COMPARISON OF SPRINTING MECHANICS OF THE DOUBLE TRANSTIBIAL AMPUTEE OSCAR PISTORIUS WITH ABLE BODIED ATHLETES

The purpose of this study was to examine the overall kinetics and the kinetics at the joints of the lower limb while sprinting at maximum speed, and to compare the data of a double transtibial amputee (OP) and able-bodied controls running at the same level of performance. One double transtibial amputee, and five able-bodied sprinters participated in the study. The athletes performed submaximal and maximal sprints on an indoor track embedded with 4 Kistler force plates while recorded with a 12 camera Vicon 624 system. OP displayed lower mechanical work (stance phase), external joint moments and joint power at the hip and the knee joints while displaying higher values of joint power at the (prosthetic) ankle joint compared to able-bodied athletes. The mechanical work at the knee joints was 11 times higher in the negative phase and 8.1 times higher in the positive phase during stance in the able-bodied athletes compared to OP

COMPARISON OF SPRINTING MECHANICS OF THE DOUBLE TRANSTIBIAL AMPUTEE OSCAR PISTORIUS WITH ABLE BODIED ATHLETES

The purpose of this study was to examine the overall kinetics and the kinetics at the joints of the lower limb while sprinting at maximum speed, and to compare the data of a double transtibial amputee (OP) and able-bodied controls running at the same level of performance. One double transtibial amputee, and five able-bodied sprinters participated in the study. The athletes performed submaximal and maximal sprints on an indoor track embedded with 4 Kistler force plates while recorded with a 12 camera Vicon 624 system. OP displayed lower mechanical work (stance phase), external joint moments and joint power at the hip and the knee joints while displaying higher values of joint power at the (prosthetic) ankle joint compared to able-bodied athletes. The mechanical work at the knee joints was 11 times higher in the negative phase and 8.1 times higher in the positive phase during stance in the able-bodied athletes compared to OP

THE INFLUENCE OF TWO DIFFERENT BRACES ON LATERAL PATELLAR DISPLACEMENT – A CADAVERIC STUDY

Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) often occurs in young and physically active athletes (Taunton et al., 2002, Adirim & Cheng, 2003).It is generally accepted that a cause of PFPS is a malalignment of the patellofemoral joint. Bracing supply is commonly used for the treatment of PFPS. Several studies have shown that patellar bracing and taping improved PFPS (Lun et al., 2005, Warden et al., 2008). Crossley et al. (2009) found a reduced lateral patellar displacement and a decreased mean pain (mean pain was recorded on a 100 mm visual analog scale during single-leg squats) after patellar taping. A more medial displacement of the patella and a decrease in patellofemoral stress could lead to less patellofemoral pain (Powers et al., 2004). A more medial patellar displacement could result in a more centered patella. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of two different braces on the alignment of the patella

THE SUCCESS OF A SOCCER KICK DEPENDS ON RUN UP DECELERATION

The purpose of the study was to relate the motion of the centre of mass (CoM) during run ups in soccer full insteps kicks with the obtained ball speeds. Nineteen experienced play-ers performed kicks onto the goal and their full body kinematics as well as ball motion were analysed in three dimensions using two high speed video cameras. Higher decel-erations of the CoM with the last step are associated with higher ball velocities and higher thigh angular impulses. Those data suggest, that an intensive breaking of the CoM veloc-ity provides a prerequisite to transfer a portion of the CoM impulse into angular impulse of the thigh. High angular impulse of the thigh however can be beneficial for fast instep kicks

Proposal for a Guide for Quality Management Systems for PV Manufacturing: Supplemental Requirements to ISO 9001-2008 (Revised)

This technical specification provides a guideline for photovoltaic module manufacturers to produce modules that, once the design has proven to meet the quality and reliability requirements, replicate such design in an industrial scale without compromising its consistency with the requirements

The multidrug-resistant PMEN1 pneumococcus is a paradigm for genetic success.

To access publisher´s full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field.Streptococcus pneumoniae, also called the pneumococcus, is a major bacterial pathogen. Since its introduction in the 1940s, penicillin has been the primary treatment for pneumococcal diseases. Penicillin resistance rapidly increased among pneumococci over the past 30 years, and one particular multidrug-resistant clone, PMEN1, became highly prevalent globally. We studied a collection of 426 pneumococci isolated between 1937 and 2007 to better understand the evolution of penicillin resistance within this species. We discovered that one of the earliest known penicillin-nonsusceptible pneumococci, recovered in 1967 from Australia, was the likely ancestor of PMEN1, since approximately 95% of coding sequences identified within its genome were highly similar to those of PMEN1. The regions of the PMEN1 genome that differed from the ancestor contained genes associated with antibiotic resistance, transmission and virulence. We also revealed that PMEN1 was uniquely promiscuous with its DNA, donating penicillin-resistance genes and sometimes many other genes associated with antibiotic resistance, virulence and cell adherence to many genotypically diverse pneumococci. In particular, we describe two strains in which up to 10% of the PMEN1 genome was acquired in multiple fragments, some as long as 32 kb, distributed around the recipient genomes. This type of directional genetic promiscuity from a single clone to numerous unrelated clones has, to our knowledge, never before been described. These findings suggest that PMEN1 is a paradigm of genetic success both through its epidemiology and promiscuity. These findings also challenge the existing views about horizontal gene transfer among pneumococci

