Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Technical adaptations of competitive sprinters induced by bend running

Dr. Andrew Harrison lectures Sports Biomechanics at the University of Limerick in Ireland. He is the editor for the International Society for Biomechanics in Sports web based Coach Information Service in Track Athletics. He is also the coach of Gary Ryan. The effect of lane draw is believed to be a significant factor in determining sprint performance, especially in indoor 200m and 400m races. Anecdotal and mathematical evidence suggests that there is a disadvantage in running in lanes of lesser radius in the 200m. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of bend radius on sprint performance and on deterministic parameters of sprinting namely, stride length (defined as the length of a single step), stride frequency, ground contact time and lower limb kinematics. Thirteen competitive sprinters were video-taped while running at maximum speed in lanes 1 and 4 of an indoor track and lanes 1 and 8 and of an outdoor track. A 10m segment of the sprint was captured on a panning video camera located at the centre of the curve. The video data was digitised using Peak Motus ®, corrected for the effects of pan and tilt of the camera and the kinematic data were determined. Results showed significant differences in contact time, stride length, stride frequency and range of motion of the left knee due to differences in bend radius. It is suggested that the change in contact time is due to an accommodation by the athlete for the effects of centripetal force, thus also affecting the stride length and rate. A B S T R A C T
CR Embedded Submanifolds of CR
 Manifolds

We develop a complete local theory for CR embedded submanifolds of CR manifolds in a way which parallels the Ricci calculus for Riemannian submanifold theory. In particular, we establish the subtle relationship between the submanifold and ambient standard tractor bundles, allowing us to relate the respective normal Cartan (or tractor) connections via a CR Gauss formula. The CR invariant tractor calculus of CR embeddings is developed concretely in terms of the Tanaka-Webster calculus of an arbitrary (suitably adapted) ambient contact form. This enables straightforward and explicit calculation of the pseudohermitian invariants of the embedding which are also CR invariant. These are extremely difficult to find and compute by more na\"ive methods. We conclude by establishing a CR analogue of the classical Bonnet theorem in Riemannian submanifold theory.
UNDERSTANDING TEACHER IDENTITY THROUGH THE USE OF EPORTFOLIOS WITH PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS

In this study, we shared findings from selected student teachers in National Institute of Education (a teacher education institution in Singapore) who have created eportfolios that presented their learning and teaching practicum experiences. The eportfolios were constructed with the aim to document their learning journey and teaching practices, and to reflect and showcase what they have achieved. Data were extracted from their eportfolio artifacts in order to seek evidence of their teacher identity formed during this process. The main research questions addressed in this paper were: ―What type of teacher identity was reflected through pre-service teachers’ use of eportfolios? ‖; and ―How their teacher identity developed in different contexts over time? ‖ The paper concluded that student teachers‘ identities evolved as they went through the teacher education program. Such identity constructions are never fixed, and develop under the influence of student teachers‘ surrounding contexts and experiences.
1 Implementation of a New Quasi-Optimal Controller Tuning Algorithm for Time-Delay Systems

