On the Hybrid Extension of CTL and CTL+

The paper studies the expressivity, relative succinctness and complexity of satisfiability for hybrid extensions of the branching-time logics CTL and CTL+ by variables. Previous complexity results show that only fragments with one variable do have elementary complexity. It is shown that H1CTL+ and H1CTL, the hybrid extensions with one variable of CTL+ and CTL, respectively, are expressively equivalent but H1CTL+ is exponentially more succinct than H1CTL. On the other hand, HCTL+, the hybrid extension of CTL with arbitrarily many variables does not capture CTL*, as it even cannot express the simple CTL* property EGFp. The satisfiability problem for H1CTL+ is complete for triply exponential time, this remains true for quite weak fragments and quite strong extensions of the logic

A note on reactive transitions and Reo connectors

The structure of a reactive transition system can to be modi ed on the y by e.g. removing, reversing or adding new transitions. The topic has been studied by D. Gabbay and his collaborators in di erent contexts. In this paper we take their work a step further, introducing a suitable notion of bisimulation and obtaining a Hennessy-Milner theorem with respect to a hybrid logic in which transition properties can be expressed. Our motivation is to provide a characterisation of equivalence for such systems in order to exploit their possible roles in the formal description of software connectors in Reo, either from a behavioural (semantic) or spatial (syntactic) point of view.“SmartEGOV/NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000037”, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (EFDR). Additional support was provided by the European Regional Development Fund through the Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation - COMPETE 2020 and by National Funds through the Portuguese funding agency, FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia within project UID/MAT/04106/2013 at CIDMA. The first author is also supported by an Individual Doctoral Grant (reference number PD/BD/114186/2016

Caracterización de los parámetros hidráulicos de la cobertera pérmica en el Horst del yacimiento carbonífero de Mina «La Camocha».

En la cobertera pérmica existente sobre el yacimiento carbonífero actualmente en explotación por Mina La Camocha, S. A., se localiza un acuífero multicapa con varios niveles claramente diferenciados. Por medio de diversas técnicas de estudio, se ha tratado de determinar los parámetros hidráulicos de estos materiales en varias localidades próximas a Gijón, con el fin de elaborar un esquema de funcionamiento hidráulico y estimar la posible influencia de este acuífero en las labores de explotación

Global environmental changes: setting priorities for Latin American coastal habitats.

The definitive version is available at www.blackwell-synergy.comThe Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) reports that Global Environmental Changes (GEC) are occurring quicker than at any other time over the last 25 million years and impacting upon marine environments (Bellard et al., 2012). There is overwhelming evidence showing that GEC are affecting both the quality and quantity of the goods and services provided by a wide range of marine ecosystems. In order to discuss regional preparedness for global environmental changes, a workshop was held in Ilhabela, Brazil (22- 26 April 2012) entitled "Evaluating the Sensitivity of Central and South American Benthic Communities to Global Environmental Changes" that drew together scientists from ten Latin American and three European countries. © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Interindividual variability in sweat electrolyte concentration in marathoners

