Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
FGF23 in kidney transplant: the strange case of Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde

During the last decade, a new view into the molecular mechanisms of chronic kidney disease-mineral bone disorder (CKD-MBD) has been proposed, with fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) as a novel player in the field. Enhanced serum FGF23 levels cause a reduction in serum phosphate, together with calcitriol suppression and consequent hyperparathyroidism (HPT). In contrast, reduced serum FGF23 levels are associated with hyperphosphatemia, higher calcitriol levels and parathyroid hormone (PTH) suppression. In addition, serum FGF23 levels are greatly increased and positively correlated with serum phosphate levels in CKD patients. In this population, high serum FGF23 concentration seems to predict the occurrence of refractory secondary HPT and to be associated with higher mortality risk in incident haemodialysis patients. In living-donor kidney transplant recipients, a faster normalization of FGF23 and phosphate levels with a lower prevalence of HPT, may be considered a major pathway to investigate.
Comparison of tactical behaviour and performance of youth soccer players in 3v3 and 5v5 small-sided games

Soccer is a predominantly tactical sport and tactical skills are particularly important for enhancing performance, since the actions are unpredictable, thus forcing players to constantly adapt to the situations. Our aim is to compare the tactical behaviour and performance of soccer players in 3v3 and 5v5 small-sided games (SSGs). The sample comprised 10 U-11 youth soccer players who performed 1,563 tactical actions in both 3v3 and 5v5 SSGs. We used the System of tactical assessment in Soccer (FUT-SAT) to assess players’ tactical behaviour and performance. Descriptive analyses were performed Shapiro-Wilk normality test was conducted T-test for repeated measures and Wilcoxon test were used to compare data between both situations (P<0.05). Significant differences were found in all categories of variables except in the category Tactical Performance Index (TPI). Players performed considerably more frequently the principles of Penetration and Delay in 3v3 and Offensive Unity and Balance in 5v5 SSGs. We concluded that while players’ tactical performance has not changed, 3v3 and 5v5 demand different tactical behaviour from the players. These data can contribute to practice since coaches should take into account the changes in tactical behaviour when considering the number of players in soccer SSGs during training sessions.
Tracking natural trails with swarm‐based visual saliency

This paper proposes a model for trail detection and tracking that builds upon the observation that trails are salient structures in the robot's visual field. Due to the complexity of natural environments, the straightforward application of bottom‐up visual saliency models is not sufficiently robust to predict the location of trails. As for other detection tasks, robustness can be increased by modulating the saliency computation based on a priori knowledge about which pixel‐wise visual features are most representative of the object being sought. This paper proposes the use of the object's overall layout as the primary cue instead, as it is more stable and predictable in natural trails. Bearing in mind computational parsimony and detection robustness, this knowledge is specified in terms of perception‐action rules, which control the behavior of simple agents performing as a swarm to compute the saliency map of the input image. For the purpose of tracking, multiframe evidence about the trail location is obtained with a motion‐compensated dynamic neural field. In addition, to reduce ambiguity between the trail and trail‐like distractors, a simple appearance model is learned online and used to influence the agents' activity. Experimental results on a large data set reveal the ability of the model to produce a success rate on the order of 97% at 20 Hz. The model is shown to be robust in situations where previous models would fail, such as when the trail does not emerge from the lower part of the image or when it is considerably interrupted. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The gut-brain axis: Impact of a probiotic intervention on neurocognitive measures of emotion and cognitive control

The human gut microbiome plays a key role in human well-being. Specifically, differences have been found between the gut microbiome compositions of healthy individuals compared with patient groups suffering from affective psychiatric disorders. Research has indicated that probiotics can have beneficial effects on the gut microbiome and its functioning as well as on the brain. In the present study we investigated the effects of a multispecies probiotic on neurocognitive measures of emotion and cognitive control. We were interested in whether the effects of a probiotic intervention can extend beyond effects on affective measures and associated brain regions, also including cognitive control (of emotion). Analyses were carried out on a first, small subset of participants (n = 11) who were divided into a placebo (n = 5) and a probiotic group (n = 6). In this study all participants were healthy women (mean age 23.3 years) with a body mass index (BMI) ranging from 19.2 – 24.8. The study consisted of two measurement points separated by a four-week probiotic vs. placebo intervention. In this preliminary study we did not find significant effects of the probiotic intervention on the brain. However, on exploratory thresholds, findings indicated an effect of the probiotic intervention on the amygdala during emotion regulation as well as on lateral frontal regions during general cognitive control processes, in line with our hypotheses. From these preliminary results we can conclude that probiotic effects tend to extend beyond modulating affective processes, also tending to affect prefrontal cortex and associated cognitive control processes.
Cardiac Sources of Embolism in Patients With Pial Artery Infarcts and Lacunar Lesions

