Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
New aspects on trace element metabolism disturbances in man and pet animals

SUMMARY Considering the biological and clinical consequences of trace element disturbances, more attention should be devoted to trace element metabolism and status in humans and animals. In humans, trace element intakes and status are frequently marginal in large segment of the population, resulting in an higher risk of nutrition-related diseases. Regarding the essential protective roles of zinc and selenium against oxidative damage and decline of immune functions, or the beneficial effects of chromium on glucose tolerance, there is now increasing evidence that appropriate supplementations, restoring marginal trace element status, could reduce in human the risk of degenerative diseases, and, in animals could participate to the improvement of functions like reproduction, immunity, or vision and taste. Surprisingly, little information is available concerning the real mineral requirements of pets and additional research also needs to be done to evaluate the efficiency of supplementations. Numerous questions need to be answered about the nature and forms of supplementation, the doses administrated and the duration. Interpretation of the studies is also often limited by, mainly, use of inappropriate indicators of status. Most of the reported parameters reflect biological modifications and few studies focused on clinical or functional signs, such as number of infections, overall health or incidence of diseases. The objective of this paper is to review what is currently known about trace element biological functions, assessment of the status and biological and clinical consequences of trace element metabolism disturbances in man and animals. Recent supplementation trials and their possible beneficial effects will also be evaluated.
Hydrology of malaria: Model development and application to a Sahelian village

We present a coupled hydrology and entomology model for the mechanistic simulation of local‐scale response of malaria transmission to hydrological and climatological determinants in semiarid, desert fringe environments. The model is applied to the Sahel village of Banizoumbou, Niger, to predict interannual variability in malaria vector mosquito populations that lead to variations in malaria transmission. Using a high‐resolution, small‐scale distributed hydrology model that incorporates remotely sensed data for land cover and topography, we simulate the formation and persistence of the pools constituting the primary breeding habitat of Anopheles gambiae s.l. mosquitoes, the principal regional malaria vector mosquitoes. An agent‐based mosquito population model is coupled to the distributed hydrology model, with aquatic‐stage and adult‐stage components. Through a dependence of aquatic‐stage mosquito development and adult emergence on pool persistence, we model small‐scale hydrology as a dominant control of mosquito abundance. For each individual adult mosquito, the model tracks attributes relevant to population dynamics and malaria transmission, which are updated as mosquitoes interact with their environment, humans, and animals. Weekly field observations were made in 2005 and 2006. A 16% increase in rainfall between the two years was accompanied by a 132% increase in mosquito abundance between 2005 and 2006. The model reproduces mosquito population variability at seasonal and interannual timescales and highlights individual pool persistence as a dominant control. Future developments of the presented model can be used in the evaluation of impacts of climate change on malaria, as well as the a priori evaluation of environmental management‐based interventions.
Genetic and morphological differentiation of Mosor rock lizards, Dinarolacerta mosorensis (Kolombatovic, 1886), with the description of a new species from the Prokletije Mountain Massif (Montenegro) (Squamata: Lacertidae)

A new species of lacertid lizard of the genus Dinarolacerta is described from the Prokletije Mountain Massif, Montenegro. This new species, Dinarolacerta montenegrina sp. nov., is characterized by its relatively small size, by usually having only one postnasal scale on one or on both sides of the head, a relatively lower number of temporal and postocular scales and a relatively high number of ventral scales. Osteologically, it is mainly characterized by the complete absence of the anteromedial process in the postocular bone, and more reduced supraocular osteoderms. The phylogenetic analysis using partial sequences of the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene supports the specific status of D. montenegrina sp. nov. and shows that it represents an old independent lineage that separated from its sister species, D. mosorensis, in the late Miocene. The Moraca river canyon may have acted as a geomorphological and climatic barrier causing the speciation between the two species of Dinarolacerta. The discovery of this new species endemic to the Balkan Peninsula highlights the importance of the Dinarides as one of the main European hotspots of biodiversity. This high level of endemicity in the Dinaric region is probably the result of both its geographic situation and its complex geological history and morphology.
Camera recovery of an omnidirectional multi-camera system using GPS positions

This paper describes a novel method for estimating positions and postures of an omnidirectional multi– camera system from its multiple image sequences and sparse position data acquired by GPS. The proposed method is based on a structure-from-motion technique which is enhanced by using multiple image sequences as well as GPS position data. Moreover, the position data are also used to remove mis-tracked features. The proposed method allows us to estimate position and posture without accumulative errors and annoying eﬀects due to moving objects in outdoor environments. The validity of the method is demonstrated through experiments using both synthetic and real outdoor scenes.
Laterality Influences Agility Performance in Elite Soccer Players

