Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Match Characteristics of Professional Singles Tennis

The purpose of this study was to investi­ gate the characteristics of professional male and female tennis competition during singles matches at the 2005 Australian Open and Wimbledon Championships to determine activity patterns and player skill. Thirty nine matches were analysed, involving 44 different players to give 78 sets of data. Observations were made of: point dura­ tion, game duration, match duration and the number of strokes in each point. From these observations, the proportion of match time spent in play (effective playing time) and the stroke frequency were deter­ mined. Each of these factors was com­
Part-time entrepreneurship in the third age: well-being and motives

ABSTRACT The objective is to contribute to understanding entrepreneurship in ageing societies and to suggest avenues to ensure people in their third age (aged 50+) actively contribute to the supply side of the silver economy. To this end, we apply mixed methods to understand the different effects of motives and attitudes on the well-being of part-time entrepreneurs. The analysis is refined by categorizing those entrepreneurs into third age and prime-age cohorts. The analysis used data from 400 Finnish part-time entrepreneurs. When the stability of the financial situation is controlled for, attitudes to entrepreneurship and self-realization as a motive explain well-being among third-age group. For the younger age group, financial motives were also important in explaining well-being, but recognition and independence motives had a negative effect. Policymakers should consider incentivizing third-age entrepreneurs to continue working also after retirement and aim to foster a climate marked by a positive attitude to third-age entrepreneurship
GRAIN YIELD AND YIELD COMPONENTS AT DIFFERENT SOWING TIMES AND SOWING DEPTHS IN BARLEY (Hordeum vulgare L. CONV. DISTICHON) UNDER RAINFED CONDITIONS

This experiment was conducted to determine the effects of different sowing dates (5th October, 20th October, 5th November, and 20th November) and sowing depths (2, 4, 6 and 8 cm) on yield and some yield characters in two rowed barley (cv. Tokak 157/37) under rainfed conditions. The field study was conducted in Kirsehir ecological condition during 2014-15 and 2015-16 winter growing seasons. Grain yield and important yield traits such as plant height, spike length, number of fertile spike per square meter, number of grain per spike and grain weight per spike were determined. Sowing dates and depths influenced significantly the grain yield and yield components in two consecutive years. Most of the yield components were adversely affected by deeper sowing depths and delayed sowing dates. Based on two-year average, the highest grain yield was recorded with 2733 kg ha-1 at 20th October sowing date and 4 cm depth; in contrast the lowest grain yield was 513 kg ha-1 by the 20th November and 8 cm depth. Keywords: Cereals, Hordeum vulgare, crop production, dryland, arid agriculture, seedling emergence, grain yield.
A Study of the Antimicrobial Activity of Combined Black Pepper and Cinnamon Essential Oils against Escherichia fergusonii in Traditional African Yoghurt

The antimicrobial activity of the essential oils of black pepper (BPE) and cinnamon bark (CE) extracts against E. fergusonii was assessed in pasteurized full cream milk during and post-fermentation. The milk was fermented with 1% (v/v) of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subspecies bulgaricus (NCIMB 11778) and Streptococcus thermophilus (NCIMB 10387) (approx. 106 cfu/mL each) and incubated and stored at 25 °C for 5 days (144 h) or at 43 °C for 24 h and then stored at 25 °C for 120 h. The milk was spiked with E. fergusonii at the start of fermentation by the lactic acid bacteria (pre-fermentation contamination) for after fermentation (post fermentation contamination). BPE and CE were applied at concentrations based on their minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.5% and 0.25% respectively as follows: 0.5% BPE alone; 0.125% BPE with 0.1875% CE; 0.25% BPE with 0.125% CE; 0.375% BPE with 0.0625% CE; 0.25% CE alone. Results showed that during fermentation at 25 °C, E. fergusonii grew to a similar level (approx. 109 CFU/mL) in control samples and 108 CFU/mL when BPE or CE were added alone. Whereas, in the samples with the combined essential oils, the bacterium grew to 106–107 CFU/mL only. During the milk fermentation at 43 °C, E. fergusonii grew to approx. 109 CFU/mL in samples without treatment. However, it was not detected in samples containing mixed BPE with CE after 8, 10 and 12 h of fermentation. Subsequent storage at 25 °C resulted in undetectable levels of the bacterium in all the samples treated with BPE or CE after 24 h of storage. These results indicated that BPE in combination with CE reduced growth during fermentation and was bactericidal during storage.
Update analysis of real-world fuel consumption of business passenger cars based on Travelcard Nederland fuelpass data

