Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
DYNAMIC VS.STATIC‐STRETCHING WARM UP: THE EFFECT ON POWER AND AGILITY PERFORMANCE

The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of a dynamic warm up (DWU) with a static-stretching warm up (SWU) on selected measures of power and agility. Thirty cadets at the United States Military Academy completed the study (14 women and 16 men, ages 18–24 years). On 3 consecutive days, subjects performed 1 of the 2 warm up routines (DWU or SWU) or performed no warm up (NWU). The 3 warm up protocols lasted 10 minutes each and were counterbalanced to avoid carryover effects. After 1–2 minutes of recovery, subjects performed 3 tests of power or agility. The order of the performance tests (T-shuttle run, underhand medicine ball throw for distance, and 5-step jump) also was counterbalanced. Repeated measures analysis of variance revealed better performance scores after the DWU for all 3 performance tests (p < 0.01), relative to the SWU and NWU. There were no significant differences between the SWU and NWU for the medicine ball throw and the T-shuttle run, but the SWU was associated with better scores on the 5-step jump (p < 0.01). Because the results of this study indicate a relative performance enhancement with the DWU, the utility of warm up routines that use static stretching as a stand-alone activity should be reassessed.
Risk‐Taking‐Neutral Background Risks

We define a class of risk-taking-neutral (RTN) background risks. These background risks have the property that they will not alter decisions made with respect to another risk, for individuals with HARA utility. If we wish to compare a decision made with and without some exogenous background risk, it is often easier to compare the decision made to one made with a RTN background risk. We use this methodology to prove and extend a well-known theorem about dynamic investment strategy, due to Mossin (1968a). We also use this methodology to analyze investment behavior in the presence of an income tax as well as to analyze investment behavior in the presence of particular types of background risks.
Rapid Leaf Deployment Strategies in a Deciduous Savanna

Deciduous plants avoid the costs of maintaining leaves in the unfavourable season, but carry the costs of constructing new leaves every year. Deciduousness is therefore expected in ecological situations with pronounced seasonality and low costs of leaf construction. In our study system, a seasonally dry tropical savanna, many trees are deciduous, suggesting that leaf construction costs must be low. Previous studies have, however, shown that nitrogen is limiting in this system, suggesting that leaf construction costs are high. Here we examine this conundrum using a time series of soil moisture availability, leaf phenology and nitrogen distribution in the tree canopy to illustrate how trees resorb nitrogen before leaf abscission and use stored reserves of nitrogen and carbon to construct new leaves at the onset of the growing season. Our results show that trees deployed leaves shortly before and in anticipation of the first rains with its associated pulse of nitrogen mineralisation. Our results also show that trees rapidly constructed a full canopy of leaves within two weeks of the first rains. We detected an increase in leaf nitrogen content that corresponded with the first rains and with the movement of nitrogen to more distal branches, suggesting that stored nitrogen reserves are used to construct leaves. Furthermore the stable carbon isotope ratios (δ13C) of these leaves suggest the use of stored carbon for leaf construction. Our findings suggest that the early deployment of leaves using stored nitrogen and carbon reserves is a strategy that is integrally linked with the onset of the first rains. This strategy may confer a competitive advantage over species that deploy leaves at or after the onset of the rains.
Liquidity, Estate Liquidation, Charitable Motives, and Life Insurance Demand by Retired Singles

In this article, a model of life insurance holding is formulated. It takes into account the liquidation values and liquidity of estate assets and the ability of life insurance death benefits to bypass the probate process. Tobit regressions based on the model are run using the U.S. Survey of Consumer Finances 1989 data set. The results showed net worth (fixing net liquid assets and annuity wealth) and annuity wealth (fixing net liquid assets and net worth) to be positively related to life insurance holding. Moreover, net liquid asset holding (fixing net worth and annuity wealth) and charitable motives also affect life insurance holding.
Measurement of cerebral perfusion with arterial spin labeling: Part 1. Methods

Arterial spin labeling (ASL) is a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method that provides a highly repeatable quantitative measure of cerebral blood flow (CBF). As compared to the more commonly used blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) contrast-based methods, ASL techniques measure a more biologically specific correlate of neural activity, with the potential for more accurate estimation of the location and magnitude of neural function. Recent advances in acquisition and analysis methods have improved the somewhat limited sensitivity of ASL to perfusion changes associated with neural activity. In addition, ASL perfusion measures are insensitive to the low-frequency fluctuations commonly observed in BOLD experiments and can make use of imaging sequences that are less sensitive than BOLD contrast to signal loss caused by magnetic susceptibility effects. ASL measures of perfusion can aid in the interpretation of the BOLD signal change and, when combined with BOLD, can measure the change in oxygen utilization accompanying changes in behavioral state. Whether used alone to probe neural activity or in combination with BOLD techniques, ASL methods are contributing to the field's understanding of healthy and disordered brain function. (JINS, 2007, 13, 517–525.)
A Comparative Study of Reservoir Computing for Temporal Signal Processing

