Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Escape manoeuvres in the spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias)

SUMMARY The locomotor performance of dogfish during escape responses was observed by means of high-speed video. Dogfish show C-type escape responses that are comparable with those shown previously in teleosts. Dogfish show high variability of turning rates of the anterior part of the body (head to centre of mass), i.e. with peak values from 434 to 1023 deg. s-1. We suggest that this variability may be due to the presence of two types of escape manoeuvres, i.e. responses with high and low turning rates, as previously found in a teleost species. Fast responses (i.e. with high maximum turning rates, ranging between 766 and 1023 deg. s-1) showed significantly higher locomotor performance than slow responses (i.e. with low maximum turning rates, ranging between 434 and 593 deg. s-1) in terms of distance covered, speed and acceleration, although no differences were found in the turning radius of the centre of mass during the escape manoeuvres. The existence of two types of escape responses would have implications in terms of both neural control and muscular activation patterns. When compared with literature data for the locomotor performance of bony fishes, dogfish showed relatively low speed and acceleration, comparable turning rates and a turning radius that is in the low part of the range when compared with teleosts, indicating relatively high manoeuvrability. The locomotor performance observed in dogfish is consistent with their morphological characteristics: (1) low locomotor performance associated with low thrust developed by their relatively small posterior depth of section and (2) relatively high manoeuvrability associated with their high flexibility.
Optical Identification of the ASCA Large Sky Survey

We present results of optical identification of the X-ray sources detected in the ASCA Large Sky Survey. Optical spectroscopic observations were done for 34 X-ray sources that were detected with the SIS in the 2-7 keV band above 3.5 σ. The flux limit corresponds to ~1 × 10-13 ergs cm-2 s-1 in the 2-10 keV band. The sources are identified with 30 active galactic nuclei (AGNs), two clusters of galaxies, and one Galactic star. Only one source is still unidentified. All of the X-ray sources that have a hard X-ray spectrum with an apparent photon index of smaller than 1 in the 0.7-10 keV band are identified with narrow-line or weak-broad-line AGNs at redshifts smaller than 0.5. This fact supports the idea that absorbed X-ray spectra of narrow-line and weak-broad-line AGNs make the cosmic X-ray background (CXB) spectrum harder in the hard X-ray band than that of a broad-line AGN, which is the main contributor in the soft X-ray band. Assuming their intrinsic spectra are same as a broad-line AGN (a power-law model with a photon index of 1.7), their X-ray spectra are fitted with hydrogen column densities of log NH(cm-2) = 22-23 at the object's redshift. On the other hand, X-ray spectra of the other AGNs are consistent with that of a nearby type 1 Seyfert galaxy. In the sample, four high-redshift luminous broad-line AGNs show a hard X-ray spectrum with an apparent photon index of 1.3 ± 0.3. The hardness may be explained by the reflection component of a type 1 Seyfert galaxy. The hard X-ray spectra may also be explained by absorption with log NH(cm-2) = 22-23 at the object's redshift, if we assume an intrinsic photon index of 1.7. The origin of the hardness is not clear yet. Based on the log N- log S relations of each population, contributions to the CXB in the 2-10 keV band are estimated to be 9% for less-absorbed AGNs (log NH(cm-2) < 22) including the four high-redshift broad-line AGNs with a hard X-ray spectrum, 4% for absorbed AGNs (22 < log NH(cm-2) < 23, without the four hard broad-line AGNs), and 1% for clusters of galaxies in the flux range from 3 × 10-11 ergs cm-2 s-1 to 2 × 10-13 ergs cm-2 s-1. If the four hard broad-line AGNs are included in the absorbed AGNs, the contribution of the absorbed AGNs to the CXB is estimated to be 6%. In optical spectra, there is no high-redshift luminous cousin of a narrow-line AGN in our sample. The redshift distribution of the absorbed AGNs is limited below z = 0.5 excluding the four hard broad-line AGNs, in contrast to the existence of 15 less-absorbed AGNs above z = 0.5. The redshift distribution of the absorbed AGNs suggests a deficiency of AGNs with column densities of log NH(cm-2) = 22-23 in the redshift range 0.5-2, or in the X-ray luminosity range larger than 1044 ergs s-1, or both. If the large column densities of the four hard broad-line AGNs are real, they could complement the deficiency of X-ray absorbed luminous high-redshift AGNs.
The Effects of a 'No-Haggle' Channel on Marketing Strategies

