Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Construct Validity and Test–Retest Reliability of a Free Mobile Application to Evaluate Aerobic Capacity and Endurance in Post-COVID-19 Syndrome Patients—A Pilot Study

Introduction: Disability associated with the symptoms of post-COVID-19 syndrome is one of its main features and can have a considerable impact on care and rehabilitation units. This, linked to a decreased aerobic capacity and endurance in post-COVID-19 syndrome patients, increases interest in studying the potential of mobile applications to assess performance capacity. The purpose of this research was to study how a free mobile application assesses aerobic capacity and endurance and its relationship with aerobic capacity, test-retest reliability, and endurance evaluated by a conventional test, along with fatigue and health-related quality of life. Methods: An observational study was conducted. RUNZI®, a free mobile application, was used by mounting a Samsung Galaxy S8 smartphone using a strap on the right forearm while all participants simultaneously performed a 6-Minute Walking Test (6MWT). Construct validity between the 6MWT and the total distance performed evaluated by RUNZI® was explored. Additionally, evaluation scales to assess fatigue (MFIS) and health-related quality of life (SF-36) were used to analyze the construct validity of RUNZI®. For test–retest reliability of the app, the same instructions about the 6MWT and procedure with the app were given to all participants at two different time periods. Results: A total of 16 post-COVID-19 syndrome patients (15 females and 1 male) completed the procedure. Distance measured with the RUNZI® showed an excellent correlation with the 6MWT assessed conventionally (p < 0.0001; r = 0.851). No statistical correlations were found between the distance assessed by the RUNZI® app with MFIS and the SF-36. Test–retest reliability was found to be close to statistical significance (p = 0.058) for distance (m) measured by RUNZI® with an ICC of 0.482. Conclusions: Instrumental 6MWT assessed by the RUNZI® app for the Android® operating system showed an excellent correlation with conventional 6MWT, indicating its construct validity in post-COVID-19 syndrome patients. Further, values for the test–retest reliability for the free mobile application were close to statistical significance with a reliability considered poor in an indoor setting.
BLUE TEMPERATURE-INDUCED SHIFT AND BAND-TAIL EMISSION IN INGAN-BASED LIGHT SOURCES

Electro- and photoluminescence spectra of high-brightness light-emitting AlGaN/InGaN/GaN single-quantum-well structures are studied over a broad range of temperatures and pumping levels. Blue shift of the spectral peak position was observed along with an increase of temperature and current. An involvement of band-tail states in the radiative recombination was considered, and a quantitative description of the blue temperature-induced shift was proposed assuming a Gaussian shape of the band tail.
Satellite Drag Uncertainties Associated with Atmospheric Parameter Variations at Low Earth Orbits

An uncertainty quantification and sensitivity analysis computational technique based on the Monte Carlo method has been used for CubeSat drag studies for exploring issues in satellite decommissioning. These studies included computational simulations for altitudes of 100 and 400 km using the Hypersonic Aerothermodynamic Particle code, a direct simulation Monte Carlo solver with uncertainty quantification and sensitivity analysis capabilities allowing for variation of the solver input quantities, propagation of the input parameter variations through the model, and prediction of output uncertainties, all in an automated manner. Satellite atmospheric drag was identified as the main parameter of interest because uncertainty in drag may alter the satellite orbit and influence its lifespan. This study considers relative contributions of the input and model parameter uncertainties to the resulting satellite drag uncertainty, which enable reduction of the initial parameter space to a few major contributors; these .
Definition of Building Archetypes Based on the Swiss Energy Performance Certificates Database

