Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Monitoring training response with heart rate variability in elite adolescent athletes: is there a difference between judoka and swimmers?

Background & Study Aim: Previous studies in adults and endurance athletes have evaluated whether heart rate variability (HRV) can be used to monitor training load. We aimed to answer to question: whether HRV monitoring is useful in elite adolescent athletes practicing a sport with a major anaerobic component, i.e. judo. Material & Methods: Eleven young swimmers (age 15.5 ±0.9 years) were compared to eleven young judoka (age 15.0 ±0.9) before and after two weeks of a similar increase in training load. Autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity was evaluated by HRV analysis during an active tilt-test (8 min supine followed by 8 min standing). Results: In both sports, increase in parasympathetic indices (especially the proportion of adjacent RR intervals that differ by >50ms (pNN50) and the square root of the mean of the squares of successive RR differences (rMSSD) was associated with increase in training load). The association was higher in judoka than in swimmers, and higher in standing than in supine. Conclusions: In elite adolescent athletes, we successfully monitored ANS response to training using HRV analysis, independently of the sport practiced. Moreover, pNN50 and rMSSD, both indicators of parasympathetic activity, appear to be the most pertinent indices to monitor ANS response in elite adolescent athletes. Our results also indicate that dynamic evaluation (dynamic change from supine to standing) with an active tilt-test is preferable to resting evaluation (supine rest only).
Response to Fusarium graminearum infection in the rachis of a resistant and a susceptible wheat genotype

Abstract Fusarium head blight is a globally devastating disease of wheat, for which sources and mechanisms of resistance are urgently needed. The goal of this research was to elucidate the chemical nature of changes incurred in the rachis of a susceptible wheat (‘Chinese Spring’, CS), and a related addition line (CS-7EL) with resistance conferred by a fragment of the 7E chromosome from a wild wheat relative (Thinopyrum elongatum) in response to infection by Fusarium graminearum. Gravimetric analysis, followed by more targeted extractions and hydrolyses was used to study responses in the rachis of both genotypes at 7 days after fungal and mock inoculations. The most significant changes in the gravimetric analyses were an increase in the proportion of lignin in CS-7EL, and an increase in the proportion of hot water soluble compounds in CS. HPLC analysis of sugar profiles indicated higher degradation of arabinoxylan and cellulose in CS compared with CS-7EL. Differences were also observed in the profiles of the free, conjugated, and bound phenolic fractions for both varieties, with the conjugated fraction showing the greatest variation. The dominant phenolic acid in all samples was p-coumaric. A biplot analysis incorporating phenolic and sugar data was employed to provide an overview of responses to mock- and Fusarium-inoculation in CS and CS-7EL. Overall, our results suggest cell wall degradation in CS, and fortification in CS-7EL via increased lignification, in response to Fusarium infection.
Regional variations of banking services and poverty reduction: Evidence from subdistrict level administrative data of Bangladesh

While the role of commercial banks in financing economic growth and reducing poverty and income inequality is well documented in cross-country setup, the regional variations of the banking services within a country and its association with poverty reduction is understudied. Understanding of the local-level variations of banking services is essential for deeper understanding of financial inclusion and its impact on local-level poverty. To this end, we first shed light on the regional variations of a host of banking variables by creating a “banking atlas” using administrative data that captures the access to and use of banking services at the subdistrict level in Bangladesh. The maps, uncovering interesting regional peculiarities, have the potential to be an important policy tool for targeting lagging regions and designing customized regional interventions in developing countries. Next, we link regional mapping of banking variables to the incidence of poverty using descriptive statistics and regression models. The regression results demonstrate that access to banking services is strongly associated with poverty reduction, even in the rural sample. However, in the case of use of banking services, the amount of deposit has a strong impact on poverty reduction but the amount of credit per adult is found to have no significant impact. These results corroborate the growing evidence that greater access to deposit services can promote saving and increase income. This study also highlights the importance of using administrative data to monitor local-level development.
Amplification of a Surface-Intensified Eddy Drift along a Steep Shelf in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea

Abstract The datasets of the Eddies and Gyre Path Tracking (EGYPT)/EGITTO program in the eastern Mediterranean Sea reveal a large mesoscale anticyclone traveling along the Libyan shelf. Surface drifter trajectories combined with a CTD transect accurately quantify the horizontal velocity and the vertical structure of this surface-intensified anticyclone. The observed westward drift speed is significantly higher than expected from the beta effect alone. To study the impact of a steep shelf topography on the propagation of compact surface-intensified vortices, the authors used a two-layer beta-plane model with steep continental slope and nearly zonal boundary. A perturbation theory derived by G. Sutyrin for a circular vortex in the upper layer with the lower layer at rest as a basic state is generalized for nonuniform slope in the presence of the image effect. An integral momentum balance is used to derive the drifting velocity of an upper-layer vortex with the main assumption that a stable and steady drifti.
Technological and sensory characteristics of hamburgers added with chia seed as fat replacer

