Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparing the Physical Demands of Friendly Matches and Small-Sided Games in Semiprofessional Soccer Players

Casamichana, D, Castellano, J, and Castagna, C. Comparing the physical demands of friendly matches and small-sided games in semiprofessional soccer players. J Strength Cond Res 26(3): 837–843, 2012—This study compared the physical demands of friendly matches (FMs) and small-sided games (SGs) in semiprofessional soccer players by means of global positioning system technology. Twenty-seven semiprofessional soccer players were monitored during 7 FMs and 9 sessions involving different SGs. Their physical profile was described on the basis of 20 variables related to distances and frequencies at different running speeds, the number of accelerations, and through global indicators of workload such as the work:rest ratio, player workload, and the exertion index. Results showed significant differences (p < 0.01) between SGs and FMs for the following variables: overall workload (SG > FM); the distribution of the distance covered in the speed zones 7.0–12.9 km·h−1 (SG > FM) and >21 km·h−1 (FM > SG); the distribution of time spent in certain speed zones (FM > SG: 0.0–6.9 and >21 km·h−1; FM > SG: 7.0–12.9 km·h−1). More sprints per hour of play were performed during FMs, with greater mean durations and distances, greater maximum durations and distances, and a greater frequency per hour of play for sprints of 10–40 and >40 m (p < 0.01). The frequency of repeated high-intensity efforts was higher during FM (p < 0.01). The results show that coaches and strength and conditioning professionals should consider FMs during their training routine to foster specific adaptations in the domain of high-intensity effort.
Unsupervised Image Thresholding using Fuzzy Measures

Thresholding is a necessary task in many image processing applications. In this paper we derive fuzzy rules for π-function. We use π-function to fuzzify the original image; this is constructed to locate the intensities of the misclassification regions. Based on information theory, it maximizes the information between image foreground and background. The merit of using fuzzy set is its ability to handle uncertainty and its robustness. This technique is to optimize the image threshold by effective selection of Region Of Interest (ROI). In general Valley seeking approaches are utilized to select a threshold if the histogram is bimodal. However, histograms would not be bimodal. The fuzzy region range of the π-function is chosen as one standard deviation of the arithmetic mean ). Because, the fuzzy region is spread on both sides of the image mean and the non-fuzzy data is located outside of this region. The limitation with the parent version is semi supervised, for low contrast images human perception is required. There exists no unsupervised appropriate procedure in literature to address this problem. The proposed method successfully segments the images of bimodal and multi-model histograms. The experimental results confirm the superiority of the proposed method over existing methods in performance. Our method produces more accurate and reliable results compared to the parent algorithm. This claim has been verified with some experimental trials using all categories of real world images.
SoundBar: exploiting multiple views in multimodal graph browsing

In this paper we discuss why access to mathematical graphs is problematic for visually impaired people. By a review of graph understanding theory and interviews with visually impaired users, we explain why current non-visual representations are unlikely to provide effective access to graphs. We propose the use of multiple views of the graph, each providing quick access to specific information as a way to improve graph usability. We then introduce a specific multiple view system to improve access to bar graphs called SoundBar which provides an additional quick audio overview of the graph. An evaluation of SoundBar revealed that additional views significantly increased accuracy and reduced time taken in a question answering task.
Dynamic interactions of electromagnetic and mechanical fields in electrically conductive anisotropic composites

Recent advances in manufacturing of multifunctional materials have provided opportunities to develop structures that possess superior mechanical properties with other concurrent capabilities such as sensing, self-healing, electromagnetic and heat functionality. The idea is to fabricate components that can integrate multiple capabilities in order to develop lighter and more efficient structures. In this regard, due to their combined structural and electrical functionalities, electrically conductive carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) matrix composites have been used in a wide variety of applications in most of which they are exposed to unwanted impact-like mechanical loads. Experimental data have suggested that the application of an electromagnetic field at the moment of the impact can significantly reduce the damage in CFRP composites. However, the observations still need to be investigated carefully for practical applications. Furthermore, as the nature of the interactions between the electro-magnetothermo-mechanical fields is very complicated, no analytical solutions can be found in the literature for the problem. In the present thesis, the effects of coupling between the electromagnetic and mechanical fields in electrically conductive anisotropic composite plates are studied. In particular, carbon fiber polymer matrix (CFRP) composites subjected to an impact-like mechanical load, pulsed electric current, and immersed in the magnetic field of constant magnitude are considered. The analysis is based on simultaneous solving of the system of nonlinear partial differential equations, including equations of motion and Maxwell’s equations. Physics-based hypotheses for electro-magneto-mechanical coupling in transversely isotropic composite plates and dimension reduction solution procedures for the nonlinear system of the governing equations have been used to reduce the threedimensional system to a two-dimensional (2D) form. A numerical solution procedure for
PLS1, a gene encoding a tetraspanin-like protein, is required for penetration of rice leaf by the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe grisea

