Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Moderate- to fast-walking improves immunocytes through a positive change of muscle contractility in old women: a pilot study

This study aimed to examine whether compared with a program without walking, intervention programs with three types of walking can improve the muscle property and immunocytes in elderly women. Thirty-two subjects were randomly assigned to control group (CON), slow walking group (SWG), moderate walking group (MWG), and fast walking group (FWG). Three types of walking on treadmill were 30 min a day, 5 days/wk for 12 weeks. Muscle contraction time (Tc), maximum displacement (Dm), and immunocytes were tested by tensiomyography and flow cytometry. After the intervention, FWG had an increasing tendency in the muscle mass compared with other three groups. Tc of biceps femoris (BF) decreased in CON and SWG, while Tc of BF in MWG and FWG (30.58%±23.71%) increased. It was similar in the rectus femoris (RF). Although Dm of BF and RF increased in CON and SWG, those decreased in MWG and FWG. Leucocytes of CON and SWG had a decreasing tendency, those of MWG (9.65%±13.01%) and FWG (13.01%± 13.58%) increased. In the neutrophil, only CON decreased, whereas the three groups showed an increasing tendency. Helper T cell was increased only in FWG (19.61%±19.94%), showing significant differences between groups (P=0.009, η2=0.378). Natural killer cell was improved in SWG and MWG but showed a clear increase in FWG (75.76%±63.57%). It might be confirmed that walking for elderly increases the muscle property of the lower legs as they walk faster, which might be expected to improve the immunocytes function.
The effect of hydrostatic pressure on the ambient temperature structure of CuO

Room temperature, time-of-flight, powder neutron diffraction measurements on cupric oxide, CuO, at ambient and 22(1) kbar hydrostatic pressure have provided the pressure dependence of the monoclinic lattice parameters and the single positional parameter, namely the y parameter of oxygen. The percentage changes in the cell parameters are Delta a/a=0.68(4), Delta b/b=-2.02(2), Delta c/c=-0.38(2), Delta beta / beta =1.02(2), so the volume of the cell nu changes by Delta nu / nu =-2.02(4)%. The value of y is altered by -0.0185(14). The effect of these changes is to reduce the distortion of the square-planar Cu2+ coordination by equalizing the bond lengths to the two oxygen pairs and making the O-Cu-O angle closer to 90 degrees . Although there is a sizeable reduction in the bond length to the apical, next-nearest oxygen pair, this distance remains greater than the shortest O-O bond. These observations are related to previous ambient temperature studies of the pressure dependence of the Raman spectra and of the lattice parameters by synchrotron radiation, which did not determine the y parameter.
Computation of self-field hysteresis losses in conductors with helicoidal structure using a 2D finite element method

It is well known that twisting current-carrying conductors helps to reduce their coupling losses. However, the impact of twisting on self-field hysteresis losses has not been as extensively investigated as that on the reduction of coupling losses. This is mostly because the reduction of coupling losses has been an important issue to tackle in the past, and it is not possible to consider twisting within the classical two-dimensional (2D) approaches for the computation of self-field hysteresis losses. Recently, numerical codes considering the effect of twisting in continuous symmetries have appeared. For general three-dimensional (3D) simulations, one issue is that no robust, widely accepted and easy to obtain model for expressing the relationship between the current density and the electric field is available. On the other hand, we can consider that in these helicoidal structures currents flow only along the helicoidal trajectories. This approach allows one to use the scalar power-law for superconductor resistivity and makes the eddy current approach to a solution of a hysteresis loss problem feasible. In this paper we use the finite element method to solve the eddy current model in helicoidal structures in 2D domains utilizing the helicoidal symmetry. The developed tool uses the full 3D geometry but allows discretization which takes advantage of the helicoidal symmetry to reduce the computational domain to a 2D one. We utilize in this tool the non-linear power law for modelling the resistivity in the superconducting regions and study how the self-field losses are influenced by the twisting of a 10-filament wire. Additionally, in the case of high aspect ratio tapes, we compare the results computed with the new tool and a one-dimensional program based on the integral equation method and developed for simulating single layer power cables made of ReBCO coated conductors. Finally, we discuss modelling issues and present open questions related to helicoidal structures and AC-loss computations in three dimensions.
An Exploratory Multi-Case Study of the Health and Wellbeing Needs, Relationships and Experiences of Health and Social Care Service Users and the People who Support them at Home

