Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
METABOLIC DEMANDS OF “JUNKYARD” TRAINING: PUSHING AND PULLING A MOTOR VEHICLE

Junkyard training involves heavy, cumbersome implements and nontraditional movement patterns for unique training of athletes. This study assessed the metabolic demands of pushing and pulling a 1,960-kg motor vehicle (MV) 400 m in an all-out maximal effort. Six male, strength-trained athletes (29 ± 5 years; 89 ± 12 kg) completed 3 sessions. Sessions 1 and 2 were randomly assigned and entailed either pushing or pulling the MV. Oxygen consumption (&OV0312;O2) and heart rate (HR) were measured continuously. Blood lactate was sampled immediately prior to and 5 minutes after sessions 1 and 2. Vertical jump was assessed immediately prior to and after sessions 1 and 2. During session 3 a treadmill &OV0312;O2max test was conducted. No significant differences (p > 0.05) in &OV0312;O2, HR, or blood lactate occurred between pushing and pulling efforts. &OV0312;O2 and HR peaked in the first 100 m, and from 100 m on, vehicle. &OV0312;O2 and HR averaged 65% and 96% of treadmill maximum values (&OV0312;O2max = 50.3 ml·kg-1·min-1; HRmax = 194 b·min-1). Blood lactate response from the push and pull averaged 15.6 mmol·L-1, representing 131% of the maximal treadmill running value. Vertical jump decreased significantly pre to post in both conditions (mean = −10.1 cm, 17%). All subjects experienced dizziness and nausea. In conclusion, a 400-m MV push or pull is an exhausting training technique that requires a very high anaerobic energy output and should be considered an advanced form of training. Strength coaches must be aware of the ultra-high metabolic and neuromuscular stresses that can be imposed by this type of training and take these factors into consideration when plotting individualized training and recovery strategies.
HUMAN-ROBOT TRUST: Is Motion Fluency an Effective Behavioral Style for Regulating Robot Trustworthiness?

Finding good behavioral styles to express robot trustworthiness will optimize the usage of robots. In previous research, motion fluency as behavioral style was studied. Smooth robot motions were compared with trembling robot motions. In a video experiment an effect of motion fluency on trust was found, while in an Immersive Virtual Environment (IVE) experiment, no effect was observed [1]. In this research, we explored the question whether the motion fluency effect is present in a short version of an IVE task and disappears when the task is longer. Results indicate this is not the case. Several explanations for this null-effect are discussed and several recommendations for further human-robot trust studies are provided.
The Monetary Approach to Stock Returns and Inflation

The effect of monetary policy and inflation upon the ownership claims to real capital has been studied by several disciplines. In financial economics, the major thrust of research has been to analyze empirically the reaction of the stock market to changes in macroeconomic variables such as the money supply and inflation. In the monetary (macro) economics literature, the impact of changes in the money supply and inflation upon aggregate employment, output and investment is often studied. In contrast to the finance studies, this research typically models the structure of the economy's demand and supply functions and solves for equilibrium prices by imposing rational expectations. Finally, research in international economics evaluates the impact of alternative monetary transmission mechanisms (e.g., exchange rate policies) upon aggregate economic activity. Although these research topics seem to be highly related, the various literatures are almost totally isolated from each other.
Assessment of occupational exposure to welding fumes by inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectroscopy and by the alkaline Comet assay