Het verschil tussen normverbruik en praktijkverbruik van voertuigmodellen uit 2013 is opnieuw toegenomen. Het verschil tussen het normverbruik en het praktijkverbruik is, echter, minder groot dan eerder werd gedacht.
May I Talk to You for a Minute? An Assessment of Street Stops and Officer Decision-Making

The overwhelming majority of research on officer-initiated contacts with civilians is drawn from traffic stops, while relatively little is known about officer decision-making during non-vehicular, street stops. The current study fills this gap by examining intrusive detentions, investigatory actions and enforcement activities undertaken by the police during street stops. Using data from a racially/ethnic diverse metropolitan area, analyses examine encounter-related variables, civilian and officer-related demographic characteristics, and contextual correlates of actions undertaken during these incidents. Conclusions drawn from this study provide specific insight into the patterns and practices of street stop encounters and offer a contribution to our broader understanding of police-civilian encounters.
Application of U-Net with Global Convolution Network Module in Computer-Aided Tongue Diagnosis

The rapid development of intelligent manufacturing provides strong support for the intelligent medical service ecosystem. Researchers are committed to building Wise Information Technology of 120 (WIT 120) for residents and medical personnel with the concept of simple smart medical care and through core technologies such as Internet of Things, Big Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, and microservice framework, to improve patient safety, medical quality, clinical efficiency, and operational benefits. Among them, how to use computers and deep learning technology to assist in the diagnosis of tongue images and realize intelligent tongue diagnosis has become a major trend. Tongue crack is an important feature of tongue states. Not only does change of tongue crack states reflect objectively and accurately changed circumstances of some typical diseases and TCM syndrome but also semantic segmentation of fissured tongue can combine the other features of tongue states to further improve tongue diagnosis systems' identification accuracy. Although computer tongue diagnosis technology has made great progress, there are few studies on the fissured tongue, and most of them focus on the analysis of tongue coating and body. In this paper, we do systematic and in-depth researches and propose an improved U-Net network for image semantic segmentation of fissured tongue. By introducing the Global Convolution Network module into the encoder part of U-Net, it solves the problem that the encoder part is relatively simple and cannot extract relatively abstract high-level semantic features. Finally, the method is verified by experiments. The improved U-Net network has a better segmentation effect and higher segmentation accuracy for fissured tongue image dataset. It can be used to design a computer-aided tongue diagnosis system.
The Effects of Zombie Firms on the Financial Information Transparency of Other Firms

ABSTRACT Zombie firms have strong negative effects on society. This paper empirically investigates the effects of zombie firms on the financial information transparency of normal firms and finds that zombie firms significantly reduce the financial information transparency of these normal firms, thus also reducing their performance. Further analysis reveals that zombie firms have more obvious negative effects on the financial information transparency of firms without political connections, firms in poor legal environments, and firms in highly competitive industries.
AACSB INTERNATIONAL'S ADVOCACY OF EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING AND ASSURANCE OF LEARNING - BOOM OR BUST FOR SBI STUDENT CONSULTING?

