EFFECTS OF A FOUR-WEEK ELASTIC TUBING TRAINING ON THROWING PERFORMANCE IN YOUTH BASEBALL PLAYERS

The purpose of this study was to identify the training effect of elastic tubing exercise in youth baseball players on throwing velocity, throwing accuracy and parameters of pitching mechanics. Participants (n=24) aging from 13 to 16 years old were equally and randomly allocated to the training group and control group. A four-week elastic tubing training was conducted in the training group. After four weeks of training, throwing velocity in training group improved significantly. Kinematics changed significantly mainly in parameters of shoulder and elbow. Since the muscular strength did not improve significantly, we may attribute the improvement to the effect of neural adaptation mechanism caused by training

Temporal and spatial expression of Arabidopsis gene homologs control daylength adaptation and bulb formation in onion (Allium cepa L.)

Genetic studies aimed at onion improvement have been limited because of high heterozygosity, a very large genome size with a high level of repetitive DNA and a biennial life cycle. Onion bulb initiation is daylength-dependent, which places a significant barrier to adapting new varieties for growth at different latitudes. Compared to the photoperiodic regulation of flowering, relatively little is known about genetic regulation of the bulbing process. This study aims to identify the role of gene sequences involved in daylength-regulated bulb formation and tissue specific expression of onion. A comprehensive set of developmental and spatial quantitative mRNA expression experiments were carried out to investigate expression of onion FLOWERING LOCUS T (AcFT), LEAFY (AcLFY) and GIBBERELLIN-3 OXIDASE (GA3ox1) during the bulbing response. Bulbing ratios were used to measure the response of onion plants under long day (LD) and short day (SD) conditions. AcFT1 was expressed in LD, which induces bulb formation, while AcFT4 was expressed in SD, which inhibits bulb formation. AcFT5 and AcFT6 were expressed in LD and might also be involved in bulb formation itself. All AcFT, AcLFY and GA3ox1 genes showed distinctive patterns of tissue specific expression in onion, with AcFT genes found primarily in the sites of perception in the leaf and LFY in the basal tissues, the site of response. The results are consistent with AcFT1 expression being the signal for LD-induced bulb initiation and AcFT4, being involved in suppressing bulbing in SD

Multi-scale simulation of the nano-metric cutting process

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and the finite element (FE) method are two popular numerical techniques for the simulation of machining processes. The two methods have their own strengths and limitations. MD simulation can cover the phenomena occurring at nano-metric scale but is limited by the computational cost and capacity, whilst the FE method is suitable for modelling meso- to macro-scale machining and for simulating macro-parameters, such as the temperature in a cutting zone, the stress/strain distribution and cutting forces, etc. With the successful application of multi-scale simulations in many research fields, the application of simulation to the machining processes is emerging, particularly in relation to machined surface generation and integrity formation, i.e. the machined surface roughness, residual stress, micro-hardness, microstructure and fatigue. Based on the quasi-continuum (QC) method, the multi-scale simulation of nano-metric cutting has been proposed. Cutting simulations are performed on single-crystal aluminium to investigate the chip formation, generation and propagation of the material dislocation during the cutting process. In addition, the effect of the tool rake angle on the cutting force and internal stress under the workpiece surface is investigated: The cutting force and internal stress in the workpiece material decrease with the increase of the rake angle. Finally, to ease multi-scale modelling and its simulation steps and to increase their speed, a computationally efficient MATLAB-based programme has been developed, which facilitates the geometrical modelling of cutting, the simulation conditions, the implementation of simulation and the analysis of results within a unified integrated virtual-simulation environment

Peri-operative administration of rectal diclofenac sodium. The effect on renal function in patients undergoing minor orthopaedic surgery

