Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of Contributing Factors Leading to the Development of Insulin Resistance Among Male Medical Students at a Private College in Saudi Arabia

Background Insulin resistance can result from various genetic and lifestyle factors. Initially, symptoms of insulin resistance may not be readily noticeable, but as the condition progresses, individuals may start experiencing symptoms. This study aimed to investigate the factors contributing to the development of insulin resistance among medical students at a private college in Saudi Arabia. Methodology We conducted a cross-sectional study using a convenient non-probability sampling technique, with a sample size of 241 participants. We employed validated questionnaires to gather information on physical activity, sleep, dietary habits, and stress. Specifically, we used the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ)-Short Form for assessing physical activity, the Single-Item Sleep Quality Scale (SQS) for evaluating sleep quality, the Healthy Eating Quiz (HEQ) to gauge dietary patterns, and the stress questionnaire designed by the International Stress Management Association (ISMA) to measure stress levels. Additionally, we collected anthropometric measurements, as well as systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings. We calculated prevalence using percentages and employed the chi-square test to analyze variables, with a significance level set at p-values <0.05. Results This study investigated risk factors associated with lifestyle, focusing on waist circumference as an indicator of insulin resistance. Our findings revealed that a majority of individuals with high waist circumference were physically inactive and more susceptible to stress, and this difference was statistically significant when compared to those with normal waist circumference. Additionally, we observed that sleep deprivation and poor nutrition were more prevalent among individuals with high waist circumference, although these differences were not statistically significant. Conclusions This study highlights a high prevalence of elevated waist circumference, indicating insulin resistance, among medical students. Furthermore, it underscores the significant presence of well-known risk factors associated with insulin resistance within this population of medical students.
Lessons in Empowerment: The Civic Potential of Historically Grounded Conversations among Racially Marginalized Youth

Civic education is associated with the development of democratic capacity. However, this concept is measured using a limited battery of metrics (e.g., trust in government) that do not adequately capture the political sentiments of racially marginalized youth. Drawing from conversations with Chicago high school students and their teachers, I argue that democratic capacity should comprise a broader set of attitudes and behaviors, including political empowerment and acts of public voice. In the process, I identify one pedagogical technique associated with the development of empowerment: historically grounded conversations about politics that validate students’ distrust of government. Nationally representative survey data suggests that civic learning experiences of this kind are associated with feelings of political empowerment and that empowerment is associated with multiple forms of political participation, particularly among Black and Latinx youth. Overall, this study provides a path forward for those interested in reimagining civic education in the U.S.
Research on technology of target real-time detection under sea-sky background

Optoelectronic imaging system which loaded on ships have several imaging channels generally. They can cover visible light (daylight and low-light), medium wave infrared and long wave infrared. To that systems have only two channels, visible light imaging is kept. In this paper, for the requirement of target real-time detection and classification under sea-sky background, image data from different channels are processed independently using Harris feature of targets and texture feature of background, then the result data from different channels are fused and compared to delete fake targets and interference from background, in order to reduce false alarm rate and improve the detection location precision. Based on the location relationship between targets and different type background (sky or sea), the target types are determined. For the rigidly requirement of system real time, multithread mechanism and big neighborhood processor are applied for parallel data processing, in order to reduce the processing time less than one frame time. At last, the experiment has been done on two channels system, approving that the method in this paper can improve the comprehensive searching performance of optoelectronic imaging system.
Mediating Role of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals in Metabolic Disorders and Their Epigenetic Effect

Background: Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) represent a group of chemicals which are related to the disturbances in the human hormonal system. Due to the newest research, it was discovered that their actions did not exclusively point to the hormonal system but rather to all organs of the human body. EDCs are metabolized and may excrete the influence on human metabolism. That influence can be related to the activity of different enzymes included in human metabolism. Those effects can be classified as epigenetic effects. Objective: The aim of the study was to make analysis, evaluation, examination and determination of the possible mechanisms through which EDCs may interact with different metabolically-driven diseases. Methods: This paper represents a review article that includes original and review articles that were used being published in the following databases: Medline/PubMed, ScienceDirect, Oxford Academic, and Google Scholar. Results: EDCs interact through nuclear or steroid receptors excreting their influence onto diseases such as obesity, metabolic syndrome (MetS) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Those mechanisms are mediated through metabolic or immunological pathways. It encompasses different types of hormones, such as vistafin or inflammatory cytokines. Conclusion: It has been noticed that EDCs may influence the appearance of specifically related diseases in offspring excreting epigenetic effects. Further research must be oriented towards potential consequences and ideal pathways for prevention and treatment options.
ADAPTIVE NEURAL TRACKING CONTROL FOR SURFACE SHIP WITH COMPENSATED TRACKING ERROR-CONSTRAINS AND DELAY INPUT BASED ON COMMAND-FILTER

