Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative: impact of type of clothing worn during anthropometric measurements and timing of the survey on weight and body mass index outcome measures in 6–9-year-old children

Background. The World Health Organization European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) conducted examinations in 6–9-year-old children from 16 countries in the first two rounds of data collection. Allowing participating countries to adhere to their local legal requirements or adapt to other circumstances required developing a flexible protocol for anthropometric procedures. Objectives. (1) Review intercountry variation in types of clothing worn by children during weight and height measurements, clothes weight adjustments applied, timing of the survey, and duration of data collection; (2) assess the impact of the observed variation in these practices on the children’s weight or body mass index (BMI) outcome measures. Results. The relative difference between countries’ unadjusted and clothes-adjusted prevalence estimates for overweight was 0.3–11.5%; this figure was 1.4–33.3% for BMI-for-age Z-score values. Monthly fluctuations in mean BMI-for-age Z-score values did not show a systematic seasonal effect. The majority of the monthly BMI-for-age Z-score values did not differ statistically within a country; only 1–3 monthly values were statistically different within some countries. Conclusions. The findings of the present study suggest that the built-in flexibility in the COSI protocol concerning the data collection practices addressed in the paper can be kept and thus do not necessitate a revision of the COSI protocol.
Dispositional Forgiveness as a Predictor of Psychological Resilience among Women: A Sign of Mental Health.

Mental health includes several components of living a healthy life such as one's ability to enjoy life and to cope with stresses. Forgiveness is also one path to mental health. Present study aimed to investigate the predictive relationship of dispositional forgiveness with psychological resilience and to explore the role of marital status in dispositional forgiveness and psychological resilience among women. 160 women aged between 21-40 participated in the study and provided data on Heartland Forgiveness Scale (Thompson et al., 2005) and The Brief Resilience Scale (Smith et. al., 2008). Results showed a significant positive impact on forgiveness and psychological resilience among women. Findings further revealed that marital status was the significant determinant of forgiveness and resilience among women. It was found that married women have significant effects on forgiveness and resilience. Study has the implication to enhance the mental health by learning forgiveness skills, because universal forgiveness exercises can help to find best strategies to deal with feeling of stress, hurt, pain, revenge, resentment and so on.
A Systematic Analysis of Automatic Speech Recognition: An Overview

Most high-flying and primary means of communication among humans is speech. Despite the researches and developments in the field of automatic speech recognition the accuracy of the said is still a research challenge. This paper reviews past work comparing modern speech recognition systems and humans to determine how far recent dramatic progress in technology has evolved towards the objective of human-like performance. An overview of sources of knowledge is introduced and the use of knowledge to create and verify hypotheses is discussed.
Investigation into Inter-alpha Trypsin Inhibitor Heavy Chain 4 (ITIH4) as a biomarker for prenatal screening of Down syndrome using maternal plasma samples

Background: Down Syndrome (DS) effects 3 per 1000 births and is a significant cause of fetal loss. Currently screening tests detect ~85% of affected pregnancies, with a 5% false-positive rate, whilst diagnosis requires invasive tests such as amniocentesis which is associated with a ~1% risk of miscarriage. More effective screening methods, or Non Invasive Prenatal Diagnosis (NIPD) methods, are required to reduce the need for invasive diagnostic tests. Aim: This study aims to investigate inter-alpha trypsin inhibitor heavy chain 4 (ITIH4) as a potential biomarker in DS pregnancies. Method: Samples include 8 non-pregnant controls and 7 pregnant women known to be carrying a DS fetus. 1D Western Blot analysis was carried out on all plasma samples, and 2D Western blot (2-DE) was subsequently carried out on samples of interest. Real-time PCR was undertaken to determine the sex of the fetuses. Results: 125kDa ITIH4 was identified in all samples using Western Blot analysis. ITIH4 is cleaved by kallikrein into a 35kDa fragment and a 100kDa fragment which is rapidly cleaved to yield a 70kDa fragment. Results for DS samples KC05 and KC06 suggested only the 35kDa fragment was present, whilst all other samples demonstrated the presence of the full 125kDa ITIH4 protein, as well as the presence of the 35kDa fragment in some cases. DS samples KC01 and KC05 underwent 2D Western blot. Results for KC05 again only presented the 35kDa fragment, whilst KC01 presented both the fragment and full ITIH4 protein in contrast to the previous 1D Western Blot which had only demonstrated the presence of the full ITIH4 protein. All DS fetal genders were successfully identified. Conclusion: ITIH4 was successfully identified using the 1D and 2D Western Blot, in all samples. Reasons for the presence of different fragment of ITIH4 in different plasma samples remain unclear and require further investigation. Further research needs to be undertaken to compare euploid samples with known trisomy samples on a larger scale to identify whether ITIH4 could be an effective biomarker in DS screening.
EXTRACTION WITH CONVOLUTIONAL AUTOENCODERS WITH APPLICATION TO VOICE CONVERSION