In a randomized, double-blind study, we administered placebo and diclofenac sodium 100 mg suppositories 1 h pre-operatively and on the first post-operative morning to 22 adult patients undergoing minor orthopaedic surgery. A standardized post-operative intravenous fluid regimen was instituted until oral fluids were tolerated. Renal function was assessed pre-operatively, and on the first and second post-operative days by the measurement of urine output, creatinine, urea, sodium, potassium and NAG (N-acetyl-b-D-glucosaminidase) levels and serum creatinine, urea, sodium and potassium concentrations. On the first postoperative day, the diclofenac group demonstrated a reduced urinary sodium excretion. On the second postoperative day, a reduced urinary NAG/creatinine ratio was observed in the diclofenac group when compared to placebo. We conclude that peri-operative administration of diclofenac causes changes in renal function consistent with prostaglandin inhibition on the first post-operative day but had no lasting adverse effects in this group of patients. Our results reinforce the need for caution when administering this drug in the context of pre-existing renal impairment.published_or_final_versio

Characterization of insulating coatings for wind-and-react coil fabrication

Electrical insulation breakdown between conductor and coil parts and structures is a limiting factor in the performance of high-field magnets. We have evaluated various insulation coatings for possible application in both Nb Sn and Bi-2212 coil fabrication. Such coatings must be robust to maintain structural integrity and provide adequate voltage standoff after the wind-and-react coil fabrication process. Such processes are characterized by reaction temperatures of 650°C in an inert atmosphere for Nb Sn and 890°C in a pure oxygen atmosphere for Bi-2212, and down to cryogenic temperatures when coils are in service. We present a method of testing standardized samples and report the performance characteristics of oxide layers produced (or applied) by plasma-spray, surface conversion, and "paintable" coatings in common areas of voltage breakdown in coil parts. We also address material compatibility and durability during high-temperature heat treatment and cryogenic shock. Suitable coatings selected in the testing process will be instrumental in improving the performance of future wind-and-react coils. © 2014 AIP Publishing LLC. 3

Emergence of homeostatic epithelial packing and stress dissipation through divisions oriented along the long cell axis.

Cell division plays an important role in animal tissue morphogenesis, which depends, critically, on the orientation of divisions. In isolated adherent cells, the orientation of mitotic spindles is sensitive to interphase cell shape and the direction of extrinsic mechanical forces. In epithelia, the relative importance of these two factors is challenging to assess. To do this, we used suspended monolayers devoid of ECM, where divisions become oriented following a stretch, allowing the regulation and function of epithelial division orientation in stress relaxation to be characterized. Using this system, we found that divisions align better with the long, interphase cell axis than with the monolayer stress axis. Nevertheless, because the application of stretch induces a global realignment of interphase long axes along the direction of extension, this is sufficient to bias the orientation of divisions in the direction of stretch. Each division redistributes the mother cell mass along the axis of division. Thus, the global bias in division orientation enables cells to act collectively to redistribute mass along the axis of stretch, helping to return the monolayer to its resting state. Further, this behavior could be quantitatively reproduced using a model designed to assess the impact of autonomous changes in mitotic cell mechanics within a stretched monolayer. In summary, the propensity of cells to divide along their long axis preserves epithelial homeostasis by facilitating both stress relaxation and isotropic growth without the need for cells to read or transduce mechanical signals.We thank D. Farquharson and S. Townsend at the University College London workshop and Joel Jennings and Richard Adams for help with model development. B.B. and J.B. thank Cancer Research UK, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) (Grant BB/K009001), the French Institut National du Cancer, and Matthieu Piel for support. T.P.J.W. and A.D. were supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. A.R.H. was supported by the BBSRC (Grant BB/K013521 to G.C. and A.K.), and M.L. was supported by the Agency for Science Technology and Research (Singapore) and the Wellcome Trust.This is the accepted manuscript of a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Wyatt et al., PNAS 2015, 112, 18, 5726-5731, doi:10.1073/pnas.1420585112). The final version is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.142058511

Transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolic changes in Arabidopsis thaliana leaves after the onset of illumination

