Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Strength, Speed and Power Characteristics of Elite Rugby League Players

Abstract de Lacey, J, Brughelli, ME, McGuigan, MR, and Hansen, KT. Strength, Speed and power characteristics of elite rugby league players. J Strength Cond Res 28(8): 2372–2375, 2014—The purpose of this article was to compare strength, speed, and power characteristics between playing position (forwards and backs) in elite rugby league players. A total of 39 first team players (height, 183.8 ± 5.95 cm; body mass, 100.3 ± 10.7 kg; age, 24 ± 3 years) from a National Rugby League club participated in this study. Testing included 10-, 40-m sprint times, sprint mechanics on an instrumented nonmotorized treadmill, and concentric isokinetic hip and knee extension and flexion. Backs, observed to have significantly (p ⩽ 0.05) lighter body mass (effect size [ES] = 0.98), were significantly faster (10-m ES = 1.26; 40-m ES = 1.61) and produced significantly greater relative horizontal force and power (ES = 0.87 and 1.04) compared with forwards. However, no significant differences were found between forwards and backs during relative isokinetic knee extension, knee flexion, relative isokinetic hip extension, flexion, prowler sprints, sprint velocity, contact time, or flight time. The findings demonstrate that backs have similar relative strength in comparison with forwards, but run faster overground and produce significantly greater relative horizontal force and power when sprinting on a nonmotorized instrumented treadmill. Developing force and power in the horizontal direction may be beneficial for improving sprint performance in professional rugby league players.
Potential Applications of the Oxidoreductive Enzymes in the Decolorization and Detoxification of Textile and Other Synthetic Dyes from Polluted Water: A Review

ABSTRACT Recently, the enzymatic approach has attracted much interest in the decolorization/degradation of textile and other industrially important dyes from wastewater as an alternative strategy to conventional chemical, physical and biological treatments, which pose serious limitations. Enzymatic treatment is very useful due to the action of enzymes on pollutants even when they are present in very dilute solutions and recalcitrant to the action of various microbes participating in the degradation of dyes. The potential of the enzymes (peroxidases, manganese peroxidases, lignin peroxidases, laccases, microperoxidase-11, polyphenol oxidases, and azoreductases) has been exploited in the decolorization and degradation of dyes. Some of the recalcitrant dyes were not degraded/decolorized in the presence of such enzymes. The addition of certain redox mediators enhanced the range of substrates and efficiency of degradation of the recalcitrant compounds. Several redox mediators have been reported in the literature, but very few of them are frequently used (e.g., 1-hydroxybenzotriazole, veratryl alcohol, violuric acid, 2-methoxy-phenothiazone). Soluble enzymes cannot be exploited at the large scale due to limitations such as stability and reusability. Therefore, the use of immobilized enzymes has significant advantages over soluble enzymes. In the near future, technology based on the enzymatic treatment of dyes present in the industrial effluents/wastewater will play a vital role. Treatment of wastewater on a large scale will also be possible by using reactors containing immobilized enzymes.
Philosophy of Mathematics: 5 Questions

In 1977, when I was nine years old, Doubleday released Asimov on Numbers, a collection of essays that had first appeared in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction and Fantasy column. My mother, recognizing my penchant for science fiction and mathematics, bought me a copy as soon as it hit the bookstores. The essays covered topics such as number systems, combinatorial curiosities, imaginary numbers, and π. I was especially taken, however, by an essay titled “Varieties of the infinite,” which included a photograph and short biographical sketch of Georg Cantor, and a brief introduction to his theory of the infinite. Not long after, for my tenth birthday, my parents gave me a calculator. I had requested Texas Instruments’ model TI-30, but my father surprised me with an SR-40, which had essentially the same functionality but came with a rechargeable battery. I did not know what all the buttons did, but I soon learned, from the manual, how to convert degrees to radians, and how to calculate the height of a flagpole from the length of its shadow and angle of inclination at the shadow’s tip. This calculator instantly became one of my favorite toys. What struck me about mathematics, at this early age, was this strange juxtaposition of fantasy and hard-nosed reality. It wasn’t just that wild notions of the infinite and no-nonsense calculation could coexist within the same discipline; it was that they could be seen as complementary aspects of one and the same thing. When I was in elementary school and high school, “no-nonsense calculation” meant, for the most part, being able to write
Application of the Puck failure theory for fibre-reinforced composites under three-dimensional stress: Comparison with experimental results

