Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effect of a preexercise meal on time to fatigue during prolonged cycling exercise.

PURPOSE AND METHODS Seven subjects exercised to exhaustion on a bicycle ergometer at a workload corresponding to an intensity of 70% maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max). On one occasion (FED), subjects consumed a preexercise carbohydrate (CHO) containing breakfast (100 g CHO) 3 h before exercise. On the other occasion (FASTED), subjects exercised after an overnight fast. Exercise time to fatigue was significantly longer (P < 0.05) when subjects consumed the breakfast (136+/-14 min) compared with when they exercised in the fasted state (109+/-12 min). RESULTS Pre- and post-exercise muscle glycogen concentrations, respiratory exchange ratio, carbohydrate and fat oxidation, and lactate and insulin concentrations were not significantly different between the two trials. Insulin concentrations decreased significantly (P < 0.05) from 4.7+/-0.05 microIU.mL(-1) to 2.8+/-0.4 microIU.mL(-1) in FED and from 6.6+/-0.6 microIU.mL(-1) to 3.7+/-0.6 microIU.mL(-1) in FASTED subjects and free fatty acid concentrations (FFA) increased significantly (P < 0.05) from 0.09+/-0.02 mmol.L(-1) to 1.4+/-0.6 mmol.L(-1) in FED and from 0.17+/-0.02 mmol.L(-) to 0.74+/-0.27 mmol.L(-1) in FASTED subjects over the duration of the trials. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, the important finding of this study is the increased time to fatigue when subjects ingested the CHO meal with no negative effects ascribed to increased insulin concentrations and decreased FFA concentrations after CHO ingestion.
Gene regulatory network modelling with evolutionary algorithms -an integrative approach

Building models for gene regulation has been an important aim of Systems Biology over the past years, driven by the large amount of gene expression data that has become available. Models represent regulatory interactions between genes and transcription factors and can provide better understanding of biological processes, and means of simulating both natural and perturbed systems (e.g. those associated with disease). Gene regulatory network (GRN) quantitative modelling is still limited, however, due to data issues such as noise and restricted length of time series, typically used for GRN reverse engineering. These issues create an under-determination problem, with many models possibly fitting the data. However, large amounts of other types of biological data and knowledge are available, such as cross-platform measurements, knockout experiments, annotations, binding site affinities for transcription factors and so on. It has been postulated that integration of these can improve model quality obtained, by facilitating further filtering of possible models. However, integration is not straightforward, as the different types of data can provide contradictory information, and are intrinsically noisy, hence large scale integration has not been fully explored, to date. Here, we present an integrative parallel framework for GRN modelling, which employs evolutionary computation and different types of data to enhance model inference. Integration is performed at different levels. (i) An analysis of cross-platform integration of time series microarray data, discussing the effects on the resulting models and exploring crossplatform normalisation techniques, is presented. This shows that time-course data integration is possible, and results in models more robust to noise and parameter perturbation, as well as reduced noise over-fitting. (ii) Other types of measurements and knowledge, such as knock-out experiments, annotated transcription factors, binding site affinities and promoter sequences are integrated within the evolutionary framework to obtain more plausible GRN models. This is performed by customising initialisation, mutation and evaluation of candidate model solutions. The different data types are investigated and both qualitative and quantitative improvements are obtained. Results suggest that caution is needed in order to obtain improved models from combined data, and the case study presented here provides an example of how this can be achieved. Furthermore, (iii), RNA-seq data is studied in comparison to microarray experiments, to identify overlapping features and possibilities of integration within the framework. The extension of the framework to this data type is straightforward and qualitative improvements are obtained when combining predicted interactions from single-channel and RNA-seq datasets.
Estimation of the acceleration of a car under performance tests by using an optimal observer

In this paper, the acceleration of a car under performance tests is estimated by using a Kalman filter. Here, the observation vector consists of the observation of both the velocity and the longitudinal acceleration of the car. This is the process vector and is the input of the filter. The output is the filtered estimate of the state vector, which consist of the velocity and longitudinal acceleration of the car. The accelerometer is modeled as a linear dynamical system in which the acceleration is a Wiener process, the state vector is corrupted by process noise and the observation vector by measurement noise. The process noise and the measurement noise are modeled as zero-mean, white-noise processes. The error-performance surface of the filter is obtained by taking into consideration several values of correlation matrix of process and measurement noise, and the experimental results show a satisfactory improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio of the system.
The impact of middle management commitment on improvement initiatives in public organisations