Welding fumes are classified as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. In the current study, blood and urine concentrations of aluminum (Al), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) were monitored by inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS) in 30 welders and in 22 controls. In addition, DNA damage was examined in the lymphocytes of these subjects by the alkaline Comet assay. Two biological samples were taken from the welders at the beginning (BW) and at the end (EW) of a work week. In controls, collection of samples was limited to BW. Blood concentrations of Cd, Co, Cr, Ni, and Pb were higher in the welders than in the control group while higher concentrations of Al, Cd, Co, Cr, Ni, and Pb were detected in welder urines. There was no significant difference in the metal concentrations for the BW and EW welder samples. Increased levels of DNA damage were found in lymphocytes from welders as compared to the controls, and 20/30 welders had higher levels of DNA lesions in the EW than in the BW samples. Age had a significant effect on DNA damage in the control group. Spearman's rank correlation analysis indicated that there were positive correlations between blood concentrations of Al, Co, Ni, and Pb and the levels of DNA damage. A negative correlation was found between DNA damage and Mn in blood, while there was a positive correlation between urinary Mn concentration and DNA damage. These data indicate that occupational exposure to welding fumes increases DNA damage in lymphocytes. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. , 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A postsynaptic transient K+ current modulated by arachidonic acid regulates synaptic integration and threshold for LTP induction in hippocampal pyramidal cells

Voltage-gated ion channels in the dendrites and somata of central neurons can modulate the impact of synaptic inputs. One of the ionic currents contributing to such modulation is the fast inactivating A-type potassium current (IA). We have investigated the role of IA in synaptic integration in rat CA1 pyramidal cells by using arachidonic acid (AA) and heteropodatoxin-3 (HpTX3), a selective blocker of the Kv4 channels underlying much of the somatodendritic IA. AA and HpTX3 each reduced IA by 60–70% (measured at the soma) and strongly enhanced the amplitude and summation of excitatory postsynaptic responses, thus facilitating action potential discharges. HpTX3 also reduced the threshold for induction of long-term potentiation. We conclude that the postsynaptic IA is activated during synaptic depolarizations and effectively regulates the somatodendritic integration of high-frequency trains of synaptic input. AA, which can be released by such input, enhances synaptic efficacy by suppressing IA, which could play an important role in frequency-dependent synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus.
Frontline : Critical role for Ipaf in Pseudomonas aeruginosa-induced caspase-1 activation

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic Gram-negative human pathogen that is responsible for a broad range of infections in individuals with a variety of predisposing conditions. After infection, P. aeruginosa induces a marked inflammatory response in the host. However the mechanisms involved in bacterium recognition and induction of immune responses are poorly understood. Here we report that the Nod-like receptor family member Ipaf is required for optimal bacterial clearance in an in vivo model of P. aeruginosa lung infection. Further analysis showed that bacterial flagellin was essential for caspase-1 and IL-1b and this activity depended on Ipaf and the adaptor ASC but not TLR5. Notably, P. aeruginosa induced macrophage cell death and this event relied on flagellin and Ipaf but not on ASC. Analysis of Pseudomonas mutants revealed that different amino acid residues of flagellin were critical for sensing by Ipaf and TLR5. Finally, activation of caspase-1 and IL-1b secretion by P. aeruginosa required a functional type III secretion system, but not the effector molecules ExoS, ExoTand ExoY. These results provide new insight into the interaction of P. aeruginosa with host macrophages and suggest that distinct regions of flagellin are sensed by Ipaf and TLR5.
[A guinea pig model of latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis H₃₇Rv infection].

