Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sagittal Spinal and Pelvic Postures of Highly-Trained Young Canoeists

Sagittal Spinal and Pelvic Postures of Highly-Trained Young Canoeists The objective of this study was to determine the sagittal spinal curvatures and pelvic position in standing and kneeling in the canoe in young canoeists. Forty-four young highly-trained canoeists (mean age: 15.11 ± 0.61 years) were recruited. Thoracic and lumbar curvatures and pelvic inclination were evaluated with a Spinal Mouse system in standing position and in the base position (kneeling on one knee in the canoe) and catch phase of the stroke. The mean thoracic kyphosis, lumbar lordosis and pelvic inclination in standing were 44.66 ± 8. 80º, -30.34 ± 8. 31º, and 14.20 ± 7. 32º, respectively. In the canoe, the thoracic, lumbar and pelvic angles were 39.66 ± 9. 52º, -24.32 ± 6. 79º, and 15.18 ± 4. 34º, respectively, for the base position (p<0.001 with respect to standing, except for pelvic inclination), and 28.93 ± 10. 45º, -13.45 ± 10. 60º, and 37.61 ± 6. 27º, respectively, for the catch phase of the stroke (p<0.001 with respect to standing and base position). A higher percentage of hyperkyphotic postures in standing than in the canoe was found, while thoracic hypokyphosis increased in the catch phase of the stroke. In regards to the lumbar curve, the percentage of hypolordosis postures in the base position was higher than when standing. Lumbar kyphotic postures were detected in the catch phase of the stroke. In conclusion, the standing thoracic hyperkyphosis in young canoeists may be related to factors other than the posture and movement in the canoe. The canoeists adopted a lumbar flexed posture at the catch phase of the stroke, although this position may not affect the sagittal configuration of lumbar spine in standing. Postural training should be included in the training program of canoeists to improve the thoracic posture in the standing position.
An efficient initialization method for D-KSVD algorithm for image classification

In the fields of pattern recognition and signal processing, there has been a growing interest in task-driven dictionary learning, which is effective in applications in computer vision such as face recognition and image classification. Discriminative K-SVD (D-KSVD), a newly proposed dictionary learning method, has better discrimination ability since it incorporates the classification error into its object function and learns a discriminative dictionary and a linear classifier simultaneously. But D-KSVD is still a two-step iterative method, and its convergence speed is heavily influenced by the initialization values. In this paper, a novel initialization method is proposed for the D-KSVD dictionary learning algorithm, in which the naive Bayesian classifier is employed to initialize the linear classifier in D-KSVD. Then the D-KSVD problem is reformulated and the globally optimal solution for all the parameters can be found by an extended K-SVD algorithm. The reformulated problem also learns a multi-class classifier, which is particularly suitable for datasets with large number of categories. Experimental results show that D-KSVDs with initialization of our method converge faster and have better classification results compared with several baseline dictionary learning algorithms.
A multi-objective evolutionary approach to the portfolio optimization problem

The portfolio optimization problem is a well-known difficult problem occurring in financial real world. The problem consists in choosing an optimal set of assets in order to minimize the risk and maximize the profit of the investment. A multiobjective approach to this problem is suggested in this paper. We use three well-known evolutionary algorithms (namely NSGA2, PESA and SPEA2) for solving the bi-objective portfolio optimization problem. Several numerical experiments are performed using real-world data. The results show that PESA outperforms NSGA2 and SPEA2 for the considered test cases
Teacher-Student Relationship in the Facebook Era