We describe in this study punchless, a nonpathogenic mutant from the rice blast fungus M. grisea, obtained by plasmid-mediated insertional mutagenesis. As do most fungal plant pathogens, M. grisea differentiates an infection structure specialized for host penetration called the appressorium. We show that punchless differentiates appressoria that fail to breach either the leaf epidermis or artificial membranes such as cellophane. Cytological analysis of punchless appressoria shows that they have a cellular structure, turgor, and glycogen content similar to those of wild type before penetration, but that they are unable to differentiate penetration pegs. The inactivated gene, PLS1, encodes a putative integral membrane protein of 225 aa (Pls1p). A functional Pls1p-green fluorescent protein fusion protein was detected only in appressoria and was localized in plasma membranes and vacuoles. Pls1p is structurally related to the tetraspanin family. In animals, these proteins are components of membrane signaling complexes controlling cell differentiation, motility, and adhesion. We conclude that PLS1 controls an appressorial function essential for the penetration of the fungus into host leaves.
Interventions in primary care to reduce medication related adverse events and hospital admissions: systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: To identify and evaluate studies of interventions in primary care aimed at reducing medication related adverse events that result in morbidity, hospital admission, and/or mortality. Methods: Fourteen electronic databases were systematically searched for published and unpublished data. Bibliographies of retrieved papers were searched and experts and first authors contacted in an attempt to locate additional studies. There were no restrictions on language of publication. All interventions applied in primary care settings which aimed to improve patient safety by reducing adverse events resulting from medication overuse or misuse were considered. Randomised controlled trials, controlled trials, controlled before and after studies, and interrupted time series studies were eligible for inclusion. Study quality assessment and data extraction were undertaken using the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care data collection checklist and template. Meta-analysis was performed using a random effects model. Results: 159 studies were initially identified, of which 38 satisfied our inclusion criteria. These were categorised as follows: 17 pharmacist-led interventions (of which 15 reported hospital admissions as an outcome); eight interventions led by other primary healthcare professionals that reported preventable drug related morbidity as an outcome; and 13 complex interventions that included a component of medication review aimed at reducing falls in the elderly (the outcome being falls). Meta-analysis found that pharmacist-led interventions are effective at reducing hospital admissions (OR 0.64 (95% CI 0.43 to 0.96)), but restricting analysis to the randomised controlled trials failed to demonstrate significant benefit (OR 0.92 (95% CI 0.81 to 1.05)). Pooling the results of studies in the other categories did not demonstrate any significant effect. Conclusions: There is relatively weak evidence to indicate that pharmacist-led medication reviews are effective in reducing hospital admissions. There is currently no evidence for the effectiveness of other interventions which aim at reducing admissions or preventable drug related morbidity. More randomised controlled trials of primary care based pharmacist-led interventions are needed to decide whether or not this intervention is effective in reducing hospital admissions.
Effect of probucol on antioxidant properties of HDL in patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia.

AIM High density lipoprotein (HDL) has multi-antiatherogenic effects such as antioxidation and anti-inflammation, in addition to being a key mediator of reverse cholesterol transport. Probucol, known as a lipid lowering drug, is also a potent antioxidant, but it decreases serum HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) levels. To elucidate the effect of probucol on antioxidant properties of HDL, we investigated the function of HDL derived from patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) who have been treated with probucol. METHODS AND RESULTS Probucol-treated FH patients (n=21) showed a 47% reduction of serum HDL-C levels compared to probucol-untreated FH patients (n=15). High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis revealed that probucol diminished HDL particle size compared to the non-treated group. Antioxidant capacity of HDL was evaluated by its effect to protect reference LDL from oxidation induced in the presence of an oxidizing agent, AAPH. The HDL derived from the probucol-treated group demonstrated a significantly prolonged time to start oxidation by 112%, decreased the maximum oxidation rate by 14%, and lowered the maximum concentration of conjugated dienes formation by 15%. Furthermore, HDL-associated paraoxonase 1 (PON1) activity, but not platelet-activating factor acetyl-hydrolase (PAF-AH) correlated with these measurements of HDL anti-oxidative activity. Treatment with probucol in vitro and inhibition of PON1 activity demonstrated that probucol in HDL particles and increase of PON1 activity might largely contribute to the increase of HDL anti-oxidative activity. CONCLUSION Probucol reduced HDL-C levels and HDL particle size in patients with heterozygous FH, while it concomitantly enhanced HDL anti-oxidative properties, possibly through increasing PON1 activity.
Entropy Minimization for Groupwise Planar Shape Co-alignment and its Applications

