Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of a strengthening programme to a proprioceptive training in improving dynamic balance in athletes with chronic ankle instability (CAI)

Strength and proprioception are important to have a stable and functional ankle . Individuals with ankle injuries are bound to develop a loss of either or both of these during and after the phase of immobilization. Objectives: 1. To assess the effects of a 4 weeks strengthening programme on dynamic balance in CAI. 2. To assess the effects of a 4 weeks proprioceptive training on dynamic balance in CAI.3. To compare the effects of a 4 weeks strengthening programme to a proprioceptive training on dynamic balance in CAI. Materials and methods: This was an interventional study done amongst athlete students at Deccan Education Society college campus, Pune during November 2013 to April 2014. Total 27 college students who were known athletes with chronic ankle instability were selected by convenient sampling. These 27 subjects were randomly allotted, 13 to the strengthening group and 14 to the proprioceptive group. Dynamic balance was assessed using the Functional reach test (FRT) prior to the intervention. Maximum three readings were collected and then an average of the best two was taken while the first was considered as the trial. This was considered as the pre intervention reading. These subjects then underwent a 4 week programme depending upon the group they were allotted. Post intervention readings were taken of the FRT scores in the two groups and statistical analysis was done. Results & Conclusion: Paired andUnpaired t tests were done to compare the Functional reach test (FRT) scores pre and post in both the strengthening and proprioceptive groups and also the post training FRT scores between the two groups. The differences in the pre and post FRT scores were found to be extremely significant in both the groups (p value 0.0001). The study proves that both the strength training as well as proprioceptive training are equally effective in improving the dynamic balance in athletes with ankle instability. They should thus both be given to improve dynamic balance.
Impact of Exchange Rate Volatility on Agricultural Trade between the U.S. and Mexico (1990-2017)

Objective: this paper assesses the impact of exchange rate volatility on the trade of corn and wheat between the U.S. and mexico during the 1990-2017 period, which encompasses both the 1994 and 2008 mexican exchange rate crises. Methodology: the exports function is first modeled through an Error correction model (ecm), with a Factor-augmented Vector autoregression (favar) model subsequently applied for robustness analysis. Findings: the exchange rate variability has no statistically significant influence on corn and wheat spot price variability. The results may be attributable to the volume of international trade flows in both commodities. Finally, the exchange rate variability has a statistically significant influence on the futures basis of corn but not wheat. Limitations: since no monthly data is available, prices for the agricultural products are based on monthly averages obtained from daily data of corn and wheat spot prices. Practical implications: the results obtained are consistent with one part of the specialized literature, which argues that exchange rate volatility does not affect agricultural trade. Social implications: improving understanding of the effect of the exchange rate on corn and wheat trade between mexico and the U.S. is crucial, since corn is a fundamental part of the diet in mexico and wheat in the U.S. Originality: as far as we know, no research has analyzed the effect of the exchange rate on cereal trade in these two countries during 1990-2017 with the economic techniques we use.
The Effects of Experiential Learning on Perceived Clinical Reasoning and Self-efficacy of Doctor of Physical Therapy Students

Introduction and Review of the Literature. Experiential learning (EL) is an instructional method that is increasingly being used to teach Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) pediatric content. However, there remains a paucity of research describing student outcomes resulting from EL courses compared with outcomes resulting from traditional instruction-based courses. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the change in perceived clinical reasoning and self-efficacy experienced by DPT students from the same DPT program who completed either high (at least 15 hours) or low (3 hours or less) pediatric EL as a component of their required, semester-long pediatric course. Subjects and Methods. The study was a pretest–posttest comparison group design. Second-year DPT students (n = 58; male: 19 and female: 39) enrolled in fall 2018 (high EL group) and students (n = 53; male: 18 and female: 35) enrolled in fall 2020 (low EL group) completed the Self-Assessment of Clinical Reflection and Reasoning (SACRR) and the Physical Therapy Self-Efficacy Scale (PTSE) during the first and last week of the pediatrics course. Results. A significant interaction effect between EL dosage and time was found for the SACRR (F1,106 = 51.03, P = .000, partial eta squared = 0.33), suggesting that the change in scores was influenced by the dosage of EL. There was no significant interaction effect between EL dosage and time for the PTSE (F1,104 = 1.13, P = .29, partial eta squared = .01). There was a significant main effect for time (F1,104 = 225.61, P = .000, partial eta squared = .68), with both groups showing an improvement in pediatric physical therapy self-efficacy. Discussion and Conclusion. The results of this study suggest that the perceived self-efficacy abilities of students improved with all instructions, but the addition of high EL may enhance traditional instruction methods when used to aid DPT students in the development of self-perceived clinical reasoning and reflection skills.
Potential Role of Individual and Combined Effects of T-2 Toxin, HT-2 Toxin and Neosolaniol on the Apoptosis of Porcine Leydig Cells

