Search Results (1,535)

Muscle fatigue, defined as a decline in force generation, is closely linked to redox imbalance—a condition exacerbated by oxidative stress in hypertension. This study investigated the effects of diazoxide administration and moderate-intensity exercise on skeletal muscle redox status following a fatigue protocol in rats with hypertension. Animals were assigned to eight groups: control (CTRL), diazoxide (DZX), exercise (EX), exercise + diazoxide (EX+DZX), hypertension (HTN), hypertension + diazoxide (HTN+DZX), hypertension + exercise (HTN+EX), and hypertension + exercise + diazoxide (HTN+ EX+DZX). Hypertension was induced by a high-salt diet. Diazoxide was administered daily for 14 days, and exercise consisted of moderate treadmill running for 8 weeks. Muscle fatigue was evoked in the extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and soleus by repetitive electrical stimulation. Post-fatigue analyses included oxidant levels, catalase activity, and glutathione status. Hypertension increased oxidants and reduced antioxidant defenses in both muscle types. Exercise and diazoxide, alone or in combination, improved redox balance, with the combined treatment providing the most robust protection and exhibiting fiber-specific adaptations. These findings suggest that diazoxide combined with moderate exercise represents a promising therapeutic approach to counteract oxidative stress-related skeletal muscle dysfunction in hypertension. Full article

Background/Objectives: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by impairments in social interaction and communication, as well as by repetitive behaviors, with a rising global prevalence. Concurrently, the use of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) has increased among couples experiencing infertility. This study aimed to compare the frequency of ART-conceived children between those diagnosed with ASD and those with other neurodevelopmental disorders (nASD), and to examine differences in prenatal, perinatal and medical histories of ART- and spontaneously (non-ART)-conceived children within an ASD group. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from 507 children with a neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) diagnosis, classified into ASD (n = 234) and nASD (n = 273) groups. Subsequent analyses focused on the ASD group, further divided into an ART and non-ART group according to the conception mode. Results: ART-conceived children were more frequent in the ASD group than in the nASD group. Moreover, within ASD, ART was significantly associated with potential risk factors such as twin pregnancy, cesarean delivery, low birth weight and parental age. Logistic Binary Regression confirmed these results, suggesting that ART co-occurs with a cluster of perinatal and familial risk factors. Conclusions: Our results indicate that ART is not an independent causal exposure; however, given the retrospective design and the absence of a general population control group, causal inference cannot be drawn. The observed association with ASD appears to be mediated by perinatal and parental variables. These findings underscore the importance of improving obstetric management and care, and ensuring early developmental monitoring for ART-conceived children. Full article

Background/Objective: Postural stability and motor coordination require precise regulation of agonist and antagonist muscle activities. Jaw clenching modulates neuromuscular control during static and reactive postural tasks. However, its effects on dynamic voluntary movement remain unclear. This pilot study aimed to investigate the effects of jaw clenching on muscle activity and kinematics during repetitive single-leg sit-to-stand task performance. Methods: Eleven healthy adults (age: 21.2 ± 0.4 years; 6 males and 5 females; height: 167.9 ± 9.6 cm; body weight: 59.7 ± 8.1 kg) performed repetitive single-leg sit-to-stand tasks for 30 s under jaw-clenching and control conditions. Electromyography (EMG) signals from eight muscles and kinematic data from 16 inertial measurement unit sensors were analyzed, focusing on the seat-off phase. Results: Jaw clenching resulted in a significantly lower success rate than the control condition (success rate: 0.96 ± 0.13 vs. 0.78 ± 0.29, p = 0.047). Under the jaw clenching condition, failed trials exhibited higher medial gastrocnemius and masseter EMG activity (p < 0.001), lower erector spinae longus EMG activity (p < 0.001), and altered kinematics, including increased trunk yaw and roll angles (p < 0.001). Jaw clenching increased the coactivation of the gastrocnemius and tibialis anterior muscles (p < 0.001), disrupting the reciprocal muscle patterns critical for task performance. Conclusions: These findings suggest that jaw clenching may reduce task performance by altering neuromuscular coordination during dynamic postural tasks. Full article

