Time to failure and electromyogram activity were measured during two types of sustained submaximal contractions with the elbow flexors that required each subject to exert the same net muscle torque with the forearm in two different postures. Twenty men performed the tasks, either by maintaining a constant force while pushing against a force transducer (force task), or by supporting an equivalen...

Abstract   Fiber-metal laminates (FMLs) are new type of composite materials which could improve defects of traditional composites in ductility, formability, impact and damage tolerance. Drawing behavior of a thermoplastic based FML was investigated consisting of glass-fiber reinforced polypropylene composite laminate and aluminum AA1200-O as the core and skin layers, respectively. The effects o...

BACKGROUND Chronic congestive heart failure is a common, often lethal disorder of cardiac contractility. The fundamental pathophysiology of the contractile failure remains unclear, the focus being on abnormal Ca2+ cycling despite emerging evidence for depressed myofilament function. METHODS AND RESULTS We measured intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) and contractile force in intact vent...

This article offers the first independent scholarly evaluation of the claims, forecasts, and causal inferences of the State Failure Task Force and its efforts to forecast when states will fail. State failure refers to the collapse of the authority of the central government to impose order, as in civil wars, revolutionary wars, genocides, politicides, and adverse or disruptive regime transitions...

Skeletal muscle function was measured as force production and fatigue in both the quadriceps (a large locomotive muscle) and adductor pollicis (a small intrinsic hand muscle) in five healthy volunteers, five patients with mild chronic heart failure, and five patients with severe chronic heart failure. The quadriceps of patients with chronic heart failure had a reduced muscle cross sectional are...

Background: Observance of human rights standards and adherence to ethical principles and foundations prevents the vulnerability of governments to foreign decisions and guarantees the independence of countries in a world where interdependence is one of its characteristics. Governments, while having legal legitimacy, must also enjoy moral legitimacy. Otherwise, international organizations and oth...

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the influence of load compliance on time to failure during sustained isometric contractions performed with the elbow flexor muscles at four submaximal target forces. Subjects pulled against a rigid restraint during the force task and maintained a constant elbow angle, while supporting an equivalent inertial load during the position task. Each t...

Human upper airway and facial muscles support breathing, swallowing, speech, mastication, and facial expression, but their endurance performance in sustained contractions is poorly understood. The muscular fatigue typically associated with task failure during sustained contractions has both central and intramuscular causes, with the contribution of each believed to be task dependent. Previously...