T-2 toxin usually co-occurs with HT-2 toxin and neosolaniol (NEO) in the grains and feed. Our previous studies found that T-2 toxin and its metabolites’ binary or ternary combination exposure to porcine Leydig cells (LCs) displayed synergism in certain range of dosage and cannot be predicted based on individual toxicity. However, the possible mechanism of these mycotoxins’ combined exposure to cell lesions remains unknown. Based on 50% cell viability, the mechanism of apoptosis in porcine Leydig cells was investigated after exposure to T-2, HT-2, NEO individual and binary or ternary combinations. Compared with control, the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content decreased, reactive oxygen species (ROS) level increased, and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) decreased in all treated groups. Additionally, the cell apoptosis rates were significantly increased in test groups (p < 0.05), and the B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) Associated X (Bax)/Bcl-2 ratio and the expression of caspase 3, caspase 8, cytochrome c (Cytc) in the treated group are all significantly higher than the control group. Moreover, the expression of Cytc and caspase 8 gene in NEO and T-2+NEO groups was significantly higher than that in other individual and combined groups. It can be concluded that the toxicities of T-2, HT-2, and NEO individually and in combination can induce apoptosis related to the oxidative stress and mitochondrial damage, and the synergistic effect between toxins may be greater than a single toxin effect, which is beneficial for assessing the possible risk of the co-occurrences in foodstuffs to human and animal health.
Circulating Tumor Cells in Breast Cancer Patients: A Balancing Act between Stemness, EMT Features and DNA Damage Responses

Simple Summary Circulating tumor cells dissociate from the primary tumor, enter the bloodstream and travel to distant sites where they seed metastases. To endow these tumor cells with the features necessary for this journey, they must undergo dramatic shape changes, acquire migratory potential, alter their metabolism, and quickly adapt to insults in each new environment. To permit such phenotypic changes in multiple directions, they often acquire a more primitive state reminiscent of stem cells in the embryo. These changes are coupled with altered capacities and qualities to remove DNA lesions such as those induced by a metabolic shift or an immune cell attack. Defects in DNA repair cause mutations, leading to hereditary breast cancer and accelerating progression. Enhanced DNA repair causes resistance to chemotherapeutic treatment. Therefore, it is of utmost interest to understand the choreography of these functions in circulating tumor cells at the molecular level, because they represent targets to fight chemoresistant metastases. Abstract Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) traverse vessels to travel from the primary tumor to distant organs where they adhere, transmigrate, and seed metastases. To cope with these challenges, CTCs have reached maximal flexibility to change their differentiation status, morphology, migratory capacity, and their responses to genotoxic stress caused by metabolic changes, hormones, the inflammatory environment, or cytostatic treatment. A significant percentage of breast cancer cells are defective in homologous recombination repair and other mechanisms that protect the integrity of the replication fork. To prevent cell death caused by broken forks, alternative, mutagenic repair, and bypass pathways are engaged but these increase genomic instability. CTCs, arising from such breast tumors, are endowed with an even larger toolbox of escape mechanisms that can be switched on and off at different stages during their journey according to the stress stimulus. Accumulating evidence suggests that DNA damage responses, DNA repair, and replication are integral parts of a regulatory network orchestrating the plasticity of stemness features and transitions between epithelial and mesenchymal states in CTCs. This review summarizes the published information on these regulatory circuits of relevance for the design of biomarkers reflecting CTC functions in real-time to monitor therapeutic responses and detect evolving chemoresistance mechanisms.
Approximate Objective Bayes Factors From P-Values and Sample Size: The 3p√n Rule

In 1936, Sir Harold Jeffreys proposed an approximate objective Bayes factor that quantifies the degree to which the point-null hypothesis H0 outpredicts the alternative hypothesis H1. This approximate Bayes factor (henceforth JAB01) depends only on sample size and on how many standard errors the maximum likelihood estimate is away from the point under test. We revisit JAB01 and introduce a piecewise transformation that clarifies the connection to the frequentist two-sided p-value. Specifically, if p ≤ . 10 then JAB01 ≈ 3p√n; if . 10 < p ≤ . 50 then JAB01 ≈ √(pn); and if p > . 50 then JAB01 ≈ p^(1/4)√n. These transformation rules present p-value practitioners with a straightforward opportunity to obtain Bayesian benefits such as the ability to monitor evidence as data accumulate without reaching a foregone conclusion. Using the JAB01 framework we derive simple and accurate approximate Bayes factors for the t-test, the binomial test, the comparison of two proportions, and the correlation test.
The planting of licorice increased soil microbial diversity and affected the growth and development of apple trees