Background: Sodium (Na+) intake during exercise aims to replace the Na+ lost by sweat to avoid electrolyteimbalances, especially in endurance disciplines. However, Na+ needs can be very different among individuals because of the great inter-individual variability in sweat electrolyte concentration. The aim of this investigation was to determine sweat electrolyte concentration in a large group of marathoners. Methods: A total of 157 experienced runners (141 men and 16 women) completed a marathon race (24.4 ± 3.6 °C and 27.7 ± 4.8 % of humidity). During the race, sweat samples were collected by using sweat patches placed on the runners’ forearms. Sweat electrolyte concentration was measured by using photoelectric flame photometry. Results: As a group, sweat Na+ concentration was 42.9 ± 18.7 mmol·L−1 (minimal-maximal value = 7.0–95.5 mmol·L−1), sweat Cl− concentration was 32.2 ± 15.6 mmol·L−1 (7.3–90.6 mmol·L−1) and sweat K+ concentration was 6.0 ± 0.9 mmol·L−1 (3.1–8.0 mmol·L−1). Women presented lower sweat Na+ (33.9 ± 12.1 vs 44.0 ± 19.1 mmol·L−1; P = 0.04) andsweat Cl− concentrations (22.9 ± 10.5 vs 33.2 ± 15.8 mmol·L−1; P = 0.01) than men. A 20 % of individuals presented asweat Na+ concentration higher than 60 mmol·L−1 while this threshold was not surpassed by any female marathoner. Sweat electrolyte concentration did not correlate to sweat rate, age, body characteristics, experience or training. Although there was a significant correlation between sweat Na+ concentration and running pace (r = 0.18; P = 0.03), this association was weak to interpret that sweat Na+ concentration increased with running pace. Conclusions: The inter-individual variability in sweat electrolyte concentration was not explained by any individual characteristics except for individual running pace and sex. An important portion (20 %) of marathoners might need special sodium intake recommendations due to their high sweat salt losses

Myosin Light Chain Kinase (MLCK) Gene Influences Exercise Induced Muscle Damage during a Competitive Marathon

Myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) phosphorylates the regulatory light chain (RLC) of myosin producing increases in force development during skeletal muscle contraction. It has been suggested that MLCK gene polymorphisms might alter RLC phosphorylation thereby decreasing the ability to produce force and to resist strain during voluntary muscle contractions. Thus, the genetic variations in the MLCK gene might predispose some individuals to higher values of muscle damage during exercise, especially during endurance competitions. The aim of this investigation was to determine the influence of MLCK genetic variants on exercise-induced muscle damage produced during a marathon. Sixty-seven experienced runners competed in a marathon race. The MLCK genotype (C37885A) of these marathoners was determined. Before and after the race, a sample of venous blood was obtained to assess changes in serum myoglobin concentrations and leg muscle power changes were measured during a countermovement jump. Self-reported leg muscle pain and fatigue were determined by questionnaires. A total of 59 marathoners (88.1%) were CC homozygotes and 8 marathoners (11.9%) were CA heterozygotes. The two groups of participants completed the race with a similar time (228 ± 33 vs 234 ± 39 min; P = 0.30) and similar self-reported values for fatigue (15 ± 2 vs 16 ± 2 A.U.; P = 0.21) and lower-limb muscle pain (6.2 ± 1.7 vs 6.6 ± 1.8 cm; P = 0.29). However, CC marathoners presented higher serum myoglobin concentrations (739 ± 792 vs 348 ± 144 μg·mL-1; P = 0.03) and greater pre-to-post- race leg muscle power reduction (-32.7 ± 15.7 vs -21.2 ± 21.6%; P = 0.05) than CA marathoners. CA heterozygotes for MLCK C37885A might present higher exercise-induced muscle damage after a marathon competition than CC counterparts

Elevation of Cardiac Troponins After Endurance Running Competitions

In the present investigation, we selected 63 healthy runners (in triplets) from a group of 322 nonprofessional finishers because of their similarities in age (mean±SD age, 37±7 years), anthropometry (66.9±12.8 kg), and running experience (3.3±0.2 years). The triplets also had similar 10-year absolute cardiovascular risks (2.8±2.1%) calculated by the non–laboratory-based Framingham function.5 In each group, there were 13 women and 8 men. From each triplet, 1 runner competed in a 10-km race, another in a half-marathon race, and the third in a full marathon race. As would be expected, as a result of the different training patterns for each distance, training volume in the month before the race increased with the competition distance (23.9±9.0, 34.8±8.0, and 40.6±16.4 km/wk for 10-km runners, half-marathoners, and marathoners, respectively; P<0.01). Before and 10 minutes after the race, body mass was measured to assess dehydration. Blood samples were obtained to measure cardiac biomarkers, including high-sensitivity cardiac troponins I and T, NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide), and the cardiac (creatine kinase-MB) and skeletal muscle (creatine kinase-MM) isoenzymes of creatine kinase and myoglobin at the end of the races. The between-group differences in these variables were analyzed by a 2-way ANOVA. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee for Research of the Camilo Jose Cela University. All the research protocols described here were carried out in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and all subjects gave informed consent to participate in the study

The use of compression stockings during a marathon competition to reduce exercise-induced muscle damage: are they really useful?

