Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Smith ScholarWorks Smith ScholarWorks

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors increase with menopause, which coincides with a reduction in endothelial function. Our previous work indicates that sedentary peri-and postmenopausal women have different endothelial responses to acute exercise. High cardiorespiratory fitness is protective of endothelial function; however, whether this protection remains during and after the menopausal transition is unclear. Objective: To evaluate if there are differences in endothelial function before and after acute exercise in women at different menopausal stages with high and low cardiorespiratory fitness. Methods: Participants were healthy high fit premenopausal (n=11), perimenopausal (n=12) and postmenopausal women (n=13) and low-fit perimenopausal (n=7) and postmenopausal women (n=8). Brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) was measured before and after acute moderate intensity exercise. FMD was calculated as (Diameter peak -Diameter baseline )/ Diameter baseline )*100. Differences between high-fit women and between high and low-fit perimenopausal and postmenopausal women were assessed with repeated-measure ANOVAs. Relations with FMD were assessed with Pearson correlations. Results: FMD was reduced with progressive menopausal stage in high-fit women (p=0.005) and was lower in perimenopausal compared to postmenopausal women (p=0.047). FMD was lower in high-fit compared to low-fit women (p=0.006) and there was no relation between FMD and VO 2peak (p>0.05). There was an inverse relation between FMD and follicle stimulating hormone (p<0.05), but not estradiol (p>0.05). Conclusions: These data suggest that endothelial function is lower with progressive menopausal stage in women with high cardiorespiratory fitness; that FMD is lower in women with higher cardiorespiratory fitness; and that FSH, but not estradiol, is associated with FMD.
Widespread white matter aberration is associated with the severity of apathy in amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment

Apathy is recognized as a prevalent behavioral symptom of amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI). In aMCI, apathy is associated with an increased risk and increases the risk of progression to Alzheimer ’ s Disease (AD). Previous DTI study in aMCI showed that apathy has been associated with white matter alterations in the cingulum, middle and inferior longitudinal fasciculus, fornix
The role of wind gusts in upper ocean diurnal variability

Author(s): Giglio, D; Gille, ST; Subramanian, AC; Nguyen, S | Abstract: © 2017. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. Upper ocean processes play a key role in air-sea coupling, with variability on both short and long time scales. The diurnal cycle associated with diurnal solar insolation and nighttime cooling, may act, along with stochastic wind variability, on upper ocean temperatures and stratification resulting in a diurnal warm layer and a nonlinear rectified effect on longer time scales. This study describes diurnal changes in upper ocean temperature for a location in the equatorial Indian Ocean, using observations from the Dynamics of the Madden-Julian Oscillation field campaign, a high vertical resolution 1-D process model, and a diurnal cycling scheme. Solar forcing is the main driver of diurnal variability in upper ocean temperature and stratification. Yet except during nighttime convection, winds with variability on the order of hours (here referred to as “wind gusts”) regulate how fast surface water is mixed to greater depths when daily mean winds are weak. Wind gusts are much stronger than diurnal winds. Even using stochastic wind gusts but no diurnal winds as input in a 1-D process model yields an estimate of diurnal temperature that compares well with observations. A new version of the Large and Caron (2015) scheme (LC2015) provides an estimate of upper ocean diurnal temperature that is consistent with observations. LC2015 has the advantage of being suitable for implementation in a climate model, with the goal to improve SST estimates, hence the simulated heat flux at the air-sea interface. Yet LC2015 is not very sensitive to the inclusion or omission of the high-frequency component of the wind.
The role of students' self-beliefs, motivation and attitudes in predicting mathematics achievement: A multilevel analysis of the Programme for International Student Assessment data

Non-cognitive factors have been considered as particularly important aspects in shaping students’ academic achievement. The current study aimed to examine a number of these factors in relation to the prediction of mathematics achievement among a representative sample of students in Greece. The sample consisted of 5,125 15-year-old students who participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012. The study considered the extent to which students’ mathematics self-beliefs, motivation towards mathematics and attitudes towards school contributed to the prediction of their mathematics achievement. Multilevel modelling assessed both individual and school level variation, revealing that students’ mathematics self-efficacy, anxiety, self-concept, instrumental motivation and attitudes towards school were statistically significant predictors of their mathematics achievement, even after controlling for their gender and school socio-economic status (SES). Moreover, students were found to differ in the levels of their self-beliefs, motivation and attitudes based on their gender.
Telemonitoring: use in the management of hypertension

