Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Five-Week Resistance Training in Hypoxia on Hormones and Muscle Strength

Abstract Yan, B, Lai, X, Yi, L, Wang, Y, and Hu, Y. Effects of five-week resistance training in hypoxia on hormones and muscle strength. J Strength Cond Res 30(1): 184–193, 2016—The effects of different levels of systemic hypoxia on hormonal responses, strength, and body composition to 5-week resistance training were investigated. Twenty-five male subjects were randomly assigned into 3 experimental groups that performed 10 sessions (2 sessions per week) of barbell back squat (10 repetitions, 5 sets, 70% 1 repetition maximum [RM]) under normoxia (NR, FiO2 = 21%) and hypoxia (HL, FiO2 = 16%; HH, FiO2 = 12.6%). Serum growth hormone (GH), testosterone (T), and cortisol (C) concentrations were measured before (Pre) and at 0 (T-0), 15 (T-15), 30 (T-30) minutes after exercise in the first and last training sessions. One repetition maximum, isometric knee extension, isometric leg press (LP), and body composition were evaluated before and after the protocol. In the first session, GH of HH (p < 0.01) and HL (p < 0.01) was higher than NR at T-0. In the last session, only GH of HH was higher than NR at T-0 (p ⩽ 0.05); meanwhile, T/C ratio of HH was higher than NR at Pre (p < 0.01), T-0 (p < 0.01), and T-15 (p ⩽ 0.05). Following the training protocol, HH showed greater (p ⩽ 0.05) improvement of isometric LP strength compared with NR; lean body mass was increased in the hypoxia groups only. Moderate-intensity resistance training performed in severe hypoxia (FiO2 = 12.6%) induced greater GH responses and isometric strength gains in LP than that in NR. FiO2 of 12.6% was recommended when performing the moderate-intensity resistance training under systemic hypoxia.
Automatic Classification of Ground-Penetrating-Radar Signals for Railway-Ballast Assessment

The ground-penetrating radar (GPR) has been widely used in many applications. However, the processing and interpretation of the acquired signals remain challenging tasks since an experienced user is required to manage the entire operation. In this paper, we present an automatic classification system to assess railway-ballast conditions. It is based on the extraction of magnitude spectra at salient frequencies and their classification using support vector machines. The system is evaluated on real-world railway GPR data. The experimental results show that the proposed method efficiently represents the GPR signal using a small number of coefficients and achieves a high classification rate when distinguishing GPR signals reflected by ballasts of different conditions.
Engineering semiconductor nanowires for photodetection: from visible to terahertz

III–V semiconductor nanowires combine the properties of III–V materials with the unique advantages of the nanowire geometry, allowing efficient room temperature photodetection across a wide range of photon energies, from a few eV down to meV. For example, due to their nanoscale size, these show great promise as sub-wavelength terahertz (THz) detectors for near-field imaging or detecting elements within a highly integrated on-chip THz spectrometer. We discuss recent advances in engineering a number of sensitive photonic devices based on III–V nanowires, including InAs nanowires with tunable photoresponse, THz polarisers and THz detectors.
Sliding mode-like congestion control for communication networks with heterogeneous applications

This paper develops a fair and efficient congestion control framework using robust sliding mode control. It not only considers the limitations of current optimal congestion control approach, but also guarantees the performance of heterogeneous applications with different Quality of Service (QoS) requirements. By further proposing enhanced sliding mode-like congestion control algorithms, the paper addresses two critical issues raised from previous work [1], namely, the rigorous stability of the system and the sensitivity of design parameter. The thorough treatment makes the framework practically applicable, as well as retains its appealing properties. Moreover, the paper summarizes the applications of sliding mode approach in communication networks and highlights its great potential ahead.
APOE genotype is a major predictor of long-term progression of disability in MS

