Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Biomechanical characterization of swimmers with physical disabilities

The evaluation of swimming technique is one of the main aspects to be considered in any training program, with biomechanics being an important source of knowledge. It was our objective to characterize the biomechanical parameters (SL and SF) relating them to the swimming velocity (v) at different intensities and to analyze within each swimming stroke cycle the intra-cyclic velocity variation (IVV) in a group of motor disabled swimmers. Eight disabled male swimmers (25.83 ± 2.93 years old, 72.45 ± 9.26 kg body mass and 1.79 ± 0.11 m of height) of the following functional classes: S6 (n = 1), S8 (n = 2) and S9 (n = 5) participated in this study. Swimmers were evaluated in the kinematic parameters v, stroke frequency (SF) and stroke length (SL) along with an incremental protocol of 6 x 200 m in the the crawl stroke. Data were registered in each step at the distances of 100 and 175 m. With increasing velocity, the mean values of SL decreased while the mean values of SF increased. To achieve higher swimming velocities, swimmers compensated the lack of the propulsive segment increasing SF to increase swimming speed. For the mean values of IVV at 100m distance, a decrease between the first and second levels, followed by a tendency to stabilize from the 2nd to the 6th level is presented. For the 175 m distance, there was a decrease in IVV with an increase in swimming velocity. Stroke frequency is directly related to the magnitude of IVV, which directly influences swimming performance.
Structure of the complete bacterial SRP Alu domain

The Alu domain of the signal recognition particle (SRP) arrests protein biosynthesis by competition with elongation factor binding on the ribosome. The mammalian Alu domain is a protein–RNA complex, while prokaryotic Alu domains are protein-free with significant extensions of the RNA. Here we report the crystal structure of the complete Alu domain of Bacillus subtilis SRP RNA at 2.5 Å resolution. The bacterial Alu RNA reveals a compact fold, which is stabilized by prokaryote-specific extensions and interactions. In this ‘closed’ conformation, the 5′ and 3′ regions are clamped together by the additional helix 1, the connecting 3-way junction and a novel minor groove interaction, which we term the ‘minor-saddle motif’ (MSM). The 5′ region includes an extended loop–loop pseudoknot made of five consecutive Watson–Crick base pairs. Homology modeling with the human Alu domain in context of the ribosome shows that an additional lobe in the pseudoknot approaches the large subunit, while the absence of protein results in the detachment from the small subunit. Our findings provide the structural basis for purely RNA-driven elongation arrest in prokaryotes, and give insights into the structural adaption of SRP RNA during evolution.
Pricing Life Insurance Contracts with Early Exercise Features

In this paper we describe an algorithm based on the Least Squares Monte Carlo method to price life insurance contracts embedding American options. We focus on equity-linked contracts with surrender options and terminal guarantees on benefits payable upon death, survival and surrender. The framework allows for randomness in mortality as well as stochastic volatility and jumps in financial risk factors. We provide numerical experiments demonstrating the performance of the algorithm in the context of multiple risk factors and exercise dates.
Gut Lesions in Fabry's Disease Without a Rash

Twin boys with Fabry's disease and 6 affected relatives were described. Limb pains and retinal vessel tortuosity were present but no patient had angiokeratomata. One boy had a severe enteropathy with small and large bowel involvement which was investigated. Thin-layer chromatography showed that excesses of ceramide di- and trihexosides were excreted in the urine. Leucocyte α-galactosidase activity was measured: hemizygous males showed very low activity, while obligate and probable heterozygous females had values intermediate between those of the patients and the normal controls.
Body weight, egg production, and egg quality traits of gray, brown, and white varieties of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) in coastal climatic condition of Odisha

Aim: The present study was conducted to evaluate the performance of gray, brown, and white varieties of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) with respect to body weight, egg production, and egg quality traits in the coastal climatic condition of Odisha. Materials and Methods: A total of 500-day-old straight run Japanese quail chicks of three varieties, viz., gray, brown, and white were randomly selected and reared in deep litter system at Central Poultry Development Organization, Eastern Region, Bhubaneswar. The weekly body weight of the birds was recorded till their egg production stage (up to 6 weeks of age). The average egg production was recorded every biweekly from 6th to 20th week. Exterior and interior quality of eggs from each variety was determined at 6 weeks of age. Results: The initial average weekly body weight of three varieties did not differ (p>0.05) among the varieties. However, from 1st to 6th week significantly higher body weight was observed in gray than white and brown. Brown varieties had reached 50% egg production 1 week earlier than gray and white. Brown had higher peak hen day (HD) production or hen-housed egg production followed by white and gray. External quality such as: Egg weight, egg length, egg width, volume, shape index, shell weight, shell thickness depicted no significant difference among the varieties except circumference length and circumference width, which were significantly higher (p≤0.05) in gray varieties than brown varieties. Internal egg characteristics such as: Albumen length, albumen width, albumen height, albumen index, yolk length, yolk width, yolk height, yolk index, albumen weight, yolk weight, Haugh unit revealed no significance difference among the varieties. Conclusion: It may be summarized from the findings that gray excelled in body weight followed by white and brown. Egg production potential in terms of hen house egg production or HD egg production was higher for brown followed by white and gray in the coastal climatic condition of Odisha.
CFD Study of the Effect of Geometrical Shape of Separation Blades on the
 Rotor Performance of an Annular Centrifugal Extractor (ACE)

