Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Accentuated Eccentric Load on Jump Kinetics in High-Performance Volleyball Players

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of an accentuated eccentric load on subsequent concentric kinetic factors and block jumping performance in elite male volleyball players. Eleven male volleyball high-performance players (18.9 ± 2.6 years, 203.6 ± 5.6 cm, 91.4 ± 8.2 kg), who were training full time with the national team development squad, participated in this within-subject, counter-balanced study. One half of the subjects performed the block jumps (BJ), followed by a 20 kg accentuated eccentric load block jump (AEBJ) condition, whilst the other half of the subject pool performed the testing in the reverse sequence. Superior jump heights (4.3%) and kinetic and kinematic enhancements (9.4, 3.9, 3.1% for peak power, peak force, and peak velocity respectively) were observed in the AEBJ condition compared to the BJ condition, with no order effect observed. The differences between conditions were statistically significant (p < 0.05), with moderate magnitudes (ES = 0.1–0.4). The results of this study demonstrate that an accentuated eccentric load evokes acute increases in vertical jump height, as well as in the kinetic and kinematic variables that are considered important to vertical jumping ability (force, velocity and power)
1‐palmitoyl‐2‐linoleoyl‐3‐acetyl‐rac‐glycerol (PLAG) reduces hepatic injury in concanavalin A‐treated mice

1‐palmitoyl‐2‐linoleoyl‐3‐acetyl‐rac‐glycerol (PLAG), a chemically synthesized monoacetyldiaglyceride, is one of the constituents in Sika deer antlers and has been known traditionally as having immunomodulatory effects. However, the mechanism by which PLAG controls neutrophil migration, which evokes liver injury in the hepatitis animal model, remains largely unknown. This study was designed to evaluate the immunomodulatory effects of PLAG on cytokine secretion and neutrophil migration in vivo and in vitro. Concanavalin A (Con A) induced leukocyte infiltration in the liver and increased plasma cytokine levels. Pretreatment with PLAG reduced the levels of interleukin (IL)‐4, IL‐6, IL‐10, and CXCL2, but maintained interferon (IFN)‐γ levels and modulated neutrophil recruitment toward the liver. Furthermore, the mRNA and protein levels of IL‐4 and CXCL2 in liver tissue were also decreased in the Con A‐treated mice. Liver histology analyses showed that PLAG reduced Con A‐induced hepatic necrosis, which was accompanied by leukocyte infiltration. The in vitro studies revealed that PLAG reduced IL‐4 secretion in Con A stimulated T cell and blocked signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6) Con A induced hepatocyte. PLAG attenuated IL‐4 induced activation of atypical protein kinase C (PKC)/STAT6 in hepatocytes and inhibited neutrophil migration toward the liver tissue through suppression of IL‐8/vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM) expression. These results suggest that PLAG could mitigate excess neutrophil migration into liver tissue and potentially have a therapeutic effect on immune‐mediated liver injury.
A Conflict-Cooperation Scale for WEIS Events Data

The problem of aggregating WEIS events data, coded as discrete events, into a continuous time series representing conflict or cooperation between two nations is discussed. Past literature on the subject reveals continuing confusion and controversy regarding such a conflict-cooperation scale. A new scale based on a small panel of international relations faculty is presented. Replication of several past studies of great power reciprocity, using the new scale, shows a slight increase in the statistical significance of relationships.
Political Branding: Political Candidates Positioning Based on Inter-Object Associative Affinity Index

