Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
No Differences Between Alter G-Trainer and Active and Passive Recovery Strategies on Isokinetic Strength, Systemic Oxidative Stress and Perceived Muscle Soreness After Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage

Abstract Cooke, MB, Nix, C, Greenwood, L, and Greenwood, M. No Differences Between Alter G-Trainer and Active and Passive Recovery Strategies on Isokinetic Strength, Systemic Oxidative Stress and Perceived Muscle Soreness After Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage. J Strength Cond Res 32(3): 736–747, 2018—The incidence of muscle injuries is prevalent in elite sport athletes and weekend warriors and strategies that safely and effectively hasten recovery are highly desirable. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences between 3 recovery methods after eliciting muscle damage in recreationally active men relative to maximal isokinetic contractions, perceived muscle soreness, and psychological mood states. Twenty-five recreationally active men (22.15 ± 3.53 years, 75.75 ± 11.91 kg, 180.52 ± 7.3 cm) were randomly matched by V[Combining Dot Above]O2 peak (53.86 ± 6.65 ml·kg−1·min−1) and assigned to one of 3 recovery methods: anti-gravity treadmill (G-Trainer) (N = 8), conventional treadmill (N = 8) or static stretching (N = 9). Recovery methods were performed 30 minutes, 24, 48, and 72 hours after a 45-minute downhill run. Following eccentrically biased running, no significant differences were noted in isokinetic knee flexion and extension peak torque, systemic markers of muscle damage, oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation such as serum creatine kinase (CK), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and malondialdehyde (MDA), respectively, and subjective ratings of perceived muscle soreness between recovery methods. The G-Trainer group did however display a higher mood state as indicated by the Profile of Mood State global scores at 24 hours postexercise when compared to the conventional treadmill recovery group (p = 0.035). The improved mood state after the use of the anti-gravity treadmill may provide clinical relevance to other populations.
A Stamped Hidden-signature Scheme Utilizing The Elliptic Curve Discrete Logarithm Problem

Based on the anonymity that digital signatures provide to users and messages, digital signatures can be classified as hidden, weak, interactive, or strong blind signatures. The hidden blind signature hides the signed message from the signer’s vision during his interaction with an honest requester. Later on, after revealing the message the signer can easily link the message-signature pair. The hidden blind signature application deals with message anonymity only and cannot be done through a strong blind signature; the notary service is one example of a hidden blind signature. In this paper we propose a hidden blind signature scheme that utilizes bilinear pairing over elliptic curves. The proposed scheme requires smaller key sizes for the same level of security compared to schemes not utilizing bilinear pairings. The proposed scheme allows the signer to add information in the signed message. The requester cannot modify either this information or the signed message. This added information stamps the sig- nature with a certain date and place which we see as an essential requirement in applications such as notary ser- vice (testament application) and patent time proof. In notary service, there is no conflict of interest between the signer and the requester of the signature. There is no need to have a trusted party to authenticate the temporal or spatial information. Instead, the signature requester will embed this information into the message body which is hidden from the signer. After issuing the signature by the signer, the requester can verify that the signature has the designated date and place. This is under the assumption that the signer has to perform the signing process on the same day and that she is free to sign at any time that day. This date-stamping is very important in case the signers’ signature key is stolen or compromised. The proposed scheme is proved to be secure against an existential adaptive chosen message attack.
Fuzzy-Enhanced Dual-Loop Control Strategy for Precise Nanopositioning

Vibration problems are inherent to most precisionpositioning systems. These systems are lightly damped andhighly susceptible to mechanical resonance at any suddenchange in the voltage applied to the nanopositioning platform.These systems also exhibit nonlinearity, such as hysteresis andcreep. The traditional approach uses a combination of dampingcontrollers and tracking controllers to deal with nonlinearityand resonance respectively. The classical approach is based onsole use of the integral controller (l) or proportional integral(PI) as a tracking controller to treat nonlinearity; this paperemploys a hybrid feedback scheme, using the fuzzy logic con-troller as a correction tracking controller in in conjunction withthe conventional tracking controllers. The damping controllersutilised in this work to damp the mechanical resonance of thenanopositioning platform are the Integral Resonant Controller(IRC), the Positive Velocity and Position Feedback (PVPF),and the Positive Position Feedback Controller (PPF). Theproposed fuzzy logic controller delivers improved dynamictracking performance characteristics with less vibration incomparison with the conventional tracking method because thefuzzy logic controller can handle nonlinearity and vibrationvia its rules and membership functions. The use of fuzzyGaussian membership function can alleviate the appearanceof mechanical resonance.
Summary of General Discussion and Conclusions