Background and Purpose On the assumption that the majority of lacunes are caused by small‐vessel diseases and that pial artery infarcts arise from cardioembolic or large‐vessel diseases, 194 patients from the Berlin Cerebral Ischemia Data Bank with either lacunar or pial artery infarcts were analyzed for the frequency of cardiac sources of embolism. The primary hypothesis was that the frequency of cardiac sources of embolism is higher among pial artery infarct subjects. Methods The presence of cardiac sources of embolism was estimated by electrocardiographic and transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiographic studies. Cranial computed tomography scans were evaluated by two masked observers. Results The overall rate of cardiac sources of embolism did not differ significantly between the lacunar and the pial artery infarct group (66% versus 71%; odds ratio, 0.80; confidence interval, 0.43 to 1.50). Echocardiographic evidence of cardiac thrombi was positively associated with pial artery infarcts (odds ratio, 0.18; confidence interval, 0.04 to 0.80); atrial fibrillation and all other cardiac sources were not. Conclusions Left cardiac thrombi are significantly associated with pial artery infarcts. Other presumed cardiac sources of embolism, including atrial fibrillation, may often represent coincidental findings or have a less strong tendency to result in pial artery infarcts. (Stroke. 1994;25:776‐781.)
On the Adaptation of Arbitrary Normal Mutation Distributions in Evolution Strategies: The Generating Set Adaptation

A new adaptation scheme for adapting arbitrary normal mutation distributions in evolution strategies is introduced. It can adapt correct scaling and correlations between object parameters. Furthermore, it is independent of any rotation of the objective function and reliably adapts mutation distributions corresponding to hyperellipsoids with high axis ratio. In simulations, the generating set adaptation is compared to two other schemes which also can produce non axis-parallel mutation ellipsoids. It turns out to be the only adaptation scheme which is completely independent of the chosen coordinate system.
Motivation, Emotion, Learning Experience, and Second Language Comprehensibility Development in Classroom Settings: A Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Study

This study presents a cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis of how 108 high school students in English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) classrooms enhanced the comprehensibility of their second language (L2) speech according to different motivation, emotion and experience profiles. Overall, the students’ learning patterns were primarily associated with their emotional states (anxiety vs. enjoyment), and secondarily with their motivational dispositions (clear vision of ideal future selves). The students’ anxiety (together with weaker Ideal L2 Self) negatively related to their performance at the beginning of the project which they had achieved after several years of EFL instruction. Their enjoyment (together with greater Ideal L2 Self) predicted the extent to which they practiced and developed their L2 speech within the time framework of the project—three months. The results suggest that more regular/frequent L2 use with positive emotions directly impacts acquisition, which may in turn lead to the lessening of negative emotions and better L2 proficiency in the long run.
Assessing movement imagery ability: Self-report questionnaires vs. performance-based tests

This study was designed to compare the relevance of self-report questionnaires and performance-based tests to assess movement imagery ability in sports. Participants included elite and novice athletes, from fencing, judo and wrestling, who completed a self-report, the Movement Imagery Questionnaire – Revised (MIQ-R; Hall & Martin, 1997), and two performance-based tests, the Movement Imagery Specific Test (MIST), and the Mental Rotation Test (MRT; Vandenberg & Kuse, 1978). There was no significant effect of the expertise variable on the MIQ-R performance, although the results yielded a positive effect of expertise on the MIST and on the MRT. Besides, results showed no correlations between the MIQ-R and the MIST, or between the MIQ-R and the MRT. However, we found a correlation between the MIST and the MRT. These findings are in line with research dissociating imagery measured by self-reports and spatial ability assessed through performance-based tests, and are discussed in terms of their implication in using self-report questionnaires in experimental psychology in general, and to assess movement imagery ability in sports in particular.
Generalised exchange orientation : a new construct and its antecedents and consequences