The article presents the conception of positioning politicians based on a three-stage approach to political branding. The main assumption is that a political brand—and politician's image as its crucial component—is conceptualized as consisting of a node in memory to which a variety of associations are linked. These associations—positive, negative, or neutral—must be shared with other rival candidates as well as with an prototypical ideal candidate, understood as a model and standard of comparison while developing detailed marketing strategies. One of the most valuable methods that has been used to measure these associations is associative overlap technique developed by Szalay. This measure is based on free verbal associations and it expresses the degree of similarity among objects (words, persons, groups) based on the number of similar responses (associations) they elicit in common. The first stage of branding, candidates’ positioning in various segments of voters, focuses on such affinity between politicians and is based on multidimensional scaling techniques. At the second stage, mutual relationships between particular elements (positive and negative, common and distinctive), of which a politician's image consists, are defined. The third level of political branding links the results of positioning to voters’ decisions. This framework of branding political candidates is presented on the basis of empirical research focused on Polish presidential candidates’ perception and evaluation in the 2005 presidential election. The results of the performed research show that it is not only the strengthening of politicians’ positive features but also neutralizing the negative ones that contributes to his higher expected quality.
Maturation of Filopodia Shaft Adhesions Is Upregulated by Local Cycles of Lamellipodia Advancements and Retractions

While cell-substrate adhesions that form between the protruding edge of a spreading cell and flat surfaces have been studied extensively, processes that regulate the maturation of filopodia adhesions are far less characterized. Since little is known about how the kinetics of formation or disassembly of filopodia adhesions is regulated upon integration into the lamellum, a kinetic analysis of the formation and disassembly of filopodia adhesions was conducted at the leading edge of β3-integrin-EGFP-expressing rat embryonic fibroblasts spreading on fibronectin-coated glass or on soft polyacrylamide gels. Filopodia β3-integrin adhesions matured only if the lamellipodium in their immediate vicinity showed cyclic protrusions and retractions. Filopodia β3-integrin shaft adhesions elongated rapidly when they were overrun by the advancing lamellipodium. Subsequently and once the lamellipodium stopped its advancement at the distal end of the filopodia β3-integrin adhesion, these β3-integrin shaft adhesions started to grow sidewise and colocalize with the newly assembled circumferential actin stress fibers. In contrast, the suppression of the cyclic protrusions and retractions of the lamellipodium by blocking myosin light chain kinase suppressed the growth of filopodia adhesion and resulted in the premature disassembly of filopodia adhesions. The same failure to stabilize those adhesions was found for the advancing lamellipodium that rapidly overran filopodia shaft adhesions without pausing as seen often during fast cell spreading. In turn, plating cells on soft polyacrylamide gels resulted in a reduction of lamellipodia activity, which was partially restored locally by the presence of filopodia adhesions. Thus filopodia adhesions could also mature and be integrated into the lamellum for fibroblasts on soft polyacrylamide substrates.
Systemic lupus erythematosus symptom checklist cross-cultural adaptation to Brazilian Portuguese language and reliability evaluation.

INTRODUCTION Reliable and sensitive measurements are needed to evaluate quality of life QOL in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus SLE . No lupus-specific questionnaires are available in the Portuguese language. OBJECTIVES This study describes the translation cultural adaptation and reliability testing of the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Symptom Checklist questionnaire in Portuguese. PATIENTS AND METHODS We evaluated 50 patients with SLE. A protocol was developed for translating and validating the SLE Symptom Checklist in accordance with the proposals in publications report on the methodology for translating questionnaires into foreign languages. RESULTS With regard to cross-cultural adaptation some adaptations to people s culture had to be made without endangering the main objective of the questions in the original language. The correlation coefficients for internal consistency intraobserver reproducibility and interobserver reproducibility were 0.874 0.925 and 0.917 respectively. CONCLUSIONS This questionnaire was shown to be reliable when applied to patients with SLE. Studies are currently being carried out to demonstrate its validity and sensitivity to changes.
A conversation between Axel Honneth, Amy Allen and Maeve Cooke, Frankfurt am Main, 12 April 2010