The discussion period lasted 40 min with questions and comments from those attending the symposium. This was aided by a series of questions provided by the chair that were considered by the panel of the 3 reviewers (Drs. Spencer, Buzalaf, and Mejàre), the 2 discussants (Drs. Martinez Mier and Walls), and those attending. Comments made relevant to each question were recorded by hand and have been summarized. The aim was, first, to see if a consensus could be reached on a choice of valid guidelines for fluoride intake and, second, to identify research objectives for the future.
Fast and accurate multi‐channel B1+ mapping based on the TIAMO technique for 7T UHF body MRI

Current methods for mitigation of transmit field B1+ inhomogeneities at ultrahigh field (UHF) MRI by multi‐channel radiofrequency (RF) shimming rely on accurate B1+ mapping. This can be time consuming when many RF channels have to be mapped for in vivo body MRI, where the B1 maps should ideally be acquired within a single breath‐hold. Therefore, a new B1+ mapping technique (B1TIAMO) is proposed.
Causal Classification : Treatment Effect vs . Outcome Estimation

The goal of causal classification is to identify (classify) individuals whose outcome would be positively changed by a treatment. Large-scale examples include targeting (online) advertisements and targeting retention incentives to high-value customers or employees who are at high-risk for attrition. Causal classification can be remarkably difficult for multiple reasons, most importantly because data at best show each individual under only one treatment condition, so it is impossible to know for certain which individuals had a positive outcome due to the treatment. Therefore, the potential outcomes for each treatment condition are estimated either explicitly or implicitly in causal classification. Then, these estimates are used to decide which individuals to target with a treatment. Curiously, in practice we see causal classification problems being treated simply as outcome prediction rather than as a causal inference task, e.g., will someone purchase if shown the ad? We might write that off as naivete, but perhaps there is a good reason. In this paper, we undertake a theoretical analysis comparing treatment effect estimation vs. simple outcome prediction when addressing causal classification. The analytical results show a bias/variance trade-off: because treatment effect estimation depends on two outcome estimates instead of one, the larger variance may lead to higher misclassification error than the (biased) outcome prediction approach. As the analytical results include approximations, we next introduce a flexible simulation environment for experimenting with causal classification; simulation results support the analytical results. The bottom line is that using outcome prediction sometimes is indeed preferable to treatment effect estimation, even when the best-possible models are used for both approaches and there are no estimation challenges (such as confounding). Specifically, outcome prediction is preferable when positive outcomes are (1) very rare, (2) difficult to predict, and when (3) treatment effects are small.
Potential Utility of a Loaded Treadmill Protocol for Tactical Athletes

