A Killer Flu?

Examines shortfalls in available anti-viral medication and hospital capacity to respond to an epidemic, compares U.S. preparedness to that of the United Kingdom and Canada, and offers recommendations designed to boost America's preparedness

Epidemiology of neural tube defects in northern Iran, 1998-2003

We determined the rates of neural tube defects at a referral hospital in Gorgan, north Islamic Republic of Iran, and the relations of these abnormalities to sex, maternal ethnicity, maternal age and season. During 1998-2003, there were 109 cases among 37951 births, a prevalence of 28.7 per 10000 (24.8 and 32.8 per 10000 among males and females respectively). The rates in Turkmen, native Fars and Sistani ethnic groups were 40.5, 25.2 and 30.8 per 10000 respectively. The rates of spina bifida and anencephaly were 16.3 and 11.3 per 10000 respectively. The rate of affected newborns was highest in mothers aged over 35 years (50.7 per 10000). The peak prevalence was in December

Gait parameter changes during 10000 metre treadmill running

The purpose of this study was to measure the effects of fatigue on gait parameters during running. Research has shown that changes due to fatigue include those of step length, cadence, flight time, and joint angles. Thirteen male distance runners ran 10000 m at a pace equivalent to 103% of their personal best time. Kinetic data was collected using a Gaitway treadmill (1000 Hz), and kinematic data using two RedLake MotionPro high-speed cameras (250 Hz). Data was collected at five points. Repeated measures ANOVA showed that there were significant differences in maximum force, impulse, and contact time (p < .01). Dependent t-tests showed a significant difference for the knee angle at take-off (p < .01). The kinetic and temporal changes occurred as early as 3000 m. Athletes are recommended to race at a constant pace to reduce the effects of fatigue

A 928 sq m (10000 sq ft) solar array

As the power requirements for space vehicles increases, the area of solar arrays that convert solar energy to usable electrical power increases. The requirements for a 928 sq m (10,000 sq ft) array, its design, and a full-scale demonstration of one quadrant (232 sq m (2500 sq ft)) deployed in a one-g field are described

Exercise-induced respiratory muscle fatigue: implications for performance

It is commonly held that the respiratory system has ample capacity relative to the demand for maximal O-2 and CO2 transport in healthy humans exercising near sea level. However, this situation may not apply during heavy-intensity, sustained exercise where exercise may encroach on the capacity of the respiratory system. Nerve stimulation techniques have provided objective evidence that the diaphragm and abdominal muscles are susceptible to fatigue with heavy, sustained exercise. The fatigue appears to be due to elevated levels of respiratory muscle work combined with an increased competition for blood flow with limb locomotor muscles. When respiratory muscles are prefatigued using voluntary respiratory maneuvers, time to exhaustion during subsequent exercise is decreased. Partially unloading the respiratory muscles during heavy exercise using low-density gas mixtures or mechanical ventilation can prevent exercise-induced diaphragm fatigue and increase exercise time to exhaustion. Collectively, these findings suggest that respiratory muscle fatigue may be involved in limiting exercise tolerance or that other factors, including alterations in the sensation of dyspnea or mechanical load, may be important. The major consequence of respiratory muscle fatigue is an increased sympathetic vasoconstrictor outflow to working skeletal muscle through a respiratory muscle metaboreflex, thereby reducing limb blood flow and increasing the severity of exercise-induced locomotor muscle fatigue. An increase in limb locomotor muscle fatigue may play a pivotal role in determining exercise tolerance through a direct effect on muscle force output and a feedback effect on effort perception, causing reduced motor output to the working limb muscles

Multi-density model of the ionised gas in NGC 253 using radio recombination lines

We have imaged the H92alpha (8.3 GHz), H75alpha (15 GHz), and H166alpha (1.4 GHz) Radio Recombination Lines (RRLs) from NGC 253 at resolutions of 4.5 pc (0.4"), 2.5 pc (0.2") and 53 pc (4.5") respectively. The H92alpha line arises from individual compact sources, most of which possess radio continuum counterparts. The line widths range from ~200 km/s for the sources near the radio nucleus to 70-100 km/s for the extranuclear ones. These lines are emitted by gas at a density ~10000 /cc. The remainder of the cm-wave RRLs arise in lower density gas (~500 /cc) with a higher area filling factor and with ten times highermass. A third component of higher density gas (>10000 /cc) is required to explain the mm-wave RRLs.Comment: Accepted by A&A; Changed to fit all figures within pag