This a conversation between Axel Honneth, Amy Allen and Maeve Cooke that took place at Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universität, Frankfurt am Main on 12 April 2010. The conversation begins with some thoughts on the concept of power, in particular, on Foucault's and Arendt's respective interpretations of this concept. It then moves to consider the complex interrelationships between power and recognition, addressing questions such as the relationship between domination and social struggle, the transmission of subordinating social and cultural norms by way of the structural asymmetries of the parent–child relationship and the possibility of distinguishing valid or freedom‐enabling modes of recognition from ideological or dominating ones.
Aflatoxin B1 and/or Hepatitis B Virus Induced Tumor Spectrum in a Genetically Engineered Hepatitis B Virus Expression and Trp53 Haploinsufficient Mouse Model System for Hepatocarcinogenesis

The authors investigated the spectrum of tumors and Trp53 mutations in genetically engineered models using the FVB/N mouse that expressed the hepatitis B virus genome and/or carried a Trp53 null and wildtype allele and/or were exposed to aflatoxin B1. Liver tumor incidence was increased when all three risk factors were present. Without aflatoxin B1 exposure, neither Trp53 haploinsufficiency nor HBV expression affected liver tumor development. Liver tumor prevalence increased with aflatoxin B1 exposure (p < .001), as thirteen of fourteen mice with liver tumors were initiated with aflatoxin B1. Liver tumors were more frequent in males (12/190) than females (2/170). Seventy-three mice developed sarcomas. Trp53 haploinsufficiency was associated with increased sarcoma incidence in males and females (p < .001). In Trp53 haploinsufficient mice, the HBV transgene increased the risk of sarcoma in males and females (p < .001). Lymphoma was significantly increased in Trp53 haploinsufficient FVB/N mice. There was no loss of heterozygosity at the wildtype Trp53 locus in twenty-five sarcomas or four hepatocellular tumors examined. No mutations were identified in the mRNA (exons 2–11) of Trp53 in six liver neoplasms or twenty-four sarcomas. In this model system, HBV expression affected only hepatocellular neoplasia in association with both aflatoxin B1 initiation and p53 haploinsufficiency.
An Empirical Study on Washback Effects of the Internet-Based College English Test Band 4 in China

Based on Bailey’s washback model, in respect of participants, process and products, the present empirical study was conducted to find the actual washback effects of the internet-based College English Test Band 4 (IB CET-4). The methods adopted are questionnaires, class observation, interview and the analysis of both the CET-4 teaching and testing syllabus. Through analysis, it is found that the IB CET-4 helps to establish the new computer and internet-based teaching model, to cultivate students’ autonomous learning abilities, to improve students’ ability for screen reading and keyboard writing as well as to urge colleges and universities to provide financial support to college English teaching and learning by constructing more internet language labs. However, overemphasizing practical ability, such as listening and speaking, leads to students’ lack of spelling and grammatical knowledge.
Using fitness comparison disagreements as a metric for promoting diversity in Dynamic Optimisation Problems

In Evolutionary Algorithms (EAs), it is well-known that the adoption of diversity is highly beneficial for evolutionary search. This has also been explored and confirmed in Dynamic Optimisation Problems (DOPs) using EAs. Multiple works have been proposed to encourage diversity in EAs in the face of a change, where the most common form to promote diversity is to replace a number of individuals by new genetic material. A common element when adopting this form of diversity is the fact that, frequently, the number of individuals to be replaced is picked rather arbitrarily. In this work, we propose the adoption of the Kendall tau distance that quantifies pairwise dissimilarities among two lists (of fitness values) with the hope to make a better informed decision in terms of the number of individuals that need to be replaced in a population by new individuals. Results on continuous fitness-valued cases indicate that the adopted distance is beneficial in DOPs.
Symptom clusters among MsFLASH clinical trial participants