Abstract Swearingen, JT, Weiss, LW, Smith, WA, Stephenson, MD, and Schilling, BK. Potential utility of a loaded treadmill protocol for tactical athletes. J Strength Cond Res 32(3): 610–616, 2018—Aerobic capacity is an important variable for tactical athletes, with V[Combining Dot Above]O2max being the most direct way of estimating it in a laboratory setting. A mode-specific protocol involving fixed-weight, torso-borne loads was assessed in the current study. On 4 separate days, 15 men (age 22.1 ± 2.7 years, mass 85.1 ± 10.6 kg, height 179.0 ± 7.7 cm) performed a weighted treadmill walking protocol (2 trials) and a nonweighted treadmill running protocol (2 trials). Both the weighted and nonweighted protocols were reliable, with intraclass correlation coefficient values of 0.79 and 0.87, respectively. V[Combining Dot Above]O2peak values from both protocols were highly correlated (r = 0.90, p < 0.01). However, V[Combining Dot Above]O2peak was higher during the nonweighted protocol (t = 7.547, d = 2.47, p < 0.01). Work rate was calculated for both the last completed stage and stage during which participants reached fatigue. Work rates for both protocols on the last completed stage were similar (t = 1.44, d = 0.83, p = 0.17), although the work rate for the final attempted stage was greater for the weighted-walking protocol (t = 5.85, d = 3.60, p < 0.01). These data suggest a weighted-walking V[Combining Dot Above]O2peak that is highly associated with a running V[Combining Dot Above]O2peak. This test may be applied to those who routinely perform torso-borne load carriage, such as tactical athletes. Future weighted-walking protocols should seek achieve higher resolution, especially near the end stage of the test where subjects reach volitional fatigue. Large increases in work rate may not be feasible at the end stages of the test.
Evaluation on extrudate swell and melt fracture of polypropylene/kaolin composites at high shear stress

Kaolin-filled PP composites were compounded using a heated two-roll mill prior to extrusion process in order to improve the rheological properties of the samples. The extrudate swell and flow instability (melt fracture) behavior of kaolin-filled PP composite melts were investigated using a constant rate type of capillary rheometer at high extrusion rates and test temperatures varied from 165°C to 220°C. The extrudate swell studies demonstrate that the die swell ratio decreases with an increase in the processing temperature and filler loading at fixed shear stress. Nonetheless, the study on the effect of shear stress and shear rate showed that the die swell ratio (B) of the melts decreases linearly with increasing apparent shear stresses and shear rates for both systems, unfilled and filled PP only up to one point above the critical shear rate (1.8 × 10 s-1). The B values remained almost constant when the shear rate is greater than 1.8 × 10 s -1 at a constant temperature. Kaolin-filled PP composites exhibit a characteristic of flow instability and extrudate distortions upon exiting from extrusion dies at low filler loading and at low processing temperature of 165°C. This type of defect is characterized by highly rough, fractured, and distorted extrudate surface. It was also found that decreasing the shear stress improved the surface appearance of all samples. Finally, the melt fracture tended to be suppressed when a capillary die with a high L/D ratio, which is 10 was used.
Learning text representation using recurrent convolutional neural network with highway layers

Recently, the rapid development of word embedding and neural networks has brought new inspiration to various NLP and IR tasks. In this paper, we describe a staged hybrid model combining Recurrent Convolutional Neural Networks (RCNN) with highway layers. The highway network module is incorporated in the middle takes the output of the bi-directional Recurrent Neural Network (Bi-RNN) module in the first stage and provides the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) module in the last stage with the input. The experiment shows that our model outperforms common neural network models (CNN, RNN, Bi-RNN) on a sentiment analysis task. Besides, the analysis of how sequence length influences the RCNN with highway layers shows that our model could learn good representation for the long text.
360-degree video stitching for dual-fisheye lens cameras based on rigid moving least squares

Dual-fisheye lens cameras are becoming popular for 360-degree video capture, especially for User-generated content (UGC), since they are affordable and portable. Images generated by the dual-fisheye cameras have limited overlap and hence require non-conventional stitching techniques to produce high-quality 360×180-degree panoramas. This paper introduces a novel method to align these images using interpolation grids based on rigid moving least squares. Furthermore, jitter is the critical issue arising when one applies the image-based stitching algorithms to video. It stems from the unconstrained movement of stitching boundary from one frame to another. Therefore, we also propose a new algorithm to maintain the temporal coherence of stitching boundary to provide jitter-free 360-degree videos. Results show that the method proposed in this paper can produce higher quality stitched images and videos than prior work.
Dok-7 Activates the Muscle Receptor Kinase MuSK and Shapes Synapse Formation