ABSTRACT: In order to improve nutritional and functional quality, chicken burgers were made with different amounts of chia seed (0, 2, 4 and 8%) as pork fat replacers and evaluated for the microbiological, technological and sensorial characteristics. The proximate composition and the microbiological characteristics of raw burgers were in accordance with Brazilian legislation. Higher additions of chia increased the amount of dietary fiber (up to 1.46%) and carbohydrate in the products and reduced the fat content by up to 29%. The addition of chia seed reduced the a* values and increased the h* values of the raw burgers and reduced the tenderness and degree of lipid oxidation in the cooked burgers. Lower sensory taste scores and overall acceptance were conferred on products with higher chia addition; although, the degree of acceptance of the products was high. Results of this study highlighted the potential use of chia seed in the elaboration of low fat and enriched dietary fiber burgers.
The high-mass end of the red sequence at z ∼ 0.55 from SDSS-III/BOSS: completeness, bimodality and luminosity function

We have developed an analytical method based on forward-modeling techniques to characterize the high-mass end of the red sequence (RS) galaxy population at redshift $z\sim0.55$, from the DR10 BOSS CMASS spectroscopic sample, which comprises $\sim600,000$ galaxies. The method, which follows an unbinned maximum likelihood approach, allows the deconvolution of the intrinsic CMASS colour-colour-magnitude distributions from photometric errors and selection effects. This procedure requires modeling the covariance matrix for the i-band magnitude, g-r colour and r-i colour using Stripe 82 multi-epoch data. Our results indicate that the error-deconvolved intrinsic RS distribution is consistent, within the photometric uncertainties, with a single point ($<0.05~{\rm{mag}}$) in the colour-colour plane at fixed magnitude, for a narrow redshift slice. We have computed the high-mass end ($^{0.55}M_i \lesssim -22$) of the $^{0.55}i$-band RS Luminosity Function (RS LF) in several redshift slices within the redshift range $0.52<z<0.63$. In this narrow redshift range, the evolution of the RS LF is consistent, within the uncertainties in the modeling, with a passively-evolving model with $\Phi_* = (7.248 \pm 0.204) \times10^{-4}$ Mpc$^{-3}$ mag$^{-1}$, fading at a rate of $1.5\pm0.4$ mag per unit redshift. We report RS completeness as a function of magnitude and redshift in the CMASS sample, which will facilitate a variety of galaxy-evolution and clustering studies using BOSS. Our forward-modeling method lays the foundations for future studies using other dark-energy surveys like eBOSS or DESI, which are affected by the same type of photometric blurring/selection effects.
xQTLImp: efficient and accurate xQTL summary statistics imputation

Motivation Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis of multiomic molecular traits, such as gene transcription (eQTL), DNA methylation (mQTL) and histone modification (haQTL), has been widely used to infer the effects of genomic variation on multiple levels of molecular activities. However, the power of xQTL (various types of QTLs) detection is largely limited by missing association statistics due to missing genotypes and limited effective sample size. Existing hidden Markov model (HMM)-based imputation approaches require individual-level genotypes and molecular traits, which are rarely available. No available implementation exists for the imputation of xQTL summary statistics when individual-level data are missed. Results We present xQTLImp, a C++ software package specifically designed for efficient imputation of xQTL summary statistics based on multivariate Gaussian approximation. Experiments on a single-cell eQTL dataset demonstrates that a considerable amount of novel significant eQTL associations can be rediscovered by xQTLImp. Availability Software is available at https://github.com/hitbc/xQTLimp. Contact ydwang@hit.edu. cn or jiajiepeng@nwpu.edu. cn Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Hunting interacts with socio‐demographic predictors of human perceptions of urban coyotes

Recent research suggests hunting participation interacts with other variables (e.g., bird‐ watching participation) to shape attitudes about wildlife. We build on this research by evaluating how hunting participation interacted with key variables to predict affectual attitudes toward coyotes (Canis latrans), support for coyotes on the landscape, and support for coyote management approaches in urban North Carolina, USA. We conducted surveys of urban hunters and nonhunting urban residents during 2015, and modeled relationships between respondent attributes and perceptions of coyotes. Among nonhunters, men liked coyotes more than women did, but the relationship was reversed among hunters. Similarly, men supported killing coyotes more than women did, but the difference was less pronounced among hunters. Pet owners liked coyotes and opposed killing coyotes more than non–pet owners did, but those differences disappeared among hunters. Having a rural background predicted lower tolerance for coyotes among hunters but not nonhunters. Finally, age was negatively related to support for lethal coyote management among hunters but positively related to support among nonhunters. Participation in hunting may moderate how socio‐demographic variables predict perceptions of coyotes and change or reverse previously described relationships between these variables and perceptions of wildlife. © 2019 The Wildlife Society.
Visible light and ultraviolet observations of coronal structures: physical properties of an equatorial streamer and modelling of the F corona

