Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Metabolic cost of free weight circuit weight training.

BACKGROUND Free weight circuit weight training (CWT) classes are popular group exercise classes designed to improve aerobic capacity, body composition, and muscular strength and endurance. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the training intensity and caloric expenditure associated with free weight CWT. METHODS Twelve males and eighteen females (age 25.1+/-6.6 years) participated in a Bruce treadmill test to measure VO2max (47.9+/-10.6 ml/kg min). Subjects subsequently performed a learning trial, exercising to a 14 minute video-taped free weight CWT sequence which included squats and upper body exercises performed consecutively. All subjects then completed two randomly assigned video exercise bouts with light resistance (LR = 1.4 kg for males and females) and moderate resistance (MR = 5.9 kg for females and 10.5 kg for males), loads recommended by instructors for sedentary and fit individuals, respectively. RESULTS Statistical analysis by RM ANOVA (p<0.0036) revealed significant increases in absolute and relative VO2, HR, and energy expenditure at MR as compared to LR for males and females. Mean VO2 and caloric expenditure values at MR were 15.7+/-2.3 ml/kg min and 6.21+/-1.01 kcal/min for males and 13.5+/-1.4 ml/kg min and 4.04+/-1.45 kcal/min for females. Associated HR responses were 129.5+/-18.4 and 119.2+/-19.4 bpm for males and females, respectively. The training stimulus was <32% VO2max, significantly below ACSM recommendations (50% VO2max) for improving cardiovascular fitness; HR criteria (60% HRmax), however were met. Free weight CWT performed with loads < or =10.5 kg may not provide a sufficient cardiovascular training stimulus. CONCLUSIONS HR should not be used to assess exercise intensity in these classes.
Characteristic Analysis and DSP Realization of Fractional-Order Simplified Lorenz System Based on Adomian Decomposition Method

By adopting Adomian decomposition method, the fractional-order simplified Lorenz system is solved and implemented on a digital signal processor (DSP). The Lyapunov exponent (LE) spectra of the system is calculated based on QR-factorization, and it accords well with the corresponding bifurcation diagrams. We analyze the influence of the parameter and the fractional derivative order on the system characteristics by color maximum LE (LEmax) and chaos diagrams. It is found that the smaller the order is, the larger the LEmax is. The iteration step size also affects the lowest order at which the chaos exists. Further, we implement the fractional-order simplified Lorenz system on a DSP platform. The phase portraits generated on DSP are consistent with the results that were obtained by computer simulations. It lays a good foundation for applications of the fractional-order chaotic systems.
Comparison of ship detectability between TerraSAR-X and Sentinel-1

In this paper, the detectability of ship signatures in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery acquired by the TerraSAR-X/TanDEM-X and Sentinel-1 is compared. The comparison takes into account different sensors acquisition parameters and environmental conditions on a large variety of ship size and types. In the first step, ocean targets are detected using the Near Real Time (NRT)-optimized Constant-False-Alarm-Rate (CFAR) algorithm. The optimizations include the ocean/land and false targets discrimination. In the second step, all detected targets are automatically matched in space and time with the recorded Automatic Identification System (AIS) messages. A manual cross-check is performed at the end of the assignments to have a clean SAR ship signature database. Additionally, the local wind field is retrieved from the SAR backscatter of the ocean surface surrounding the detected ships, by applying the Geophysical Model Functions (GMF) inversion XMOD2 for X-band data and CMOD5 for C-band data. Similarly, the local sea state conditions are calculated by the XWAVE and CWAVE empirical model functions. The final detectability model takes into account all SAR-based information, i.e. wind speed and sea state, as well as relevant SAR parameters, e.g. incidence angle. The overall probability of detection are derived for three ship size categories, i.e. small, medium and large, adopting an L2-regularized Logistic Regression classifier trained on detected and nondetected ship samples.
Intraday euro exchange rates and international macroeconomic announcements

This paper considers a 19-month sample of 5-min returns for three euro exchange rates, and provides an analysis of the news impact effects associated with the unexpected component of a wide range of international macroeconomic announcements. Our findings reveal that US news relating to leading indicators causes the most pronounced reactions in euro exchange rate returns. The few statistically significant non-US announcements identified relate primarily to Eurozone labour costs and German business expectations. However, the unexpected elements of interest rate announcements are not significant determinants of euro exchange rate volatility, indicating that it is the announcements of interest rates that cause jumps in exchange rates, quite apart from any actual information surprise delivered by those announcements. The analysis also shows evidence of asymmetric responses of exchange rates to good and bad news, indicating that positive surprises in poor economic climates are strong influences on short-term returns. Furthermore, impact response coefficients and the contribution of news announcement effects on daily price variation are found to vary across the sample and to depend on three factors: the magnitude of news surprises; the underlying economic conditions conveyed by news announcements; business cycle turning points as represented by switches from bad news to good news (and vice versa).
The Higher Education White Paper: The Good, the Bad, the Unspeakable – and the Next White Paper