OBJECTIVE To establish the guinea pig model of latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) H₃₇Rv infection, and to study the multiplication dynamics of MTB in vivo, and the relationship between latent MTB infection and PPD skin test. METHODS Sixty-two guinea pigs were randomly divided into the model group (n = 42) and the control group (n = 20), and the model group was subdivided into a 4 weeks group (n = 12), an 8 weeks group (n = 21) and a 12 weeks group (n = 9), challenged by 500 CFU H₃₇Rv with restored toxicity. After 2 weeks challenge, the model groups were treated with isoniazid (INH, 10 mg/kg) + pyrazinamidum aldinamide (PZA, 40 mg/kg) for 4 weeks, 8 weeks and 12 weeks respectively. The natural recurrence of tuberculosis was observed in the model 4 weeks group, and the natural and induced recurrence by dexamethasone was observed in the model 8 weeks group and 12 weeks group. PPD skin test, the pathologic changes, and MTB quantity of organs were observed. RESULTS In the control group, the average MTB quantity of spleen was 3.3 lg CFU after 2 weeks challenge, and the average MTB quantity of spleen and lung in guinea pigs were 4.5 lg CFU and 1.8 lg CFU respectively after 6 weeks challenge, and they reached 5.3 lg CFU and 5.4 lg CFU at 18 weeks respectively. The latent MTB infection of the model 4 weeks group recurred naturally 12 weeks after stopping treatment. The latent MTB infection of the model 8 weeks group recurred naturally and by dexamethasone treatment. The latent MTB infection of the model 12 weeks group did not recur naturally, but dexamethasone induced recurrence. The positive PPD response correlated with recurrence. CONCLUSIONS A latent MTB infection model was established successfully by H₃₇Rv challenge and treatment with INH and PZA. The latent MTB infection may recur naturally or by induction. The PPD response was related to tuberculosis recurrence.
DNA methylation changes associated with risk factors in tumors of the upper aerodigestive tract

Cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) are common forms of malignancy associated with tobacco and alcohol exposures, although human papillomavirus and nutritional deficiency are also important risk factors. While somatically acquired DNA methylation changes have been associated with UADT cancers, what triggers these events and precise epigenetic targets are poorly understood. In this study, we applied quantitative profiling of DNA methylation states in a panel of cancer-associated genes to a case-control study of UADT cancers. Our analyses revealed a high frequency of aberrant hypermethylation of several genes, including MYOD1, CHRNA3 and MTHFR in UADT tumors, whereas CDKN2A was moderately hypermethylated. Among differentially methylated genes, we identified a new gene (the nicotinic acetycholine receptor gene) as target of aberrant hypermethylation in UADT cancers, suggesting that epigenetic deregulation of nicotinic acetycholine receptors in non-neuronal tissues may promote the development of UADT cancers. Importantly, we found that sex and age is strongly associated with the methylation states, whereas tobacco smoking and alcohol intake may also influence the methylation levels in specific genes. This study identifies aberrant DNA methylation patterns in UADT cancers and suggests a potential mechanism by which environmental factors may deregulate key cellular genes involved in tumor suppression and contribute to UADT cancers.
Capturing Ambiguity in Crowdsourcing Frame Disambiguation

FrameNet is a computational linguistics resource composed of semantic frames, high-level concepts that represent the meanings of words. In this paper, we present an approach to gather frame disambiguation annotations in sentences using a crowdsourcing approach with multiple workers per sentence to capture inter-annotator disagreement. We perform an experiment over a set of 433 sentences annotated with frames from the FrameNet corpus, and show that the aggregated crowd annotations achieve an F1 score greater than 0.67 as compared to expert linguists. We highlight cases where the crowd annotation was correct even though the expert is in disagreement, arguing for the need to have multiple annotators per sentence. Most importantly, we examine cases in which crowd workers could not agree, and demonstrate that these cases exhibit ambiguity, either in the sentence, frame, or the task itself, and argue that collapsing such cases to a single, discrete truth value (i.e. correct or incorrect) is inappropriate, creating arbitrary targets for machine learning.
Insurer Optimizing Behavior and Capital Market Equilibrium

A financial model is developed of a non-life insurer selling in a monopolistically competitive market. The insurer is assumed to maximize profits in its pricing and claims' settlement policy. The optimal values of these decision variables are found simultaneously when profits are maximized. The necessary conditions for equilibrium and stability in the model and the sensitivity of the optimal decision variables to changes in parameters of the model also are analyzed. Finally, the implications of the model are assessed for capital market equilibrium and for the equilibrium market price per share of the insurer's stock. To date, an adequate comprehensive financial theory of the non-life insurance firm has not been developed. While some authors have dealt with parts of the general problem, the theory has proved sufficiently intractable such that a complete development has eluded researchers. The major problem seems to lie in the sheer complexity of insurer behavior. Each decision made by the insurer affects other decisions. When economists face these kinds of problems they generally begin by making simplifying assumptions which abstract from some of the complex details of the real world and try to focus on the major variables and relationships associated with the problem under consideration. Then they gradually relax the assumptions and move toward the original real-world context of the problem. The knowledge gained from their simple models, at a minimum, provides insights into the real-world problem and, at best, provides a solution to the problem. Without the simplifying assumptions, many of the insights would be lost in a bewildering complexity of detail. An attempt is made here to develop a simplified, but comprehensive,
A Two-Tiered Approach to Long-Range Climate Forecasting