Introduction: International policies and legislation set a precedence of person-centred sustainable integrated Health and Social Care (HSC) that meets the health and wellbeing needs of service users through improved experiences. However, current research focuses on service models, with fewer studies investigating experiences and needs. Methods: This qualitative multi-case [n = 7] study was co-designed with key stakeholders and aimed to explore experiences and needs of people who access and provide HSC at home. Data were collected in a regional area of Scotland (UK) via single [n = 10] or dyad [n = 4] semi-structured interviews with service users [n = 6], informal carers [n = 5] and HSC staff [n = 7] and synthesised using Interpretive Thematic Analysis. Findings: Interpersonal connections and supportive relationships were instrumental in helping all participant groups feel able to cope with their changing HSC needs and roles. They promoted reassurance, information sharing and reduced anxiety; when they were lacking, it negatively impacted upon experiences of HSC. Discussion: Promoting inter-personal connections that encourage supportive relationships between people who access and provide HSC and their communities, could promote person-centred Relationship-based care and improve HSC experiences. Conclusions: This study identifies indicators for improved HSC, advocating co-produced community-driven services to meet the self-defined needs of those who access and provide care.
Characterizing Ambient Seismic Noise in an Urban Park Environment

In this study, a method for characterizing ambient seismic noise in an urban park using a pair of Tromino3G+ seismographs simultaneously recording high-gain velocity along two axes (north-south and east-west) is presented. The motivation for this study is to provide design parameters for seismic surveys conducted at a site prior to the installation of long-term permanent seismographs. Ambient seismic noise refers to the coherent component of the measured signal that comes from uncontrolled, or passive sources (natural and anthropogenic). Applications of interest include geotechnical studies, modeling the seismic response of infrastructure, surface monitoring, noise mitigation, and urban activity monitoring, which may exploit the use of well-distributed seismograph stations within an area of interest, recording on a days-to-years scale. An ideal well-distributed array of seismographs may not be feasible for all sites and therefore, it is important to identify means for characterizing the ambient seismic noise in urban environments and limitations imposed with a reduced spatial distribution of stations, herein two stations. The developed workflow involves a continuous wavelet transform, peak detection, and event characterization. Events are classified by amplitude, frequency, occurrence time, source azimuth relative to the seismograph, duration, and bandwidth. Depending on the applications, results can guide seismograph selection (sampling frequency and sensitivity) and seismograph placement within the area of interest.
Constrained Hamiltonian Monte Carlo in BEKK GARCH with Targeting

Abstract The GARCH class of models for dynamic conditional covariances trades off flexibility with parameter parsimony. The unrestricted BEKK GARCH dominates its restricted scalar and diagonal versions in terms of model fit, but its parameter dimensionality increases quickly with the number of variables. Covariance targeting has been proposed as a way of reducing parameter dimensionality, but for the BEKK with targeting the imposition of positive definiteness on the conditional covariance matrices presents a significant challenge. In this article, we suggest an approach based on Constrained Hamiltonian Monte Carlo that can deal effectively both with the nonlinear constraints resulting from BEKK targeting and the complicated nature of the BEKK likelihood in relatively high dimensions. We perform a model comparison of the full BEKK and the BEKK with targeting, indicating that the latter dominates the former in terms of marginal likelihood. Thus, we show that the BEKK with targeting presents an effective way of reducing parameter dimensionality without compromising the model fit, unlike the scalar or diagonal BEKK. The model comparison is conducted in the context of an application concerning a multivariate dynamic volatility analysis of a foreign exchange rate returns portfolio.
Olive leaves as alternative feed for finishing lambs: evaluation of feed intake, nutrients digestibility, growth performance, and carcase quality

Abstract This research aims to evaluate how incorporating sun-dried olive leaves (OL) in the diets of Awassi lambs affects production costs, intake and nutrients digestibility, growth performance, and carcase quality. Thirty-six newly weaned male lambs were randomly allocated to one of three diet groups as dry matter (DM) in diets: 1) the control diet (CON), 2) 50 OL g/kg (OL50), and 3) 100 OL g/kg (OL100). On the 50th day, four lambs were randomly selected from each treatment and transported to metabolic cages to evaluate digestibility and N balance. The DM intake was higher (p = .003) in the OL50 and OL100 diets than those on the CON diet. At the same time, the ether extract and metabolisable energy intakes were the highest (p < .0001) in OL100, followed by OL50 and the CON diet. Intake of neutral detergent fibre and acid detergent fibre for lambs fed the OL50 diet surpassed (p < .0001) the other diets. The growth performance parameters were comparable among diets. However, the cost of gain was lower (p = .03) in diets containing OL. The OL incorporation had no treatment effect (p > .05) on the digestibility, N retention, carcase characteristics and meat quality. In conclusion, while the addition of OL at 50 g/kg and 100 g/kg did not affect the growth performance and characteristics of carcase, it did decrease the cost of production, making it a good candidate to replace part of the wheat straw in diets of growing lambs. Highlights Olive leaves percentage substitution of wheat straw improved the nutrients intake in Awassi lambs fed commercial diets. Olive leaves incorporation decreased both the cost of the diet and the cost per kg of gain in Awassi lambs. Olive leaves inclusion did not have a negative effect on digestibility and N Balance, carcase characteristics and meat quality.
Results from initial ETC closed vessel experiments

