Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effects of Tapering on Power-Force-Velocity Profiling and Jump Performance in Professional Rugby League Players

Abstract de Lacey, J, Brughelli, M, McGuigan, M, Hansen, K, Samozino, P, and Morin, J-B. The effects of tapering on power-force-velocity profiling and jump performance in professional rugby league players. J Strength Cond Res 28(12): 3567–3570, 2014—The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a preseason taper on individual power-force-velocity profiles and jump performance in professional National Rugby League players. Seven professional rugby league players performed concentric squat jumps using ascending loads of 25, 50, 75, 100% body mass before and after a 21-day step taper leading into the in-season. Linear force-velocity relationships were derived, and the following variables were obtained: maximum theoretical velocity (V0), maximum theoretical force (F0), and maximum power (Pmax). The players showed likely-to-very likely increases in F0 (effect size [ES] = 0.45) and Pmax (ES = 0.85) from pre to posttaper. Loaded squat jump height also showed likely-to-most likely increases at each load (ES = 0.83–1.04). The 21-day taper was effective at enhancing maximal power output and jump height performance in professional rugby players, possibly as a result of a recovery from fatigue and thus increased strength capability after a prolonged preseason training period. Rugby league strength and conditioning coaches should consider reducing training volume while maintaining intensity and aerobic conditioning (e.g., step taper) leading into the in-season.
Update on behavioral interventions for autism and developmental disabilities.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Given the explosion in published behavioral interventions over the past several years, this review highlights the latest trends over the past year (2014) for children with complex learning and developmental needs. RECENT FINDINGS There were virtually no rigorous intervention studies published on developmental disorders in which the cause of the disorder is well known. Nearly all studies focus on autism spectrum disorder. Trends over the past year emphasize modular interventions with design improvements including comparisons of two active treatments and larger and more diverse samples. Far more community-implemented treatments on understudied populations were conducted, including minimally verbal children, girls, very young infants, and low-resourced families. Finally, new pilot data on prevention and neural mechanisms were published. SUMMARY An uptick in the number of rigorous tests of different interventions conducted in real-world settings with outcomes focused on core deficits bodes well for wide dissemination and implementation by nonspecialists in the community. Pilot and uncontrolled data on prevention and mechanism await further rigorous testing before conclusions can be drawn.
CONSTRAINING THE PHYSICAL CONDITIONS IN THE JETS OF γ-RAY FLARING BLAZARS USING CENTIMETER-BAND POLARIMETRY AND RADIATIVE TRANSFER SIMULATIONS. I. DATA AND MODELS FOR 0420−014, OJ 287, AND 1156+295

To investigate parsec-scale jet flow conditions during GeV γ-ray flares detected by the Fermi Large Angle Telescope, we obtained centimeter-band total flux density and linear polarization monitoring observations from 2009.5 through 2012.5 with the 26 m Michigan radio telescope for a sample of core-dominated blazars. We use these data to constrain radiative transfer simulations incorporating propagating shocks oriented at an arbitrary angle to the flow direction in order to set limits on the jet flow and shock parameters during flares temporally associated with γ-ray flares in 0420−014, OJ 287, and 1156+295; these active galactic nuclei exhibited the expected signature of shocks in the linear polarization data. Both the number of shocks comprising an individual radio outburst (3 and 4) and the range of the compression ratios of the individual shocks (0.5–0.8) are similar in all three sources; the shocks are found to be forward-moving with respect to the flow. While simulations incorporating transverse shocks provide good fits for 0420−014 and 1156+295, oblique shocks are required for modeling the OJ 287 outburst, and an unusually low value of the low-energy cutoff of the radiating particles' energy distribution is also identified. Our derived viewing angles and shock speeds are consistent with independent Very Long Baseline Array results. While a random component dominates the jet magnetic field, as evidenced by the low fractional linear polarization, to reproduce the observed spectral character requires that a significant fraction of the magnetic field energy is in an ordered axial component. Both straight and low pitch angle helical field lines are viable scenarios.
Filtering power divider for differential input and output signals