As sellers increasingly turn to multi-channel retailing, the opportunity to implement different pricing policies has grown. With the advent of the internet, many traditionally bargained products such as automobiles, jewelry, watches, appliances and furniture are now being offered online at a fixed pre-determined price. We explore the strategy of simultaneously offering two pricing formats (fixed and bargained) via two different channels (online and brick and mortar) and find that in a market where there are two types of consumers—those with a high cost of haggling and others with a lower cost—a dual-pricing strategy is optimal only when there are enough high haggling-cost consumers, but not too many, and when the haggling costs between the two types of consumers are sufficiently different. We also find that it is optimal for the seller to specify a higher-than-cost minimum acceptable price as the price floor of bargaining. By doing so, the seller increases the bargained price by complementing the salesperson's bargaining ability, and also softens the internal competition between the two channels. Finally, we find that, surprisingly, the dual-pricing strategy may serve fewer customers while still being more profitable than a single price structure. The implications for consumer surplus are also explored.
Domoic Acid Epileptic Disease

Domoic acid epileptic disease is characterized by spontaneous recurrent seizures weeks to months after domoic acid exposure. The potential for this disease was first recognized in a human case study of temporal lobe epilepsy after the 1987 amnesic shellfish-poisoning event in Quebec, and was characterized as a chronic epileptic syndrome in California sea lions through investigation of a series of domoic acid poisoning cases between 1998 and 2006. The sea lion study provided a breadth of insight into clinical presentations, unusual behaviors, brain pathology, and epidemiology. A rat model that replicates key observations of the chronic epileptic syndrome in sea lions has been applied to identify the progression of the epileptic disease state, its relationship to behavioral manifestations, and to define the neural systems involved in these behavioral disorders. Here, we present the concept of domoic acid epileptic disease as a delayed manifestation of domoic acid poisoning and review the state of knowledge for this disease state in affected humans and sea lions. We discuss causative mechanisms and neural underpinnings of disease maturation revealed by the rat model to present the concept for olfactory origin of an epileptic disease; triggered in dendodendritic synapases of the olfactory bulb and maturing in the olfactory cortex. We conclude with updated information on populations at risk, medical diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.
A robotic device for measuring and controlling pelvic motion during locomotor rehabilitation

This paper describes a robotic device for measuring and manipulating pelvic motion during step training on a treadmill. "PAM" (Pelvic Assist Manipulator) uses two, three-degree-of-freedom, pneumatic robots to measure and control the pelvis of a person during body weight supported stepping on a treadmill. The device can be used in a passive mode to record pelvic trajectories, either specified manually by a therapist or pre-recorded from unimpaired subjects, then replay these trajectories using a nonlinear force control algorithm. Data are presented that demonstrate the ability of the device to record and replay the pelvic motions that occur during normal walking.
Reliability of routine clinical measurements of neonatal circumferences and research measurements of neonatal skinfold thicknesses: findings from the Born in Bradford study

