Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A randomized controlled trial of resistance exercise training to improve glycemic control in older adults with type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE To determine the efficacy of high-intensity progressive resistance training (PRT) on glycemic control in older adults with type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We performed a 16-week randomized controlled trial in 62 Latino older adults (40 women and 22 men; mean +/- SE age 66 +/- 8 years) with type 2 diabetes randomly assigned to supervised PRT or a control group. Glycemic control, metabolic syndrome abnormalities, body composition, and muscle glycogen stores were determined before and after the intervention. RESULTS Sixteen weeks of PRT (three times per week) resulted in reduced plasma glycosylated hemoglobin levels (from 8.7 +/- 0.3 to 7.6 +/- 0.2%), increased muscle glycogen stores (from 60.3 +/- 3.9 to 79.1 +/- 5.0 mmol glucose/kg muscle), and reduced the dose of prescribed diabetes medication in 72% of exercisers compared with the control group, P = 0.004-0.05. Control subjects showed no change in glycosylated hemoglobin, a reduction in muscle glycogen (from 61.4 +/- 7.7 to 47.2 +/- 6.7 mmol glucose/kg muscle), and a 42% increase in diabetes medications. PRT subjects versus control subjects also increased lean mass (+1.2 +/- 0.2 vs. -0.1 +/- 0.1 kg), reduced systolic blood pressure (-9.7 +/- 1.6 vs. +7.7 +/- 1.9 mmHg), and decreased trunk fat mass (-0.7 +/- 0.1 vs. +0.8 +/- 0.1 kg; P = 0.01-0.05). CONCLUSIONS PRT as an adjunct to standard of care is feasible and effective in improving glycemic control and some of the abnormalities associated with the metabolic syndrome among high-risk older adults with type 2 diabetes.
Putting Raters in Ratees’ Shoes: Perspective Taking and Assessment of Creative Products

This study reported 2 experiments that studied the effect of perspective taking on assessment of creative products by using human raters. Forty responses of 2 alternative uses tasks (AUTs) and 15 alien stories generated by 6th-grade students were used as assessment materials. Undergraduate students as the novice raters assessed the products under 3 experimental conditions: assessing without any information of the ratees, assessing only with age information of the ratees, and assessing with age information and taking the perspective of the ratees. Results of Experiment 1 showed significant differences in creativity ratings between group 1 and 2. But no significant difference was found between group 2 and 3. In Experiment 2, raters in group 1 used objective perception and raters in group 3 were asked to take the perspective for more time. Raters in group 3 assigned higher ratings than the other 2 groups but no difference was found between group 1 and 2. Overall, the results showed the effect of perspective taking on assessment of creative products. Possible mechanisms of the effect and implications for creativity assessment and creativity teaching practice were discussed.
New calculation of radioactive secondaries in cosmic rays

We use a new version of our numerical model for particle propagation in the Galaxy to study radioactive secondaries. For evaluation of the production cross sections we use the Los Alamos compilation of all available experimental cross sections together with calculations using the improved Cascade-Exciton Model code CEM2k. Using the radioactive secondary ratios {sup 26}Al/{sup 27}Al, {sup 36}Cl/Cl, {sup 54}Mn/Mn, we show how the improved cross-section calculations together with the new propagation code allow us to better constrain the size of the CR halo.
AN INTERACTING MULTIPLE MODEL ALGORITHM FOR STOCHASTIC SYSTEMS CONTROL

During the last years the multiple-model (MM) approach has become very popular and widely applied for estimation2,5,7,9 and control1,3, 4, 6-8, 10-12 of stochastic systems under different kinds of uncertainty unknown model structure or parameters. In the engineering applications different multiple model algorithms for system control have been proposed.3, 10, 11 The greatest number of them are of Bayesian nature.1,3,4,7,8,10,12 Their common feature is the presence of a bank of estimators providing separate state estimates required for the overall control synthesis. But, the Interacting Multiple Model estimator the most cost-effective scheme for solving various problems for state and parameter estimation,2,5,13 has not yet been used to solve problems for systems control.
The Role of Physiological Afferent Nerve Activity during In Vivo Maturation of the Calyx of Held Synapse