A power divider with differential input and output ports is proposed in this paper. The proposed power divider consists of three coupled resonators and exhibits a bandpass filter response. Good frequency selectivity could hence be obtained. A 2.45-GHz differentially operated power divider has been fabricated on an RO4003C substrate and measured by a vector network analyzer. The measured data as well as the simulated results show that the power divider has a better frequency selectivity compared with a traditional one. From the simulated current distribution, the differential operation at the output ports with the differentially input signal could be validated.
Risk management in enterprise resource planning implementation: a new risk assessment framework

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) projects are risky. But if they are implemented appropriately, they can provide competitive advantage to organisations. Therefore, ERP implementation has become one of the most critical aspects of today's information management research. The main purpose of this article is to describe a new ERP risk assessment framework (RAF) that can be used to increase the success of ERP implementation. In this article, through a case study based in a leading UK-based energy service provider, we demonstrate the new RAF, which has been shown to help identify and mitigate risks in ERP implementation. In contrast to other research, this RAF identifies risks hierarchically in external engagement, programme management, work stream and work package levels across technical, schedule, operational, business and organisational categories. This not only helped to develop responses to mitigate risks but also facilitates on-going risk control.
Studies on the Involvement of the Exopolysaccharide Produced by Cystic Fibrosis-Associated Isolates of the Burkholderia cepacia Complex in Biofilm Formation and in Persistence of Respiratory Infections

ABSTRACT Bacteria belonging to the Burkholderia cepacia complex (BCC) are important opportunistic pathogens that lead to respiratory infections in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). The clinical outcome following colonization with BCC bacteria is highly variable, and so far, unpredictable. A large percentage (80 to 90%) of BCC isolates from CF patients produce the exopolysaccharide (EPS) cepacian, which has been hypothesized to play a role in the colonization and persistence of these bacteria in the CF lung. In this work, we demonstrate that although it is not required for the initiation of biofilm formation, cepacian plays a role in the establishment of thick biofilms. This conclusion was based on a comparison of the abilities of EPS-defective mutants derived from a B. cepacia mucoid CF isolate by random plasposon insertion mutagenesis and the ability of the parental strain to form biofilms. However, the systematic characterization of 108 CF isolates, corresponding to 15 distinct strains, indicated that other strain-dependent factors are also involved in the development of thick, mature biofilms. The isolates examined belonged to the species B. cepacia, B. multivorans, B. cenocepacia, and B. stabilis and were obtained during a 7-year period of surveillance from 21 CF patients receiving care at the major Portuguese CF center. Most of them (90%) were serial isolates from 12 persistently infected patients. In spite of the concept that bacteria growing in biofilms display more resistance to antibiotics and to host phagocyte killing than do planktonically growing cells, no clear correlation could be established between the ability of the various strains examined to produce EPS and/or to form biofilms in vitro and the persistence or virulence of the respiratory infections they caused in different patients.
Auditing absence due to sickness

EDITOR,—Martin McKee and colleagues highlight some difficulties with the use of routine data for audit and refer to experience in obstetrics.1 In occupational health practice we have encountered similar problems in setting up a system to audit absence attributed to sickness. Certificates for absences due to sickness of more than seven days are obtained by employees from general practitioners and usually forwarded to the employer's personnel or finance department. For self certified spells of illness of shorter …
Angiotensin-converting enzyme: clinical applications and laboratory investigations on serum and other biological fluids.

Angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) is a peptidyldipeptide hydrolase that is located mainly on the luminal surface of vascular endothelial cells but also in cells derived from the monocyte-macrophage system. Physiologically, ACE is a key enzyme in the renin-angiotensin system, converting angiotensin I into the potent vasopressor angiotensin II and also inactivating the vasodilator bradykinin. Increased serum ACE activity (SACE) has been reported in pathologies involving a stimulation of the monocytic cell line, primarily granulomatous diseases. Sarcoidosis is the most frequent and the better studied of these diseases; high SACE is not only a well-established marker for the diagnosis but is also a useful tool for following its course and evaluating the effect of therapy. SACE can also be increased in nonsarcoidotic pulmonary granulomatous diseases such as silicosis and asbestosis, in extrathoracic granulomatous pathologies such as Gauchers disease and leprosis, and, to a lesser extent, in nongranulomatous disorders such as hyperthyroidism or cholestasis. On the other hand, monitoring sarcoidosis obviates the measurement of ACE activity in other biological fluids, e.g., broncho-alveolar and cerebrospinal fluids, in the search of a locoregional dissemination or dis-simulation of the disease. Decreased SACE has been reported in vascular pathologies involving an endothelial abnormality, e.g., deep vein thrombosis, and in endothelium dysfunctions related to the toxicity of chemo- and radiotherapy used in cancers, leukemias, and hematopoietic or organ transplantations. SACE is also of interest for monitoring arterial hypertension treated with specific synthetic ACE inhibitors. These various reasons for determining ACE activity have led to the development of numerous methods. The most widely used is the spectrophotometric assay using hippuryl-histidyl-leucine as substrate. Fluorimetric and radiochemical assays using both classic and novel substrates have been proposed, but they are time consuming, require special apparatus, and are not suited to automation. Kinetic spectrophotometry of furylacryloyl-phenylalanyl-glycyl-glycine hydrolysis is now used extensively because it is easy to automatize. Efforts are now required to standardize one or more of these assays. Indeed, "normal" plasma values differ not only according to the substrate, but also to the method of determination and to sex and age.
Evaluation of the Humoral Immune Response of Wistar Rats Submitted to Forced Swimming and Treated with Fluoxetine

The term stress was introduced into the biomedical field by Hans Selye (1936) in reference to a General Adaptation Syndrome which would consist of all non-specific systemic reactions that occur during an intense and chronic exposure to a stressor (e.g., pressure at work and poor diet). This syndrome would be different from the specific adaptive reactions (such as muscle hypertrophy caused by exercise performed on a regular basis) and immune responses (Selye, 1936).
Three-dimensional finite element simulations of the mechanical response of the fingertip to static and dynamic compressions

The analysis of the mechanics of the contact interactions of fingers/handle and the stress/strain distributions in the soft tissues in the fingertip is essential to optimize design of tools to reduce many occupation-related hand disorders. In the present study, a three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) model for the fingertip is proposed to simulate the nonlinear and time-dependent responses of a fingertip to static and dynamic loadings. The proposed FE model incorporates the essential anatomical structures of a finger: skin layers (outer and inner skins), subcutaneous tissue, bone and nail. The soft tissues (inner skin and subcutaneous tissue) are considered to be nonlinearly viscoelastic, while the hard tissues (outer skin, bone and nail) are considered to be linearly elastic. The proposed model has been used to simulate two loading scenarios: (a) the contact interactions between the fingertip and a flat surface and (b) the indentation of the fingerpad via a sharp wedge. For case (a), the predicted force/displacement relationships and time-dependent force responses are compared with the published experimental data; for case (b), the skin surface deflection profiles were predicted and compared with the published experimental observations. Furthermore, for both cases, the time-dependent stress/strain distributions within the tissues of the fingertip were calculated. The good agreement between the model predictions and the experimental observations indicates that the present model is capable of predicting realistic time-dependent force/displacement responses and stress/strain distributions in the soft tissues for dynamic loading conditions.
BK potassium channels control transmitter release at CA3–CA3 synapses in the rat hippocampus

Large conductance calcium‐ and voltage‐activated potassium channels (BK channels) activate in response to calcium influx during action potentials and contribute to the spike repolarization and fast afterhyperpolarization. BK channels targeted to active zones in presynaptic nerve terminals have been shown to limit calcium entry and transmitter release by reducing the duration of the presynaptic spike at neurosecretory nerve terminals and at the frog neuromuscular junction. However, their functional role in central synapses is still uncertain. In the hippocampus, BK channels have been proposed to act as an ‘emergency brake’ that would control transmitter release only under conditions of excessive depolarization and accumulation of intracellular calcium. Here we demonstrate that in the CA3 region of hippocampal slice cultures, under basal experimental conditions, the selective BK channel blockers paxilline (10 μm) and iberiotoxin (100 nm) increase the frequency, but not the amplitude, of spontaneously occurring action potential‐dependent EPSCs. These drugs did not affect miniature currents recorded in the presence of tetrodotoxin, suggesting that their action was dependent on action potential firing. Moreover, in double patch‐clamp recordings from monosynaptically interconnected CA3 pyramidal neurones, blockade of BK channels enhanced the probability of transmitter release, as revealed by the increase in success rate, EPSC amplitude and the concomitant decrease in paired‐pulse ratio in response to pairs of presynaptic action potentials delivered at a frequency of 0.05 Hz. BK channel blockers also enhanced the appearance of delayed responses, particularly following the second action potential in the paired‐pulse protocol. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that BK channels are powerful modulators of transmitter release and synaptic efficacy in central neurones.
Effects of morphine on gene expression in the rat amygdala