Hypertension is a major modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular, retinal, and kidney disease. In the past decade, attainment rates of treatment targets for blood pressure control in the UK and US have increased; however, <11% of adult men and women have achieved adequate blood pressure control. Technological advances in blood pressure measurement and data transmission may improve the capture of information but also alter the relationship between the patient and the provider of care. Telemonitoring systems can be used to manage patients with hypertension, and have the ability to enable best-practice decisions more consistently. The improvement in choice for patients as to where and who manages their hypertension, as well as better adherence to treatment, are potential benefits. An evidence base is growing that shows that telemonitoring can be more effective than usual care in improving attainment rates of goal blood pressure in the short-to-medium term. In addition, studies are in progress to assess whether this technology could be a part of the solution to address the health care needs of an aging population and improve access for those suffering health inequalities. The variation in methods and systems used in these studies make generalizability to the general hypertension population difficult. Concerns over the reliability of technology, impact on patient quality of life, longer-term utility and cost–benefit analyses all need to be investigated further if wider adoption is to occur.
Car make and model recognition using 3D curve alignment

We present a new approach for recognizing the make and model of a car from a single image. While most previous methods are restricted to fixed or limited viewpoints, our system is able to verify a car's make and model from an arbitrary view. Our model consists of 3D space curves obtained by backprojecting image curves onto silhouette-based visual hulls and then refining them using three-view curve matching. We also build an appearance model of taillights which is used as an additional cue. Our approach is able to verify the exact make and model of a car over a wide range of viewpoints and background clutter.
Radiance‐Based Evaluation of WRF Cloud Properties Over East Asia: Direct Comparison With FY‐2E Observations

Radiance‐based comparison between model‐simulated and satellite‐observed atmosphere shows its unique advantage for model evaluation. This study couples a fast radiative transfer model, namely, the community radiative transfer model, and the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) to generate synthetic satellite observed infrared (IR) brightness temperatures (BTs) over East Asia. Simulated IR BTs are used to evaluate WRF cloud properties by direct comparison with observations from the Visible and Infrared Spin‐Scan Radiometer (onboard the FengYun‐2E geostationary satellite). A deep cyclone over North China is investigated as our case study. The simulated and observed BTs in the 6.8‐μm channel demonstrate agreement with an averaged bias of <3 K, whereas the performances in two IR window channels are relatively poor with averaged BT differences almost 10 K. For typical precipitation regions, BT differences between the 6.8‐ and 10.8‐μm channels indicate that the WRF simulation underestimates low‐ to midlevel clouds but reproduces high‐level clouds better. Overall, the WRF has solid capabilities to capture the cloud characteristics broadly, whereas some limitations are shown in the cloud temporal and variation cloud cover, especially 3 days after the WRF initialization.
Eclogites and other high-pressure rocks in the Himalaya: a review

Abstract Himalayan high-pressure metamorphic rocks are restricted to three environments: the suture zone; close to the suture zone; and (mostly) far (>100 km) from the suture zone. In the NW Himalaya and South Tibet, Cretaceous-age blueschists (glaucophane-, lawsonite- or carpholite-bearing schists) formed in the accretionary wedge of the subducting Neo-Tethys. Microdiamond and associated phases from suture-zone ophiolites (Luobusa and Nidar) are, however, unrelated to Himalayan subduction–collision processes. Deeply subducted and rapidly exhumed Indian Plate basement and cover rocks directly adjacent to the suture zone enclose eclogites of Eocene age, some coesite-bearing (Kaghan/Neelum and Tso Morari), formed from Permian Panjal Trap, continental-type, basaltic magmatic rocks. Eclogites with a granulite-facies overprint, yielding Oligocene–Miocene ages, occur in the anatectic cordierite ± sillimanite-grade Indian Plate mostly significantly south of the suture zone (Kharta/Ama Drime/Arun, north Sikkim and NW Bhutan) but also directly at the suture zone at Namche Barwa. The sequence carpholite-, coesite-, kyanite- and cordierite-bearing rocks of these different units demonstrates the transition from oceanic subduction to continental collision via continental subduction. The granulitized eclogites in anatectic gneisses preserve evidence of former thick crust as in other wide hot orogens, such as the European Variscides.
Single Vehicle Pickup and Delivery with Time Windows : Made to Measure Genetic Encoding and Operators

To the best of our knowledge, only a few researchers have experimented with genetic algorithms (GAs) to tackle the single vehicle pickup and delivery problem with time windows, possibly due to the large number of constraints involved and the difficulty in handling them. In particular, there is the difficulty in designing an appropriate genetic representation and intelligent genetic operators that are able to transfer the ordering characteristic of the parents to the offspring, while preserving the feasibility of the solution. In this research, we will experiment with a genetic encoding and operators specially designed to deal with the problem in hand. We will present a duplicate gene encoding that guarantees the satisfaction of the the precedence constraint, between the pickup and the delivery requests, throughout the search. We aim to show that GAs, if guided by some problem-specific information, will be able to handle this hard problem and possibly other similarly highly constrained problems.
Modular specification and dynamic enforcement of syntactic language constraints when generating code