The popularity of social networking sites has facilitated new modes of teacher-student communication, conveying the potential of changing teacher-students interaction. The goal of this chapter is to examine students’ and teachers’ perceptions of student-teacher SNS-based relationships in the Facebook era and to supply evidence that supports decision making. The authors present two studies involving secondary school Israeli students and teachers, examining the relations between Facebook-based student-teacher communication and student-teacher relationships. Findings suggest that Facebook communication may be beneficial but highlight conflicting issues. The authors discuss the implications of these studies, offering recommendations that include comprehensive support of teachers in developing new ICT literacies. They recommend further research as a means of providing educational policymakers and stakeholders with evidence to assist with informed decision making, as well as a means to empower teachers by allowing them to make decisions based on their educational beliefs. EDUCATIONAL PARADIGM CHANGES IN THE KNOWLEDGE ERA: INTRODUCTION TO SNS IN EDUCATION Throughout human history, knowledge was the driving wheel behind societies. In the modern, post-industrial society, many consider knowledge to be the single most valuable commodity (cf. Bell, 1976; Masuda, 1980). Indeed, in the 1990s, the phrase for describing the changing society was altered from “information society” to “knowledge society”, focusing on ideas rather than on explosion of information, hence shifting attention to 21st century skills for gaining knowledge. To this day, the two concepts – information society and knowledge society – tend not to be differentiated (Anderson, 2008). Information and communication technologies are key issues in the transformation of society. Specifically, the growing usage Alona Forkosh-Baruch Levinsky College of Education, Israel & Tel Aviv University, Israel Arnon Hershkovitz Tel Aviv University, Israel
Topical categories of domains

This paper shows how it is possible to express many techniques of categorical domain theory in the general context of topical categories (where ‘topical’ means internal in the category Top of Grothendieck toposes with geometric morphisms). The underlying topos machinery is hidden by using a geometric form of constructive mathematics, which enables toposes as ‘generalized topological spaces’ to be treated in a transparently spatial way, and also shows the constructivity of the arguments. The theory of strongly algebraic (SFP) domains is given as a case study in which the topical category is Cartesian closed.
Government Intervention to Prevent Bankruptcy: The Effect of Blind‐Bidding Laws on Movie Theaters

In the 1970s motion picture studios increased their use of blind bidding and non-refundable guarantees in an attempt to reduce the risks associated with producing a small number of large budget films. However, theater owners claimed that blind bidding and guarantees shifted risk to them and increased the likelihood of bankruptcy, since they were required to bid for the right to exhibit a movie without seeing it first. In response to the lobbying of theater owners, twenty-four states passed laws between 1978 and 1984 that banned blind bidding, while seven states also banned non-refundable guarantees. This paper provides the first empirical analysis of the conflicting claims made by theater owners and movie studios about the impact of these laws on the survival rates of independent theaters, admission prices, and delays in the release of movies. We find that the laws were not only ineffective in keeping theater owners at risk of bankruptcy from exiting the market; they may have been even detrimental to those theater owners converting theaters to multiplexes at that time.
Send Orders of Reprints at Reprints@benthamscience.net Heart Failure in Sub-saharan Africa

The heart failure syndrome has been recognized as a significant contributor to cardiovascular disease burden in sub-Saharan African for many decades. Seminal knowledge regarding heart failure in the region came from case reports and case series of the early 20 th century which identified infectious, nutritional and idiopathic causes as the most common. With increasing urbanization, changes in lifestyle habits, and ageing of the population, the spectrum of causes of HF has also expanded resulting in a significant burden of both communicable and non-communicable etiologies. Heart failure in sub-Saharan Africa is notable for the range of etiologies that concurrently exist as well as the healthcare environment marked by limited resources, weak national healthcare systems and a paucity of national level data on disease trends. With the recent publication of the first and largest multinational prospective registry of acute heart failure in sub-Saharan Af-rica, it is timely to review the state of knowledge to date and describe the myriad forms of heart failure in the region. This review discusses several forms of heart failure that are common in sub-Saharan Africa (e.g., rheumatic heart disease, hy-pertensive heart disease, pericardial disease, various dilated cardiomyopathies, HIV cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic car-diomyopathy, endomyocardial fibrosis, ischemic heart disease, cor pulmonale) and presents each form with regard to epidemiology , natural history, clinical characteristics, diagnostic considerations and therapies. Areas and approaches to fill the remaining gaps in knowledge are also offered herein highlighting the need for research that is driven by regional disease burden and needs.
Secure public-auditing cloud storage enabling data dynamics in the standard model