Influence of morphine self‐administration on gene expression in the rat amygdala was studied using rat genome DNA arrays U34A from Affymetrix. Animals were trained to self‐administer morphine, each having two ‘yoked’ control animals, receiving passive injections of either morphine or saline. After 40 sessions of self‐administration, amygdalae were removed, total RNA was isolated and used to prepare probes for Genechip® arrays. The treatment was found to significantly change abundance of 29 transcripts. Analysis by means of reverse transcription real‐time PCR showed significant changes in abundance of five transcripts: γ protein kinase C (PKC), upstream binding factor 2 (UBF2), lysozyme, noggin and heat shock protein 70 (hsp70). After 30 days of forced abstinence from morphine self‐administration, abundance of hsp70 and lysozyme returned to basal levels. Changes in abundance of UBF2 persisted, and abundance of three additional genes, namely nuclear factor I/A, γ1 subunit of GABAA receptor and the neuronal calcium sensor 1, changed. Additionally, acute as well as chronic intraperitoneal morphine administration changed the abundance of PKC γ, γ1 subunit of GABAA and hsp70 genes.
Trial Consortium for PCR Protocols To A Quality Control Program within a Clinical

Published Ahead of Print 16 April 2014. 10.1128/JCM.00565-14. 2014, 52(6):2144. DOI: J. Clin. Microbiol. Kuile and Steven R. Meshnick Muna Affara, Kephas Otieno, Simon Kariuki, Feiko O. ter Eusebio Macete, Clara Menendez, Pau Cisteró, Fanta Njie, Ayola Akim Adegnika, Carlo Severini, Michela Menegon, Prakash Narayan Singh, Martha A. Clark, Jaco J. Verweij, Ndam, Happy Mkali, Grace Mwangoka, Neena Valecha, Jai Hilaire M. Kenguele, Smaïla Ouédraogo, Nicaise Tuikue Steve M. Taylor, Alfredo Mayor, Ghyslain Mombo-Ngoma, Detect Plasmodium Species Trial Consortium for PCR Protocols To A Quality Control Program within a Clinical
Effects of chronic alcohol consumption on neuronal function in the non‐human primate BNST

Alterations in hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis function contribute to many of the adverse behavioral effects of chronic voluntary alcohol drinking, including alcohol dependence and mood disorders; limbic brain structures such as the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) may be key sites for these effects. Here, we measured circulating levels of several steroid hormones and performed whole‐cell electrophysiological recordings from acutely prepared BNST slices of male rhesus monkeys allowed to self‐administer alcohol for 12 months or a control solution. Initial comparisons revealed that BNST neurons in alcohol‐drinking monkeys had decreased membrane resistance, increased frequency of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSCs) with no change in spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs). We then used a combined variable cluster analysis and linear mixed model statistical approach to determine whether specific factors including stress and sex hormones, age and measures of alcohol consumption and intoxication are related to these BNST measures. Modeling results showed that specific measures of alcohol consumption and stress‐related hormone levels predicted differences in membrane conductance in BNST neurons. Distinct groups of adrenal stress hormones were negatively associated with the frequency of sIPSCs and sEPSCs, and alcohol drinking measures and basal neuronal membrane properties were additional positive predictors of inhibitory, but not excitatory, PSCs. The amplitude of sEPSCs was highly positively correlated with age, independent of other variables. Together, these results suggest that chronic voluntary alcohol consumption strongly influences limbic function in non‐human primates, potentially via interactions with or modulation by other physiological variables, including stress steroid hormones and age.
Cyclo‐oxygenase mediation of endotoxin‐induced fever, anterior and posterior pituitary hormone release, and hypothalamic c‐Fos expression in the prepubertal pig