The article proposes an algorithm for trajectory tracking control problem of full actuated surface ships in the presence of state constraints, the delay of the input signal, and uncertain model parameters. During the design process, radial basis function neural networks are used to approximate the nonlinear components of uncertainty and a symmetric barrier Lyapunov function is incorporated to cope with the constraints of compensated tracking error. In particular, an auxiliary system is employed to eliminate the delay of the input signals, which often makes the control performance worse, even unstable. The adaptive controller that the article proposes is built based on the backstepping method using a command filter to avoid derivative explosion and reduce the computational burden on the controller. The article shows that tracking errors of surface ship can converge to a small neighborhood of zero, the compensated tracking error constraints of the system are not violated, the system is still stable when the input signal is delayed.
Building Automation Pipeline for Diagnostic Classification of Sporadic Odontogenic Keratocysts and Non-Keratocysts Using Whole-Slide Images

The microscopic diagnostic differentiation of odontogenic cysts from other cysts is intricate and may cause perplexity for both clinicians and pathologists. Of particular interest is the odontogenic keratocyst (OKC), a developmental cyst with unique histopathological and clinical characteristics. Nevertheless, what distinguishes this cyst is its aggressive nature and high tendency for recurrence. Clinicians encounter challenges in dealing with this frequently encountered jaw lesion, as there is no consensus on surgical treatment. Therefore, the accurate and early diagnosis of such cysts will benefit clinicians in terms of treatment management and spare subjects from the mental agony of suffering from aggressive OKCs, which impact their quality of life. The objective of this research is to develop an automated OKC diagnostic system that can function as a decision support tool for pathologists, whether they are working locally or remotely. This system will provide them with additional data and insights to enhance their decision-making abilities. This research aims to provide an automation pipeline to classify whole-slide images of OKCs and non-keratocysts (non-KCs: dentigerous and radicular cysts). OKC diagnosis and prognosis using the histopathological analysis of tissues using whole-slide images (WSIs) with a deep-learning approach is an emerging research area. WSIs have the unique advantage of magnifying tissues with high resolution without losing information. The contribution of this research is a novel, deep-learning-based, and efficient algorithm that reduces the trainable parameters and, in turn, the memory footprint. This is achieved using principal component analysis (PCA) and the ReliefF feature selection algorithm (ReliefF) in a convolutional neural network (CNN) named P-C-ReliefF. The proposed model reduces the trainable parameters compared to standard CNN, achieving 97% classification accuracy.
Rician-K Factor Study for Temporal and Spatial Variations

This thesis investigates indoor propagation by measurement and simulation using ray-tracing. An automated site survey measurement system is described. This site survey measurement system is used for measurements in two environments, a hallway and a microwave lab. Measurements were taken along a path at 1.5 cm intervals and at each point 30 time samples were taken, at 2 second intervals. Both the temporal and spatial variation of the signal strength are represented with Rician probability distribution functions. The Rician-K factor is computed by three methods found in the literature, called in this thesis the K G /K 24 method, the K 12 method and the K MLE method. The value of the Rician-K factor for the temporal data is investigated. Since the measured data revealed little time variation, high Rician-K factor values were found. The spatial variation of the received signal is investigated by taking the average of the temporal data at each distance point. The spatial variation of the Rician-K factor is investigated. The measured data showed rapid variation with distance, and thus small values of Rician-K factor were found. The two measurement environments are modeled for analysis by ray-tracing. The results obtained from the simulations are compared with the measured results. The comparison is based on four factors obtained from measured and simulated data: small-scale fading, path loss index, large-scale fading and space-varying Rician K factor. The measured and simulated small-scale fading data matched poorly in the hallway. This is attributed to the wall model in the ray-tracing simulation, which is a poor representation of the actual wall construction. For the microwave lab, a more detailed representation and the location of the metal file cabinet and equipment gave good agreement between measured and simulated small-scale-fading. The path loss index indicates good agreement in the hallway and in the microwave lab between the large scale fading of the measurements and the simulations. Of the three methods for calculating the Rician-K factor, K G /K 24 is found to be the best for the large Rician-K factor values determined for time variations. However, the K MLE method is the best to find the much smaller Rician-K factor values in space variations.
Dampak Pernikahan Dini Terhadap Pendidikan di Desa Lamea Kecamatan Wewiku Kabupaten Malaka