AACSB International’s accreditation standards, 2005 revision, clearly outlines two important trends in the association’s thinking which appear to require a boom or bust future for SBI programs. The first focus is on the enhancement of experiential learning in higher business education, while the second demands improved assurance of learning. This paper first explores the combined impact of these two trends on SBI student consulting. Next, the paper considers how to channel the energy behind the two trends to earn a boom for student consulting. The paper gives ten recommendations for strengthening the student consulting process. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AACSB International’s accreditation standards, 2005 revision, clearly outlines two important trends in the association’s thinking which appear to require a boom or bust future for SBI student consulting programs and other real-world, experiential-learning programs. The first focus is on the enhancement of experiential learning in higher business education, while the second demands improved assurance of learning. SBI student consulting is a strong example of experiential learning, or what the AACSB refers to as responsive interaction. One can argue that the SBI’s proven student consulting process is a poster child for responsive interaction. It offers interactive experiences, learning for all constituent groups, and practice at collaboration. Also, it demands individual accountability of both teacher and student. However, a HIGH degree of responsive interaction, as offered by student consulting, creates assessment challenges. Programs that offer high degrees of responsive interaction do not fit the mold of traditional business school programs. Student consulting, by serving real clients, creates complex dynamics pregnant with learning opportunities. However, it is challenging to measure the learning that occurs. SBI programs, and all other business programs that wish to offer a HIGH degree of responsive interaction, must invest in means to cope with the complexity and assure achievement of learning goals. They need observable, measurable standards. To answer the “So What” question, this paper provides business programs with ten recommendations. Business programs that wish to nurture a high degree of responsive interaction will find the ten recommendations given in this paper to be efficient and effective means to assure learning.
Through the Smokescreen of the Dieselgate Disclosure: Neutralizing the Impacts of a Major Sustainability Scandal

This article analyzes the main neutralization techniques used in car manufacturers’ sustainability reports to disclose on the Dieselgate scandal. We conduct a conventional qualitative content analysis of 72 sustainability reports, covering the period 2013-2017, from 15 car manufacturers that were accused of unethical behaviors related to the measurement of diesel vehicle pollutant emissions. We then present a framework based on four configurations of neutralization techniques, namely, “head in the sand,” “self-proclaimed green leadership,” “wait and see,” and “start of a new era. ” We describe that the manufacturers used heterogeneous neutralization techniques. Furthermore, the sustainability reports analyzed are relatively opaque and disconnected from the accusations made against the companies, which are widely reported by external sources. This article contributes to the emerging literature on the defensive impression management practices used to rationalize corporate misconduct in this area.
Application of a Conducting Poly-Methionine/Gold Nanoparticles-Modified Sensor for the Electrochemical Detection of Paroxetine

This work demonstrates a facile electropolymerization of a dl-methionine (dl-met) conducting polymeric film on a gold nanoparticle (AuNPs)-modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The resulting sensor was successfully applied for the sensitive detection of paroxetine·HCl (PRX), a selective serotonin (5-HT) reuptake inhibitor (SSRIs), in its pharmaceutical formulations. The sensor was characterized morphologically using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) and electrochemical techniques such as differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The proposed sensor, poly (dl-met)/AuNPs-GCE, exhibited a linear response range from 5 × 10−11 to 5 × 10−8 M and from 5 × 10−8 to 1 × 10−4 M using DPV with lowest limit of detection (LOD = 1 × 10−11 M) based on (S/N = 3). The poly (dl-met)/AuNPs-GCE sensor was successfully applied for PRX determination in three different pharmaceutical formulations with percent recoveries between 96.29% and 103.40% ± SD (±0.02 and ±0.58, respectively).
Identification of an Immune-Related Biomarker Model Based on the CircRNA-Associated Regulatory Network for Esophageal Carcinoma

