Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effects of Whole Body Vibration on Dorsiflexion in Chronic Ankle Instability

The Effects of Whole Body Vibration on Dorsiflexion in Chronic Ankle Instability Lesley Thalman Department of Exercise Sciences, BYU Master of Science BACKGROUND: Whole body vibration (WBV) platforms are currently used as adjunctive training devices for exercise programs, and have been shown to facilitate flexibility. One of the biggest contributing factors to chronic ankle instability (CAI) is the lack of dorsiflexion after lateral ankle sprains and WBV may be an effective way to increase range of motion in this population. PURPOSE: Determine if WBV done concurrently with static stretching (SS) is more effective then SS alone in improving dorsiflexion ROM in subjects with CAI. METHODS: Subjects were divided into 3 groups (control, static stretch, and static stretch and vibrate). Subjects stretched 4 days/wk for 3 wks for 4 sets of 30 seconds alternating 2 different positions to stretch both the soleus and the gastrocnemius. Imposed vibration at 34 Hz 2mm during the stretches for the stretch group. ANALYSIS: Repeated measures ANOVA was performed using SPSS (version 19), with post-hoc Tukey tests as needed (p<.05). RESULTS: In both the straight and bent leg position, a significant group x time interaction was found for dorsiflexion range of motion. Post hoc tests revealed significance in the SV group between pre-tx and post-tx 1 and pre-tx and post-tx 2. No statistical significance was found between post-tx 1 and post-tx 2 in the SV group or at any time in the N or SS group. DISCUSSION: Static Stretching with vibration increases dorsiflexion ROM in subjects with CAI better than static stretching alone.
A free database of radionuclide voxel S values for the dosimetry of nonuniform activity distributions

The increasing availability of SPECT/CT devices with advanced technology offers the opportunity for the accurate assessment of the radiation dose to the biological target volume during radionuclide therapy. Voxel dosimetry can be performed employing direct Monte Carlo radiation transport simulations, based on both morphological and functional images of the patient. On the other hand, for voxel dosimetry calculations the voxel S value method can be considered an easier approach than patient-specific Monte Carlo simulations, ensuring a good dosimetric accuracy at least for anatomic regions which are characterized by uniform density tissue. However, this approach has been limited because of the lack of tabulated S values for different voxel dimensions and radionuclides. The aim of this work is to provide a free dataset of values which can be used for voxel dosimetry in targeted radionuclide studies. Seven different radionuclides (89Sr, 90Y, 131I, 153Sm, 177Lu, 186Re, 188Re), and 13 different voxel sizes (2.21, 2.33, 2.4, 3, 3.59, 3.9, 4, 4.42, 4.8, 5, 6, 6.8 and 9.28 mm) are considered. Voxel S values are calculated performing simulations of monochromatic photon and electron sources in two different homogeneous tissues (soft tissue and bone) with DOSXYZnrc code, and weighting the contributions on the basis of the radionuclide emission spectra. The outcomes are validated by comparison with Monte Carlo simulations obtained with other codes (PENELOPE and MCNP4c) performing direct simulation of the radionuclide emission spectra. The differences among the different Monte Carlo codes are of the order of a few per cent when considering the source voxel and the bremsstrahlung tail, whereas the highest differences are observed at a distance close to the maximum continuous slowing down approximation range of electrons. These discrepancies would negligibly affect dosimetric assessments. The dataset of voxel S values can be freely downloaded from the website www.medphys. it.
Decreasing Stoichiometric Resource Quality Drives Compensatory Feeding across Trophic Levels in Tropical Litter Invertebrate Communities

Living organisms are constrained by both resource quantity and quality. Ecological stoichiometry offers important insights into how the elemental composition of resources affects their consumers. If resource quality decreases, consumers can respond by shifting their body stoichiometry, avoiding low-quality resources, or up-regulating feeding rates to maintain the supply of required elements while excreting excess carbon (i.e., compensatory feeding). We analyzed multitrophic consumer body stoichiometry, biomass, and feeding rates along a resource-quality gradient in the litter of tropical forest and rubber and oil-palm plantations. Specifically, we calculated macroinvertebrate feeding rates based on consumer metabolic demand and assimilation efficiency. Using linear mixed effects models, we assessed resource-quality effects on macroinvertebrate detritivore and predator communities. We did not detect shifts in consumer body stoichiometry or decreases in consumer biomass in response to declining resource quality, as indicated by increasing carbon-to-nitrogen ratios. However, across trophic levels, we found a strong indication of decreasing resource quality leading to increased consumer feeding rates through altered assimilation efficiency and community body size structure. Our study reveals the influence of resource quality on multitrophic consumer feeding rates and suggests compensatory feeding to be more common across consumer trophic levels than was formerly known.
PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSES REVEAL UNEXPECTED PATTERNS IN THE EVOLUTION OF REPRODUCTIVE MODES IN FROGS

