Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Somersaulting techniques used in high-scoring and low-scoring Roche vaults performed by male Olympic gymnasts

Abstract The aim of this study was to compare the somersaulting techniques used in the 16 highest-scoring and 16 lowest-scoring Roche vaults. Our hypothesis was that the gymnasts performing the highest-scoring Roche vaults would demonstrate a better technique than those performing the lowest-scoring Roche vaults while on the horse (pushing off the horse more effectively), somersaulting (executing most of the required somersaults higher in flight), and landing (showing a greater control). A 16-mm motion picture camera, operating at 100 Hz, recorded the vaults during the official competition. The two-dimensional direct linear transformation was used for spatial reconstruction. The results of t-tests (P < 0.05) indicated that, compared with the low-scoring gymnasts, the high-scoring gymnasts had: (1) greater height of body centre of mass and a more fully extended body position at the horse take-off; (2) greater height of body centre of mass at the peak of post-flight, knee release, and touchdown on the mat; (3) greater horizontal and vertical displacements of body centre of mass, greater somersaulting rotation, and longer time from the knee release to mat touchdown; and (d) markedly smaller landing point deductions. In conclusion, a successful Roche vault is likely when the focus is on: (a) leaving the horse with a large vertical velocity in an extended body position to achieve a high trajectory of centre of mass by first extending the legs, then immediately pushing off the horse vigorously, using the muscles of the upper extremity; (b) grasping the knees immediately after the take-off from the horse, achieving the tightly tucked body position early during the ascent to the peak, and completing two-thirds of the required somersaults at a great height; (c) releasing the knees and extending the body above the top level of the horse; and (d) contacting the mat with a high body centre of mass position.
AUTOMATED SHADOW COMPENSATION IN COLOR AERIAL IMAGES

In urban aerial images, shadows cast by culture features due to solar orientation are usually homogenous and among the darkest regions in images and they make the feature under them unrevealed. This paper presents automatic procedures for shadow detection and radiometric restoration of features under cast shadows in color aerial images for solving problems caused by cast shadows in digital image mapping. This paper investigates the assumptions and conditions of shadow occurrence in urban color aerial images and employs color transformation, spectral ratioing, automatic thresholding, mathematical morphology, and local normalized histogram matching processes under physical model without the requirement of any a priori geometric knowledge or information about the scene and the source of illumination. Experimental results show that the proposed approach not only distinguish shadow regions with high accuracies but also compensate the luminance with color constancy and dramatically improved visualization of features within shadow regions in color aerial images.
Human eosinophil peroxidase enhances tumor necrosis factor and hydrogen peroxide release by human monocyte‐derived macrophages

Inhibition of growth or eradication of experimentally induced tumors has been shown to be accompanied by infiltration of eosinophils and macrophages into the tumor mass. Since macrophages are important mediators of host antitumor activity, the possibility arises that a collaboration may exist between these two cell types in the control of tumor growth.
Intra-Cultural Variance of Chinese Tourists in Destination Image Project: Case of Queensland, Australia

ABSTRACT This paper investigates the notion of “intra-cultural variance” among Chinese tourists/leisure markets. The concept of “intra-cultural variance” in tourism and leisure studies has been under-researched to date, often being located under the umbrella of “cross-cultural” research (Kim & Prideaux, 2005; Tai & Tam, 1996; Tse, Belk & Zhou, 1989). In order to demonstrate the relevance and significance of the “intra-cultural variance” concept in tourism/leisure marketing, particularly within the growing Chinese markets, this paper studied two Chinese markets: namely Mainland Chinese and Singaporean Chinese in Queensland, Australia. This study employed a qualitative approach, utilising tourists/leisure marketing materials in the respective markets. Based upon content and semiotics analyses of 323 marketing materials for Mainland Chinese market and 329 for the Singaporean Chinese market, this paper identifies current marketing themes in each group. It further elaborates comparative elements in the two markets, providing recommendations to the industry marketers. It is finally argued that the concept of “intra-cultural variance” in the Chinese markets has significant marketing implications and continuing research on the notion is essential.
Views of the chairs of Scottish health boards on engagement with quality management and comparisons with English trusts.