Feature extraction is a key step in many machine learning and signal processing applications. For speech signals in particular, it is important to derive features that contain both the vocal characteristics of the speaker and the content of the speech. In this paper, we introduce a convolutional auto-encoder (CAE) to extract features from speech represented via proposed short-time discrete cosine transform (STDCT). We then introduce a deep neural mapping at the encoding bottleneck to enable converting a source speaker’s speech to a target speaker’s speech while preserving the source-speech content. We further compare this approach to clustering-based and linear mappings.
The moments of the mass anomalies in the upper layers of the Earth

In this note we consider the lithospheric and asthenospheric mass distribution from a purely static point of view and ask which would be the great circle of the Earth’s surface corresponding to the maximum moment of inertia , MMI , or else the associated theoretical rotation axis. For the present-day distribution of mass at depth, we consider the most updated crustal and lithospheric models satisfying general geological and geophysical laws. In order to simulate isostatic conditions, we also test different density models of the outer 400 and 670 km of the Earth based on topography. For the numerous tested density distribution models we identify the theoretical rotation axis corresponding to the MMI and compare these axes to the present-day one. Numerical results considering only the lithospheric shell show theoretical rotation axes strongly inclined and hence a complete lack of equilibrium. In other terms, as well known, the lithosphere alone formally decoupled from the asthenosphere is not a realistic geodynamic model. Using conventional asthenospheric density values, the tested mass distribution models showing theoretical axes of rotation close to (but not coincident with) the present-day one are those obtained with a compensation depth of 400 km. Assuming the existence of a deep mantle mainstream inclined with respect to the present equator and the best fitting MMIs associated with the 400 km-thick shell, our results suggest the occurrence of a decoupling layer within the upper asthenosphere, which is only partially able to transmit the motion to the outer Earth's shell.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ANGULAR MOMENTUM OF BODY SEGMENT AND VELOCITY OF THE CLUBHEAD IN WOMEN’S DRIVER SHOT

This study investigated the relationship between angular momentum of body segments and maximum clubhead velocity during the downswing phase in women’s driver shots. Six female professional and eight female amateur golfers volunteered as subjects (age = 27.8 ± 15.1 yrs, 1.62 ± 0.05 m, 59.6 ± 7.6 kg). Motion was captured using a VICON motion capture system. Maximum clubhead velocity, angular velocity and angular momentum of the pelvis and thorax were calculated. Maximum clubhead velocity was 38.4 ± 1.9 m/s. Maximum angular momentum of pelvis and thorax about the Z-axis were 0.91 ± 0.16 kgm2/s and 1.48 ± 0.25 kgm2/s, respectively. There was a significant correlation between thorax angular momentum about the Z-axis and maximum clubhead velocity. In order to gain higher clubhead velocity it is important to generate larger thorax angular momentum about the Z-axis and transfer momentum to the clubhead.
Nonlinear and nonparametric modeling approaches for probabilistic forecasting of the US gross national product

Abstract Numerous time series models are available for forecasting economic output. Autoregressive models were initially applied to US gross national product (GNP), and have been extended to nonlinear structures, such as the self-exciting threshold autoregressive (SETAR) and Markov-switching autoregressive (MS-AR) models. We show that while these nonlinear models fit the in-sample data better than linear models, the out-of-sample forecast performance of extremely simple methods, such as the unconditional mean is competitive compared with both previously published linear and nonlinear models for GNP time series. Motivated by Occam′s razor and the forecasting competitiveness of the unconditional mean, we seek parsimonious models which are based on simple assumptions, incorporate few parameters, and can generate accurate forecasts. We propose nonlinear and nonparametric models based on nearest neighbor and kernel regression by forming a state-space of time delayed GNP observations. The rationale of the proposed methodology lies in identification of local regions of state-space known as nearest neighbor sub-spaces, whereby we utilize future trajectories of the neighboring states and weight them using a double kernel estimator to generate density forecasts. The models proposed in this work incorporate only one or two parameters, and the model estimation framework relies on optimizing the performance of in-sample density forecasts. The proposed modeling approach does not require prior assumptions regarding the form of the error distribution, and can provide transition between regimes of growth and contraction. We compare the forecasts from proposed models with classical time series models for GNP and a range of benchmarks, and validate our results on two post-war GNP time series using different performance scores, such as the root mean squared error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and the continuous ranked probability score (CRPS). We find that proposed models consistently outperformed previously published models for point and density forecasts of GNP at varying horizons.
Selection of the Appropriate Methodology for Earthquake Safety Assessment of Dam Structures

