Non-traumatic injury profile of amateur cyclists

BACKGROUND : Non-traumatic bicycle injuries are common. However, research available on non-traumatic injuries in amateur cyclists is more than a decade old, and most of the research on this topic has been done in Europe and America on professional cyclists in multi-day cycling events. An understanding of the common injuries may lead to appropriate prevention intervention. OBJECTIVE : To determine the incidence of overuse injuries in amateur cyclists preparing for participation in a 1-day cycle challenge. METHODS : A questionnaire was emailed to participants of the 2012 Momentum 94.7 Cycle Challenge, which amateur participants ≥18 years old were invited to complete. Data on demographics, training habits and the participants’ injury profile in the preceding year were collected. RESULTS : Of the 3 300 respondents, 75% were male and 59% were between 30 and 50 years old. Non-traumatic injury, pain or neurological symptoms were reported by 88% of the respondents. The percentages of all respondents who experienced problems in the following anatomical areas were as follows: neck 34%, back 41%, hand/wrist 41%, buttock/perineum 41%, hip 7%, knee 33% and foot/ankle 24%. Knee pain was responsible for the need to stop training for the largest percentage of respondents. Neurological complaints were common in respondents who experienced neck, back, hand/wrist, buttock/perineum and foot/ankle problems. CONCLUSION : Non-traumatic injuries in amateur cyclists are common, with back, hand/wrist and buttock/perineal symptoms the most frequent problems. Knee problems caused the greatest need to stop training and seek medical help.http://www.journals.co.za/sama/m_sajsm.htmlhb201

Anthropogenic Space Weather

Anthropogenic effects on the space environment started in the late 19th century and reached their peak in the 1960s when high-altitude nuclear explosions were carried out by the USA and the Soviet Union. These explosions created artificial radiation belts near Earth that resulted in major damages to several satellites. Another, unexpected impact of the high-altitude nuclear tests was the electromagnetic pulse (EMP) that can have devastating effects over a large geographic area (as large as the continental United States). Other anthropogenic impacts on the space environment include chemical release ex- periments, high-frequency wave heating of the ionosphere and the interaction of VLF waves with the radiation belts. This paper reviews the fundamental physical process behind these phenomena and discusses the observations of their impacts.Comment: 71 pages, 35 figure

MeerGAL: the MeerKAT Galactic Plane Survey

Radio surveys of the Milky Way galaxy have transformed our understanding of star formation and stellar evolution. However, due to strong dependence of “survey cost” on frequency most large area surveys have so far been carried out at low frequencies (? a few GHz). These surveys select against dense plasma as the free-free turnover frequency scales directly with electron density which means that there are significant biases against the detection of the youngest and densest HII regions, Young Stellar Objects, jets, winds and Planetary Nebulae. Here we describe the MeerKAT Large Project MeerGAL, which aims to address this issue by making the first sensitive high frequency, high resolution multi-epoch survey of the Galactic Plane. Together with its Northern Hemisphere sister project KuGARS (the Ku-band Galactic Reconnaissance Survey), MeerGAL will revolutionise the study of massive star formation and stellar evolution, Galactic structure, and variability

Biomarkers of Multiple Sclerosis

The search for an ideal multiple sclerosis biomarker with good diagnostic value, prognostic reference and an impact on clinical outcome has yet to be realized and is still ongoing. The aim of this review is to establish an overview of the frequent biomarkers for multiple sclerosis that exist to date. The review summarizes the results obtained from electronic databases, as well as thorough manual searches. In this review the sources and methods of biomarkers extraction are described; in addition to the description of each biomarker, determination of the prognostic, diagnostic, disease monitoring and treatment response values besides clinical impact they might possess. We divided the biomarkers into three categories according to the achievement method: laboratory markers, genetic-immunogenetic markers and imaging markers. We have found two biomarkers at the time being considered the gold standard for MS diagnostics. Unfortunately, there does not exist a single solitary marker being able to present reliable diagnostic value, prognostic value, high sensitivity and specificity as well as clinical impact. We need more studies to find the best biomarker for MS.publishersversionPeer reviewe

The need for conservation of the built-up environment

In hierdie artikel word betoog dat die beboude omgewing naas die natuurlike omgewing as deel van die mens se totale lewensruimte beskou moet word, en dat omgewingsbewaring ook ten aansien van die beboude omgewing nagestreef moet word. In hierdie verband het omgewingsbewaring hoofsaaklik met die afteruitgang en vernietiging van bestaande en kultureel belangrike omgewingsisteme en -prosesse te doen. Verskillende argumente oor die etiese basis van omgewingsbewaring word ondersoek en die gevolgtrekking word bereik dat daar nie 'n nuwe etiese teorie benodig word nie, maar wel 'n nuwe bewuswording van bestaande waardes, op grond waarvan omgewingsbewaring geregverdig kan word. Dit is verder noodsaaklik dat hierdie bewaringsetiek juridies erken en aanvaar word aangesien die reg 'n belangrike rol in die bewaringsproses sal speel. Aanvaarding van die bewaringsetiek ten opsigte van die beboude omgewing verg besinnlng oor die bewarings-waarde van die menslike kultuur, en verskillende aspekte hiervan word kortliks ondersoek. Ten slotte word die verband tussen omgewingsbewaring en die beplanning en beheer van grondgebruik en die funksie van die reg in hierdie verband kortliks uitgestip

The enforceability of tenants' rights (part 2)

No abstract availabl