To the Editor: In a recent article, Chapman et al.1 described a statistical association of the APOE genotype with long-term progression of disability in MS. They showed that the APOE-ε4 allele was not associated with higher risk of developing MS, but was associated with accumulation of disability (p 0.002); other studies have shown an association between MS disease activity and APOE-ε4 as well. It has been shown recently that genetic loci for autoimmune/inflammatory disorders tend to cluster or colocalize throughout the genome,2-5 suggesting, in some cases, common or shared loci involving underlying immune regulatory pathways. The overlap of inflammatory loci is particularly true on chromosome 19q13 at the point containing the APOE gene. The table shows polymorphic markers linked to autoimmune/inflammatory diseases that are identical, overlap, or are within 10 centimorgans of the APOE locus that has been associated with MS progression of disability. A number of candidate loci for susceptibility to infectious organisms have been mapped to this point as well (data not shown). These human diseases shown here include MS, celiac disease, asthma, type I diabetes, and systemic lupus erythematosus—all of which involve progressive disability brought on by chronic, immune-mediated tissue damage. Similarly, AD has been linked and associated with APOE-ε4 and is thought to have an inflammatory component. Overlap of multiple loci from multiple diseases to the point containing the APOE gene could occur for a number of reasons. These reasons could include coincidental associations, statistical artifacts, or biological artifacts due to gene and chromosome structural organization. One possible biological interpretation of multiple clinically related diseases mapping to identical or overlapping genetic intervals is that the contribution of the APOE genotype may not be disease specific, but may predispose to a basic component of the inflammatory response, which manifests itself in different immune-mediated diseases with an inflammatory component.
Kinetic Evidence for the Presence of Putative Germination Receptors in Clostridium difficile Spores

ABSTRACT Clostridium difficile is a spore-forming bacterium that causes Clostridium difficile-associated disease (CDAD). Intestinal microflora keeps C. difficile in the spore state and prevents colonization. Following antimicrobial treatment, the microflora is disrupted, and C. difficile spores germinate in the intestines. The resulting vegetative cells are believed to fill empty niches left by the depleted microbial community and establish infection. Thus, germination of C. difficile spores is the first required step in CDAD. Interestingly, C. difficile genes encode most known spore-specific protein necessary for germination, except for germination (Ger) receptors. Even though C. difficile Ger receptors have not been identified, taurocholate (a bile salt) and glycine (an amino acid) have been shown to be required for spore germination. Furthermore, chenodeoxycholate, another bile salt, can inhibit taurocholate-induced C. difficile spore germination. In the present study, we examined C. difficile spore germination kinetics to determine whether taurocholate acts as a specific germinant that activates unknown germination receptors or acts nonspecifically by disrupting spores' membranes. Kinetic analysis of C. difficile spore germination suggested the presence of distinct receptors for taurocholate and glycine. Furthermore, taurocholate, glycine, and chenodeoxycholate seem to bind to C. difficile spores through a complex mechanism, where both receptor homo- and heterocomplexes are formed. The kinetic data also point to an ordered sequential progression of binding where taurocholate must be recognized first before detection of glycine can take place. Finally, comparing calculated kinetic parameters with intestinal concentrations of the two germinants suggests a mechanism for the preferential germination of C. difficile spores in antibiotic-treated individuals.
Mechanisms of change underlying the efficacy of cognitive behaviour therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome in a specialist clinic: a mediation analysis

Background Several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have shown that cognitive behavioural psychotherapy (CBT) is an efficacious treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). However, little is known about the mechanisms by which the treatment has its effect. The aim of this study was to investigate potential mechanisms of change underlying the efficacy of CBT for CFS. We applied path analysis and introduce novel model comparison approaches to assess a theoretical CBT model that suggests that fearful cognitions will mediate the relationship between avoidance behaviour and illness outcomes (fatigue and social adjustment). Method Data from 389 patients with CFS who received CBT in a specialist service in the UK were collected at baseline, at discharge from treatment, and at 3-, 6- and 12-month follow-ups. Path analyses were used to assess possible mediating effects. Model selection using information criteria was used to compare support for competing mediational models. Results Path analyses were consistent with the hypothesized model in which fear avoidance beliefs at the 3-month follow-up partially mediate the relationship between avoidance behaviour at discharge and fatigue and social adjustment respectively at 6 months. Conclusions The results strengthen the validity of a theoretical model of CBT by confirming the role of cognitive and behavioural factors in CFS.
Heterogeneity of systemic inflammatory responses to periodontal therapy.