Esophageal carcinoma (ESCA) is one of the most frequent types of malignant tumor that has a dismal prognosis. This research applied datasets aimed from the GEO and TCGA to create a prognostic signature for forecasting the clinical outcome of ESCA patients on the basis of a circRNA-associated regulatory network. Methods. A regulatory network associated with ESCA was established based on transcriptome data of circRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs. Functional annotations were implemented to further explore the mechanism of ESCA. Cox relative regression method was applied to create a risk signature. Besides, the immune microenvironment of the signature was investigated by utilizing the CIBERSORT algorithm. Results. Based on 27 DEcircRNAs, 65 DEmiRNAs, and 780 DEmRNAs, the circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network was finally set up. Functional enrichment unearthed that the regulatory network might participate in phosphorylation negative regulation, MAPK pathway, and PI3K/AKT pathway. This study established a risk scoring signature based on the seven immune-related genes (IRGs) (MARP14, RASGR1, PTK2, HMGB1, DKK1, RARB, and IGF1R), which was validated for its reliability. A stable and accurate nomogram combining immune-related risk scores with clinical features was constructed. Furthermore, we observed that the risk model was also related to the immunocyte infiltration. Conclusion. Our study successfully created a circRNA-associated regulatory network and further developed an immune-related model to forecast the clinical outcome of ESCA patients as well as to assess their immune status.
CHECKLIST OF VEGETATION CLASSES OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA: HOW MUCH DO WE KNOW?

UDK: 581.5(497.6) The beginnings of vegetation research of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), according to Braun-Blanquet’s approach, date back to early 1930s, culminated in the period of 60s-70s, and declined until the end of 20th century. Twenty years after the war B&H vegetation science hasn’t still achieved the pre-war level. The starting point for the preparation of the checklist of vegetation classes was the vegetation database of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which contains 6823 relevés, which were digitized and imported in TURBOVEG database for storage of large relevé datasets. Total of 4780 relevés were collected from 123 references (2906 regularly published, 1331 from grey literature and 543 from manuscripts), while 2043 are unpublished relevés, mainly recorded by the team of the Department of Forest Ecology at the Faculty of Forestry in Banja Luka. Analysis of this dataset suggests that vegetation of Bosnia and Herzegovina comprises 60 classes. According to the overviews of vegetation of Bosnia and Herzegovina published so far, the vegetation dominated by vascular plants numbers 33 and 39 classes respectively. This discrepancy can be partially attributed to different syntaxonomic concepts used in these overviews compared to the latest Checklist compiled at the European level (EuroVegChecklist), which was our guideline, but also to uneven level of elaboration of different vegetation types and geographical regions in B&H. Six classes of forest vegetation share almost 60% of the total number of relevés, while another six classes of various grasslands take another 25%. The other 15% is divided among the rest of 48 classes. Some of the classes without relevés are, in our own opinion, present in B&H, but still need to be confirmed, while the others, even though mentioned in literature, couldn’t be confirmed at the field after extensive research.
Diagonally scaled memoryless quasi–Newton methods with application to compressed sensing

Memoryless quasi–Newton updating formulas of BFGS (Broyden–Fletcher–Goldfarb–Shanno) and DFP (Davidon–Fletcher–Powell) are scaled using well-structured diagonal matrices. In the scaling approach, diagonal elements as well as eigenvalues of the scaled memoryless quasi–Newton updating formulas play significant roles. Convergence analysis of the given diagonally scaled quasi–Newton methods is discussed. At last, performance of the methods is numerically tested on a set of CUTEr problems as well as the compressed sensing problem.
Effects of Dietary Supplementation with Epigallocatechin Gallate on Meat Quality and Muscle Antioxidant Capacity of Broilers Subjected to Acute Heat Stress