Summary West J, Manchester B, Wright J, Lawlor DA, Waiblinger D. Reliability of routine clinical measurements of neonatal circumferences and research measurements of neonatal skinfold thicknesses: findings from the Born in Bradford study. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2011. Assessing neonatal size reliably is important for research and clinical practice. The aim of this study was to examine the reliability of routine clinical measurements of neonatal circumferences and of skinfold thicknesses assessed for research purposes. All measurements were undertaken on the same population of neonates born in a large maternity unit in Bradford, UK. Technical error of measurement (TEM), relative TEM and the coefficient of reliability are reported. Intra-observer TEMs for routine circumference measurements were all below 0.4 cm and were generally within ±2-times the mean. Inter-observer TEM ranged from 0.20 to 0.36 cm for head circumference, 0.19 to 0.39 cm for mid upper arm circumference and from 0.39 to 0.77 cm for abdominal circumference. Intra and inter-observer TEM for triceps skinfold thickness ranged from 0.22 to 0.35 mm and 0.15 to 0.54 mm, respectively. Subscapular skinfold thickness TEM values were 0.14 to 0.25 mm for intra-observer measurements and 0.17 to 0.63 mm for inter-observer measurements. Relative TEM values for routine circumferences were all below 4.00% but varied between 2.88% and 14.23% for research skinfold measurements. Reliability was mostly between 80% and 99% for routine circumference measurements and ≥70% for most research skinfold measurements. Routine clinical measurements of neonatal circumferences are reliably assessed in Bradford. Assessing skinfolds in neonates has variable reliability, but on the whole is good. The greater intra-observer, compared with inter-observer, reliability for both sets of measurements highlights the importance of having a minimal number of assessors whenever possible.
Mass spectrometric quantitation of covalently bound cell wall proteins in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The cell wall of yeast consists of an internal skeletal layer and an external layer of glycoproteins covalently linked to the stress-bearing polysaccharides. The cell wall protein (CWP) population consists of over 20 different proteins, and may vary in composition. We present two complementary methods for quantifying CWPs, based on isobaric tagging and tandem MS: (1) absolute quantitation of individual CWPs, allowing estimation of surface densities; and (2) relative quantitation of CWPs, allowing monitoring of the dynamics of the CWP population. For absolute quantitation, we selected a representative group of five proteins (Cwp1p, Crh1p, Scw4p, Gas1p, and Ecm33p), which had 67 × 103, 44 × 103, 38 × 103, 11 × 103 and 6.5 × 103 of wall-bound copies per cell, respectively. As Cwp1p is predominantly incorporated in the birth scar, this corresponds to a protein density of c. 22 × 103 copies μm−2. For relative quantitation, we compared wild-type cells to gas1Δ cells, in which the cell wall integrity pathway is constitutively activated. The levels of Crh1p, Crh2p, Ecm33p, Gas5p, Pst1p and Pir3p increased about three- to fivefold, whereas the level of Scw4p was significantly decreased. We propose that our methods are widely applicable to other fungi.
Negative Impacts of the Neo-Liberal Policies on the Banking Sector in Bulgaria

From the beginning of the 1970s until the last global financial and economic crisis in 2008-2009, neo-liberal ideas guided economic policy development. It is worth noting that the Central and Eastern European countries transformed their economies from centrally planned to а market type at the peak of the liberal policies. Bulgaria offers a particularly interesting example because the country encountered a very difficult transition from one extreme of an economic system organization to another. The paper considers the reforms in the Bulgarian banking sector during the transition period from a centrally planned to a market type economy (from 1989 onward) through the implementation of neo-liberal policies. The development of the banking sector and its transformation is analyzed throughout the two main periods: before and after the transition. The latter is divided into two sub-periods (phases) beginning with the early 1990s, followed by the financial and bank crisis in the country, the introduction of a currency board regime in 1997, and stabilization, and ending with the global crisis in 2008-2009. This article summarizes that during the transition period, a modern banking system was established to accumulate profit rather than to promote economic growth. Following a chronological order, the negative effects of the liberalization of the Bulgarian banking sector are specified: the exportation of ownership (and control) upon banking system assets, unfair asset redistribution, the emergence of the local oligarchy, the weak protection of the taxpayers and others.
Circadian clocks, rhythmic synaptic plasticity and the sleep-wake cycle in zebrafish

The circadian clock and homeostatic processes are fundamental mechanisms that regulate sleep. Surprisingly, despite decades of research, we still do not know why we sleep. Intriguing hypotheses suggest that sleep regulates synaptic plasticity and consequently has a beneficial role in learning and memory. However, direct evidence is still limited and the molecular regulatory mechanisms remain unclear. The zebrafish provides a powerful vertebrate model system that enables simple genetic manipulation, imaging of neuronal circuits and synapses in living animals, and the monitoring of behavioral performance during day and night. Thus, the zebrafish has become an attractive model to study circadian and homeostatic processes that regulate sleep. Zebrafish clock- and sleep-related genes have been cloned, neuronal circuits that exhibit circadian rhythms of activity and synaptic plasticity have been studied, and rhythmic behavioral outputs have been characterized. Integration of this data could lead to a better understanding of sleep regulation. Here, we review the progress of circadian clock and sleep studies in zebrafish with special emphasis on the genetic and neuroendocrine mechanisms that regulate rhythms of melatonin secretion, structural synaptic plasticity, locomotor activity and sleep.
Advancing STEM Career and Learning through Civic Engagement.