AIMS We investigated the effect of comprehensive periodontal therapy on the levels of multiple systemic inflammatory biomarkers. MATERIAL AND METHODS Thirty patients with severe periodontitis received comprehensive periodontal therapy within a 6-week period. Blood samples were obtained at: 1-week pre-therapy (T1), therapy initiation (T2), treatment completion (T3), and 4 weeks thereafter (T4). We assessed the plasma concentrations of 19 biomarkers using multiplex assays, and serum IgG antibodies to periodontal bacteria using checkerboard immunoblotting. At T2 and T4, dental plaque samples were analysed using checkerboard hybridizations. RESULTS At T3, PAI-1, sE-selectin, sVCAM-1, MMP-9, myeloperoxidase, and a composite summary inflammatory score (SIS) were significantly reduced. However, only sE-selectin, sICAM, and serum amyloid P sustained a reduction at T4. Responses were highly variable: analyses of SIS slopes between baseline and T4 showed that approximately 1/3 and 1/4 of the patients experienced a marked reduction and a pronounced increase in systemic inflammation, respectively, while the remainder were seemingly unchanged. Changes in inflammatory markers correlated poorly with clinical, microbiological and serological markers of periodontitis. CONCLUSIONS Periodontal therapy resulted in an overall reduction of systemic inflammation, but the responses were inconsistent across subjects and largely not sustainable. The determinants of this substantial heterogeneity need to be explored further.
SNCA (α-synuclein)-induced toxicity in yeast cells is dependent on Sir2-mediated mitophagy

SNCA (α-synuclein) misfolding and aggregation is strongly associated with both idiopathic and familial forms of Parkinson disease (PD). Evidence suggests that SNCA has an impact on cell clearance routes and protein quality control systems such as the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) and autophagy. Recent advances in the key role of the autosomal recessive PARK2/PARKIN and PINK1 genes in mitophagy, highlighted this process as a prominent new pathogenic mechanism. Nevertheless, the role of autophagy/mitophagy in the pathogenesis of sporadic and autosomal dominant familial forms of PD is still enigmatic. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a powerful “empty room” model that has been exploited to clarify different molecular aspects associated with SNCA toxicity, which combines the advantage of being an established system for aging research. The contribution of autophagy/mitophagy for the toxicity induced by the heterologous expression of the human wild-type SNCA gene and the clinical A53T mutant during yeast chronological life span (CLS) was explored. A reduced CLS together with an increase of autophagy and mitophagy activities were observed in cells expressing both forms of SNCA. Impairment of mitophagy by deletion of ATG11 or ATG32 resulted in a CLS extension, further implicating mitophagy in the SNCA toxicity. Deletion of SIR2, essential for SNCA toxicity, abolished autophagy and mitophagy, thereby rescuing cells. These data show that Sir2 functions as a regulator of autophagy, like its mammalian homolog, SIRT1, but also of mitophagy. Our work highlights that increased mitophagy activity, mediated by the regulation of ATG32 by Sir2, is an important phenomenon linked to SNCA-induced toxicity during aging.
Building an Evidence Base

