Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Validity and reliability of the Fels physical activity questionnaire for children.

PURPOSE The aim was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Fels physical activity questionnaire (PAQ) for children 7-19 yr of age. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted among 130 girls and 99 boys in elementary (N=70), middle (N=81), and high (N=78) schools in rural Maryland. Weight and height were measured on the initial school visit. All the children then wore an Actiwatch accelerometer for 6 d. The Fels PAQ for children was given on two separate occasions to evaluate reliability and was compared with accelerometry data to evaluate validity. RESULTS The reliability of the Fels PAQ for the girls, boys, and the elementary, middle, and high school age groups range was r=0.48-0.76. For the elementary school children, the correlation coefficient examining validity between the Fels PAQ total score and Actiwatch (counts per minute) was 0.34 (P=0.004). The correlation coefficients were lower in middle school (r=0.11, P=0.31) and high school (r=0.21, P=0.006) adolescents. The sport index of the Fels PAQ for children had the highest validity in the high school participants (r=0.34, P=0.002). CONCLUSION The Fels PAQ for children is moderately reliable for all age groups of children. Validity of the Fels PAQ for children is acceptable for elementary and high school students when the total activity score or the sport index is used. The sport index was similar to the total score for elementary students but was a better measure of physical activity among high school students.
Electromyographic shoulder activity in men and women professional golfers

Men and women both enjoy the game of golf. Special considerations are made for women, such as the courses on the professional tours. Thus, one can ask what differences might exist between men and women golfers. This study compares the electromyographic firing patterns of normal shoulder musculature in men and women professional golfers. Eight shoulder mus cles (pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi, supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subscapularis, anterior, middle and pos terior deltoids) were studied using indwelling electro myography. A visual analysis revealed that women tended to have slightly more activity during the takeaway and forward swing phases, and the men tended to have more activ ity during acceleration and follow-through. However, an independent two-tailed t-test (P = 0.05) showed these differences not to be statistically significant. This finding is in keeping with injury incidence data from the LPGA Tour, PGA Tour, and Senior PGA Tour, which showed that all three tours have a similar inci dence of shoulder injuries. This study does not compare the relative strength of men and women, however.
Native tissue imaging at superharmonic frequencies

The second harmonic imaging mode has been adapted to image tissue and shown considerable improvements in image quality in several applications compared to the fundamental mode. The improvements were attributed to the effects of wave distortion due to nonlinear propagation in tissue. However, imaging tissue at the second harmonic frequency only has various drawbacks. Because the energy in the second harmonic frequency band is much lower than that in the fundamental frequency band, there must be excellent sensitivity and dynamic range in the receiving system to achieve an acceptable amount of signal-to-noise ratio. To increase the sensitivity, the spectral overlap between the fundamental and the second harmonic has to be diminished, which in return deteriorates the imaging resolution. Consequently, a trade-off is mandatory between resolution and sensitivity. Using simulations and measurements, we show that, at appropriate scanning acoustic settings, higher harmonics are generated in tissue. The higher harmonics represent additional, relevant information for tissue imaging and characterization. An elegant way to take advantage of the higher harmonics and to bring all the information together is to combine and incorporate all the multiple higher harmonics into a single component that we call the superharmonic component. Using a newly developed array transducer having a wide frequency band, B-mode images of a phantom were made in the superharmonic mode transmitting at 1.2 MHz. These images have exceptionally improved clarity and yield a dramatically cleaner and sharper contrast between the different structures being imaged. In addition to increased signal-to-noise ratio, superharmonic imaging shows better contrast and axial resolution as well as acceptable penetration depth.
The importance of the using software tools for learning modern cryptography

