Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Agility assessment in female futsal and soccer players.

UNLABELLED Agility is the player's capability to perform rapid whole-body movement with change of velocity or direction in response to a stimulus. The aims of this study were as follows: 1) to assess the reliability of a reactive visual stimuli agility field test (RVS-T); and 2) to evaluate differences in RVS-T and planned (PVS-T) agility performances between female soccer and futsal players. MATERIAL AND METHODS Sixty-six female players belonging to Italian teams of regional level were recruited to the study. The experimental apparatus consisted of four lighted spherical visual stimuli connected to a computer able to randomly generate three different sequences. Differences between RVS-T and PVS-T performances were calculated to evaluate the decision-making time (DMT) of players. RESULTS The intraclass reliability coefficient for RVS-T was 0.80. Significant (P<0.05) differences emerged only for RVS-T (futsal, 17.3±0.5 s; soccer, 18.8±1.1 s) and DMT (futsal, 2.6±0.6 s; soccer, 4.1±1.2 s), whereas similar performances between groups resulted for PVS-T (futsal, 14.7±0.6 s; soccer, 14.6±0.6 s). CONCLUSIONS The RVS-T proved to be a reliable tool to evaluate agility in field conditions. Futsal players showed better RVS-T and DMT performances with respect to soccer counterparts, probably due to the higher velocity of actions and faster decision-making of their sport. The lack of difference in PVS-T performances confirms the importance to evaluate agility capabilities of players in both planned and reactive conditions.
The FHA domain proteins DAWDLE in Arabidopsis and SNIP1 in humans act in small RNA biogenesis

Proteins containing the forkhead-associated domain (FHA) are known to act in biological processes such as DNA damage repair, protein degradation, and signal transduction. Here we report that DAWDLE (DDL), an FHA domain-containing protein in Arabidopsis, acts in the biogenesis of miRNAs and endogenous siRNAs. Unlike mutants of genes known to participate in the processing of miRNA precursors, such as dcl1, hyponastic leaves1, and serrate, ddl mutants show reduced levels of pri-miRNAs as well as mature miRNAs. Promoter activity of MIR genes, however, is not affected by ddl mutations. DDL is an RNA binding protein and is able to interact with DCL1. In addition, we found that SNIP1, the human homolog of DDL, is involved in miRNA biogenesis and interacts with Drosha. Therefore, we uncovered an evolutionarily conserved factor in miRNA biogenesis. We propose that DDL participates in miRNA biogenesis by facilitating DCL1 to access or recognize pri-miRNAs.
Resonant Frequency Analysis of the Tibia as a Measure of Fracture Healing

Summary: The Resonant Frequency (RF) of the tibia is proportional to its stiffness. As a fractured tibia heals, its RF should increase. The RF was serially determined in 74 fractured tibias (205 examinations). These were subdivided by fracture location and fixation. Fast Fourier transform software generates the RF from data obtained with an instrumented impactor and accelerometer. The RF was normalized by expressing it as a ratio of the intact tibia. This ratio is called the tibial stiffness index (TSI). A 20 point tibial fracture score (TFS) quantitated the clinical and radiographic signs of healing. For each group the paired TSI and TFS were compared by regression analysis. Except for those fractures limited to the proximal fourth of the tibia, the TSI was found to correlate significantly (p=0.0001) with the TFS. Fractures without fixation and those with unlocked, unreamed tibial nails showed very significant correlation of TSI with TFS (p=0.0001). RF analysis was not useful in fractures with locked or reamed tibial nails. Examination of tibia with external fixation showed significant correlation (p=0.02) of the TSI with the TFS
Structure, Receptor Binding, and Antigenicity of Influenza Virus Hemagglutinins from the 1957 H2N2 Pandemic