The building stock is responsible for 24% of carbon emissions in Switzerland and 44% of the final energy use. Considering that most of the existing stock will still be in place in 2050, it becomes essential to better understand this source of emissions. Although the Swiss Cantonal Energy Certificate for Buildings (CECB) database has been used in previous research, no comprehensive characterization of the buildings can be found. This data paper presents an analysis and classification of the Swiss building stock based on the data found in the database. The objective is to create a knowledge foundation that can be used in future research on the performance of existing buildings. Using a sample of almost 50,000 buildings and a Python script, datasheets were created for single-family houses and multi-family houses for nine construction periods. These archetypes are described through selected available energy-related parameters, such as energy reference area, U-values, and energy source with indicators such as median, 25th percentile, and 75th percentile or distributions. The resulting data can be used for different purposes: (1) to calibrate energy models; (2) for analysis that requires scaling-up strategies to the whole stock; and (3) to identify weak and/or relevant classes of buildings throughout the stock.
Collaborative course design to support implementation of e-learning by instructors

Distance education at the Open University of Tanzania (OUT) is dominated by a print-based mode of delivery . Because of that, several challenges confront instructors and students at OUT, which include (i) delays in the delivery of print study materials, course outlines and learning resources, (ii) lack of regular interaction between instructors and students, (iii) lack of immediate feedback on student learning and (iv) feelings of isolation among students. Most of these challenges are rampant in other distance education universities in sub-Saharan Africa (Dzakiria, 2004; Ludwig-Harman & Dunlap, 2003). Studies from developed countries show that e-learning technologies such as computer, internet, e-mail, mobile phones and others are used in distance education to enhance the delivery of courses, facilitation of access to resources, improvement of interactions with students and provision of feedback and support to students (Ludwig-Hardman & Dunlap, 2003; Pena-Bandalaria, 2007; Wright, 2000). In recognizing the potential of e-learning, since 2004 OUT has embarked on instructors‘ professional development through workshops. Despite the workshops, instructors at OUT continued to deliver their courses traditionally. Because the transition to e-learning delivery is considered a curriculum innovation, effective professional development was critical. Collaborative Course Design in design teams is applied in this dissertation as a strategy for effective professional development in preparing instructors on course (re-)design and delivery of courses using Moodle learning management system (Moodle LMS). Collaborative Course Design in design teams implies that instructors collaborate in the (re-)design of courses in teams of at least two persons. The strategy is based on research findings on effective professional development of instructors (Borko et al, 2002; Clarke & Hollingsworth, 2002; Desimone et al, 2002; Garet et al., 2001; Penuel et al, 2007; Porter et al, 2003) which are rooted in social constructivist theory (Dewey, 1916; Vygotsky, 1978) and adult learning theory (Knowles et al., 1998; Merriam, et al., 2007). The strategy had the following characteristics: active participation of instructors, activities sustained over a long period of time, opportunities for collaboration within and between design teams and support for instructors. In this way ownership of instructors towards e-learning was promoted, which was assumed to contribute to e-learning implementation at OUT. The purpose of this study was to enhance professional development of instructors‘ ability to (re-)design and teach e-learning through Collaborative Course Design, courses by providing opportunities and support for active involvement in e-learning course design and delivery. Instructors learn to use Moodle LMS as a technology to address challenges of print-based delivery.
Fourth order torque prediction model in end milling

This study presents the development of mathematical models for torque in end-milling of AISI 618. Response Surface Method (RSM) was used to predict the effect of torque in the end-milling. The relationship between the manufacturing process factors including the cutting speed, feed rate, axial depth and radial depth with the torque can be developed. The effect of the factors can be investigated from the equation developed for first order to fourth order model. The acquired results show that the torque increases with decreases of the cutting speed and increases the feed rate, axial depth and radial depth. It found that the second order is more accurate based on the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the predicted torque results is closely match with the experimental results. Third- and fourth-order model generated for the response to investigate the 3 and 4-way interaction between the factors. It's found less significant for the variables.
Dietary selenium supplementation alleviates low salinity stress in the Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei: growth, antioxidative capacity and hepatopancreas transcriptomic responses