Systems and models with dead time or aftereffect, also called hereditary, anisochronic or time-delay systems (TDS), belonging to the class of infinite dimensional systems have been largely studied during last decades due to their interesting and important theoretical and practical features. A wide spectrum of systems in natural sciences, economics, pure informatics etc., both real-life and theoretical, is affected by delays which can have various forms; to name just a few the reader is referred e.g. to (Górecki et al., 1989; Marshall et al., 1992; Kolmanovskii & Myshkis, 1999; Richard, 2003; Michiels & Niculescu, 2008; Pekař et al., 2009) and references herein. Linear time-invariant dynamic systems with distributed or lumped delays (LTI-TDS) in a single-input single-output (SISO) case can be represented by a set of functional differential equations (Hale & Verduyn Lunel, 1993) or by the Laplace transfer function as a ratio of so-called quasipolynomials (El’sgol’ts & Norkin, 1973) in one complex variable s, rather than polynomials which are usual in system and control theory. Quasipolynomials are formed as linear combinations of products of s-powers and exponential terms. Hence, the Laplace transform of LTI-TDS is no longer rational and socalled meromorphic functions have to be introduced. A significant feature of LTI-TDS is (in contrast to undelayed systems ) its infinite spectrum and transfer function poles decide except some cases of distributed delays, see e.g. (Loiseau, 2000) about the asymptotic stability as in the case of polynomials. It is a well-known fact that delay can significantly deteriorate the quality of feedback control performance, namely stability and periodicity. Therefore, design a suitable control law for such systems is a challenging task solved by various techniques and approaches; a plentiful enumeration of them can be found e.g. in (Richard, 2003). Every controller design naturally requires and presumes a controlled plant model in an appropriate form. A huge set of approaches uses the Laplace transfer function; however, it is inconvenient to utilize a ratio of quasipolynomials especially while natural requirements of internal (impulse-free modes) and asymptotic stability of the feedback loop and the feasibility and causality of the controller are to be fulfilled. The meromorphic description can be extended to the fractional description, to satisfy requirements above, so that quasipolynomials are factorized into proper and stable meromorphic functions. The ring of stable and proper quasipolynomial (RQ)
A simulation-based evidence on the improved performance of a new modified leverage adjusted heteroskedastic consistent covariance matrix estimator in the linear regression model

In this paper, we present a new heteroskedastic consistent (HC) covariance matrix estimator which considers the effect of leverage observations and which has a better approximation of its true asymptotic distribution. We point out that the basic motivation behind this new modified HC estimator is to provide an estimator which does not require any user specified values. In terms of bias and mean squared error (MSE), a Monte Carlo simulation study provided evidence that this new estimator has better small sample properties over some existing estimators. A real-life example also evaluated the finite sample behavior in comparison to those existing estimators.
Panobinostat Potentiates Temozolomide Effects and Reverses Epithelial–Mesenchymal Transition in Glioblastoma Cells

Glioblastoma is the most common form of glioma, as well as the most aggressive. Patients suffering from this disease have a very poor prognosis. Surgery, radiotherapy, and temozolomide are the only approved treatments nowadays. Panobinostat is a pan-inhibitor of histone deacetylases (HDACs) that has been shown to break some pathways which play an important role in cancer development. A global intention of using panobinostat as a therapeutic agent against glioblastoma is beginning to be a reality. We have treated the LN405 glioblastoma cell line with temozolomide, panobinostat, and combined treatment, in order to test apoptosis, colony formation, and a possible molecular reversion of the mesenchymal phenotype of the cells to an epithelial one. Our results show that panobinostat decreased N-cadherin levels in the LN405 glioblastoma cell line while it increased the expression of E-cadherin, which might be associated with a mesenchymal–epithelial transition in glioblastoma cells. Colony formation was reduced, and apoptosis was increased with treatments. Our research highlights the importance of panobinostat as a potential adjuvant therapy to be used with temozolomide to treat glioblastoma and the advantages of the combined treatment versus temozolomide alone, which is currently the first-line treatment used to treat this tumor.
The energy balance and vertical thermal structure of two small boreal lakes in summer

