Belief Hierarchical Clustering

In the data mining field many clustering methods have been proposed, yet standard versions do not take into account uncertain databases. This paper deals with a new approach to cluster uncertain data by using a hierarchical clustering defined within the belief function framework. The main objective of the belief hierarchical clustering is to allow an object to belong to one or several clusters. To each belonging, a degree of belief is associated, and clusters are combined based on the pignistic properties. Experiments with real uncertain data show that our proposed method can be considered as a propitious tool

EFFECTS OF VEST LOADING ON SPRINT RUNNING BIOMECHANICS

The study investigated the influence of vest loading on relative GRF’s during maximum velocity sprinting, and determined the relationship between flight times and relative vertical GRF’s. As a vertical vector-training stimulus, vest loading decreased flight times and vertical GRFs. Vertical loading does not seem to produce desirable effects on sprinting performance or GRFs

Physical exercise for a healthy pregnancy: the role of placentokines and exerkines

Complications such as diabetes and preeclampsia can occur during pregnancy. Moderate-intensity exercise can prevent such complications by releasing placentokines and exerkines, such as apelin, adiponectin, leptin, irisin, and chemerin. Exercise and apelin increase thermogenesis and glucose uptake in pregnancy by activating AMPK, PI3K, PGC-1α, AKT1, UCP3, and sarcolipin. Exercise increases apelin levels to reduce preeclampsia symptoms by increasing eNOS, NO, placental growth factor (PlGF), and VEGF and decreasing levels of fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1), soluble endoglin (sEng), and oxidative stress. A negative relationship has been reported between plasma leptin and VO$_{2}$peak/kg and VO$_{2}$peak in women with gestational diabetes. In active women, decreases in leptin levels reduce the risk of preeclampsia by ~ 40%. Higher adiponectin levels are associated with greater physical activity and lead to increased insulin sensitivity. Increased adiponectin levels in preeclampsia and exercise counteract inflammatory and atherogenic activities while also having vascular protective effects. Exercise increases irisin levels that correlate negatively with fasting glucose, insulin concentration, and glycosylated hemoglobin levels. Irisin augments mRNA expression levels of UCP1 and cell death-inducing DNA fragmentation factor-like effector A (cidea) to cause browning of adipose tissue, increased thermogenesis, and increased energy consumption. Irisin concentrations in mothers with preeclampsia in the third trimester negatively correlate with systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Expression levels of chemerin, IL-6, and TNF-α are increased in gestational diabetes, and the increases in chemerin in late pregnancy positively correlate with the ratio of sFlt-1 to PlGF as a marker of preeclampsia. The effects of physical exercise on placentokines and exerkines in women at various stages of pregnancy remain poorly understood

Editorial: The model of Ramadan diurnal intermittent fasting: unraveling the health implications, volume II

International audienc

High-intensity interval training improves acute plasma volume responses to exercise that is age dependent

Plasma volume (PV) is affected by several factors including age, physical training and, acutely, by exercise intensity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of 6 weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIT) on PV and blood pressure (BP) changes among sedentary individuals. Thirty subjects aged between 18 and 71 years [body mass index=30.1(1.2) kg/m2] completed a 6-weeks HIT program. Anthropometric and fitness variables were obtained at pre- and post- HIT. PV variations during warm-up and after supramaximal cycling test (SCT) were calculated using two methods based on Hematocrit (Ht) and Hemoglobin (Hb) measures. After both the warm-up and SCT, PV decreased significantly among participants at pre- and at post-HIT (P < 0.01). However, PV decreases were significantly greater at pre-HIT compared with post-HIT during warm-up and after SCT (P < 0.01, respectively). In addition, at pre-HIT, a positive relationship was found between age and both PV variations at warm-up and after SCT (r2 = 0.55 and r2 = 0.46; P < 0.01 respectively). However, no relationship was found during the post-HIT period. After SCT and after both visits, only body weight predicted 22% of PV variations. In the current study, a significant relationship was found between systolic and diastolic BP improvements and PV variations in post-HIT (r2 = 0.54 and r2=0.56, P < 0.05, respectively). Our results suggest that HIT may improve PV values and reduce the effects of age on the decrease in PV. These interventions led to improvements in systolic and diastolic BP values among participants. © 2018 The Authors. Physiological Reports published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Physiological Society and the American Physiological SocietyThis work was supported by the Faculty of Superior Studies and Research of the Université de Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada.Scopu