The Mayor's Youth Technology Corps (MYTC)—Creating Safe Communities through Information Technology Training in Homeland Security Applications (2008–2012)—offered a collaboration of resources, supports, and opportunities for strengthening science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education efforts in an underserved community, the City of Detroit. This MYTC project achieved three important goals: (a) creating career pathways for two cohorts of 50 high school students (100 total) in geographical information system (GIS) and information technology in the context of application development concerning homeland security and facility management, (b) providing students with inquiry-based STEM learning opportunities through multiple delivery methods, and (c) enhancing students’ hands-on working experiences by offering internships in City of Detroit organizations. By the end of the MYTC project, around 814 students had participated in various activities sponsored by the project and more than 20 teachers served as lead teachers. Among them, 162 students graduated from the summer institutes; 120 students completed in-class, after-school, or online GIS training courses; 84 students went through a hybrid information assurance course; and 98 students successfully finished their internship assignments. A STEM career goal measure showed that overall interest in having a career in STEM increased 9% throughout the program, and there was an additional 10% increase as a result of the internships. The MYTC internship program is an important form of student civic engagement and also the highlight of hands-on experiences for the MYTC trainees. The internship is the capstone and a true test of how the MYTC students were trained and whether the students were learning what was designed for them in this project. Moreover, the internship program aimed at advancing the participating students’ motivation toward STEM careers. This paper examines the rationale for selecting the internship as the MYTC project’s capstone and the lessons learned through the internship program implementation. The need for an advanced technology-based internship is discussed in the second section. The research design of how to examine critical factors of the internship implementation is presented in the third section. The outcomes of the internship program is are assessed in the fourth section. The lessons learned and future improvements will be discussed in the final conclusion section.
The Pyridoxal 5′-Phosphate (PLP)-Dependent Enzyme Serine Palmitoyltransferase (SPT): Effects of the Small Subunits and Insights from Bacterial Mimics of Human hLCB2a HSAN1 Mutations

The pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzyme serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT) catalyses the first step of de novo sphingolipid biosynthesis. The core human enzyme is a membrane-bound heterodimer composed of two subunits (hLCB1 and hLCB2a/b), and mutations in both hLCB1 (e.g., C133W and C133Y) and hLCB2a (e.g., V359M, G382V, and I504F) have been identified in patients with hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy type I (HSAN1), an inherited disorder that affects sensory and autonomic neurons. These mutations result in substrate promiscuity, leading to formation of neurotoxic deoxysphingolipids found in affected individuals. Here we measure the activities of the hLCB2a mutants in the presence of ssSPTa and ssSPTb and find that all decrease enzyme activity. High resolution structural data of the homodimeric SPT enzyme from the bacterium Sphingomonas paucimobilis (Sp SPT) provides a model to understand the impact of the hLCB2a mutations on the mechanism of SPT. The three human hLCB2a HSAN1 mutations map onto Sp SPT (V246M, G268V, and G385F), and these mutant mimics reveal that the amino acid changes have varying impacts; they perturb the PLP cofactor binding, reduce the affinity for both substrates, decrease the enzyme activity, and, in the most severe case, cause the protein to be expressed in an insoluble form.
Social Choice Scoring Functions