OBJECTIVE To describe the views of the chairs of Scottish health boards on the engagement of their boards with healthcare quality and to compare them with the views of the chairs of boards of English acute trusts. The focus of the Scottish Health Boards is on providing and commissioning care, while in England the acute trusts only provide care. METHODS We mailed a questionnaire, based on one used in England, to the 14 health board chairs in NHS Scotland in January 2011. The results were compared with the results of a similar questionnaire given to English acute trust chairs in 2009. RESULTS Most chairs in Scotland (67%) prioritised oversight of quality. Quality is considered at most Board meetings (92%), taking over 20% of time for 69% of chairs. Most boards have local quality targets and feedback quality data to staff. Compared with England, boards in Scotland meet less frequently and focus less on quality (shorter discussions, less frequent data review, fewer local targets) but they are more optimistic about their board's performance. CONCLUSIONS Although most chairs of Scottish boards view quality as a priority, they pay less attention to it than chairs in England, possibly due to their additional role in commissioning care.
Spending on junk food advertising is nearly 30 times what government spends on promoting healthy eating

UK experts are urging the government to take steps to restrict advertising of junk food after a new analysis was published showing that food companies spend much more on such advertising than the government spends on promoting healthy eating. The concerns have been raised by the Obesity Health Alliance of more than 40 leading health charities, medical royal colleges, and campaign groups, which released details of the analysis on 11 October to coincide with world obesity day. The analysis used data from The Grocer magazine’s top 100 list of advertising spending on fast moving consumer brands, which identifies brands commonly associated with crisps, confectionery, and sugary drinks.1 The analysis showed that companies …
Life and leisure among young adult war refugees in the South Caucasus

Abstract This paper is based on interviews with approximately 400 25–29 year old war refugees who were resident in Tbilisi (Georgia) and Yerevan (Armenia) in 2002. Comparisons are made with locally born samples from the same age group who had been reared in and who were still living in the relevant cities, and additional ‘disadvantaged’ samples from provincial areas in the two countries. It is shown that the refugees' leisure was disadvantaged vis-à-vis that of longer-established capital city dwellers, partly due to the formers' more limited stocks of household leisure equipment, and partly to their lack of relevant (in the cities) socio-cultural capital. However, the refugees' leisure was advantaged vis-à-vis that of age peers who were living in the provinces of their respective countries. Both refugee groups were likely to have gained leisure advantages as a result of their migration to the countries' capital cities. That said, all the main characteristics of the refugees' leisure were much more widespread throughout both countries. The leisure of all groups was characterised by a privatism that had spread with the decline of public sector leisure provisions, the dominance of consumer culture despite the populations' lack of spending power, and the absence of effective voluntary associations.
When conspicuous consumption becomes inconspicuous: the case of the migrant Hong Kong consumers

Hong Kong is often portrayed as a society where conspicuous consumption rules. We wanted to find out whether this peculiar consumer behavior would still be transparent among Hong Kong people who have emigrated to Canada. Through a survey, we tested the subjects’ propensity towards conspicuous consumption (as measured by two established scales) and attempted to find relationships between the dependent variables and a person’s ethnic identification as well as the strength of the person’s ethnic social ties. We failed to find support for the proposition that conspicuous consumption is related to a person’s ethnicity. Offers explanations and directions for future research, and also serves as a warning to the marketer that blindly accepting stereotypes could be erroneous in a practical as well as moral sense.
Adaptación de la docencia de una asignatura de criptografía a las recomendaciones del Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior

This invention relates to certain novel benzoxazinone compounds and derivatives thereof, their synthesis, and their use as oxytocin receptor antagonists. One application of these compounds is in the treatment of preterm labor in mammals, especially humans. The ability of the compounds to relax uterine contractions in mammals also makes them useful for treating dysmenorrhea and stopping labor prior to cesarean delivery.
Multiple inversion recovery MR subtraction imaging of human ventilation from inhalation of room air and pure oxygen

The feasibility of MR subtraction imaging of lung ventilation using air against oxygen using a multiple inversion recovery half‐Fourier single‐shot turbo spin echo (MIR‐HASTE) sequence was investigated. Eight healthy, nonsmoking volunteers (3 males, 5 females; from 27 to 48 years of age) were studied on a 1.5 T MR unit. The ventilation image was obtained from the subtraction of the images acquired with the subject inhaling room air and 100% oxygen. By suppressing the signal from subcutaneous fat and thoracic muscle, MIR‐HASTE improved the subtraction of signal arising from background tissues. Lung parenchyma, pulmonary veins, descending aorta, spleen, and kidney showed high signal difference, but pulmonary arteries exhibited minimal signal difference. Because of minimal signal change in the pulmonary arteries after inhalation of 100% oxygen, the average signal decreases in the left and right lungs including hilus and periphery amounted to only 19.4 ± 4.5 and 20.2 ± 3.4%, respectively, compared with regional averages of 23.6 ± 5.4 and 24.1 ± 3.1% for both lung peripheries alone. Magn Reson Med 43:913–916, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Community-based tourism: a success?