Purpose – Top management commitment is considered a significant factor in improvement programmes, and many papers have been written about the role of top management commitment in implementing a quality management system. However, not considering other management levels’ commitment, such as middle management, may lead to issues in achieving organisational development. Public organisations that work through vertical structures may face a lack of middle management commitment, which might have a negative impact on lower and non-management staff commitment to improvement programmes. In this regard, the purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of middle management’s commitment towards improvement initiatives in public organisations. Design/methodology/approach – Empirical research with a mixed-method design used semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire to explore the current practices of continuous improvement (CI) and examine employees’ views from different management levels of the implications of .
On Consonants, Vowels, Chickens, and Eggs

On Consonants, Vowels, Chickens, and Eggs Luca L. Bonatti, Marcela Pena, Marina Nespor, and Jacques Mehler International School for Advanced Studies, Trieste, Italy; Universite de Nantes, Nantes Atlantique Universites, Labecd (EA 3259), Nantes, France; Laboratorio de Neurociencias, Escuela de Psicologia, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Macul, Chile; University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy; and Laboratoire de Science Cognitive et Psycholinguistique, CNRS and EHESS, Paris, France
Evaluation of mutagenic effects of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) in vitro

Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatment as used therapeutically (i.e., exposure to 100% oxygen at a pressure of 1.5 bar for a total of 60 min) has been shown to induce DNA damage in the alkaline comet assay with leukocytes from test subjects. Under these conditions, HBO did not lead to an induction of gene‐ and chromosome mutations. Due to known toxic effects, exposure of humans to HBO is limited and possible genetic consequences of HBO could not be completely evaluated in vivo. We thus established an in vitro HBO model, where human blood cells or V79 cells were exposed to hyperbaric oxygen (98% O2 and 2% CO2 at a pressure of either 1.5 or 3 bar) for up to 3 hr in a temperature‐controlled hyperbaric chamber. Using the comet assay, we found exposure‐related genotoxic effects in V79 cells, whole blood, and isolated lymphocytes. V79 cells showed the highest sensitivity toward HBO‐induced DNA damage, and the exposure conditions applied to blood in vitro, to induce DNA migration, had to be higher than those used in vivo. We could also show that prolonged HBO treatment clearly increased the frequency of micronuclei in V79 cells, whereas it exerted only a marginal effect on the frequency of hprt mutations. These results demonstrate that HBO treatment of cell cultures is a well‐suited model for investigating the biological significance of oxidative stress. The relationship between oxygen‐induced DNA lesions and the formation of gene‐ and chromosome mutations is discussed. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 34:291–296, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
An advanced PWM strategy to improve efficiency and voltage transfer ratio of three-phase isolated boost dc/dc converter

This paper proposes a novel PWM strategy to improve efficiency and increase voltage transfer ratio of three-phase isolated boost dc/dc converter. With the proposed PWM strategy, one turn-off switching of each bridge switch is eliminated to reduce switching losses and RMS current of the bridge is lowered, so that the switches' conduction losses are reduced. Transformer copper loss is minimized due to the reduced RMS current of the transformer's each winding. Therefore, total losses are minimized and the efficiency of the converter is improved. In addition, the effective leakage inductance of the transformer is reduced by 25% compared with the conventional PWM strategy, which results in an increase of the output voltage at the same duty ratio. 500 W prototype converter is built and its experimental results are given to verify the effectiveness of the proposed PWM strategy.
A Fully Integrated 20-GHz Frequency Synthesizer in 0.13-µm BiCMOS

This paper presents a fully integrated 20-GHz frequency synthesizer based on an integer-N fourth-order type-II phase-locked loop (PLL). The PLL synthesizer employing a cross-coupled LC VCO was fabricated in a 0.13-µm SiGe:C BiCMOS process with a small chip area of 0.48 mm 2 . The VCO core current is 4 mA. The full tuning range of the VCO is 2.21 GHz from 19.9 to 22.11 GHz, and the PLL can synthesize output frequencies from 20.51 to 21.27 GHz. The phase noise at 100-kHz and 1-MHz offset frequencies from the carrier is −68.66 dBc/Hz and −97.17 dBc/Hz, respectively. The total power consumption of the synthesizer is 40 mW at a 1.5-V voltage supply. The frequency synthesizer can be used as a frequency source in highly-integrated wireless applications.
Conjugation of Doxorubicin to siRNA Through Disulfide-based Self-immolative Linkers