This study aimed to determine (1) the impact of early marriage on education, and (2) the factors caused early marriage in Lamea Village, Malacca District. This research employed a qualitative approach. The subjects of this study were 14 people consisting of 9 parents and 5 children who had early marriages. Data collection in this study were carried out by observation, interviews and documentation. Data were analyzed through data collection, data reduction, data presentation and conclusions. The results of this study indicate that early marriage has both positive and negative impacts. The positive impact of early marriage is to reduce the economic burden on parents. Meanwhile, the negative impact of early marriage is not being able to continue their education to a higher level, lack of confidence with their peers, and often experience disputes in their household. The causative factors of early marriage are economic cases in new families, low knowledge or education degrees, social environment, and promiscuity.
Genetic Databases and Gene Editing Tools for Enhancing Crop Resistance against Abiotic Stress

Simple Summary Plants are subjected to various environmental stresses that negatively impact growth and development and limit crop productivity. Therefore, in order to meet the requirements of the growing world population and food security, it is essential to develop cultivars resistant to abiotic stresses. In recent years, with the availability of genetic databases and the advancement in genome editing techniques, it is feasible to edit target genes with precision and create new opportunities for crop improvement that conventional breeding methods could not achieve. The genome-editing method using CRISPR-Cas systems is very powerful and confers exceptional versatility to develop improved cultivars at abiotic stresses. These efficient gene editing techniques facilitate the cultivation of superior-performing genotypes in challenging environmental conditions without compromising yield. Abstract Abiotic stresses extensively reduce agricultural crop production globally. Traditional breeding technology has been the fundamental approach used to cope with abiotic stresses. The development of gene editing technology for modifying genes responsible for the stresses and the related genetic networks has established the foundation for sustainable agriculture against environmental stress. Integrated approaches based on functional genomics and transcriptomics are now expanding the opportunities to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying abiotic stress responses. This review summarizes some of the features and weblinks of plant genome databases related to abiotic stress genes utilized for improving crops. The gene-editing tool based on clustered, regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) has revolutionized stress tolerance research due to its simplicity, versatility, adaptability, flexibility, and broader applications. However, off-target and low cleavage efficiency hinder the successful application of CRISPR/Cas systems. Computational tools have been developed for designing highly competent gRNA with better cleavage efficiency. This powerful genome editing tool offers tremendous crop improvement opportunities, overcoming conventional breeding techniques’ shortcomings. Furthermore, we also discuss the mechanistic insights of the CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing technology. This review focused on the current advances in understanding plant species’ abiotic stress response mechanism and applying the CRISPR/Cas system genome editing technology to develop crop resilience against drought, salinity, temperature, heavy metals, and herbicides.
Legitimising and Delegitimising Women Coaches in the Golf Industry: Women Golf Professionals’ Experiences of Advocacy

The underrepresentation of women in sport coaching continues to be recognised by researchers and some international organisations. Golf too suffers from a dramatic underrepresentation of women coaches. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of women golf coaches and how they navigate this male-dominated coaching domain with a particular focus on experiences of advocacy. The research was designed to qualitatively capture women PGA Professionals’ lived experiences. Women PGA Professionals (N = 11) with 10–34 years of experience (M = 19.8) participated in semi-structured interviews that were structured on the four Ecological Systems Theory (EST) layers. Data were thematically analysed using the EST layers for initial categorization. From this, four themes were developed: recruitment and opportunity; on the course and in the pro shop; perceptions of women PGA Professionals; and advocacy and allies. The themes were part of two related processes: legitimisation and delegitimisation. These dual processes work to either validate women coaches—both as individuals and as a collective—or to undermine them within the profession, respectively, and operate over the four EST layers. Further, these processes are not always discreet and the two may overlap in unanticipated ways.
Exploring one-dimensional compression of compacted clay under constant degree of saturation paths

This note presents a novel approach for controlling the degree of saturation during one-dimensional compression of unsaturated soils. This technique offers a simple and versatile way to study the hydro-mechanical response of unsaturated soils as well as the unsaturated–saturated soil transition. By using a multi-stage approach, the same specimen can be used to evaluate the compressibility of unsaturated specimens at different degrees of saturation, which may reduce the long testing periods commonly required for unsaturated soil testing. The experimental results described in this paper show that the proposed technique is capable of controlling the degree of saturation within reasonable limits and provides an interesting approach to analyse the coupled hydraulic and mechanical behaviour of unsaturated soils.
Walking Bout Detection for People Living in Long Residential Care: A Computationally Efficient Algorithm for a 3-Axis Accelerometer on the Lower Back