Although generalised exchange has been considered to be a key ingredient of organisational social capital, it has attracted limited attention in the organisational behaviour (OB) literature. Drawing upon studies of generalised exchange in a wide range of social science disciplines and social exchange research in the OB literature, I aim to answer a key question about generalised exchange: why do some people and not others engage in generalised exchange? In this thesis, I propose that the rule of collective reciprocity is the fundamental regulating mechanism of generalised exchange and introduce the concept of generalised exchange orientation (GEO) – individuals’ beliefs in favour of the rule – as an individual characteristic that motivates individuals to engage in generalised exchange. I create a theoretical framework on the antecedents and consequences of GEO and conduct three empirical studies to examine the propositions. In the first study, I develop and validate scales to measure GEO and orientations to other forms of social exchange. The results support the new scales’ validity and their measurement invariance between the United States and Japan. The second study is to analyse the antecedents of GEO and indicates that task interdependence and depersonalised trust promote GEO over time. The third study involves analysing the impact of GEO on knowledge-sharing behaviours on an in-house online platform, and it shows that GEO promotes the behaviours, moderated by organisational identification. This evidence unpacks the micro-foundations of the occurrence of generalised exchange in organisations and provide insights into the development of individual orientation towards generalised exchange. Theoretical and practical implications will be discussed.
An Exploratory Multilevel Analysis of Pedestrian Frisks in Philadelphia

The City of Philadelphia has faced significant litigation related to racial and ethnic disparities in stop-and-frisk practices. The Philadelphia Police Department has made much of its stop-and-frisk data publicly available in the name of transparency and to facilitate independent investigation (the data describe over 350,000 pedestrian stops with over 45,000 pedestrian frisks for 2014–2015). The current analysis made use of this public data set to explore whether the individual-level relationship between Black racial classification and being subjected to a frisk can be explained by associated neighborhood-level factors such as the violent crime rate. Additionally, the present analysis examined whether variation in the violent crime rate is similarly related to the likelihood of being frisked in predominantly Black versus non-Black areas and whether area racial composition affects the likelihood that an officer’s decision to frisk will be supported with uncovered contraband. The results were consistent with theories of neighborhood racial stigma. In particular, the violent crime rate was a significantly weaker predictor of being frisked in Black areas, and, net of a variety of factors at the individual and neighborhood levels, Black citizens and Black places experienced a disproportionate amount of frisks where no contraband was found or arrest made.
Stellar Populations of Dwarf Elliptical Galaxies: UBVRI Photometry of Dwarf Elliptical Galaxies in the Virgo Cluster

We present UBVRI surface photometry for 16 dwarf elliptical galaxies in the Virgo Cluster with previously measured kinematic properties. The global optical colors are red, with median values for the sample of 0.24 ± 0.03 in U - B, 0.77 ± 0.02 in B - V, and 1.02 ± 0.03 in V - I. We recover the well-known color-magnitude relation for cluster galaxies but find no significant difference in dominant stellar population between rotating and nonrotating dwarf elliptical galaxies; the average age of the dominant stellar population is 5–7 Gyr in all 16 galaxies in this sample. Analysis of optical spectra confirm these age estimates and indicate Fe and Mg abundances in the range of 1/20 to one-third of solar, as expected for low-luminosity galaxies. Based on Lick indices and simple stellar population models, the derived [α/Fe] ratios are subsolar to solar, indicating a more gradual chemical enrichment history for dE's as compared with giant elliptical galaxies in the Virgo Cluster. These observations confirm the marked difference in stellar population and stellar distribution between dwarf and giant elliptical galaxies and further substantiate the need for alternative evolutionary scenarios for the lowest mass cluster galaxies. We argue that it is likely that several different physical mechanisms played a significant role in the production of the Virgo Cluster dE galaxies including in situ formation, infall of dE's that were once part of Local Group analogs, and transformation of dwarf irregular galaxies by the cluster environment. The observations support the hypothesis that a large fraction of the Virgo Cluster dE's are formed by ram pressure stripping of gas from infalling dI's.
Effectiveness comparison of endoscopic methods of non-varicose upper gastrointestinal bleeding treatment

Introduction In every case of upper gastrointestinal bleeding suspicion, an endoscopic examination ought to be performed as a matter of urgency. Finding active bleeding, a visible non-bleeding vessel or a lesion with an adherent clot should be followed by application of an available method of endoscopic therapy. The aim of the study was to compare the effectiveness of various endoscopic treatment techniques such as epinephrine injections, coagulation methods and mechanical methods in the treatment of non-varicose upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Material and methods Sixty cases of non-varicose upper gastrointestinal bleeding were analysed in terms of the effectiveness of the above-mentioned procedures used in monotherapy or in combination therapy comprising epinephrine injections and clips application. The choice of the applied procedure depended on morphological features and location of the bleeding source, the patient's general condition, as well as technical equipment and manual skills of the endoscopy staff. Results The study confirmed the effectiveness of endoscopic treatment of non-varicose upper gastrointestinal bleeding applying the above-mentioned methods. In most patients, this treatment enabled traumatic surgical intervention to be avoided; it was required in only 3 (5%) out of 60 patients with confirmed upper gastrointestinal bleeding. With the first endoscopy, haemostasis was achieved in 47 cases (78.3%) and the second endoscopy, performed due to bleeding recurrence, was successful in the remaining 10 cases (16.7%). Conclusions In non-varicose upper gastrointestinal bleeding, urgent diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy should be the first-line management. If the lesion that is the source of bleeding is possible to localize, the endoscopic techniques should be applied. Among the endoscopic procedures used in monotherapy, clips appeared to be the most effective, their effectiveness being comparable to combination therapy. In bleeding from extensive lesions, coagulation methods are considered to be the most efficacious.
Title: Post-mortem Genetic Analysis in Juvenile Cases of Sudden Cardiac Death