Industrial Robots (IRs) are typically employed as flexible machines to perform many types of repetitive and intensive tasks within fenced safe areas, ensuring high productivity and cost efficiency. However, their rigid programming approaches often pose challenges during cell commissioning and reset, hindering the implementation of self-reconfigurable systems. In addition, several production lines still need the presence of skilled operators to conduct assisted assembly operations and inspections. This motivates the growing interest in the development of innovative solutions for supporting safe and efficient human–robot collaborative applications. The manual guidance of the IR end-effector is a representative functionality of such collaboration, as it simplifies heavy-part manipulation and allows intuitive robot teaching and programming. The present study reports a sensor-based approach for enabling manual guidance operations with high-payload IRs and discusses its practical implementation on a production cell with an extended workspace. The setup features a KUKA robot mounted on a custom linear track actuated via Beckhoff technology to enable flexible assembly and machining operations. The developed logic and its software configuration, split into multiple control units to allow the manual guiding of both the 6-axis IR and the linear track unit, are described in detail. Finally, an experimental demonstration involving two users with different levels of expertise was conducted to evaluate the approach during target teaching on a physical cell. The results showed that the proposed manual guidance method significantly reduced task completion time by more than 55% compared with the conventional teach pendant, demonstrating the effectiveness and practical advantages of the developed framework. Full article

Background: The study evaluated the acute effect of dryland maximum strength (MS) training on water polo performance. Methods: Twelve female players (20.3 ± 1.4 years) underwent initial assessments, including a head-out 20 m swim and a one-repetition maximum (1RM) strength test in three exercises: bench press, seated pull row, and half squat. These exercises were used as the experimental (EXP) condition. During the main testing sessions, participants completed the EXP and a control (CON) condition. In the EXP, players completed MS training (three sets of six repetitions at 80% 1RM), followed 15 min later by in-water testing. In the CON, only the in-water tests were performed. These included a 10 s tethered swim to measure force, a 20 m head-out swim at maximum intensity to measure performance time, ten goal-targeted throws to reach the highest accuracy and throwing velocity, and three in-water vertical jumps as high as possible. Results: The performance time in the head-out 20 m swim (EXP: 14.21 ± 0.4, CON: 14.18 ± 0.5 s), tethered swimming force (EXP: 86.85 ± 14.82, CON: 89.58 ± 15.92 N), shooting velocity (EXP: 14.67 ± 1.19, CON: 14.91 ± 0.32 m·s⁻¹), shooting accuracy (EXP: 16.5 ± 5.4, CON: 19.0 ± 5.1 points), and in-water vertical jump height (EXP: 51.7 ± 5.6, CON: 52.9 ± 4.2 cm) were no different between conditions (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Dryland maximum strength training performed with high loads (80% 1RM) does not impair subsequent performance during sport-specific testing in female water polo players. These findings suggest that such MS training can be safely implemented 15 min prior to in-water training sessions. Full article

This paper investigates the problem of data-driven optimal preview repetitive control of linear discrete-time systems. Firstly, by integrating prior information into the preview time domain, an augmented state-space system is established. Secondly, the original output tracking problem is mathematically reconstructed and transformed into the optimization problem form of a linear quadratic tracking (LQR). Furthermore, a Q-function-based iterative algorithm is designed to dynamically calculate the optimal tracking control gain based solely on online measurable data. This method has a dual-breakthrough feature: it neither requires prior knowledge of system dynamics nor provides an initial stable controller. Finally, the superiority of the proposed scheme is verified through numerical simulation experiments. Full article