Introduction: Laterality (i.e., handedness, footedness, and eyedness) could have an impact on highly repeated soccer movements and thus, could influence performance. The purpose of this study was to examine the laterality of high-level football players and its effects on 180° left and right U-turn movements. Materials and Methods: Handedness, footedness, and eyedness were determined in 72 elite football players (EFP, 18.2 ± 2.2 years) from the Stade Rennais Football Club (French League 1) and 9 amateur football players (AFP, 19.6 ± 2.1 years). Players performed a visual-motor task on a synthetic pitch consisting of 180° left and right rotations as fast as possible in response to a visual light on a computer screen. Movement times and reactive times for each left and right rotation were recorded with an accelerometer and video display. Results: Laterality profiles showed a majority (χ2 = 9.42, df = 2, p = 0.031) of crossed formulas (i.e., dominant leg or hand is controlateral to the dominant eye) for EFP (53 ± 7%) and a majority of non-crossed formulas for AFP (63 ± 9%). Reaction times were significantly faster (p = 0.028, effect size = 0.148, trivial) in EFP right-eyed (568.2 ± 55.5 ms) than in AFP (610.0 ± 43.9 ms). For the left rotation and for right-footed players, movement times were significantly different (p = 0.043, effect size = 0.413, small) between EFP (1.15 ± 0.07 s) and AFP (1.17 ± 0.07 s). A significant difference (p < 0.033) was observed between footedness and rotation movement times in the EFP. Conclusion: Our results showed that laterality profiles differed between EFP and AFP. Hence, in EFP, reaction times depended on the side of the visual stimulus. Moreover, leg laterality of EFP influenced 180° left or right rotation speed. Our results indicate the importance of determining laterality in soccer players and identifying deficits in performance when turning.
GPU-centric communication for improved efficiency

The rise of GPUs as accelerators is reasoned by the claim for power efficient architectures. Despite their remarkable performance while being still power efficient, the main bottleneck of distributed GPU computing remains communication. A hybrid model is required, because the CPU is used to handle communication. Besides performance aspects, this also adds complexity and makes programming even more difficult. Furthermore this affects energy consumption negatively, as either communication models don’t match the GPU architecture, or communication is off-loaded to the CPU which prevents it from entering power
Research Paper: Lateral Abdominal Muscles Asymmetry in Female Patients With Chronic Non Specific Unilateral Low Back Pain Practicing Hollowing Exercises

Introduction: With regard to unilateral pain in some patients with low back pain (LBP), it is advisable to evaluate asymmetrical thickness of lateral abdominal muscles. This study aimed to compare abdominal muscle thickness asymmetry in patients with non specific unilateral LBP during rest and practicing several stabilizing exercises with hollowing maneuver. Materials and Methods: This research has a case-control design. Sixteen female subjects with left and right unilateral LBP and 8 healthy subjects participated in this study. Internal oblique, external oblique and transversus abdominal muscles thickness were evaluated by ultrasound imaging technique in both sides of the subjects’ bodies during rest and hollowing maneuver with 3 stabilizing exercises; bridging, four point kneeling and abdominal crunch. Results: According to the findings, abdominal muscle thickness asymmetry during exercises was more than resting position in two groups but it is not statistically significant. Also, no significant difference was seen between case and control groups regarding abdominal muscle thickness asymmetry. Conclusion: Considering the appearance of asymmetry in healthy subjects, it seems that asymmetry in abdominal muscles cannot be interpreted as pathologic phenomena in LBP subjects.
Exploring Pros and Cons of Ranked Entities with COMPETE

We present COMPETE, a novel approach to explore data using rankings. Utilizing rankings, which succinctly summarize the relative performance of entities, is a very intuitive way to inspecting underlying data. In this work we present an approach where users can understand the dominance of entities and interactively explore data. The approach harnesses diverse precomputed rankings, capturing many different aspects of possible user interest. For a given set of input entities, COMPETE identifies entities that are dominating or are dominated by the input, thus expanding on the relative performance of the input and giving focus on other related entities which are always better (or worse) than the input. We consider several aspects of the dominance relationship and provide different approaches that reflect these nuances. We report on the results of an experimental evaluation over data obtained from the Internet Movie Database (IMDb).
Gamification Model for Virtual Team Collaborative Learning via Cloud Technology

