894 research outputs found
The determination of drag in the gliding phase in swimming
The hydrodynamic drag forces produced by the swimmer during the sub aquatic gliding have been analyzed appealing to experimental investigation methods (e.g., Lyttle et al., 2000). However, the obtained results varied, which can translate some of the main inherent difficulties involved in the experimental studies. Thus, through application of a numerical method of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), we intended to study the hydrodynamic drag forces, created during the displacement of the swimmer in different gliding positions, attempting to address some practical concerns to swimmers and coaches
Three-dimensional CFD analysis of the hand and forearm in swimming
The purpose of this study was to analyze the hydrodynamic characteristics of a realistic model of an elite
swimmer hand/forearm using three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics techniques. A three-dimensional
domain was designed to simulate the fluid flow around a swimmer hand and forearm model in different orientations
(0°, 45°, and 90° for the three axes Ox, Oy and Oz). The hand/forearm model was obtained through
computerized tomography scans. Steady-state analyses were performed using the commercial code Fluent.
The drag coefficient presented higher values than the lift coefficient for all model orientations. The drag coefficient
of the hand/forearm model increased with the angle of attack, with the maximum value of the force
coefficient corresponding to an angle of attack of 90°. The drag coefficient obtained the highest value at an
orientation of the hand plane in which the model was directly perpendicular to the direction of the flow. An
important contribution of the lift coefficient was observed at an angle of attack of 45°, which could have an
important role in the overall propulsive force production of the hand and forearm in swimming phases, when
the angle of attack is near 45°.Lif
Swimming propulsion forces are enhanced by a small finger spread
The main aim of this study was to investigate the effect of finger spread on the propulsive force production
in swimming using computational fluid dynamics. Computer tomography scans of an Olympic swimmer
hand were conducted. This procedure involved three models of the hand with differing finger spreads: fingers
closed together (no spread), fingers with a small (0.32 cm) spread, and fingers with large (0.64 cm) spread.
Steady-state computational fluid dynamics analyses were performed using the Fluent code. The measured
forces on the hand models were decomposed into drag and lift coefficients. For hand models, angles of attack
of 0°, 15°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 75°, and 90°, with a sweep back angle of 0°, were used for the calculations. The
results showed that the model with a small spread between fingers presented higher values of drag coefficient
than did the models with fingers closed and fingers with a large spread. One can note that the drag coefficient
presented the highest values for an attack angle of 90° in the three hand models. The lift coefficient resembled
a sinusoidal curve across the attack angle. The values for the lift coefficient presented few differences among
the three models, for a given attack angle. These results suggested that fingers slightly spread could allow the
hand to create more propulsive force during swimming
Are wearable heart rate measurements accurate to estimate aerobic energy cost during low-intensity resistance exercise?
The aim of the present study was to assess the accuracy of heart rate to estimate energy cost during eight resistance exercises performed at low intensities: half squat, 45° inclined leg press, leg extension, horizontal bench press, 45° inclined bench press, lat pull down, triceps extension and biceps curl. 56 males (27.5 ± 4.9 years, 1.78 ± 0.06 m height, 78.67 ± 10.7 kg body mass and 11.4 ± 4.1% estimated body fat) were randomly divided into four groups of 14 subjects each. Two exercises were randomly assigned to each group and subjects performed four bouts of 4-min constant-intensity at each assigned exercise: 12%, 16%, 20% and 24% 1-RM. Exercise and intensity order were random. Each subject performed no more than 2 bouts in the same testing session. A minimum recovery of 24h was kept between sessions. During testing VO2 was measured with Cosmed K4b2 and heart rate was measured with Polar V800 monitor. Energy cost was calculated from mean VO2 during the last 30-s of each bout by using the energy equivalent 1 ml O2 = 5 calorie. Linear regressions with heart rate as predictor and energy cost as dependent variable were build using mean data from all subjects. Robustness of the regression lines was given by the scatter around the regression line (Sy.x) and Bland-Altman plots confirmed the agreement between measured and estimated energy costs. Significance level was set at pâ€0.05. The regressions between heart rate and energy cost in the eight exercises were significant (p<0.01) and robustness was: half squat (Sy.x = 0,48 kcal·min-1), 45° inclined leg press (Sy.x = 0,54 kcal·min-1), leg extension (Sy.x = 0,59 kcal·min-1), horizontal bench press (Sy.x = 0,47 kcal·min-1), 45° inclined bench press (Sy.x = 0,54 kcal·min-1), lat pull down (Sy.x = 0,28 kcal·min-1), triceps extension (Sy.x = 0,08 kcal·min-1) and biceps curl (Sy.x = 0,13 kcal·min-1). We conclude that during low-intensity resistance exercises it is possible to estimate aerobic energy cost by wearable heart rate monitors with errors below 10% in healthy young trained males.This research was supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), through Portugal 2020 and the European Regional Development Fund, NanoSTIMA, NORTE-01-0145- FEDER-000016 to VMR. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Hadronic top-quark pair production in association with a hard jet at next-to-leading order QCD: Phenomenological studies for the Tevatron and the LHC