The support of the German Development Agency (GTZ) in part funding 2 this research and publication is gratefully acknowledged. We are grateful to those who took the time to respond to our two surveys, without their contribution this report would not have been possible. When collecting the data reported here we undertook to publish only summarised results in the report and to maintain the anonymity of respondents. This report has been published along with a confidential appendix which has been provided to the funder. A copy of this report has been sent prior to publication to all the organisations reported here. There have been no amendments suggested or requested.
Power source buffering using a triangular modular multilevel converter with energy storage

This paper explores the use of a multi-port DC-DC converter with a 95 VDC output resistive load (which can be roughly divided in half to reach 48 V - a common DC data center voltage) and interfacing a dual-input connection of a 380 VDC ICT system and a 42.9 VDC/ 40.7 A photovoltaic (PV) panel. Ultracapacitors (83 F), as part of an attached power-buffering interface to the converter, are used to help mitigate any unwanted spikes in the power flow from input signals; for this work, the ultracapacitors' effectiveness is tested using the inherently intermittent PV as an input. This converter technology represents the merits of utilizing a singular interfacing device to consolidate the flows between joint generation and load, while maintaining stable output power through the use of a modular energy storage solution.
Statistical properties of compressible hydrodynamic and magnetohydrodynamic turbulence

In this work, statistical properties of compressible hydrodynamic and magnetohydrodynamic turbulence are studied using direct numerical simulations. The properties of turbulent flows change when average flow velocities within the turbulence exceed the speed of sound in the medium. High flow velocities lead to the formation of shocks, and some of the base assumptions of turbulence theories of incompressible fluids no longer hold. This work presents a systematic study of the influence of flow parameters such as the sonic Mach number and the Alfven Mach number on low-order statistical properties of isotropic, isothermal turbulence. Numerical results for both non-magnetic and magnetic turbulence are presented and compared to model predictions. In addition, this work suggests a turbulent cascade mechanism that is governed by momentum conservation in compressible turbulence.
Out of Scandinavia: Facing Social Risks in IT Development in South Africa

South Africa is undergoing a number of changes, which has an effect on every aspect of society from the workplace to everyday life. South Africans need to reflect on this situation and determine how to proceed. The purpose of this article is to consider the development and implementation of information technology, one particular problem area, in this broader context. The article draws an analogy between the trade unionist systems development tradition in Scandinavia and the possible application it might have in South Africa. The article describes the situation in South Africa, presents the trade unionist approach to systems development, and describes the underlying principles that have been identified by Scandinavian researchers. It then evaluates these principles from a South African perspective and discusses the possible uses they might have in the South African situation.
Effect of the series resistance on the Fowler-Nordheim tunneling characteristics of ultra-thin gate oxides

The influence of the series resistance on the Fowler-Nordheim tunneling characteristics of metal-oxide-semiconductor structures with ultra-thin gate oxides (t/sub ox/ = 4.9 nm) is investigated. Because of the nonnegligible potential drop associated with this resistance, the current-voltage characteristics exhibit a shape at the highest fields that can only be accounted for including this effect in the standard treatment. The correction to the oxide field leads to an implicit equation for the current that must be solved numerically. The solution to this problem can also be extended to the case of carbon nanotube electron emitters.
Blended information behaviour in Second Life

The aims of this paper are to provide insight into the information behaviour (IB) of people seeking information related to activities carried out in the virtual world (VW) Second Life (SL) and to identify whether IB models derived from contexts other than VWs are also applicable to SL. Ninety-one interviews, each describing an incident when the interviewee needed information for an SL activity, were carried out in SL itself. Data was analysed using existing research models of IB and inductively. It was established that models of IB derived in real-world settings are also applicable in VWs, and the models are enriched with new SL examples. Information encountering emerged as a dominant mode of information discovery, but behaviours such as browsing, monitoring, purposive search and verifying were also identified. Seven categories of need and four major categories of outcome emerged from inductive analysis of the data. A wide variety of sources were used by the participants and a new term, blended IB, is proposed to describe this varied IB. This study contributes insights into the everyday and practice-based IB of academics and professionals that is lacking in the literature. It can also provide guidance for those supporting information-seeking across new digital channels.
The Nonlinearity of Stress Evolution in Polymer-Metal Composite Thin Films During Thermal Treatment

Composite thin films consisting of multi-layered polymers and metals are widely used in integrated circuits(IC) and its packaging, and it arises intricate wafer warpage problems due to complex inner stress distribution and evolution. The wafer warpage origination and mechanism of a multi-layered polymer-metal composite thin film is identified and analyzed in this paper. Different PI/Cu composite structures are employed to characterize the composite film's thermal mechanism. The wafer warpage evolution during thermal process is measured in-situ by a Multi-beam Laser Optical Sensor system. It's found that the cure shrinkage process of PI at evaluated temperature has little effect on wafer warpage in this work, however, the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatch between the deposited materials contributes to major warpage during cooling to room temperature (RT). Despite the fact that PI cushions impact stress, it exacerbates overall warpage at RT in proportion to thickness. The ECD Cu embedded in PI also accounts for a substantial proportion to overall wafer warpage and leads to a hysteresis loop during the thermal processes, indicating plastic deformation such as grain growth or surficial diffusion or grain boundary diffusion, and the hysteresis can be largely inhibited by PI layers.
Glutathione Transferases and Glutathionylated Hemoglobin in Workers Exposed to Low Doses of 1,3-Butadiene