awareness of the potential for interventions that promote earlier feed tolerance to prevent acute morbidities in preterm infants, particularly catheter-related bloodstream infection, by reducing exposure to parenteral nutrition [5, 6] . Observational studies have suggested that the induction of early meconium evacuation using routine glycerin enemas improves enteral feeds tolerance and reduces the incidence of nosocomial infection in very preterm infants [7] . However, no RCTs have previously been reported. Given the absence of trial evidence and the biological plausibility of the intervention affecting important outcomes, Khadr and colleagues developed a simple and pragmatic protocol to investigate this common clinical dilemma. They obtained the required local ethical and governance approval and used the enthusiasm and skills of the multidisciplinary clinical team to complete the trial of routine administration of glycerin suppositories versus standard care in less than 2 years. This is an excellent example of ‘bottom-up’ infant and family-focused clinical research. As required by the journal, the RCT followed ‘Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials’ (CONSORT) guidelines and therefore has important methodological strengths (internal validity) that reassure us the findings High-quality randomised controlled trials (RCTs) provide the least biased evidence to inform decisions about interventions to improve care and outcomes for newborn infants [1] . However, undertaking such trials can be logistically difficult and costly, especially in perinatal care settings [2] . Additionally, regulatory and governance restrictions appear to have discouraged a generation of clinicians from engaging in research [3] . Busy clinicians may therefore feel disenfranchised from the research agenda and harbour the impression that goodquality research can be only conducted in large institutions or multicentre collaborations with substantial financial, technical, and administrative support. It is heartening and instructive therefore that this issue of Neonatology contains a report of a good-quality RCT undertaken in a busy neonatal centre without external funding or major research infrastructure support [4] . Khadr and colleagues at Wishaw General Hospital in Scotland undertook an RCT to address the question – ‘Does routine administration of glycerin suppositories promote intestinal functional adaptation and thereby improve enteral feeds tolerance in very preterm infants? ’ This question will be familiar to clinicians involved in the care of preterm infants and probably features most days on many neonatal centre ward rounds. There is growing Received: February 7, 2011 Accepted: February 7, 2011 Published online: March 24, 2011
Towards Formalization of a Method for Data Consistency Support in Mobile Ad-hoc Distributed Systems 1

This paper presents a research-in-progress report on a method for data consistency support in ad-hoc mobile distributed systems. The method is based on a concept of high-level operations "compatibility" and operation history reconciliation with compensations. The described approach is not bound to any particular data storage or communication technology, but in this paper we use tuple spaces as a possible practical medium, which hides network details and mobile nodes heterogeneity. Limits of applicability of the method are described, model and operations are formalized, detailed reconciliation algorithm and communication protocol are discussed.
Plasma dynamic synthesis of iron oxides in the «frequency operation» mode of coaxial magnetoplasma accelerator

It is known that the epsilon phase of iron oxide ε-Fe2O3 has the highest value of coercive force among all known simple metal oxides (∼24 kOe) and is characterized by ferromagnetic resonance in the frequency range from 100 to 200 GHz. The noted features determine the possibility of its wide application. However, there is the problem of synthesis and stabilization this crystal structure at room temperature. In this paper, we consider the possibility to obtain ε-Fe2O3 by the plasma dynamic method when the system is operating in the frequency (multi-pulse) regime. The influence of the number power supply impulses on the phase composition of the synthesized products was studied using X-ray diffractometry.
Effects on silage quality and aerobic stability of different compaction levels in sunflower silage.

TORUK, F. and F. KOC, 2009. Effects on silage quality and aerobic stability of different compaction levels in sunflower silage. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 15: 269-275 In this study, the effects of different compaction levels on the silage quality and aerobic stability of sunflower silage harvested at the beginning (BFS) and end of the flowering (EFS) stages were investigated. Four compaction applications (no compaction (NC), compaction with 150 kPa (C1), 248 kPa (C2) and 498 kPa (C3)) were done in the study. Each treatment was ensiled for 50 days in PVC type’s silos with three replications. Temperature variations were recorded with 5 days interval after opening the silos to detect the aerobic stability of the treatments. It was observed that compaction levels had significant effect on some quality criteria of the BFS and EFS stages. Statistically significant differences were found among the values of pH, DM, NH 3 -N, NH 3 -N/TN, WSC, NDF and ADF in BFS stage against all parameters expect NDF and ADF in EFS stage. Silage characteristics were affected positive increasing compaction levels. Different compaction levels after the opening did not considerable effects on the aerobic stability.
An ontology of linguistic annotations