Annular centrifugal extractors have a great potential in the multiphase extraction of pharmaceutical, nuclear, and many other processes. Although the widespread use of this device, the design procedures are still unavailable because of the complexity of the fluid mechanics in the rotor region called the separation zone. From a structural point of view, this region has a complicated conception due to the different internals. This study presents a three-dimensional numerical simulation of the flow field inside the rotor region of an annular centrifugal extractor ACE. The industrial CFD code (Fluent) was used to model the highly swirling fluid flow in the settling zone with various geometries of separation blades (straight blades and curved blades). Numerical predictions and experimental results were compared in order to validate the proposed models. The velocity field with the k-ε model shows a good agreement with the experimental data available in the literature. The Volume of Fluid (VOF) method was employed to simulate the physics of the interface of air/water free surface. A comparison between the flow field and the performances of the ACE model design with vertical straight blades and with vertical curved blades was further investigated to study the effect of the geometric shape of the separation blades on the parameters of liquid holdup volume, the interface radius and the pressure drop. It was found that the geometry of the separating blades has a significant impact on the pressure drop, liquid hold-up volume and interface radius and general flow in the extractor-settling zone. The predicted pressure drop proved that the geometry of the ACE rotor with curved blades leads to a lower values of pressure drop.
Non-Gaussian Fluctuations in Biased Resistor Networks: Size Effects versus Universal Behavior

We study the distribution of the resistance fluctuations of biased resistor networks in nonequilibrium steady states. The stationary conditions arise from the competition between two stochastic and biased processes of breaking and recovery of the elementary resistors. The fluctuations of the network resistance are calculated by Monte Carlo simulations which are performed for different values of the applied current, for networks of different size and shape and by considering different levels of intrinsic disorder. The distribution of the resistance fluctuations generally exhibits relevant deviations from Gaussianity, in particular when the current approaches the threshold of electrical breakdown. For two-dimensional systems we have shown that this non-Gaussianity is in general related to finite size effects, thus it vanishes in the thermodynamic limit, with the remarkable exception of highly disordered networks. For these systems, close to the critical point of the conductor-insulator transition, non-Gaussianity persists in the large size limit and it is well described by the universal Bramwell-Holdsworth-Pinton distribution. In particular, here we analyze the role of the shape of the network on the distribution of the resistance fluctuations. Precisely, we consider quasi-one-dimensional networks elongated along the direction of the applied current or trasversal to it. A significant anisotropy is found for the properties of the distribution. These results apply to conducting thin films or wires with granular structure stressed by high current densities.
Outage Behavior of MIMO Channels with Partial Feedback and Minimum Multiplexing Gains

The diversity-multiplexing (D-M) tradeoff over a multiantenna channel with resolution-constrained feedback is characterized. The concept of minimum guaranteed multiplexing gain in the forward link is introduced and shown to significantly influence the optimal D-M tradeoff. It is demonstrated that rate adaptation is important in obtaining a high diversity gain even at high rates. The class of extended approximately universal codes is shown to be tradeoff optimal. With codes from this class, the optimal D-M tradeoff is achievable by the combination of a feedback-dependent power controller and only two codebooks. Two novel lower bounds to the optimal D-M tradeoff based on Gaussian coding arguments are presented. These bounds are only asymptotically tight, but can quickly approach the optimal tradeoff even with moderate codeword lengths
Dynamic determinacy analysis

We present an analysis for identifying determinate variables and expressions that always have the same value at a given program point. This information can be exploited by client analyses and tools to, e.g., identify dead code or specialize uses of dynamic language constructs such as eval, replacing them with equivalent static constructs. Our analysis is completely dynamic and only needs to observe a single execution of the program, yet the determinacy facts it infers hold for any execution. We present a formal soundness proof of the analysis for a simple imperative language, and a prototype implementation that handles full JavaScript. Finally, we report on two case studies that explored how static analysis for JavaScript could leverage the information gathered by dynamic determinacy analysis. We found that in some cases scalability of static pointer analysis was improved dramatically, and that many uses of runtime code generation could be eliminated.
The birth and growth of neutralino haloes