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of melatonin supplementation during bovine in vitro embryo production (IVEP) on embryonic development and quality, oxidative stress, lipid metabolism, mitochondrial activity, gene expression, DNA methylation patterns, and cryotolerance. Four treatments were tested: control (without melatonin), melatonin at maturation (IVM + Mlt), culture (IVC + Mlt), and both treatments (IMV/IVC + Mlt). Melatonin significantly improved blastocyst rate and developmental kinetics on D7, reduced ROS and intracellular lipid levels, and increased mitochondrial activity. The most significant effects were observed in the IVC + Mlt group. Melatonin modulated antioxidant (SOD1, Cat, and GSS) and epigenetic (TET1, TET3, and DNMT3A) genes, and although it did not alter lipid gene expression, it reduced lipid content. Methylation analysis showed hypomethylation patterns in repetitive regions (Satellite I and LINE-1), which were even more pronounced in the melatonin-treated groups. However, no significant differences were observed between treatments in terms of cryotolerance or apoptosis rates. These findings suggest that melatonin exerts positive multifactorial effects, regardless of the supplementation stage. In particular, its addition during the IVC phase appears to provide greater benefits to embryos by improving their quality. Full article

Hydrogel microneedles (HMNs) act as non-invasive devices that can effortlessly merge with the human body for drug delivery and diagnostic purposes. Nonetheless, their improvement is limited by intricate and repetitive issues related to material composition, structural geometry, manufacturing accuracy, and performance enhancement. At present, there are only a limited number of studies accessible since artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) for HMN are just starting to emerge and are in the initial phase. Data is distributed across separate research efforts, spanning different fields. This review aims to tackle the disjointed and narrowly concentrated aspects of current research on AI/ML applications in HMN technologies by offering a cohesive, comprehensive synthesis of interdisciplinary insights, categorized into five thematic areas: (1) material and microneedle design, (2) diagnostics and therapy, (3) drug delivery, (4) drug development, and (5) health and agricultural sensing. For each domain, we detail typical AI methods, integration approaches, proven advantages, and ongoing difficulties. We suggest a systematic five-stage developmental pathway covering material discovery, structural design, manufacturing, biomedical performance, and advanced AI integration, intended to expedite the transition of HMNs from research ideas to clinically and commercially practical systems. The findings of this review indicate that AI/ML can significantly enhance HMN development by addressing design and fabrication constraints via predictive modeling, adaptive control, and process optimization. By synchronizing these abilities with clinical and commercial translation requirements, AI/ML can act as key facilitators in converting HMNs from research ideas into scalable, practical biomedical solutions. Full article

Background and Objectives: This study aimed to investigate changes in the descending thoracic aorta (DTA) values in athletes while performing a bench press exercise, and to evaluate their relationship with vitamin levels and nutritional values. Materials and Methods: The study used speckle tracking to assess changes in DTA parameters in athletes before and after bench press exercise, compared to non-athlete controls. Measurements included rotational and radial velocities, circumferential strain and strain rate, and displacement. Results: The study included 60 non-athlete controls and 178 athletes performing bench press exercises. In a 10-year follow-up of 30 weightlifters, aortic speckle tracking values were age-matched with controls. No significant baseline differences were observed between groups. However, following exercise, all measurements demonstrated increases: DTA rotational velocity (55.44 ± 16.15 vs. 88.98 ± 10.31°/s), radial velocity (1.02 ± 0.36 vs. 1.56 ± 0.42 cm/s), circumferential strain (−8.52 ± 0.31 vs. −12.55 ± 1.13), strain rate (−1.55 ± 0.72 vs. −2.28 ± 0.56 s⁻¹), rotational displacement (6.22 ± 0.36 vs. 14.91 ± 0.85°), and radial displacement (0.89 ± 0.31 vs. 1.19 ± 0.65 mm), with all p-values < 0.05. Rotational displacement correlated with maximal repetition (88.56 ± 12.59 Kg) and vitamin levels. Conclusions: This study hypothesizes that bench press exercise is linked to increased DTA velocities, strain, strain rate, and displacement. Full article