Objective:Our objective was to identify symptom clusters using standardized measures completed by participants in the Menopausal Strategies: Finding Lasting Answers to Symptoms and Health clinical trial at baseline, including hot flash interference, and sleep, depressive, anxiety, and pain symptoms. Methods:Data from all women randomized to interventions and controls from Menopausal Strategies: Finding Lasting Answers to Symptoms and Health studies 1, 2, and 3 (N = 899) were included; 797 with complete data were used in the analyses. Scores from standardized measures obtained at baseline included the following: Hot Flash-Related Daily Interference Scale, Insomnia Severity Index, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 measure of depressed mood, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Brief Pain Inventory PEG scores (pain intensity [P], interference with enjoyment of life [E], and interference with daily activity [G]). Latent class analysis was used to identify symptom clusters using standardized scale scores and their established cut points. Results:We identified five classes using the Bayesian Information Criterion and the Akaike Information Criterion. Women in classes 1 and 2 had high hot flash interference levels relative to the others, and class 1 (10.5% of total) included severe hot flash interference, severe sleep symptoms, and moderately severe pain symptoms (hot flash, sleep, pain). In class 2 (14.1%), severe hot flash interference was paired with the severe sleep symptoms, and moderate to severe depressed and anxious mood symptoms and pain (hot flash, sleep, mood, pain). In class 3 (39.6%), women reported moderately severe sleep symptoms with moderate hot flash interference, and low severity mood and pain symptoms (hot flash, sleep). Those in class 4 (7.0%) reported moderate hot flash interference with severe levels of anxiety and depressed mood symptoms, but low levels of other symptoms (hot flash, mood). Women in class 5 (28.7%) reported the lowest levels of all the five symptoms (low severity symptoms). Conclusions:Women meeting hot flash frequency criteria for inclusion in clinical trials exhibited multiple co-occurring symptoms that clustered into identifiable groups according to symptom interference and severity. Variability of symptom profiles between the classes was evident, indicating that the classes were composed of differing symptom types and not simply differing severity levels. These symptom clusters may be useful phenotypes for differentiating treatment effects or evaluating associations with biomarkers or genes.
Comparison of Intravenous Sedative‐Analgesic Techniques for Outpatient Immersion Lithotripsy

Fifty-three unpremedicated outpatients undergoing elective extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy using an unmodified Dornier HM-3 lithotriptor received one of two different intravenous sedation-analgesia techniques. Both intravenous midazolam-alfentanil and fentanyl-propofol techniques produced conditions comparable to those achieved with epidural anesthesia during immersion lithotripsy. Of the two sedative-analgesic techniques, midazolam-alfentanil was associated with greater intraoperative amnesia (81% vs 38%), whereas fentanyl-propofol produced less cardiorespiratory depression and fewer postoperative side effects (e.g., pruritus). Compared with a standard epidural anesthesia technique, the mean anesthesia and recovery times were significantly shorter with the two intravenous sedation-analgesia techniques (57--62 min vs 105 min and 143--147 min vs 199 min, respectively). These data suggest that combinations of either midazolam and alfentanil or fentanyl and propofol are viable alternatives to epidural anesthesia for outpatient immersion lithotripsy.
Analysis of Cecropia sciadophylla Morphogenesis Based on a Sink-Source Dynamic Model

Although there is an increasing number of models simulating the functional and structural development of trees at organ scale, few of them can be fully calibrated, evaluated and validated. A major obstacle resides in the intrinsic complexity of trees due to their high stature, large number of organs and long life span that limits the possibilities of experimental work and the access to measurement data. This is why ’model plants’ such as the neotropical genus Cecropia are of great interest. This genus has a simple architecture and some qualities that allow collecting exhaustive datasets at the organ scale. In this paper, we evaluate the GreenLab model on data recorded on 11 individuals measured in 2007 in French Guiana. The branching and flowering patterns are analyzed using an index of trophic competition.
Association of COPD candidate genes with computed tomography emphysema and airway phenotypes in severe COPD

