Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors Associated with Physical Activity in Older Adults by Region: Based on the 2017 Community Health Survey

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify personal factors, social factors, and environmental factors related to physical activity in older adults in urban and non-urban areas. Methods: We used source data from the 2017 Community Health Survey. The subjects of this study included some older adults aged 65 and over, and analyzed the data of 23,043 older adults living in the urban and 34,063 older adults living in the non-urban area. Results: The common factors influencing physical activity in older adults by region include current smoking and drinking, BMI, sleep duration, and subjective health status, help with neighbors, frequency of meeting with neighbors and friends, participation in social and leisure activities, and falls experience (p<.001). However, the living environment, public transport satisfaction, and medical service use significantly associated with physical activity for only older adults living in the urban area (p<.001). Conclusion: In order to improve physical activity in older adults in the community, it is necessary to consider not only the improvement of individual factors that practice health behaviors but also health promotion strategies that take into account social and environmental factors because there are environmental differences among regions.
A Fundamental Connection: Exchange Rates and Macroeconomic Expectations

This paper presents new stylized facts about exchange rates and their relationship with macroeconomic fundamentals. We show that macroeconomic surprises explain a large majority of the variation in nominal exchange rate changes at a quarterly frequency. Using a novel present value decomposition of exchange rate changes that is disciplined with survey forecast data, we show that macroeconomic surprises are also a very important driver of the currency risk premium component and explain about half of its variation. These surprises have even greater explanatory power during economic downturns and periods of financial uncertainty. Emails: vstavrakeva@london.edu, jenny.tang@bos.frb. org. The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston or the Federal Reserve System. Nikhil Rao provided invaluable research assistance on this project. We thank Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, Hélène Rey, Kenneth Rogoff and the participants at various seminars and conferences for their useful comments.
On the Construction of Solutions to a Problem with a Free Boundary for the Non-linear Heat Equation

The construction of solutions to the problem with a free boundary for the non-linear heat equation which have the heat wave type is considered in the paper. The feature of such solutions is that the degeneration occurs on the front of the heat wave which separates the domain of positive values of the unknown function and the cold (zero) background. A numerical algorithm based on the boundary element method is proposed. Since it is difficult to prove the convergence of the algorithm due to the non-linearity of the problem and the presence of degeneracy the comparison with exact solutions is used to verify numerical results. The construction of exact solutions is reduced to integrating the Cauchy problem for ODE. A qualitative analysis of the exact solutions is carried out. Several computational experiments were performed to verify the proposed method
Heavy Metals Residues in Some Dairy Products

Spectrophotometer. A total of Sixty random samples of dairy products (20 each of condensed milk, evaporated milk and infant formula) were collected from different outlets and pharmacies in Alexandria governorate, Egypt. All examined samples were analyzed by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer to determine heavy metals residues and trace elements [lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd), Copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn)]. The results obtained revealed that extremely toxic heavy metals (Pb and Cd) were detected above the recommended daily intake in infant formula, while were acceptable when compared with average daily intake in examined condensed and evaporated milk samples. Public health significance of heavy metal was discussed.
2‐dimensional human‐like driver model for autonomous vehicles in mixed traffic

Classical artificial potential approach of motion planning is extended for emulating human driving behaviour in two dimensions. Different stimulus parameters including type of ego-vehicle, type of obstacles, relative velocity, relative acceleration, and lane offset are used. All the surrounding vehicles are considered to influence drivers' decisions. No emphasis is laid on vehicle control; instead, an ego vehicle is assumed to reach the desired state. The study is on human-like driving behaviour modelling. The developed motion planning algorithm formulates repulsive and attractive potentials in a data-driven way in contrast to the classical arbitrary formulation. Interaction between the stimulus parameters is explicitly considered by using multivariate cumulative distribution functions. Comparison of two-dimensional (lateral and longitudinal) performance indicators with a baseline model and generative adversarial networks indicate the effectiveness and suitability of the developed motion planning algorithm in the mixed traffic environment.
Validity of the COPD-6® Device for COPD Screening in the Primary Care Setting of China

