Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Barefoot running – some critical considerations

The purpose of this paper is to discuss critically selected aspects of the current discussion on barefoot running, specifically differences between barefoot and shod running in kinematics and kinetics, training effects, performance and economy and injury frequency. The kinematics and kinetics depend on many different factors, including surface, shoe, running speed and subject. In general, hard surfaces are associated with a flatter foot landing. However, the inter-individual differences are substantial and it is not appropriate to associate barefoot running with toe landing and shod running with heel landing. The training effects for the small muscles crossing the ankle joint are small during running and substantially higher for movements such as side shuffling, independent of footwear. The additional mass added to the foot by the shoe seems not to have a negative effect on performance until at a ‘threshold mass’ of about 200 to 250 g. The additional work due to the damping of vibrations of soft tissue compartments seems not to depend primarily on the footwear but rather on the individual comfort of the runner. To the knowledge of the authors, there is no conclusive evidence that barefoot running has more, equal or less injuries than shod running. From a biomechanical point of view, injuries are a result of overloading of a given structure. The internal active forces in the lower extremities are about 500% higher than the internal impact forces. Consequently, these impact forces may not be the major reason for potential running injuries.
Numerical Computer-Simulation of Fields and Waves in Nondestructive Testing

Abstract The emphasis of this paper is to provide an overview of the numerical computer simulation of fields and waves and its application in nondestructive testing (NDT). Several numerical methods are applied: the finite integration technique (FIT), the finite element method (FEM), the boundary element method (BEM), and the method of moments (MoM). The numerical modelling of the ultrasonic and eddy current NDT inspection technique is discussed. Similarly, the numerical computer simulation of coupled wave field problems, like the piezoelectric and the electromagnetic-ultrasonic transducer is documented. The performance of the computer simulation in nondestructive testing is presented on the basis of 3-D modelling results of the ultrasonic testing of reinforced concrete and eddy current testing of hot wire steel.
The use of educational technologies to equip students with 21st century skills

From the end of the last century, information and communication technologies (ICT) have begun a process of transformation of both education and industry. Now and into the future students need the skills to operate in the 21st century. This requires the development of personalised learning that is broader than the 3Rs of reading, writing and arithmetic in order to establish that students are equipped to take their place in the 21st century. What is needed in addition to the 3Rs are the 4Cs of critical thinking & problem solving, effective communication, collaboration & team building and creativity & innovation. The use of ICT is fundamental for the kind of personalised learning needed for the development of the 4Cs but, as the SAMR model makes clear, simply using ICT does not guarantee that the necessary deep learning will occur. What is crucial is the transformative use of ICT for learning. The present work provides direction to teachers who wish to lead in a technological environment of change.
Hepatoprotective Effects of Vernonia amygdalina (Astereaceae) Extract on CCl4-Induced Liver Injury in Broiler Chickens

Simple Summary Since the ban on the use of antibiotics as growth promoters in poultry feed, many studies have focused on the use of plants in poultry feed as an alternative to this ban. Currently, many plants are used to improve the growth performance and health status of poultry. Few studies are conducted to evaluate the hepatoprotective effects of these plants in poultry. The current study showed that Vernonia amygdalina extract confers a hepatoprotective effect on poultry. Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Vernonia amygdalina leaf extract (VALE) on the carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity (CCl4) in broiler chickens. A total of 360-day-old broilers were divided into 4 treatments of 90 birds each consisting of 6 replicates of 15 birds each. The treatments were birds offered 1 mL/kg BW saline (control group), 100 mg/kg BW VALE, 1 mL/kg BW CCl4 (CCl4-treated group), and 100 mg/kg BW VALE + 1 mL/kg BW CCl4 (VALE + CCl4 group). Blood samples were collected at 42 days of age and analyzed for the liver enzymes: alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and selected biochemical parameters. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomized design. The results obtained showed that VALE had the potential to mitigate the adverse effects of CCl4 on protein and lipid metabolism as reflected in the low serum malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, which is a marker of lipid peroxidation. The aqueous extract of Vernonia amygdalina (VA) at a dose of 100 mg/kg body weight showed a moderate hepatoprotective effect by reducing serum AST levels (p < 0.05). The levels of serum AST, ALP, ALT, and GGT were significantly increased in CCl4-treated birds compared to the control group, reflecting carbon tetrachloride-induced liver damage. The VALE + CCl4 group showed a significantly higher amount of ALP compared to birds treated with carbon tetrachloride, suggesting a hepatoprotective effect. To conclude, Vernonia amygdalina aqueous extract can be used to confer protection against hepatotoxicity, which can induce severe hepatocellular damage in birds.
Compound hot temperature and high chlorophyll extreme events in global lakes