We propose an information-theoretic criterion, entropy estimate, for the joint alignment of a group of shape observations drawn from an unknown shape distribution. Employing a nonparametric density estimation technique with implicit shape representation, we minimize the entropy estimate with respect to the pose parameters of similarity transformations based on gradient descent optimization for which we provide implementation details. We demonstrate the capacity of our approach in numerous experiments with an application of building a shape prior to prostate MR image segmentation.
Q-Probabilistic Routing in Wireless Sensor Networks

Unpredictable topology changes, energy constraints and link unreliability make the information transmission a challenging problem in wireless sensor networks (WSN). Taking some ideas from machine learning methods, we propose a novel geographic routing algorithm for WSN, named Q-probabilistic routing (Q-PR), that makes intelligent routing decisions from the delayed reward of previous actions and the local interaction among neighbor nodes, by using reinforcement learning and a Bayesian decision model. Moreover, by considering the message importance embedded in the message itself routing decisions can be adapted to traffic importance. Experimental results show that Q-PR becomes a routing policy that, as a function of the message importance, achieves a trade-off among the expected number of retransmissions (ETX), the successful delivery rate and the network lifetime.
Laminar and connectional organization of a multisensory cortex

The transformation of sensory signals as they pass through cortical circuits has been revealed almost exclusively through studies of the primary sensory cortices, for which principles of laminar organization, local connectivity, and parallel processing have been elucidated. In contrast, almost nothing is known about the circuitry or laminar features of multisensory processing in higher order, multisensory cortex. Therefore, using the ferret higher order multisensory rostral posterior parietal (PPr) cortex, the present investigation employed a combination of multichannel recording and neuroanatomical techniques to elucidate the laminar basis of multisensory cortical processing. The proportion of multisensory neurons, the share of neurons showing multisensory integration, and the magnitude of multisensory integration were all found to differ by layer in a way that matched the functional or connectional characteristics of the PPr. Specifically, the supragranular layers (L2/3) demonstrated among the highest proportions of multisensory neurons and the highest incidence of multisensory response enhancement, while also receiving the highest levels of extrinsic inputs, exhibiting the highest dendritic spine densities, and providing a major source of local connectivity. In contrast, layer 6 showed the highest proportion of unisensory neurons while receiving the fewest external and local projections and exhibiting the lowest dendritic spine densities. Coupled with a lack of input from principal thalamic nuclei and a minimal layer 4, these observations indicate that this higher level multisensory cortex shows functional and organizational modifications from the well‐known patterns identified for primary sensory cortical regions. J. Comp. Neurol. 521:1867–1890, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Mouse IDGenes: a reference database for genetic interactions in the developing mouse brain

The study of developmental processes in the mouse and other vertebrates includes the understanding of patterning along the anterior–posterior, dorsal–ventral and medial– lateral axis. Specifically, neural development is also of great clinical relevance because several human neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, autism disorders or drug addiction and also brain malformations are thought to have neurodevelopmental origins, i.e. pathogenesis initiates during childhood and adolescence. Impacts during early neurodevelopment might also predispose to late-onset neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease. The neural tube develops from its precursor tissue, the neural plate, in a patterning process that is determined by compartmentalization into morphogenetic units, the action of local signaling centers and a well-defined and locally restricted expression of genes and their interactions. While public databases provide gene expression data with spatio-temporal resolution, they usually neglect the genetic interactions that govern neural development. Here, we introduce Mouse IDGenes, a reference database for genetic interactions in the developing mouse brain. The database is highly curated and offers detailed information about gene expressions and the genetic interactions at the developing mid-/hindbrain boundary. To showcase the predictive power of interaction data, we infer new Wnt/β-catenin target genes by machine learning and validate one of them experimentally. The database is updated regularly. Moreover, it can easily be extended by the research community. Mouse IDGenes will contribute as an important resource to the research on mouse brain development, not exclusively by offering data retrieval, but also by allowing data input. Database URL: http://mouseidgenes.helmholtz-muenchen.de.
Spectrophotometric Determination of Risedronate in Pharmaceutical Formulations via Complex Formation with Cu (II) Ions: Application to Content Uniformity Testing

