Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
E-Leisure and Older Adults: Findings from an International Exploratory Study

Although benefits of leisure and benefits of technology use overlap, how older adults use and perceive of technology use during their leisure time is not well understood.The purpose of this study was to explore e-leisure among older adults. This international exploratory study included 37 rural and urban-dwelling participants from Canada and the United Kingdom. Focus groups were facilitated to better understand participants’ perceptions of technology in later life. Data were analyzed using open and focused coding. Participants reported accessing leisure through technology, such as keeping in touch, engaging in games and hobbies, and supplementing offline leisure. Participants reported several drawbacks, including difficulty getting assistance from other people, challenges using and updating software, concerns related to privacy and security, and lack of confidence and interest. While technology appears to facilitate engagement in leisure for older adults, educational opportunities may be required to overcome the drawbacks of technology use. Implications for therapeutic recreation are considered. Subscribe to TRJ
VEGETATIVE PROPAGATION OF CONIFERS: X. EFFECTS OF SEASON OF COLLECTION AND PROPAGATION MEDIA ON THE ROOTING OF NORWAY SPRUCE CUTTINGS

Twenty-four collections of Norway spruce cuttings were taken, seven about the time new growth was forming, six at semimonthly intervals rom July to September, four during October, and seven at monthly intervals during the winter to April, and were propagated in outdoor frames in several media. The proportion of cuttings rooting in sand was low for the summer collections but reached 80% or higher for collections made in September and October. The addition of sedge peat effected rooting of 90% in collections taken throughout summer and autumn, and increased the number of roots, length of root, and the development of new growth. Sphagnum peat added to the sand was also slightly beneficial but, for propagation, much inferior in effect to the sedge type of peat. Varying the proportion of peat or the texture of the sand had no significant effect except on the length of root, which was greater in those media rich in peat. Cuttings stored over winter or taken in spring did not respond well.
Neo liberalism revised? A critical account of World Bank concepts of good governance and market friendly intervention

This article examines recent World Bank reports on the role of the state in the development process, with particular reference to the rise of the East Asian NICs and the crisis of ‘governance’ in sub-Saharan Africa. The concepts of market friendly intervention and good governance are critically discussed, and are found to be inadequate as explanations for East Asian ‘success' and African ‘failure’. An alternative explanation for the rise of the NICs is presented, which draws out some of the implications for the developing world.
Evaluation of coronary artery abnormalities in Williams syndrome patients using myocardial perfusion scintigraphy and CT angiography.

BACKGROUND Sudden death risk in Williams syndrome (WS) patients has been shown to be 25-100 times higher than in the general population. This study aims to detect coronary artery anomalies and myocardial perfusion defects in WS patients using noninvasive diagnostic methods. METHODS This study features 38 patients diagnosed with WS. In addition to physical examination, electrocardiography, and echocardiography, computed tomography (CT) angiography and rest/dipyridamole stress technetium-99m sestamibi ((99m)Tc-sestamibi) single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS) were performed. RESULTS Twenty-one (55%) patients were male; 17 (45%) were female. The average patient age was 12 ± 5 years (2.5-26 years); the average follow-up period was 7.2 ± 4.2 years (6 months-18 years). Cardiovascular abnormalities were found in 89% of patients, the most common one being supravalvar aortic stenosis (SVAS). CT angiography revealed coronary anomalies in 10 (26%) patients, the most common ones being ectasia of the left main coronary artery and proximal right coronary artery as well as myocardial bridging. SVAS was present in 80% of patients with coronary artery anomalies. (99m)Tc-sestamibi SPECT MPS revealed findings possibly consistent with myocardial ischemia in 29% of patients, and ischemia in 7 out of 10 patients (70%) with coronary anomalies shown on CT angiography (p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS Coronary artery abnormalities are relatively common in WS patients and are often accompanied by SVAS. CT angiography and dipyridamole (99m)Tc-sestamibi SPECT MPS seem to be less invasive methods of detecting coronary artery anomalies and myocardial perfusion defects in WS patients.
A performance study of ATM multicast switch with different traffics