An emerging concern for lake ecosystems is the occurrence of compound extreme events i.e. situations where multiple within-lake extremes occur simultaneously. Of particular concern are the co-occurrence of lake heatwaves (anomalously warm temperatures) and high chlorophyll-a extremes, two important variables that influence the functioning of aquatic ecosystems. Here, using satellite observations, we provide the first assessment of univariate and compound extreme events in lakes worldwide. Our analysis suggests that the intensity of lake heatwaves and high chlorophyll-a extremes differ across lakes and are influenced primarily by the annual range in surface water temperature and chlorophyll-a concentrations. The intensity of lake heatwaves is even greater in smaller lakes and in those that are shallow and experience cooler average temperatures. Our analysis also suggests that, in most of the studied lakes, compound extremes occur more often than would be assumed from the product of their independent probabilities. We anticipate compound extreme events to have more severe impacts on lake ecosystems than those previously reported due to the occurrence of univariate extremes.
INTERACTIONS BETWEEN ROTATION BREAKS, TILLAGE AND N MANAGEMENT ON SUGARCANE GROWN AT BUNDABERG AND INGHAM

The impact of cropping histories (sugarcane, maize and soybean), tillage practices (conventional tillage and direct drill) and fertiliser N in the plant and 1st ratoon (1R) crops of sugarcane were examined in field trials at Bundaberg and Ingham. Average yields at Ingham (Q200) and Bundaberg (Q151) were quite similar in both the plant crop (83 t/ha and 80 t/ha, respectively) and the 1R (89 t/ha v 94 t/ha, respectively), with only minor treatment effects on CCS at each site. Cane yield responses to tillage, break history and N fertiliser varied significantly between sites. There was a 27% yield increase in the plant crop from the soybean fallow at Ingham, with soybeans producing a yield advantage over continuous cane, but there were no clear break effects at Bundaberg - possibly due to a complex of pathogenic nematodes that responded differently to soybeans and maize breaks. There was no carryover benefit of the soybean break into the 1R crop at Ingham, while at Bundaberg the maize break produced a 15% yield advantage over soybeans and continuous cane. The Ingham site recorded positive responses to N fertiliser addition in both the plant (20% yield increase) and 1R (34% yield increase) crops, but there was negligible carryover benefit from plant crop N in the 1R crop, or of a reduced N response after a soybean rotation. By contrast, the Bundaberg site showed no N response in any history in the plant crop, and only a small (5%) yield increase with N applied in the 1R crop. There was again no evidence of a reduced N response in the 1R crop after a soybean fallow. There were no significant effects of tillage on cane yields at either site, although there were some minor interactions between tillage, breaks and N management in the 1R crop at both sites. Crop N contents at Bundaberg were more than 3 times those recorded at Ingham in both the plant and 1R crops, with N concentrations in millable stalk at Ingham suggesting N deficiencies in all treatments. There was negligible additional N recovered in crop biomass from N fertiliser application or soybean residues at the Ingham site. There was additional N recovered in crop biomass in response to N fertiliser and soybean breaks at Bundaberg, but effects were small and fertiliser use efficiencies poor. Loss pathways could not be quantified, but denitrification or losses in runoff were the likely causes at Ingham while leaching predominated at Bundaberg. Results highlight the complexity involved in developing sustainable farming systems for contrasting soil types and climatic conditions. A better understanding of key sugarcane pathogens and their host range, as well as improved capacity to predict in-crop N mineralisation, will be key factors in future improvements to sugarcane farming systems.
A Damage Index-Based Evaluation Method for Predicting the Ductile Crack Initiation in Steel Structures

This article presents a damage evaluation method for predicting ductile crack initiation in steel bridge piers. In the proposed method, a damage index is introduced to evaluate ductile crack initiation. Seventeen different analytical models, including steel columns and beam-column connections in steel bridge pier frames, are created based on the shell element model, which takes local refined meshing into account. The plastic strain and damage index at strain concentration location are calculated. Moreover, effects of welded joint models, extension part, loading patterns and cross-section parameters are considered and discussed. Comparisons between experimental and analytical results show good prediction of ductile crack initiation. Meanwhile, the present method realizes prediction of ductile crack initiation at structural component level.
Algorithms for Detecting Cattle Diseases at Early Stages and for Making Diagnoses and Related Recommendations