We use the extended Press–Schechter (EPS) formalism to study halo assembly histories in a standard Λ cold dark matter cosmology. A large ensemble of Monte Carlo random walks provides the entire halo membership histories of a representative set of dark matter particles, which we assume to be neutralinos. The first-generation haloes of most particles do not have a mass similar to the free-streaming cut-off Mfs of the neutralino power spectrum, nor do they form at high redshift. Median values are M1= 105–107Mfs and z1= 13 to 8 depending on the form of the collapse barrier assumed in the EPS model. For almost one third of all particles, the first-generation halo has M1 > 109Mfs. At redshifts beyond 20, most neutralinos are not yet part of any halo but are still diffuse. These numbers apply with little modification to the neutralinos which are today part of haloes similar to that of the Milky Way. Up to 10 per cent of the particles in such haloes were never part of a smaller object; the typical particle has undergone approximately five ‘accretion events’ where the halo it was part of falls into a more massive object. Available N-body simulations agree well with the EPS predictions for an ‘ellipsoidal’ collapse barrier, so these may provide a reliable extension of simulation results to smaller scales. The late formation times and large masses of the first-generation haloes of most neutralinos suggest that they will be disrupted with high efficiency during halo assembly.
Rating Procedures for Improving Identification of Exposure to Potentially Traumatic Events When Using Checklist Measures

ABSTRACT Although interviews provide the best assessment of potentially traumatic events (PTEs), their use is not always feasible in research or clinical settings when time and other resources are scarce. Relying alternatively on checklists to identify PTE histories is problematic, however, as they will overestimate PTE rates. Thus, this study aimed to develop new rating procedures that could be used quickly and easily to enhance the accuracy of PTE assessment when use of interviews is prohibitive. A large (N = 640) college sample completed a PTE checklist and follow-up questions designed to gather details about each endorsed event. The new rating procedures were applied to follow up responses, allowing comparison of participants with PTE histories identified by (1) checklist alone and (2) the new rating procedures. Results indicated that the new rating procedures were efficient and demonstrated adequate-to-good inter-rater reliability for all trauma types. The checklist substantially overestimated the PTE rate in the present sample for all types of trauma. Further, participants with a PTE history based on the rating procedures endorsed greater posttraumatic reexperiencing and avoidance than did those with a PTE history based on the checklist alone. The new rating procedures therefore have the ability to improve PTE assessment, perhaps particularly in research settings, and will enhance the validity of conclusions that can be reached in future studies when interviews cannot be used.
Clear in its core, blurred in the outer contours: culturally normative conceptions of the family in Germany

ABSTRACT This paper investigates which conceptions of the family exist in Germany and how widespread they are. It uses a multi-method design. The ‘Family Leitbild’ survey, conducted in Germany in 2012 with 5000 participants, provides quantitative data. Qualitative data are taken from the study ‘Family in Pictures’, in which 101 participants each drew a picture of what constitutes a ‘proper’ family in their subjective view, and thereafter were interviewed about the conception underlying their drawing. Findings suggest that conceptions of the family are diverse. They share a common well-established core that family in its prototypical form consists of a heterosexual couple with their own children, in conjunction with certain functions, relationship qualities and settings. Conceptions mostly are very generous extensions of this core understanding that also include a large number of other living arrangements, and forgo some of the family’s ‘traditional’ functions. However, which living arrangements are included varies. The contemporary cultural conception of the family is very clear in its core and blurred in its outer contours. For young people drafting their life plans, it leaves a lot of freedom. However, for those without firm personal preferences, it still proposes the nuclear family as a safe beaten track.
The effect of observational method and task complexity on neuropsychological test performance

Neuropsychologists are often called upon to conduct psychological examination in the presence of an observer in litigation cases despite research clearly demonstrating altered performance on neuropsychological tests under such conditions. Past research into the social facilitation effect suggests attentional conflict (Baron, 1986; Manstead & Semin, 1980) and increased anxiety (Guerin & Innes, 1982; Guerin, 1983) when observers are present and cannot be monitored. However, this research has found conflicting results depending upon the complexity of tasks and differences in observation condition. Meta analyses point to task complexity (Bond & Titus, 1983) and evaluation apprehension (Guerin, 1986) as important moderators of observer effects. Professional organizations have proposed audiovisual recording as an alternative to direct observation. The present study examined the effects of active observation and audiovisual recording on neuropsychological test performance on both simple and complex tasks to determine if task complexity is an important moderating factor in suggested observational conditions. It was expected that performance of simple tasks would not be affected by observation while performance of complex tasks would deteriorate with observation. Results indicate that neither simple nor complex tasks were affected by observation in this study.
Intracisternal Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist Prevents Postoperative Cognitive Decline and Neuroinflammatory Response in Aged Rats