We report on the calculation of the next-to-leading order QCD corrections to
the production of top--antitop-quark pairs in association with a hard jet at
the Tevatron and at the LHC. Results for integrated and differential cross
sections are presented. We find a significant reduction of the scale
dependence. In most cases the corrections are below 20% indicating that the
perturbative expansion is well under control. Moreover, the forward--backward
charge asymmetry of the top-quark, which is analyzed at the Tevatron, is
studied at next-to-leading order. We find large corrections suggesting that the
definition of the observable has to be refined.Comment: 37 pages, version to be publishe
Metabolic and nutritional triggers associated with increased risk of liver complications in SARS-CoV-2
Obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, cancer and smoking are risk factors for negative outcomes in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which can quickly induce severe respiratory failure in 5% of cases. Coronavirus disease-associated liver injury may occur during progression of SARS-CoV-2 in patients with or without pre-existing liver disease, and damage to the liver parenchyma can be caused by infection of hepatocytes. Cirrhosis patients may be particularly vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 if suffering with cirrhosis-associated immune dysfunction. Furthermore, pharmacotherapies including macrolide or quinolone antibiotics and steroids can also induce liver damage. In this review we addressed nutritional status and nutritional interventions in severe SARS-CoV-2 liver patients. As guidelines for SARS-CoV-2 in intensive care (IC) specifically are not yet available, strategies for management of sepsis and SARS are suggested in SARS-CoV-2. Early enteral nutrition (EN) should be started soon after IC admission, preferably employing iso-osmolar polymeric formula with initial protein content at 0.8 g/kg per day progressively increasing up to 1.3 g/kg per day and enriched with fish oil at 0.1 g/kg per day to 0.2 g/kg per day. Monitoring is necessary to identify signs of intolerance, hemodynamic instability and metabolic disorders, and transition to parenteral nutrition should not be delayed when energy and protein targets cannot be met via EN. Nutrients including vitamins A, C, D, E, B6, B12, folic acid, zinc, selenium and Ï-3 fatty acids have in isolation or in combination shown beneficial effects upon immune function and inflammation modulation. Cautious and monitored supplementation up to upper limits may be beneficial in management strategies for SARS-CoV-2 liver patients
Chitosan/polyester-based scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering: assessment of extracellular matrix formation
Naturally derived polymers have been extensively used in scaffold production for cartilage tissue engineering.
The present work aims to evaluate and characterize extracellular matrix (ECM) formation in
two types of chitosan-based scaffolds, using bovine articular chondrocytes (BACs). The influence of these
scaffoldsâ porosity, as well as pore size and geometry, on the formation of cartilagineous tissue was studied.
The effect of stirred conditions on ECM formation was also assessed. Chitosan-poly(butylene succinate)
(CPBS) scaffolds were produced by compression moulding and salt leaching, using a blend of 50%
of each material. Different porosities and pore size structures were obtained. BACs were seeded onto CPBS
scaffolds using spinner flasks. Constructs were then transferred to the incubator, where half were cultured
under stirred conditions, and the other half under static conditions for 4 weeks. Constructs were
characterized by scanning electron microscopy, histology procedures, immunolocalization of collagen
type I and collagen type II, and dimethylmethylene blue assay for glycosaminoglycan (GAG) quantification.
Both materials showed good affinity for cell attachment. Cells colonized the entire scaffolds and
were able to produce ECM. Large pores with random geometry improved proteoglycans and collagen type
II production. However, that structure has the opposite effect on GAG production. Stirred culture conditions
indicate enhancement of GAG production in both types of scaffold.M.L. Alves da Silva would like to acknowledge the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for her grant (SFRH/BD/28708/2006), Marie Curie Actions-ALEA JACTA EST (MEST-CT-2004-008104), European NoE EXPERTISSUES (NMP3-CT-2004-500283), IP GENOSTEM (LSHB-CT-2003-503161) and CARTISCAFF (POCTI/SAUIBMA/58982
Measurement of the p-pbar -> Wgamma + X cross section at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV and WWgamma anomalous coupling limits
The WWgamma triple gauge boson coupling parameters are studied using p-pbar
-> l nu gamma + X (l = e,mu) events at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV. The data were
collected with the DO detector from an integrated luminosity of 162 pb^{-1}
delivered by the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. The cross section times branching
fraction for p-pbar -> W(gamma) + X -> l nu gamma + X with E_T^{gamma} > 8 GeV
and Delta R_{l gamma} > 0.7 is 14.8 +/- 1.6 (stat) +/- 1.0 (syst) +/- 1.0 (lum)
pb. The one-dimensional 95% confidence level limits on anomalous couplings are
-0.88 < Delta kappa_{gamma} < 0.96 and -0.20 < lambda_{gamma} < 0.20.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev. D Rapid Communication
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