This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. 1 Highlights 1 Molecular autopsy should be implemented in forensic protocols 2 Nearly 40% of sudden death young cases carry a cardiac potentially pathogenic variant 3 It is crucial to undertake a careful genetic analysis in a clinical context 4 Genetic analyses help to identify relatives at risk of sudden death Post-mortem genetic analysis in juvenile cases of sudden cardiac death 6 7 Short Title: Genetic analysis in a forensic juvenile cohort 8 9 Authors 10
Gender at work: Productivity and incentives

This paper analyses the relationship between workers’ gender and monetary incentives in an experimental setting based on a double-tournament scheme. The participants must choose between a piece-rate payment or a performance prize. The results show that women tend to shy away from competition, and are less sensitive than men to the monetary incentives of the tournament. In addition the tournament scheme induces males, but not women, to signal their ability and to select the contract which is more profitable for them.
The Effect of Teaching Reading Comprehension Strategies on Iraqi EFL College Students' Performance in Reading Comprehension

The present study aims at investigating the effect of teaching reading comprehension strategies on Iraqi EFL College learners’ reading comprehension performance and on the development of their reading comprehension strategies use . To fulfill the purposes of this study, 40 first-year students were chosen to be the sample of the present study. Twenty students were enrolled in an experimental group that received instruction on reading comprehension strategies. The other twenty students were enrolled in a control group, which was taught reading by the use of the conventional way of teaching reading comprehension. The findings after instruction indicate that the experimental group subjects' performance in reading comprehension has been found to be better than that of the control group subjects on the reading comprehension post-test and that the experimental group subjects show statistically significant increases in the use of reading strategies on the post-administration of the reading comprehension strategies survey. On the basis of the results obtained , it is recommended that reading comprehension strategies should be an integral part of reading instruction courses at the college level.
A computational study of metal-contacts to beyond-graphene 2D semiconductor materials

Among various 2D materials, monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) with intrinsic band gaps (1.1-2.2 eV) are considered as promising candidates for next generation electronics. For applicability of these novel materials as transistors, a comprehensive understanding of metal contacts to them is an absolute necessity, which is lacking at present. In this paper, we report a systematic study of metal-TMD contacts with different geometries (end-contacts and side-contacts) by ab-initio density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Particularly, contacts between Au, Pd, In or Ti, and monolayer MoS2 or WSe2 are studied, respectively, including optimized geometries, partial density of states (PDOS), electron densities and effective potentials. Among the side-contacts to MoS2, Ti shows the potential to form the best contacts, while for WSe2 side-contacts, Pd exhibits the most advantages. We also find that end-contacts can be highly advantageous compared to side-contacts due to strong overlap of electron orbitals, absence of Schottky barriers and small tunnel barriers. Our modeling and simulation framework and results provide guidelines for novel 2D semiconductor device design and fabrication.
Bridging qualitative and quantitative approaches to religion

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Manage Risks through the Enterprise Architecture

The goal of Risk Management activities is to define prevention and control mechanisms to address the risks attached to specify activities and valuable assets. Many Risk Management efforts operate in silos with narrowly focused, functionally driven, and disjointed activities. That fact leads to a fragmented view of risks, where each activity uses its own language, customs and metrics. The lack of interconnection and holistic view of risks limits an organization-wide perception of risks, where interdependent risks are not anticipated, controlled or managed. In order to address the Risk Management interoperability and standardization issues, this paper proposes an alignment between Risk Management, Governance and Enterprise Architecture activities, providing a systematic support to map and trace identified risks to enterprise artifacts modeled within the Enterprise Architecture, supporting the overall strategy of any organization. We discuss the main relationships between Risk Management and Enterprise Architecture and propose an architecture to integrate risks concerns into the overall organization environment.