The objectives of the research study were: (1) to synthesize a gamification model for virtual team collaborative learning via cloud technology and (2) to assess the appropriateness of the model. The sample group consisted of five experts selected by purposive sampling. Each expert had experiences in instructional design, gamification of education or game activities in learning, virtual team, collaborative learning, and cloud technology. An evaluation questionnaire used in the study to assess the appropriateness of the model. The statistics used in the study were the arithmetic mean and standard deviation. The results showed that the designed gamification model was the combination of the gamified roles of two main stakeholders, the online and face-to-face learning strategies, and environments. The model composed of three main parts which were Part I: Learner as a Player, Part II: Instructor as a Coach, and Part III: Classroom as an Arena. The experts agreed on the appropriateness of the model at a very good level. Therefore, it is highly feasible for the educators to implement the model.
Metastable plasma structures in knotted magnetic ﬁelds

Recent theoretical and experimental results have proved the existence of certain nontrivial self-organized conﬁgurations of electric charges having ﬁlamentary or layered structures. The role played by the self-generated or externally imposed magnetic ﬁeld in these formations is being much discussed. It is argued that the topological properties of the ﬁeld may cause some metastable plasma conﬁgura-tions, such as current loops with minimum dissipation, that can be persistent under certain conditions if they are coupled to a knotted magnetic ﬁeld. For such a ﬁeld, a hypothesis about some sort of alpha-eﬀect, similar to the same one invoked for astrophysical plasmas, is proposed. In some scenarios, very low dissipative eﬀects can occur in the presence of force-free magnetic ﬁelds. The magnetic ﬁeld diﬀusion can be drastically inhibited due to the reduction on the magnetic diffusivity by the alpha-eﬀect. This also renders a slow decay of both magnetic energy and the magnetic helicity. These quantities provide some constraints to mathematically investigate the global stability of the system conﬁguration. The results can be important to explain some phenomena in both mesoscopic and macroscopic scales, such as plasma ﬁlaments and ball lightning. The latter could be modelized as a set of linked current loops of knotted solitons coupled to the magnetic ﬁeld.
Impact of a natural enemy overwintering refuge and its interaction with the surrounding landscape

1. Egg parasitoids in the genus Anagrus (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) are important mortality factors for grape leafhoppers (Erythroneura elegantula; Homoptera: Cicadellidae) in California vineyards, yet must overwinter in habitats external to these vineyards. Existing evidence suggests that French prune trees, which harbour the overwintering host Edwardsiana prunicola, planted adjacent to vineyards may enhance early‐season abundance of Anagrus.
Upregulation of miR-202-3p reverses Icotinib resistance in lung carcinoma A549/Ico cells

Objective(s): Icotinib exerts a good anti-tumor efficacy on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), while Icotinib resistance has become an important limiting factor in the clinical application. Studies have certified that a great quantity of microRNAs are involved in the development of cancer. The aim of present study is to investigate whether miR-202-3p reduces Icotinib resistance in lung carcinoma A549/Ico cells. Materials and Methods: Icotinib-resistant A549/Ico cells was established in the previous stage. The levels of miR-202-3p in A549 and A549/Ico cells were detected by qRT-PCR. The IC50 of A549 and A549/Ico cells were detected by MTT assay. The mRNA and protein levels of ADP-Ribosylation Factor-like 5A (ARL5A), the functional target of miR-202-3p, as well as the multi-drug resistant (MDR) related genes glutathione s transferase π (GST-π), Multi Drug Resistance 1 (MDR1), multidrug resistanceassociated protein 1 (MRP1) and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) were measured by qRT-PCR and western blot. Results: miR-202-3p was observably down-regulated in A549/Ico cells. Transfection of A549/Ico cells with miR-202-3p reversed the Icotinib resistance and increased cell apoptosis. The levels of ARL5A, GST-π, MDR1, MRP1 and BCRP were significantly down-regulated following the upregulation of miR-202-3p in A549/Ico cells. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that miR-202-3p transfection reduced Icotinib resistance in A549/Ico cells, which could be by its downstream target ARL5A and MDR-related genes. These findings suggest that miR-202-3p may function as a novel therapeutic candidate in patients with MDR lung cancer.
Discovering with Hierarchical Clustering Explorer

Since we publically released Hierarchical Clustering Explorer (HCE) in spring 2002, it has been used for multidimensional data analysis in many domains including biomedical and sociological research. We published a couple of papers on the novel ideas and the technical details about HCE development [1-3]. In this short paper, we will share some stories about the application of HCE to real world problems.
Multi-Agent Based Adaptive Swarm Robotics Control in Dynamically Changing and Noisy Environments ∗

During the past decades, the coordination of multi-robot systems has become a special focus of research due to the growing number of their applications. Formally, a collection of large number of autonomous mobile robots working together is termed as a swarm of mobile robots. Such systems are faced with various tasks including flocking, which we focus on in this paper. The flocking problem is described as forming of large groups of individuals moving together toward a common target location. We study the possibility of multi-agent technologies application to this problem and propose a consensus-based algorithm to control a swarm in dynamically changing and noisy environments. A simulation is presented to validate the effectiveness of the suggested method.
Comparative analysis of selected big data analytics tools