This paper represents the authors’ contribution to Part B of the Second World-Wide Failure Exercise. The paper provides a comparison between the ‘blind’ theoretical predictions, based on Puck’s failure theory, and experimental data for 12 test cases, covering failure of isotropic material, unidirectional laminae and multi-directional laminates under three-dimensional states of stress. The theoretical and experimental results were, in general, in good agreement and no new calibration has been made to the predictions presented in Part A of WWFE-II. Some of the tubular specimens were re-analysed using finite element analysis and that shows that their shape had some effects on the correlation observed between the theory and the experiments. The paper has confirmed the applicability and the capability of the Puck failure criteria to deal with three-dimensional load cases. The paper highlighted the need to further develop physically-based extension of the theory to cater for some of the challenges associated with (a) modelling of large deformation and progressive damage under three-dimensional stresses and (b) closing the open envelopes under certain biaxial and triaxial stresses.
A comparison of functional MR activation patterns during silent and audible language tasks.

PURPOSE To compare word generation tasks performed silently and aloud as paradigms for functional MR. METHODS Images were obtained at 1.5 T, with echoplanar acquisition in nine subjects performing word generation aloud or silently. Functional images created from the echoplanar images by means of cross-correlation techniques were superimposed on anatomic reference images. The location of activation from the two tasks was tabulated; the number of activated pixels in each region from the two tasks was compared. RESULTS Both silent and aloud word generation produced activation in the inferior frontal lobes, sensorimotor cortex regions, supplementary motor areas, and anterior cingulate gyri, predominantly in the dominant hemisphere. Significantly more activated pixels and fewer artifacts were detected with silent word generation than with word generation aloud. CONCLUSION Word generation silently or aloud produce activation in the brain. Greater activation can be detected in the left frontal lobe with silent word generation, although the subject's performance of the task cannot be monitored independently during silent word generation.
Functional capacity of the residual lymphocytes from zinc-deficient adult mice

Zn deficiency has been shown to reduce host defence drastically. It was of interest to determine the capacity of the residual lymphocytes from Zn-deficient mice to proliferate and produce lymphokines in response to stimulation since there are many Zn-dependent metalloenzymes that might be altered by the deficiency. To address this question, young adult A/J mice were provided Zn-deficient or Zn-adequate diets or restricted amounts of a Zn-adequate diet for 30 d. Splenocytes from moderately or severely Zn- deficient adult A/J mice gave normal proliferative responses and generated adequate interleukin II (IL- 2) activity when stimulated with the mitogen Concanavalin A. However, splenocytes from deficient mice exhibited a higher degree of proliferation (about 150%) and production of IL-2 in response to foreign target cells compared with T-cells prepared from mice provided a Zn-adequate diet. B-cells from deficient mice stimulated in vivo with sheep erythrocytes produced fewer total numbers of plaque-forming cells (PFC) per spleen. Nevertheless, the proportion or number of PFC/106 viable splenocytes and the amounts of IgM and IgG antibody produced per PFC were equivalent to those of adequately-fed and restricted-fed controls. The previously described responses were not significantly affected by whether the level of Zn in the culture medium was adequate or limiting. Based on these tests it appeared that the residual splenic lymphocytes of Zn-deficient mice were able to carry out many fundamental immune processes.
Evaluation of white matter anisotropy in Krabbe disease with diffusion tensor MR imaging: initial experience.