Long-range global climate forecasts were made by use of a model for predicting a tropical Pacific sea-surface temperature (SST) in tandem with an atmospheric general circulation model. The SST is predicted first at long lead times into the future. These ocean forecasts are then used to force the atmospheric model and so produce climate forecasts at lead times of the SST forecasts. Prediction of seven large climatic events of the 1970s to 1990s by this technique are in good agreement with observations over many regions of the globe.
Pre-Alignment Guided Attention for Improving Training Efficiency and Model Stability in End-to-End Speech Synthesis

Recently, end-to-end (E2E) neural text-to-speech systems, such as Tacotron2, have begun to surpass the traditional multi-stage hand-engineered systems, with both simplified system building pipelines and high-quality speech. With a unique encoder-decoder neural structure, the Tacotron2 system no longer needs separately learned text analysis front-end, duration model, acoustic model, and audio synthesis module. The key of such a system lies in the attention mechanism, which learns an alignment between the encoder and the decoder, serving as an implicit duration model bridging the text sequence and the acoustic sequence. However, attention learning suffers from low training efficiency and model instability problems, which hinder the E2E approaches from wide deployment. In this paper, we address the problems and propose a novel pre-alignment guided attention learning approach. Specifically, we inject handy prior knowledge–accurate phoneme durations–in the neural network loss function to bias the attention learning to the desired direction more accurately. The explicit time alignment between an audio recording and its corresponding phoneme sequence can be achieved by forced-alignment from an automatic speech recognizer (ASR). The experiments show that the proposed pre-alignment guided (PAG) attention approach can significantly improve training efficiency and model stability. More specifically, the PAG updated version of Tacotron2 can quickly obtain the attention alignment using only $500~\langle $ text, audio $\rangle $ pairs, which is apparently not possible for the original Tacotron2. A series of subjective experiments also show that the PAG-Tacotron2 approach can synthesize more stable and natural speech.
Comparison between digital subtraction angiography and magnetic resonance angiography in investigation of nonlacunar ischemic stroke in young patients: preliminary results.

PURPOSE We preliminarily investigated the relevance of performing digital subtraction angiography (DSA) in addition to magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) in definition of ischemic stroke etiology in young patients. METHOD DSAs and MRAs from 17 young patients with nonlacunar ischemic stroke were blindly analyzed and their impact on stroke management was evaluated. RESULTS Etiologies were the same considering results of either DSA or MRA in 12/17 cases. In 15/17 patients no changes would have been made in treatment, regardless of the modality of angiography considered. CONCLUSION These preliminary results suggest that DSA may be redundant in two thirds of ischemic strokes in young patients. Further larger prospective studies are necessary to determine indications of DSA in this age group.
Analysis of SiC MOSFETs under hard and soft-switching

Analytical models for hard-switching and soft-switching SiC MOSFETs and their experimental validation are described in this paper. The models include the high frequency parasitic components in the circuit and enable very fast, accurate simulation of the switching behaviour of SiC MOSFET using only datasheet parameters. The much higher switching speed of SiC devices over Si counterparts necessitates a clear detailed analysis. Each switching transient was divided into four distinct sub-periods and their respective equivalent circuits were solved to approximate the circuit state variables. Nonlinearities in the junction capacitances of SiC devices were considered in the model. Analytical modelling results were close to the LTspice simulation results with a threefold reduction in the simulation time. The effect of snubber capacitors on the soft-switching waveforms is also explained analytically and validated experimentally, which enables the analytical model to be used to evaluate future soft-switching solutions. It was found that the snubber branch can significantly reduce the turn off ringing of the SiC MOSFET in addition to the reduction of switching losses.
Integrated Volatility and Uhf-Garch Models: A Comparison Using High Frequency Financial Data