Important lessons which reflect the seismic performance of dams under large earthquakes are available in the literature, (1971, San Fernando earthquake; 1985, Mexico earthquake; 1999, Kocaeli earthquake; 2001, Bhuj earthquake; 2008, Wenchuan earthquake). Seismic behavior of dams subjected to these severe earthquakes shows that earthquake safety of dams is an important phenomenon in dam engineering and requires a more comprehensive seismic studies.
Antimicrobial and Physicochemical Evaluation of Luffa acutangular Leaf Extracts

Leaves of Luffa acutangular are consumed in some parts of Nigeria as part of folk medicine for the treatment of diseases and as a vegetable food source. This study was undertaken to evaluate the phytochemical constituents from ethanol extracts, antimicrobial resistance, proximate and mineral analysis of its leaf extracts. The phytochemical investigation revealed the presence of alkaloids, phenols, saponins, tannins, terpenoids, and triterpenoids. The elemental analysis of the dried leaf revealed the presence of Calcium (58.6 mg/g), Copper (0.6 mg/g), Magnesium (12.4 mg/g), Manganese (0.9 mg/g), Zinc (0.6 mg/g), Sodium (14.4 mg/g) and Potassium (143.6 mg/g) respectively. The samples were screened against Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus pneumonia, Streptococcus pyrogens, Klebsciella pneumonia, Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis for their anti-microbial activity using Ciprofloxacin, Streptomycin and Fluconazole as control. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) values were determined. Proximate analysis revealed moisture content of 10.6%, ash 6.3%, crude protein 2.6%, crude fiber 4.0%, fat 5.1% and carbohydrate content of 71.4%. The study showed that the leaf extract of L. acutangular may be used to manage some common diseases caused by the tested organisms. The major antimicrobial activity is tailored to the phyto-constituents. This confirms the folkloric use of the plants in the management of various diseases.
Sobolev type inequalities for general symmetric forms

A general version of the Sobolev type inequality, including both the classical Sobolev inequality and the logarithmic Sobolev one, is studied for general symmetric forms by using isoperimetric constants. Some necessary and sufficient conditions are presented as results. The main results are illustrated by two examples of birth-death processes.
A REAL-TIME VIRTUAL SCULPTING APPLICATION WITH A HAPTIC DEVICE

In this paper, a 3D virtual sculpting application is developed for 3D virtual models with removing or adding materials by using Boolean operations. Virtual sculpting simulation reads 3D virtual models in a variety of file formats such as raw and stl consisting of a triangle poligon mesh and voxelizes its outer surface and interiror volume to generate its volumetric dataset. We used octree and hashing techniques to reduce the memory requirement needed for volumetric dataset. The surface is locally reconstructed using Marching Cubes algorithm known as the most popular isosurface extraction algorithm after removing or adding material to the 3D virtual model. The user interacts with the model by using a haptic device to give the force-feedback like real-life sculpting.
CDC20 regulates cardiac hypertrophy via targeting LC3-dependent autophagy

Rationale: Sustained cardiac hypertrophy often leads to heart failure (HF). Understanding the regulation of cardiomyocyte growth is crucial for the treatment of adverse ventricular remodeling and HF. Cell division cycle 20 (CDC20) is an anaphase-promoting complex activator that is essential for cell division and tumorigenesis, but the role of CDC20 in cardiac hypertrophy is unknown. We aimed to test whether CDC20 participates in the regulation of pathological cardiac hypertrophy and investigate the underlying mechanism in vitro and in vivo. Methods: Male C57BL/6 mice were administered a recombinant adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (rAAV9) vector expressing CDC20 or a siRNA targeting CDC20 and their respective controls by tail intravenous injection. Results: Microarray analysis showed that CDC20 was significantly upregulated in the heart after angiotensin II infusion. Knockdown of CDC20 in cardiomyocytes and in the heart reduced cardiac hypertrophy upon agonist stimulation or transverse aortic constriction (TAC). Conversely, enforced expression of CDC20 in cardiomyocytes and in the heart aggravated the hypertrophic response. Furthermore, we found that CDC20 directly targeted LC3, a key regulator of autophagy, and promoted LC3 ubiquitination and degradation by the proteasome, which inhibited autophagy leading to hypertrophy. Moreover, knockdown of LC3 or inhibition of autophagy attenuated Ang II-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy after deletion of CDC20 in vitro. Conclusions: Our study reveals a novel cardiac hypertrophy regulatory mechanism that involves CDC20, LC3 and autophagy, and suggests that CDC20 could be a new therapeutic target for patients with hypertrophic heart diseases.
Creating Spatial-Interactive Service Experiences: A Framework for Designing Interactive Service Spaces