The cytoplasmic protein Dok-7 is required for the full activation of the receptor tyrosine kinase MuSK. Extra Neuromuscular Junctions At the neuromuscular junction (NMJ), the interface between muscle and nerve, clustering of acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) at the postsynaptic membrane ensures efficient synaptic transmission. NMJ formation and AChR clustering require the muscle receptor tyrosine kinase MuSK and its extracellular activator, agrin. However, MuSK can cause NMJ formation in the absence of agrin, leading Inoue et al. to investigate the mechanisms by which MuSK is activated independently of agrin. They now show that the cytoplasmic protein Dok-7 can directly activate MuSK in vitro and in vivo and, when overexpressed in skeletal muscle, leads to the formation of NMJs with wider endplates and bearing more AChR clusters. Strikingly, agrin did not induce AChR clustering in myotubes from Dok-7–deficient mice unless Dok-7 was exogenously expressed, indicating that Dok-7 primes MuSK for subsequent further activation by agrin. The formation of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is orchestrated by the muscle-specific receptor tyrosine kinase MuSK and by neural agrin, an extracellular activator of MuSK. We previously showed that the MuSK-interacting protein Dok-7 is essential for neuromuscular synaptogenesis, although the mechanisms by which Dok-7 regulates MuSK activity and promotes synapse formation have been unclear. Here, we show that Dok-7 directly interacts with the cytoplasmic portion of MuSK and activates the receptor tyrosine kinase, and that neural agrin requires Dok-7 to activate MuSK. In vivo overexpression of Dok-7 increased MuSK activation and promoted NMJ formation. Furthermore, Dok-7 was required for the localization of MuSK in the central region of muscle, which is essential for the correct formation of NMJs in this region. These observations indicate that Dok-7 positively regulates neuromuscular synaptogenesis by controlling MuSK activity, its distribution, and its responsiveness to neural agrin.
Restoration of Monotonicity Respecting in Dynamic Regression

ABSTRACT Dynamic regression models, including the quantile regression model and Aalen’s additive hazards model, are widely adopted to investigate evolving covariate effects. Yet lack of monotonicity respecting with standard estimation procedures remains an outstanding issue. Advances have recently been made, but none provides a complete resolution. In this article, we propose a novel adaptive interpolation method to restore monotonicity respecting, by successively identifying and then interpolating nearest monotonicity-respecting points of an original estimator. Under mild regularity conditions, the resulting regression coefficient estimator is shown to be asymptotically equivalent to the original. Our numerical studies have demonstrated that the proposed estimator is much more smooth and may have better finite-sample efficiency than the original as well as, when available as only in special cases, other competing monotonicity-respecting estimators. Illustration with a clinical study is provided.
MACHINABILITY OF NICKEL-BASED HIGH TEMPERATURE ALLOYS

Abstract Nickel-based high temperature alloys have excellent physical properties, which make them ideal for use in the manufacture of aerospace components. However, they exhibit poor machinability. Though conventional machining in industries is currently being carried out using carbide tools, there is little scope for improving the material removal rate. Machining, being a major operation, needs to be improved in order to reduce the throughput time. High Speed Machining (HSM) is a promising technique for increasing productivity in this regard. This paper mostly reviews research and development work in the machining of nickel-based high temperature alloys carried out over the last 15 years with the objective of assessing the present scenario. Emphasis is laid on Inconel 718, which is most commonly used. Both turning and milling operations using conventional and High Speed (HS) machining are reviewed herein. HSM is discussed at length in comparison with conventional machining, as it is possible to drastically improve material removal rate using HSM. In addition to the study of insert materials and tool geometry, other aspects affecting HSM are also discussed. Surface integrity of Inconel 718 obtained through HSM and the recently developed technique of Plasma Enhanced Machining (PEM) is also addressed.
Motion estimation of multiple depth cameras using spheres

Automatic motion estimation of multiple depth cameras has remained a challenging topic in computer vision due to its reliance on the image correspondence problem. In this paper, spherical objects are employed to estimate motion parameters between multiple depth cameras. We move a sphere several times in the common view of depth cameras. We fit the spherical point clouds to get the sphere centers in each depth camera system, and then introduce a factorization based approach to estimate motions between the depth cameras. Both simulated and real experiments show the robustness and effectiveness of our method.
N‐terminal cleavage fragment of focal adhesion kinase is required to activate the survival signalling pathway in cultured myoblasts under oxidative stress

