Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Decrease in eccentric hamstring strength in runners in the Tirol Speed Marathon

Background: The local muscular endurance of knee flexors, during eccentric work in particular, is important in preventing or delaying kinematic changes associated with fatigue during treadmill running. This result, however, may not be transferable to overground running. Objective: To test the hypothesis that overground running is associated with eccentric hamstring fatigue. Methods: Thirteen runners (12 male and one female) performed an isokinetic muscle test three to four days before and 18 hours after a marathon. Both legs were tested. The testing protocol consisted of concentric and eccentric quadriceps and hamstring contractions. Results: There were no significant differences between peak torque before and after the race, except that eccentric peak hamstring torque (both thighs) was reduced. Conclusion: Overground running (running a marathon) is associated with eccentric hamstring fatigue. Eccentric hamstring fatigue may be a potential risk factor for knee and soft tissue injuries during running. Eccentric hamstring training should therefore be introduced as an integral part of the training programme of runners.
The Real Exchange Rate and Real Interest Differentials: The Role of the Trend‐Cycle Decomposition

We propose an alternative model and method to reconcile the puzzling feature in the relationship between the real exchange rate and real interest rate differentials. Our simple two‐country model with preset prices, along with firms' misperception about the future exchange rate, implies that the real exchange rate follows an ARIMA (0,1,p) process. This allows us to compute the exact Beveridge‐Nelson decomposition, which is a model‐consistent decomposition. In accordance with our model, unit roots in the real exchange rates are found; and statistical inference is partially found to be affirmative regarding the link between the real exchange rate detrended by the Beveridge‐Nelson decomposition and corresponding real interest differentials.
Breastfeeding rates in New Zealand in the first 6 months and the reasons for stopping.

AIM To assess the prevalence of breastfeeding in the first 6 months post partum, and to elicit the reasons for stopping breastfeeding. METHODS A longitudinal cohort study of 4286 New Zealand infants born between 2 July 1990 and 30 June 1991. Mothers were asked at 6 weeks, 3 months and 6 months whether they were breastfeeding or had ever breastfed their babies. If they had breastfed their babies but had now stopped breastfeeding, they were asked how old the baby was when they stopped and the reasons for stopping. RESULTS Feeding data was available on 3929 of the 4286 infants enrolled in the study. At birth 93.8% (n = 3685) infants were exclusively breastfed. No infants were partially breastfed. At 6 weeks, 3 months and 6 months post partum, the breastfeeding rates were 79.5% (68.4% exclusive), 71.3% (47.6% exclusive), and 56% (2.5% exclusive), respectively. The most common reason for stopping breastfeeding was perceived inadequate supply of breast milk (29%, 29% and 33% of mothers who stopped between birth to 6 weeks, 6 weeks to 3 months and 3 months to 6 months, respectively), apart from Pacific Island mothers, whose main reason for stopping breastfeeding between six weeks and three months post partum was returning to work or study (38% of mothers who stopped). CONCLUSIONS The decline in breastfeeding rates with length of time post partum could be reduced with education of breastfeeding mothers and health professionals about the management of breastfeeding problems and early infant behaviour and growth. Support by employers or education facilities for breastfeeding mothers who are working or studying may help to maintain breastfeeding rates.
Dissection of the genetic architecture of three seed‐quality traits and consequences for breeding in Brassica napus

Summary Genome‐wide association studies (GWASs) combining high‐throughput genome resequencing and phenotyping can accelerate the dissection of genetic architecture and identification of genes for plant complex traits. In this study, we developed a rapeseed genomic variation map consisting of 4 542 011 SNPs and 628 666 INDELs. GWAS was performed for three seed‐quality traits, including erucic acid content (EAC), glucosinolate content (GSC) and seed oil content (SOC) using 3.82 million polymorphisms in an association panel. Six, 49 and 17 loci were detected to be associated with EAC, GSC and SOC in multiple environments, respectively. The mean total contribution of these loci in each environment was 94.1% for EAC and 87.9% for GSC, notably higher than that for SOC (40.1%). A high correlation was observed between phenotypic variance and number of favourable alleles for associated loci, which will contribute to breeding improvement by pyramiding these loci. Furthermore, candidate genes were detected underlying associated loci, based on functional polymorphisms in gene regions where sequence variation was found to correlate with phenotypic variation. Our approach was validated by detection of well‐characterized FAE1 genes at each of two major loci for EAC on chromosomes A8 and C3, along with MYB28 genes at each of three major loci for GSC on chromosomes A9, C2 and C9. Four novel candidate genes were detected by correlation between GSC and SOC and observed sequence variation, respectively. This study provides insights into the genetic architecture of three seed‐quality traits, which would be useful for genetic improvement of B. napus.
A foundation for the study of group decision support systems