A key problem in metaprogramming and specifically in generative programming is to guarantee that generated code is well-formed with respect to the context-free and context-sensitive constraints of the target language. We propose typesmart constructors as a dynamic approach to enforcing the well-formedness of generated code. A typesmart constructor is a function that is used in place of a regular constructor to create values, but it may reject the creation of values if the given data violates some language-specific constraint. While typesmart constructors can be implemented individually, we demonstrate how to derive them automatically from a grammar, so that the grammar remains the sole specification of a language's syntax and is not duplicated. We have integrated support for typesmart constructors into the run-time system of Stratego to enforce usage of typesmart constructors implicitly whenever a regular constructor is called. We evaluate the applicability, performance, and usefulness of typesmart constructors for syntactic constraints in a compiler for MiniJava developed with Spoofax and in various language extensions of Java and Haskell implemented with SugarJ and SugarHaskell.
Discussion Papers

q,f Mich:t\'g,afi and thro,ugh ,funds granted to the Institute for Research on fFqverty,"'at· the-University of Wisconsin-Madison pursuant to the provisions " of the' Economic <ppportunity Act of 1964. The opinions expressed and any erro;rs' are the responsibility of the author. ' " This study is an investigation of the extended properties of income-leisure preference structures. The methodology centers on preference maps 'composed o:f income consumption curves. These maps are both the basis fora flexible estimation fQrJD. :nd a. cleyice for_dirE:c't: interpJ;'etation of the preference structure revealed by the estimates. The properties of preference maps are categorized into three basic dimensions that are useful in differentiating among the preference structures implied by previously estimated labor supply models and that provide a framework for statistical testing of hypotheses about functional form. Estimates are obtained for a subpopulation of prime-age married males who were free to reveal their preferences through unconstrained choices on well-defined opportunity sets. Marginal wage rates, including overtime premiums, were directly reported and were adjusted for increasing marginal income tax rates. The estimates indicate that representative preferences for this subpopulation may be closely approximated by a parallel preference structure similar to those implicit in models. suggest satiety or near-satiety with leisure at a level of work hours not far below standard full time work.
Effects of Shoe Wear on Slipping – Implications for Shoe Replacement Threshold

In the workplace, slips and falls account for a large portion of injuries. Although past research has identified relationships between shoe wear and shoe-floor-contaminant dynamics (coefficient of friction (COF) and fluid pressures), the relationship between wear and COF has not been well characterized. The purpose of this study is to track COF and under-shoe fluid pressure changes as shoes are worn over time. Wear was simulated for two different shoes via an abrasion protocol. COF and fluid pressure measurements were conducted using a robotic slip tester. For each shoe, the COF initially increased from the baseline value followed by a steady decrease. Fluid pressure data suggests that the risk of slipping increases drastically when the area of the completely worn region of a shoe reaches a threshold of 740 mm2. These results suggest that the size of the wear patch is a better indicator for replacing shoes than tread depth.
Typhoon‐Induced Ground Deformation

Geodetic instruments now offer compelling sensitivity, allowing to investigate how solid Earth and surface processes interact. By combining surface air pressure data, nontidal sea level variations model, and rainfall data, we systematically analyze the volumetric deformation of the shallow crust at seven borehole strainmeters in Taiwan induced by 31 tropical cyclones (typhoons) that made landfall to the island from 2004 to 2013. The typhoon's signature consists in a ground dilatation due to air pressure drop, generally followed by a larger ground compression. We show that this compression phase can be mostly explained by the mass loading of rainwater that falls on the ground and concentrates in the valleys towards the strainmeter sensitivity zone. Further, our analysis shows that borehole strainmeters can help quantifying the amount of rainwater accumulating and flowing over a watershed during heavy rainfalls, which is a useful constraint for building hydrological models.
Oro-faecal transmission of SARS-CoV-2: A systematic review of studies employing viral culture from gastrointestinal and other potential sources