Let a committee of voters be considering a finite set $A = \{ {a_1 ,a_2 , \cdots ,a_m } \}$ of alternatives for election. Each voter is assumed to rank the alternatives according to his preferences in a strict linear order. A social choice function is a rule which, to every finite committee of voters with specified preference orders, assigns a nonempty subset of A, interpreted as the set of “winners”. A social choice function is consistent if, whenever two disjoint committees meeting separately choose the same winner(s), then the committees meeting jointly choose precisely these winner(s). The function is symmetric if it does not depend on the names of the various voters and the various alternatives. It is shown that every symmetric, consistent social choice function is obtained (except for ties) in the following way: there is a sequence $s_1 ,s_2 , \cdots $, $s_m $ of m real numbers such that if every voter gives score $s_i $ to his ith most preferred alternative, then the alternative with highest score .
Students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of their in-service training for the Advanced Certificate in Education programme

The purpose of this study was to determine in-service students' perceptions of the effectiveness of the Advanced Certificate in Education (ACE) programme offered by Stellenbosch University, South Africa, in preparing them to be confident teachers of Mathematical Literacy, Life Sciences or Physical Sciences in the Further Education and Training (FET) phase. An open-ended questionnaire was administered at the end of the first year of the two-year mixed-mode part-time study. The university's standard student feedback questionnaire was administered during contact sessions. A Likert-type 5-point scale version of the initial open-ended questionnaire was designed and administered to the cohort after graduation. Findings were that there were process, content, contextual and outcomes aspects of the programme which were consistently positive and needed to be maintained. There were aspects that were initially perceived negatively or positively but sentiment changed after graduation. There were also aspects that were consistently perceived negatively and needed improvement.
Lessons Learnt from Deploying an End-User Development Platform for Physical Rehabilitation

Clinical researchers in rehabilitation technology have often called for exercise customization to address patient specific needs. Where such customization transcends simple parameter setting, the need for End-User Development (EUD) arises. EUD in this field can potentially tap on the expertise of highly skilled workers, but presents serious challenges regarding acceptance by end users and the feasibility of embedding EUD in their professional practice. This paper describes the deployment and adoption process of TagTrainer, a physical rehabilitation technology that supports EUD. TagTrainer was deployed in four rehabilitation clinics and was used by 24 rehabilitation therapists. We analyze how they engaged in EUD activities and we discuss decisions that we took in the design and deployment of TagTrainer. Based on these case studies, we present guidelines for the deployment of EUD systems.
Reduction in blood pressure and serum lipids by lycosome formulation of dark chocolate and lycopene in prehypertension

Twenty-nine healthy volunteers aged 47–69 years old were randomly assigned to a 28-day oral intake of different dark chocolate (DC) formulations. The main group received daily 30 g of proprietary lycopene-containing (L-tug) lycosome formulation of DC with enhanced bioavailability of cocoa flavanols. Two control groups daily consumed either 30 g of regular DC alone or along with 7 mg of lycopene, which corresponds to the amount of lycopene ingested with L-tug formulation. It was found that L-tug was more efficient in reducing diastolic blood pressure (mean value of −6.22 mmHg, 95% CI: 5.00, 8.00) when compared with the regular DC group (−3.00 mmHg, P < 0.05) or the group which ingested the DC and lycopene as two separate formulations (mean reduction of −4 mmHg, 95% CI: 2.47, 6.00, P = 0.0262). Only marginal superiority for L-tug formulation in the reduction in systolic blood pressure was seen. However, the L-tug formulation was the only formulation of DC which affected serum lipids. There was a reduction in total cholesterol (from median 228.00 mg/dL [95% CI: 206.2, 242.5] to 187.00 mg/dL [95% CI: 166.2, 202.2, P < 0.05]) with corresponding decline of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (from a median of 166.00 mg/dL [95% CI: 130.8, 177.0] to 151.00 mg/dL [95% CI: 122.8, 167.4; P < 0.05]) at the end of the intervention period. Similar decline was seen in serum triglycerides (P < 0.05). Serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, glucose levels, and C-reactive protein (CRP) values remained statistically unchanged in all study groups throughout the intervention period. A superior biological activity of the L-tug lycosome formulation of DC extending beyond its antihypertensive effect to lipid-lowering ability opens up new possibilities for the use of DC for health purposes helping to reduce daily caloric intake without compromising on the health benefits of DC consumption.