The demand of multicast service In ATM network such as video teleconferencing, broadband telephony and large file transfer makes the multicast switch very important. The multicast switch is needed to multicast an input cell to a number of selected output or broadcast it to all outputs. Since the cell loss and delay will decrease the performance of an ATM multicast switch, it should be designed so that the degradation is minimised. Hence, to improve the performance, which is characterised by cell loss probability and mean cell delay, this thesis proposes a new architecture of a multicast switch. In this thesis, the traffic is classified into three categories with different requirements: real-time, near real-time and non real-time. Since the real-time cell is very sensitive to delay, it is given the first priority to be served. Near real-time cell can tolerate a small delay while the non real-time cell is less sensitive to delay. Hence, the arriving cells of those traffic can be buffered to wait their tum to be transmitted. Two buffering schemes which respectively realise the buffer of near real-time and non real-time cell are implemented: First In First Out with Ordinary Blocking (FIFO-BL) and First In First Out (FIFO). To achieve a better performance, Largest Queue First Serve (LQFS) as a scheduling algorithm is implemented. The proposed architecture with the above buffering schemes and traffic classes is studied by developing appropriate simulation models. Subsequently, the effect of arrival rate, immediate rate, requested copy number, buffer size and RealTC rate on the switch performance are studied quantitatively and qualitatively. It is concluded that the proposed architecture can support the future different multimedia traffic types, where cell loss probability and delay requirement will be the main factors.
Correlations and Hyper-Correlations

Recent developments in quantum information allow for a new understanding of quantum correlations. The aim of this paper is to physically explain why quantum mechanics obeys a stronger bond than the non-sig- naling requirement or alternatively why it obeys a principle of information causality. It is shown that a physical theory violating the quantum bond allows for correlations between settings while quantum mechanics only allows for correlations between possible outcomes. In fact, correlations between settings would violate the protocols used in quantum cryptography. The conclusion is that information codification is a local operation and quantum mechanics sets the general conditions for information exchanging in our universe since it satisfies and saturates the bond that is imposed by the principle of information causality, and in so doing it also sets specific constraints on both the possible interdependencies and the possible interactions (also causal interconnections) in our universe.
When Borch's Theorem Does Not Apply: Some Key Implications of Market Incompleteness, with Policy Relevance Today

Markets are incomplete when the assets available to the agents do not span the space of future contingencies. Efficiency is then assessed by the weak criterion of "constrained efficiency" (efficiency relative to the set of allocations compatible with the asset structure). That criterion requires firms to optimise relative to shadow-prices reflecting shareholders’ preferences. Yet, even when firms do so, competitive equilibria on the markets for assets and commodities fail (generically) to be constrained efficient (section 3). Pareto-superior allocations can be implemented through price/wage rigidities and quantity constraints (section 4). But nominal rigidities are conducive to multiple equilibria, implying endogenous macroeconomic uncertainties that compound the primitive (exogenous) uncertainties (section 5). Various policy implications can be drawn, which are of some relevance to the current crisis.
Enrichment of polyunsaturated fatty acids from seal oil through urea adduction and the fatty acids change rules during the process

Funding information International S&T Cooperation Program of China, Grant/Award Number: 2014DFA32880; Key Research and Development Project of Zhejiang Province, Grant/Award Number: 2017C03041 Abstract The seal oil is a good resource of x-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Besides being rich in EPA and DHA, it also contains a synergism factor-DPA. Urea adduction is a method that is widely used for the concentration of x-3 PUFA. The aim of this work was to optimize the concentration conditions (urea/oil ratio, crystallization temperature, and time) for EPA, DPA, and DHA by response surface method and study the change rules of fatty acids during the process. The results showed that the optimal conditions for the enrichment was at 2.38:1 urea/FAEE ratio (w/w) upon crystallization at 15 8C for 2.5 hr. The concentration and recovery were 71.35 and 82.31%, respectively, under the optimal conditions. EPA was more easily to be entrapped into the urea than DPA and DHA. SFA (C14:0, C16:0) can be completely removed by urea adduction, while the urea adduction has limited effect on reducing the content of MUFA (C16:1, C18:1, and C20:1). It is necessary to take other methods to remove it.
Chemokine growth-regulated-α: a possible role in the pathogenesis of endometriosis

