Spatiotemporal characteristics of motor actions by blind long jump athletes

Background Blind people depend on spatial and temporal representations to perform activities of daily living and compete in sport. Objective The aim of this study is to determine the spatiotemporal characteristics of long jumps performed by blind athletes and compare findings with those reported for sighted athletes. Methods We analysed a sample of 12 male athletes competing in the F11 Long Jump Finals at the Paralympic Games in London 2012. Performances were recorded using four high-speed cameras, and speeds were measured using a radar speed gun. The images were processed using validated image analysis software. Results The long jump run-up is shorter in blind athletes than in sighted athletes. We observed statistically significant differences for body centre of mass velocity and an increase in speed over the last three strides prior to take-off, contrasting with reports for sighted athletes and athletes with less severe visual impairment, who maintain or reduce their speed during the last stride. Stride length for the last three strides was the only spatial characteristic that was not significantly associated with effective jump distance. Blind long jumpers extend rather than shorten their last stride. Contact time with the take-off board is longer than that reported for sighted athletes. Conclusion The actions of blind long jumpers, unlike those without disabilities, do not vary their leg actions during the final runway approach for optimal placement on the take-off board

Confident methods for the evaluation of the hydrogen content in nanoporous carbon microfibers

Abstract Nanoporous carbon microfibers were grown by chemical vapor deposition in the vapor-liquid solid mode using different fluid hydrocarbons as precursors in different proportions. The as-grown samples were further treated in argon and hydrogen atmospheres at different pressure conditions and annealed at several temperatures in order to deduce the best conditions for the incorporation and re-incorporation of hydrogen into the microfibers through the nanopores. Since there are some discrepancies in the results on the hydrogen content obtained under vacuum conditions, in this work, we have measured the hydrogen content in the microfibers using several analytical methods in ambient conditions: surface tension, mass density, and Raman measurements. A discussion on the validity of the results obtained through the correlation between them is the purpose of the present work.Peer Reviewe

Urea cycle disorders in Argentine patients: clinical presentation, biochemical and genetic findings

Urea cycle defects; Argininosuccinate synthetase deficiency; HyperammonemiaDefectos del ciclo de la urea; Deficiencia de argininosuccinato sintetasa; HiperamonemiaDefectes del cicle de la urea; Dèficit d’argininosuccinat sintetasa; HiperammonèmiaBACKGROUND: The incidence, prevalence, and molecular epidemiology of urea cycle disorders (UCDs) in Argentina remain underexplored. The present study is the first to thoroughly assess the clinical and molecular profiles of UCD patients examined at a single reference center in Argentina. RESULTS: Forty-nine UCD cases were collected. About half (26/49, 53%) manifested neonatally with classical presentation and had a high mortality (25/26, 96%). Ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency (OTCD) was the most common UCD (26 patients). Argininosuccinate synthetase deficiency (ASSD) was detected in 19 cases, while argininosuccinate lyase deficiency (ASLD) was diagnosed in 4 cases. Molecular genetic analysis revealed 8 private OTC mutations and two large deletion/duplication events in the OTC gene. Most mutations in the ASS1 and ASL genes were recurrent missense changes, and four alterations were novel. The clinical outcome of our UCD cohort was poor, with an overall mortality of 57% (28/49 cases), and a 28% (6/21) disability rate among the survivors. CONCLUSIONS: Most patients in our case series showed severe neonatal onset, with high morbidity/mortality. We detected in total 19 mutations, most of them recurrent and of high frequency worldwide. Noteworthy, we highlight the presence of a geographic cluster with high prevalence of a point mutation in the ASS1 gene. This study suggests that these disorders may be more frequent than commonly assumed, and stresses the need for increased awareness amongst health professionals and greater availability of diagnostic tools for accurate identification, early diagnosis, and timely treatment.This study was supported by grants from the Secretaría de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina. Work on urea cycle disorders in Zurich is supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant no SNF 310030_153196 to JH)

Conservative management of dentigerous cysts in children

Purpose and Introduction: Dentigerous cysts are epithelial in origin and are the most commonly found cyst in children. The majority of these lesions are usually a radiological finding and are capable of quite large before being diagnosed. The standard treatment for these cysts is the enucleation and the extraction of the affected tooth. However, if the patient is a child and the affected tooth is not developed, a more conservative attitude should be considered. Material and Methods: (Clinical case): A 7-year-old patient is presented with an eruptive backlog of the lower permanent first molars. Radiological examination reveals two radiolucid lesions in relation to them, which are compatible with a dentigerous cyst, and in relation to the inferior aveolar nerve and various germs. A partial enucleation is carried out, maintaining all the dental germs related to the cyst in mouth and monitoring the patient until the case study is over. Results and Discussion: Diagnosis and early treatment of these lesions in children is of great importance, especially in cases where the lesions enclose permanent teeth. Conclusions: Whenever possible, a conservative attitude should be taken, one that allows for the maintenance of the dentition and treatment of the associated cyst in order to not compromise either the occlusion or the mental state of these patients