PURPOSE To compare diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging with conventional T2-weighted imaging for evaluation of white matter changes in patients with Krabbe disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS In eight patients with Krabbe disease and eight age-matched control subjects, anisotropy maps were generated with diffusion tensor data by using echo-planar imaging with diffusion gradient encoding in six directions. Anisotropy maps and T2-weighted images were visually inspected. Relative anisotropy (RA) and normalized T2-weighted signal intensity in white matter tracts and gray matter nuclei were quantitatively compared between patients and controls (paired Student t test). RESULTS Loss of diffusion anisotropy appeared on anisotropy maps as areas of decreased hyperintensity in patients with Krabbe disease. Differences in RA between Krabbe disease patients and control subjects were significant in eight of nine white matter structures studied (P =.001-.01) and in basal ganglia (P =.04). T2-weighted signal intensity was also significantly different in the same white matter structures (P =.006-.049) but not in basal ganglia. In the three patients imaged after stem cell transplantation, mean RA was between the RAs of untreated patients and control subjects. CONCLUSION Diffusion tensor-derived anisotropy maps (a) provide a quantitative measure of abnormal white matter in patients with Krabbe disease, (b) are more sensitive than T2-weighted images for detecting white matter abnormality, and (c) may be a marker of treatment response.
Patterns of connections in rat visual cortex

The definition of visual areas is one of the central problems in visual cortex research. Rodent extrastriate cortex offers a striking example of the complexity of this issue, in that different parcelation schemes identify within it from 2 to as many as 13 separate visual areas. In the experiments reported here, patterns of connections within rat visual cortex were studied in an effort to better define its organizational layout. The experimental paradigm used consisted of the following steps: first, the pattern of callosal connections was revealed in vivo with the fluorescent tracer bisbenzimide. Then, using the callosal pattern as a landmark, single injections of WGA-HRP were placed at various sites in striate and extrastriate cortex. Subsequently, the relation between the tangential distribution of ipsilateral corticocortical connections, the callosal connections, and the borders of striate cortex were examined in the flattened cortex preparation. The experiments revealed widespread, patchy connections within rat visual cortex. These connections appeared to reflect 3 organizational trends. First, neighboring sites were more extensively connected than distant ones. Second, extrastriate sites receiving common striate cortex inputs tended to be interconnected. Finally, projections from opposite poles in striate cortex tended to form interdigitating patterns of connections in regions of overlap. Altogether these trends suggest that the extrastriate band adjoining striate cortex has a single, global map organization. However, within the global map, a clear modular organization was evident, which appeared to correspond to the multiple visuotopic representations reported for this region. Based on its location, and some organizational similarities. it is suggested that the global map may constitute the rat homolog of area V2 in cat and monkey.
Senescence and food limitation in a slowly ageing spider

Summary 1Evidence for reproductive senescence in invertebrate natural populations is scant probably because most groups are short-lived or because they lack natural markers of age. 2Lycosa tarantula (L.) (the Mediterranean Tarantula) (Araneae, Lycosidae) is a slowly ageing burrowing wolf spider, in which females can reproduce for two consecutive seasons. Females in their first reproductive season (1Y) can easily be distinguished from females in their second reproductive season (2Y) because the lack of pilosity in the latter. 3The diet of 1Y and 2Y females was supplemented and their reproductive performance was compared with that of control, non-food supplemented females. The predictions were that senescent 2Y females would show a worse reproductive performance than 1Y females, and that they would not be able to improve their performance relative to 1Y after food supplementation. 4The predictions were met. Older females gained less mass, laid smaller egg sacs, produced fewer spiderlings and, if food supplemented, invested a smaller fraction of their mass in egg sacs. Although 2Y females foraged less actively than younger females, 2Y did not improve their performance relative to 1Y following food supplementation. This pattern of changes provides evidence for reproductive senescence in a natural spider population.
Does the Contribution of Corporate Cash Holdings and Dividends to Firm Value Depend on Governance? A Cross‐country Analysis