Two small lakes in Sweden were studied using one-dimensional approach. Their summer energy balance and temperature structure were considered based on measurements and on modelling on different scales. Tamnaren is a vertically-mixed lake because it is very shallow and has a large surface area. RÅksjo is small, sheltered and typically stratified during summer. Model adjustments and calibrations were made using detailed microm-eteorological input data, considering areal variations. Components of the heat balance were determined in order to solve for water temperature and heat exchange. Absorption of energy inside water was determined on the basis of measurements. The vertical temperature structure was solved using a ke-model. The results clearly show that sheltering caused by shores must be taken into account. Modifying the wind speed has a strong effect on temperature, especially at greater depths, and on heat balance. An isothermal box lake model, the SLAB model, was used with the same input. Surface temperature is strongly influenced by meteorological conditions, and both models solve it very similarly. Diurnal temperature variations, which can be as much as several degrees, are lost with the SLAB model. The PROBE model is able to solve these variations and the vertical temperature profile. However, if the important boundary effects are not taken into account, neither can be solved satisfactorily. Point measurements gave a residual of -53 W m -2 for Tamnaren, and -42 W m -2 for RÅksjo. When wind was reduced to 80% for Tamnaren, and 60% for RÅksjo to account for the net areal effect, the residuals were 0 and -1 W m -2 for the lakes. Temperature profiles were also satisfactorily solved.
The Mediating Effect of Agility: IT's Impact on Firm Performance among U.S. Manufacturing Firms

This study investigates the mechanism through which IT affects performance using mediation analysis to determine if agility, the ability to sense and respond to changes in the market, explains “how” or “why” IT affects performance. The results of the mediation analysis are based on data collected from survey responses from 193 U.S. manufacturing firms. Agility as a mediator was investigated using three testing methods: causal steps strategy, product of coefficients, and bootstrapping. Causal steps strategy tested the direct effects using regression analysis, the product of coefficients tested the statistical significance of the mediation effects assuming the coefficients were normally distributed, and bootstrapping tested the significance of the mediation effects without assuming they were normally distributed by creating a distribution of the product of coefficients. The mediation effect using all three tests was demonstrated, providing a robust confirmation that agility mediates the impacts of IT on firm performance.
Sustainable earth-based vs. conventional construction systems in the Mediterranean climate: Experimental analysis of thermal performance

The building envelope has high potential to reduce the energy consumption of buildings according to the International Energy Agency (IEA) because it is involved along all the building process: design, construction, use, and end-of-life. The present study compares the thermal behavior of seven different building prototypes tested under Mediterranean climate: two of them were built with sustainable earth-based construction systems and the other five, with conventional brick construction systems. The tested earth-based construction systems consist of rammed earth walls and wooden green roofs, which have been adapted to contemporary requirements by reducing their thickness. In order to balance the thermal response, wooden insulation panels were placed in one of the earth prototypes. All building prototypes have the same inner dimensions and orientation, and they are fully monitored to register inner temperature and humidity, surface walls temperatures and temperatures inside walls. Furthermore, all building prototypes are equipped with a heat pump and an electricity meter to measure the electrical energy consumed to maintain a certain level of comfort. The experimentation was performed along a whole year by carrying out several experiments in free floating and controlled temperature conditions. This study aims at demonstrating that sustainable construction systems can behave similarly or even better than conventional ones under summer and winter conditions. Results show that thermal behavior is strongly penalized when rammed earth wall thickness is reduced. However, the addition of 6 cm of wooden insulation panels in the outer surface of the building prototype successfully improves the thermal response.
GONADOSOMATIC INDEX AND FECUNDITY OF AN INDIAN MAJOR CARP LABEO CALBASU IN GOHAD RESERVOIR

In the present study gonadosomatic index and fecundity of an Indian major carp Labeo calbasu in spawning season i.e. from May to August 2007 have been reported. Ovarian weight of the carp ranges from 140±320 g with a mean value of 201±16.56 g. The ovarian weight is almost 20% of the body weight in fully mature fishes. In this study, it has been shown that the fecundity of fish increase with the increase in size, weight of fish and gonad weight. The average weight and length of fish are 1006±75.22g and 38.85±1.29cm respectively. The average fecundity was measured as 402217±30661 ova per fish with an average fecundity of 400.5±8.40 ova per gram of body weight and 10241±401.8 ova per cm of fish length.
The Characteristic Basis Function Method (CBFM): A Numerically Efficient Strategy for Solving Large Electromagnetic Scattering Problems

