A Comparison of Certain Sports Groups Through the Air Force Physical Fitness Rating Test

It was the purpose of this study to compare performance of Air Force athletes participating in eleven different sports as measured by the United States Air Force Physical Fitness Rating Tests to determine which sport or sports contributed the greatest amount of fitness and to rank each of the sports on the basis of the test results

New acoustic system for continuous measurement of river discharge and water temperature

AbstractIn many cases, river discharge is indirectly estimated from water level or streamflow velocity near the water surface. However, these methods have limited applicability. In this study, an innovative system, the fluvial acoustic tomography system (FATS), was used for continuous discharge measurement. Transducers with a central frequency of 30 kHz were installed diagonally across the river. The system's significant functions include accurate measurement of the travel time of the transmission signal using a GPS clock and the attainment of a high signal-to-noise ratio as a result of modulation of the signal by the 10th order M-sequence. In addition, FATS is small and lightweight, and its power consumption is low. Operating in unsteady streamflow, FATS successfully measured the cross-sectional average velocity. The agreement between FATS and acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs) on water discharge was satisfactory. Moreover, the temporal variation of the cross-sectional average temperature deduced from the sound speed of FATS was similar to that measured by a temperature sensor near the bank

Surface Emissions Modulate Indoor SVOC Concentrations through Volatility-Dependent Partitioning.

Measurements by semivolatile thermal desorption aerosol gas chromatography (SV-TAG) were used to investigate how semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) partition among indoor reservoirs in (1) a manufactured test house under controlled conditions (HOMEChem campaign) and (2) a single-family residence when vacant (H2 campaign). Data for phthalate diesters and siloxanes suggest that volatility-dependent partitioning processes modulate airborne SVOC concentrations through interactions with surface-laden condensed-phase reservoirs. Airborne concentrations of SVOCs with vapor pressures in the range of C13 to C23 alkanes were observed to be correlated with indoor air temperature. Observed temperature dependencies were quantitatively similar to theoretical predictions that assumed a surface-air boundary layer with equilibrium partitioning maintained at the air-surface interface. Airborne concentrations of SVOCs with vapor pressures corresponding to C25 to C31 alkanes correlated with airborne particle mass concentration. For SVOCs with higher vapor pressures, which are expected to be predominantly gaseous, correlations with particle mass concentration were weak or nonexistent. During primary particle emission events, enhanced gas-phase emissions from condensed-phase reservoirs partitioned to airborne particles, contributing substantially to organic particulate matter. An emission event related to oven-usage was inferred to deposit siloxanes in condensed-phase reservoirs throughout the house, leading to the possibility of reemission during subsequent periods with high particle loading

On-chip thermal calibration with 8 CB liquid crystal of micro-thermal device

International audienceA micro sensor integrated on a micro-thermal device for bioexperiments requires affordable, rapid and accurate thermal 10 calibration. However, there has been no way to make thermal calibration directly under the microscope. This was the limitations in making numbers of bioexperiments with micro thermal devices. We present in this paper an inexpensive, fast and accurate way to realise such thermal calibration directly 15 under the microscope. We used a thermotropic liquid crystal: the 4-n-octyl-4-cyanobiphenyl（8CB） in order to reach the 313 K isothermal phase change on the device. Coupled with FEA simulations, we proved that this method enables us to make easy and accurate thermal calibration of micro-thermal device for 20 biological application

Repostas na frequência cardíaca provocada por um agonista muscarínico em ratos com miocardite chagásica aguda e subaguda

Administramos arecoline a ratos com miocadite chagásica induzida experimentalmente, a fim de pesquisar a sensibilidade do nodo sinusal frente a um agonista muscarínico. Ratos de 16 meses de idade foram inoculados com 200.000 parasitas de T. cruzi (variedade Y). Entre os dias 18 e 21 (estádio agudo), 8 ratos infestados e 8 ratos controle receberam arecoline por via intravenosa nas doses seguintes: 5.0, 10.0, 20.0, 40.0 e 80.0 mig/kg. A frequência cardíaca foi registrada durante e após cada dose de arecoline. Os 8 ratos infestados restantes e mais outros 8 controles, foram submetidos a uma pesquisa similar, embora em um período de estádio subagudo da doença nos dias 60 e 70 pós inoculação. A frequência cardíaca de base dos animais estudados durante o estádio agudo (349 ± 68 bpm. Média ± SD), foi maior que a frequência dos ratos controles (250 ± 50 bpm, pWe administered arecoline to rats, with experimentally induced chagasic myocarditis, in order to study the sinus node sensitivity to a muscarinic agonist. Sixteen month old rats were inoculated with 200,000 T. cruzi parasites ("Y" strain). Between days 18 and 21 (acute stage), 8 infected rats and 8 age-matched controls received intravenous arecoline as a bolus injection at the following doses: 5.0, 10.0, 20.0, 40.0, and 80.0 mug/kg. Heart rate was recorded before, during and after each dose of arecoline. The remaining 8 infected animals and 8 controls were subjected to the same experimental procedure during the subacute stage, i.e., days 60 to 70 after inoculation. The baseline heart rate, of the animals studied during the acute stage (349 ± 68 bpm, mean ± SD), was higher than that of the controls (250 ± 50 bpm, p < 0.005). The heart rate changes were expressed as percentage changes over baseline values. A dose-response curve was constructed for each group of animals. Log scales were used to plot the systematically doubled doses of arecoline and the induced-heart rate changes. The slope of the regression line for the acutely infected animals (r = - 0.99, b =1.78) was not different from that for the control animals (r = - 0.97, b = 1.61). The infected animals studied during the subacute stage (r = - 0.99, b = 1.81) were also not different from the age-matched controls (r = - 0.99, b = 1.26, NS). Consequently, our results show no pharmacological evidence of postjunctional hypersensitivity to the muscarinic agonist arecoline. Therefore, these results indirectly suggest that the postganglionic parasympathetic innervation, of the sinus node of rats with autopsy proved chagasic myocarditis, is not irreversibly damaged by Trypanosoma cruzi