We studied how afferent nerve activity affects the in vivo maturation of a fast glutamatergic CNS synapse, the calyx of Held. To address this question, we exploited the distinct presynaptic Ca2+ channel subtypes governing transmitter release at the cochlear inner hair cell (IHC)–spiral neuron synaptic junction compared with those at higher synapses along the auditory pathways. We characterized the functional properties of calyx synapses in wild type (wt) compared with those developing in CaV1.3 subunit-deficient (CaV1.3−/−) mice. CaV1.3−/− mice are deaf because of an absence of glutamate release from IHC, which results in a complete lack of cochlea-driven nerve activity. Presynaptic Ca2+ channel properties, Ca2+ dependence of exocytosis, number of readily releasable quanta, and AMPA mEPSCs were unchanged in postnatal day 14 (P14) to P17 calyx synapses of CaV1.3−/− mice. However, synaptic strength was augmented because presynaptic action potentials were broader, leading to increased quantal release, consistent with lower paired-pulse ratios and stronger depression during repetitive synaptic stimulation. Furthermore, asynchronous release after trains was elevated presumably because of higher residual Ca2+ accumulating in the presynaptic terminals. Finally, we measured larger NMDA EPSCs with higher sensitivity to the NR2B subunit-specific antagonist ifenprodil in P14–P17 synapses of CaV1.3−/− compared with wt mice. These results suggest that auditory activity is required for the adjustment of synaptic strength as well as for the downregulation of synaptic NMDA receptors during postnatal development of the calyx of Held. In contrast, properties of the presynaptic release machinery and postsynaptic AMPA receptors are unaffected by chronic changes in the level of afferent activity at this synapse.
Impact of Spleen Size on Outcomes in Laparoscopic Splenectomy in Children

Background. The aim of our study is to compare the efficacy of laparoscopic splenectomy (LS) between enlarged spleens and normal sized spleens. Methods. From June 2006 to September 2012, 50 patients underwent LS. The patients consisted of 24 girls and 26 boys with the mean age of 8.64 years (1–18). The patients are divided into two groups according to spleen's longitudinal length on the ultrasonography. Group I consisted of the normal sized spleens; Group II consisted of spleens that are exceeding the upper limit. Groups are compared in terms of number of ports, operative time, rate of conversion to open procedure, and length of hospital stay. Results. The mean number of ports was 3.27 and 3.46, the mean length of the operation was 116.36 min and 132.17 min, rate of conversion to open procedure was 9.09% and 10.25%, and the mean length of hospital stay was 3.36 days and 3.23 days, respectively, in Group I and Group II. Although there is an increase in the number of the ports, the operative time, rate of conversion to open procedure, and the length of hospital stay, the difference was not significant between groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion. LS is safe and effective in enlarged spleens as well as normal sized spleens.
A Theory of Informal Justice ∗ Sylvain Chassang

This paper develops a positive model of informal justice in which rewards and punishments are not determined by an ex ante optimal contract but instead express the ex post moral sentiments of the arbitrating party. In our model, a third party arbitrator mediates a one-shot relationship between two players, one of whom can exert an externality on the other. Importantly, formal contracts are not available and the arbitrator chooses transfers to maximize her ex post social preferences. We characterize the implicit incentive schemes induced by the arbitrator’s preferences, contrast them with ex ante optimal contracts, and identify novel qualitative predictions about the way externalities are internalized in informal settings.
Exploring teacher and learner views on the use of formative assessment in primary EAL classrooms: a case study

In England, number of learners who speak English as their second or even third language (known as learners with EAL, English as an Additional Language) in state primary and secondary schools is constantly increasing. In 2012, these learners represented 16% of the entire school population, and in 2015 - 18% (DfE, 2013 and 2016). Many EAL learners have limited proficiency in the language of instruction. This fact makes it difficult for teachers to not only effectively teach, but also accurately assess these learners' academic (linguistic and subject-specific) progress. Making use of a recently introduced formative assessment model to support and assess EAL learners' performance during the lessons seems like a good idea. However, to date little is known about the effectiveness of this assessment method and about the teachers' and learners' views on it. This paper, drawing on a selection of the data collected as part of a larger mixed methods empirical research study (Afitska, 2014a), seeks to examine teachers' and learners' views on the usefulness of formative assessment methods (including teacher feedback, learner peer-assessment, and self-assessment) for teaching and learning. The paper concludes with a list of implications for practice based on the study's findings.
Query-preserving watermarking of relational databases and Xml documents

Watermarking allows robust and unobtrusive insertion of information in a digital document. During the last few years, techniques have been proposed for watermarking relational databases or Xml documents, where information insertion must preserve a specific measure on data (for example the mean and variance of numerical attributes). In this article we investigate the problem of watermarking databases or Xml while preserving a set of parametric queries in a specified language, up to an acceptable distortion. We first show that unrestricted databases can not be watermarked while preserving trivial parametric queries. We then exhibit query languages and classes of structures that allow guaranteed watermarking capacity, namely 1) local query languages on structures with bounded degree Gaifman graph, and 2) monadic second-order queries on trees or treelike structures. We relate these results to an important topic in computational learning theory, the VC-dimension. We finally consider incremental aspects of query-preserving watermarking.
Fast Image-Based Obstacle Detection From Unmanned Surface Vehicles