To investigate the role of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) in aged rats, we used laparotomy to mimic human abdominal surgery in adult (3 months) and aged (24 months) F344/BN rats. We demonstrated that memory consolidation of the hippocampal-dependent contextual fear-conditioning task is significantly impaired in aged but not young rats 4 d after surgery. Hippocampal-independent auditory-cued fear memory was not disrupted by laparotomy in either age group. The hippocampal-dependent memory impairment was paralleled by elevations of IL-1β in the hippocampus of aged animals 1 and 4 d after surgery. These findings support our substantial line of previous research showing that aged animals are more vulnerable to cognitive decline after a peripheral immune challenge. In addition, we demonstrated that a single intracisternal administration of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA; 112 μg) at the time of surgery was sufficient to block both the behavioral deficit and the neuroinflammatory response. Injecting the same dose of IL-1RA peripherally failed to have a protective effect. These data provide strong support for the specific role of central, not peripheral, IL-1β in POCD. Furthermore, the long-lasting presence of IL-1RA in the brain (4 d) compared with in the blood (<24 h) underscores the value of intracisternal administration of IL-1RA for therapeutic purposes.
SPATIAL: A System-level PAThway Impact AnaLysis approach

Abstract The goal of pathway analysis is to identify the pathways that are significantly impacted when a biological system is perturbed, e.g. by a disease or drug. Current methods treat pathways as independent entities. However, many signals are constantly sent from one pathway to another, essentially linking all pathways into a global, system-wide complex. In this work, we propose a set of three pathway analysis methods based on the impact analysis, that performs a system-level analysis by considering all signals between pathways, as well as their overlaps. Briefly, the global system is modeled in two ways: (i) considering the inter-pathway interaction exchange for each individual pathways, and (ii) combining all individual pathways to form a global, system-wide graph. The third analysis method is a hybrid of these two models. The new methods were compared with DAVID, GSEA, GSA, PathNet, Crosstalk and SPIA on 23 GEO data sets involving 19 tissues investigated in 12 conditions. The results show that both the ranking and the P-values of the target pathways are substantially improved when the analysis considers the system-wide dependencies and interactions between pathways.
Scalable Transaction Management on Cloud Data Management Systems

Cloud computing is a model for enabling convenient, on -demand network access to shared pool of configurable computing resources that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort . As the problem of building scalable trans-action management mechanisms for multi-row transactions on key-value storage systems . For that purpose we develop scalable techniques for transaction management by using the snapshot isolation (SI) model. This SI model can give non-serializable transaction executions, we investigate two conflict detection techniques for ensuring serializability under SI. As getting importance of scalability, we investigate system models and mechanisms in which the transaction management functions are decoupled from the storage system and integrated with the application-level processes. We present two system models and demonstrate their scalability under the scale-out paradigm of Cloud com-putting platforms. In the first system model, all transaction management functions are executed in a fully decentralized manner by the application processes. The second model is based on a hybrid approach in which the conflict detection techniques are implemented by a dedicated service. Keywords- cloud data, scalable transaction, SI model , serialization , decentralization.
Incentivizing with Bonus in a College Statistics Course

Many studies have argued the negative effects of external rewards on internal motivation while others assert that external motivation does not necessarily undermine intrinsic motivation. At a private university, students were given the option to earn bonus points for achieving mastery in the online homework systems associated with Statistics and Pre-Calculus courses. The results showed a significant difference in online homework grades and final exam scores, dependent upon when the incentive was given. The findings of this research suggest that college students thrive when incentivized. When compared to the students who were not incentivized, the incentivized group had a statistically significantly higher mean for both online homework scores and final exam scores. Many of the incentivized students chose to take the opportunity to earn the bonus points to increase the final semester grade, which apparently also helped to increase the content knowledge necessary for the final exam.
Multiple Viewpiont Melodic Prediction with Fixed-Context Neural Networks

The multiple viewpoints representation is an event-based representation of symbolic music data which offers a means for the analysis and generation of notated music. Previous work using this representation has predominantly relied on n-gram and variable order Markov models for music sequence modelling. Recently the efficacy of a class of distributed models, namely restricted Boltzmann machines, was demonstrated for this purpose. In this paper, we demonstrate the use of two neural network models which use fixed-length sequences of various viewpoint types as input to predict the pitch of the next note in the sequence. The predictive performance of each of these models is comparable to that of models previously evaluated on the same task. We then combine the predictions of individual models using an entropy-weighted combination scheme to improve the overall prediction performance, and compare this with the predictions of a single equivalent model which takes as input all the viewpoint types of each of the individual models in the combination.