Wearable inertial measurement unit to accelerometer-based training monotony and strain during a soccer season: A within-group study for starters and non-starters

The purpose of this study was to analyze the intragroup differences in weekly training monotony (TM) and training strain (TS) between starter and non-starter male professional soccer players at accelerometry-based variables throughout the periods of a season. TM and TS of different accelerations and decelerations zones for twenty-one players were followed for forty-eight weeks. Regardless of group, players obtained the highest mean TM (starters = 3.3 ± 0.6, non-starters = 2.2 ± 1.1, in arbitrary unit, AU) and TS (starters = 1288.9 ± 265.2, non-starters = 765.4 ± 547.5, AU) scores in the pre-season for accelerations at Zone 1 (&lt;2 m/s2). The results also indicated that both groups exhibited similar TM and TS scores in accelerations at Zones 2 (2 to 4 m/s2) and 3 (&gt;4 m/s2) across the entire season. While the starters showed the highest TM and TS scores at deceleration Zone 1 (&lt;−2 m/s2) in the end-season, the non-starters exhibited the highest scores at the deceleration Zone 1 in pre-season. It seems that in pre-season, coaches applied higher levels of training with greater emphasis on deceleration for non-starters. This tendency was reduced over time for non-starters, while starters presented higher values of deceleration Zone 1. These results highlight the variations in TM and TS across the different periods of a full season according to match starting status among professional soccer players, and the results suggest that non-starter players should receive higher levels of load to compensate for non-participation in matches throughout a soccer season

Association between the acute to chronic workload ratio and injury occurrence in young male team soccer players: a preliminary study

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the acute to chronic workload ratio (ACWR), based upon participant session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE), using two models [(1) rolling averages (ACWR(RA)); and (2) exponentially weighted moving averages (ACWR(EWMA))] and the injury rate in young male team soccer players aged 17.1 +/- 0.7 years during a competitive mesocycle. Twenty-two players were enrolled in this study and performed four training sessions per week with 2 days of recovery and 1 match day per week. During each training session and each weekly match, training time and sRPE were recorded. In addition, training impulse (TRIMP), monotony, and strain were subsequently calculated. The rate of injury was recorded for each soccer player over a period of 4 weeks (i.e., 28 days) using a daily questionnaire. The results showed that over the course of the study, the number of non-contact injuries was significantly higher than that for contact injuries (2.5 vs. 0.5,p= 0.01). There were also significant positive correlations between sRPE and training time (r= 0.411,p= 0.039), ACWR(RA)(r= 0.47,p= 0.049), and ACWR(EWMA)(r= 0.51,p= 0.038). In addition, small-to-medium correlations were detected between ACWR and non-contact injury occurrence (ACWR(RA),r= 0.31,p= 0.05; ACWR(EWMA),r= 0.53,p= 0.03). Explained variance (r(2)) for non-contact injury was significantly greater using the ACWR(EWMA)model (ranging between 21 and 52%) compared with ACWR(RA)(ranging between 17 and 39%). In conclusion, the results of this study showed that the ACWR(EWMA)model is more sensitive than ACWR(RA)to identify non-contact injury occurrence in male team soccer players during a short period in the competitive season

