Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improvements in Cycling Time Trial Performance Are Not Sustained Following the Acute Provision of Challenging and Deceptive Feedback

The provision of performance-related feedback during exercise is acknowledged as an influential external cue used to inform pacing decisions. The provision of this feedback in a challenging or deceptive context allows research to explore how feedback can be used to improve performance and influence perceptual responses. However, the effects of deception on both acute and residual responses have yet to be explored, despite potential application for performance enhancement. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of challenging and deceptive feedback on perceptual responses and performance in self-paced cycling time trials (TT) and explored whether changes in performance are sustained in a subsequent TT following the disclosure of the deception. Seventeen trained male cyclists were assigned to either an accurate or deceptive feedback group and performed four 16.1 km cycling TTs; (1 and 2) ride-alone baseline TTs where a fastest baseline (FBL) performance was identified, (3) a TT against a virtual avatar representing 102% of their FBL performance (PACER), and (4) a subsequent ride-alone TT (SUB). The deception group, however, were initially informed that the avatar accurately represented their FBL, but prior to SUB were correctly informed of the nature of the avatar. Affect, self-efficacy and RPE were measured every quartile. Both groups performed PACER faster than FBL and SUB (p < 0.05) and experienced lower affect (p = 0.016), lower self-efficacy (p = 0.011), and higher RPE (p < 0.001) in PACER than FBL. No significant differences were found between FBL and SUB for any variable. The presence of the pacer rather than the manipulation of performance beliefs acutely facilitates TT performance and perceptual responses. Revealing that athletes' performance beliefs were falsely negative due to deceptive feedback provision has no effect on subsequent perceptions or performance. A single experiential exposure may not be sufficient to produce meaningful changes in the performance beliefs of trained individuals beyond the acute setting.
Self-Presence, Explicated: Body, Emotion, and Identity Extension into the Virtual Self

There is currently a need for a standardized concept that describes how relationships between the self and virtual self-representations operate across virtual contexts. The framework of self-presence fulfills this need by describing how people connect to their virtual self-representations on three distinct levels of self (body, emotion, identity). The present chapter draws from the fields of presence and neuroscience to explicate this conceptual framework and describe its operationalization, the Self-Presence Questionnaire. This explication and questionnaire were developed throughout a line of research that examined self-presence within numerous virtual contexts. The results from these studies suggest that the concept of self-presence is reliable and valid, and that future research could utilize the concept to develop a greater understanding of avatar use. This chapter concludes by suggesting such research applications of self-presence and then discussing the larger implications of this line of research. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-2211-1.ch018
THE ROLE OF FAMILIES IN ACQUISITION DECISIONS : EVIDENCE FROM LARGE EUROPEAN COMPANIES

We investigate how the controlling shareholder’s identity influences the firm’s incentive to take part to an M&A deal, both as an acquirer and as a target. We study a comprehensive sample of 777 large Continental European companies in the period 1998-2002. These firms launched 1,398 acquisitions in 12 Continental Europe countries. More than half of these firms (405) made at least one acquisition, and 206 firms changed owner or were taken private by their controlling shareholders. Family firms are indeed less likely to make acquisitions, even controlling for the size effect. However, they do not outperform non-family firms when they acquire other firms. Contrary to our expectation, we also document that widely held firms, not family firms, are the least likely to be acquired. Thus, families are not an obstacle to the transfer of control, but diffuse ownership is. Finally, we find an inverse listing effect: abnormal returns are higher when the target is public. JEL Classification: G34
Athletic performance, training characteristics, and orthopedic indications in junior tennis Davis Cup players