Background: The use of simple and affordable screening tools for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is limited. We aimed to assess the validity of a handheld expiratory flow meter (COPD-6®, Vitalograph Ltd., Ireland) for COPD screening in Chinese primary care settings.Methods: In our cross-sectional study, subjects were randomly selected in eight primary care settings. Testing with the Vitalograph-COPD-6® and conventional spirometry were sequentially performed on subjects. The correlation between COPD-6® and conventional spirometry was determined. Validity was analyzed by the area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) of the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) / forced expiratory volume in six seconds (FEV6) that used to detect airway obstruction. The sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and likelihood ratio were calculated according to different FEV1/FEV6 cut-off points.Results: 229 subjects (15.4%) were diagnosed with airflow limitation by standard spirometry. FEV1, FEV6, and FEV1/FEV6 measured by COPD-6® were correlated with FEV1, FVC, and FEV1/FVC measured by spirometry (r=0.889, 0.835and 0.647, p<0.001), respectively. AUC of the FEV1/FEV6 to determine airflow obstruction was 0.857 (95%CI: 0.826 to 0.888). No significant difference of AUC was observed between the symptomatic group and the asymptomatic population (AUC=0.869 vs. 0.843, P=0.425). A similar phenomenon was found in the AUC of smokers and never-smokers (AUC=0.862 vs.0.840; P=0.515). The value of AUC was largest (i.e., 0.80) when the cut-off point for FEV1/FEV6 was 0.77. Conclusions: The handheld COPD-6® could be used as a pre-screening device on early diagnosis of COPD in Chinese primary care settings.
Effect of Mulching, Drip irrigation and Fertigation on Growth, Flowering and Yield parameters of Nerium (Nerium oleander L.)

Nerium (Nerium oleander L) is an evergreen shrub belonging to Apocynaceae family and is native to North Africa. It is widely planted as an ornamental plant in warm temperate, tropical and sub tropical regions, survives drought well and is well suited for cultivation in even poor soils. This crop can tolerate salt sprays, brackish water and alkaline soil. It is commonly planted in highway medians as a no maintenance plant. Oleander also does well as a quick growing screen or large specimen planting. Nerium flowers are commonly used for worship in home and temples and so is an important loose flower. In the present scenario of acute water shortage and unpredictable climatic conditions, effective and economic utilization of resources is essential and can be achieved through the use of improved techniques, viz., drip irrigation, fertigation and mulching. Drip irrigation results in discrete and efficient water usage. The moderation of soil International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 9 Number 11 (2020) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com
Single‐phase hybrid multilevel inverter topology with low switching frequency modulation techniques for lower order harmonic elimination

A new single-phase asymmetrical multilevel inverter (MLI) is presented in this study. The proposed topology generates a staircase output voltage waveform with a maximum number of levels using less number of components compared to several existing and recent topologies. The basic module consists of a combination of two isolated DC sources with ten switches that produce all the possible number of levels. Other advantages of the proposed MLI include improved output voltage performance and a low blocking voltage of the switches. The low switching frequency pulse width modulation (LSF-PWM) technique has been used for the generation of gate pulses. In the LSF technique, selective harmonic elimination (SHE) and fundamental switching frequency PWM techniques have been discussed for the better output voltage waveform. The optimised switching angles with SHEPWM has been calculated using particle swarm optimisation considering the different combination of the elimination of lower order harmonics. Simulation work was carried out using MATLAB/SIMULINK, and a prototype was implemented to validate the proposed MLI module. Simulation and experimental results have been provided in the study to show the performance of the proposed topology with these modulation techniques.
Ruscogenin alleviates palmitic acid-induced endothelial cell inflammation by suppressing TXNIP/NLRP3 pathway

Purpose: To investigate the involvement of ruscogenin in palmitic acid (PA)-induced endothelial cell inflammation. Method: Cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were divided into five groups: control (normal untreated cells), PA (cell treated with palmitic acid), and PA + ruscogenin (1, 10, or 30 μM). Cell viability and apoptosis rate were determined using MTT (3-(4,5)-dimethylthiahiazo(-z-y1)-3,5- di-phenytetrazolium bromide) and flow cytometry assays, respectively. The levels of cytokines, including interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), and monocyte chemo-attractant protein-1 (MCP-1) were determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Western blotting and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were used to evaluate the underlying mechanisms of action. Results: PA treatment decreased the viability of HUVECs and induced apoptosis (p < 0.05). Ruscogenin attenuated PA-induced cell death in a dose-dependent manner (p < 0.05). On the other hand, PA induced an increase in IL-1β, TNF-α, ICAM-1, MCP-1, TXNIP (thioredoxin-interacting protein),as well as NLRP3 (nucleotide oligomerization domain-, leucine-rich repeat- and pyrin domain-containing protein 3), all of which were attenuated by ruscogenin (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Ruscogenin alleviates PA-induced endothelial cell inflammation via TXNIP/NLRP3 pathway, thereby providing an insight into new therapeutic strategies to treat cardiovascular diseases. Keywords: Ruscogenin, Palmitic acid, Endothelial cells, Inflammation, TXNIP, NLRP3, Cardiovascular diseases
Pengembangan Keterampilan Kolaborasi Melalui Penerapan Modul Interaktif Berbasis TTI

