Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Measurement of Results of Functional Reach Test with Sensors: A Systematic Review

The test of physical conditions is important to treat and presents several diseases related to the movement. These diseases are mainly related to the physiotherapy and orthopedy, but it can be applied in a wide range of medical specialties. The Functional Reach Test is one of the most common physical tests used to measure the limit of stability that is highly important for older adults because their stability is reduced with aging. Thus, older adults are part of the population more exposed to stroke. This test may help in the measurement of the conditions related to post-stroke and stroke treatment. The movements related to this test may be recorded and recognized with the inertial sensors available in off-the-shelf mobile devices. This systematic review aims to determine how to determine the conditions related to this test, which can be detected, and which of the sensors are used for this purpose. The main contribution of this paper is to present the research on the state-of-the-art use of sensors available on off-the-shelf mobile devices to measure Functional Reach Test results. This research shows that the sensors that are used in the literature studies are inertial sensors and force sensors. The features extracted from the different studies are categorized as dynamic balance, quantitative, and raw statistics. These features are mainly used to recognize the different parameters of the test, and several accidents, including falling. The execution of this test may allow the early detection of different diseases.
Smallholder farmers’ adaptation strategies for the management of fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) in rural Ghana

Abstract This study examined smallholder farmers' adaptation strategies in managing fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) in rural Ghana. Using mixed methods, 378 smallholder farmers were randomly selected and surveyed, while 41 key informants were interviewed. The majority of smallholder farmers (83.1%) had experienced fall armyworm invasion with widespread and rapid invasion particularly in maize, which often led to a considerable reduction in crop yields. Pesticides (88%) and washing detergent solution (44%) applications were the common pest management practices. Male farmers were more positive in applying pesticides than female farmers. Integrated pest management practices and education among farmer should be improved.
Enlightenment From Ancient Wisdom And Experience Of Urban Canal System Against Urban Waterlogging

This paper researches on the causes of the urban waterlogging after rainstorm, and studying on wisdom and experiences of urban canal system against urban waterlogging in ancient China. It is shown that urban canal system was of organic and multi-functions, being titaled as “the blood circulation of city” and that rivers were as the trunk drainage canals, with great density and section for flood passing, tremendous storage capacity, and perfect management. The Forbidden City and Ganzhou are two examples. Enlightenment from ancient wisdom and experiences will help us to solve urban waterlogging problems.
The more the better? Rule growth and policy impact from a macro perspective

Do more rules improve overall policy performance? To answer this question, we look at rule growth in the area of environmental policy from an aggregate perspective. We argue that impactful growth in rules crucially depends on implementation capacities. If such capacities are limited, countries are at risk of ‘empty’ rule growth where they lack the ability to implement their ever-growing stock of policies. Hence, rules are a necessary, yet not sufﬁcient condition for achieving sectoral policy objectives. We underpin our argument with an analysis of the impact of a new, encompassing measure of environmental rule growth covering 13 countries from 1980 to 2010. These ﬁndings call for ‘sustainable statehood’ where the growth in rules should not outpace the expansion in administrative capacities.
Empirical Constructing of the Managerial Talent Category in Education

The article addresses the issue of modern management of educational institutions. The subject of empirical research was the category of managerial talent in education. Effort is made to present the indicated subject matter in a multidimensional and holistic manner, combining the category and advantages of quantitative research methodology, psychometric measurement, and qualitative research methods. The study group consisted of teachers and head teachers at Polish state schools (primary schools, junior high schools, upper-secondary schools). The head teachers were given in-depth individual interviews (IDIs) and psychological tests, and teachers responded to an Internet survey (CAWI). The main objective of the empirical research was to construct a category described as managerial talent in education. On the basis of the research, the characteristic components of this category were distinguished. Special emphasis was also placed on the pragmatic dimension of the studied phenomenon, the results obtained and conclusions drawn – for this reason the paper includes numerous reflections and practical implications concerning everyday educational life and modern education management
Decision confidence: EEG correlates of confidence in different phases of a decision task