Understanding phenotypic diversity requires not only identification of selective factors that favor origins of derived states, but also factors that favor retention of primitive states. Anurans (frogs and toads) exhibit a remarkable diversity of reproductive modes that is unique among terrestrial vertebrates. Here, we analyze the evolution of these modes, using comparative methods on a phylogeny and matched life‐history database of 720 species, including most families and modes. As expected, modes with terrestrial eggs and aquatic larvae often precede direct development (terrestrial egg, no tadpole stage), but surprisingly, direct development evolves directly from aquatic breeding nearly as often. Modes with primitive exotrophic larvae (feeding outside the egg) frequently give rise to direct developers, whereas those with nonfeeding larvae (endotrophic) do not. Similarly, modes with eggs and larvae placed in locations protected from aquatic predators evolve frequently but rarely give rise to direct developers. Thus, frogs frequently bypass many seemingly intermediate stages in the evolution of direct development. We also find significant associations between terrestrial reproduction and reduced clutch size, larger egg size, reduced adult size, parental care, and occurrence in wetter and warmer regions. These associations may help explain the widespread retention of aquatic eggs and larvae, and the overall diversity of anuran reproductive modes.
A Conceptual Framework: The Musical Self as a Unique Pathway to Outcomes in the Acute Pediatric Health Setting

This article reports on a project at the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne in which the music therapy team synthesized their practice and related theories to propose a new conceptual framework for music therapy in their acute pediatric setting. The impetus for the project was the realization that in the process of producing key statements about the non-musical benefits of music therapy, the cost was often the suppression of information about the patient's unique musical potential as the major (mediating) pathway from referral reason, to music therapy, and to effective outcomes. The purpose of the project was to articulate how this team of clinicians conceive of the patient's musical self as the major theoretical pathway for music therapy in an evidence-based acute medical setting. The clinicians' shared reflexive process across six months involved robust directed discussion, annotation of shared reading, and documentation of all engagement in words and diagrams. The outcome was a consensus framework including three constructs: the place of music in the life of the infant, child, and young people, Culture and Context, and Musical Manifestations. The constructs were tested in a clinical audit, and found to be robustly inclusive. In addition to the conceptual framework, this project serves to demonstrate a process by which clinical teams may reflect on their individual practice and theory together to create a consensus stance for the overall service they provide in the one setting.
Effect of Pectin on the processing and preservation of Strawberry ( Fragaria ananassa ) jam and jelly

This study was conducted to investigate the interaction of different concentration of pectin and its dissipation from processing to storage of strawberry ( Fragaria ananassa) jam and jelly. The fruits were collected from local market of Sylhet, Bangladesh. The analysis showed juice contains acidity 1.14±0.01 %, total sugar 0.61±0.06 %, TSS 8.98±0.03 % and pulp restrain acidity 01.02±0.01 %, total sugar 5.04±0.06 %, and TSS 8.57±1.36 %. Jam and jelly were prepared with 0.5%, 1% and 1.5% pectin. Potassium metabisulphate (KMS) was added as preservative in a required quantity. Study showed pectin do not significantly interact with quality attributes of processed product. During six month of storage at ambient temperature (27°C to 34°C) no mentionable changes were found. But PH of the products (jam and jelly) was slightly increased. At six month red color of 0.5 % pectin containing jam slightly faded and cohesiveness of 1% and 0.5 % pectin containing jelly considerably changed. A taste panel consisting 10 panelists adjudged the acceptability of the samples. The consumer’s preferences were measured by statistical analysis. Among the samples, both jam and jelly made with 1.5% pectin was commended as best product by the panelists at p<0.05. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.3329/ijns.v2i1. 10877 International Journal of Natural Sciences (2012), 2(1): 08-14
Gene Flow in Genetically Modified Wheat

Understanding gene flow in genetically modified (GM) crops is critical to answering questions regarding risk-assessment and the coexistence of GM and non-GM crops. In two field experiments, we tested whether rates of cross-pollination differed between GM and non-GM lines of the predominantly self-pollinating wheat Triticum aestivum. In the first experiment, outcrossing was studied within the field by planting “phytometers” of one line into stands of another line. In the second experiment, outcrossing was studied over distances of 0.5–2.5 m from a central patch of pollen donors to adjacent patches of pollen recipients. Cross-pollination and outcrossing was detected when offspring of a pollen recipient without a particular transgene contained this transgene in heterozygous condition. The GM lines had been produced from the varieties Bobwhite or Frisal and contained Pm3b or chitinase/glucanase transgenes, respectively, in homozygous condition. These transgenes increase plant resistance against pathogenic fungi. Although the overall outcrossing rate in the first experiment was only 3.4%, Bobwhite GM lines containing the Pm3b transgene were six times more likely than non-GM control lines to produce outcrossed offspring. There was additional variation in outcrossing rate among the four GM-lines, presumably due to the different transgene insertion events. Among the pollen donors, the Frisal GM line expressing a chitinase transgene caused more outcrossing than the GM line expressing both a chitinase and a glucanase transgene. In the second experiment, outcrossing after cross-pollination declined from 0.7–0.03% over the test distances of 0.5–2.5 m. Our results suggest that pollen-mediated gene flow between GM and non-GM wheat might only be a concern if it occurs within fields, e.g. due to seed contamination. Methodologically our study demonstrates that outcrossing rates between transgenic and other lines within crops can be assessed using a phytometer approach and that gene-flow distances can be efficiently estimated with population-level PCR analyses.
Classification of computer intrusions using functional networks. A comparative study