Technical developments in electronic communication, computing, and decision support, coupled with new interest on the part of organizations to improve meeting effectiveness, are spurring research in the area of group decision support systems GDSS. A GDSS combines communication, computing, and decision support technologies to facilitate formulation and solution of unstructured problems by a group of people. This paper presents a conceptual overview of GDSS based on an information-exchange perspective of decision making, Three levels of systems are described, representing varying degrees of intervention into the decision process. Research on GDSS is conceived as evolving over time from the study of simple "shell" systems, consisting of menus of features available for selection by a group, to consideration of sophisticated rule-based systems that enable a group to pursue highly structured and novel decision paths. A multi-dimensional taxonomy of systems is proposed as an organizing framework for research in the area. Three environmental contingencies are identified as critical to GDSS design: group size, member proximity, and the task confronting the group. Potential impacts of GDSS on group processes and outcomes are discussed, and important constructs in need of study are identified.
Consumer Surplus from Discrete Choice Models

Abstract The budget-constrained random utility model (RUM) gives utility-consistent measures of welfare, but requires the length of the planning period be specified. An alternative is to treat the RUM probabilities as behavioral and calculate consumer surplus. This paper shows that such calculations lead to the same welfare measures as RUM calculations. The paper provides support and an alternative justification for the standard welfare measured.
Anthropogenic nitrogen deposition enhances carbon sequestration in boreal soils

It is proposed that carbon (C) sequestration in response to reactive nitrogen (Nr) deposition in boreal forests accounts for a large portion of the terrestrial sink for anthropogenic CO2 emissions. While studies have helped clarify the magnitude by which Nr deposition enhances C sequestration by forest vegetation, there remains a paucity of long‐term experimental studies evaluating how soil C pools respond. We conducted a long‐term experiment, maintained since 1996, consisting of three N addition levels (0, 12.5, and 50 kg N ha−1 yr−1) in the boreal zone of northern Sweden to understand how atmospheric Nr deposition affects soil C accumulation, soil microbial communities, and soil respiration. We hypothesized that soil C sequestration will increase, and soil microbial biomass and soil respiration will decrease, with disproportionately large changes expected compared to low levels of N addition. Our data showed that the low N addition treatment caused a non‐significant increase in the organic horizon C pool of ~15% and a significant increase of ~30% in response to the high N treatment relative to the control. The relationship between C sequestration and N addition in the organic horizon was linear, with a slope of 10 kg C kg−1 N. We also found a concomitant decrease in total microbial and fungal biomasses and a ~11% reduction in soil respiration in response to the high N treatment. Our data complement previous data from the same study system describing aboveground C sequestration, indicating a total ecosystem sequestration rate of 26 kg C kg−1 N. These estimates are far lower than suggested by some previous modeling studies, and thus will help improve and validate current modeling efforts aimed at separating the effect of multiple global change factors on the C balance of the boreal region.
Welfare Reform, Mississippi Style: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and the Search for Accountability

Through an examination of the implementation of the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act in the state of Mississippi, we explore the adequacy of traditional two-actor principal-agent theory. Using this as our lens, we suggest that the choices made by Mississippi in the area of welfare reform to privatize much of the work and to add several layers to the existing principal-agent relationship substantially reduced accountability and the effectiveness of the monitoring systems. We conclude that not only is traditional principal-agent theory an insufficient tool for understanding the complex interrelationship between democratic actors in this particular case, the decisions of the state of Mississippi to complicate the principal-actor relationship through privatization also undermined the reform effort itself in ways that may have general implications for other like-minded efforts in other policy areas. There are those who are undermining what we are trying to achieve . —Bud Henry, Director of Economic Assistance, Mississippi Department of Human Services
The influence of current mood state, number of previous affective episodes and predominant polarity on insight in bipolar disorder

Abstract Background: Although many studies have explored the effect of current affective episodes on insight into bipolar disorder, the potential interaction between current mood state and previous affective episodes has not been consistently investigated. Objective: To explore the influence of dominant polarity, number of previous affective episodes and current affective state on insight in bipolar disorder patients in euthymia or mania. Methods: A total of 101 patients with bipolar disorder were recruited for the study, including 58 patients in euthymia (30 with no defined predominant polarity and 28 with manic predominant polarity) and 43 in mania (26 with no defined predominant polarity and 17 with manic predominant polarity). Patients underwent a clinical assessment and insight was evaluated through the Insight Scale for Affective Disorders. Results: Bipolar disorder patients in mania had worse insight than those in euthymia, with no effect of dominant polarity. In addition, positive psychotic symptoms showed a significant effect on insight and its inclusion as a covariate eliminated differences related to mood state. Finally, the number of previous manic or depressive episodes did not correlate with insight level. Conclusions: Mania is a predictor of loss of insight into bipolar disorder. However, it is possible that its contribution is linked to the more frequent presence of psychotic symptoms in this state. Dominant polarity and number/type of previous affective episodes have a limited impact on insight.
Internationalization of Chinese Higher Education.