Becauseof the wide application of cryptographicmechanisms in private and business environments, a cryptographycourseat many universities has the great importance today. An undergraduate cryptography course is mathematicallydemanding, and it is quite difficult for students with poor background to follow the course syllabus. This paper presentsthe use of interactive software in demonstrating basic cryptology principles in modern cryptography. The teachingmethodology applied fosters students experimental work and engages students in discussions to resolve problems. Thedata are taken in three consecutive school years (around 150 participants), when we used to apply ordinary teachingpractices, and when we switched to the interactive teaching approach. The assessment method was the attendance ofstudents in the classroom, which has increased significantly during the semester. At the grade level of the student we noticedbetter grade distribution, with higher average grade.
New DC rail side soft-switching PWM DC-DC converter with voltage doubler rectifier for PV generation interface

This paper presents a new circuit topology of active edge resonant snubbers assisted half-bridge soft switching PWM inverter type high power dc-dc converter for photovoltaic applications. The proposed step-up DC/DC converters with transformer isolation can obtain high voltage step-up trough turns ratio. The proposed dc-dc power converter is composed of typical voltage source-fed half-bridge high frequency PWM inverter with a high frequency transformer link in addition to input DC busline side power semiconductor switching devices for PWM control scheme and parallel capacitive lossless snubbers. The operating principle of the new DC-DC converter treated here is described by using switching mode equivalent circuits, together with its unique features. All the active power switches in the half-bridge arms and input DC buslines can achieve ZCS turn-on and ZVS turn-off commutation transitions. The total turn-off switching losses of the power switches can be significantly reduced. As a result, a high switching frequency IGBTs can be actually selected in the frequency range of 60 kHz under principle of soft switching.
Treatment of patella alta with taping, exercise, mobilization, and functional activity modification: A case report

Knee pain associated with patella alta (PA) can limit involvement in sport or work activities and prevent an individual from performing basic functional tasks. This case report describes the use of patellar taping to treat an individual with PA. The patient was a 56 year-old female with bilateral knee pain associated with PA. The focus of treatment was to decrease pain during functional activities by using tape to correct patella alignment. The patient was also instructed on specific exercises and mobilizations. The primary outcome measure was the ADL subscale of the Knee Outcome Survey (ADL-KOS). Initially, the patient scored a 50 on the ADL-KOS and rated her function at 30% of normal. She demonstrated symptom improvement when tape was applied appropriately and was, therefore, instructed in tape application. At discharge, the patient scored a 56 on the ADL-KOS and rated her function at 70% of normal. This case demonstrates the effective use of a taping method for the treatment of pain associated with PA. Taping appears to be a safe, conservative, and cost-efficient measure to manage symptoms and to improve activity tolerance in this patient.
Lower Bounds for Approximating the Matching Polytope

We prove that any extended formulation that approximates the matching polytope on $n$-vertex graphs up to a factor of $(1+\varepsilon)$ for any $\frac2n \le \varepsilon \le 1$ must have at least $\binom{n}{{\alpha}/{\varepsilon}}$ defining inequalities where $0<\alpha<1$ is an absolute constant. This is tight as exhibited by the $(1+\varepsilon)$ approximating linear program obtained by dropping the odd set constraints of size larger than $({1+\varepsilon})/{\varepsilon}$ from the description of the matching polytope. Previously, a tight lower bound of $2^{\Omega(n)}$ was only known for $\varepsilon = O\left(\frac{1}{n}\right)$ [Rothvoss, STOC '14; Braun and Pokutta, IEEE Trans. Information Theory '15] whereas for $\frac2n \le \varepsilon \le 1$, the best lower bound was $2^{\Omega\left({1}/{\varepsilon}\right)}$ [Rothvoss, STOC '14]. The key new ingredient in our proof is a close connection to the non-negative rank of a lopsided version of the unique disjointness matrix.
Quality-of-service-aware fiber wireless sensor network gateway design for the smart grid