ABSTRACT The hemagglutinin (HA) envelope protein of influenza viruses mediates essential viral functions, including receptor binding and membrane fusion, and is the major viral antigen for antibody neutralization. The 1957 H2N2 subtype (Asian flu) was one of the three great influenza pandemics of the last century and caused 1 million deaths globally from 1957 to 1968. Three crystal structures of 1957 H2 HAs have been determined at 1.60 to 1.75 Å resolutions to investigate the structural basis for their antigenicity and evolution from avian to human binding specificity that contributed to its introduction into the human population. These structures, which represent the highest resolutions yet recorded for a complete ectodomain of a glycosylated viral surface antigen, along with the results of glycan microarray binding analysis, suggest that a hydrophobicity switch at residue 226 and elongation of receptor-binding sites were both critical for avian H2 HA to acquire human receptor specificity. H2 influenza viruses continue to circulate in birds and pigs and, therefore, remain a substantial threat for transmission to humans. The H2 HA structure also reveals a highly conserved epitope that could be harnessed in the design of a broader and more universal influenza A virus vaccine.
Accident cause analysis of complex systems based on safety control functions

State of the art computers have made many technology-based systems so complex that new types of accidents now result from dysfunctional interactions between system components, further adding to the number of accidents resulting from component failure. Other factors, such as management effectiveness and organizational constraints, also must be considered as part of a failure prevention strategy. Conventional event-based analysis methods such as fault trees and event trees cannot be applied to such types of accidents. This paper applies a concept of safety constraints in systems control to the accident cause analysis. The analysis shows the effectiveness of the proposed method for both the retrospective and prospective events
Fiber estimation errors incurred from truncated sampling in q-space diffusion magnetic resonance imaging

The effect of truncated sphere sampling commonly used in Diffusion Spectrum Imaging to estimate single fiber orientation errors is simulated using fully-sampled (7x7x7) q-space data (343 samples), truncated sphere sampling (203 samples), and zero-padding (to 21x21x21 samples), in both noise-free and noisy (SNR = 30) scenarios. We show that the error of resolving a single fiber direction depends on the fiber orientation relative to the "corners of q-space", which are not sampled when truncated sampling schemes are used, and that corner-samples help reduce the error in estimating a single fiber orientation (mean error 3.5° versus 3.9° for the noise case and zero-padding used). As truncated sphere sampling requires 40% less acquisition time, its use could justify the small increase in error (0.4°). A simulation of the FiberCup phantom was used to assess the significance of truncated sampling on fiber orientation estimation errors over a continuous space of voxels by examining differences in resulting tractography.
Retinal Axon Guidance Requires Integration of Eya and the Jak/Stat Pathway into Phosphotyrosine-Based Signaling Circuitries in Drosophila

The transcriptional coactivator and phosphatase eyes absent (Eya) is dynamically compartmentalized between the nucleus and cytoplasm. Although the nuclear transcriptional circuits within which Eya operates have been extensively characterized, understanding of its cytoplasmic functions and interactions remains limited. Our previous work showed that phosphorylation of Drosophila Eya by the Abelson tyrosine kinase can recruit Eya to the cytoplasm and that eya–abelson interactions are required for photoreceptor axons to project to correct layers in the brain. Based on these observations, we postulated that photoreceptor axon targeting might provide a suitable context for identifying the cytoplasmic signaling cascades with which Eya interacts. Using a dose-sensitive eya misexpression background, we performed an RNA interference-based genetic screen to identify suppressors. Included among the top 10 hits were nonreceptor tyrosine kinases and multiple members of the Jak/Stat signaling network (hop, Stat92E, Socs36E, and Socs44A), a pathway not previously implicated in axon targeting. Individual loss-of-function phenotypes combined with analysis of axonal projections in Stat92E null clones confirmed the importance of photoreceptor autonomous Jak/Stat signaling. Experiments in cultured cells detected cytoplasmic complexes between Eya and Hop, Socs36E and Socs44A; the latter interaction required both the Src homology 2 motif in Socs44A and tyrosine phosphorylated Eya, suggesting direct binding and validating the premise of the screen. Taken together, our data provide new insight into the cytoplasmic phosphotyrosine signaling networks that operate during photoreceptor axon guidance and suggest specific points of interaction with Eya.
Sub time-optimal swing up of the acrobot