Simple Summary Broilers are readily affected by acute heat stress (AHS), and the development of intensive and high-density management and the occurrence of high temperatures during the summer exacerbate this problem. AHS has undesirable effects on animal immunity, meat quality, antioxidant capacity, and welfare of broilers, which can be alleviated by nutrition regulation. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) has been found to reduce the damage of AHS on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, and the expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related 2 (Nrf2) in liver and jejunum. However, there are few reports on the effect and mechanism of action of EGCG on meat quality and antioxidant function in broilers under AHS. We demonstrated that EGCG protects against AHS-impaired meat quality by improving muscle antioxidant capacity, which seems to be associated with the activation of the Nrf2 signaling pathway. Moreover, these findings suggested that EGCG could be an effective additive to improve meat quality and muscle redox balance by regulating the Nrf2 signaling pathway. Abstract This study evaluated epigallocatechin gallate’s (EGCG’s, 400 mg/kg) effect on meat quality and muscle antioxidant status of broilers under acute heat stress (AHS). A total of 144 21-day-old male Huainan partridge chickens were randomly allocated to the EGCG-free group (12 replicates) and the EGCG group (6 replicates). On day 94, the EGCG-free group was divided into the control group (CON) and the AHS group, and then AHS group and EGCG group (identified as AHS + EGCG group) were treated with AHS (33 ± 1 °C for 12 h). AHS increased (p < 0.05) L*24h, drip loss, muscle lactic acid, malondialdehyde (MDA) contents, and kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1) mRNA level, and decreased (p < 0.05) eviscerated percentage, pH24h, a*, muscle total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) activity, the ratio of T-SOD/MDA and glutathione peroxidase /MDA, glycogen content, and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related 2 (Nrf2), catalase (CAT), NAD(P)H/quinone dehydrogenase 1 (NQO1) mRNA levels. The AHS + EGCG group exhibited lower (p < 0.05) L*24h, drip loss, muscle lactic acid, MDA contents and Keap1 mRNA level, and greater (p < 0.05) eviscerated percentage, pH24h, a*, muscle T-SOD activity, the ratio of T-SOD/MDA, Nrf2, and NQO1 mRNA levels compared with the AHS group. In conclusion, EGCG protects against AHS-impaired meat quality by improving muscle antioxidant capacity, which seems to be associated with the activation of the Nrf2 signaling pathway.
Clinical Study of Acupotomy for Knee Osteoarthritis Based on the Meridian-Sinew Theory: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

This study was performed to compare the effectiveness of acupotomy based on the meridian-sinew theory with acupotomy based on the anatomical theory in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis (KOA). A total of 124 patients with knee osteoarthritis were randomized into the meridian-sinew (MS) group (63 patients) and anatomy group (61 patients). In the MS group, acupotomy based on the meridian-sinew theory was performed. In the anatomy group, acupotomy based on anatomy was applied. Patients were subgrouped by TCM Constitutions. The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) Osteoarthritis Index and visual analog scale (VAS) were used to evaluate treatment effectiveness. The results showed that VAS (F = 22.61, p < 0.01) and WOMAC (F = 24.84, p < 0.01) scores declined with time, and there was no significant difference between the two groups nor subgroups (Yang deficiency subgroup, Yin-Yang harmony subgroup, and the subgroup of the others). A total of 5 patients reported 6 cases of the minor adverse effect, and all patients achieved complete recovery without medical intervention. This study indicates that the effectiveness and safety of acupotomy based on the meridian-sinew theory are equivalent to that of acupotomy based on anatomy in KOA treatment.
HPLC Method for Separation of Cannabidiol Hemp Seed Oil with Skin Lipids and Tandem HRMS Technology for Characterization of a Chemical Marker

Cannabidiol (CBD) hemp seed oil is a commercial raw material with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits that has been formulated into body wash and skin care products. The biggest analytical challenge is how to simultaneously quantify CBD and hemp seed oil as they deposited on the skin surface. CBD is easily separated and quantified from skin surface extracts via a HPLC-mass spectrometry methodology. However, the structural skeleton of triacylglycerides (TAGs) in hemp seed oil is same as those from the skin surface sebum. The strong hydrophobicity with subtle structural difference challenges their separation. In this project, a new reverse phase HPLC-high resolution mass spectrometry methodology was developed with a strong mobile phase normal propanol. The separated hemp seed oil TAGs in the chromatogram were identified and characterized using data-dependent acquisition (DDA) technology. Based on the daughter ion characterization, the separated peak with an ammonium adduct at 890.7226 [M + NH4]+ was confirmed as the parent ion of glycerol with three omega-3 fatty acid chains. This is the first time TAG structure with direct HPLC-tandem mass spectrometry technology has been elucidated without a hydrolysis reaction. The confirmed TAG structure with an ammonium adduct at 890.7226 ± 0.0020 can be used as a representative chemical marker for the hemp seed oil quantification.