This article argues that reforms of higher education finance for undergraduates in England introduced by the Blair government in 2006 provided a progressive strategy for achieving the central objectives of higher education of quality (better), access (wider) and size (larger). Reforms in 2012 are a not a strategy but a collection of ad hoc arrangements. They include the good (a higher fees cap, a higher interest rate on student loans, better information and improved support for part-time study), the bad (abolishing most taxpayer support for teaching in the arts and humanities and the social sciences, and raising excessively the threshold at which loan repayments start) and the unspeakable (abolishing Education Maintenance Allowances and AimHigher). The reforms are fiscally costly and hence perpetuate the central problem of capped student numbers, and will not stand the test of time. The concluding section outlines the next White Paper.
A Review Of Business Cycle Theory And Forecast Of The Current Business Cycle

As the business cycle fluctuates, the U.S. economy may face increased unemployment in the case of an economic downturn or increased inflation in the stage of an expansion. Therefore, the study of business cycles is important in determining the current and future condition of the economy as a whole. This study seeks to expand the current body of knowledge of the business cycle by combining the history of economic theory of “Veblen”, “Marx”, “Schumpterer”, “Friedman”, “Keynes”, “Minsky”, and “Sherman” with the diffusion index popularized by “Valentine and Dauten” (1983). The purpose of this study are two-folds: first is to review the theoretical framework of the history of economic thoughts of business cycle and the methodology of diffusion index; second is to use these economic theories and the technique of diffusion index to forecast the strength and direction of the business cycle of the US economy. The results of this study indicate that it is possible to derive an accurate forecast of the strength and direction of the business cycle by combining economic theories and the technique of diffusion index.
MAC Protocol Operation in Energy Harvesting for 5G Networks

Two vital challenges arise in the next generation 5G networks: scarcity of spectrum and the aspect of energy efficiency (EE). In this letter, we first formulate the prime issue, i.e., energy harvesting (EV) for 5G wireless networks, in which spectrum and energy resources are efficiently received and resourcefully managed. Thereafter, we introduce a medium access control (MAC) scheme for dual tier 5G networks; it also invokes the simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT) technique with other data transmission schemes, i.e., cooperative transmission (CT) scheme and non-cooperative transmission (NCT) scheme with EV abilities. Illustrative results demonstrate significant improvement in aggregated throughput and EE.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors for premenstrual syndrome.

BACKGROUND This is a substantive update of a previous review. Severe premenstrual syndrome (PMS) affects between 3% to 5% of women of reproductive age. Severe PMS is classified under the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are increasingly used as front-line therapy for PMS. A systematic review was undertaken on the efficacy of SSRIs in the management of severe PMS, or PMDD, to assess the evidence for this treatment option. OBJECTIVES The objective of this review was to evaluate the effectiveness of SSRIs in reducing premenstrual syndrome symptoms in women diagnosed with severe premenstrual syndrome. SEARCH STRATEGY Electronic searches for relevant randomised controlled trials were undertaken in the Cochrane Menstrual Disorders and Subfertility Group Specialised Register, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library), MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycInfo, and CINAHL (March 2008). Where insufficient data were presented in a report the original authors were contacted for further details. SELECTION CRITERIA All trials were considered in which women with a prospective diagnosis of PMS, PMDD or late luteal phase dysphoric disorder (LPDD) were randomised to receive SSRIs or placebo for the treatment of premenstrual syndrome in a blinded trial. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Forty randomised controlled trials were identified which reported the use of SSRIs in the management of PMS. Fifty-six trials were excluded. The review authors extracted the data independently and estimated standardised mean differences for continuous outcomes. MAIN RESULTS Due to heterogeneity, analyses were subgrouped into change and absolute scores. The primary analysis of reduction in overall symptomatology included data on 2294 women with premenstrual syndrome. SSRIs were found to be highly effective in treating the premenstrual symptoms (SMD -0.53, 95% CI 0.68 to -0.39; P < 0.00001). Secondary analysis showed that they were effective in treating physical (SMD -0.34, 95% CI -0.45 to -0.22; P < 0.00001), functional (SMD -0.30, 95% CI -0.43 to -0.17; P < 0.00001), and behavioural symptoms (SMD -0.41, 95% CI -0.53 to -0.29; P < 0.00001). Luteal phase only and continuous administration were both effective and there was no influence of a placebo run-in period on reduction in symptoms. All SSRIs (fluoxetine, paroxetine, sertraline, fluvoxamine, citalopram, and clomipramine) were effective in reducing premenstrual symptoms. Withdrawals due to side effects were twice as likely to occur in the treatment group (OR 2.18, 95% CI 1.62 to 2.92; P < 0.00001). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS The evidence supports the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in the management of severe premenstrual syndrome.
Measuring market risk using extreme value theory