Abstract Se is an essential trace element associated with animal growth and antioxidant and metabolic processes. However, whether Se, especially organic Se with higher bioavailability, can alleviate the adverse effects of low salinity stress on marine economic crustacean species has not been investigated. Accordingly, juvenile Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) were reared in two culture conditions (low and standard salinity) fed diets supplemented with increasing levels of l-selenomethionine (0·41, 0·84 and 1·14 mg/kg Se) for 56 d, resulting in four treatments: 0·41 mg/kg under standard seawater (salinity 31) and 0·41, 0·84 and 1·14 mg/kg Se under low salinity (salinity 3). The diet containing 0·84 mg/kg Se significantly improved the survival and weight gain of shrimp under low salinity stress and enhanced the antioxidant capacity of the hepatopancreas. The increased numbers of B and R cells may be a passive change in hepatopancreas histology in the 1·14 mg/kg Se group. Transcriptomic analysis found that l-selenomethionine was involved in the regulatory pathways of energy metabolism, retinol metabolism and steroid hormones. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with 0·84 mg/kg Se (twice the recommended level) effectively alleviated the effects of low salinity stress on L. vannamei by regulating antioxidant capacity, hormone regulation and energy metabolism.
Metasurfing: Addressing waves on metasurfaces for realizing antennas and microwave devices

Metasurfaces constitute a class of thin metamaterials, which are used from microwave to optical regime to improve the performance of antennas, microwave, and optical devices. Here we propose the use of variable-impedance metasurfaces for transforming surface or guided waves into a different configuration of wavefield with desired properties. We will shortly refer to this metasurface-driven wavefield transformation as “Metasurfing”. Metasurfing can be obtained by an appropriate synthesis of spatially inhomogeneous (maybe anisotropic) surface impedance that allows a local modification of the dispersion equation and (at constant operating frequency) of the local wavevector. The general effect of a metasurface modulation can be very similar to those obtained in solid (volumetric) inhomogeneous metamaterial as predicted by the Transformation Optics, namely to re-addressing the propagation path of an incident wave; however, significant technological simplicity is gained.
Genotype Distribution of the ACTN3 p.R577X Polymorphism in Elite Badminton Players: A Preliminary Study

α-Actinin-3 is a protein with a structural role at the sarcomeric Z-line in skeletal muscle. As it is only present in fast-type muscle fibers, α-actinin-3 is considered a key mechanical component to produce high-intensity muscle contractions and to withstand external tension applied to the skeletal muscle. α-Actinin-3 is encoded by the gene ACTN3, which has a single-nucleotide polymorphism (p.R577X; rs1815739) that affects the expression of α-actinin-3 due to the presence of a stop codon. Individuals homozygous for the 577R allele (i.e., RR genotype) and RX heterozygotes express functional α-actinin-3, while those homozygous for the 577X (i.e., XX genotype) express a non-functional protein. There is ample evidence to support the associations between the ACTN3 genotype and athletic performance, with higher frequencies of the 577R allele in elite and professional sprint and power athletes than in control populations. This suggests a beneficial influence of possessing functional α-actinin-3 to become an elite athlete in power-based disciplines. However, no previous investigation has determined the frequency of the ACTN3 genotypes in elite badminton players, despite this sport being characterized by high-intensity actions of intermittent nature such as changes of direction, accelerations, jumps and smashes. The purpose of this study was to analyze ACTN3 R577X genotype frequencies in professional badminton players to establish whether this polymorphism is associated with elite athlete status. A total of 53 European Caucasian professional badminton players competing in the 2018 European Badminton Championships volunteered to participate in the study. Thirty-one were men (26.2 ± 4.4 years) and twenty-two were women (23.4 ± 4.5 years). Chi-squared tests were used to analyze the differences in the distribution of ACTN3 genotypes (RR, RX and XX) between categories and sexes. The ACTN3 RR genotype was the most frequent in the sample of professional badminton players (RR = 49.1%, RX = 22.6% and XX = 28.3%). None of the badminton players ranked in the world’s top ten possessed the XX genotype (RX = 60%, RR = 40%). The distribution of the ACTN3 genotypes was similar between male and female professional badminton players (men: RR = 45.2%, RX = 25.8% and XX = 29.0%; women: RR = 54.5%, RX = 18.2% and XX = 27.3%; χ2 = 0.58; p = 0.750). The distribution of the ACTN3 genotypes in badminton players was different from the 1000 genome database for the European population (χ2 = 15.5; p < 0.001), with an overrepresentation of the RR genotype (p < 0.05) and an underrepresentation of the RX genotype (p < 0.01). In conclusion, the expression of functional α-actinin-3, associated with RR and RX genotypes in the ACTN3 gene may confer an advantage for reaching the status of elite athlete in badminton, and especially the world’s top-ten ranking. Large-scale studies with different ethnic backgrounds are needed to confirm the association of the R allele of ACTN3 with badminton performance.
Prevalence of Child Functional Difficulties and Its Associated Factors in Bangladesh: An Application of Count Regression Model