Reservoir computing (RC) is a novel approach to time series prediction using recurrent neural networks. In RC, an input signal perturbs the intrinsic dynamics of a medium called a reservoir. A readout layer is then trained to reconstruct a target output from the reservoir's state. The multitude of RC architectures and evaluation metrics poses a challenge to both practitioners and theorists who study the task-solving performance and computational power of RC. In addition, in contrast to traditional computation models, the reservoir is a dynamical system in which computation and memory are inseparable, and therefore hard to analyze. Here, we compare echo state networks (ESN), a popular RC architecture, with tapped-delay lines (DL) and nonlinear autoregressive exogenous (NARX) networks, which we use to model systems with limited computation and limited memory respectively. We compare the performance of the three systems while computing three common benchmark time series: H{\'e}non Map, NARMA10, and NARMA20. We find that the role of the reservoir in the reservoir computing paradigm goes beyond providing a memory of the past inputs. The DL and the NARX network have higher memorization capability, but fall short of the generalization power of the ESN.
The interaction of IQGAP1 with the exocyst complex is required for tumor cell invasion downstream of Cdc42 and RhoA

Invadopodia are actin-based membrane protrusions formed at contact sites between invasive tumor cells and the extracellular matrix with matrix proteolytic activity. Actin regulatory proteins participate in invadopodia formation, whereas matrix degradation requires metalloproteinases (MMPs) targeted to invadopodia. In this study, we show that the vesicle-tethering exocyst complex is required for matrix proteolysis and invasion of breast carcinoma cells. We demonstrate that the exocyst subunits Sec3 and Sec8 interact with the polarity protein IQGAP1 and that this interaction is triggered by active Cdc42 and RhoA, which are essential for matrix degradation. Interaction between IQGAP1 and the exocyst is necessary for invadopodia activity because enhancement of matrix degradation induced by the expression of IQGAP1 is lost upon deletion of the exocyst-binding site. We further show that the exocyst and IQGAP1 are required for the accumulation of cell surface membrane type 1 MMP at invadopodia. Based on these results, we propose that invadopodia function in tumor cells relies on the coordination of cytoskeletal assembly and exocytosis downstream of Rho guanosine triphosphatases.
Variational principle for generalized Gibbs measures

We study the thermodynamic formalism for generalized Gibbs measures, such as renormalization group transformations of Gibbs measures or joint measures of disordered spin systems. We first show existence of the relative entropy density and obtain a familiar expression in terms of entropy and relative energy for ”almost Gibbsian measures” (almost sure continuity of conditional probabilities). We also describe these measures as equilibrium states and establish an extension of the usual variational principle. As a corollary, we obtain a full variational principle for quasilocal measures. For the joint measures of the random field Ising model, we show that the weak Gibbs property holds, with an almost surely rapidly decaying translation invariant potential. For these measures we show that the variational principle fails as soon as the measures loses the almost Gibbs property. These examples suggest that the class of weakly Gibbsian measures is too broad from the perspective of a reasonable thermodynamic formalism.
MIRA - middleware for robotic applications

In this paper, we present MIRA, a new middleware for robotic applications. It is designed for use in real-world applications and for research and teaching. In comparison to many other existing middlewares, MIRA employs novel techniques for communication that are described in this paper. Moreover, we present benchmarks that analyze the performance of the most commonly used middlewares ROS, Yarp, LCM, Player, Urbi, and MOOS. Using these benchmarks, we can show that MIRA outperforms the other middlewares in terms of latency and computation time.
Role of Specific Quorum-Sensing Signals in the Regulation of Exopolysaccharide II Production within Sinorhizobium meliloti Spreading Colonies

Background Quorum sensing (QS) in Sinorhizobium meliloti involves at least half a dozen different N-acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) signals. These signals are produced by SinI, the sole AHL synthase in S. meliloti Rm8530. The sinI gene is regulated by two LuxR-type transcriptional regulators, SinR and ExpR. Mutations in sinI, sinR and expR abolish the production of exopolysaccharide II (EPS II). Methodology/Principal Findings This study investigated a new type of coordinated surface spreading of Rm8530 that can be categorized as swarming. Motility assays on semi-solid surfaces revealed that both flagella and EPS II are required for this type of motility. The production of EPS II depends on AHLs produced by SinI. Of these AHLs, only C16:1- and 3-oxo-C16:1-homoserine lactones (HSLs) stimulated swarming in an ExpR-dependent manner. These two AHLs induced the strongest response in the wggR reporter fusions. WggR is a positive regulator of the EPS II biosynthesis gene expression. The levels of the wggR activation correlated with the extent of swarming. Furthermore, swarming of S. meliloti required the presence of the high molecular weight (HMW) fraction of EPS II. Within swarming colonies, a recombinase-based RIVET reporter in the wggR gene was resolved in 30% of the cells, indicating an enhanced regulation of EPS II production in the subpopulation of cells, which was sufficient to support swarming of the entire colony. Conclusions/Significance Swarming behavior of S. meliloti Rm8530 on semi-solid surfaces is found to be dependent on the functional QS regulatory cascades. Even though multiple AHL signals are produced by the bacterium, only two AHLs species, C16:1- and 3-oxo-C16:1-HSLs, affected swarming by up-regulating the expression of wggR. While EPS II is produced by Rm8530 as high and low molecular weight fractions, only the HMW EPS II facilitated initial stages of swarming, thus, suggesting a function for this polymer.
Leadership to sustain Professional Learning Communities