Co-delivery systems of siRNA and chemotherapeutic drugs have been developed as an attractive strategy to optimize the efficacy of chemotherapy towards cancer cells with multidrug resistance. In these typical systems, siRNAs are usually associated to drugs within a carrier but without covalent interactions with the risk of a premature release and degradation of the drugs inside the cells. To address this issue, we propose a covalent approach to co-deliver a siRNA-drug conjugate with a redox-responsive self-immolative linker prone to intracellular glutathione-mediated disulfide cleavage. Herein, we report the use of two disulfide bonds connected by a pentane spacer or a p-xylene spacer as self-immolative linker between the primary amine of the anticancer drug doxorubicin (Dox) and the 2′-position of one or two ribonucleotides in RNA. Five Dox-RNA conjugates were successfully synthesized using two successive thiol-disulfide exchange reactions. The Dox-RNA conjugates were annealed with their complementary strands and the duplexes were shown to form an A-helix sufficiently stable under physiological conditions. The enzymatic stability of Dox-siRNAs in human serum was enhanced compared to the unmodified siRNA, especially when two Dox are attached to siRNA. The release of native Dox and RNA from the bioconjugate was demonstrated under reducing conditions suggesting efficient linker disintegration. These results demonstrate the feasibility of making siRNA-drug conjugates via disulfide-based self-immolative linkers for potential therapeutic applications.
Terrain classification in complex 3 D outdoor environments

This paper presents two techniques to detect and classify navigable terrain in complex 3D environments. The first method is a low level on-line mechanism aimed at detecting obstacles and holes at a fast frame rate using a time-of-flight camera as the main sensor. The second technique is a high-level off-line classification mechanism that learns traversable regions from larger 3D point clouds acquired with a laser range scanner. We approach the problem using Gaussian Processes as a regression tool, in which the terrain parameters are learned, and also for classification, using samples from traversed areas to build the traversable terrain class. The two methods are compared against unsupervised classification, and sample trajectories are generated in the classified areas using a non-holonomic path planner. We show results of both the low-level and the high-level terrain classification approaches in simulations and in real-time navigation experiments using a Segway RMP400 robot.
Insulin Regulation of Lipolysis in Nondiabetic and IDDM Subjects

To determine whether insulin regulation of lipolysis is abnormal in subjects with poorly controlled insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), free-fatty acid flux ([1-14C]palmitate) was measured under conditions ranging from complete insulin withdrawal to hyperinsulinemia. Seven nondiabetic and seven IDDM subjects were studied with the pancreatic clamp technique to control plasma insulin, growth hormone, and glucagon concentrations at the desired levels. Preliminary studies were performed to validate the experimental design. The palmitate flux response to insulin withdrawal (2.5 ± 0.2 vs. 2.5 ± 0.2 μmol · kg−1 · min−1) and maximally antilipolytic insulin concentrations (0.17 ± 0.02 vs. 0.23 ± 0.03 μmol · kg−1 · min−1) were not different in nondiabetic and IDDM subjects, respectively. In contrast, IDDM subjects required significantly greater plasma free-insulin concentrations to result in equivalent suppression of palmitate flux compared with nondiabetic subjects. Lipolysis was found to be very sensitive to insulin in nondiabetic humans, with half-maximal suppression occurring at plasma free-insulin concentrations of ∼12 pM (< 2 μU/ml). We conclude that adipose tissue lipolysis is normally exquisitely sensitive to insulin and that sensitivity, but not responsiveness to insulin, is impaired in poorly controlled IDDM.
Does the Planetree Patient-Centered Approach to Care Pay Off?: A Cost-Benefit Analysis

Although the Planetree patient-centered approach to care is being implemented in many institutions around the world, its impact is still the subject of some debate. On the one hand, it is viewed as the most cost-effective way to provide care and create a positive work environment that reduces staff burnout. On the other hand, it is argued that it requires higher staffing ratios and a substantial infusion of financial resources and is time consuming, which in turn results in more work. The present study addresses the economic agenda of the Planetree patient-centered approach to care and has been designed to answer the following question: do the advantages of the Planetree patient-centered approach outweigh its costs? This question is of considerable interest for health care administrators and managers because the relevant authorities the world over have limited resources to allocate to health care organizations. Using a trend analysis approach to cost-benefit in a rehabilitation center, this study shows that the revenues the model generates are greater than the costs of implementing it. Fewer grievances and vacant positions, an improved employee retention rate, a better working atmosphere, and a high level of employee satisfaction (higher than in similar establishments) were also noted.
7 Incomplete Acquisition and Verb Placement in Heritage Scandinavian

There is well known variation in the Scandinavian languages with respect to verb placement in embedded clauses (see e.g. Holmberg & Platzack 1995, Bobaljik 2002, Thrainsson 2010, Heycock et al. 2012 inter alia). In the modern Mainland Scandinavian languages, the finite verb follows negation in relative clauses and embedded questions (henceforth V-in-situ ). In Icelandic, on the other hand, the verb moves across negation to a position in the T-domain (henceforth V-to-T movement); see the simplified structure in (1). Older stages of Mainland Scandinavian pattern with Icelandic.
Examiner’s finger-mounted near-infrared spectroscopy is feasible to analyze cerebral and skeletal muscle oxygenation in conscious Chihuahuas