The objective of the reported experiments is to gain a basic understanding of possible increase and control of solid propellant burning rates through the addition of electrical energy. The tests were performed in a closed vessel allowing for the addition of electrical energy during the burning phase of the propellant. The vessel is designed for testing the idea of leading the current through the propellant's dense, ionized, and possibly conducting reaction zone. Electrical energy is thus released as heat in the immediate vicinity of the unburnt propellant surface where the heat feedback is supposed to be most efficient. A 300 kJ pulsed power supply provides the electrical energy. Pressure, current and voltage are measured. This is the first report on results from the initial series of tests. Primary results presented are pressure/time curves and discharged energy. Pressure measurements are compared to simulations based on the measured discharged energy.
Large deviations, moderate deviations, and queues with long-range dependent input

Long-range dependence has been recently asserted to be an important characteristic in modeling telecommunications traffic. Inspired by the integral relationship between the fractional Brownian motion and the standard Brownian motion, we model a process with long-range dependence, Y, as a fractional integral of Riemann-Liouville type applied to a more standard process X—one that does not have long-range dependence. When X takes the form of a sample path process with bounded stationary increments, we provide a criterion for X to satisfy a moderate deviations principle (MDP). Based on the MDP of X, we then establish the MDP for Y. Furthermore, we characterize, in terms of the MDP, the transient behavior of queues when fed with the long-range dependent input process Y. In particular, we identify the most likely path that leads to a large queue, and demonstrate that unlike the case where the input has short-range dependence, the path here is nonlinear.
A fast calculation method of the head-related transfer functions for multiple source points based on the boundary element method

In the binaural method, sound signals are reproduced in each of the ears of a listener by using headphones. Usually, a dummy head microphone is used to record the signal to be reproduced. However, if the sound field to be reproduced does not exist, the dummy head recording method is not usable. In this case, we can produce the virtual sound field by calculating the input signals of the headphones from the head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) and the virtual sound image. Although the HRTFs can be obtained by measuring an impulse response between a loudspeaker and a listener’s ear in an anechoic chamber, it would be very useful if they could be calculated. In many researches that focus on predicting HRTFs by calculation, the boundary element method (BEM), which calculates the HRTFs by solving the wave equation using a computer model of the head, is rather prominent. However, one of the drawbacks of the BEM in obtaining the HRTFs is the considerable amount of calculation time that is required. In this study, we suggest a new method for HRTF calculation which enables significantly enhanced speed by pre-processing an inverse of the coefficient matrix of the BEM.
Assimilating GOES Brightness Temperatures. Part II: Assigning Water Vapor Wind Heights Directly from Weighting Functions

Abstract An unsolved problem with water vapor wind estimates from the upper-tropospheric 6.7-μm water vapor band on the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) Imager (channel 3) is its exact placement in the vertical column. Satellite water vapor observations are known to be depth-averaged assessments of the upper-tropospheric moisture. Details about the effective averaging of upper-tropospheric observations, valid for GOES or those of other satellite platforms, are not retrieved as part of the observation. However, details about the vertical placement can be accurately estimated from forward radiative models that mimic the instrument spectral characteristics. A new method has been developed to assimilate satellite radiances or brightness temperatures directly into a numerical forecast model. A by-product of the new scheme is knowledge of the weighting functions that describe the assignment value given to each vertical layer. As a consequence, given water vapor wind data, these weighting.
Inference using attributable risk for a 2×2 case–control study

Asymptotic variance plays an important role in the inference using interval estimate of attributable risk. This paper compares asymptotic variances of attributable risk estimate using the delta method and the Fisher information matrix for a 2×2 case–control study due to the practicality of applications. The expressions of these two asymptotic variance estimates are shown to be equivalent. Because asymptotic variance usually underestimates the standard error, the bootstrap standard error has also been utilized in constructing the interval estimates of attributable risk and compared with those using asymptotic estimates. A simulation study shows that the bootstrap interval estimate performs well in terms of coverage probability and confidence length. An exact test procedure for testing independence between the risk factor and the disease outcome using attributable risk is proposed and is justified for the use with real-life examples for a small-sample situation where inference using asymptotic variance may not be valid.
A Step-Down Hierarchical Multiple Regression Analysis for Examining Hypotheses About Test Bias in Prediction

The problem of determining test bias in prediction using regression models is reexamined. Past ap proaches have made use of separate regression anal yses in each subgroup, moderated multiple regression analysis using subgroup coding, and hierarchical mul tiple regression strategies. Although it is agreed that hierarchical multiple regression analysis is preferable to either of the former methods, the approach pre sented here differs with respect to the hypothesis test ing procedure to be employed in such an analysis. This paper describes the difficulties in testing hy potheses about the existence of bias in prediction us ing step-up methods of analysis. Some shortcomings of previously recommended approaches for testing these hypotheses are discussed. Finally, a step-down hierarchical multiple regression procedure is recom mended. Analysis of real data illustrates the potential usefulness of the step-down procedure.
Does self‐face awareness influence green building project performance?—An empirical evidence from China