The development of science and technology has had a major influence in all aspects of life, including in the world of education. One way of using technology in learning is the use of technological resources in the learning process such as technology-based interactive modules.The use of modules in learning aims so that students can learn independently without or with guidance from educators, so that students will learn better if they do it alone which focuses directly on mastering learning objectives. The aim of this research is to produceInteractive module based on Trait Treatment Interaction (TTI) using Adobe Flash on collaboration skills with students on the material of the kinetic theory of gases and the laws of thermodynamics class XI SMA / MA valid, practical and effective. This research is a research and development (R&D). Development design is using a development model ADDIE consists of: the Analysis stage (analyzing), the Design stage (designing), the Development stage (developing), the Implementation stage (implementing) and the Evaluation stage (evaluating). The instruments used in this study were a validity questionnaire, a practicality questionnaire, and an effectiveness test. The product validity test is given by expert validators in the aspects of material / content, media / construction, and language. The practicality test is given to educators and students, while the effectiveness test is given to students. The results of the research were produced Interactive module based on Trait Treatment Interaction (TTI) using Adobe Flash for students on the material of the kinetic theory of gases and the laws of thermodynamics which is very valid, very practical and very effective against collaboration skills of students.
Funding inclusive education for equity and social justice in South African schools

The implementation of inclusive education in South African schools has resulted in more demands being placed on them to make provision for the inclusion of learners with special educational needs in mainstream classrooms. This has brought about substantial changes regarding school financing in order to cater for a diverse learner population. This generic qualitative study conducted through interviews with 9 secondary school principals from formerly disadvantaged and advantaged schools, as well as policy document analysis, investigated the current school financing practices for inclusive education in schools aimed at attaining equity and social justice. During this study data were analysed using inductive content analysis. The findings of the study suggest that although provision has been made in terms of the National Norms and Standards for School Funding policy, schools, especially those in previously disadvantaged communities, are not adequately and suitably resourced to implement inclusive education fully.
Deep Learning for Safe Autonomous Driving: Current Challenges and Future Directions

Advances in information and signal processing technologies have a significant impact on autonomous driving (AD), improving driving safety while minimizing the efforts of human drivers with the help of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) techniques. Recently, deep learning (DL) approaches have solved several real-world problems of complex nature. However, their strengths in terms of control processes for AD have not been deeply investigated and highlighted yet. This survey highlights the power of DL architectures in terms of reliability and efficient real-time performance and overviews state-of-the-art strategies for safe AD, with their major achievements and limitations. Furthermore, it covers major embodiments of DL along the AD pipeline including measurement, analysis, and execution, with a focus on road, lane, vehicle, pedestrian, drowsiness detection, collision avoidance, and traffic sign detection through sensing and vision-based DL methods. In addition, we discuss on the performance of several reviewed methods by using different evaluation metrics, with critics on their pros and cons. Finally, this survey highlights the current issues of safe DL-based AD with a prospect of recommendations for future research, rounding up a reference material for newcomers and researchers willing to join this vibrant area of Intelligent Transportation Systems.
The Impact of Female Education on Economic Growth: Evidence from Egypt and Jordan

This study aims to examine the effect of female education on economic growth in Egypt and Jordan by constructing six panel data models during the period from 1980 to 2016: three “total” panel models and three “female” panel models. By subdividing education levels into primary, secondary, and higher, it can examine the effect of different education levels on economic growth. This study uses ordinary least squares (OLS) technique. The positive impact of higher and primary education enrollment rate is significant; however, the secondary education enrollment rate in both the “total” and the “female” panel models does not have a significant impact on economic growth. Also, the results indicate that both the total labor force participation rate as well as female labor force participation rate has the most significant positive impact on economic growth, while fertility rate has a significant negative impact on economic growth.
Molecular Epidemiology of Clinical and Colonizing Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Isolates in Companion Animals

In this study, we aimed to investigate the molecular epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) clinical and colonizing isolates of dogs and cats to profile contributing factors associated with their isolation. Nasal and rectal samples were collected from dogs and cats between 2015 and 2017 to identify colonizing isolates. Clinical isolates collected between 2003 and 2016 were retrieved from a Queensland university veterinary diagnostic laboratory. All isolates were identified using standard microbiological and molecular methods and were characterized by whole genome sequencing. Phylogenetic relationships and differences in epidemiological factors were investigated. Seventy-two MRSP isolates out of 1,460 colonizing samples and nine MRSP clinical isolates were identified. No MRSA was isolated. ST496 and ST749 were the most commonly isolated sequence types with different SCCmec types. ST496 clones spread both along the coast and more inland where ST749 was more centered in Brisbane. The resistance and virulence factors differed significantly between the two sequence types. ST496 colonizing and clinical isolates were similarly multidrug resistant. The virulence genes of ST749 colonizing and clinical isolates were similar as both contained the gene nanB for sialidase. There were no differences in the individual and clinical factors between predominant sequence types. High levels of antimicrobial resistance occurred in the majority of isolates, which is of potential concern to human and veterinary health. The phylogenetic clustering of isolates from this study and others previously identified in countries, particularly New Zealand, with which Australia has high volume of pet movements could suggest the importation of clones, which needs further investigation.
Is Extracellular Vesicle-Based Therapy the Next Answer for Cartilage Regeneration?