Psychological “priming” strategies such as music, self-talk, imagery, and audience effects are commonly used by athletes, yet their acute influence on resistance training performance and underlying endocrine responses is unclear. We conducted three crossover studies in collegiate adults (n = 64) examining self-selected music (SSM), motivational self-talk with imagery (MSTI) or without (MST), and observation either in-person (OE) or via social media (SM) compared with control (CON). Performance tests included a 3-repetition maximum (3RM) back squat, four sets of a 4RM bench press, and a 65% 1RM back squat to failure. Salivary testosterone (T) and cortisol (C) concentrations were assessed to explore potential mechanisms. Across studies, no condition yielded statistically significant differences versus CON (p > 0.05); however, small-to-moderate effect sizes suggested practically relevant improvements. For example, 3RM back squat load increased under SSM (g = 0.26) and MSTI (g = 0.22), while SM observation improved repetitions to failure (g = 0.33) and produced a moderate rise in T (g = 0.79). Several priming strategies also favourably altered the T:C ratio. These findings suggest that although group-level changes were subtle, individualized responses may allow athletes to benefit from simple, free interventions that could accumulate into meaningful performance gains when applied repeatedly in training. Future work with larger samples and long-term training designs is warranted to confirm these effects and whether changes in T and C are modulating the priming response. Full article

Background: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects ~1 in 36 children and is increasingly studied as a candidate for non-invasive neuromodulation. Two of the most widely applied modalities are quantitative EEG (QEEG)-guided repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), both targeting the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). While both have shown promise, questions remain regarding their relative clinical profiles and scalability. Objective: To conduct a within-cohort reanalysis of QEEG-guided rTMS outcomes in paediatric ASD and to contextualise these findings alongside published reports of home-supervised tDCS. Methods: Individual participant data (n = 56, ages 6–17) from a prospective rTMS cohort were reanalysed, focusing on the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS-2), Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2), Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC), Repetitive Behavior Scale–Revised (RBS-R), and QEEG biomarkers. Findings were then situated within a narrative synthesis of published paediatric tDCS trials, which consistently report caregiver-supervised feasibility but did not provide raw, baseline-adjusted data suitable for reanalysis. Results: rTMS was associated with large within-cohort improvements (Hedges’ g ≈ 1.0–1.6), including an 11-point reduction in SRS-2 T-scores, a 12-point reduction in ABC totals, and robust QEEG normalisation (β/γ suppression, α enhancement). Published tDCS studies report moderate, clinically meaningful improvements in social communication, executive functioning, and regulation (Cohen’s d ≈ 0.4–0.6), with excellent adherence and no serious adverse events. Conclusions: rTMS produced robust behavioural and neurophysiological improvements within its cohort, while published tDCS trials demonstrate moderate, feasible benefits in home settings. Because of incomplete baseline data and protocol differences, no direct statistical comparison was possible. These findings suggest complementary roles: rTMS as a high-intensity clinic-based intervention, and tDCS as a scalable, family-centred option. A stepped-care framework that combines both modalities should be considered hypothesis-generating only and requires validation in harmonised, randomised controlled trials. Full article

Background/Objectives: Previous studies have reported associations between prosopagnosia and spatial navigation, but it remains unclear whether this link is merely coincidental (i.e., observable only in prosopagnosia) or genuinely interdependent (i.e., such that variation in one ability predicts variation in the other across the full spectrum of face-recognition abilities). This study aimed to directly test this possibility by examining the relationship between face recognition and navigational skills in developmental prosopagnosics (DPs), super-recognizers (SRs), and control participants. Methods: Eighteen DPs, sixteen SRs, and twenty-eight control participants were tested in a recently validated route-learning task, in which they were asked to memorize a route from a first-person perspective. In the subsequent test stages, both route repetition and route retracing were assessed. Results: Group analyses showed comparable performance in route repetition and retracing across the three groups. Single-case analyses confirmed these findings and indicated that only two DPs and two SRs performed worse than control participants in route retracing. Conclusions: These findings suggest that spatial navigation and face recognition are not directly associated and therefore appear to be different skills. Full article