Accurate and reliable measurement of real-world walking activity is clinically relevant, particularly for people with mobility difficulties. Insights on walking can help understand mobility function, disease progression, and fall risks. People living in long-term residential care environments have heterogeneous and often pathological walking patterns, making it difficult for conventional algorithms paired with wearable sensors to detect their walking activity. We designed two walking bout detection algorithms for people living in long-term residential care. Both algorithms used thresholds on the magnitude of acceleration from a 3-axis accelerometer on the lower back to classify data as “walking” or “non-walking”. One algorithm had generic thresholds, whereas the other used personalized thresholds. To validate and evaluate the algorithms, we compared the classifications of walking/non-walking from our algorithms to the real-time research assistant annotated labels and the classification output from an algorithm validated on a healthy population. Both the generic and personalized algorithms had acceptable accuracy (0.83 and 0.82, respectively). The personalized algorithm showed the highest specificity (0.84) of all tested algorithms, meaning it was the best suited to determine input data for gait characteristic extraction. The developed algorithms were almost 60% quicker than the previously developed algorithms, suggesting they are adaptable for real-time processing.
TEACHING STRATEGIES TO ENGAGE LEARNERS IN ACTIVE LEARNING IN BUSINESS STUDIES

Teachers in the 21st century are encouraged to creatively and actively engage learners in the learning process. This requires teachers to use student-centred approaches for learners to improve their learning experiences This article explores teaching strategies teachers use to engage learners in active learning in Business Studies. The study employed a qualitative case study of six purposively selected Grade 10 Business Studies teachers. Data were obtained through semi-structured individual and focus group interviews. Thematic analysis method was used to analyse data. What emerged from the findings is that participants acknowledged the role of learner involvement in creating a supportive social environment that allowed opportunities for enhancing learning of new concepts. Teachers were inspired to express themselves and share in a more relaxed manner without being ridiculed during discussions and presentations. Engaging learners in a variety of collaborative activities led to positive interdependence and interaction while developing self-confidence and interpersonal skills. Diversity in members created spaces for learners to share different viewpoints.
Indoor localization using visual information and passive landmarks

This thesis proposes a localization algorithm for Automatically Guided Vehicles (AGVs) based on a vision system and simple passive markers. The pose is estimated using trilateration and triangulation techniques. Then the results are combined with heterogeneous data provided by odometry using an Extended Kalman Filter. The tests have shown that even with a non fully optimized algorithm, a precision of 0.2m can be reached, confirming the validity of this technology
and regional variation in vegetation composition of pyrogenic grasslands of

Aim To develop a landscape-level model that partitions variance in plant community composition among local environmental, regional environmental, and purely spatial predictive variables for pyrogenic grasslands (prairies, savannas and woodlands) throughout northern and central Florida. Location North and central Florida, USA. Methods We measured plant species composition and cover in 271 plots throughout the study region. A variation-partitioning model was used to quantify components of variation in species composition associated with the main and interaction effects of soil and topographic variables, climate variables and spatial coordinates. Partial correlations of environmental variables with community variation were identified using direct gradient analysis (redundancy analysis and partial redundancy analysis) and Monte Carlo tests of significance. Results Community composition was most strongly related to edaphic variables at local scales in association with topographic gradients, although geographically structured edaphic, climatic and pure spatial effects were also evident. Edaphic variables explained the largest portion of total variation explained (TVE) as a main effect (48%) compared with the main effects of climate (9%) and pure spatial factors (9%). The remaining TVE was explained by the interaction effect of climate and spatial factors (13%) and the three-way interaction (22%). Correlation analyses revealed that the primary compositional gradient was related to soil fertility and topographic position corresponding to soil moisture. A second gradient represented distinct geographical separation between the Florida panhandle and peninsular regions, concurrent with differences in soil characteristics. Gradients in composition corresponded to species richness, which was lower in the Florida peninsula. Main conclusions Environmental variables have the strongest influence on the species composition of Florida pyrogenic grasslands at both local and regional scales. However, the limited distributions of many plant taxa suggest historical constraints on species distributions from one physiographical region to the other (Florida panhandle and peninsula), although this pattern is partially confounded by regionally spatially structured environmental variables. Our model provides insight into the relative importance of local- and regional-scale environmental effects as well as possible historical constraints on floristic variation in pinedominated pyrogenic grasslands of the south-eastern USA.