Intrusion detection is a problem that has attracted a great deal of attention from computer scientists recently, due to the exponential increase in computer attacks in recent years. DARPA KDD Cup 99 is a standard dataset for classifying computer attacks, to which several ma- chine learning techniques have been applied. In this paper, we describe the results obtained using functional networks { a paradigm that extends feedforward neural networks { and compare these to the results obtained for other techniques applied to the same dataset. Of particular interest is the capacity for generalization of the approach used.
Blood Transfusion–Associated HIV Infection in Children in Ibadan, Nigeria

Introduction: This study describes the epidemiologic features and clinical course of children with blood transfusion-associated HIV infection (TAHI) in Ibadan, Nigeria. Methodology: All children diagnosed to have TAHI at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, were studied and compared with children who acquired HIV vertically using the pediatric HIV database in the hospital. Results: Transfusion-associated HIV infection accounted for 14 (2.3%) of the 597 children diagnosed to have HIV infection between January 2004 and December 2011. The mean age at diagnosis of TAHI was 10.2 years and that of vertically acquired HIV infection was 3.9 years (P < .001). In 9 cases, blood transfusion took place in private hospitals and in 5 cases in public hospitals. Median interval between infection and diagnosis of AIDS was 84 months in cases with TAHI and 48 months in vertically acquired cases (P = .542). Conclusion: Optimal blood safety practices are advocated for prevention of TAHI in Nigeria.
RNA binding protein, tristetraprolin in a murine model of recurrent pregnancy loss

Recurrent pregnancy loss is a major reproductive pathology affecting 1-5% of pregnant women worldwide. A distinct feature of this reproductive pathology is involvement of key inflammatory cytokines and transcription factors such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6) and nuclear factor kappa beta (NF-κB). Special classes of RNA-binding proteins regulate the transcripts of many of these important cytokines and regulatory factors via binding to the 3′ untranslated regions (UTRs) and/or poly(A) tail and destabilizing/stabilizing the transcript. The tristetraprolin (TTP/ZFP36) family have been found to be potent destabilizers of the aforementioned inflammatory and cellular response cytokines. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether tristetraprolin is expressed in the placenta and involved in modulating inflammation in mouse model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced fetal loss. In this study, Swiss-albino mice were injected with LPS at gestational day 15.5 and placental tissues were harvested 6 hours post-LPS injection. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry analyses clearly revealed cellular stress and death in LPS treated placentas compared to controls. TTP protein was downregulated, while targets TNF-α and IL-6 were upregulated in LPS group compared to controls. We observed increased TTP nuclear immunolocalization corresponding with higher NF-κB nuclear localization in trophoblasts from LPS treated placentas. Our results suggest that RNA-binding proteins such as TTP are expressed and perhaps involved in the modulation of inflammation-induced pregnancy pathologies.
Synthetic peptides mimicking lipopolysaccharide as a potential vaccine candidates against Vibrio cholerae serogroup O1

Background and Objectives: Cholera is a life-threatening diarrhea caused mainly by Gram-negative marine habitant Vibrio cholerae serogroup O1. Cholera vaccination is limited mainly to developed countries, due to the cumbersome and expensive task of vaccine production. In the present work, the aim was to study the immunogenicity of the synthetic mimotopes through two different routes of injection and oral administration. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is one of the immunogenic components in Gram-negative bacteria, which cannot be used as a vaccine candidate, due to its high toxic effect. Materials and Methods: Three phage-displayed selected peptides, with high affinity to anti-LPS VHH tested in our previous study, were chemically synthesized and used as a potential vaccine candidate. In order to enhance the antigenic properties and safe delivery, these peptides were conjugated to BSA as a carrier and encapsulated with PLGA. Peptides were injected intra-peritoneally or administered orally, alone or in combined form. Mice sera and feces were collected for assessment of humoral and mucosal antibody titers, respectively. ELISA plates were coated with mimotope conjugates and V. cholerae, Shigella sonnei and ETEC were used as target antigens. Antibody titer was measured by adding IgG and IgA as primary antibodies. Results: Mice receiving three selected synthetic peptide conjugates (individually or in combination) showed higher antibody titer compared to control groups. The mice immunized with synthetic peptides were protected against more than 15 LD50 of V. cholerae. Conclusion: These peptides are mimicking LPS and can potentially act as vaccine candidates against V. cholerae.
God, Government and Outsiders: The Influence of Religious Beliefs on Depositor Behavior in an Emerging Market.