The present work studies the characteristics of an equatorial streamer visible above the east limb of the Sun on March 2008, during the most recent minimum of solar activity. We analysed the visible light coronagraphic images of SOHO/LASCO and the ultraviolet observations in the H I Lyα spectral line obtained by SOHO/UVCS, and exploited the Doppler dimming effect of the coronal Lyα line to derive the outflow velocity profile of the scattering neutral hydrogen atoms in the streamer region. Taking advantage of the synergy between visible light and ultraviolet observations, we were able to determine all the properties of the coronal structure. In particular, the actual extent of the streamer along the line of sight has been evaluated for the first time. In so doing, the solar wind outflow velocity turned out to be the only free parameter in the theoretical modelling of the Lyα intensity. We found nearly static conditions below
A TWO-STEP STUDY FOR THE ITALIAN ADAPTATION OF THE WORK-RELATED FLOW ( WOLF ) INVENTORY : THE I

Flow at work is defined as a short-term peak experience characterized by absorption, work enjoyment, and intrinsic work motivation. This study tests the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the WOrk-reLated Flow (I-WOLF) inventory developed by Bakker (2008). In a first step, an exploratory factor analysis (N = 323) and a multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (N = 977) were performed. The exploratory factor analysis showed a three-factor structure without cross-loadings, and the multigroup confirmatory factor analysis confirmed this structure and the distinction between absorption, work enjoyment, and intrinsic work motivation, in line with the original scale. In the second step, the relationships between the three work-related flow dimensions and other constructs (such as personal and job characteristics, and cognitive/emotional indicators of well-being) were established. These results offer evidence of the validity of the I-WOLF by showing significant relationships with variables that are generally expected to be related with flow at work.
Testing the accuracy of reflection-based supermassive black hole spin measurements in AGN

Context. X-ray reflection is a very powerful method to assess the spin of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in active galactic nuclei (AGN), yet this technique is not universally accepted. Indeed, complex reprocessing (absorption, scattering) of the intrinsic spectra along the line of sight can mimic the relativistic effects on which the spin measure is based. Aims. In this work, we test the reliability of SMBH spin measurements that can currently be achieved through the simulations of high-quality XMM-Newton and NuSTAR spectra. Methods. Each member of our group simulated ten spectra with multiple components that are typically seen in AGN, such as warm and (partial-covering) neutral absorbers, relativistic and distant reflection, and thermal emission. The resulting spectra were blindly analysed by the other two members. Results. Out of the 60 fits, 42 turn out to be physically accurate when compared to the input model. The SMBH spin is retrieved with success in 31 cases, some of which (9) are even found among formally inaccurate fits (although with looser constraints). We show that, at the high signal-to-noise ratio assumed in our simulations, neither the complexity of the multi-layer, partial-covering absorber nor the input value of the spin are the major drivers of our results. The height of the X-ray source (in a lamp-post geometry) instead plays a crucial role in recovering the spin. In particular, a success rate of 16 out of 16 is found among the accurate fits for a dimensionless spin parameter larger than 0.8 and a lamp-post height lower than five gravitational radii.
Effect of Leadership Competencies on Performance of State Corporations in Kenya

Purpose: The main objective of the study was to establish the effect of leadership competencies on performance of state corporations in Kenya.Methodology: The study adopted a cross-sectional survey research design. Findings: Results revealed that all the leadership competencies had a positive a significant relationship with the financial performance of state corporations in Kenya. However, the magnitude of the influence was different for the specific leadership competencies. Social awareness leadership competency had the largest effect followed by self-awareness leadership competency then social skills leadership competency and finally the self-management leadership competency. Results also revealed that self-awareness leadership competency and social skills leadership competency had a positive a significant relationship with the non-financial performance of state corporations in Kenya while self-management leadership competency and social awareness leadership competency had a positive but insignificant relationship. However, the magnitude of the influence social skills leadership competency was higher than that of self-awareness leadership competency. Further, the results showed that organization size only had a positive and significant moderating effect on the relationship between leadership competencies and non- financial performance of state corporations in Kenya.Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: Leadership competencies affect the development, functioning and management of state corporations thus improving the performance of these organizations. Hence, the study findings and recommendations of the study would be an eye opener to these corporations and provide them with the opportunity of improving its self-management leadership competencies. The findings of this study will also facilitate the availability of information for regulatory bodies such as CMA and NSE (in case of listed state corporations such as Kenya Power and Lighting Company) or supervisory bodies such as Inspectorate of State Corporations, Controller and Auditor-General. The study will provide invaluable input on its self-management leadership competencies of state corporations which they will adopt in formulating laws and regulations affecting its self-management leadership competencies. Strengthening leadership competencies at corporation level might be a viable option for Kenya as a country which is faced by major Leadership competencies challenges characterized by corruption and misallocation of resources.
Review of theoretical methods and research aspects for detecting leaf water content using terahertz spectroscopy and imaging