Agency theories predict that the value of corporate cash holdings is less in countries with poor investor protection because of the greater ability of controlling shareholders to extract private benefits from cash holdings in such countries. Using various specifications of the valuation regressions of Fama and French (1998), we find that the relation between cash holdings and firm value is much weaker in countries with poor investor protection than in other countries. In further support of the importance of agency theories, the relation between dividends and firm value is weaker in countries with stronger investor protection.
Lidar‐Based Tree Recognition and Platform Localization in Orchards

We present an approach to tree recognition and localization in orchard environments for tree‐crop applications. The primary objective is to develop a pipeline for building detailed orchard maps and an algorithm to match subsequent lidar tree scans to the prior database, enabling correct data association for precision agricultural applications. Although global positioning systems (GPS) offer a simple solution, they are often unreliable in canopied environments due to satellite occlusion. The proposed method builds on the natural structure of the orchard. Lidar data are first segmented into individual trees using a hidden semi‐Markov model. Then a descriptor for representing the characteristics or appearance of each tree is introduced, allowing a hidden Markov model based matching method to associate new observations with an existing map of the orchard. The tree recognition method is evaluated on a 2.3 hectare section of an almond orchard in Victoria, Australia, over a period spanning 16 months, with a combined total of 17.5 scanned hectares and 26 kilometers of robot traversal. The results show an average matching performance of 86.8% and robustness both to segmentation errors and measurement noise. Near perfect recognition and localization (98.2%) was obtained for data sets taken one full year apart, where the seasonal variation of appearance is minimal.
Properties of flowable sand concretes reinforced by polypropylene fibers

This paper presents an experimental research on fresh and hardened properties of flowable sand concretes (FSC) reinforced by polypropylene fibers (PF). Tests were conducted on both plain and fiber-reinforced FSC. The fresh properties are tested for viscosity using a programmable DV-II + viscometer. For the physical and mechanical properties, drying shrinkage, flexural, and compressive strengths, as well as micro-structural analyses have been studied. Results indicate that all studied mixtures have a pseudo-plastic behavior in fresh state and can be well fitted using power law model. Results also confirmed that PF incorporation increases the viscosity and reduces free shrinkage of FSC. In terms of mechanical strength, results show that incorporating PF would enhance flexural strength. However, a reduction in compressive strength is observed.
The Carotenogenesis Pathway via the Isoprenoid-β-carotene Interference Approach in a New Strain of Dunaliella salina Isolated from Baja California Mexico

D. salina is one of the recognized natural sources to produce β-carotene, and an useful model for studying the role of inhibitors and enhancers of carotenogenesis. However there is little information in D. salina regarding whether the isoprenoid substrate can be influenced by stress factors (carotenogenic) or selective inhibitors which in turn may further contribute to elucidate the early steps of carotenogenesis and biosynthesis of β-carotene. In this study, Dunaliella salina (BC02) isolated from La Salina BC Mexico, was subjected to the method of isoprenoids-β-carotene interference in order to promote the interruption or accumulation of the programmed biosynthesis of carotenoids. When Carotenogenic and non-carotenogenic cells of D. salina BC02 were grown under photoautotrophic growth conditions in the presence of 200 µM fosmidomycin, carotenogenesis and the synthesis of β-carotene were interrupted after two days in cultured D. salina cells. This result is an indirect consequence of the inhibition of the synthesis of isoprenoids and activity of the recombinant DXR enzyme thereby preventing the conversion of 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate (DXP) to 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol (MEP) and consequently interrupts the early steps of carotenogenesis in D. salina. The effect at the level of proteins and RNA was not evident. Mevinolin treated D. salina cells exhibited carotenogenesis and β-carotene levels very similar to those of control cell cultures indicating that mevinolin not pursued any indirect action in the biosynthesis of isoprenoids and had no effect at the level of the HMG-CoA reductase, the key enzyme of the Ac/MVA pathway.
Thermopower measurements on individual 30 nm nickel nanowires