We evaluated glutathione transferase (GST) activities and the levels of glutathionylated hemoglobin in the RBC of 42 workers exposed to 1,3-butadiene in a petrochemical plant, using 43 workers not exposed to 1,3-butadiene and 82 foresters as internal and external controls, respectively. Median 1,3-butadiene exposure levels were 1.5, 0.4, and 0.1 μg/m3 in 1,3-butadiene-exposed workers, in workers not directly exposed to 1,3-butadiene, and in foresters, respectively. In addition, we determined in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of the same individuals the presence of GST polymorphic genes GSTT1 and GSTM1 and the distribution of GSTP1 allelic variants. Comparing the mean values observed in petrochemical workers with those of control foresters, we found a marked decrease of GST enzymatic activity and a significant increase of glutathionylated hemoglobin in the petrochemical workers. A weak but significant negative correlation was found between levels of 1,3-butadiene exposure and GST activity, whereas a positive correlation was found between 1,3-butadiene exposure and glutathionylated hemoglobin. A negative correlation was also observed between GST activity and glutathionylated hemoglobin. No influence of confounders was observed. Using a multiple linear regression model, up to 50.6% and 41.9% of the variability observed in glutathionylated hemoglobin and GST activity, respectively, were explained by 1,3-butadiene exposure, working setting, and GSTT1 genotype. These results indicate that occupational exposure to 1,3-butadiene induces an oxidative stress that impairs the GST balance in RBC, and suggest that GST activity and glutathionylated hemoglobin could be recommended as promising biomarkers of effect in petrochemical workers. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2008;17(11):3004–12)
Do Funds of Hedge Funds Really Add Value? A 'Post' Crisis Analysis

In spite of a somewhat disappointing performance throughout the crisis, and a series of high profile scandals, investors are showing interest in hedge funds. Still, funds of hedge funds keep on experiencing out-flows. Can this phenomenon be explained by the failure of funds of hedge funds’ managers to deliver on their promise to add value through active management, or is it symptomatic of a move toward greater disintermediation in the hedge fund industry‘ Little attention has been paid so far to the added-value, and the sources of the added-value, of funds of hedge funds. The lack of transparency that is characteristic of the hedge funds arena and makes the performance attribution exercise particularly challenging is probably an explanation. The objective of this article is to fill in the gap. We introduce to this end a return-based attribution model allowing for a full decomposition of funds of hedge funds’ performance. The results of our empirical study suggest that funds of hedge funds are funds of funds like others. Strategic Allocation turns out to be a crucial step in the investment process, in that it not only adds value over the long-term, but most importantly, it brings resilience precisely when investors need it the most. Fund Picking, on the other hand, turns out to be a double-edged sword. Overall, funds of hedge funds appear to succeed in overcoming their double fee structure, and add value across market regimes, although to varying degrees and in different forms.
Success factors in male WTF taekwondo juniors

The most important success factors in sports include body build, conditioning, technical and tactical skills, mental abilities and the experience of a competitor [1]. Since WTF (World Taekwondo Federation) taekwondo was approved for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, it has been the subject of extensive research, where one of the areas of interest is the identification of success factors. Training effectiveness in sport is measured with the best possible performance (result) in the most important competitions. Therefore, many researchers have been interested in establishing success factors in taekwondo. The majority of studies have sought to determine correlations between different indicators and performance in taekwondo, including morphological [2-10], biomechanical [7; 11], conditioning, physiological and psychological indicators [6;8; 12-14] and indicators related to coordination [15]. The aforementioned researchers have found that taekwondo competitors with mesomorphic body build, high levels of speed, strength, endurance and flexibility, as well as shorter reaction times and proper technique have achieved excellent results. Rarely have several success factors in elite taekwondo competitors been analysed simultaneously (in terms of me dals they have or have not won at the highest levels of competition). In the above-mentioned studies, researchers focus ed entirely on single factors that were somatic or physiological. The aim of this study was to identify selected success factors of elite Olympic taekwondo competitors within the context of medals that they have or have not won during Polish Junior Championships (PJCs).
Taenia crassiceps: in vivo and in vitro models

SUMMARY Taenia crassiceps is a cestode parasite of wild and domestic animals that rarely affects humans; it has been widely used as an experimental model. The asexual proliferation by budding is a useful attribute of T. crassiceps cysticerci, which allows the various strains to be maintained indefinitely in the peritoneal cavity of inbred mice. Over the last 50 years, experimental results using larval and adult stages of T. crassiceps have yielded much information on the morphology, infectivity, proliferation dynamics, host immune response, endrocrinological responses and vaccine research, all of which have contributed to our knowledge of cestode biology.