This paper provides evidence that religious beliefs can have a significant impact on individual financial choices. Using proprietary panel data on the distribution of bank deposits across all commercial banks in Pakistan over a 33-month period, I find that Islamic banks enjoy substantially higher deposit growth rates than other banks and that this difference persists even after various other profit-maximizing determinants of bank demand are taken into account. I also find that while a recent financial crisis triggered a fall in deposit growth rates at all other types of banks, it had a positive impact on the religious banks despite the fact that these banks tend to have lower credit scores than other conventional banks. Together, these results reflect some of the complex factors influencing individual financial decisions and indicate that at least in the context of a religiously motivated population it makes economic sense to focus on the growth of institutional forms that reflect these preferences.
Polyandry, Predation, and the Evolution of Frog Reproductive Modes*

Frog reproductive modes are complex phenotypes that include egg/clutch characteristics, oviposition site, larval development, and sometimes, parental care. Two evident patterns in the evolution of these traits are the higher diversity of reproductive modes in the tropics and the apparent progression from aquatic to terrestrial reproduction, often attributed to higher fitness resulting from decreased predation on terrestrial eggs and tadpoles. Here, we propose that sexual selection—and not only natural selection due to predation—favors terrestrial breeding by reducing the loss of fitness due to polyandry. To examine this novel selective mechanism, we reconstructed the evolution of reproductive diversity in two frog families (Hylidae and Leptodactylidae) and tested for concerted evolution of egg and tadpole development sites with specific mating behaviors. We found that oviposition and tadpole development sites are evolving independently, do not show the same diversity and/or directionality in terms of terrestriality, and thus may be diversifying due to different selective mechanisms. In both families, terrestrial egg deposition is correlated with amplexus that is hidden from competing males, and in hylids, testes mass was significantly larger and more variable in males with exposed amplexus that are vulnerable to polyandry. Our results indicate that intrasexual selection has been an underappreciated mechanism promoting diversification of frog reproductive modes.
Automatic Material Properties Estimation for the Physics-Based Robotic Garment Folding

The estimation of the fabric material property during the folding is presented. The available techniques for the accurate garment folding rely on known material properties. Currently, the properties are estimated by an operator in advance of folding. We propose an iterative strategy, which updates the property while the garment is folded. The estimation is formulated as an optimisation task. It is based on measurements from a laser range finder. The proposed algorithm improves the estimation iteratively and prevents the garment from slipping at the same time. We demonstrate the estimation procedure for 10 fabric strips of different materials.
Decoupled image-based visual servoing for robotic manufacturing systems using gain scheduled switch control

In this paper, a decoupled image-based visual servoing (IBVS) controller for an eye-in-hand robotic system is presented. This controller can provide fast response system to meet the demand of robotic manufacturing applications. The proposed control algorithm decouples the rotational and translational camera motions and makes three separate stages of control with different gains for each one. A switch scheme for these three stages of control is proposed. The controller is implemented on a Denso robot with a camera installed in an eye-in-hand configuration. Experimental results show the significant enhancement of the control performance in terms of the response time over the traditional IBVS. In addition, the proposed method succeeds in fulfilling some tasks where traditional IBVS fails.
Charge transport and accumulation around a spancer insulator for application in HVDC wall bushing

A charge transport model based on ion drift in gases of strong electron affinity has been studied in details and validated against experimental results in air and SF6 at different pressure and voltage levels. The size of the insulators also differs significantly. The choice of the model parameters, i.e. the solid and gas material properties, is carefully examined with information from existing literature. Results show that using the selected parameters, satisfactory agreement between predicted and measured potential distribution and surface charge density along the insulator surface can be obtained. Computational results for an 1100 kV epoxy spacer for use in HVDC wall bushing show that the concept of electrical conductivity as a material property is no longer valid in strong electric field for the gas surrounding the insulator. The polarity and density of the accumulated surface charge depend on the relative largeness of the electrical conductivity of the insulator material and the effective conductivity of the gas. The nonlinear effect due to ion generation and recombination becomes significant at very high voltage. The metallic cap providing shielding to the triple junction at the high voltage end of the insulator can induce much stronger local electric field near the insulator surface, by a factor of 1.48, if its shape is not optimized against the insulator geometry.