We have previously shown that the cultured L6 myoblasts are susceptible to menadione‐induced oxidative stress. Damaged cells were detached from the culture dishes. In the present study, we focused on focal adhesion kinase (FAK), which plays pivotal roles in maintaining focal adhesion function and cell survival. FAK, normally localized at the focal adhesion regions of the myoblasts, was not observed at the regions under oxidative stress induced by menadione and H2O2. Two cleavage products, 80‐kDa N‐terminal FAK and 35‐kDa C‐terminal FAK fragments, as well as full‐length FAK (125 kDa) were detected in myoblasts cultured under normal conditions by western blotting with anti‐N‐terminal FAK or anti‐C‐terminal FAK sera. Of interest was the finding that the cleavage products of FAK (but not full‐length FAK) disappeared under oxidative stress. The cleavage of full‐length FAK to N‐terminal FAK and C‐terminal FAK was inhibited by calpeptin, a specific calpain inhibitor. In addition, pre‐incubation of cells with calpeptin resulted in a sharp decrease in survival signals, such as Akt phosphorylation and the ratio of Bcl‐2/Bax, under stress conditions. By contrast, not only relative viability, but also Akt phosphorylation and the ratio of Bcl‐2/Bax was significantly improved when cells were transfected with a DNA construct of N‐terminal FAK‐Myc. These results suggest that the N‐terminal FAK positively regulates survival signalling in early phases of oxidative stress in the cultured myoblasts.
Successful chelation therapy with the combination of deferasirox and deferiprone in a patient with thalassaemia major and persisting severe iron overload after single‐agent chelation therapies

Iron overload occurs commonly in patients with beta-thalassaemia major (TM) mainly as a result of the frequent blood transfusions. Without adequate iron chelation therapy, almost all patients will accumulate potentially fatal iron levels that are toxic to the heart, liver and endocrine glands. Deferoxamine has been the standard of care for transfusional iron overload for more than 40 years, although subcutaneous infusion negatively affects patient compliance (Delea et al, 2007). The oral iron chelators, deferiprone and deferasirox, are effective in reducing iron burden, while at the same time they improve compliance and patients’ quality of life (Cappellini et al, 2006; Roberts et al, 2007). Combinations of one oral chelator with deferoxamine have been used to increase the efficacy and induce negative iron balance in some patients with severe iron overload (Galanello et al, 2010). However, there are very limited data in the literature for effective combinations of two oral chelators. We report here a case of TM who had refractory severe iron overload and was successfully chelated with the combination of the two available oral agents, deferiprone and deferasirox. A 34-year-old female with beta TM (IVSI-110/IVSI-110) had been regularly transfused with two units of packed red blood cell, every 20 d, from the age of 2 years. The patient was put on chelation therapy with deferoxamine but the she failed to comply with the treatment. Given that the liver and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T2* were 1Æ11 and 9Æ36 ms respectively (both indicative of severe iron overload; normal values of heart T2* are >20 ms) and serum ferritin was persistently more than 2800 lg/l, the patient started on deferasirox, in 2006. MRI was performed as previously described (Voskaridou et al, 2004). The patient was started on deferasirox, at a dose of 20 mg/ kg/d, without major improvement of her iron overload status. The liver and cardiac MRI T2* were 3Æ33 ms and 10Æ59 ms respectively, after 12 months of treatment (Fig 1A). Thus, deferasirox dose was increased to 30 mg/kg/d and the patient was routinely followed up. Two years later, serum ferritin was persistently high (2080 lg/l; Fig 1B). Liver and cardiac MRI T2* values (7Æ81 and 13Æ76 ms respectively) were still compatible with moderate liver and severe heart siderosis, although there was improvement from the baseline values of 3 years earlier (Fig 1A). Due to the continuously elevated serum ferritin, the persistence of moderate liver and cardiac overload and the presence of a severe episode of atrial fibrillation 3Æ2 years post-deferasirox initiation, it was suggested that the patient started combined chelation therapy with both deferasirox and deferiprone. After giving written consent, the patient received therapy with a combination of the two