A simple, sensitive, rapid and accurate spectrophotometric method was developed for the determination of risedronate, a bisphosphonate drug important for the treatment of a variety of bone diseases, in raw material and pharmaceutical formulations. The proposed method is based on complex formation between risedronate and Cu (II) ions in acetate buffer of pH5.5. The optimum conditions for this reaction were ascertained and a spectrophotometric method was developed for the determination of risedronate in concentration range of 2-40 μg/mL with detection limit of 0.03 μg/mL (9.51 × 10-8 mol/L). The molar absorbtivity was 8.00 × 103 l/mol/cm. The method was successfully applied for the determination of risedronate in tablet dosage form with mean percentage recovery of 101.04 ± 0.32. The results obtained were favorably compared with those obtained by the comparison method. Furthermore, the proposed method was applied for content uniformity testing of risedronate tablets.
Incentives and challenges for local institutions in coffee forest management: The case of Bilo-Nopha Woreda, Ethiopia

Dibaba B, Berhanu A. Incentives and challenges for local institutions in coffee forest management: the case of Bilo-Nopha Woreda, Ethiopia. Asian J For 2: 31-46. Because woodland biodiversity is threatened by various anthropogenic factors, the role of institutions in administrating natural provenances in general and woodland provenances in specific increases over time. Therefore, this is the right time to find out the role of institutions in administrating natural provenances. An assessment of the role of local institutions in the management of coffee forests, by taking the case of Bilo-Nopha Woreda, Illu Abba Bora zone as its object, became the main objective of this study. This study attempts to describe the utilization of regulation attributes, community attributes, and attributes of woodland provenances influencing the management of coffee forests in this study region, using the institutional analysis and development framework (IAD) adopted from Ostrom (2006). This study uses qualitative and quantitative research methods in the form of triangulation. From 16 Kebeles in the study region, the researchers purposively selected 3 Kebeles that were adjacent to the plantation woodland region. Using a systematic random sampling technique, 125 households were selected from three Kebeles for quantitative interviews. In addition to conducting in-depth interviews, key informant interviews and FGDs were conducted to support and strengthen data obtained through household surveys. The results reveal that both official and informal institutions take part in the management of coffee forests at the local level. Rules established by the government to secure coffee woodland areas decrease woodland utilization by local communities and make their ownership rights unsafe. This, in turn, will negatively affect their participation in coffee woodland management activities. Community contributions and forest provenances also influence management activities both positively and negatively. Some of them operate as incentives that increase management activities including compactness, homogeneity and topography, and goods and services derived from forests while others operate as disincentives for management activities including group size, distance, and inadequacy of clear boundaries. In addition to the challenges of administrating coffee forests, lack of ownership, illegal encroachment and inadequacy of coordination between various stakeholders are the main difficulties that must be resolved to preserve coffee forests in the study region.
Esophageal barrier function and tight junction expression in healthy subjects and patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease: functionality of esophageal mucosa exposed to bile salt and trypsin in vitro

Abstract Background and aims. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is associated with impaired epithelial barrier function. However, the influence of acid and/or bile acids on human esophageal epithelial barrier function and the tight junction (TJ) proteins has not been fully elucidated. The aim of the study is to investigate the esophageal barrier function and TJ expression in healthy subjects and patients with GERD. The functionality of esophageal mucosa exposed to bile salt deoxycholic acid (DCA) and trypsin has been studied in vitro. Material and methods. Endoscopic biopsies from healthy controls and patients with GERD-related symptom with endoscopic erosive signs, as well as esophageal mucosa taken from patients undergoing esophagectomy were evaluated in Ussing chambers and by western blot and immunohistochemistry. Results. The esophageal epithelium from GERD patients had lower electrical resistance and higher epithelial currents than controls. Claudin-1 and -4 were significantly decreased in GERD patients. The bile salt DCA in the low concentration of 1.5 mM and trypsin increased the resistance and claudin-1 expression, while the higher concentration of 2.5 mM DCA and trypsin decreased the resistance and the claudin-3, -4 and E-cadherin expressions. Conclusion. In addition to acidic reflux, duodenal reflux components, such as bile salts and trypsin, have the potential to disrupt the esophageal barrier function, partly by modulating the TJ proteins. However, the expression of TJ is dependent on both the refluxed material as well as the concentration of the bile salt.