Effects of Gamma Irradiation on the Kinetics of the Adsorption and Desorption of Hydrogen in Carbon Microfibres

In this study, three types of carbon fibres were used, they were ex-polyacrylonitrile carbon fibres with high bulk modulus, ex-polyacrylonitrile fibres with high strength, and vapour grown carbon fibres. All the samples were subjected to a hydrogen adsorption process at room temperature in an over-pressured atmosphere of 25 bars. The adsorption process was monitored through electrical resistivity measurements. As conditioning of the fibres, a chemical activation by acid etching followed by ¿-ray irradiation with 60Co radioisotopes was performed. The surface energy was deter-mined by means of the sessile drop test. Both conditioning treatments are supplementary; the chemical activation works on the outer surface and the ¿-irradiation works in the bulk material as well. Apparently, the most significant parameter for hydrogen storage is the crystallite size. From this point of view, the mostPeer Reviewe

Effects of a 48-Day Home Quarantine during the Covid-19 Pandemic on the First Outdoor Running Session among Recreational Runners in Spain

[Abstract] COVID-19-induced quarantine may lead to deleterious effects on health status as well as to impaired performance and increased injury risk when re-starting training after lockdown. We investigated the physical activity (PA) habits of recreational runners in Spain during a 48-day home quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic and the characteristics of the first outdoor running session after confinement. A cross-sectional study, including a self-reported running questionnaire completed after the first outdoor running session after quarantine, was performed. Three hundred recreational runners (74% males; 60% 18–40 years old; most typical running experience >3 years, 10– 30 km weekly running distance distributed in 3–4 sessions) were considered for analysis. Advanced runners ran, at least, 4 days/week and participated in running events. They performed significantly longer and more non-supervised weekly training sessions during confinement (p < 0.01 for both) than novice and amateur runners. Most runners performed their first outdoor running session on asphalt (65.3%) and ran 5 to 10 km (61%) at a pace above 5 min/km (60%), reporting no pain before (77%), during (64%), and 24 h after (76%) the session. Advanced runners performed a significantly longer running session, at a higher pace, and covered a greater distance (p < 0.01 for all) than novice and amateur runners, while enjoyment and motivation tended to be significantly higher when runners’ level increased (p < 0.05). Higher training levels prior to and during confinement may lower the collateral effects (e.g., detraining, injury risk) of home quarantine when runners return to previous PA levels

Estabilidad física de mezclas de aceite esencial de tomillo y un tensioactivo no iónico

El aceite esencial de tomillo es un componente natural con propiedades antioxidantes y antimicrobianas; propiedades que lo hacen muy interesante en campos como el alimentario, el cosmético o el agroalimentario. Los alquil polipentósidos son una nueva clase de tensioactivos derivados de recursos agrícolas renovables como paja de trigo. Son tensioactivos respetuosos con el medio ambiente, ya que muestran alta y rápida biodegradabilidad, así como baja toxicidad. En este trabajo se ha estudiado un alquil polipentósido comercialmente conocido como Appyclean 6548. Este tensioactivo no iónico es sólido a temperatura ambiente y soluble en disolventes orgánicos por lo que para ser usado como emulsionante de emulsiones ecológicas O/W es necesario fundirlo en la fase oleosa. Por este motivo, en esta investigación se estudia el efecto del tratamiento térmico al que es sometida una mezcla aceite esencial de tomillo/Appyclean 6548 en relación en peso 90,9/9,1, sobre su estabilidad física. Adicionalmente, se investiga la influencia de dicho tratamiento sobre la estabilidad física de emulsiones aceite esencial de tomillo/W obtenidas con una fase dispersa de concentración equivalente a la estudiada en la fase previa. Para abordar los objetivos planteados se han usado técnicas como la difracción láser y barridos de retrodispersión de luz.Thyme essential oil is a natural compound with antibacterial and antioxidant activity which are really interesting to be used as functional ingredient in food, cosmetics and agrochemical industries. Alkyl polypentosides are a new class of surfactants which coming from agricultural renewable resources as wheat straw. They are non-toxic and biodegradable surfactants commercially known as Appyclean. In this case, Applyclean 6548 was studied. This non-ionic surfactant is solid and it is immiscible in water so, the emulsifier was melted and dissolved in the oil phase. For this reason, the influence of thermal treatment was studied in a 90.9/9.1 mass ratio (thyme essential oil/Appyclean 6548) on physical stability of these dispersions. Additionally, this influence was investigated on the stability and droplet size distribution of thyme essential oil/W emulsions. In order to achieve this goal laser diffraction and multiple light scattering techniques were used.Plan Propio de la Universidad de Sevilla Proyecto: 2017/00000962Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (España)/FEDER (UE) CTQ2015-70700-