The thermopower of individual, 30 nm in diameter, Ni nanowires is measured as a function of bath temperature in the range 4–300 K. Boundary scattering of phonons at low temperatures (<50 K) inhibits any phonon drag effect, that in contrast is observed for bulk Ni. In the diffusion regime (>50 K) the absolute values of the thermopower are found to be smaller than the bulk values. This finding can be explained semi-quantitatively by considering electron scattering at grain boundaries. Any interpretation of size dependent thermopower in nanoscale ferromagnetic materials needs to explicitly consider the above effects.
A Prediction Model for Membrane Proteins Using Moments Based Features

The most expedient unit of the human body is its cell. Encapsulated within the cell are many infinitesimal entities and molecules which are protected by a cell membrane. The proteins that are associated with this lipid based bilayer cell membrane are known as membrane proteins and are considered to play a significant role. These membrane proteins exhibit their effect in cellular activities inside and outside of the cell. According to the scientists in pharmaceutical organizations, these membrane proteins perform key task in drug interactions. In this study, a technique is presented that is based on various computationally intelligent methods used for the prediction of membrane protein without the experimental use of mass spectrometry. Statistical moments were used to extract features and furthermore a Multilayer Neural Network was trained using backpropagation for the prediction of membrane proteins. Results show that the proposed technique performs better than existing methodologies.
Iterative Fingerprint Enhancement with Matched Filtering and Quality Diffusion in Spatial-Frequency Domain

The proposed fingerprint enhancement algorithm utilizes power spectrum in spatial-frequency domain. The input fingerprint is partitioned and assessed as high/low quality zone by using signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) approach. For high quality zone, signal spectrum with noise suppression is used to shape an enhanced filter in frequency domain. Then, this algorithm feed neighboring enhanced zone back in order to repair unreliable low quality region. The proposed algorithm out-performs Gabor and STFT approaches by fingerprint matching experiments on FVC2004 Db2 and Db3.
Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

1 Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Hospital, Southern Medical University, 1838 North Guangzhou Avenue, Guangdong, Guangzhou 510515, China 2 School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, 1838 North Guangzhou Avenue, Guangdong, Guangzhou 510515, China 3 Department of Science and Technology, Southern Medical University, 1838 North Guangzhou Avenue, Guangdong, Guangzhou 510515, China
Low Arousing Positive Affect Broadens Visual Attention and Alters the Thought-Action Repertoire While Broadened Visual Attention Does Not

The Broaden-and-Build Theory states that positive emotions broaden cognition and therefore build personal resources. However, missing theoretical precision regarding the interaction of the cognitive processes involved offers a variety of possible explanations for the mechanisms of broadening and building. In Experiment 1 we tested the causality assumption which states that positive emotions first broaden visual attention which in turn leads to broadened cognition. We examined the effects of a broadened, narrowed or neutral attentional scope of 72 subjects (30 men) on their momentary thought-action repertoire. Results showed that there were no significant differences between groups regarding the breadth or the content of the thought-action repertoire. In Experiment 2 we studied the non-causality hypothesis which assumes a non-causal relationship between cognitive processes. We did so by investigating the effects of negative, neutral, and positive affect on the visual attentional scope of 85 subjects (41 men) in Experiment 2a, as well as on the thought-action repertoire of 85 participants (42 men) in Experiment 2b. Results revealed an attentional broadening effect in Experiment 2a but no differences between groups concerning the breadth of the thought-action repertoire in Experiment 2b. However, a theory driven content analysis showed that positive affect promoted social actions. Thus, our results favor the non-causality assumption. Moreover, results indicate that positive emotions do not target personal resources in general but rather resources associated with social behavior. In conclusion, we argue that the Broaden-and-Build Theory should be refined.