BACKGROUND: Light plays an important role in plant growth and development. In this study, the impact of light on physiology of 20-d-old Arabidopsis leaves was examined through transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic analysis. Since the energy-generating electron transport chains in chloroplasts and mitochondria are encoded by both nuclear and organellar genomes, sequencing total RNA after removal of ribosomal RNAs provides essential information on transcription of organellar genomes. The changes in the levels of ADP, ATP, NADP(+), NADPH and 41 metabolites upon illumination were also quantified. RESULTS: Upon illumination, while the transcription of the genes encoded by the plastid genome did not change significantly, the transcription of nuclear genes encoding different functional complexes in the photosystem are differentially regulated whereas members of the same complex are co-regulated with each other. The abundance of mRNAs and proteins encoded by all three genomes are, however, not always positively correlated. One such example is the negative correlation between mRNA and protein abundances of the photosystem components, which reflects the importance of post-transcriptional regulation in plant physiology. CONCLUSION: This study provides systems-wide datasets which allow plant researchers to examine the changes in leaf transcriptomes, proteomes and key metabolites upon illumination and to determine whether there are any correlations between changes in transcript and protein abundances of a particular gene or pathway upon illumination. The integration of data of the organelles and the photosystems, Calvin-Benson cycle, carbohydrate metabolism, glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid cycle and respiratory chain, thereby provides a more complete picture to the changes in plant physiology upon illumination than has been attained to date.published_or_final_versio

Weak and Strong Lensing Statistics

After a brief introduction to gravitational lensing theory, a rough overview of the types of gravitational lensing statistics that have been performed so far will be given. I shall then concentrate on recent results of galaxy-galaxy lensing, which indicate that galactic halos extend much further than can be probed via rotation of stars and gas.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, talk given at the ISSI-Workshop "Matter in the Universe", 19-23 March 2001 Bern (Switzerland

Warped Radion Dark Matter

Warped scenarios offer an appealing solution to the hierarchy problem. We consider a non-trivial deformation of the basic Randall-Sundrum framework that has a KK-parity symmetry. This leads to a stable particle beyond the Standard Model, that is generically expected to be the first KK-parity odd excitation of the radion field. We consider the viability of the KK-radion as a DM candidate in the context of thermal and non-thermal production in the early universe. In the thermal case, the KK-radion can account for the observed DM density when the radion decay constant is in the natural multi-TeV range. We also explore the effects of coannihilations with the first KK excitation of the RH top, as well as the effects of radion-Higgs mixing, which imply mixing between the KK-radion and a KK-Higgs (both being KK-parity odd). The non-thermal scenario, with a high radion decay constant, can also lead to a viable scenario provided the reheat temperature and the radion decay constant take appropriate values, although the reheat temperature should not be much higher than the TeV scale. Direct detection is found to be feasible if the DM has a small (KK-parity odd) Higgs admixture. Indirect detection via a photon signal from the galactic center is an interesting possibility, while the positron and neutrino fluxes from KK-radion annihilations are expected to be rather small. Colliders can probe characteristic aspects of the DM sector of warped scenarios with KK-parity, such as the degeneracy between the radion and the KK-radion (DM) modes.Comment: 43 pages, 16 figures; added reference

Gate-tuned normal and superconducting transport at the surface of a topological insulator

Three-dimensional topological insulators are characterized by the presence of a bandgap in their bulk and gapless Dirac fermions at their surfaces. New physical phenomena originating from the presence of the Dirac fermions are predicted to occur, and to be experimentally accessible via transport measurements in suitably designed electronic devices. Here we study transport through superconducting junctions fabricated on thin Bi2Se3 single crystals, equipped with a gate electrode. In the presence of perpendicular magnetic field B, sweeping the gate voltage enables us to observe the filling of the Dirac fermion Landau levels, whose character evolves continuously from electron- to hole-like. When B=0, a supercurrent appears, whose magnitude can be gate tuned, and is minimum at the charge neutrality point determined from the Landau level filling. Our results demonstrate how gated nano-electronic devices give control over normal and superconducting transport of Dirac fermions at an individual surface of a three-dimensional topological insulator.Comment: 28 pages, 5 figure