This study experimentally compares classical PID and three adaptive control strategies (including a novel adaptive control strategy developed by the authors) for stabilizing the crankshaft speed of a diesel engine (ADCR Euro 4). The tests were performed on a dynamometer with alternator-induced step loads. All tests were performed at a constant engine crankshaft speed using National Instruments instrumentation and custom LabVIEW-based software for real-time monitoring. Metrics included response time (RT), overshoot (OV), and steady-state error (SSE), each based on ten repetitions with reported standard deviations. Results show that the competitive adaptive algorithm reduced RT by ~20%, OV by ~15%, and SSE by ~10% compared to PID. These results confirm that adaptive control, especially the competitive strategy, provides high precision and fast disturbance rejection, bridging the gap between simulation-based studies and industrial diesel engine applications. These results highlight the potential of adaptive control in applications such as air–fuel ratio control, turbocharger pressure control, knock detection, and fuel optimization. Full article

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the effects of varying antagonist volume in upper-body supersets on mechanical (lifting velocity), metabolic (blood lactate), and perceptual (perceived exertion) variables. Methods: A randomized crossover study was conducted in which 14 resistance-trained men performed three strength training conditions. In the control condition (CTR), participants performed four sets of bench press with 8 repetitions at their 12-repetition maximum load, whereas in the experimental conditions, a prone bench pull was performed immediately after the bench press using 33% (SS1) or 66% (SS2) of the individual’s maximum possible repetitions. Lifting velocity, lactate concentration, and perceived exertion were measured. Repeated-measures ANOVA or Friedman test was applied to compare conditions, with Bonferroni-corrected post hoc tests and effect sizes reported. Results: Despite a progressive decrease in mean set velocity (p < 0.001) and fastest set velocity across sets (p = 0.014) in the agonist exercise (i.e., bench press), these variables did not significantly differ between conditions. The only difference observed was a lower mean set velocity during the prone bench pull in the SS2 condition compared to the SS1 condition (p = 0.011). Perceived exertion also increased across sets (p < 0.001), with no differences between protocols. Blood lactate concentration, measured before the final set, was significantly higher in SS2 compared to CTR (p = 0.003) and SS1 (p < 0.001), indicating a greater metabolic load during training. Conclusions: Agonist–antagonist supersets allow for reduced training time without negatively impacting acute mechanical performance in the agonist exercise. Low-fatigue configurations (SS1) in the secondary exercise do not significantly increase lactate levels, while moderate-fatigue configurations (SS2) in the secondary exercise increase metabolic load. Full article

Objectives: Sports-related concussion (SRC) is mostly associated with contact and combat sports. However, emerging evidence suggest that cyclists are also at risk of repeated concussion injury. Moreover, long-term neurophysiological outcomes in cycling cohorts remain underexplored. This novel study investigated the long-term effect of repetitive concussions in cyclists. Road, mountain biking (MTB), and BMX riders with a history of concussions and self-reported persistent symptoms were assess for neurophysiology and cognitive–motor performance compared to previously concussed cyclists with no ongoing symptoms. Both groups were compared to age-matched with controls. Methods: Using a cross-sectional between-group design, 25 cyclists with a history of concussions (15 symptomatic, 10 asymptomatic) and 20 controls completed symptom reporting, cognitive and balance assessments (SCAT5), sensorimotor testing using vibrotactile stimulation, and neurophysiological assessments via transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Results: Symptomatic cyclists reported a higher number of concussions compared to asymptomatic cyclists (p = 0.041). Cognitive testing revealed large effects (d > 1.0), with impaired concentration in symptomatic cyclists compared to controls (p = 0.005). Motor assessments demonstrated large effects (d > 1.0), with slower tandem gait times (p < 0.001) and greater errors (p = 0.02) in the symptomatic group. Sensorimotor testing indicated slowed simple reaction times (p = 0.001) and poorer temporal order judgement (p = 0.038). TMS showed large effects (d > 1.0) in increased cortical inhibition in the symptomatic group, with prolong cortical silent periods (p < 0.05) and large effects (d > 1.0), and reduced short interval intracortical inhibition (p = 0.001) compared to asymptomatic cyclists and controls. Conclusions: Cyclists reporting persistent symptoms showed greater cortical inhibition and impaired cognitive–motor performance, consistent with findings in contact sport athletes. These results suggest that repeated concussions in cycling carry risk of chronic neurophysiological alterations. Cycling disciplines should consider more rigorous concussion identification protocols and stricter management strategies to mitigate persistent and long-term consequences. Full article