Abstract Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) have shown promise as a means to meet the challenge of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. A problem that has surfaced is the inabilty of schools to sustain PLCs. This project study examined leadership characteristics of elementary school principals in selected school districts to determine how these characteristics shape organizational culture and provide support for sustaining professional learning communities. At the center of this initiative have been the school principals and their leadership skills. The theoretical underpinnings of this study were based on the work of DuFour and DuFour, which places leadership of the principal at the forefront of successful school improvement. A mixed-methods approach with a sequentialtransformative strategy was used. Quantitative data were collected by administering the Leadership Capacity School Survey to 30 elementary principals. Descriptive statistics were used to determine which of Lambert's six critical constructs were most and least commonly practiced among the schools in the study. Qualitative data gathered through a focus-group discussion were analyzed through the typological process. Quantitative and qualitative findings indicated that broad-based, skillful participation in the work of leadership (Construct 1) was the most important leadership construct to the success of sustaining PLCs. The outcome of this project study was a professional-development model that will provide knowledge and understanding of the key leadership elements needed to develop an environment for sustaining PLCs. The potential social impact of this study includes improved student achievement as a result of improved leadership by principals.
The energy consumption of TCP

In this paper, our objective is to experimentally evaluate how the incoming and outgoing traffic patterns provided by the TCP protocol impact on the energy efficiency of a networked device under a number of realistic scenarios. To this purpose, we set up a complex testbed that allowed us to perform a huge number of measurements on energy- and network-performance indexes on a state-of-the-art PC with power management capabilities, and the Linux operating system. The performed measurements and collected results gave us the chance not only (i) to provide a complete energy profiling of TCP connections, but also (ii) to analyze into detail the role of underlying network protocols and (iii) to clearly identify specific situations where current network protocols may trigger high inefficiencies in networked hosts.
“To Be Strict on Your Own”: Black and Latinx Parents Evaluate Discipline in Urban Choice Schools

The proliferation of urban “no-excuses” charter schools has been justified by arguing that Black and Latinx parents want strict discipline. In this article, we examine what discipline means to Black and Latinx families at two popular choice options: a no-excuses charter and two public Montessori magnets. We found that parents viewed discipline as more than rule-following, valuing also self-discipline and academic discipline. While no-excuses parents supported an orderly environment, many found the discipline restrictive. Parents in the Montessori schools, by contrast, praised student autonomy but questioned whether the freedom was preparing their students academically. Our findings reveal a gap between what Black and Latinx parents want and what choice schools and local school choice markets have on offer.
Non-melanoma skin cancer treated with high-dose-rate brachytherapy: a review of literature

Purpose The incidence of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) has been increasing over the past 30 years. There are different treatment options and surgical excision is the most frequent treatment due to its low rates of recurrence. Radiotherapy is an effective alternative of surgery, and brachytherapy (BT) might be a better therapeutic option due to high radiation dose concentration to the tumor with rapid dose fall-off resulting in normal tissues sparing. The aim of this review was to evaluate the local control, toxicity, and cosmetic outcomes in NMSC treated with high-dose-rate BT (HDR-BT). Material and methods In May 2016, a systematic search of bibliographic database of PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane Library with a combination of key words of “skin cancer”, “high dose rate brachytherapy”, “squamous cell carcinoma”, “basal cell carcinoma”, and “non melanoma skin cancer“ was performed. In this systematic review, we included randomized trials, non-randomized trials, prospective and retrospective studies in patients affected by NMSC treated with HDR-BT. Results Our searches generated a total of 85 results, and through a process of screening, 10 publications were selected for the review. Brachytherapy was well tolerated with acceptable toxicity and high local control rates (median: 97%). Cosmetic outcome was reported in seven study and consisted in an excellent and good cosmetic results in 94.8% of cases. Conclusions Based on the review data, we can conclude that the treatment of NMSC with HDR-BT is effective with excellent and good cosmetics results, even in elderly patients. The hypofractionated course appears effective with very good local disease control. More data with large-scale randomized controlled trials are needed to assess the efficacy and safety of brachytherapy.
Geezers, turbines, fantasy personas: making the everyday into the future