Resistance exercise in a hot environment alters serum markers in untrained males

Purpose:We examined the effects of moderate resistance exercise (RE) on serum cortisol, testosterone, extracellular heat shock protein (HSP70), and interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-15 concentrations in untrained males in a hot environment. Methods:Ten untrained young males (26 +/- 3 years; 75.8 +/- 6 kg; 177.4 +/- 5.3 cm) performed two series of full body RE [3 sets of 8 to 10 repetitions, 30-60 s recovery between series with 70% of one maximal repetition (1-RM), with a rest period of 1 to 3 min between exercises] carried out in a random order in both heated (similar to 35 degrees C) and thermoneutral (22 degrees C) conditions. Serum concentrations of testosterone, cortisol, HSP70, and IL-6 and IL-15 were measured before, at the end, and 1 h after RE sessions. Participants in both groups consumed 4 ml of water/kg body mass every 15 min. Results:There were time-related changes in testosterone, HSP70, and IL-6 (P 0.05). Conclusion:RE in a heated environment may not be appropriate for achieving muscle adaptations due to acute changes of hormonal and inflammatory markers

Multimodal benefits of exercise in patients with multiple sclerosis and COVID-19

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease characterized by plaque formation and neuroinflammation. The plaques can present in various locations, causing a variety of clinical symptoms in patients with MS. Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is also associated with systemic inflammation and a cytokine storm which can cause plaque formation in several areas of the brain. These concurring events could exacerbate the disease burden of MS. We review the neuro-invasive properties of SARS-CoV-2 and the possible pathways for the entry of the virus into the central nervous system (CNS). Complications due to this viral infection are similar to those occurring in patients with MS. Conditions related to MS which make patients more susceptible to viral infection include inflammatory status, blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability, function of CNS cells, and plaque formation. There are also psychoneurological and mood disorders associated with both MS and COVID-19 infections. Finally, we discuss the effects of exercise on peripheral and central inflammation, BBB integrity, glia and neural cells, and remyelination. We conclude that moderate exercise training prior or after infection with SARS-CoV-2 can produce health benefits in patients with MS patients, including reduced mortality and improved physical and mental health of patients with MS.9513-E3E4-C5C9 | Sílvia Fernanda Rocha RodriguesN/

Plyometric exercise combined with high-intensity interval training improves metabolic abnormalities in young obese females more so than interval training alone

International audienceThe aim of this study was to compare the effects of 12 weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) with the effects of 12 weeks of plyometric exercise combined with HIIT (P+HIIT) on anthropometric, biochemical, and physical fitness data in young obese females. Sixty-eight participants (age, 16.6 ± 1.3 y; body mass, 82.8 ± 5.0 kg; body fat, 39.4% ± 3.3%; body mass index z score, 2.9 ± 0.4) were assigned to 1 of 3 groups: HIIT (2 blocks per session of 6-8 bouts of 30-s runs at 100% velocity at peak oxygen uptake, with 30-s active recovery between bouts at 50%velocity at peak oxygen uptake (n = 23)); P+HIIT (2 blocks per session of 3 different 15-s plyometric exercises with 15-s passive recoveries, totaling 2 min for each plyometric exercise + the same HIIT program (n = 26)); or control (no exercise (n = 19)). Anthropometric (body mass, body mass index z score, body fat, lean body mass, and waist circumference), biochemical (plasma glucose, insulin, leptin and adiponectin concentrations, leptin/adiponectin ratio, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR)), physical fitness (peak oxygen uptake, velocity at peak oxygen uptake, squat jump, and countermovement jump performances), and energy intake data were collected. Both training programs improved the anthropometric, biochemical, and physical fitness variables. However, the P+HIIT program induced greater improvements than did the HIIT program in lean body mass (+3.0% ± 1.7%), plasma glucose and leptin concentrations (-11.0% ± 4.7% and -23.8% ± 5.8%, respectively), plasma leptin/adiponectin ratio (-40.9% ± 10.9%), HOMA-IR (-37.3% ± 6.2%), and squat jump performance (22.2% ± 7.5%). Taken together, these findings suggest that adding plyometric exercises to a HIIT program may be more beneficial than HIIT alone in obese female adolescent