The principal determining factors influencing the development of the airway disease and emphysema components of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have not been clearly defined. Genetic variability in COPD patients might influence the varying degrees of involvement of airway disease and emphysema. Therefore, we investigated the genetic association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in COPD candidate genes for association with emphysema severity and airway wall thickness phenotypes. Polymorphisms in six candidate genes were analysed in 379 subjects of the National Emphysema Treatment Trial (NETT) Genetics Ancillary Study with quantitative chest computed tomography (CT) data. Genetic association with per cent of lung area below -950 HU (LAA950), airway wall thickness, and derived square root wall area (SRWA) of 10-mm internal perimeter airways were investigated. Three SNPs in EPHX1, five SNPs in SERPINE2 and one SNP in GSTP1 were significantly associated with LAA950. Five SNPs in TGFB1, two SNPs in EPHX1, one SNP in SERPINE2 and two SNPs in ADRB2 were associated with airway wall phenotypes in NETT. In conclusion, several COPD candidate genes showed evidence for association with airway wall thickness and emphysema severity using CT in a severe COPD population. Further investigation will be required to replicate these genetic associations for emphysema and airway wall phenotypes.
Pattern representation and recognition with accelerated analog neuromorphic systems

Despite being originally inspired by the central nervous system, artificial neural networks have diverged from their biological archetypes as they have been remodeled to fit, particular tasks. In this paper, we review several possibilites to reverse map these architectures to biologically more realistic spiking networks with the aim of emulating them on fast, low-power neuromorphic hardware. Since many of these devices employ analog components, which cannot, be perfectly controlled, finding ways to compensate for the resulting effects represents a key challenge. Here, we discuss three different, strategies to address this problem: the addition of auxiliary network components for stabilizing activity, the utilization of inherently robust, architectures and a training method for hardware-emulated networks that, functions without, perfect, knowledge of the system's dynamics and parameters. For all three scenarios, we corroborate our theoretical considerations with experimental results on accelerated analog neuromorphic platforms.
An Individualized Behavioral Goal-Setting Program for Coaches

Coach Effectiveness Training (CET) has been shown to have positive effects on a range of outcome variables, especially in young athletes (Smith & Smoll, 2005). Based on CET principles, and coupled with behavioral feedback, an individualized goal-setting intervention was developed and assessed using a replicated case study approach. Outcome variables included observed, athlete-perceived, and coach-perceived behaviors measured before the intervention and late in the season, as well as coaches’ evaluations of the intervention. Four soccer coaches selected three target behaviors that they wished to improve after viewing videotaped behavioral feedback. Behavioral assessment revealed that two of the coaches achieved positive changes on all three of their targeted behaviors. A third coach improved on two of the three targeted behaviors. The fourth coach did not achieve any of the established goals. We conclude that this approach is sufficiently promising to warrant additional research, and we discuss strengths a.
A Metaphorical Exploration of Work, Life and Community On-Board Cruise Ships: A Hospitality Perspective

This research provides a sociological understanding of front line hospitality staff, focusing particularly on waiters and pursers employed on cruise ships. Its purpose is to evaluate the complexities and richness of their work and social experiences as they negotiate, create and justify their identities and community formations in the unique and under-researched environment of a cruise ship. Conceptually, the research investigates the inevitable and inextricable links between identity, work and community to explore their perceptions of themselves, others and their world. Being part of a wider research project, this paper metaphorically explores twenty semi-structured interviews to creatively gather an “insider’s” view of the participants’ work, community and cruise ship environment. Ultimately, a metaphor can be used as a porthole into self image, guided by the framework of the cruise ship to help construct meaning. Therefore, the metaphors used by participants were not a method to explain the organisation, but rather how the members come to understand themselves within the organisation. What is clear from this study is that all participants created a ship-based identity, which was different from how they perceived themselves on land. Being an environment that is unique, workers have to adapt, adopt and sacrifice - their previous identity has to be reshaped to meet the criteria of the place and system of the ship. Waiters were significantly more likely to define themselves and their world based upon their occupational perceptions and relationship with management, while pursers reflected upon their social and personal opportunities as a tool for self-definition. The outcomes of the research present an exploratory, in-depth account of the working lives of hospitality workers on cruise ships. The findings will be of value and relevance to cruise ship operators when tackling social issues relating to the employment of cruise ship workers.