We consider a variant of the time-optimal control of the acrobot and term it sub time-optimal. By exploiting the partially linearized structure obtained through a feedback linearization technique, we swing up the first link to the vertically upright position in optimal time and then stabilize the second link around its vertical equilibrium position. Rate constraints are imposed on the actuator and certain interesting facts of such an approach are illustrated. Along the way we also prove the “normal” property of the time-optimal control problem for the acrobot.
Effects of simulated neural mobilization on fluid movement in cadaveric peripheral nerve sections: implications for the treatment of neuropathic pain and dysfunction

Abstract Background and purpose: Neural mobilization techniques are used clinically to treat neuropathic pain and dysfunction. While selected studies report efficacy of these techniques, the mechanisms of benefit are speculative. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of in vitro simulated stretch/relax neural mobilization cycles on fluid dispersion within sections of unembalmed cadaveric peripheral nerve tissue. Methods: Bilateral sciatic nerve sections were harvested from six cadavers. Matched pairs of nerve sections were secured in a tissue tester and injected with a plasma/Toluidine Blue dye solution. Once the initial dye spread stabilized, the experimental nerve sections underwent 25 stretch/relaxation cycles (e.g. simulated neural mobilization) produced by a mechanical tissue tester. Post-test dye spread measurements were compared to pre-test measurements as well as control findings (no simulated mobilization). Data were analyzed using paired t-tests. Results: Individual dye spread measurements were reliable [ICC(3,1) = 0·99]. The post-test intraneural fluid movement (dye spread) in the experimental section increased significantly with simulated neural mobilization compared to pre-test measurements (3·2±2·1 mm; P = 0·015) and control measurements (3·3±2·7 mm; P = 0·013). Conclusion: Repetitive simulated neural mobilization, incorporating stretch/relax cycles, of excised cadaveric peripheral nerve tissue produced an increase in intraneural fluid dispersion. Neural mobilization may alter nerve tissue environment, promoting improved function and nerve health, by dispersing tissue fluid and diminishing intraneural swelling and/or pressure.
Anomaly Detection Algorithm Based on Nonsubsampled Pyramid Decomposition and Kernel Unsharp Masking for Hyperspectral Image

An anomaly detection algorithm for hyperspectral images based on nonsubsampled Pyramid decomposition (NSPD) was proposed. Both spatial and spectral information have been used to locate and detect the anomaly under the condition of no prior knowledge about the anomaly and the background. Firstly, the hyper-spectral images was decomposed into a series of different scale sub-bands using NSPD; and then using the correlation of neighborhood coefficient of different scale space in a wave-band, the background data was optimally predicted by reducing the anomalous data using the improved kernel unsharp masking filter in different scale of each sub-band. Finally the anomaly targets could be detected by using the RX operator in the feature space. Numerical experiments were conducted on real and synthesized hyperspectral data to validate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. Compared with the classical RX algorithm, several experimental results show that the proposed algorithm has better detection performance and lower false alarm probability.
A Large DataBase of Hypernymy Relations Extracted from the Web.

Hypernymy relations (those where an hyponym term shares a “isa” relationship with his hypernym) play a key role for many Natural Language Processing (NLP) tasks, e.g. ontology learning, automatically building or extending knowledge bases, or word sense disambiguation and induction. In fact, such relations may provide the basis for the construction of more complex structures such as taxonomies, or be used as effective background knowledge for many word understanding applications. We present a publicly available database containing more than 400 million hypernymy relations we extracted from the CommonCrawl web corpus. We describe the infrastructure we developed to iterate over the web corpus for extracting the hypernymy relations and store them effectively into a large database. This collection of relations represents a rich source of knowledge and may be useful for many researchers. We offer the tuple dataset for public download and an Application Programming Interface (API) to help other researchers programmatically query the database.
Spectral clustering based unsupervised change detection in SAR images

An unsupervised change detection method based on spectral clustering and difference image methods for multitemporal single-channel single-polarization synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images is proposed. The difference image is generated by integrating the typical difference image method with Non-Local Filter, which exploits both the spatial neighborhood information and gray similarity information, and can well reduce the speckle noises of SAR images. The spectral clustering algorithm is employed to cluster the difference image into two clusters and get the change map. Compared with traditional clustering algorithms, such as k-means, SC can recognize the clusters of unusual shapes and obtain the globally optimal solutions. Experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed techniques.
Pertinence de la notion d'indicateur pour la caractérisation du bassin-versant