This paper describes how a project to challenge digital exclusion resulted in GeezerPower: an artwork that is both a statement about reusable technologies and about older people's continuing interest in the world of the future. We use the story of its production to illustrate and reflect on new methods for engaging people in decisions about the design of technology. And we explore how creative practice informed the design of an intervention workshop inspired by performance art and an exhibition of artists collaborating with older people. We conclude with some comments on marginalization, engagement and envisioning futures.
Conflict of interest and the credibility of underwriter analyst recommendations

Brokerage analysts frequently comment on and sometimes recommend companies that their firms have recently taken public. We show that stocks that underwriter analysts recommend perform more poorly than 'buy' recommendations by unaffiliated brokers prior to, at the time of, and subsequent to the recommendation date. We conclude that the recommendations by underwriter analysts show significant evidence of bias. We show also that the market does not recognize the full extent of this bias. The results suggest a potential conflict of interest inherent in the different functions that investment bankers perform. Article published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Financial Studies in its journal, The Review of Financial Studies.
Comparisons in Evolution and Engineering: The Collective Intelligence of Sorting

Collaboration between biologists and roboticists can facilitate the creation of new behavioral algorithms by roboticists and help biologists by exposing the underlying mechanisms that allow the algorithms to function (for a review see Webb, 2000). This paper makes a direct comparison between robot annular puck sorting using real robots (Wilson, Melhuish, Sendova-Franks & Scholes, 2004) and brood sorting in the ant Leptothorax albipennis (Franks & Sendova-Franks, 1992). We compared the ants’ and robots’ structures in terms of radial displacement, shape, compactness, completeness and separation. This showed the effectiveness and limitations of using metrics developed for robots to quantify structures built by ants and helped relate common aspects of the structures to possible common aspects of the underlying algorithms. The ant behavioral rule set is still under investigation and a better understanding of the structure it creates has proved a very useful tool to examine aspects of the algorithm. We draw the conclusions that firstly, the size of the area available for sorting affects the robot algorithm and ant algorithm in opposite ways, secondly, the metrics have proved very useful in aiding discrimination between the robot and ant structures and thirdly, application of the metrics to the ant structure has offered biologists new ideas and a better understanding of the structure and how it is built.
Enhancing Islamic Finance: Establishing an Islamic Stock Market that Overcomes Problems of the Existing Stock Market

This contribution is concerned with the desirability and feasibility of establishing Islamic stock markets within the current global context. There is at present deep disaffection with stock markets in advanced countries. A central contention of this paper is that the proponents of Islamic stock market will find it easier than their UK counterparts to implement an ethically based programme which is regarded as essential for successful reform. Stronger ethical underpinnings of the Islamic stock market will give it a decisive edge in world markets. The time for Islamic stock markets has therefore come.
An Implementation of Moving Object Detection, Tracking and Counting Objects for Traffic Surveillance System

Moving vehicle detection in digital image sequences is one of the key technologies of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). Traffic Surveillance System is being more and important with the enlarging of urban scale and increasing number of vehicles. This Paper presents an intelligent vehicle counting method based on blob analysis in traffic surveillance. The algorithm is composed of moving object segmentation, blob analysis, and tracking. By analyzing the blob of vehicles, the meaningful features are extracted. In addition, the speed of each vehicle and the vehicle flow through a predefined area can be calculated by analyzing blobs of vehicles. The experimental results show that the proposed system can provide useful information for traffic surveillance. We analyze the procedure of video-based traffic congestion system and divide it into graying, binarization, denoising and moving target detection. The system first reads video and converts them into grayscale images. We also put forward a Boundary block detection algorithm with noise reduction to identify the moving objects.
A Theory of the Critical Mass. I. Interdependence, Group Heterogeneity, and the Production of Collective Action

Collective action usually depends on a "critical mass" that behaves differently from typical group members. Sometimes the critical mass provides some level of the good for others who do nothing, while at other times the critical mass pays the start-up costs and induces widespread collective action. Formal analysis supplemented by simulations shows that the first scenario is most likely when the production function relating inputs of resource contributions to outputs of a collective good is decelerating (characterized by diminishing marginal returns), whereas the second scenario is most likely when the production function is accelerating (characterized by increasing marginal returns). Decelerating production functions yield either surpluses of contributors or order effects in which contributions are maximized if the least interested contribute first, thus generating strategic gaming and competition among potential contributors. The start-up costs in accelerating production functions create severe feasibility problems for collective action, and contractual or conventional resolutions to collective dilemmas are most appropriate when the production function is accelerating.