Obstacle detection plays an important role in unmanned surface vehicles (USVs). The USVs operate in a highly diverse environments in which an obstacle may be a floating piece of wood, a scuba diver, a pier, or a part of a shoreline, which presents a significant challenge to continuous detection from images taken on board. This paper addresses the problem of online detection by constrained, unsupervised segmentation. To this end, a new graphical model is proposed that affords a fast and continuous obstacle image-map estimation from a single video stream captured on board a USV. The model accounts for the semantic structure of marine environment as observed from USV by imposing weak structural constraints. A Markov random field framework is adopted and a highly efficient algorithm for simultaneous optimization of model parameters and segmentation mask estimation is derived. Our approach does not require computationally intensive extraction of texture features and comfortably runs in real time. The algorithm is tested on a new, challenging, dataset for segmentation, and obstacle detection in marine environments, which is the largest annotated dataset of its kind. Results on this dataset show that our model outperforms the related approaches, while requiring a fraction of computational effort.
e-approximations with minimum packing constraint violation (extended abstract)

We present efficient new randomized and deterministic methods for transforming optimal solutions for a type of relaxed integer linear program into provably good solutions for the corresponding NP-hard discrete optimization problem. Without any constraint violation, the ε-approximation problem for many problems of this type is itself NP-hard. Our methods provide polynomial-time ε-approximations while attempting to minimize the packing constraint violation. Our methods lead to the first known approximation algorithms with provable performance guarantees for the s-median problem, the tree prunning problem, and the generalized assignment problem. These important problems have numerous applications to data compression, vector quantization, memory-based learning, computer graphics, image processing, clustering, regression, network location, scheduling, and communication. We provide evidence via reductions that our approximation algorithms are nearly optimal in terms of the packing constraint violation. We also discuss some recent applications of our techniques to scheduling problems.
Communication in single- and two-parent families and their influence on Portuguese and Spanish adolescents’ life satisfaction

ABSTRACT Aim: The aim of this study was to analyse the influence of family type on communication with parents and family, as well as to analyse the contribution of communication in single- and two-parents families to adolescent life satisfaction in Portugal and Spain. Methodology: Participants were 5005 Portuguese and 21,423 Spanish adolescents aged 11–16 years, from the 2014 edition of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study in Portugal and Spain. Results: Results showed that communication with parents and communication with family, in general, were higher in two-parent families than in single-parent families and was relevant to predict adolescent life satisfaction from single- and two-parent families in Portugal and Spain. Conclusion: The results prove that communication with family is essential to predict life satisfaction in both countries. It is important to work on improving conditions of family life, as well as to implement programmes that promote better communication between all family members, especially in single-parent families.
Phytochemicals from Ruta graveolens Activate TAS2R Bitter Taste Receptors and TRP Channels Involved in Gustation and Nociception

Ruta graveolens (rue) is a spontaneous plant in the Mediterranean area with a strong aroma and a very intense bitter taste, used in gastronomy and in folk medicine. From the leaves, stems and fruits of rue, we isolated rutin, rutamarin, three furanocoumarins, two quinolinic alkaloids, a dicoumarin and two long chain ketones. Bitter taste and chemesthetic properties have been evaluated by in vitro assays with twenty receptors of the TAS2R family and four TRP ion channels involved in gustation and nociception. Among the alkaloids, skimmianine was active as a specific agonist of T2R14, whereas kokusaginin did not activate any of the tested receptors. The furanocoumarins activates TAS2R10, 14, and 49 with different degrees of selectivity, as well as the TRPA1 somatosensory ion channel. Rutamarin is an agonist of TRPM5 and TRPV1 and a strong antagonist of TRPM8 ion channels.
Characterisation of Titanium Dental Implants I: Critical Assessment of Surface Roughness Parameters