“Extracellular vesicles” (EVs) is a term gathering biological particles released from cells that act as messengers for cell-to-cell communication. Like cells, EVs have a membrane with a lipid bilayer, but unlike these latter, they have no nucleus and consequently cannot replicate. Several EV subtypes (e.g., exosomes, microvesicles) are described in the literature. However, the remaining lack of consensus on their specific markers prevents sometimes the full knowledge of their biogenesis pathway, causing the authors to focus on their biological effects and not their origins. EV signals depend on their cargo, which can be naturally sourced or altered (e.g., cell engineering). The ability for regeneration of adult articular cartilage is limited because this avascular tissue is partly made of chondrocytes with a poor proliferation rate and migration capacity. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) had been extensively used in numerous in vitro and preclinical animal models for cartilage regeneration, and it has been demonstrated that their therapeutic effects are due to paracrine mechanisms involving EVs. Hence, using MSC-derived EVs as cell-free therapy tools has become a new therapeutic approach to improve regenerative medicine. EV-based therapy seems to show similar cartilage regenerative potential compared with stem cell transplantation without the associated hindrances (e.g., chromosomal aberrations, immunogenicity). The aim of this short review is to take stock of occurring EV-based treatments for cartilage regeneration according to their healing effects. The article focuses on cartilage regeneration through various sources used to isolate EVs (mature or stem cells among others) and beneficial effects depending on cargos produced from natural or tuned EVs.
Pressure effects on strained FeSe$_{0.5}$Te$_{0.5}$ thin films

The pressure effect on the resistivity and superconducting Tc of prestrained thin films of the iron chalcogenide superconductor FeSe0.5Te0. 5 is studied. Films with different anion heights above the Fe layer showing different values of ambient pressure Tc’s are compressed up to a pressure of 1.7 GPa. All films exhibit a significant increase of Tc with pressure. The results cannot solely be explained by a pressure-induced decrease of the anion height but other parameters have to be considered to explain the data for all films.
Stone pine (Pinus pinea) growth and cone yield as a function of planting density in Chile

Pinus pinea (stone pine) is an important species for its delicious seeds –the pine nuts–, the most expensive dry fruit worldwide. In native habitats, planting density is a key silvicultural tool in this highly heliophile species due to its impact on growth and cone yield. In Chile, the densities of adult plantations are medium and high. The goal of this study was to assess the impact of density on growth and cone yield in established plantations. Thirty plantations, 15 at high density (1,667 trees ha-1) and 15 at medium density (500 trees ha-1), were matched into 15 pairs of similar plantations regarding age and site characteristics. Planting density had a significant impact on P. pinea growth and cone yield. The medium density was associated with 46 % higher diameter-at-breast-height (DBH) and 2.8 times higher cone yield than those presented by a high-density plantation scheme. However, at 500 trees ha-1, average tree height might turn cone harvesting difficult and expensive. In humid areas (Chilean South macrozone), the medium planting density had a more important effect on cone yield than on growth. Our study confirms previous research in stone pine native habitats and highlights the need to find an optimum planting density to favor cone yield and harvest.
The Effect Of Collaborative Problem Solving Strategies And Cognitive Style On Students' Problem Solving Abilities

The purpose of this research was to identify the effect of collaborative problem solving (CPS) on students' problem-solving abilities with different cognitive styles, including field-dependent (FI) and field-independent (FD). This is a quasi-experimental research with a 2x2 factorial design. The study used 109 students of public junior high school 3 Mesuji, Indonesia, as samples. The data of problem-solving abilities were obtained from essay tests, and cognitive style data were obtained from the Group Embeded Figure Test (GEFT). The data is analyzed using two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results of this study show the following, 1) there is a significant difference in problem-solving abilities between students treated with collaborative problem solving strategies and problem-based learning, 2) there are significant differences on problem-solving abilities between students who have field-dependent and field-independent cognitive styles, 3) there is a significant interaction between different instructional strategies (collaborative problem solving and problem-based learning) and cognitive styles (field-dependent and field-independent) on problem-solving abilities.