Our study aimed to examine athletics, training characteristics, and prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms of male junior tennis Davis Cup players (DC) in comparison with their regional counterparts, as well as to evaluate the impact of age and performance level on training characteristics. Twelve junior DC (male) and two samples of regional squad players (RS1 n = 60 males, n = 47 females; RS2 n = 59 males) participated in a physical testing, an interview for data evaluation on training characteristics, and a questionnaire survey of orthopedic injury frequency. Results indicate higher physical performance levels (effect size (ES) 0.75–1.26) and training volumes in DC (ES 1.23–1.66). In DC, significant relationships were found between total training volume and tennis ranking (r = −0.78), age and physical training volume (r = 0.82), and age and total training volume (r = 0.62). Injury frequencies showed moderate to high prevalence with no differences (p > 0.05) between DC and RS. Given the demands of elite tennis and the important role of service in the modern game, more efforts are necessary to develop training prescription for both performance enhancement and prevention strategies.
Treatment of idiopathic membranous nephropathy with the combination of steroids, tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil: results of a pilot study.

BACKGROUND Membranous nephropathy is a common cause of nephrotic syndrome (NS) in adults. Its treatment is still under debate. METHODS We report our experience in a pilot study using initially low doses of steroids and tacrolimus (Tac). After 3 months of treatment, mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) was added if the proteinuria was higher than 1 g/day. RESULTS In accordance with this standard, 21 patients entered the study. A proteinuria level lower than 1 g/day was reached at month 3 of therapy with steroids and Tac in 11 patients. These patients continued this treatment for 12 months. MMF was added in nine cases after the third month and triple therapy was maintained for 12 more months. Two patients were withdrawn because of side effects. At the end of the treatment, remission of the NS was present in 15 out of all the patients (71.4%). Remission of the NS was complete in eight (53.3%) patients and partial in seven (46.7%) others. The remaining four patients did not respond. There were no significant changes in renal function. At a mean time of 23.1 months after treatment was discontinued, 11 (73.3%) patients had relapsed. CONCLUSIONS In this trial, treatment with tacrolimus showed a good efficacy but a high relapse rate when it was discontinued.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Freshwater paths across the ocean: molecular phylogeny of the frog Ptychadena newtoni gives insights into amphibian colonization of oceanic islands

Aim Amphibians are a model group for studies of the biogeographical origins of salt‐intolerant taxa on oceanic islands. We used the Gulf of Guinea islands to explore the biogeographical origins of island endemism of one species of frog, and used this to gain insights into potential colonization mechanisms.
A new species of Dactylopius Costa (Dactylopius gracilipilus sp. nov.) (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Dactylopiidae) from the Chihuahuan Desert, Texas, U.S.A.

2 Corresponding author Abstract A new species of Dactylopius Costa (Dactylopius gracilipilus Van Dam & May) is described and illustrated. It is morpho- logically similar to Dactylopius tomentosus (Lamarck), but has more gracile truncate setae, abundant simple pores dorsal- ly, and appears to be host-restricted to Corynopuntia Knuth (Cactaceae: Opuntioidea).
On the Bayesian estimation of species richness and related quantities from quadrat sampling

We consider the problem of estimating the number of species of a biological community located in a region R divided into J quadrats. Recently, two parametric approaches have been developed which both take into account in a same modeling framework the detectability and the occurence of species in the quadrats. One developed by Dorazio and Royle (2005, J.A.S.A. 100, 389-398) ignores the unsampled part of R (thus also J) and models the occurence of species only in the sampled quadrats. We show that this approach can be used only if J is large, which limits its use in practice, since the value of J can strongly vary from one study to another. The other developed by Dupuis and Joachim (2006, Biometrics 62, 706-712) does not have this limitation but it applies only in the presence of prior information. In this paper, we propose a new approach which extends these two approaches since it can be used in non informative setups, and applies without limitation on J. We develop our approach within a simple model, which assumes that the species population is homogeneous. This constitutes the suitable framework for examining the effect that ignoring J has on the Bayesian estimate of species richness. In particular, a simulation study is undertaken which shows that the approach of Dorazio and Royle generates an error which can be important for small or moderate values of J, when species are spatially rare or hard to detect.
Image visualization based malware detection