Smart grid aims to enhance the efficiency, security and the reliability of electricity generation, delivery and consumption. Smart grid benefits from a variety of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for the betterment of the power grid. Two-way communications between the customers and the utility, advanced monitoring tools and intelligent control mechanisms are the key components to realize the new services of the smart grid. Particularly, energy monitoring tools at the customer premises as well as event and ambient monitoring tools at the substations, power lines and vaults play a significant role in managing and protecting the smart grid. Wireless sensor network (WSN) technology is a promising monitoring tool for residential premises and the smart grid assets. However, the large volume of data collected by billions of sensors requires a robust communication infrastructure to deliver data from the field to the operators in a timely manner. In this paper, we adopt the Fiber-WSN architecture to support both WSN data and Fiber To The Home/Building/Curb (FTTX) traffic. We design a Fi-WSN gateway that allows data prioritization, maintains the Quality of Service (QoS) of FTTX users and delivers WSN data in a reliable manner. Data prioritization is fundamental for design considerations since ambient data have lower priority than an alarm generated at a smart grid asset. Our gateway employs a burst assembly mechanism that allows differentiation between high and low priority packets in the Fiber-WSN architecture. We show that the proposed gateway design attains low delay for high priority packets while maintaining the delay of FTTX traffic and the reliability of the WSN at desired levels.
Performance Evaluation of Equity Mutual Funds

A mutual fund is the ideal investment vehicle for today's complex and modern financial scenario. Markets for equity shares, bonds and other fixed income instruments, real estate, derivatives and other assets have become mature and information driven. Small investors face a lot of problems in the share market due to lack of professional advice and lack of information. Mutual funds have come as a much needed help to these investors. Mutual funds which have been operating for greater than five years and performing during the period of study (i.e. 2003 – 2007) are selected for the present research. The sample for the study consists of 102 equity mutual funds comprising 56 equity diversified funds, 21equity index funds, 18 equity tax savings funds, seven equity technology funds. The performance of selected funds is evaluated using average rate of return of fund, standard deviation, Risk/Return, Sharpe Ratio, Treynor ratio and Jensen ratio. Benchmark comparison is also made as it indicates to what extent the fund managers were able to produce better performance of managed portfolio compared to the market or index portfolios.
Bandpass microwave photonic filter based on cascaded injected semiconductor lasers

A cascaded optically injected semiconductor laser based bandpass microwave photonic filter (MPF) is proposed and then demonstrated by a proof-of-concept experiment in this paper. Combining the two gain spectra of the slave laser, the performance of the MPF is enhanced. The frequency response under different injection parameters are investigated. The tuning range of the passband central frequency is from 11.1 GHz to 38.6 GHz.
Which Sources of Child Health Advice Do Parents Follow?

Background: Parents consult other child health information sources in addition to the pediatrician. There are little data describing which of these sources parents are likely to follow. Methods: The authors surveyed 543 parents of patients in 6 pediatric practices in southeast Michigan shortly after an office visit to determine the degree to which parents report following advice from 7 common child health sources on a scale from 1 (don’t follow at all) to 7 (follow completely). Results: Pediatrician advice was more completely followed than other sources with mothers a distant second. Although 96% of parents used the Internet to find child health information, few followed most of the advice found there. White parents were 3 times more likely than African Americans to follow advice from television and newspapers. Conclusion: Parents rely on child health advice from the pediatrician and their mother. Other sources are consulted but not widely followed.
The Effect of Exchange Rates on the International Trade in Turkey

This study analyzes the impact of exchange rates on Turkey's international trade pattern. Cointegration and vector error correction model (VECM) procedures are applied on monthly data set covering the period 2003:01-2012:08. One of the main finding of the paper is that exchange rates, exports and imports are cointegrated and, thus, cannot drift too far apart in Turkey. Furthermore, the VECM analysis shows that long run causality runs from exports and imports to exchange rates, and vice versa.
Measurement and Control of Dissolved Carbon Dioxide in Mammalian Cell Culture Processes Using an in Situ Fiber Optic Chemical Sensor