Decision making is an essential part of daily life, in which balancing reasons and calculating risks to reach a certain confidence are important to make reasonable choices. To investigate the EEG correlates of confidence during decision making a study involving a forced choice recognition memory task was implemented. Subjects were asked to distinguish old from new pictures and rate their decision with either high or low confidence. Event-related potential (ERP) analysis was performed in four different phases covering all stages of decision making, including the information encoding, retrieval, decision formation, and feedback processing during the recognition task. Additionally, a single trial support-vector machine (SVM) classification was performed on the ERPs of each phase to get a measure of differentiability of the two levels of confidence on a single subject level. It could be shown that the level of decision confidence is significantly reflected in all stages of decision making but most prominently during feedback presentation. The main differences between high and low confidence can be found in the ERPs during feedback presentation after a correct answer, whereas almost no differences can be found in ERPs from feedback to wrong answers. In the feedback phase the two levels of confidence can be separated with a classification accuracy of up to 70 % on average over all subjects, therefore showing potential as a control state in a brain-computer Interface (BCI) application.
Conducting Qualitative Research in the Environment of People with Intellectual Disabilities: An Analysis of Adopting the Interpretative Paradigm and the Usefulness of the Grounded Theory Methodology

The article concerns the methodological and theoretical aspects of research carried out in the environment of intellectually disabled people. The issues of intellectual disability pose a challenge for researchers; individuals with an intellectual disability constitute a specific group, the research of which requires an interpretative approach, that is, open and flexible research methods. Therefore, the main stress in the article is on proving the usefulness of the interpretative perspective, along with the advantages of adopting the grounded theory methodology to research this category of people. These approaches make it possible to adjust the research strategy to the characteristics of the explored research area. They allow for in-depth analysis of empirical data and thus create conditions for an accurate depiction of the researched environment. Making reference to research on the environment of intellectually disabled people, the usefulness of grounded theory methodology procedures was assessed in a broader context of research conducted in the interpretative paradigm.
Consumers on Critique: A Survey of Classical Music Listeners’ Engagement with Professional Music Reviews

Music criticism has a long tradition as a leading agent in the classical music discourse. However, some people question its function in the contemporary music market. We explored the topicality of classical music critique by asking: Who reads professional reviews today? And what do readers expect from review? Through an online survey (English/German), we profiled the listening habits of classical music listeners (N = 1200) and their engagement with professional reviews. Our participants were more actively engaged with music, but contrary to the ‘highbrow’ stereotype, not more highly musically trained than the general population. They consumed music and opinion sources in a variety of ways. Approximately two-thirds (n = 741) of the participants had recently engaged with professional reviews, which were perceived as the most useful form of opinion, followed by short written commentaries and, lastly, ratings. A multiple logistic regression model suggested that the typical consumer of professional music critique was older with higher levels of musical engagement and education, had a higher inclination to purchase music and lower usage of streaming services, and had a preference for detailed reviews from traditional sources (e.g. newspapers). According to review readers, reviews should cover a variety of topics and offer evaluations underpinned with reasons. Reviewers should be constructive, open-minded, respectful, and well informed; their professional background was less relevant. Professional reviews should not necessarily provide a recommendation on what to buy, but rather guide listeners’ musical appreciation and understanding. Professional criticism still has an audience, although more so among older, musically educated listeners. Critics need to explore various channels in order to connect to a new generation of classical music listeners.
THE COMPETENCIES OF SCIENCE TEACHER: A DELPHI STUDY

In this study, the authors aim to identify the competencies of science teachers based on the opinions of experts in the field. The Delphi technique was used to attain consensus among experts on science education through 3 rounds with 13 experts from 13 different universities. In the first round of the Delphi technique, open-ended questions sent to the expert group, which were created after a detailed literature review about teacher competencies. Descriptive analysis was applied for the qualitative data obtained at the end of first round. As a result of the analysis, a 5-point Likert-type questionnaire consisting of 172 items in 10 categories was prepared. The questionnaire was sent to the experts in the second round. The experts indicated their participation levels for each item. The data obtained at second round were analyzed by quantitative methods. In the third round, the results of the analysis from the second round were sent to the experts and they were asked to re-evaluate their responses in the previous round by considering other experts’ opinions. By the conclusion of the third round, 161 items referring to competencies of science teachers were identified and categorized into competencies for the science curriculum, competencies to improve students’ cognitive characteristics, competencies to improve students’ affective characteristics, competencies to improve students’ psychomotor abilities, competencies for the objectives of the science curriculum, competencies for the content of the science curriculum, competencies for the learning-teaching process in science, competencies for evaluation in science, competencies for instructional technologies, and competencies for effective communication. Article visualizations:
Development and Characterization of Alumina-Based Membranes for Water Purification