Children that are mentally and physically healthy have a higher quality of life and are better able to function in their daily lives. Therefore, this study is aimed at investigating associated factors causing functional difficulties in male and female children ages 5-17 years. This study used data from a nationally representative cross-sectional household survey named the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) Bangladesh 2019. A total of 58,746 children aged 5-17 were selected for the study, where 30,300 children were male, and 28,446 were female. To deal with overdispersed count data, the study used a negative binomial regression model to find the associated factors. The results show that 39.3% of the male children and 40.9% of the female children were from the age group of 10-14. Educated children had a lower risk of dysfunction. Among male children, women with a total number of children ever born of 4 or more were 1.21 times (incidence rate ratios (IRR) = 1.21) more likely to have a dysfunctional child. Children of dysfunctional mothers are more likely to be dysfunctional themselves. The incidence rate ratio for children functional difficulty among Muslim girls was 36 percent higher than non-Muslim girls in Bangladesh. When compared to the Barisal Division, female children in the Mymensingh Division had a 16% higher risk of functional problems. Based on the findings, the Bangladesh government and other development partners should initiate policies and programs to minimize the impact of functional dysfunction in children.
H2 gain scheduled state feedback for LPV system with new LMI formulation

The H2 gain scheduled state feedback problem is considered by using the parameter-dependent Lyapunov function for linear parameter varying system, in which the dependent parameter is assumed to be measurable on-line in a polytope space. First, a new linear matrix inequality (LMI) representation provides a type of H2 cost computation for this system. With the introduction of the extra variable, this condition provides a decoupling between Lyapunov function matrix and system matrices and will be useful for a synthesis problem study. Secondly, using a polytopic characteristic of the dependent parameter, based on this representation gain scheduled state, the feedback synthesis problem can be transformed into finite-dimensional LMIs formulation. In addition, by using the parameter-dependent Lyapunov function, it can reduce the conservatism that occurred before in the H2 performance synthesis problem with a fixed Lyapunov function. Finally, a numerical example is included to illustrate the efficiency of the proposals.
REPARAMETRIZATION ASPECTS OF NUMERICAL BAYESIAN METHODOLOGY FOR AUTOREGRESSIVE MOVING-AVERAGE MODELS

Within the context of likelihood and Bayes approaches to inference in autoregressive moving-average (ARMA) time series models, previous ideas on parameter transformation and numerical integration for implementing Bayesian procedures are reviewed. Some novel transformation ideas are introduced and their role in an efficient numerical integration approach is examined. Some comparisons of the effectivesness of different numerical integration strategies are made.
Current best clinical practices for monitoring of interstitial lung disease