The objective of this paper is to describe a numerically efficient strategy for solving large electromagnetic scattering problems. This novel approach, termed as the Characteristic Basis Function Method (CBFM), is based on utilizing Characteristic Basic Functions (CBFs)–special functions defined on macro domains (blocks)–that include a relatively large number of conventional sub-domains discretized by using triangular or rectangular patches. The CBFs can be derived either analytically (from PO solutions), or by applying the conventional MoM. Use of these basis functions leads to a significant reduction in the number of unknowns, and results in a substantial size reduction of the MoM matrix. This, in turn, enables us to handle the reduced matrix by using a direct solver, without the need to iterate. Numerical results that demonstrate the accuracy and time efficiency of the CBFM for several representative scattering problems are included in the paper.
Assessing the Impact of Hierarchy on Model Understandability - A Cognitive Perspective

Modularity is a widely advocated strategy for handling complexity in conceptual models. Nevertheless, a systematic literature review revealed that it is not yet entirely clear under which circumstances modularity is most beneficial. Quite the contrary, empirical findings are contradictory, some authors even show that modularity can lead to decreased model understandability. In this work, we draw on insights from cognitive psychology to develop a framework for assessing the impact of hierarchy on model understandability. In particular, we identify abstraction and the split-attention effect as two opposing forces that presumably mediate the influence of modularity. Based on our framework, we describe an approach to estimate the impact of modularization on understandability and discuss implications for experiments investigating the impact of modularization on conceptual models.
Corporate venture capital, strategic alliances, and the governance of newly public firms

We examine the effect of investments by corporate venture capitalists (CVCs) on the governance structures of venture backed IPOs. One of the main differences between CVCs and traditional venture capitalists (TVCs) is that the former often invest for strategic reasons and enter into various types of strategic alliances with their portfolio firms that last well beyond the IPO. We argue that the presence of such strategic alliances will have a significant impact on the governance structure of CVC backed firms when they go public and in the following years. Using a sample of venture backed IPOs, we evaluate several hypotheses concerning the role of CVCs in the corporate governance of newly public firms. We find that strategic CVC backed IPOs have weaker CEOs and more outsiders on the board and on the compensation committee than a carefully selected sample of matching firms. In addition, the probability of forced CEOs turnover is higher for strategic CVC backed IPOs, while at the same time these firms use staggered boards more frequently. In contrast, the governance structures of purely financial CVC backed IPO firms and their matching firms do not exhibit any significant differences.
From the Malthusian to the Modern Growth Regime in an OLG Model with Unions

The passage from the Malthusian Regime to the Modern Regime has been theoretically investigated only in recent times and the understanding of this process is still incomplete. This paper develops a neoclassical OLG model of neoclassical growth which embodies a stylised fact emerged in the second half of the XIX century, especially in European countries, that is the unionisation of labour markets and the diffusion of unemployment insurance systems. The results of this paper suggest that, differently from the previous literature, the diffusion of trade unions - which, causing a simultaneous increase of wages and unemployment, on the one hand reversed the effects of wage on fertility and on the other hand enhanced savings, capital accumulation and output in the long-run - may have triggered or at least favoured the passage.
The Effect of Income on Child Nutrition in China

This study examines the determinants of child nutritional status in China, focusing specially on the household income effect. Data are drawn from China Health and Nutrition Survey, including 4 waves from 1991 to 2000. The empirical relationship between nutritional status and income, on the one hand and other effect factors like mother's height, maternal education, location (urban vs. rural, north vs. south) is investigated. Ordinary Least Squares, Random Effects, Fixed Effects and Instrumental Variables models are used, respectively. In the preferred model, a fixed effects model where income is instrumented, we find that the household income per capita shows no significant impact on the height-for-age z-scores.
Agricultural Production in Roman Italy