The water content in vegetative leaves is an important indicator to plant science. It reveals the physiological status of plants and provides valuable information in irrigation management. Terahertz (THz) as a state-of-the-art technology shows great potential in measuring and monitoring the water status in plant leaves. This paper reviewed the theoretical models for calculating water content in the plant leaves, the methods for eliminating the scattering loss caused by the surface roughness of leaf, the applications of THz spectroscopy and THz imaging for monitoring leaf water content and describing leaf water distribution. The survey of the researches presents the considerable advantages of this emerging and promising THz technology in agriculture. Keywords: terahertz (THz) spectroscopy, terahertz imaging, leaf water content, leaf water distribution, theoretical models, eliminating scattering loss, agriculture DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe. 20181105.3952 Citation: Qu F F, Nie P C, Lin L, Cai C Y, He Y. Review of theoretical methods and research aspects for detecting leaf water content using terahertz spectroscopy and imaging. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2018; 11(5): 27–34.
Genetic and morphological diversity among sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L) Lam.) accessions from different geographical areas in Malawi

An understanding of morphological and genetic diversity of sweet potato landraces is fundamental to any breeding program in a country. Fifty-nine sweet potato accessions from three eco-geographical populations of northern, south eastern and southern Malawi were examined using ten Simple Sequence Repeats (SSR) loci and seven International Board for Plant Genetic Resources (IBPGR) descriptors of sweet potato. The study generated a total of 30 alleles with a mean of 3 alleles per locus and a range of 2 to 5 alleles per locus. The primers were highly polymorphic and discriminatory with Polymorphism Information Content (PIC) mean of 0.55 and a range of 0.29 to 0.75, implying that allelic diversity and molecular relationships revealed by the study are strongly supported. Mean Nei’ gene diversity (h=0.30) and Shannon information index (I=0.43) showed moderate genetic diversity of the populations with landraces (h=0.32; I=0.47) exhibiting more genetic diversity than introductions (h=0.25; I=0.38). SSR and morphological markers differently distinguished the accessions as evidenced by poor correspondence of genetic and morphological distance matrices (Mantel’ Test, r=0.1095). However, cluster analysis indicated high variability among accessions at morphological (50% dissimilarity) and genetic (64% dissimilarity) level. Therefore, Malawian sweet potato landraces harbour considerably high morphological and genetic diversity warranting use in breeding programs. Key words: Simple sequence repeats (SSR) loci, morphological diversity, sweet potato accessions, genetic diversity, descriptors, polymorphism.
Probiotic L. gasseri strain (LG21) for the upper gastrointestinal tract acting through improvement of indigenous microbiota

Objective To describe probiotics including a Lactobacillus gasseri strain LG21 used for the upper gastrointestinal tract, which are considered to act through improvement of indigenous microbiota inhabiting there. Background and design Because the early definition of probiotics emphasized their effects on improving the intestinal microbial ecology, their effects on the intestinal tract and its immunity have been considered common general benefits associated with probiotics. This conclusion was also based on a body of successful clinical trials whose endpoints were the prevention or treatment of intestinal diseases. In contrast to intestinal microbiota, our understanding of the role of gastric microbiota in human health and physiology remains poor, as the bacterial load in the stomach is considered too small to exert a significant effect due to the highly acidic environment of the human stomach. Therefore, the intervention using probiotics in the stomach is still limited at present.Results:In this article using representative 38 quoted articles, we first describe the gastric microbiota, as the indigenous microbiota in the stomach is thought to be significantly involved in the pathophysiology of this organ, since probiotics exert their beneficial effects through improving the resident microbiota. We then review the present status and future prospects of probiotics for the treatment of upper gastrointestinal diseases by quoting representative published articles, including our basic and clinical data. Conclusions Probiotics have been demonstrated to suppress Helicobacter pylori in the stomach, and are also expected to improve functional dyspepsia through the correction of dysbiotic gastric microbiota.