Analytical and theoretical studies were conducted in working cattle facilities in order to identify infectious, parasitic, and nervous diseases in large horned cattle. Our analytical study was based on the analysis of available scientific research papers. The theoretical research was based on processing the measurement results with existing hardware and software. Both environmental and physiological parameters were obtained from five farms for at least 30 days. The studied cows were divided into two groups. One group consisted of 37 dairy cows of the Holstein breed aged 2–3 years having no clinical signs of disease. All cows in this group were fed the same diet, kept in the same conditions, and had the same lactation period (from 3 to 5 months). Their average weight was 517 (±2.03) kg. For inclusion into the second group, we selected 23 dairy cows with parameters similar to those of the cows in the first group but with some clinical signs of diseases such as encephalomyelitis, infectious enteritis, and hypodermatosis. The data obtained from the animals in the first group were considered as the parameters’ standardized boundary values for the estimation of a cow’s conditions, i.e., as the norm (the setpoint). As for the data obtained for the second group, they were considered to be deviations from the threshold values of the parameters (deviations from the setpoint, which required a pre-planned action). The analysis was carried out using the program code implemented in the software package “Matlab R2019b”. We analyzed the correlations between the cows’ rumen temperature and pH, their locomotive activity, and environmental parameters such as air temperature and relative humidity in the cowsheds. We then constructed graphs of inter-correlating functions. As a result of the study, for the first time, algorithms were compiled enabling the detection of infectious, parasitic, and nervous diseases.
Seizing the moment: Regional opportunity structures and Wallonia’s temporary veto of the EU–Canada bilateral trade agreement

ABSTRACT Constitutionally, Belgium represents the most extreme case of regional entities wielding power over EU external trade policymaking. Formally, the Flemish, Walloon and Brussels regions can wield veto power over Belgian positions. Yet, only once has a Belgian region actually made use of this capacity, when Wallonia temporarily blocked the conclusion of the EU trade agreement with Canada in 2016 (CETA). We show that political actors – legislative and executive – could only activate this constitutional possibility in conjunction with other necessary conditions: a high degree of societal mobilization and, above all, inter-party competition across different levels of government. As the Walloon Parti Socialiste seized the moment, it reinforced the paradox of weakness and strengthened the EU’s trade bargaining power towards Canada. We finish by discussing the spill-over effects of the 2016 CETA episode into the shaping of future EU trade policies, as well as into future intra-Belgian EU policymaking.
Exploring the role of snow metamorphism on the isotopic composition of the surface snow at EastGRIP

Abstract. Stable water isotopes from polar ice cores are invaluable high-resolution climate proxy records. Recent studies have aimed to improve knowledge of how the climate signal is stored in the water isotope record by addressing the influence of post-depositional processes on the surface snow isotopic composition. In this study, the relationship between changes in surface snow microstructure after precipitation/deposition events and water isotopes is explored using measurements of snow specific surface area (SSA). Continuous daily SSA measurements from the East Greenland Ice Core Project site (EastGRIP) situated in the accumulation zone of the Greenland Ice Sheet during the summer seasons of 2017, 2018 and 2019 are used to develop an empirical decay model to describe events of rapid decrease in SSA, driven predominantly by vapour diffusion in the pore space and atmospheric vapour exchange. The SSA decay model is described by the exponential equation SSA(t) = (SSA0 −26.8) e−0.54t + 26.8. The model performance is optimal for daily mean values of surface temperature in the range 0 °C to −25 °C and wind speed < 6 m s−1. The findings from the SSA analysis are used to explore the influence of surface snow metamorphism on altering the isotopic composition of surface snow. It is found that rapid SSA decay events correspond to decreases in d-excess over a 2-day period in 72 % of the samples. Detailed studies using Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) analysis revealed a coherence between the dominant mode of variance of SSA and d-excess during periods of low spatial variability of surface snow over the sampling transect, suggesting that processes driving change in SSA also influence d-excess. Our findings highlight the need for future studies to decouple the processes driving surface snow metamorphism in order to quantify the fractionation effect of individual processes on the snow isotopic composition.
Non-invasive real-time access to spatial attention information from 3T fMRI BOLD signals

Access to higher cognitive functions in real-time remains very challenging, because these functions are internally driven and their assessment is based onto indirect measures. In addition, recent finding show that these functions are highly dynamic. Previous studies using intra-cortical recordings in monkeys, succeed to access the (x,y) position of covert spatial attention, in real-time, using classification methods applied to monkey prefrontal multi-unit activity and local field potentials. In contrast, the direct access to attention with non-invasive methods is limited to predicting the attention localisation based on a quadrant classification. Here, we demonstrate the feasibility to track covert spatial attention localization using non-invasive fMRI BOLD signals, with an unprecedented spatial resolution. We further show that the errors produced by the decoder are not randomly distributed but concentrate on the locations neighbouring the cued location and that behavioral errors correlate with weaker decoding performance. Last, we also show that the voxels contributing to the decoder precisely match the visual retinotopic organization of the occipital cortex and that single trial access to attention is limited by the intrinsic dynamics of spatial attention. Taken together, these results open the way to the development of remediation and enhancement neurofeedback protocols targeting the attentional function.
Factors influencing household waste recycling behavior: Test of an integrated model