OBJECTIVES: To examine the efficacy of wearing compression stockings to prevent muscle damage and to maintain running performance during a marathon competition. BACKGROUND: Exercise-induced muscle damage has been identified as one of the main causes of the progressive decrease in running and muscular performance found during marathon races. METHODS: Thirty-four experienced runners were pair-matched for age, anthropometric data, and best race time in the marathon, and randomly assigned to a control group (n = 17) of runners who wore conventional socks or to a group of runners who wore foot-to-knee graduated compression stockings (n = 17). Before and after the race, a sample of venous blood was obtained, and jump height and leg muscle power were measured during a countermovement jump. Serum myoglobin and creatine kinase concentrations were determined as blood markers of muscle fiber damage

A caffeinated energy drink improves jump performance in adolescent basketball players

This study aimed at investigating the effects of a commercially available energy drink on shooting precision, jump performance and endurance capacity in Young basketball players. Sixteen young basketball players (first division of a junior national league; 14.9 ± 0.8 years; 73.4 ± 12.4 kg; 182.3 ± 6.5 cm) volunteered to participate in the research. They ingested either (a) an energy drink that contained 3 mg of caffeine per kg of body weight or (b) a placebo energy drink with the same appearance and taste. After 60 min for caffeine absorption, they performed free throw shooting and three-point shooting tests. After that, participants performed a maximal countermovement jump (CMJ), a repeated maximal jumps test for 15 s (RJ-15), and the Yo–Yo intermittent recovery test level 1 (Yo–Yo IR1). Urine samples were obtained before and 30 min after testing. In comparison to the placebo, the ingestion of the caffeinated energy drink did not affect precision during the free throws (Caffeine = 70.7 ± 11.8 % vs placebo = 70.3 ± 11.0 %; P = 0.45), the three-point shooting test (39.9 ± 11.8 vs 38.1 ± 12.8 %; P = 0.33) or the distance covered in the Yo–Yo IR1 (2,000 ± 706 vs 1,925 ± 702 m; P = 0.19). However, the energy drink significantly increased jump height during the CMJ (38.3 ± 4.4 vs 37.5 ± 4.4 cm; P\0.05) mean jump height during the RJ-15 (30.2 ± 3.6 vs 28.8 ± 3.4 cm; P\0.05) and the excretion of urinary caffeine (1.2 ± 0.7 vs 0.1 ± 0.1 lg/mL; P\0.05). The intake of a caffeine-containing energy drink (3 mg/kg body weight) increased jump performance although it did not affect basketball shooting precision

Efectos de una maratón en valores hematológicos

Introducción: La maratón lleva asociado un estrés fi siológico en el organismo, si bien existe carencia de información sobre cómo afecta a los parámetros sanguíneos en corredores populares y si existe relación con variables de rendimiento, entrenamiento y experiencia deportiva. Propósito: Evaluar los cambios producidos en variables hematológicas en corredores populares tras participar en una maratón en ambiente caluroso. Un segundo objetivo fue analizar la relación entre la experiencia deportiva, el nivel de entrenamiento y el tiempo de carrera con los cambios hematológicos. Métodos: Se extrajo sangre venosa a 41 maratonianos, 35 hombres y 6 mujeres, antes y después de una maratón. Su edad fue de 41,15+8,1 años, y entrenaban como media 55,917,12 kilómetros semanales. El tiempo en meta fue de 3:40:410:32:02. Las muestras fueron medidas con analizadores bioquímicos estándar para determinar los valores de la serie roja y serie blanca