At high viable cell concentrations in large‐scale mammalian cell culture processes, the accumulation of dissolved carbon dioxide (dCO2, typically quantified as an equilibrium gas‐phase concentration) becomes problematic as a result of low CO2 removal rates at reduced surface‐to‐volume ratios. High dCO2 concentrations have previously been shown to inhibit cell growth and product formation in mammalian cells and to alter the glycosylation pattern of recombinant proteins. Therefore, reliable monitoring and control of dCO2 are important for successful large‐scale operation. Off‐line measurements by instruments such as blood gas analyzers (BGA) are constrained by the low frequency of data collection and cannot be used for on‐line control. In a preliminary evaluation of the YSI 8500 in situ sensor, a response time (t90%) of 6 min, sensitivity of 0.5% CO2 (3.6 mmHg), and linearity of measurement (R2 = 0.9997) between the equivalent gas‐phase partial pressure of 0−180 mmHg (0% and 25% CO2) were established. Measurements were found to be unaffected by culture pH and typical mammalian cell culture concentrations of glucose, glutamine, glutamate, lactate, and ammonium. The sensor withstood repeated sterilization and cleaning cycles. The reliability of this sensor was demonstrated in microcarrier‐based Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell perfusion cultures at reactor scales of 30, 40, 340, and 2000 L and was successfully implemented in a dCO2 control strategy using N2 sparging.
[6]‐Shogaol, a Novel Chemopreventor in 7,12‐Dimethylbenz[a]anthracene‐induced Hamster Buccal Pouch Carcinogenesis

Oral cancer is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. Despite advances in chemotherapy for the cancer management, the survival rate has not yet been improved. Dietary nutrient has been receiving a lot of attention and interest in the chemotherapeutic development. [6]‐Shogaol is a major bioactive compound identified in ginger that possesses many pharmacological properties. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of [6]‐shogaol on 7,12‐dimethylbenz[a]anthracene‐induced hamster buccal pouch (HBP) carcinogenesis. Oral squamous cell carcinoma induced in HBP by painting with 0.5% 7,12‐dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA), thrice in a week for 16 weeks. We observed 100% tumour incidence, decreased levels of lipid peroxidation, antioxidant, and phase II detoxification enzymes (GST, GR and GSH) in DMBA‐induced hamsters. Further, enhanced activity of phase I enzymes (cytochrome p450 and b5) and over‐expression of mutant p53, Bcl‐2 and decreased expression of wild type p53 and Bax were noticed in DMBA‐induced hamsters. Our results indicated that [6]‐shogaol (10, 20 and 40 mg/kg body weight) treated with DMBA‐painted hamsters, considerably reversed tumour incidence, improved antioxidant status, phase II detoxification enzymes, and also inhibit lipid peroxidation and phase I enzymes. Moreover, [6]‐shogaol inhibits mutant p53 and Bcl‐2 expression and significantly restored normal p53, Bax levels. Thus, we concluded that [6]‐shogaol prevents DMBA‐induced HBP carcinogenesis through its antioxidant as well as modulating apoptotic signals. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
ITACA: Flexible, scalable network analysis

Real-time analysis is vital to network security and management. Solutions are required that are scalable to modern network speeds while remaining flexible to ensure the latest analysis techniques can be implemented. This paper presents the Internet Traffic And Content Analyser (ITACA), an extendable general analysis tool that enables the implementation of plugins to perform specific tasks. Designed with a modular architecture akin to hardware, it is shown, with experiments on real network traffic, to outperform Bro and Snort IDSs in terms of throughput and scalability while offering increased flexibility for real-time analysis.
Assessing the Effects of Sound Financial Statement Preparation on the Growth of Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises

The objective of this study is to assess the contribution of sound financial statements preparation to the growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and identify the challenges SMEs face in preparing their financial statements. The study employed descriptive survey design and targeted SMEs operating in Ho Municipality of Ghana. A sample of 200 respondents was selected purposively for review. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and the results presented using tables and figures. The study result revealed that many SMEs maintained sales day book using single entry bookkeeping. Most SMEs prepare financial statements with the help of full-time accounts officers. Majority of SMEs highlighted high cost involved maintaining and preparing financial statements as a challenge in preparing financial statements. The study findings also show that there is a significant relationship between sound financial statement preparation and SMEs growth. Sound accounting bookkeeping leading to sound preparation of financial statements serves as leverage to SMEs in monitoring, analyzing their business for financial performance evaluation and accessing credits from financial institutions which translates into their growth ultimately. Keywords: Financial Statement, SMEs, Growth, Ho Municipality, Ghana
Exploring the borderlands of autistic disorder and specific language impairment: a study using standardised diagnostic instruments.