Endometriosis is a common disease in women at reproductive age. We investigated the concentration of neutrophil-activating factor (growth-regulated gene-α; GRO-α) (a member of the chemokine family), in peritoneal fluid of infertile women with or without endometriosis. Peritoneal fluid was obtained laparoscopically from 22 women with and 21 without visible endometriotic lesions. GRO-α concentration was measured by the use of an ELISA kit. Median concentration of GRO-α was 87.65 ± 56.19 pg/ml in the study group and 60.72 ± 11.98 pg/ml in the control group. The distribution of data differed from normal, therefore logarithmic transformation of data was performed. Concentration of GRO-α was significantly higher in the peritoneal fluid of women with endometriosis when compared with controls (p = 0.05). No correlation between concentration of GRO-α, stage of endometriosis, duration of infertility or sex steroid hormone levels was found. The study shows that GRO-α may play a role in the pathogenesis of endometriosis, possibly by chemoattraction and activation of neutrophils present in higher numbers in the peritoneal fluid of women with endometriosis. It is also feasible that the angiogenic properties of GRO-α might prompt the progression of endometriotic lesions.
MOVEMENTS OF BLUEFIN TUNA (THUNNUS THYNNUS L.) TAGGED IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA WITH POP-UP SATELLITE TAGS

,SUMMARY Although there have been several studies of the migratory movements of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus, L.) between the Western and Eastern Atlantic, the two-stock hypothesis remains untested and exchange rates are still unidentified. TUNASAT, an EU-funded research programme involving Italy, Spain, Greece and the UK, which was carried out during the threeyear period 1998-2000 in the Mediterranean Sea and the Strait of Gibraltar, and a subsequent tagging program funded by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Policies, which was carried out during 2003 in the Eastern Mediterranean, aimed to better understand this problem. Both bluefin tuna tagging programs were executed using pop-up satellite tags. Results from both tagging programs indicated that adults < 100 kg remain in Mediterranean after spawning and feed in areas of high primary productivity, as indicated by SeaWiFS satellite data for chlorophyll-a concentration. After spawning large bluefin 150-230 kg migrate into the eastern North Atlantic, either south towards the Cape Verde Islands or north to Iceland and the Norwegian Sea. Some large bluefin move to and fro between the Alboran Sea and Atlantic, feeding on both sides of the Strait of Gibraltar. No evidence of transatlantic movement was observed.
Comments on some of Britain’s oldest microfossils

A critical re-appraisal of some reports of British Precambrian microfossils illustrates potential pitfalls in describing Precambrian microbiotas. The Ceinwen and Llanddwyn Spilitic Formation of the Gwna Group contains convincing filamentous microfossils, but a report of acanthomorph arcitarchs has not yet been confirmed. Although the Diabaig Formation of the Torridon Group is known to be abundantly fossiliferous, a report based on S.E. M. without thin section control is rejected. Chert pebbles from the Applecross Formation of the Torridon Group do not contain convincing microfossils. They are contaminated by fungi and contain abiogenic structures which resemble cells and tissues. Reports of diagnostic Middle Riphean microfossils from the Blackbrook Formation and the Maplewell Group of the Charnian and the Buxton Rock of the Longmyndian await confirmation.
Interactive comment on “Uncertainties in isoprene photochemistry and emissions: implications for the oxidative capacity of past and present atmospheres and for trends in climate forcing agents”