Titanium is commonly used for dental implants because of its unique ability to get incorporated into living bone. There is an ongoing development to obtain better anchorage and surface properties such as roughness and chemical composition are modified to reach this. In this study titanium dental implant surfaces were characterised by recording the topographical changes induced by each individual processing step such as cleaning, blasting, and HF etching. To fully describe the different surfaces, the same point was analysed before and after each step using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and 3D-Scanning Electron Microscopy (3D-SEM). A set of 3D surface parameters were calculated as a function of filter size to describe the topographic features at different levels. The chemical treatment introduces nano-sized features while blasting changes the topography at the micrometer level and by combining AFM and 3D-SEM the entire range can be assessed. The results show that the chemically induced changes in the topography can only be revealed by AFM while 3D-SEM gives a clear description of the topography of blasted surfaces. The fractal dimension for the chemically treated surface was the same as for the blasted surfaces but crossover size was much smaller. Besides the commonly used Sa parameter it is suggested that the root-mean-square of the surface slope (Sdq) and the void volume (Vvc) parameters are included in the characterisation of rough surfaces. These parameters can be used for correlation with in vivo performance.
Biological reserves Rare Species and the Opportunity Cost of Diversity

The preservation of species diversity generally suggests protection of either the greatest number of species possible or all species. Requiring representation of each species in at least one parcel in the system and seeking the minimum number of parcels in the reserve system to achieve this requirement is termed the Species Set Covering Problem (SSCP). Nonetheless, it is important, as well, to consider the rarest of species, as their populations are the most in need of protection to assure their survival. This paper uses zero-one programming models and an existing data set to study species protection, rarity and the opportunity costs of diversity. We employ for this purpose an integer programming model that uses the SSCP format to require at least one representation of each and every species, but that seeks in addition protection of the rarest species. This is achieved by maximizing redundant coverage of those species designated as rare. Results are then compared to those of the SSCP. Recognizing that resources available for conservation purchases could well be insufficient to represent all species at least once, we structure a model aimed at trading-off first coverage of the greatest number of species against redundant coverage of rare species. We develop a tradeoff curve for this multi-objective problem in order to evaluate the opportunity cost of covering more species as redundant coverage of rare species decreases ­and vice versa. Finally, various possible rarity sets and various budget proxies are considered along with their impacts on conservation policies, Pareto optimality and on the opportunity cost of diversity.
Protecting the Environment and People from Climate Change through Climate Change Litigation

Climate change litigation seeks to apply legal rights in order to affect the outcomes that would either mitigate, reduce or can even result in improved alternation to climate change. This article intends to identify and analyse the ways through which the environment and the people are protected from rapid changes in climate through the means of climate change litigation. Protection of the environment as well as people by climate change litigation can be witnessed in various nations throughout the globe particularly Australia, the US, Canada and the UK. The research problem examined in this article shows that the courts are becoming a critical climate change front where climate change conflicts are resolved. The research objectives are to help understand how climate change has impacted human health and the environment and how the courts have stepped into the arena to restrain activities that cause climate change impact. The methodology adopted in this article is both doctrinal and theoretical drawing upon primary and secondary sources of information. The key findings and implications to theory and practice of this article is that it is a medium to foster the jurisprudence of the role of climate change regime through judicial intervention in protecting the environment and people from climate change through climate change litigation.
Visual Assessment of Clustering Tendency for Incomplete Data

The iVAT (asiVAT) algorithms reorder symmetric (asymmetric) dissimilarity data so that an image of the data may reveal cluster substructure. Images formed from incomplete data don't offer a very rich interpretation of cluster structure. In this paper, we examine four methods for completing the input data with imputed values before imaging. We choose a best method using contaminated versions of the complete Iris data, for which the desired results are known. Then, we analyze two real world data sets from social networks that are incomplete using the best imputation method chosen in the juried trials with Iris: (i) Sampson's monastery data, an incomplete, asymmetric relation matrix; and (ii) the karate club data, comprising a symmetric similarity matrix that is about 86 percent incomplete.
Preclinical Modeling of Treatment-induced Impulsivity in Parkinson's Disease

Dopamine agonist therapy and deep brain stimulation (DBS) are both linked to increased impulsivity in Parkinson’s disease (PD), but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We trained intact and PD-like rats on a rat gambling task (rGT) measuring impulsive choice and premature responding. Animals were then retested with/without treatment, pramipexole (PPX) or DBS, administered chronically prior to rGT testing. Early PD-like rats did not exhibit major differences in rGT performance or treatment response. Our work suggests that DBS and PPX are not intrinsically linked with increases in impulsivity. Neither DBS nor PPX disrupted gambling-like behaviour in our paradigm, while differential effects on premature and perseverant responding in the task were observed with treatment. Based on our findings, the previously reported ability of PPX to increase impulsive choice might not be mediated by the dopamine D3 receptor. Interestingly, our work suggests that the effects of STN-DBS on impulse control might be amplitude-dependent.