La notion d’indicateur permet souvent de contourner la mesure difficile d’un parametre physique et se revele riche pour la caracterisation spatiale du bassin-versant. Une revue des indicateurs utilises a ce jour nous a suggere un classement arbitraire fonde sur les quatre dimensions spatio-temporelles de cet objet geographique. Les indicateurs profitent notamment aux modelisations du bassin-versant, aux estimations de ses risques d’inondations et de la qualite de ses eaux ou encore a sa simple caracterisation en vue d’une comparaison ulterieure. Nous presentons une illustration de ce dernier cas sur les bassins-versants du plateau des Guyanes et concluons sur des recommandations d’ordre methodologique pour le developpement de l’utilisation de ces indicateurs, a l’interface entre l’hydrologie, la geographie et la teledetection.
Multimodal Control of Cdc 25 A by Nitrosative Stress

Cdc25A propels cell cycle progression, is overexpressed in numerous human cancers, and possesses oncogenic and antiapoptotic activities. Reactive oxygen species, such as hydrogen peroxide, regulate Cdc25A, but the physiologic and pathologic effects of nitric oxide (.NO) and . NO-derived reactive species are not well defined. Herein, we report novel independent mechanisms governing Cdc25A in response to nitrosative insult. We observed direct and rapid inhibition of Cdc25A phosphatase activity after in vitro treatment with the low molecular mass cell-permeable S-nitrosothiol S-nitrosocysteine ethyl ester (SNCEE). In addition, treatment of cancer cells with SNCEE induced nitrosative stress and decreased Cdc25A protein levels in a time-dependent and concentration-dependent manner. Similarly, iNOS-derived . NO was sufficient to suppress Cdc25A expression, consistent with its role in mediating nitrosative stress. Whereas a decrease in Cdc25A half-life was not observed in response to SNCEE, we found the translational regulator eukaryotic initiation factor 2A (eIF2A) was hyperphosphorylated and total protein translation was decreased with kinetics consistent with Cdc25A loss. Inhibition of eIF2A decreased Cdc25A levels, supporting the hypothesis that SNCEE suppressed Cdc25A translation through inhibition of eIF2A. Nitrosative stress decreased the Cdc25Abound fraction of apoptosis signal-regulating kinase-1 (ASK-1) and sensitized cells to apoptosis induced by the ASK-1– activating chemotherapeutic cis-diaminedichloroplatinum (II), suggesting that nitrosative stress–induced suppression of Cdc25A primed cells for ASK-1–dependent apoptosis. Together these data reveal novel . NO-dependent enzymatic and translational mechanisms controlling Cdc25A, and implicate Cdc25A as a mediator of . NO-dependent apoptotic signaling. [Cancer Res 2008;68(18):7457–65]
Factoring General Games using Propositional Automata

In this paper we propose the design of a more robust General Game Player, able to successfully play the class of synchronous independent games using Propositional Automata, a framework for reasoning about discrete, dynamic, multiagent systems, developed by the Stanford Logic Group. We prove conditions under which a Propositional Automata represents multiple, synchronous independent subgames, and in doing so, prove when a Propositional Automata can be separated, or factored into multiple automata. A General Game Player able to recognize such independences can computationally save, by searching the smaller game trees represented by the independent factored automata for solutions. Additionally we explore the concept of independent substructures appearing within Propositional Automata given certain states, and prove conditions under which a Propositional Automata is contingently factorable into multiple Propositional Automata.
Submental fat reduction by mesotherapy using phosphatidylcholine alone vs. phosphatidylcholine and organic silicium: a pilot study

Background Excess skin and fatty tissues beneath the jaw lead to a double chin deformity. Localized fat deposits in this area are a cause of discomfort and anguish, leading patients to undergo surgical procedures such as liposuction and dermolipectomy to improve the cosmetic effect. Both procedures require anesthesia and an operating room setting and are quite expensive. Fearful of extensive surgery and its complications, patients and physicians seek less invasive methods. Mesotherapy with phosphatidylcholine and other cocktails have been used to treat localized fat deposits. However, there are few published articles regarding its effectiveness and some are even anecdotal.
Absence of Protein G-Fc Interaction in Ficin-Derived Mouse IgG1 Digests