ABSTRACT Introduction Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) are a heterogeneous group of inflammatory and/or fibrotic conditions with variable outcome and often a dismal prognosis. Since many ILDs are progressive in nature, monitoring of signs and symptoms of progression is essential to inform treatment decisions and patient counseling. Monitoring of ILDs is a multimodality process and includes all aspects of the disease, e.g. measurement of pulmonary function and exercise capacity, symptom registration and quality of life (QoL), imaging, comorbidities and/or involvement of other organs to assess disease activity, symptom burden, treatment effects, adverse events, the need for supportive and palliative care, and lung transplantation. Areas covered For this narrative review, we searched the PUBMED database to identify articles relevant for monitoring ILDs, including pulmonary function tests, exercise capacity, imaging, telemedicine, symptoms, and QoL. Expert opinion Due to the high heterogeneity of the ILDs and their disease course, an individualized multimodality approach must be applied. Future strategies include use of telemedicine for home monitoring of lung function and symptoms, use of artificial intelligence to support automatized guidance of patients, computerized evaluation of ILD changes on imaging, and new imaging tools with less radiation dosage.
Kidney-resident innate-like memory γδ T cells control chronic Staphylococcus aureus infection of mice

Significance Following bloodstream infection, Staphylococcus aureus can invade internal tissues where it forms and persists in abscesses. Using a mouse model for chronic staphylococcal infection of the kidney, we demonstrate that IL-17A-producing γδ T cells accumulate in infected kidneys and acquire a kidney-resident phenotype. Depletion of γδ T cells results in increased renal bacterial numbers in chronic infection and following reinfection. Thus, in the mouse, kidney-resident γδ T cells are nonredundant in limiting local S. aureus growth during chronic infection and provide acquired protection against reinfection.
Sub-nanosecond time resolved XAFS of laser excited thin Ge films

A facility at PNC-CAT in the Advanced Photon Source measures with sub-nanosecond time resolution both XAFS and diffraction on femtosecond laser-excited samples. XAFS measures with relatively high efficiency the time for the laser excitation to couple to the lattice, the sample temperature after reaching thermal equilibrium, any ablation of the sample with time, and, in many cases can distinguish between the amorphous and crystalline states. Preliminary measurements on 200 nm thick polycrystal Ge films indicate that the time for transferring the laser excitation to thermal heating of the lattice is less than 2 nanoseconds when the initial temperature is 560 K.
Video post processing: low-latency spatiotemporal approach for detection and removal of rain

In this study, a novel, efficient and simple algorithm for detection and removal of rain from video using spatiotemporal properties is proposed. Advantageously, the spatiotemporal properties are involved to separate rain pixels from non-rain pixels. It is thus possible by way of the proposed algorithm to involve less number of consecutive frames, reducing the buffer size and delay. It works only on the intensity plane which further reduces the complexity and execution time significantly. This new algorithm does not assume the shape, size and velocity of raindrops which makes it robust to different rain conditions. Proposed method reduces the buffer size, which reduces the system cost, delay and power consumption. For performance evaluation, in addition to miss & false detection a new metric spatiotemporal variance is introduced. Results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the other rain removal algorithms.
Interrupting Pedestrians in Indonesia; Effect of Climate on Perceived Steepness and Stair Climbing Behaviour

Increased activity during daily life is one public health initiative to reduce population inactivity. Increasing temperature and humidity influence walking for transport by reducing the blood supply available to exercising muscles. This study investigated effects of temperature and humidity on a perceptual cue, estimated stair slant, that can influence behaviour, and on subsequent speed of climbing. Participants (402 males, 423 females) estimated the slant of a 20.4° staircase at a university in Indonesia. Subsequently, the participants were timed covertly while climbing. As temperature and humidity increased, estimated stair slant became more exaggerated. Females estimated stair slant as steeper than males. For stair climbing, speed was reduced as temperature increased, and females climbed slower than males. Estimates of stair slant were not associated with speed of the subsequent climb. Climate influences estimates of stair slant that precede stair climbing and subsequent speed of the ascent. In this study, perception was unrelated to behaviour.