Over the last few years, big data has emerged as an important topic of discussion in most firms owing to its ability of creation, storage and processing of content at a reasonable price. Big data consists of advanced tools and techniques to process large volumes of data in organisations. Investment in big data analytics has almost become a necessity in large-sized firms, particularly multinational companies, for its unique benefits, particularly in prediction and identification of various trends. Some of the most popular big data analytics software used today are MapReduce, Hive, Tableau and Hive, while the framework Hadoop enables easy processing of such extremely large data sets. The current research attempts to create a comparative assessment of five such applications namely IBM SPSS, IBM Watson Analytics, R, Minitab and SAS. The case taken into effect for the test was that of the factors affecting housing affordability in the US. Based on the statistics obtained from the American Housing Survey (AHS) database, the researcher has identified different factors impacting the affordability in the states. The technique of reducing variables though Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and a model based on partial least square regression/polynomial regression was fitted to check the impact on the affordability. The primary findings suggest that majorly age of the head of the household, income earned were the two most important factors affecting the pricing in the region. Also, a comparison is drawn at the end of study with interpretation of the most and least effective applications.
SP EC IM EN CO PY CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL SOIL PROPERTIES INFLUENCING TIO 2 NANOPARTICLES AVAILABILITY IN TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS

Nanotechnology is a new and fast emerging field that involves the design, production and use of structures at the nanoscale. Despite the widespread application of nanotechnology in agricultural, environmental and industrial sectors, a growing concern is coming to light in the recent years about the effects of nanoproducts within different environmental compartments and their likely impacts on human health. Precautionary measures are warranted until possible risks have been elucidated, hence the fate and behavior of nanoparticles in soils and groundwater must be investigated. Using three different Italian soils, we conducted a preliminary investigation of TiO2 nanoparticles (TiO2NPs) behavior in soil suspensions. Aliquots of TiO2-NPs suspensions with and without soil were periodically collected after their preparation, and monitored for aggregate size distribution and Ti concentration. Experimental results suggest that soil properties affect the behavior of TiO2-NPs, in particular the dissolved organic matter as well as the ionic strength seem to be the main influencing factors.
Identifying potentially harmful jellyfish blooms using shoreline surveys

Interactions between jellyfish and aquaculture operations are frequent around the world, with scyphozoan (in particular Pelagia noctiluca) and hydrozoan species documented as causative agents in major fish kills. Identifying areas of major aggregations or incursions of particular species around a coastline is a good starting point when assessing the threat of jellyfish blooms to ex- isting or potential aquaculture facilities. Here we tested the viability of shoreline surveys to identify areas at risk from coastal and/or oceanic jellyfish species. Surveys were undertaken at over 40 sites around the north of Ireland (covering ~1800 km of coastline) from 2009 to 2011 to test 2 specific hy- potheses: (1) strandings of coastal jellyfish species with life cycles involving production of medusae from benthic polyps or hydroids would display a marked spatial consistency over time, although the magnitude of events may vary inter-annually; and (2) incursions of oceanic jellyfish species (lacking polyps) would impact large areas of coastline and be more episodic in nature. Seven jellyfish species known to harm farmed finfish displayed spatially consistent stranding distributions, with major stranding events evident at several locations. More generally, coastal species stranded throughout the study area at the end of summer, whilst oceanic species were found along the exposed north shore of Ireland, washing ashore during the autumn/winter. The numbers of individuals within stranding events were greater for oceanic species (e.g. P. noctiluca, mean ± SE = 1801 ± 978 ind. km �1 ) than coastal species (e.g. Aurelia aurita = 112 ± 51 ind. km �1 ), supporting the idea that large offshore aggregations of P. noctiluca remain a threat to the aquaculture industry across the region.
When and why do implicit measures predict behaviour? Empirical evidence for the moderating role of opportunity, motivation, and process reliance

The ability of implicit measures to predict behaviour varies greatly across studies, emphasising the need for accounts of this variability. In order to organise and review the literature on moderators that influence individuals' information processing, we suggest a classification system of moderators with two dimensions. One dimension distinguishes moderators according to their influence on the opportunity to control, the motivation to control, or the reliance on either automatic or controlled processes without changes in opportunity or motivation. The second dimension classifies moderators according to whether they pertain to a disposition of the acting person, the situation in which the behaviour occurs, or the behaviour itself. Increased predictive validity of implicit measures is associated with conditions that foster the impact of automatic processes on behaviour determination. In the discussion we derive several additional moderators from the classification system, delineate emerging research questions, and discuss implications of the reviewed studies for research on self-regulation.