysis is applied to estimate the direct and indirect household energy consumption (HEC) of Beijing households at different levels of development in the year 2005. Using observations of how HEC varies across income groups in 2005 as a basis, projections of HEC towards 2015 are made. According to the results, the total HEC in Beijing amounts to 42% of the total direct energy use occurring in all sectors within Beijing's geographical boundaries. Hence, a significant portion of the energy use in the society can be linked with consumer activities. For urban residents, indirect influences on energy use are found to be more than three times greater than the direct influences. Mainly due to growing incomes, total HEC in urban Beijing will grow substantially in the period 2005-2015, even with overall efficiency improvements corresponding to the central government's targets. The results indicate that the share of transport related energy use to total HEC will increase significantly. Without major efficiency improvements, huge increases in transport related energy use is to be expected towards 2015. Air conditioners will be the most important single electrical appliance contributing to increased residential electricity consumption in the near future. Due to significant uncertainty, the figures should be taken as rough guides to the magnitude of different types of energy use only. Nonetheless, it is the author's opinion that the study produces valuable insights that can add to our understanding of the underlying drivers of energy use in the Beijing society. The estimates are considered sufficiently accurate to serve as a basis for making some recommendations for improving the energy efficiency of the society. Based on the findings of the study, the author calls on central and local governments to: 1) Further incorporate the important role of consumer behaviour and lifestyle into energy conservation policies; 2) Make strong efforts to mitigate transport related environmental problems, focusing attention both on producers and consumers; 3) Give high priority to constructing energy efficient buildings; 4) Further strengthen and expand the performance standard and labelling scheme for electrical appliances; 5) Consider imposing constraints on the promotion of consumerism by the mass media and advertising industry.
The Role of Tunneling in Doing Transfer Pricing

Transfer pricing practices carried out by companies by shifting profits from countries with high tax rates to countries with low tax rates, so as to minimize the tax burden in an effort to maximize company profits. In fact, tax revenue on income from multinational companies is a very significant part of tax revenues in the total tax revenues in the countries where these multinational companies operate. This study aims to determine the effect of profitability and taxes on transfer pricing with tunneling as a moderation variable. The study used secondary data as many manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesian Stock Exchange in 2019-2022. Sample selection using purposive sampling method which resulted in 40 manufacturing companies. This study used linear regression analysis with SPSS tools. The results of this study show that profitability and taxes have a significant positive effect on transfer pricing. Furthermore, tunneling is able to moderate the effect of profitability and taxes on transfer pricing.