Malware detection is one of the challenging tasks in Cyber security. The advent of code obfuscation, metamorphic malware, packers and zero day attacks has made malware detection a challenging task. In this paper we present a visualization based approach for malware detection. First the executable is converted to a gray-scale image called byteplot. Later we extract low level features like intensity based and texture based features. We apply computationally intelligent techniques for malware detection using these features. In this work we used Support Vector Machines (SVMs) and obtained an accuracy of 95% on a dataset containing 25000 malware and 12000 benign samples.
Evolutionary Origin of Higher-Order Repeat Structure in Alpha-Satellite DNA of Primate Centromeres

Alpha-satellite DNA (AS) is a main DNA component of primate centromeres, consisting of tandemly repeated units of ∼170 bp. The AS of humans contains sequences organized into higher-order repeat (HOR) structures, in which a block of multiple repeat units forms a larger repeat unit and the larger units are repeated tandemly. The presence of HOR in AS is widely thought to be unique to hominids (family Hominidae; humans and great apes). Recently, we have identified an HOR-containing AS in the siamang, which is a small ape species belonging to the genus Symphalangus in the family Hylobatidae. This result supports the view that HOR in AS is an attribute of hominoids (superfamily Hominoidea) rather than hominids. A single example is, however, not sufficient for discussion of the evolutionary origin of HOR-containing AS. In the present study, we developed an efficient method for detecting signs of large-scale HOR and demonstrated HOR of AS in all the three other genera. Thus, AS organized into HOR occurs widely in hominoids. Our results indicate that (i) HOR-containing AS was present in the last common ancestor of hominoids or (ii) HOR-containing AS emerged independently in most or all basal branches of hominoids. We have also confirmed HOR occurrence in centromeric AS in the Hylobatidae family, which remained unclear in our previous study because of the existence of AS in subtelomeric regions, in addition to centromeres, of siamang chromosomes.
Energy‐Efficient Quorum‐Based MAC Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks

The reliability of sensor networks is generally dependent on the battery power of the sensor nodes that it employs; hence it is crucial for the sensor nodes to efficiently use their battery resources. This research paper presents a method to increase the reliability of sensor nodes by constructing a connected dominating tree (CDT), which is a subnetwork of wireless sensor networks. It detects the minimum number of dominatees, dominators, forwarder sensor nodes, and aggregates, as well as transmitting data to the sink. A new medium access control (MAC) protocol, called Homogenous Quorum‐Based Medium Access Control (HQMAC), is also introduced, which is an adaptive, homogenous, asynchronous quorum‐based MAC protocol. In this protocol, certain sensor nodes belonging to a network will be allowed to tune their wake‐up and sleep intervals, based on their own traffic load. A new quorum system, named BiQuorum, is used by HQMAC to provide a low duty cycle, low network sensibility, and a high number of rendezvous points when compared with other quorum systems such as grid and dygrid. Both the theoretical results and the simulation results proved that the proposed HQMAC (when applied to a CDT) facilitates low transmission latency, high delivery ratio, and low energy consumption, thus extending the lifetime of the network it serves.
Developmental Neurotoxicity Study of Dietary Bisphenol A in Sprague-Dawley Rats

This study was conducted to determine the potential of bisphenol A (BPA) to induce functional and/or morphological effects to the nervous system of F1 offspring from dietary exposure during gestation and lactation according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidelines for the study of developmental neurotoxicity. BPA was offered to female Sprague-Dawley Crl:CD (SD) rats (24 per dose group) and their litters at dietary concentrations of 0 (control), 0.15, 1.5, 75, 750, and 2250 ppm daily from gestation day 0 through lactation day 21. F1 offspring were evaluated using the following tests: detailed clinical observations (postnatal days [PNDs] 4, 11, 21, 35, 45, and 60), auditory startle (PNDs 20 and 60), motor activity (PNDs 13, 17, 21, and 61), learning and memory using the Biel water maze (PNDs 22 and 62), and brain and nervous system neuropathology and brain morphometry (PNDs 21 and 72). For F1 offspring, there were no treatment-related neurobehavioral effects, nor was there evidence of neuropathology or effects on brain morphometry. Based on maternal and offspring body weight reductions, the no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) for systemic toxicity was 75 ppm (5.85 and 13.1 mg/kg/day during gestation and lactation, respectively), with no treatment-related effects at lower doses or nonmonotonic dose responses observed for any parameter. There was no evidence that BPA is a developmental neurotoxicant in rats, and the NOAEL for developmental neurotoxicity was 2250 ppm, the highest dose tested (164 and 410 mg/kg/day during gestation and lactation, respectively).
Estrogen Mediates Innate and Adaptive Immune Alterations to Influenza Infection in Pregnant Mice