This paper probes into the development of internationalization of higher education in China from ancient times to modern times, including the emergence of international connections in Chinese higher education and the subsequent development of such connections, the further development of internationalization of Chinese higher education, and the regularization of internationalization of China’s higher education. The discussion centers on the issue of internationalization of Chinese higher education in a chronological order by using some official statistics and documents for demonstration. Through the discussion, we may find that China has made great progress in the internationalization of higher education; however, as to Chinese higher education, there is still room for improvement so as for the country’s higher education system to keep pace with the advanced education system in the developed countries.
Exponential Lévy Models with Stochastic Volatility and Stochastic Jump-Intensity

We consider the problem of valuing a European option written on an asset whose dynamics are described by an exponential L\'evy-type model. In our framework, both the volatility and jump-intensity are allowed to vary stochastically in time through common driving factors -- one fast-varying and one slow-varying. Using Fourier analysis we derive an explicit formula for the approximate price of any European-style derivative whose payoff has a generalized Fourier transform; in particular, this includes European calls and puts. From a theoretical perspective, our results extend the class of multiscale stochastic volatility models of \citet*{fpss} to models of the exponential L\'evy type. From a financial perspective, the inclusion of jumps and stochastic volatility allow us to capture the term-structure of implied volatility. To illustrate the flexibility of our modeling framework we extend five exponential L\'evy processes to include stochastic volatility and jump-intensity. For each of the extended models, using a single fast-varying factor of volatility and jump-intensity, we perform a calibration to the S&P500 implied volatility surface. Our results show decisively that the extended framework provides a significantly better fit to implied volatility than both the traditional exponential L\'evy models and the fast mean-reverting stochastic volatility models of \citet{fpss}.
Employers' Discriminatory Behavior and the Estimation of Wage Discrimination

This paper considers the linkage of empirical estimates of wage discrimination between two groups, introduced by Oaxaca (1973), to a theoretical model of employers' discriminatory behavior. It is shown that, conditional on different assumptions about employers' discriminatory tastes, Oaxaca's estimators of wage discrimination can be derived. That the approach is more generally useful is demonstrated by deriving an alternative estimator of wage discrimination, based on the assumption that within each type of labor (e.g., unskilled, skilled) the utility function capturing employers' discriminatory tastes is homogeneous of degree zero with respect to labor inputs from each of the two groups. The estimators are compared empirically in an application to male-female wage differentials.
2-Thioxanthines Are Mechanism-based Inactivators of Myeloperoxidase That Block Oxidative Stress during Inflammation*

Background: The enzyme myeloperoxidase produces chlorine bleach at sites of inflammation. Results: 2-Thioxanthines are potent mechanism-based inactivators of myeloperoxidase. Conclusion: 2-Thioxanthines block production of chlorine bleach during inflammation. Significance: Mechanism-based inactivators of myeloperoxidase should limit oxidative stress at sites of inflammation. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) is a prime candidate for promoting oxidative stress during inflammation. This abundant enzyme of neutrophils uses hydrogen peroxide to oxidize chloride to highly reactive and toxic chlorine bleach. We have identified 2-thioxanthines as potent mechanism-based inactivators of MPO. Mass spectrometry and x-ray crystal structures revealed that these inhibitors become covalently attached to the heme prosthetic groups of the enzyme. We propose a mechanism whereby 2-thioxanthines are oxidized, and their incipient free radicals react with the heme groups of the enzyme before they can exit the active site. 2-Thioxanthines inhibited MPO in plasma and decreased protein chlorination in a mouse model of peritonitis. They slowed but did not prevent neutrophils from killing bacteria and were poor inhibitors of thyroid peroxidase. Our study shows that MPO is susceptible to the free radicals it generates, and this Achilles' heel of the enzyme can be exploited to block oxidative stress during inflammation.
Dealing with reusability and reproducibility for scientific workflows

Scientific Workflow Management Systems (SWfMS) are being widely used to represent and execute scientific experiments. One particular SWfMS feature that has received much attention by the scientific community is the automatic capture of provenance data. This allows users to track information about which resources and parameters were used to obtain such results, but also other important information to validate and publish an experiment. In the present work, we propose an approach for modeling and storing data that is consumed and produced by workflows executed by SWfMS. This approach has two main objectives: it aims (i) to support the strict reproducibility of an experiment and (ii) to allow the reuse of produced artifacts by keeping information about its origin.
Slow and steady wins the race? A comparison of ultra-low-power RISC-V cores for Internet-of-Things applications