ABSTRACT Grass cultivation is an important soil management practice for improving orchard soil quality. A suitable grass variety can enhance the soil microenvironment and increase fruit yield and quality. In the arid regions of northwestern China, licorice is often planted between apple trees. To clarify the effects of licorice on the soil microenvironment and apple tree growth and development,apple trees and licorice were grown in a root limiter under the following three treatment conditions: apple alone (A), intercropping of apple and licorice (AL), and licorice alone (L). Several soil properties (e.g., salt, soil organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium contents) were analyzed. Additionally, soil microbial communities were characterized via the high-throughput sequencing of bacterial and fungal rRNA gene markers. Apple tree growth and development indices were also determined.The soil organic matter, total and available nitrogen, and the available phosphorus contents were significantly higher in the L treatment soil than in the original soil or the A and AL treatment soils. The compositions of the dominant bacteria and fungi were similar among treatments. Soil bacterial and fungal richness and diversity were greater for the L and AL treatments than for the A treatment. At the phylum level, the characteristic bacteria for the A and L treatments were Gemmatimonadetes and Chloroflexi species, respectively. Some soil properties, including soil organic matter, available N, available P, and available K contents, were significantly correlated with bacterial and fungal taxa. Furthermore, the apple tree growth and development indices trunk diameter, crown size, 1-year-old branch length, and the proportion of short shoots were respectively 25.66%, 21.70%, 28.23%, and 20.78% lower for the AL treatment than for the A treatment.Cultivating licorice alone or intercropping with apple trees can increase or maintain the soil organic matter, total and available nitrogen, and available phosphorus contents as well as the microbial composition and abundance. However, intercropping with licorice will restrict fruit tree growth and development (e.g., proportion of short shoots and the trunk diameter).
Intelligent evaluation system for substation simulation training

An intelligent evaluation scoring system based on expert system and weight function theory is presented in this paper.The system aims at replacing training teacher in the substation operation training courses.It is flexible application in all kinds of substation operation trainings,such as summarizing equipment inspection,switching operation and accident handling,and gives students a comprehensive,objective assessment.Further more,the system uses the power quality indicators as intelligent assessment criteria,which makes the evaluation system judgment more objective.This scoring system holds outstanding practical value for the engineering training in the substation simulation software.
Automated cost-aware data center management

Modern data centers present complex management challenges, including resource provisioning, workload placement, thermal and power management, and failure detection and response. However, these challenges are not well-suited to direct control by a human operator. Expanding the scope of automated control can improve operating efficiencies, reduce the total cost of ownership, and increase system reliability. Automated control of a modern data center requires accurate thermal instrumentation, models of data center component behavior, and information about operating costs. The contributions of this work are policies and mechanisms for cost-aware automated data center management. We outline an optimizing control loop architecture that leverages statistical and machine learning techniques to formulate resource control plans. There are four primary components to our work that demonstrate the principles of cost-aware data center control. First, we create a utility computing infrastructure that enables multiplexed hosting of services by provisioning and isolating blocks of servers from a shared cluster. Next, we provide accurate and fine-grained thermal instrumentation using machine learning-based models of heat transfer within a server; this allows us to quantify the per-server relationship between ambient air temperature, workload, and internal temperature readings. Using this data, we construct models to analyze and predict the effects of management decisions on total data center operating costs. Finally, we formulate cost-aware provisioning policies that enable quantitative trade-offs between competing management goals. Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of automated, cost-aware control. ConSil, our thermal instrumentation layer, provides current per-server temperature readings that are accurate to 1.0°C over 80% of readings. Weatherman predicts steady state thermal conditions across the data center using the current workload and cooling configuration with an accuracy of 1.0°C for over 90% of locations. Finally, we explore workload placement policies that optimize cooling costs; our two policies result in a 25% reduction in cooling costs at standard utilization levels for a representative data center. These components enable the site owner to define high-level policies, while relegating complex, low-level trade-offs to the automated controller.
Low loss negative curvature hollow core fiber in visible red-light and near-infrared bands

Abstract. Considering the low loss transmission and commercialization of hollow core fiber, negative curvature hollow core fiber (NC-HCF) has become a research hotspot in recent years. We report an innovative NC-HCF with an antiresonant layer inside the cladding tubes based on semi-ellipse and semi-circle structures. Based on the COMSOL simulation, it exhibits an ultralow loss from 0.6 to 1. 6μm transmission band. On the one hand, as for semi-ellipse and semi-circle with antiresonant layer structure, the fiber lowest confinement loss (CL) of LP01 mode reaches a lowest value of 7.608 × 10 − 4 dB / km at 0.78 μm, and the high-order mode suppression ratio (HOMER) value can reach 4069. On the other hand, the semi-circle and semi-ellipse with antiresonant layer fiber structure shows the lowest CL of 1.675 × 10 − 4 dB / km at 0.79 μm, and the value of HOMER is 1776. Moreover, based on the fabrication tolerance analysis, the hollow core fibers proposed indicate better performance.
lncR26319/miR‐2834/EndophilinA axis regulates oogenesis of the silkworm, Bombyx mori