This chapter considers the practice and organization of agricultural production in Roman Italy drawing on textual, archaeological, and ethnoarchaeological evidence. As well as reviewing the types of crops cultivated and animals husbanded, it considers broader questions about the scale of production and the social organization of labor (e.g. peasants, slaves, tenants). The chapter outlines the significance of critical new approaches to ancient texts and recent archaeological discoveries for established narratives of agricultural production and agrarian relations. This includes questioning the extent to which peasant farmers were systematically pushed from the land and the significance of oil and wine production in the economic fortunes of the Republican aristocracy. Throughout, examples are used to demonstrate how powerful ancient and modern assumptions (e.g. the self-sufficient peasant, “decline”) shape interpretation of texts and archaeological evidence.
Performance of Male Crossbred Calves as Influenced by Substitution of Grain by Wheat Bran and the Addition of Lactic Acid Bacteria to Diet

To study the effect of wheat bran and lactic acid producing bacteria (LAB) on the performance of calves, 20 crossbred male cattle calves (day old), distributed into two groups were fed on calf starters containing 50 or 0% maize grain, along with green berseem ad libitum and milk as per body weight. Each group was further divided into two sub groups and one subgroup of each group was supplemented with mixed culture of LAB (Lactobacillus acidophilus L. casei, L. Jugarti). Milk feeding was discontinued after 8 weeks of age. The addition of culture increased (p<0.05) DM intake in calves receiving grainless diet from eighth week to the thirteenth one. There was about 21% higher body weight gain and 14% lower feed : gain ratio in culture supplemented calves. DM digestibility was significantly lower (p<0.05) in calves getting grain without culture. The crude protein NDF and ADF digestibility was higher (p<0.05) in grainless than the grain fed group. No major change on rumen fermentation pattern among different treatments was found. The concentration of total volatile fatty acids (TVFA) and protozoa count was higher (p<0.05) in grain fed group. However, lactic acid concentration was higher and rumen pH was lower due to culture feeding. The incidence as well as severity of diarrhoea was reduced in culture supplemented group. The results indicate that crossbred calves can be reared successfully on grainless diet and berseen fodder. The performance of calves was also improved by LAB supplementation. (Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci. 2002. Vol 15, No. 2 : 188-194)
Mohammadpour, E. and Awang, M. (2013) Nonlinear Multi-Scale finite element method to predict tensile behavior of carbon Nanotube-Reinforced

The ability of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to consider as the strongest and stiffest elements in nanoscale composites remains a powerful motivation for the research in this area. This paper describes a finite element (FE) approach for prediction of the mechanical behavior of polypropylene (PP) matrix reinforced with single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). A representative volume element is proposed for modeling the tensile behavior of aligned CNTs/PP composites. The CNT is modeled with solid elements. Modified Morse potential is used for simulating the mechanical properties of an isolated carbon nanotube. The matrix is modeled as a continuum medium by utilizing an appropriate nonlinear material model. A cohesive zone model is assumed between the nanotube and the matrix with perfect bonding until the interfacial shear stress exceeds the bonding strength. Using the representative volume element, a unidirectional CNT/PP composite was modeled and the results were compared with corresponding rule-of-mixtures predictions. The effect of interfacial shear strength on the tensile behavior of the nanocomposite was also studied. The influence of the SWCNT within the polymer is clearly illustrated and discussed. The results showed that polymer's Young's modulus and tensile strength increase significantly in the presence of carbon nanotubes.
Self Determination and Employee Innovative Behaviour in the Nigerian Telecommunication Industry

This study examined the relationship between Self Determination and Employee Innovative Behaviour. Using Cross Sectional Survey design, a sample size of 310 employees from the Telecommunication Industry in the South-South zone of Nigeria was used as respondents. The results drawn from the use of Spearman Rank Order Correlation showed that Self Determination had a significant positive relationship with idea generation and idea development, but weak significant relationship with idea implementation. This result suggest that an empowered employee with autonomy to alter work processes positively will no doubt lend his competence and skills to promoting new ideas in work organization as was observed in the telecommunication sector. Keywords: Self-determination, idea generation, idea development, idea implementation