A very promising literature has been recently devoted to the modeling of ultra-high-frequency (UHF) data. The main problem encountered to measure volatility dynamics of high-frequency intra-daily data lies in the irregularity at which observations arrive. Engle and Russell (1998) have proposed a new class of point processes with dependent arrival rates: autoregressive conditional duration (ACD) point processes. Engle (2000) has generalized this approach and developed a Ultra-High-Frequency GARCH model. At the same time, Andersen and Bollerslev (1998) and Bollerslev and Wright (2001) have studied the volatility of UHF financial data by introducing the concept of integrated volatility. This integrated volatility is measured by the squared value of intra-daily returns. Our first aim in this paper is to develop an empirical application of ACD GARCH models in forecasting future volatilities. Then we propose another contribution in comparing the performances of ACD GARCH models with the integrated volatility. Therefore we propose a procedure to take into account the calendar effect or the time of day effect. We introduce an adjusted duration to calculate volatilities before comparing volatility forecasts. We show that the models induced by the two approaches lead to poor performances. Nevertheless, our results show that the integrated volatility method tends to outperform UHF-GARCH models.
Preparation for Hapten Help by Glucan, Muramyl Dipeptide, and Its L‐ala‐Glycerol‐Mycolate Derivative

Previously, we reported that one of the factors that determines whether or not an animal will be prepared for hapten help after priming is the type of adjuvant used. The present work was undertaken, therefore, to determine which of a diverse variety of adjuvants or biological response modifiers would be effective. They included Freund's complete (CFA) and incomplete (FICA) adjuvants, particulate glucan, muramyl dipeptide (MDP), and its L‐ala‐glycerol‐mycolate derivative. Help by the azobenzenearsonate (ABA) hapten was measured as the augmentation of the anti‐bovine γ‐globulin (BGG) plaque‐forming cell (PFC) response to ABA‐BGG of mice that had been hapten‐primed with ABA conjugated to ovalbumin (OVA). The results showed that FICA was ineffective. MDP was effective but only if administered with FICA during hapten‐priming. MDP‐L‐ala‐glycerol‐mycolate was effective without any adjuvant but only within a narrow dose range. Particulate glucan was as effective as CFA in preparing mice for hapten help.
Long-term Outcome of Residential Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa

We analyzed results from surveys of respondents who had completed ≥ 30 days of treatment at Monte Nido Residential Treatment Program over a 10 year period. Participants with anorexia nervosa (AN; n = 66) and bulimia nervosa (BN; n = 52) completed the Eating Disorders Inventory-2 (EDI-2), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and a structured eating disorder assessment at admission and follow-up. Mean duration between discharge and last follow-up was 4.6 years and 3.8 years for AN and BN respectively. For AN there were significant improvements in BMI, BDI, 10 of 11 EDI-2 subscales, and frequencies of bingeing and purging. For BN there were significant improvements in BDI, all EDI subscales, and frequencies of bingeing and purging. Eighty-nine percent of AN graduates and 75% of BN graduates had good or intermediate outcomes. Using linear regression, the best model contained the single variable, discharge BMI, which predicted 23% of the variance explaining full recovery from AN (p ≤ .02). For BN, the best model contained vomiting frequency and the bulimia subscale score of the EDI-2 at discharge, which accounted for 37% of the variance explaining full recovery from BN (p ≤ .02). The great majority of patients showed significant improvement at long-term follow-up after this program of residential treatment. In addition, these results underscore the importance of weight gain for AN patients and cessation of bulimic symptoms for BN patients when predicting long-term recovery.