Analysis of influenza vaccination coverage among the elderly in Genoa (Italy) based on a deprivation index, 2009-2013

Introduction. The elderly suffer the most influenza-related complications, and 90%of deaths due to influenza occur in older subjects. Consequently, the elderly are among the main targets of influenza vaccination campaigns. The use of deprivation indexes can help to identify subgroups with lower vaccination uptake. This study analyzed influenza vaccination coverage in elderly persons living in Genoa (Italy) in relation to a local Index of Socio-Economic and Health Deprivation (SEHDI) in order to identify population subgroups needing specific intervention to improve vaccination coverage. Methods. The study targeted subjects aged 65 65 years living in Genoa in the period 2009-2013. Information on vaccination coverage was provided by general practitioners and Local Health Units. A combination of linear regression, factor analysis and cluster analysis was used to construct the SEHDI at Census Tract (CT) level, on the basis of data from the 2011 Italian census. Results. In 2011, people aged 65 65 years accounted for the 27.7%of the population of Genoa. Most elderly subjects were assigned to either the medium (45.3%) or medium-high (32%) deprivation groups, while the percentages in the extreme tails were low (3.6%high deprivation; 1.3%low deprivation). Significant, nonlinear (p &lt; 0.05 NL) relationships were observed in both sexes with regard to mortality due to all respiratory diseases (RD) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), with the highest Standardized Mortality Ratio (SMR) values in women in the high deprivation group of women (1.81, p &lt; 0.05 RD; 1.79, p &lt; 0.05 COPD). The SMRs for influenza and pneumonia showed a positive linear trend in women (p &lt; 0.05) with the highest value in the high deprivation group (1.97, p &lt; 0.05), while in men the trend was NL (p &lt; 0.05). A positive linear trend (p &lt; 0.05) was found with regard to vaccination coverage, which grew weakly as deprivation increased, up to the medium-high deprived group (from 34.6%to 44.4%). However, the high deprivation group showed the lowest value (33.3%). Conclusions. The results revealed a relationship between deprivation and influenza vaccination coverage in the elderly. This finding should be taken into account in the organization of vaccination campaigns and should prompt differentiated intervention in each local area

Cardiac Autonomic Control Mechanisms in the Pathogenesis of Chagas' Heart Disease

Primary abnormalities of the autonomic nervous system had been postulated as the pathogenic mechanisms of myocardial damage, in patients with Chagas disease. However, recent investigations indicate that these abnormalities are secondary and amenable to treatment with beta-adrenergic blockers. Moreover, muscarinic cardiac autoantibodies appear to enhance parasympathetic activity on the sinus node. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to analyze how knowledge on Chagas' disease evolved from being initially considered as a primary cardioneuromyopathy to the current status of a congestive cardiomyopathy of parasitic origin

Threshold electronic structure at the oxygen K edge of 3d transition metal oxides: a configuration interaction approach

It has been generally accepted that the threshold structure observed in the oxygen K edge X-ray absorption spectrum in 3d transition metal oxides represents the electronic structure of the 3d transition metal. There is, however, no consensus about the correct description. We present an interpretation, which includes both ground state hybridization and electron correlation. It is based on a configuration interaction cluster calculation using a MO6 cluster. The oxygen K edge spectrum is calculated by annihilating a ligand hole in the ground state and is compared to calculations representing inverse photoemission experiments in which a 3d transition metal electron is added. Clear differences are observed related to the amount of ligand hole created in the ground state. Two "rules" connected to this are discussed. Comparison with experimental data of some early transition metal compounds is made and shows that this simple cluster approach explains the experimental features quite well.Comment: 10 pages, submitted to Phys. Rev. B, tried to make a better PS file

Dynamical Gauge Symmetry Breaking in SU(3)L⊗U(1)XSU(3)_L\otimes U(1)_X Extension of the Standard Model

We study the $SU(3)_L\otimes U(1)_X$ extension of the Standard model with a strong U(1) coupling. We argue that current experiments limit this coupling to be relatively large. The model is dynamically broken to the Standard $SU(2)_L \otimes U(1)$ model at the scale of a few TeV with all the extra gauge bosons and the exotic quarks acquiring masses much larger than the scale of electroweak symmetry breaking. Furthermore we find that the model leads to large dynamical mass of the top quark and hence also breaks the electroweak gauge symmetry. It therefore leads to large dynamical effects within the Standard model and can partially replace the Higgs interactions.Comment: 4 pages, revtex, no figures; revised version predicting realistic mass spectru