High energy ball milling (HEBM) and pressure less sintering technique were performed to achieve a homogenous powder mixture and porous ceramic membranes of a-Al2O3/2%MWCNTs. A uniaxial powder compaction press was used to compress the powder mixture into circular green pellets (27 mm in diameter, 3-4 mm thickness) at three different pressure values of 100 MPa, 250 MPa and 400 MPa, followed by sintering at three different temperature values of 1200 °C, 1250 °C and 1300 °C under argon gas atmosphere. The effect of process parameters on the pore distribution and phase change was characterized by employing Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) respectively. Process parameters were found to have a strong influence on the characteristics of the developed membranes like diametrical strength, water permeability and porosity. Water flow rates varied from 950 l/m2.hr to 42 l/m2hr, porosity decreased from 48.57% to 28.87% and diametrical strength increased from 0.95 MPa to 11.06 MPa as compaction pressure was increased from 100 MPa to 400 MPa and sintering temperature was increased from 1200 °C to 1300 °C.
Prevalence and risk factors of choking in older adults with intellectual disability: Results from a national cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT Background Choking is a serious and under-recognised condition for adults with intellectual disability (ID), with health, psychological and potentially fatal consequences. This study aims to determine the prevalence and risk factors for choking in a population-based sample of older adults with ID. Method 597 adults with ID (mean age: 60 years old; SD = 8) were selected as part of The Intellectual Disability Supplement to The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing. Information was collected on choking history, comorbidities, challenging behaviours and eating difficulties. Logistic regression was employed to determine risk factors for choking history. Results 17.3% of participants reported choking history. Eating difficulties, cerebral palsy, visual impairment, being ≥ 65 years old and antipsychotic use increased the odds of choking history. Conclusions Choking is prevalent in our sample. Managing choking risk requires specific responsibilities from the multidisciplinary team. Risk assessment, training staff and caregivers should be implemented in usual care.
Predicting cryptic ligand binding sites based on normal modes guided conformational sampling

To greatly expand the druggable genome, fast and accurate predictions of cryptic sites for small molecules binding in target proteins are in high demand. In this study, we have developed a fast and simple conformational sampling scheme guided by normal modes solved from the coarse‐grained elastic models followed by atomistic backbone refinement and side‐chain repacking. Despite the observations of complex and diverse conformational changes associated with ligand binding, we found that simply sampling along each of the lowest 30 modes is near optimal for adequately restructuring cryptic sites so they can be detected by existing pocket finding programs like fpocket and concavity. We further trained machine‐learning protocols to optimize the combination of the sampling‐enhanced pocket scores with other dynamic and conservation scores, which only slightly improved the performance. As assessed based on a training set of 84 known cryptic sites and a test set of 14 proteins, our method achieved high accuracy of prediction (with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve >0.8) comparable to the CryptoSite server. Compared with CryptoSite and other methods based on extensive molecular dynamics simulation, our method is much faster (1‐2 hours for an average‐size protein) and simpler (using only pocket scores), so it is suitable for high‐throughput processing of large datasets of protein structures at the genome scale.
Gender Classification Based on Face Recognition using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs)

Biometrics are physical or behavior characteristics of human that can be used to identify someone. One form of physical characteristics possessed by humans is fingerprints, retinal scanning, face and hand geometry, while one form of behavioral characteristics possessed by humans is handwriting, signatures, mouse usage analysis, walking patterns, etc. Basically, physical characteristics are more easily observed than behavioral characteristics. Therefore, physical characteristics are more often used in many aspects of security. One of the most common physical characteristics is face. By seeing the face, we can find out or predict how old they are, their gender and even their expression. However, there are still many mistakes in predicting a gender through person’s face. In fact, there are still many crimes in falsifying self-identity (such as gender). So, we need a method that is able to classify identity (gender) based on a person’s face appropriately. One method that can be used is Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). Later, CNNs will classify a person’s gender (male / female) based on a person’s face image data. And based on.
Rumen parameters and intake in goats fed cassava chips and alfalfa

Pasture-based production systems and alternative foods can be used to reduce goat milk production costs. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of substituting the corn and soybean meal of the concentrate with cassava chips and alfalfa, respectively, on the feed intake, fermentation, and rumen degradability parameters of adult, dry, empty, rumen-cannulated Saanen goats reared in a feedlot. The experiment was conducted as a Latin square design in which the following diets were tested: ground corn and soybean meal; cassava chips and soybean meal; ground corn and alfalfa; and cassava chips and alfalfa. The following variables were evaluated: feed intake, rumen parameters, short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production, and feed degradation kinetics. Inclusion of cassava chips and alfalfa did not influence feed intake or ammonia production. Rumen pH and SCFA production were influenced by the collection times, whereas acetic acid and total SCFA production were influenced by the diets. Nutrient digestibility was also influenced by the diets, with those containing cassava and cassava/alfalfa providing the greatest effective degradability. This finding demonstrates that cassava and alfalfa can substitute the corn and soybean meal of concentrates without changing feed intake or the ruminal environment of goats. Rather, this substitution improves acetic acid production and diet digestibility.
The Generalized H-Bézier Model: Geometric Continuity Conditions and Applications to Curve and Surface Modeling