The adoption of Basel II standards by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas initiates financial institutions to develop value-at-risk (VaR) models to measure market risk. In this paper, two VaR models are considered using the peaks-over-threshold (POT) approach of the extreme value theory: (1) static EVT model which is the straightforward application of POT to the bond benchmark rates; and (2) dynamic EVT model which applies POT to the residuals of the fitted AR-GARCH model. The results are compared with traditional VaR methods such as RiskMetrics and AR-GARCH-type models. The relative size, accuracy and efficiency of the models are assessed using mean relative bias, backtesting, likelihood ratio tests, loss function, mean relative scaled bias and computation of market risk charge. Findings show that the dynamic EVT model can capture market risk conservatively, accurately and efficiently. It is also practical to use because it has the potential to lower a bank’s capital requirements. Comparing the two EVT models, the dynamic model is better than static as the former can address some issues in risk measurement and effectively capture market risks.
H∞ filtering of the output probability density functions for the stochastic singular systems

This article is concerned with the problem of H∞ filtering for output PDFs of the stochastic singular dynamics which is modeled by B-spline functions. For a given stochastic singular system, the purpose is to design static and dynamical filter such that resulting filtering error system is regular, impulse free and mean-square stable and guarantees H∞ performance. We also derive sufficient linear matrix inequality(LMI) conditions for the existence of such a filter with free variables. Finally, we give a numerical example to show the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Effects of habitat destruction in a prey-predator metapopulation model

A mean field, metapopulation model of a predator-prey interaction is developed in order to understand the consequences of habitate destruction at different trophic levels. Such a model allows is to explore different ecological scenarios (donor control vs. top-down control) by changing a single parameter. The response to habitat destruction is qualitatively the same for both predator and prey, although there are interesting differences linked to the trophic position. A similar decrease in the colonization rates affects the two species quite differently. Predators diminish faster than prey, and furthermore, the fraction of occupied sites decreases more sharply as colonization rates are lowered, i.e. there is a nonlinear relationship between regional abundance and colonization rate. There is a well-defined threshold in the colonization rate below which the predator becomes extinct. Thus, dispersal rate is critical for predicting the consequences of habitat destruction. Finally, these results are compared with the behavior of a spatially explicit simulation. The only difference between the analytical model and the simulation is that colonization is no longer a global phenomenon in the latter, but it is a local process, constrained to the nearest patches. The bulk of the results are similar to the mean field behavior, and we comment on some differences related with non-homogeneity and real space. Some general implications for conservation biology and biological control are outlined. Copyright 1998 Academic Press
Interaction of the Adenovirus Type 5 E4 Orf3 Protein with Promyelocytic Leukemia Protein Isoform II Is Required for ND10 Disruption

ABSTRACT Nuclear domain 10 (ND10s), or promyelocytic leukemia protein (PML) nuclear bodies, are spherical nuclear structures that require PML proteins for their formation. Many viruses target these structures during infection. The E4 Orf3 protein of adenovirus 5 (Ad5) rearranges ND10s, causing PML to colocalize with Orf3 in nuclear tracks or fibers. There are six different PML isoforms (I to VI) present at ND10s, all sharing a common N terminus but with structural differences at their C termini. In this study, PML II was the only one of these six isoforms that was found to interact directly and specifically with Ad5 E4 Orf3 in vitro and in vivo; these results define a new Orf3 activity. Three of a series of 18 mutant Orf3 proteins were unable to interact with PML II; these were also unable to cause ND10 rearrangement. Moreover, in PML-null cells that contained neoformed ND10s comprising a single PML isoform, only ND10s formed of PML II were rearranged by Orf3. These data show that the interaction between Orf3 and PML II is necessary for ND10 rearrangement to occur. Finally, Orf3 was shown to self-associate in vitro. This activity was absent in mutant Orf3 proteins that were unable to form tracks and to bind PML II. Thus, Orf3 oligomerization may mediate the formation of nuclear tracks in vivo and may also be important for PML II binding.
International Outsourcing: a process approach to the apparel industry