Background. The extent to which the oro-faecal route contributes to the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is not established. Methods: We systematically reviewed the evidence on the presence of infectious SARS-CoV-2 in faeces and other gastrointestinal sources by examining studies that used viral culture to investigate the presence of replication-competent virus in these samples. We conducted searches in the WHO Covid-19 Database, LitCovid, medRxiv, and Google Scholar for SARS-CoV-2 using keywords and associated synonyms, with a search date up to 28th of November 2023. Results: We included 13 studies involving 328 COVID-19 subjects - providing 314 faecal or rectal swab SARS-CoV2 positive samples tested also with viral culture. The methods used for viral culture across the studies were heterogeneous. Three studies (2 cohorts and 1 case-series) reported observing replication-competent SARS-CoV-2 confirmed by quantitative RT-PCR (qPCR) and whole genome sequencing, and qPCR including appropriate cycle threshold changes. Overall, six (1.9%) of 314 faecal samples subjected to cell culture showed replication-competent virus. One study found replication competent samples from one immunocompromised patient. No studies were identified demonstrating direct evidence of oro-faecal transmission to humans. Conclusions: Our review found a relatively low frequency of replication-competent SARS-CoV-2 in faecal and other gastrointestinal sources. Although it is biologically plausible, more research is needed, using standardized cell culture methods, control groups, adequate follow-up and robust epidemiologic methods, including whether secondary infections occurred, to determine the role of the oro-faecal route in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2.
SCALING LIMITS FOR CONTINUOUS OPINION DYNAMICS SYSTEMS

Scaling limits are analyzed for stochastic continuous opinion dynamics systems, also known as gossip models. In such models, agents update their vector-valued opinion to a convex combination (possibly agent- and opinion-dependent) of their current value and that of another observed agent. It is shown that, in the limit of large agent population size, the empirical opinion density concentrates, at an exponential probability rate, around the solution of a probability-measure-valued ordinary differential equation describing the system’s mean-ﬁeld dynamics. Properties of the associated initial value problem are studied. The asymptotic behavior of the solution is analyzed for bounded-conﬁdence opinion dynamics, and in the presence of an heterogeneous inﬂuential environment.
Holocene sea-level change and coastal landscape evolution in the southern Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia

A revised Holocene sea-level history for the southern Gulf of Carpentaria is presented based on new data from the South Wellesley Archipelago and age recalibration of previous research. Results confirm that rising sea levels during the most recent post-glacial marine transgression breached the Arafura Sill ca. 11,700 cal. yr BP. Sea levels continued to rise to ca. –30 m by 10,000 cal. yr BP, leading to full marine conditions. By 7700 cal. yr BP, sea-level reached present mean sea-level (PMSL) and continued to rise to an elevation of between 1.5 m and 2 m above PMSL. Sea level remained ca. + 1.5 between 7000 and 4000 cal. yr BP, followed by rapid regression to within ± 0.5 m of PMSL by ca. 3500 cal. yr BP. When placed into a wider regional context results from this study show that coastal landscape evolution in the tropical north of Australia was not only dependent on sea-level change but also show a direct correlation with Holocene climate variability. Specifically, the formation and preservation of beach-rock deposits, intertidal successions, beach and chenier ridge systems hold valuable sea-level and Holocene climate proxies that can contribute to the growing research into lower latitude Holocene sea-level and climate histories.
The Effect of Hypermedia Assisted Instruction on Second Language Learning through a Semantic-Network-Based Approach.

This study investigated the effect of hypermedia on enhancing vocabulary learning among non-native English speakers. Participants were 63 volunteer, international graduate students, enrolled in an Intensive English Program, English as a Foreign Language, or graduate program at a mid-Atlantic university. Variables measured included vocabulary learning, computer anxiety and attitude, and learning patterns. Treatment consisted of five sessions using hypermedia courseware, followed by a posttest and retention test 2 weeks later. A statistical analysis of the data showed that the participants' performance in achievement increased significantly; computer anxiety decreased; performance in achievement was found to be related to the levels of computer anxiety; and findings on the effects of field dependence/independence were conflicting. The paper provides the theoretical assumptions for a semantic network-based hypermedia learning environment. Tables and figures illustrate the statistical findings. (Contains 30 references.) (ALF) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION CMIce of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 0 This document haS been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. 0 Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction Quality Points of view or Opinions stated in this CIOCu ment do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy
Learning Event-based Spatio-Temporal Feature Descriptors via Local Synaptic Plasticity: A Biologically-Plausible Perspective of Computer Vision

We present an optimization-based theory describing spiking cortical ensembles equipped with Spike-TimingDependent Plasticity (STDP) learning, as empirically observed in the visual cortex. Using this generic framework, we build a class of global, action-based and convolutional feature descriptors for event-based cameras that we assess on the N-MNIST, the CIFAR10-DVS and the IBM DVS128 Gesture datasets. We report significant accuracy improvements compared to conventional state-ofthe-art event-based feature descriptors (+8% on CIFAR10DVS) and compared to state-of-the-art STDP-based systems (+10% on N-MNIST, +7.74% on IBM DVS128 Gesture). In addition to ultra-low-power learning in neuromorphic edge devices, our work contributes towards a biologicallyplausible, optimization-based theory of cortical vision.