Achieving a power envelope of few milliwatts combined with tight performance constraints is emerging as one of the key challenges for battery-powered and low cost Internet-of-things (IoT) end-nodes. IoT devices have to cope with highly time-varying workloads, characterized by intermittent “race-to-sleep” bursts of compute-intensive operations mingled with long periods of low activity. Architectural heterogeneity provides a possible solution to harmonize these competing constraints; the availability of diverse cores optimized for diverse tasks, but able to run the same code is advantageous for IoT devices. In this paper, we introduce Zero-riscy and Micro-riscy, two novel RISC-V cores targeting mixed arithmetic/control applications and control-oriented tasks respectively. We compare them with the DSP-enhanced open-source Riscy core [1]. Zero-riscy is 2.2× smaller than Riscy and provides a 2× energy boost for mixed control/arithmetic code with limited DSP. Micro-riscy is 1.6× smaller than Zero-riscy (∼11.6 kgates in UMC 65nm), has a power envelope of just 100μW at 160MHz and it is 1.4× more energy efficient than Zero-riscy on pure control code.
11q24.2‐25 micro‐rearrangements in autism spectrum disorders: Relation to brain structures

Jacobsen syndrome (JS) is characterized by intellectual disability and higher risk for autism spectrum disorders (ASD). All patients with JS are carriers of contiguous de novo deletions of 11q24.2‐25, but the causative genes remain unknown. Within the critical interval, we hypothesized that haploinsufficiency of the neuronal cell adhesion molecule Neurotrimin (NTM) might increase the risk for ASD and could affect brain structure volumes. We searched for deleterious mutations affecting NTM in 1256 ASD patients and 1287 controls, using SNP arrays, and by direct sequencing of 250 ASD patients and 180 controls. We compared our results to those obtained from independent cohorts of ASD patients and controls. We identified two patients with Copy Number Variants (CNV) encompassing NTM, one with a large de novo deletion, and a clinical phenotype of JS (including macrocephaly), and a second with a paternally inherited duplication, not consistent with JS. Interestingly, no similar CNVs were observed in controls. We did not observe enrichment for deleterious NTM mutations in our cohort. We then explored if the macrocephaly in the patient with JS was associated with a homogeneous increase of brain structures volumes using automatic segmentation. Compared to subjects without NTM micro‐rearrangements (n=188), the patient had an increased volume of the sub‐cortical structures but a decrease of the occipital gray matter. Finally our explorations could not incriminate NTM as a susceptibility gene for ASD, but provides new information on the impact of the 11q24.2‐25 deletion on brain anatomy. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Big Questions in Public Network Management Research

As the use of networks in public management increases, more and larger questions expand this research arena. In many ways, public network management is in search of a paradigm equivalent to the hierarchical-organizational authority paradigm of bureaucratic management. We raise and offer preliminary answers to seven metaquestions that address the nature of network management tasks, group process in collaboration, flexibil
Reversal of muscle insulin resistance with exercise reduces postprandial hepatic de novo lipogenesis in insulin resistant individuals

Skeletal muscle insulin resistance has been implicated in the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and atherogenic dyslipidemia associated with the metabolic syndrome by altering the distribution pattern of postprandial energy storage. We conducted a study to examine this hypothesis by reversing muscle insulin resistance with a single bout of exercise and measuring hepatic de novo lipogenesis and hepatic triglyceride synthesis after a carbohydrate-rich meal. We studied 12 healthy, young, lean, insulin resistant individuals in an interventional, randomized cross-over trial. The response to the ingestion of a carbohydrate-rich meal was studied at rest and after one 45-min bout of exercise on an elliptical trainer. Hepatic de novo lipogenesis was assessed by using 2H2O, and changes in glycogen and fat content in liver and muscle were measured by 13C and 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy, respectively. Exercise resulted in a greater than threefold increase in postprandial net muscle glycogen synthesis (P < 0.001), reflecting improved muscle insulin responsiveness, and a ≈40% reduction (P < 0.05) in net hepatic triglyceride synthesis. These changes in whole body energy storage were accompanied by a ≈30% decrease in hepatic de novo lipogenesis (P < 0.01) and were independent of changes in fasting or postprandial plasma glucose and insulin concentrations. These data demonstrate that skeletal muscle insulin resistance is an early therapeutic target for the treatment and prevention of atherogenic dyslipidemia and NAFLD in young insulin resistant individuals who are prone to develop the metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.
MOVING STOCHASTIC DOMINANCE: AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD FOR TESTING MARKET EFFICIENCY

The purposes of this study are: (1) to propose a more general method—moving stochastic dominance (MSD)—for testing market efficiency, (2) to compare and contrast the MSD method with the cumulative average residual (CAR) risk-return analysis, and (3) to illustrate the MSD methodology on a sample of stock splits. The constant CAR analysis results are consistent with previous studies. The moving CAR results are in conflict with previous studies and indicate that investors are worse off after a stock split irrespective of the subsequent dividend change. The MSD results indicate that investors are approximately equally well off irrespective of the subsequent dividend change.