The local controlled generalized H-Bézier model is one of the most useful tools for shape designs and geometric representations in computer-aided geometric design (CAGD), which is owed to its good geometric properties, e.g., symmetry and shape adjustable property. In this paper, some geometric continuity conditions for the generalized cubic H-Bézier model are studied for the purpose of constructing shape-controlled complex curves and surfaces in engineering. Firstly, based on the linear independence of generalized H-Bézier basis functions (GHBF), the conditions of first-order and second-order geometric continuity (namely, G1 and G2 continuity) between two adjacent generalized cubic H-Bézier curves are proposed. Furthermore, following analysis of the terminal properties of GHBF, the conditions of G1 geometric continuity between two adjacent generalized H-Bézier surfaces are derived and then simplified by choosing appropriate shape parameters. Finally, two operable procedures of smooth continuity for the generalized H-Bézier model are devised. Modeling examples show that the smooth continuity technology of the generalized H-Bézier model can improve the efficiency of computer design for complex curve and surface models.
Preparation, Characterization and Optimization of Mucoadhesive Domperidone Tablets by Box Behnken Design

In pharmaceutical industry, statistically valid experimental design can be utilized to optimize data in order to provide an economic and effective formulation, which could overcome several product and process development problems. Domperidone is a BCS Class II drug and has wide range of use, but has very poor bioavailability when administered orally because of degradation in intestinal fluid. The present study was focused on formulation, evaluation and optimization of mucoadhesive tablets of domperidone using a four-factor, three-level Box-Behnken design (BBD) so as to retain the prepared optimized formulation in gastric fluid for a prolong period of time in order to have better bioavailability and to get a sustained action. Physicochemical properties of the prepared formulations were determined according to the USP pharmacopeia official method and found satisfactory, except friability which was optimized to get the acceptable value. In-vitro dissolution study was performed for 8 hours for all the prepared formulations using USP II (paddle type) dissolution tester having 0.1N HCl (pH 1.2) as dissolution medium. Obtained data was further analyzed by means of quadratic response surface models so as to find out an optimize formulation in terms of desirable condition of dissolution rate after 1 hour, after 8 hours, total mucoadhesion time and tablet friability. Optimized formulation was further evaluated and it was found that, it was almost similar to the proposed optimized data. The formulation can provide a high degree of patient compliance, as sustained release formulation reduces the side effects and the cost of the formulation will be minimal as lesser amount of effort will be needed employing statistical model instead of conventional trial and error method.
Aboveground Carbon Storage and Cycling of Flooded and Upland Forests of the Brazilian Pantanal

Tropical forests and savanna (cerrado) are important carbon (C) sinks; however, few data exist for seasonally flooded forests. We quantified the annual rates of aboveground net primary production (ANPP) over a five-year period for two forests, an upland mixed forest and a seasonally flooded cerrado forest, located in the northern Pantanal region of Brazil. We hypothesized that rates of ANPP would be higher for the mixed forest than the cerrado forest because seasonal flooding can limit rates of tree growth. ANPP was calculated as the sum of the annual litter production measured from litterfall traps and the stem growth increment measured from dendrometers and tree density. ANPP varied between 3.8–5.5 MgC ha−1 y−1 for the flooded forest and 1.6–4.6 MgC ha−1 y−1 for the upland forest. Litter production accounted for 57% of the ANPP, and the difference in ANPP between the upland and flooded forests was due to consistently higher litter production in the flooded forest. Annual variations in ANPP were not correlated with annual precipitation, presumably because the hydrology of these sites is driven more by the flood stage of the Cuiaba River than by local precipitation. However, consistent declines in forest floor litter mass occurred at both sites, suggesting that C storage may be responding to some unknown disturbance that occurred prior to our sampling campaign. Seasonal variation in rainfall exerted an important control on litter production dynamics, with leaf litter production increasing during the dry season and stem and reproductive litter production increasing during the wet season. While there are few studies of seasonally flooded tropical forests, our data suggest that the seasonally flooded and upland forests of the northern Pantanal can act as appreciable aboveground C sinks.