Abstract. To measure regional saturation of oxygen (rSO2) of hemoglobin and total hemoglobin index (HbI) in the brain (through the molera of the head) and skeletal muscle (musculus gracilis) of conscious Chihuahua dogs using an examiner’s finger-mounted near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) device, Toccare, we investigated brain and skeletal muscle NIRS in 48 Chihuahuas without severe disease. To measure rSO2 and total HbI, a Toccare probe was placed on the molera of the head and musculus gracilis of each dog for real-time recording. Stable NIRS values were obtained within 10 s. We also examined the effect of anesthesia on rSO2 and total HbI of a Chihuahua. Cerebral rSO2 values (59%±7%) were significantly lower than those obtained at femoral regions (67%±6%), whereas total HbI values in the brain (0.38±0.09) were significantly higher than those of the musculus gracilis (0.20±0.05). Sedation with a combination of medetomidine and ketamine decreased cerebral rSO2 along with a corresponding reduction in heart rate. Sevoflurane anesthesia with 100% O2 maintained rSO2 in the brain with an even lower heart rate. In conclusions, we measured brain and skeletal muscle rSO2 of hemoglobin in conscious Chihuahuas using a newly developed NIRS device, Toccare, and found that changes in cerebral oxygenation levels were associated with administration of anesthetics.
Control of Population Stratification by Correlation‐Selected Principal Components

Summary In genome‐wide association studies, population stratification is recognized as producing inflated type I error due to the inflation of test statistics. Principal component‐based methods applied to genotypes provide information about population structure, and have been widely used to control for stratification. Here we explore the precise relationship between genotype principal components and inflation of association test statistics, thereby drawing a connection between principal component‐based stratification control and the alternative approach of genomic control. Our results provide an inherent justification for the use of principal components, but call into question the popular practice of selecting principal components based on significance of eigenvalues alone. We propose a new approach, called EigenCorr, which selects principal components based on both their eigenvalues and their correlation with the (disease) phenotype. Our approach tends to select fewer principal components for stratification control than does testing of eigenvalues alone, providing substantial computational savings and improvements in power. Analyses of simulated and real data demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed approach.
C1-C2 X-Ray assessment of misalignment parameters in patients with Chronic Cerebra-spinal Venous Insufficiency and Multiple Sclerosis versus patients with other pathologies.

PURPOSE The complete compression of the internal jugular veins, in front position, shows a prevalence of 48% and it is equally distributed in the various segments of these veins in patients with Chronic Cerebro-Spinal Venous Insufficiency (CCSVI) and Multiple Sclerosis (MS). The aim of this search is to identify radiological dislocation of C1-C2 as specific markers in patients with CCSVI and Multiple Sclerosis (MS). METHOD We investigated 386 patients suffering from CCSVI and Multiple Sclerosis and a control group of 156 patients without MS. RESULTS The assessment of Anterior Intrusion shows the following average values: in the group with CCSVI and MS: 4.29 ±1.48 mm while in the control group: 3.78 ±1.45 mm (p = 0.0008). The evaluation of the Right Laterality shows the following average values: in group with CCSVI and MS: 2.31±1.41 mm, in control group: 1.97 ±1.28 mm (p = 0.0426). We found also that a longer duration of the disease corresponds to a higher severity of the pathological condition (p <0.0001). CONCLUSION Data analysis of C1-C2 X-Ray parameters shows statistical significance of severe anterior intrusion and right laterality misalignment in the people with CCSVI and MS, that are two to three times more frequent as compared to controls. Considering the novelty of this work and the total absence of scientific similar works able to confirm this data, it is necessary to continue these studies in order to improve the clinical management of these patients and to perform therapeutic strategies based on venous decompressive treatments both surgical that manipulatives.
Concept Hierarchies For Sensor Data Fusion In The Cognitive IoT

Sensor data fusion refers to technological solutions aiming at collecting, classifying and complementing data coming from multiple sensors. It has the potential of enabling context awareness which, on the other hand, represents a huge potential to be exploited in the field of IoT applications. Sensor fusion and IoT have to deal with multi-faced issues like heterogeneity, sensor/actuator management, data accuracy and reliability. This paper proposes a multi-tier approach dealing with sensor fusion and IoT aspects in a modular way. The approach relies on the use of the agent metaphor, statecharts and on the Rainbow multi-agent platform. Agents can be dynamically added and removed from an application thus promoting system openness and scalability. Heterogeneity and distribution issues are transparently managed by Rainbow which hides the physical layer on top of which the applications are built. As a significant case study, the approach was exploited for the implementation of a working prototype devoted to improve security of some artworks (statues) of the MAB museum located in the city of Cosenza, Italy.