Inspired by the emergence of interactive space design and service design, this paper explores the concept of interactive service space and proposes a framework for designing interactive service space experiences. The framework has been applied in two design projects of successful commercial setting, mojo iCuisine interactive restaurant and Yun-Ching Real Estate VIP Center, as validation of its feasibility and applicability. We believe that this framework is beneficial for designers who have interests in creating service experience with interactive space approach, and for further studies regarding the concept of interactive service space.
Contrasting genetic population structures between congeneric flounder species, Hippoglossoides dubius and H. pinetorum

The Sea of Japan is a semi-closed marginal sea where genetic break and/or speciation have been reported for some deep-sea taxa. Population structure was compared between the congeneric deep-sea flounder species Hippoglossoides dubius and H. pinetorum inhabiting the Sea of Japan and neighboring seas. Based on nucleotide sequences of mitochondrial control regions, the H. dubius population was concluded to be genetically homogeneous, while 2 genetically distinct groups were recognized among H. pinetorum. Although the rare group of H. pinetorum populates the Sea of Japan, the Yellow Sea, the Okhotsk Sea, and the northwestern Pacific, frequency was the highest in the Sea of Japan. The unique phylogeographic pattern of H. pinetorum may be attributable to secondary contact with the Sea of Japan lineage, which was isolated from other sea areas during the last glacial period. A difference in bathymetrical distribution between the two species might explain their contrasting genetic population structures.
The “creative class” in the uk: an initial analysis

Abstract. Richard Florida argues that regional economic outcomes are tied to the underlying conditions that facilitate creativity and diversity. Thus the Creative Class thesis suggests that the ability to attract creativity and to be open to diverse groups of people of different ethnic, racial and lifestyle groups provides distinct advantages to regions in generating innovations, growing and attracting high‐technology industries, and spurring economic growth. In this paper we investigate the extent to which there might be similar processes concerning the relationship between creativity, human capital, and high‐technology industries at work in the UK as in North America. The approach taken is broadly sympathetic to the Creative Class thesis; critical perspectives and reservations from the literature are introduced as appropriate research is focused around the three principal research questions: Where is the creative class located in the UK? What is the impact of quality of place upon this dispersion? What is the connection between the location of the creative class and inequalities in technical and economic outcomes within the UK? To this end, the creative class and its subgroups are defined and identified. We then construct quality of place indicators relating to tolerance, diversity, creativity and cultural opportunity. To these are added measures of public provision and social cohesion. Data are analysed by means of correlations and regression. In general we find that, although the distribution of the creative class is uneven and complex, our results are consistent with the findings of the North American research with the notable exception of technology‐based employment growth. Finally, priorities for further research are discussed. The need to further investigate causality, variations within the creative class itself, and the potential role of qualitative data in this are highlighted, as is the potential fate of “non‐creative” workers and places.
A converse of the Jordan-Brouwer separation theorem in three dimensions

That the closed (n-1)-manifold immersed in euclidean space, En, of n dimensions (n>2), separates En into just two domains of which it is the common boundary, was shown by Brouwer in 1912.t That the points of the manifold are accessible from each of its complementary domains Brouwer proved in an accompanying paper,: and in the latter connection he gave an example to show that a bounded and closed point set which separates En into just two domains and every point of which is accessible from each of these domains, is not necessarily homeomorphic with a closed manifold. The above results of Brouwer, in so far as the connectivity of the set residual to the manifold in En is concerned, received considerable extension at the hands of J. W. Alexander, who not only demonstrated, using modulo 2 Betti numbers, that the residual set is just two connected domains, but that a certain duality exists between the connectivity numbers of the set and those of its complement. If we denote the ith connectivity number of a set F by Ri(F), then, for the particular case where Ci is a set in En homeomorphic with an i-sphere, Alexander showed that
Evidence for the influence of the North Atlantic Oscillation on the total ozone column at northern low latitudes and midlatitudes during winter and summer seasons

[1] The strong influence of the winter North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) on the total ozone column (TOC) in the Northern Hemisphere has been reported in a number of previous studies. In this study we show that this influence is not restricted to the winter season but is also significant in summer. Especially interesting effects of the summer NAO (SNAO) on the TOC are observed over the eastern Mediterranean region, where a strongly positive SNAO index is related to the creation of a geopotential height-negative anomaly over Greece with maximum amplitude at 200 hPa. Another anomaly was observed west of the Iberian Peninsula with similar effects on the TOC. Analyzing 26 years of Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) and Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) data from the equator to midlatitudes (60°) in the Northern Hemisphere, we demonstrate that the SNAO accounts for up to 30% of the TOC variability with a strong latitudinal and longitudinal dependence. Additionally, we obtain significant correlations between the NAO index and the thermal tropopause pressure and also with the geopotential heights at 200 and 500 hPa. Finally, some indirect connections between NAO and the TOC through teleconnections are also discussed.