In cloud computing, the paradigm of data outsourcing introduces security challenges, which requires an independent auditing service to check the data integrity in the cloud. Many existing integrity checking protocols cannot be applied to the auditing service because they can only deal with static data, but it is natural for the client to dynamically update their remotely stored data. Thus, an efficient and secure auditing protocol enabling data dynamics is desired to convince the client that the data are correctly stored in the cloud. In this work, we propose a privacy-preserving public auditing cloud storage protocol enabling data dynamics in the standard model. Inspired by a recent homomorphic network coding signature scheme, we employ a data integrity auditing protocol based on the strong RSA assumption, and extend it to enable a third party auditor to audit client's data without learning the data content. Then we further extend our auditing protocol to support the data dynamic operations (modification, insertion and deletion), which achieves high security level in the standard model. At last we prove the security and justify the performance of our proposed protocol through concrete experiments and comparisons with the state of the art.
New model for gain control of signal intensity to object distance in echolocating bats

SUMMARY Echolocating bats emit ultrasonic calls and listen for the returning echoes to orient and localize prey in darkness. The emitted source level, SL (estimated signal intensity 10 cm from the mouth), is adjusted dynamically from call to call in response to sensory feedback as bats approach objects. A logarithmic relationship of SL=20log10(x), i.e. 6 dB output reduction per halving of distance, x, has been proposed as a model for the relationship between emitted intensity and object distance, not only for bats but also for echolocating toothed whales. This logarithmic model suggests that the approaching echolocator maintains a constant intensity impinging upon the object, but it also implies ever-increasing source levels with distance, a physical and biological impossibility. We developed a new model for intensity compensation with an exponential rise to the maximum source level: SL=SLmax–ae–bx. In addition to providing a method for estimating maximum output, the new model also offers a tool for estimating a minimum detection distance where intensity compensation starts. We tested the new exponential model against the ‘conventional’ logarithmic model on data from five bat species. The new model performed better in 77% of the trials and as good as the conventional model in the rest (23%). We found much steeper rates of compensation when fitting the model to individual rather than pooled data, with slopes often steeper than –20 dB per halving of distance. This emphasizes the importance of analyzing individual events. The results are discussed in light of habitat constraints and the interaction between bats and their eared prey.
A semi-empirical simulation of the extragalactic radio continuum sky for next generation radio telescopes

We have developed a semi-empirical simulation of the extragalactic radio continuum sky suitable for aiding the design of next generation radio interferometers such as the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). The emphasis is on modelling the large-scale cosmological distribution of radio sources rather than the internal structure of individual galaxies. Here we provide a description of the simulation to accompany the online release of a catalogue of similar or equal to 320 million simulated radio sources. The simulation covers a sky area of 20x20 deg^2 - a plausible upper limit to the instantaneous field of view attainable with future (e.g. SKA) aperture array technologies - out to a cosmological redshift of z=20, and down to flux density limits of 10 nJy at 151, 610 MHz, 1.4, 4.86 and 18 GHz. Five distinct source types are included: radio-quiet active galactic nuclei (AGN), radio-loud AGN of the Fanaroff-Riley type I (FR I) and FR II structural classes, and star-forming galaxies, the latter split into Populations of quiescent and starbursting galaxies.
Fault Reconstruction Using Sliding Mode Observers

In this study, a nonlinear sliding observer is proposed to explicitly reconstruct fault signals. The novelty lies in the application of the equivalent output injection concept. Previous work in the area of fault detection has used disruption of the sliding motion to detect faults. The aim of the present study was to design a robust observer that slides in the presence of faults based on the response of the estimated outputs of the system. A numerical example of the application to an inverted pendulum mounted on a cart is provided to demonstrate the approach.
Shadow Banks and Macroeconomic Instability