BACKGROUND Two studies were conducted to test claims that pragmatic language impairment (PLI - previously referred to as semantic-pragmatic disorder) is simply another term for autistic disorder or pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDDNOS). METHOD In Study 1, 21 children aged from 6 to 9 years with language impairments were subdivided on the basis of the Children's Communication Checklist into 13 cases of pragmatic language impairment (PLI) and eight cases of typical specific language impairment (SLI-T). Parents completed the Autism Diagnostic Interview - Revised (ADI-R) and the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ), and the children were given the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule - Generic (ADOS-G). In Study 2, a further 11 children with SLI-T and 18 with PLI were assessed using the SCQ and ADOS-G. In addition, six children diagnosed with high-functioning autism and 18 normally developing children were assessed. RESULTS There was good agreement between ADI-R and SCQ diagnoses, but poor agreement between diagnoses based on these parental report measures and those based on ADOS-G. In many children, symptom profiles changed with age. Four PLI children from Study 1 and one from Study 2 met criteria for autistic disorder on both parental report (ADI-R or SCQ) and ADOS-G. Many of the others showed some autistic features, but there was a subset of children with pragmatic difficulties who were not diagnosed as having autism or PDDNOS by either instrument. These children tended to use stereotyped language with abnormal intonation/prosody, but they appeared sociable and communicative, had normal nonverbal communication, and showed few abnormalities outside the language/social communication domains. CONCLUSIONS Presence of pragmatic difficulties in a child with communication problems should prompt the clinician to evaluate autistic symptomatology, but it is dangerous to assume that all children with pragmatic difficulties have autism or PDDNOS.
Role of reactive oxygen species generated by NADPH oxidase in the mechanism of activation of K+-Cl--cotransport by N-ethylmaleimide in HepG2 human hepatoma cells

K+-Cl--cotransport (KCC) is ubiquitously present in all cells, and plays an essential role in ion and volume regulation. In this study we investigated the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in regulation of KCC in HepG2 human hepatoblastoma cells. N-ethylmaleimide (NEM), a KCC activator, induced Cl--dependent K+ efflux, which was markedly prevented by KCC inhibitors (calyculin-A, genistein and BaCl2), indicating that KCC is activated by NEM in the HepG2 cells. Treatment with NEM also induced a sustained increase in the level of intracellular ROS assessed by 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescein flourescence. Antioxidants, N-acetyl cysteine or N,N′-diphenyl-p-phenylenediamine significantly inhibited both ROS generation and KCC activation induced by NEM. The NEM-induced ROS production was significantly suppressed by inhibitors of NADPH oxidase (diphenylene iodonium, apocynin and neopterine). These inhibitors also significantly inhibited the NEM-induced KCC activation. Taken together, these results suggest that ROS generated by NADPH oxidase may mediate the NEM-induced activation of KCC in human hepatoma cells.
High-Performance Robust Latches

First, a new high-performance robust latch (referred to as HiPeR latch) is presented that is insensitive to transient faults affecting its internal and output nodes by design, independently of the size of its transistors. Then, a modified version of the HiPeR latch (referred as HiPeR-CG) is proposed that is suitable to be used together with clock gating. Both proposed latches are faster than the latches most recently presented in the literature, while providing better or comparable robustness to transient faults, at comparable or lower costs in terms of area and power, respectively. Therefore, thanks to the good trade-offs in terms of performance, robustness, and cost, our proposed latches are particularly suitable to be adopted on critical paths.