Assessing the rider's seat and horse's behavior: difficulties and perspectives

correct seat and position are the basis for a good performance in horseback riding. This study aimed to measure deviations from the correct seat, test a seat improvement program (dismounted exercises), and investigate whether horse behavior was affected by the rider's seat. Five experienced trainers defined 16 seat deviations and scored the occurrence in 20 riders in a dressage test. Half the riders then carried out an individual training program; after 9 weeks, riders were again scored. The study took no video or heart-rate recordings of horses and riders. Panel members did not agree on the deviations in the rider's seat; the study detected no differences¿with the exception of improvement of backward-tilted pelvis¿between the groups. Horse behavior, classified as ¿evasive,¿ increased; horse heart rate decreased in the experimental group. Heart rates of riders in both groups decreased. Seven of 9 riders in the experimental group had the impression that the exercises improved their riding performance. There is a clear need to develop a robust system that allows trainers to objectively evaluate the rider's sea

Expression of the mucus adhesion gene Mub, surface layer protein Slp and adhesion-like factor EF-TU of Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 4356 under digestive stress conditions, as monitored with real-time PCR

Expression of the mucus adhesion gene Mub, surface layer protein Slp and adhesion-like factor EF-Tu by Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 4356 grown in the presence of mucin, bile and pancreatin and at low pH was studied using real-time PCR. None of the genes were up-regulated under increasing concentrations of mucin, while Slp and EF-Tu were up-regulated in the presence of bile and pancreatin at normal concentrations (0.3%, w/v) and under stress conditions (1.0%, w/v)

Metabolomics variable selection and classification in the presence of observations below the detection limit using an extension of ERp

A compressed folder (XERp Software.zip) containing the Matlab scripts to perform XERp as well as an example application. (ZIP 11 kb

Corrigendum to: Associations between illness cognitions and health-related quality of life in the first year after diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (vol 132, 109974, 2020)

The authors regret that in the original published article the first and surnames for two authors were presented in the incorrect order and should be swapped around. The correct names for the second and fifth authors are M.W.M. Post and J.M.A. Visser-Meily respectively. The authors would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused

Associations between illness cognitions and health-related quality of life in the first year after diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Objective: To describe illness cognitions among patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), to study crosssectional associations between illness cognitions and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and to study the predictive value of illness cognitions measured shortly after the diagnosis for HRQoL at follow-up. Methods: Prospective longitudinal design. We administered Self-report questionnaires at study onset (n = 72) and follow-up (n = 48). Median follow-up period was 10.0 months. At baseline median ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised was 43, median time since onset of symptoms was 13.6 months, 79% of patients presented with spinal onset. Illness cognitions Helplessness, Acceptance and Disease Benefits were measured with the Illness Cognitions Questionnaire (ICQ) and HRQoL with the ALS Assessment Questionnaire (ALSAQ-40). Correlational and regression analyses were used. Results: Patients experienced more Helplessness at follow-up. We found no significant changes in Acceptance or Disease Benefits at follow-up. In cross-sectional analyses, Helplessness was independently related to worse HRQoL at baseline (beta = 0.44; p =.001) and Acceptance and Disease Benefits were independently related to worse HRQoL at follow-up (beta = -0.17, p =.045) and (beta = -0.186, p =.03 respectively). Longitudinal analyses showed that, adjusted for disease severity at baseline, Helplessness at baseline was a predictor of worse HRQoL at follow-up (beta = 0.43; p =.006). None of the illness cognitions were a significant predictor of HRQoL with adjustment for baseline HRQoL. Conclusion: Helplessness was independently associated with HRQoL in the cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. These results can help us identify patients shortly after diagnosis who might benefit from psychological interventions

Palaeoecological study of a Weichselian wetland site in the Netherlands suggests a link with Dansgaard-Oeschger climate oscillation

Botanical microfossils, macroremains and oribatid mites of a Weichselian interstadial deposit in the central Netherlands point to a temporary, sub-arctic wetland in a treeless landscape. Radiocarbon dates and OSL dates show an age between ca. 54.6 and 46.6 ka cal BP. The vegetation succession, starting as a peat-forming wetland that developed into a lake, might well be linked with a Dansgaard-Oeschger climatic cycle. We suggest that during the rapid warming at the start of a D-O cycle, relatively low areas in the landscape became wetlands where peat was formed. During the more gradual temperature decline that followed, evaporation diminished; the wetlands became inundated and lake sediments were formed. During subsequent sub-arctic conditions the interstadial deposits were covered with wind-blown sand. Apart from changes in effective precipitation also the climate-related presence and absence of permafrost conditions may have played a role in the formation of the observed sedimentological sequence from sand to peat, through lacustrine sediment, with coversand on top. The Wageningen sequence may correspond with D-O event 12, 13 or 14. Some hitherto not recorded microfossils were described and illustrated

Tracking lubricants during single screw extrusion of uPVC

CITATION: Barnard, J. L., Robertson, D. D. & Van Reenen, A. J. 2020. Tracking lubricants during single screw extrusion of uPVC. Polymer Testing, 87:106523, doi:10.1016/j.polymertesting.2020.106523.The original publication is available at https://www.sciencedirect.comLubrication is one of the most important parameters in unplasticized polyvinyl chloride (uPVC) processing apart from the PVC resin and processing equipment. Lubricants are used in specific ratios to ensure effective fusion of PVC particles. The exact mechanism on how these lubricants interact is not yet fully understood. A widely accepted theory is the interaction mechanism proposed by Rabinovic et al. where lubricants are said to act as surfactants and slip agents. In this study a method for tracking lubricants, by simulating the extrusion process within a single screw extruder, was proposed. A three stage fusion simulation consisted of the feeding zone (stage 1), the compression zone (stage 2) and the metering zone (stage 3). The association interactions between the individual components of a typical uPVC formulation were followed throughout the three stages. External polar and nonpolar lubricants in combination with an internal lubricant was studied. Lubricants were successfully tracked using scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). In conclusion it was found that the use of an internal lubricant promotes dispersion of external lubrication towards PVC. It was also found that there is a competition between the internal lubricant and polar external lubricant.Publisher's versio

Verkennende studie naar hittestress bij melkvee tijdens weidegang in gematigde klimaatstreken

An exploratory study has been conducted to gain insight into the effects of heat stress during grazing on milk production, health and welfare of dairy cows, and the economic consequences of this under Dutch climate conditions. Furthermore an exploration was carried out into options to reduce the effects of heat stress during grazing. The results of this study are described in this report