We develop a macroeconomic model in which commercial banks can offload risky loans to a ‘shadow’ banking sector, and financial intermediaries trade in securitized assets. We analyze the responses of aggregate activity, credit supply and credit spreads to business cycle and financial shocks. We find that: interactions and spillover effects between financial institutions affect credit dynamics; high leverage in the shadow banking system makes the economy excessively vulnerable to aggregate disturbances; and following a financial shock, stabilization policy aimed solely at the securitization markets is relatively ineffective.
Changing understandings and expectations of parental involvement in education

ABSTRACT Parents, especially mothers, have been increasingly positioned as a central determinant of children’s educational outcomes. Analysing articles from a Canadian parenting magazine, this study explores and compares understandings of what it means to be an involved parent in a child’s education during two time periods: 1993–1995 and 2013–2015. Findings suggest that involved parenting with respect to children’s education is complex and intensive, occurring in both the home and the school. Over time the necessity of parental involvement became more taken-for-granted and the ideal parental role moved from one of providing direct assistance to children to one of creating the right environment for children to take self-responsibility; a shift that involved more emotion management on the part of mothers. These changes are analysed in the context of neoliberal understandings and intensive mothering with attention paid to class and gender implications.
From “Learning disability to intellectual disability”—Perceptions of the increasing use of the term “intellectual disability” in learning disability policy, research and practice

Background: The term “intellectual disability” is increasingly used to refer to people with learning disabilities in British learning disability policy, practice and research. This change is undoubtedly a reflection of the changing international context. The inclusion of the term “intellectual disability” has been particularly pronounced in countries such as the USA. By contrast, this change has been relatively silent in England. Methods: In light of this, the paper explores the discussions of 12 focus groups conducted with professional and lay groups working in or influencing learning disability research and practice in England. Each focus group was asked the following two questions: Have you heard of the term “intellectual disability” and how do you feel about the term “intellectual disability? ” Discussion and Conclusion: Thematic analysis of the discussions identified four dominant themes: dislike and disbelief; ambiguity; tautology; and fear. It is concluded that more explanation is required in order for researchers and practitioners in England to understand this semantic change.
Cooperative Recruitment of Dynamin and BIN/Amphiphysin/Rvs (BAR) Domain-containing Proteins Leads to GTP-dependent Membrane Scission*♦

Background: Dynamin and BAR domain proteins are major components of clathrin-mediated endocytosis and other membrane-trafficking events. Results: Dynamin is recruited to membranes by BAR domain proteins, which in turn rely on interaction with dynamin to bind membranes. Conclusion: Membrane binding by dynamin and BAR domain proteins is cooperative and stimulates dynamin and GTP-dependent membrane scission. Significance: Our results imply synergy of dynamin and BAR domain proteins to promote GTP-dependent vesicle release. Dynamin mediates various membrane fission events, including the scission of clathrin-coated vesicles. Here, we provide direct evidence for cooperative membrane recruitment of dynamin with the BIN/amphiphysin/Rvs (BAR) proteins, endophilin and amphiphysin. Surprisingly, endophilin and amphiphysin recruitment to membranes was also dependent on binding to dynamin due to auto-inhibition of BAR-membrane interactions. Consistent with reciprocal recruitment in vitro, dynamin recruitment to the plasma membrane in cells was strongly reduced by concomitant depletion of endophilin and amphiphysin, and conversely, depletion of dynamin dramatically reduced the recruitment of endophilin. In addition, amphiphysin depletion was observed to severely inhibit clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Furthermore, GTP-dependent membrane scission by dynamin was dramatically elevated by BAR domain proteins. Thus, BAR domain proteins and dynamin act in synergy in membrane recruitment and GTP-dependent vesicle scission.
Bordetella Adenylate Cyclase Toxin Mobilizes Its β2 Integrin Receptor into Lipid Rafts to Accomplish Translocation across Target Cell Membrane in Two Steps