Although there has been an official household waste recycling system in Taiwan, the system still works rather inefficiently because of problems such as resistance from citizens, political complexity, and those arising from culture. This study examines the antecedents of the behavior of household waste recycling in the context of an integrated model. This model incorporates a wide variety of important factors from previous research on environmental behavior into a single theoretical framework provided by the theory of planned behavior (TPB). This model was tested using data from a sample of 386 community residents in Kaohsiung, each of whom completed a survey. The results suggest that in addition to the TPB variables, perceived moral obligation further improved the prediction of intention to recycle household waste. Implications for operating household waste recycling systems are discussed.
Lower Extremity Biomechanics Differ in Prepubescent and Postpubescent Female Athletes during Stride Jump Landings

Epidemiological evidence suggests the incidence of injury in female athletes is greater after the onset of puberty and that landing from a jump is a common mechanism of knee injury. This investigation compared lower extremity joint kinematics and joint resultant forces and moments during three types of stride jump (stride jump followed by a static landing; a ballistic vertical jump; and a ballistic lateral jump) between pre- and postpubescent recreational athletes to provide some insight into the increased incidence of injury. Sixteen recreationally active postpubescent women (ages 18–25 years) and 16 recreationally active prepubescent girls (ages 8–11 years) participated in this study. High speed 3D videography and force plate data were used to record each jumper’s performance of the stride jumps, and an inverse dynamic procedure was used to estimate lower extremity joint resultant forces and moments and power. These dependent variables were submitted to a 2 × 3 (Maturation Level × Landing Sequence) MANO.
THE SKIN BARRIER IN SENSITIVE SKIN SYNDROME

Background: Sensitive Skin Syndrome (SSS) is predominantly a self-defined condition without objective pathological findings. The syndrome presents with sudden and easily provoked flushes accompanied by unpleasant sensations like itching, pain or numbness in response to stimuli that usually do not cause such sensations. The intact skin is a barrier to uncontrolled water loss, plasma components and proteins from the organism. It is therefore assumed that one of the possible explanations of itching and other unpleasant sensations in SSS should be resulting in a dysfunctional skin barrier. Purpose: was to establish is there a dysfunction of the skin barrier in SSS patients. Objective and Methods: The presented study includes 64 females self-diagnosed with SSS and 45 females self-diagnosed with NSS (non-sensitive skin). Demographic data were collected from registers of Medico-Aesthetic Center “Medea” Varna from April 2017 till April 2019. Trans epidermal Water Loss (TEWL) and Hydration (H) of the epidermis in three different areas of the body were measured as an indicator of normal skin barrier functioning. Results: No significant differences in skin barrier indicators in SS compare to NSS were found. No visible pathological changes were found in patients according to the duration of SSS. A slight correlation between abnormal levels of TEWL and H and the severity of disease was obtained. Conclusion: All the reported and analyzed results indicate that disorders of the skin barrier are slightly connected with the severity and duration of SSS. This could be one of the explanations why adding topical treatment worsen rather than improve SSS. This is the first study in our country, which aims to measure the impact of changes in skin barrier on clinical characteristics of SSS.
Interpretable Models for the Potentially Harmful Content in Video Games Based on Game Rating Predictions

ABSTRACT Studies reported that playing video games with harmful content can lead to adverse effects on players. Therefore, understanding the harmful content can help reduce these adverse effects. This study is the first to examine the potential of interpretable machine learning (ML) models for explaining the harmful content in video games that may potentially cause adverse effects on players based on game rating predictions. First, the study presents a performance analysis of the supervised ML models for game rating predictions. Secondly, using an interpretability analysis, this study explains the potentially harmful content. The results show that the ensemble Random Forest model robustly predicted game ratings. Then, the interpretable ML model successfully exposed and explained several harmful contents, including Blood, Fantasy Violence, Strong Language, and Blood and Gore. This revealed that the depiction of blood, the depiction of the mutilation of body parts, violent actions of human or non-human characters, and the frequent use of profanity might potentially be associated with adverse effects on players. The findings suggest the strength of interpretable ML models in explaining harmful content. The knowledge gained can be used to develop effective regulations for controlling identified video game content and potential adverse effects.