Objective – The purpose of this paper is to build a framework for an international outsourcing process in the apparel industry that can serve to support managerial decisions and actions regarding outsourcing choices and implementation. Design/methodology/approach – We developed of a straightforward and flexible framework describing the main stages of the international outsourcing process and its main activities with application in the context of the apparel industry. A case study approach was adopted with primary data collected through in-depth interviews and secondary data aggregated from company reports and documents. Theoretical foundation – Some research gaps in the outsourcing literature and most specifically on the matter of international outsourcing were identified by Hatonen and Eriksson (2009) and Kakabadse and Kakabadse (2000), among others. Specifically, these authors claim that there is not enough research on developing and offering decision models, tools or guidelines to support managerial decisions with the appropriate empirical evidence. This study aims to address this gap. Findings – We found that the international outsourcing process can be described using the proposed framework. Apparel companies can use this framework to support and supervise international outsourcing processes. Practical implications – This study provides a simple model that can help companies in the apparel industry to enhance their outsourcing activities and operations, and also contributes to a broader academic understanding of the matter.
Do Wages Affect Politicians' Performance? A regression discontinuity approach for Dutch municipalities

This paper examines the effects of local politician pay on performance for Dutch municipalities. Although literature has argued wages partly determine the value of holding political office and thereby higher wages may improve the quality of a candidate pool, no straightforward theoretical prediction exists relating politiciansâ€™ remuneration to performance. Data on municipal finances is used in a regression discontinuity design that exploits population thresholds which exogenously determine the wages of local politicians. We find higher wages significantly increase municipal net debt and local budgets, at the same time finding some evidence for increased satisfaction with public space. We contrast our findings to previous research on Italy which found similar effects concerning significance, albeit differences regarding the direction. We argue that even though the direction of the effect may differ, both findings could entail better performance given institutional differences between the two countries.
Morphological perceptrons

Single-layer and multilayer perceptrons are the simplest type of feedforward neural network systems. The first step in computing the next state of a neuron or in performing the next layer neural network computation involves the linear operation of multiplying neural values by their synaptic strengths and adding the results. Application of a nonlinear activation function follows the linear operation in order to provide for nonlinearity of the network and set the next state of the neuron. We introduce a novel class of perceptrons, called morphological perceptrons, in which the operations of multiplication and addition are replaced by addition and maximum (or minimum), respectively. By taking the maximum (or minimum) of sums instead of the sum of products, morphological neuron computation is nonlinear before the application of a nonlinear activation function. As a consequence, the properties of morphological perceptrons are very different to those of traditional feedforward models.
Guest Perceptions of Hotel Loyalty

This research reports on a qualitative survey of hotel guest loyalty. The approach was unusual in several ways: It sought to measure loyalty in the general population of hotel users rather than selecting a population already known to be loyal, and instead of trying to identify personality traits in the guests’ psychology that might be important, or ranking features of the hotel that might be determining factors, guests were simply asked what the term hotel loyalty meant to them. This approach has the advantage of not being influenced by any particular theory or restricted by the scope of the questions asked. The outcome of the analysis of their responses is a model of hotel loyalty created directly from the guests’ own perceptions of loyalty. The model shows that “loyalty” is actually a dynamic concept balancing seven elements already found in previous research and involves an unstated or implied contract between the guest and the hotel. It also suggests that many of the determinants commonly held to influence loyalty are, in fact, not relevant.
Could HRM support organizational innovation?

Nowadays, it has become clear that the capacity of organizations to innovate and manage their human resources can be sources of competitive advantage. Recently, literature also asserts a positive relationship between human resource management and innovation. However, very little empirical research has specifically addressed those relationships. Using structural equations modelling with data collected from 173 Spanish firms, this study analyses them. Our findings show that innovation contributes positively to business performance and that human resource management enhances innovation. Implications for both academics and managers as well as future research lines are discussed.
Consumer discrimination in professional sports: new evidence from major league baseball

Previous research in sports economics has looked for the presence of consumer discrimination among sports fans of professional teams and it has produced mixed results. Scully (1974a, b) found evidence to suggest that fans of Major League Baseball (MLB) clubs did engage in consumer discrimination in the 1970s, but more recent work by Sommers and Quinton (1982) found no such evidence. In this article, we present evidence that suggests that consumer discrimination persisted in MLB into the early 1990s. Specifically, our empirical work suggests that consumers in Boston, Cleveland, Houston, San Diego and Saint Louis chose to attend fewer baseball games–ceteris paribus–when the home team in these cities added Hispanic players to the roster.