General Comments The work presented in this manuscript builds on the model study from Murray et al (2014) to explore the model space around the tropospheric oxidative capacity of the atmosphere using modeled conditions during specific time slices from the LGM, preindustrial, and present day. The authors apply three chemistry schemes and two CO2 sensitivities based on recent advances in our understanding of isoprene emissions and photochemistry.
Factors Related to Depression Among Latina Immigrant Mothers

Latinos account for 16.3 percent (50.5 million) of the total U.S. population, for more than half of the total growth of the U.S. population in the last decade (Humes, Jones, and Ramirez, 2011), and halting, and in some cases reversing, the gradual population decline in pockets of rural America (Kandel and Cromatie, 2004). However, as the Latino population has grown, so has the prevalence of poverty (21.5% in 2000; 26.6% in 2010) (DeNavas-Walt C, Proctor BD, and Smith, 2011) and food insecurity (21.8% in 2000; 26.2% in 2010) (Nord, Andrews and Carlson, 2011; Coleman-Jensen, Nord and Carlson , 2010), both of which compromise mental health (Slopen, Fitzmaurice, Williams, and Gilman, 2010). Despite these statistics, little attention has been focused on the mental health of Latinos, including the prevalence of depression.
Control and optimization of a DC-DC converter for thermoelectric generators

The internal combustion engine is of fundamental importance for individual mobility. The demand for internal combustion engines increases in relation to population growth and fuel consumption. At present, alternative drive concepts using sustainable energies only play a secondary role in mobility. Consequently, the governments enact laws to determine more restrictive emission limit values, thereby aiming to reduce toxic emissions and fossil fuel consumption. To reach those limit values, the efficiency of the internal combustion engine must be increased. In contrast to the combustion process itself, the thermal loss of the waste gas from the internal combustion engine has a high potential to increase the efficiency and to reduce toxic emissions. Thermoelectric generators can be used to directly convert thermal energy into electrical energy. For that reason, thermoelectric generators are a suitable technology to recover thermal losses. The recovered energy can be used to relieve the alternator of the on-board power supply. However, to link the energy from thermoelectric generators to the on-board power supply, the voltage potential must be matched. This can be realized with DC-DC converters. In order to avoid unnecessary losses of energy conversion, different DC-DC converter topologies need to be analyzed. In this thesis, a loss model is presented, which enables to analyze and evaluate the losses of the electrical components of DC-DC converters. An experimental prototype was developed and used to verify this loss model. Changes of the operation points of an internal combustion engine present a challenge for the integration of thermoelectric generators with DC-DC converters. The voltage potential of thermoelectric generators depends on the engine’s operation point. To compensate for the changes in the voltage potential of the thermoelectric generators, DC-DC converters must be controlled. Furthermore, the aim of the controller is to track the maximum power of a thermoelectric generator and to link the power to the on-board power supply. Therefore, a maximum-power-point-tracking controller with a cascade controller was designed. The analytically designed controller was verified by an experiment. Finally, the wiring of separated thermoelectric modules of a generator was analyzed to increase the efficiency of the whole thermoelectric generator. Based on this optimization, the potential for saving fuel and CO2 emissions of an internal combustion engine using thermoelectric generators is simulated.
ppGpp is Present in and Functions to Regulate Sleep in Drosophila

Sleep is essential for animals, and receives inputs from circadian, homeostasis, and environment, yet the mechanisms of sleep regulation remain elusive. Discovery of molecules in living systems and demonstration of their functional roles are pivotal in furthering our understanding of the molecular basis of biology. Here we report that ppGpp (guanosine-5’-diphosphate, 3’-diphosphate), a molecule that has been detected in prokaryotes for more than five decades, is present in Drosophila, and plays an important role in regulation of sleep and SISL (starvation induced sleep loss). ppGpp is detected in germ-free Drosophila and hydrolyzed by an enzyme encoded by the mesh1 gene in Drosophila. Nighttime sleep and SISL were defected in mesh1 mutant flies, and rescued by expression of wildtype Mesh1, but not the enzymatically defective mutant Mesh1E66A. Ectopic expression of RelA, the E. coli synthetase for ppGpp, phenocopied mesh1 knockout mutants, whereas overexpression of Mesh1 resulted in the opposite phenotypes, supporting that ppGpp is both necessary and sufficient in sleep regulation. A chemoconnectomic screen followed by genetic intersection experiments implicate the Dilp2 neurons in the pars intercerebralis (PI) brain region as the site of ppGpp function. Our results have thus supported that ppGpp is present in animals after long lag since its discovery in bacteria, and revealed a physiological role of ppGpp in sleep regulation for the first time.
Buffer zones and water quality protection: general principles