In the circumstances of “Carbon Peak,” it is imminent to implement green construction technology in the construction industry as it is a major source of CO2 emissions. Nevertheless, little study has been done on the impact of self‐face awareness (SA) on green building project performance (GP). On the basis of a large‐scale questionnaire survey in China and an in‐depth analysis of the four categories (cognition, behavior, satisfaction, and performance), this paper has added an SA dimension, and proposed a new impacting path. Then, based on the improved conceptual model for measuring the impact of green construction behavior on GP, this paper has conducted empirical tests by using a large sample of questionnaire data and partial least square‐structural equation modeling method. The results show that: (1) green construction behavior has a positive impact on GP, and the impact of perceived behavioral control of green construction technology is most significant for promoting green construction in the industry, and SA has a significant positive effect on green construction in the industry; (2) environmental perception and perceived behavioral control for green construction technology play a mediating role; and (3) significant differences indeed exist in the multigroup analysis, and the biggest difference is working experiences in the engineering field. Finally, this paper has proposed corresponding management implications based on the above findings. The main contribution of this study is that this study has developed a new dimension (SA) to the model considering Chinese national and cultural differences, in an attempt to reveal the impact of green construction technology on GP in the Chinese context. In addition, the promotion of green construction (PGC) in the construction industry was also added based on the sustainability perspective, which is the first attempt to explore the role of the PGC.
Low Latency SEU Detection in FPGA CRAM With In-Memory ECC Checking

In harsh environments such as space, radiation and charged particles cause Single-Event Effects, faults occurring randomly on any electronic component. These must be mitigated to ensure device functionality. Modern mitigation methods, such as triple modular redundancy, are very effective against Single-Event Transients (SETs), but incur a minimum of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$3\times $ </tex-math></inline-formula> cost in area. Single-Event Upsets (SEUs) affect sequential elements and are regularly repaired using memory scrubbing. Scrubbing is a slow serial process, going through every memory word looking for errors to repair. It involves a non-negligible Time To Detect (TTD) before repair, during which other events can occur and compromise the system. Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) rely heavily on sequential elements to store their configuration; thus, FPGA’s SEU detection time is critical to ensuring design integrity in harsh conditions. In this paper, we propose In-Memory Error Code Correction Checking (IMECCC), a method to replace memory scrubbing and improve FPGA configuration memory protection in high radiation environments. Our method allows asynchronous SEU detection, and replaces the scrubbing’s variable time to detect with a fixed TTD. We show that IMECCC reduces FPGA’s TTD by at least 116,<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$000\times $ </tex-math></inline-formula> on average, with an area increase of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$1.56\times $ </tex-math></inline-formula>, using a test architecture resembling a Xilinx Virtex 5 QV at a 60MHz scrubbing frequency.
Analytical Calculation of the DC-Link Current Harmonics in Active Power Filter Considering Coupling Effect

Current harmonic is an important factor in power converters’ dc-link design. Its accurate derivation is conducive to estimating the reliability of dc-link capacitors. In active power filter (APF), due to its wide output bandwidth, the dc link suffers current harmonics on a broader spectrum, and the coupling effects among compensated harmonics make the derivation in this application more complex. However, the traditional methods in voltage source inverters usually assume the output current to be a simple sinusoid, or only calculate the root mean square values. They cannot readily illustrate the coupling effect, nor discriminate between different modulation strategies. This article presents a general method for APF to solve the dc-link current harmonics under any operation condition. Using the double-Fourier theory, a new variable called “harmonic factor” is defined to describe the coupling effect among compensated harmonics. Then, the dc-link current spectrum is quantitatively derived with the low-frequency compensated harmonics and the switching-frequency ripple currents. Finally, the simulation and experiment of a 2-level 100-A APF verify the theoretical analysis.
The RACE for freshwater biodiversity: Essential actions to create the social context for meaningful conservation

Freshwater habitats are experiencing two to three times the rate of biodiversity loss of terrestrial and marine habitats. As status quo actions within the conservation community are not reversing the downward trajectory for freshwater biodiversity, we propose four actions to shift the narrative such that freshwater biodiversity is no longer invisible and overlooked, but rather explicitly recognized, valued, and protected: (1) Reshape our relationship with freshwater habitats and biodiversity, (2) Appreciate indigenous knowledge systems relating to freshwater habitats, (3) Connect science more directly to action, and (4) Elevate freshwater habitats as a unique “domain” that requires explicit recognition in conservation planning (RACE). We highlight roles that both freshwater scientists and the wider conservation community can play in implementing the four actions such that the “RACE” can be won.