Abstract Typical procedure for IgG fragmentation is based on proteolytic cleavage at the hinge region and usually involves a post-digestion purification step. In mice, IgG1 has been found to bind poorly to protein A. As a result, protein G chromatography could be considered as an alternative for Fc removal. Protein G is generally expected to bind specifically to the Fc region of IgG, but applying protein G for the purification of Fab2 fragment of mouse monoclonal IgG1 under standard physiological conditions, we obtained reproducible clone-independent negligible protein G–Fc reactivity and strong protein G–Fab2 interaction.
A structural Bayes approach to speaker adaptation

Maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimation has been successfully applied to speaker adaptation in speech recognition systems using hidden Markov models. When the amount of data is sufficiently large, MAP estimation yields recognition performance as good as that obtained using maximum-likelihood (ML) estimation. This paper describes a structural maximum a posteriori (SMAP) approach to improve the MAP estimates obtained when the amount of adaptation data is small. A hierarchical structure in the model parameter space is assumed and the probability density functions for model parameters at one level are used as priors for those of the parameters at adjacent levels. Results of supervised adaptation experiments using nonnative speakers' utterances showed that SMAP estimation reduced error rates by 61% when ten utterances were used for adaptation and that it yielded the same accuracy as MAP and ML estimation when the amount of data was sufficiently large. Furthermore, the recognition results obtained in unsupervised adaptation experiments showed that SMAP estimation was effective even when only one utterance from a new speaker was used for adaptation. An effective way to combine rapid supervised adaptation and on-line unsupervised adaptation was also investigated.
Constant-Resistance CMOS Input Sampling Switch for GSM/WCDMA High Dynamic Range  $\Delta \Sigma$ Modulators

The nonlinearity of the input sampling switch in a switched-capacitor delta-sigma (DeltaSigma) analog-to-digital converter (ADC) affects the overall performance of the ADC. This can be a problem in modern CMOS process technologies where device threshold voltages do not scale as much as the supply voltage, but is exacerbated in older CMOS/BiCMOS process technologies where very-low threshold voltage devices are unavailable. To address this issue, the use of an optimized bootstrapped CMOS switch is proposed in this paper. A linearized CMOS switch offers a constant on-resistance over the entire input signal range, greatly reducing track-mode distortion in a sampling circuit, compared to using a standard CMOS switch or a bootstrapped nMOS switch. The dynamic range improvement achieved as a result of the proposed technique is validated with the design of two high dynamic range fourth-order switched-capacitor DeltaSigma modulators for GSM and WCDMA radio standards in a 0.35-mum BiCMOS process technology. Measured spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR) of 86 and 77 dB at power consumptions of 7 and 14 mW, respectively, are achieved for GSM and WCDMA standards. Each modulator operates from a single 2.7-V power supply and occupies an area of 0.2 mm2 .
ARIMA-BP integrated intelligent algorithm for China's consumer price index forecasting and its applications

The autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA)–backpropagation (BP) integrated intelligent algorithm for consumer price index (CPI) forecasting was designed based on the ARIMA intelligent forecasting method and the BP intelligent neural network algorithm. The irregular variations in CPI time series data were divided into linear and nonlinear variations. The linear variation was fitted by the ARIMA intelligent forecasting method, and the nonlinear variation was fitted by the BP intelligent neural network. The sum of the fitted linear and nonlinear variations was the CPI forecasted by the ARIMA-BP integrated intelligent algorithm. Results demonstrated that the ARIMA-BP integrated intelligent algorithm could achieve high-precision fitting of the historical CPI data of China. The proposed algorithm showed a forecast error that was smaller than that of the single ARIMA model. Owing to the complexity of the CPI and the combined influence of various factors, achieving accurate CPI forecast is difficult. Such a new integrated intelligent algorithm provides a referent scientific method to forecast the CPI of China in the future. The results can provide government departments reference information of timely price control.