Riparian buffer zones (RBZ) improve water quality in different ways depending upon the pathway of delivery of water to the RBZ. Groundwater passing through the RBZ may be cleansed of nitrate and acidity due to a combination of denitrification, biostorage and changes in soil composition. Overland storm flows entering laterally from the uplands may be cleansed of suspended particulates, with adhering nutrients, inorganic toxins, and pesticides, as well as some dissolved nutrients and toxins. Sometimes these overland flows will also infiltrate within the RBZ and become a part of the groundwater, thus also obtaining the benefits associated with groundwaters in the RBZ. During stream flooding events, waters flooding out into the RBZ may also be cleansed of sediments, nutrients and toxic materials as a result of particulate trapping and the binding of materials on the leaf litter and soils within the RBZ. The RBZ is also an important source to the stream of high quality dissolved and particulate organic matter which is delivered both vertically and laterally. Forested RBZs also provide shade and evaporative cooling to streams, maintaining lower summertime temperatures critical to some biota. Factors which limit the effectiveness of the functions can be divided into internal and external. Factors external to the RBZ include watershed area and gradient, stream channel morphology, soil mineralogy and texture, bedrock type and depth, and climate. Factors internal to the RBZ include width and type of vegetation, waterlogging and organic content of soils, hydraulic conductivity, soil nutrient content and geochemistry. These water quality functions of RBZs and the factors which limit their effectiveness in various settings are reviewed from the world literature.
Is the Market for Digital Privacy a Failure?

Why do many digital firms rely on collecting consumer information–a practice that survey evidence shows is widely disliked? Why don’t they, instead, charge a fee that would protect privacy? This paper empirically adjudicates between two competing hypotheses. The first holds that firms pursue this strategy because consumers are ill-informed and thus susceptible to exploitation. The second holds that this strategy reasonably approximates consumer preferences. By means of survey, I test a. ) the extent of information asymmetry in digital markets, b. ) consumers’ valuation of privacy, and c. ) whether government failure contributes to consumer mistrust of information collection. My results indicate that a. ) the extent of information asymmetry is minimal, b. ) there is significant divergence between “notional” and “real” demand for privacy and c. ) that government contributes to consumer distrust of information collection by private firms. Significantly, almost 85% of Google users are unwilling to pay anything for increased digital privacy.
Back-arc basin assemblages in Kohistan, Northern Pakistan

AbstractThe east central part of the Kohistan magmatic arc is made up principally of the Jaglot Group. From bottom to top it consists of I) paragneisses and schists intercalated with amphibolites and calc-silicates (Gilgit Formation), II) Gashu-Confluence Volcanics (GCV) and III) the Thelichi Formation comprising a volcanic base (Majne volcanics) and turbidites, marble, volcanoclastic sediments and lava flows. Metamorphic grade varies up to the sillimanite zone. The GCV are correlated with the Chalt volcanics and the Thelichi Formation with the Yasin Group. Other lithologies include the Chilas Complex, the Kohistan Batholith and part of the Kamila Amphibolite. Metavolcanics show a broad range in chemical composition. Geochemical parameters used to specify the tecto-nomagmatic regime suggest affinities of both island arc and MORB-like back-arc basin basalts. Kohistan can be divided into three tectonic zones, I) the southern (Kamila) zone comprises amphibolitized basalts, and mafic and ultramafic rocks, II).