Pregnancy is a leading risk factor for severe complications during an influenza virus infection. Women infected during their second and third trimesters are at increased risk for severe cardiopulmonary complications, premature delivery, and death. Here, we establish a murine model of aerosolized influenza infection during pregnancy. We find significantly altered innate antiviral responses in pregnant mice, including decreased levels of IFN-β, IL-1α, and IFN-γ at early time points of infection. We also find reduced cytotoxic T cell activity and delayed viral clearance. We further demonstrate that pregnancy levels of the estrogen 17-β-estradiol are able to induce key anti-inflammatory phenotypes in immune responses to the virus independently of other hormones or pregnancy-related stressors. We conclude that elevated estrogen levels result in an attenuated anti-viral immune response, and that pregnancy-associated morbidities occur in the context of this anti-inflammatory phenotype.
Globus Pallidus Discharge Is Coincident with Striatal Activity during Global Slow Wave Activity in the Rat

The emergence of bursting and oscillations in the basal ganglia under normal and pathological conditions has attracted considerable interest, but the neural substrate of these patterns is poorly understood. Here we use multisite recordings in anesthetized rats to examine the relationship of globus pallidus (GP) spiking and striatal activity in relation to cortical slow-wave activity. We found that GP neurons displayed increased spike rates or bursts coincident with cortical activation and striatal up states. Furthermore, the onset of GP bursts typically coincides with transitions to striatal up states that precede striatal spiking. These data indicate that GP activity is driven by excitatory corticosubthalamic input during periods of synchronized bursting activity.
Understanding strategic decision-making through a multi-paradigm perspective: The case of charitable foundations in English football

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the efficacy of using a multi-paradigm perspective to examine the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and strategic decision-making processes in the context of charitable foundations. Design/methodology/approach This paper integrates and synthesizes the micro-social processes of “assessable transcendence” (Anagnostopoulos et al., 2014) with Whittington’s (2001) perspectives on strategy. “Assessable transcendence” was achieved from the constant comparison of categories developed through an early iterative process in which data collection and analysis occurred during the same period. In all, 32 interviews were conducted among a sample of key managers in the charitable foundations for the first two divisions of English football. Findings The present study illustrates empirically that strategic decision making in charitable foundations does not “seat” neatly in any one of Whittington’s perspectives. On the contrary, this study indicates a great deal of overlap within these perspectives, and suggests that conflicting paradigms should be celebrated rather than viewed as signs of theoretical immaturity. Multi-paradigm approaches can potentially reveal insights into the “mechanics” of managerial decision making that are not easily discernible from a mono-paradigmatic perspective. Originality/value This is the first empirical work that examines CSR in relation to strategy within the context of the English football clubs’ charitable foundations, and does so by employing a multi-paradigm perspective on strategy formulation and implementation.
1,4-Diamino-2,3-dicyano-1,4-bis(methylthio)butadiene (U0126) Enhances the Cytotoxicity of Combretastatin A4 Independently of Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinase

Combretastatin A4 (CA4) is a novel vascular-disrupting agent that has shown promising anticancer effects through its inhibition of microtubule assembly and subsequent disruption of tumor blood flow. In this report, we demonstrate that 1,4-diamino-2,3-dicyano-1,4-bis(methylthio)butadiene (U0126), a selective inhibitor of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK), significantly enhances the cytotoxicity of CA4 in BEL-7402 cells, independently of MEK inhibition. This independence is evidenced by the fact that another, more specific MEK inhibitor, PD0325901 [N-[(R)-2,3-dihydroxy-propoxy]-3,4-difluoro-2-[2-fluoro-4-iodo-phenylamino]-benzamide], does not have the same effect as U0126. The disassembled microtubules are able to reassemble in the later stages of CA4 treatment, because of the inactivating glucuronidation of CA4. U0126, but not PD0325901, inhibits CA4 glucuronidation, thereby blocking microtubule reassembly and enhancing CA4-induced G2/M cell-cycle arrest. Consistent with this, U0126 significantly enhances CA4-induced cytotoxicity for cells in which CA4 glucuronidation occurs, but not for cells in which such glucuronidation does not occur. These results suggest that great caution should be exercised when interpreting data obtained using U0126 or when CA4 is combined with inhibitors of glucuronidation in clinical practice. It is most important to note that these findings indicate that the combination of CA4 with inhibitors of glucuronidation may be a novel and rational strategy for cancer therapy.
Analysis of the Effect of Effort Expectancy on School Learners' Adoption and Use of Cloud Computing

The paper aimed to analyse the determinants of Cloud computing adoption and use among high school learners in East London School district. A closed ended questionnaire was administered and analysed through variance, kurtosis, correlation, and significance to studying Cloud computing adoption and use based on effort expectancy. There was a large positive correlation observed between 'Mobility which enables respondents to access real-time data' and 'less mental effort required to learn because of their skill at mobile devices'(n = 116, r = 0.929, p = 0.000) . Because of this correlation, these sub-variables fell within the accepted Kurtosis range and were normal (k = -0.022, and k = -0.393). Considering the Kurtosis range of -1 to +1, all the variables were significantly normal. In view of the p values in this paper, the alternative hypothesis which stated that, effort expectancy will affect learners' intention to use Cloud was not rejected.
Subaru Prime Focus Camera — Suprime-Cam

We have built an 80-mega pixels (10240 ×8192) mosaic CCD camera, called Suprime-Cam, for the wide-field prime focus of the 8.2m Subaru telescope. Suprime-Cam covers a field of view 34 � ×27 � , a unique facility among the 8-10m class telescopes, with a resolution of 0. �� 202 per pixel. The focal plane consists of ten high-resistivity 2k ×4k CCDs developed by MIT Lincoln Laboratory, which are cooled by a large Stirling-cycle cooler. The CCD readout electronics was designed to be scalable, which allows the multiple read-out of tens of CCDs. It takes 50 seconds to readout entire arrays. We designed a filter-exchange mechanism of the jukebox type that can hold up to ten large filters (205 ×170 ×15mm 3 ). The wide-field corrector is basically a three-lens Wynne-type, but has a new type of atmospheric dispersion corrector. The corrector provides a flat focal plane and an un-vignetted field of view of 30 � in diameter. The achieved co-planarity of the focal array mosaic is smaller than 30 µm peak-to-peak, which realizes mostly the seeing limited image over the entire field. The median seeing in the Ic-band, measured over one year and ah alf, is 0. 61. The PSF anisotropy in Suprime-Cam images, estimated by stellar ellipticities, is about 2% under this median seeing condition. At the time of commissioning, Suprime-Cam had the largest survey speed, which is defined as the field of view multiplied by the primary mirror area of the telescope, among those cameras built for
Short-Selling, Margin-Trading, and Price Efficiency: Evidence from the Chinese Market

China launched a pilot scheme in March 2010 to lift the ban on short-selling and margin-trading for stocks on a designated list. We find that stocks experience negative returns when added to the list. After the ban is lifted, price efficiency increases while stock return volatility decreases. Panel data regressions reveal that intensified short-selling activities are associated with improved price efficiency. Short-sellers trade to eliminate overpricing by selling stocks with higher contemporaneous returns following a downward trend, and their trades predict future returns. In contrast, we find intensified margin-trading activities for stocks with lower contemporaneous returns, and these trades have no return predictive power.