Oocyte maturation is critical for insect reproduction. Vitellogenesis, the timely production and uptake of vitellogenin (Vg), is crucial for female fecundity. Vg is synthesized in fat body and absorbed by the oocytes through endocytosis during insect oogenesis. In the silkworm, Bombyx mori, we discovered that a nucleus‐enriched long‐noncoding RNA (lncRNA) lncR26319 regulates Endophilin A (EndoA) – a member of the endophilin family of endocytic proteins – through competitive binding to miR‐2834. The lncR26319‐miR‐2834‐EndoA axis was required for Vg endocytosis in the silkworm; loss of EndoA or overexpression of miR‐2834 significantly reduced egg numbers in virgin moths. In addition, accumulation of miR‐2834 resulted in pupal and adult deformation and reduced fecundity in females. The expression of Vg, 30‐kDa (30K) protein, and egg‐specific protein (Esp) decreased after knockdown of EndoA or overexpression of miR‐2834, while knockdown of miR‐2834 had an opposite effect on the expression of Vg, 30K protein gene, and Esp. These results suggest that the lncR26319‐miR‐2834‐EndoA axis contributes to the endocytic activity in the Vg uptake and leads to the normal progression of oogenesis in the silkworm. Thus, miR‐2834 and EndoA are crucial for female reproduction and could be potential targets for new pest management strategies in lepidopterans.
Response surface method and its application in the reliability approximate calculation of bridge deck structural system

In this paper, a response surface method(RSM) has been introduced for a reliability analysis of bridge deck structural system. And a finite element method(FEM) is used to calculate the response pavement of Nancheng Bridge. Based on the RSM, the reliability of the deck pavement of Nancheng Bridge is calculated and analyzed.
What Drives Labour Productivity Growth: A Case of Regional Economy

Labour productivity is a driver of national competitiveness, economic growth, and living standards. Labour productivity of the Russian economy is significantly lower than that of developed countries, and the gap is increasing. Labour productivity for most Russian regions tends to be lower than the average across the country. Those regions, where it is higher than the average, are resource-abundant. This article studies the drivers of regional labour productivity across a particular resource-abundant region and its sectors. We used regional statistical data from the Krasnoyarsk Territory (Krai) statistical service. We evaluated the contribution of labour productivity across industries to the regional average and studied the impact of human capital quality, capital-labour ratio, and multifactorial productivity. Our results showed the predominant contribution of the export-oriented and mining sector to regional labour productivity growth. Moreover, we found that a significant driver was physical capital. A notable result was the increasing impact of multifactor productivity for many sectors
Stepwise excavation process of underground caverns of hydropower station using DDA

A process of continuum excavation has been simulated using discontinuous deformation analysis(DDA) which is introduced element birth and death method.Comparing the calculated result with finite element method,we prove that DDA method is effective in cavern's simulation.Based on the geological exploration data of Dagangshan hydropower station,DDA models of the underground cavern group with different combinations of joints are established.We analyze the failure modes of underground cavern group's excavation,and explain the failure mechanism briefly.Based on Monte Carlo method and excavation design of Dagangshan hydropower station,random distribution of joints is simulated;and developments of displacement and stress are researched in the sub-step excavation process.Studies show that: displacements of all the blocks around the cavern are pointing to the cavern when excavation is completed;deformations of tailrace surge chamber and underground main powerhouse's sidewall are relatively large;major principal stresses of the blocks around the cavern are parallel to the caverns' boundary line;stress of the tailrace surge chamber relieves obviously;and blocks of sidewalls have slid;the three caverns interact on each other in the excavation process;the effects of tailrace surge chamber and underground main powerhouse on the main-transformed cavern are more obvious.The study shows specific parts which are need to be reinforced in the excavation process;and it provides a basis for optimal support measure of the project.
On the Design of a 3-PRRR Spatial Parallel Compliant Mechanism

Because wear, clearance and backlash can be reduced or eliminated, one of the important advantages of compliant mechanisms is their potential to increase the mechanism precision dramatically. In this paper, a spatial compliant mechanism based on the 3-PRRR parallel mechanism driven by linear motors is presented. The design methodology is described and the kinematic and static models are developed. Using the “transmission ratio”, an effective and simple compensation method is designed. The performances of this mechanism are studied with the help of the structure simulation module in Pro-Mechanica. Using an open-loop control with compensation, measurements over a 20×20×20 mm3 workspace show that the position accuracy is smaller than 1 μm, i.e., 0.05% of the full range of motion and that the orientation error is less than 1 μradian. © 2004 ASME