This paper describes development and design of an ontology of linguistic annotations, primarily word classes and morphosyntactic features, based on existing standardization approaches (e.g. EAGLES), a set of annotation schemes (e.g. for German, STTS and morphological annotations), and existing terminological resources (e.g. GOLD). The ontology is intended to be a platform for terminological integration, integrated representation and ontology-based search across existing linguistic resources with terminologically heterogeneous annotations. Further, it can be applied to augment the semantic analysis of a given text with an ontological interpretation of its morphosyntactic analysis.
Clinical, metabolic, and endocrine parameters in response to metformin and lifestyle intervention in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: A randomized, double-blind, and placebo control trial

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of metformin in addition to diet and exercise on endocrine and metabolic disturbances in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in a prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo (PBO) control trial. Thirty women with insulin resistance and PCOS received lifestyle modification and 1500 mg of metformin or placebo for 4 months. Before and after treatment, body mass index, waist/hip ratio, blood pressure, hirsutism, and menstrual patterns were evaluated. Serum concentrations of gonadotropins, androgens, progesterone, glucose, insulin, and lipids were measured. Lifestyle interventions resulted in similar weight and menstrual cycle's improvements in both groups. A significant reduction in serum fasting insulin, HOMA index, waist and testosterone levels was only observed with metformin. There were no significant changes in androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, gonadotropins, and lipids levels. No other changes were observed in hirsutism or blood pressure. These findings suggest that metformin has an additive effect to diet and exercise to improve parameters of hyperandrogenism and insulin resistance. Although, a small decrease in body weight trough lifestyle changes could be enough to improve menstrual cycles in insulin-resistant women with PCOS.
Judgmental Biases of Individuals with a Fear of Blushing: The Role of Relatively Strict Social Norms.

UNLABELLED Blushing-fearful individuals often expect that others will judge them negatively. In two studies, we tested if this could be explained by having relatively strict beliefs about what is appropriate social behaviour. Study 1 used a student sample (n = 74), whereas study 2 compared a clinical treatment-seeking sample of blushing-fearful individuals (n = 33) with a non-anxious control group (n = 31). In both studies, participants were asked to read descriptions of common behaviours that could be considered as breaching the prevailing social norms but not necessarily so. Participants indicated (i) to what extent they considered these behaviours as violating the prevailing norm and (ii) their expectation of observers' judgments. Study 1 showed that strict norms were indeed related to fear of blushing and that the tendency of fearful participants to expect negative judgments could at least partly explain this relationship. Study 2 showed that high-fearful and low-fearful individuals do indeed differ in the strictness of their norms and that especially the norms that individuals apply to themselves might be relevant. These findings may provide fresh clues for improving available treatment options. KEY PRACTITIONER MESSAGES Blushing-fearful individuals attribute relatively strict social norms to other people about which behaviours are appropriate and which are not and have stricter personal norms as well. Blushing-fearful individuals' tendency to expect overly negative judgments in ambivalent social situations can partly be explained by their relatively strict social norms. Having relatively strict social norms may (also) explain why blushing-fearful individuals report to blush often and intensely. It may be worthwhile to address strict social norms in therapy for fear of blushing.
Robust SSD tracking with incremental 3D structure estimation

While the geometric aspects of structure and motion estimation from uncalibrated images are well understood, and it has great promise in applications, it has not seen widespread use. In this paper we combine SSD tracking with incremental structure computation into a system computing both motion and structure on-line from video. We show how in combination the structure estimation and tracking benefit each other, resulting in both better structure and more robust tracking. Particularly, through the 3D structure, our method can manage visibility constraints, add new image patches to track as they come into view and remove ones that are occluded or fail. This allows tracking over larger pose variations than possible with conventional SSD tracking (e.g. going around an object or scene where new parts come into view.) Experiments demonstrate tracking and capture of a scene from a camera trajectory covering different sides without mutual visibility.