Bordetella adenylate cyclase toxin (CyaA) binds the αMβ2 integrin (CD11b/CD18, Mac-1, or CR3) of myeloid phagocytes and delivers into their cytosol an adenylate cyclase (AC) enzyme that converts ATP into the key signaling molecule cAMP. We show that penetration of the AC domain across cell membrane proceeds in two steps. It starts by membrane insertion of a toxin ‘translocation intermediate’, which can be ‘locked’ in the membrane by the 3D1 antibody blocking AC domain translocation. Insertion of the ‘intermediate’ permeabilizes cells for influx of extracellular calcium ions and thus activates calpain-mediated cleavage of the talin tether. Recruitment of the integrin-CyaA complex into lipid rafts follows and the cholesterol-rich lipid environment promotes translocation of the AC domain across cell membrane. AC translocation into cells was inhibited upon raft disruption by cholesterol depletion, or when CyaA mobilization into rafts was blocked by inhibition of talin processing. Furthermore, CyaA mutants unable to mobilize calcium into cells failed to relocate into lipid rafts, and failed to translocate the AC domain across cell membrane, unless rescued by Ca2+ influx promoted in trans by ionomycin or another CyaA protein. Hence, by mobilizing calcium ions into phagocytes, the ‘translocation intermediate’ promotes toxin piggybacking on integrin into lipid rafts and enables AC enzyme delivery into host cytosol.
Reduce-or-Retreat Methods in Optimization

We develop a very broad framework of reduce-or-retreat methods for numerical optimization, by identifying the essential components of the many optimization methods that ﬁt this category. We show that a subsequence of the iterates generated by reduce-or-retreat methods approaches stationarity in the sense of having diminishing gradients (or more generally, subgradients). Much of the paper is dedicated to working out the speciﬁc details of the general results in particular cases of numerical methods falling in two traditionally distinct categories covered by our framework: Model-based methods (including classical trust-region methods as well as derivative-free methods) and descent methods (including steepest descent, Nelder-Mead, and more general pattern search methods).
Word Informativeness and Automatic Pitch Accent Modeling

In intonational phonology and speech synthesis research, it has been suggested that the relative informativeness of a word can be used to predict pitch prominence. The more information conveyed by a word, the more likely it will be accented. But there are others who express doubts about such a correlation. In this paper, we provide some empirical evidence to support the existence of such a correlation by employing two widely accepted measures of informativeness. Our experiments show that there is a positive correlation between the informativeness of a word and its pitch accent assignment. They also show that informativeness enables statistically signican t improvements in pitch accent prediction. The computation of word informativeness is inexpensive and can be incorporated into speech synthesis systems easily.
High-resolution genome-wide cytosine methylation profiling with simultaneous copy number analysis and optimization for limited cell numbers

Many genome-wide assays involve the generation of a subset (or representation) of the genome following restriction enzyme digestion. The use of enzymes sensitive to cytosine methylation allows high-throughput analysis of this epigenetic regulatory process. We show that the use of a dual-adapter approach allows us to generate genomic representations that includes fragments of <200 bp in size, previously not possible when using the standard approach of using a single adapter. By expanding the representation to smaller fragments using HpaII or MspI, we increase the representation by these isoschizomers to more than 1.32 million loci in the human genome, representing 98.5% of CpG islands and 91.1% of refSeq promoters. This advance allows the development of a new, high-resolution version of our HpaII-tiny fragment Enrichment by Ligation-mediated PCR (HELP) assay to study cytosine methylation. We also show that the MspI representation generates information about copy-number variation, that the assay can be used on as little as 10 ng of DNA and that massively parallel sequencing can be used as an alternative to microarrays to read the output of the assay, making this a powerful discovery platform for studies of genomic and epigenomic abnormalities.