Prepubertal pigs (n = 8) treated with bacterial endotoxin (20 micrograms lipopolysaccharide; LPS) exhibited a sustained (4 h) hyperthermia, increased plasma concentrations of cortisol, prolactin, growth hormone and vasopressin, but no change in adrenaline or noradrenaline levels was observed. All these effects were prevented or attenuated when the animals were pretreated intravenously with the cyclo‐oxygenase inhibitor indomethacin (IND; 2 mg/kg). Similarly, in pigs (n = 3 per treatment) given IND, LPS or IND + LPS, parallel changes in the neuronal expression of c‐Fos were observed in hypothalamic regions concerned with thermoregulation, neurohypophysial secretion, and the control of pituitary‐adrenocortical function. The stimulatory action of LPS in the median preoptic, supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei was prevented by IND, whereas IND given alone was without effect. These findings suggest that inducible cyclo‐oxygenase pathways are responsible for the febrile and neuroendocrine effects of endotoxin in this species.
Cytotoxic and cytolytic activity of nonadecafluoro-n-decanoic acid on Acholeplasma laidlawii

We studied the interactions between the perfluorinated fatty acid nonadecafluoro-n-decanoic acid (NDFDA) and the cell wall-less procaryote Acholeplasma laidlawii, which were cultured in an identical medium base but with different serum supplements. When grown in mycoplasma media supplemented with PPLO serum fraction (Difco Laboratories, Detroit, Mich.), A. laidlawii was rapidly killed by low concentrations of toxicant (less than 1.0 mM). At higher concentrations (greater than 10 mM), NDFDA treatment appeared to lyse cells. A. laidlawii cells grown in horse serum-supplemented mycoplasma media were both killed and lysed at the same NDFDA concentration (greater than 10 mM). These data suggest that this perfluorinated fatty acid can be cytotoxic and cytolytic to mycoplasmas. Changes in active concentrations occurred in parallel with changes in growth medium serum supplementation, which is known to alter mycoplasma membrane composition. We propose that NDFDA interacts with the membranes of A. laidlawii cells, resulting in cell death or cell lysis or both.
Past Present

In 2014, the Development in Language Theory conference took place in the city of Yekaterinburg, in the Ural mountains of Russia. I used to live there. In Soviet times, there were no international conferences in the city. The whole region of the Urals was closed to foreigners. As I walked the streets of Yekaterinburg, I thought of my friends there and of Faulkner's lines The past is never dead. It isn't even past. To Misha Volkov on the occasion of his 60th anniversary The Urals. Since 2001, a Development in Language Theory (DLT) conference takes place in Europe in odd years and outside Europe in even years. The 2014 venue was Yekaterinburg. I lived there from 1959 to 1971. The city was called Sverdlovsk in Soviet times. Yekaterinburg is in Asia but barely. We used to hike to a simple stone in the forest marking the Europe-Asia border. Nowadays the border is closer to the city. Both the city and Europe seem to expand a little. The border, marked with a handsome monument, became a tourist attraction. Yekaterinburg is the industrial and cultural center of the Urals, though it has a rival of sorts in the city of Chelyabinsk located about 200 km south of Yekaterinburg. In the morning of February 15, 2013, a large meteor exploded over Chelyabinsk. The Russian reaction was characteristically twofold: conspiracy theories and jokes. The very next day, a childhood friend of mine (I grew up in Chelyabinsk) forwarded to me a little anonymous poem: Íè÷åãî òàê íå áîäðèò êàê ñ óòðà ìåòåîðèò. In loose translation: But nothing energizes like a meteoric morning strike. UrGU, the Ural State University. The DLT lectures were given in the main building of the Ural State University. The university is known by an acronym UrGU where G re ects the st letter of the