The multidrug-resistant PMEN1 pneumococcus is a paradigm for genetic success

Background: Streptococcus pneumoniae, also called the pneumococcus, is a major bacterial pathogen. Since its introduction in the 1940s, penicillin has been the primary treatment for pneumococcal diseases. Penicillin resistance rapidly increased among pneumococci over the past 30 years, and one particular multidrug-resistant clone, PMEN1, became highly prevalent globally. We studied a collection of 426 pneumococci isolated between 1937 and 2007 to better understand the evolution of penicillin resistance within this species. Results: We discovered that one of the earliest known penicillin-nonsusceptible pneumococci, recovered in 1967 from Australia, was the likely ancestor of PMEN1, since approximately 95% of coding sequences identified within its genome were highly similar to those of PMEN1. The regions of the PMEN1 genome that differed from the ancestor contained genes associated with antibiotic resistance, transmission and virulence. We also revealed that PMEN1 was uniquely promiscuous with its DNA, donating penicillin-resistance genes and sometimes many other genes associated with antibiotic resistance, virulence and cell adherence to many genotypically diverse pneumococci. In particular, we describe two strains in which up to 10% of the PMEN1 genome was acquired in multiple fragments, some as long as 32 kb, distributed around the recipient genomes. This type of directional genetic promiscuity from a single clone to numerous unrelated clones has, to our knowledge, never before been described. Conclusions: These findings suggest that PMEN1 is a paradigm of genetic success both through its epidemiology and promiscuity. These findings also challenge the existing views about horizontal gene transfer among pneumococci

Population genetic structure of Streptococcus pneumoniae in Kilifi, Kenya, prior to the introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.

BACKGROUND: The 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV10) was introduced in Kenya in 2011. Introduction of any PCV will perturb the existing pneumococcal population structure, thus the aim was to genotype pneumococci collected in Kilifi before PCV10. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Using multilocus sequence typing (MLST), we genotyped >1100 invasive and carriage pneumococci from children, the largest collection genotyped from a single resource-poor country and reported to date. Serotype 1 was the most common serotype causing invasive disease and was rarely detected in carriage; all serotype 1 isolates were members of clonal complex (CC) 217. There were temporal fluctuations in the major circulating sequence types (STs); and although 1-3 major serotype 1, 14 or 23F STs co-circulated annually, the two major serotype 5 STs mainly circulated independently. Major STs/CCs also included isolates of serotypes 3, 12F, 18C and 19A and each shared ≤ 2 MLST alleles with STs that circulate widely elsewhere. Major CCs associated with non-PCV10 serotypes were predominantly represented by carriage isolates, although serotype 19A and 12F CCs were largely invasive and a serotype 10A CC was equally represented by invasive and carriage isolates. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding the pre-PCV10 population genetic structure in Kilifi will allow for the detection of changes in prevalence of the circulating genotypes and evidence for capsular switching post-vaccine implementation

The employee as 'Dish of the Day’:human resource management and the ethics of consumption

This article examines the ethical implications of the growing integration of consumption into the heart of the employment relationship. Human resource management (HRM) practices increasingly draw upon the values and practices of consumption, constructing employees as the ‘consumers’ of ‘cafeteria-style’ benefits and development opportunities. However, at the same time employees are expected to market themselves as items to be consumed on a corporate menu. In relation to this simultaneous position of consumer/consumed, the employee is expected to actively engage in the commodification of themselves, performing an appropriate organizational identity as a necessary part of being a successful employee. This article argues that the relationship between HRM and the simultaneously consuming/consumed employee affects the conditions of possibility for ethical relations within organizational life. It is argued that the underlying ‘ethos’ for the integration of consumption values into HRM practices encourages a self-reflecting, self-absorbed subject, drawing upon a narrow view of individualised autonomy and choice. Referring to Levinas’ perspective that the primary ethical relation is that of responsibility and openness to the Other, it is concluded that these HRM practices affect the possibility for ethical being

FEBUKO and MODMEP: Field measurements and modelling of aerosol and cloud multiphase processes

An overview of the two FEBUKO aerosol–cloud interaction field experiments in the Thüringer Wald (Germany) in October 2001 and 2002 and the corresponding modelling project MODMEP is given. Experimentally, a variety of measurement methods were deployed to probe the gas phase, particles and cloud droplets at three sites upwind, downwind and within an orographic cloud with special emphasis on the budgets and interconversions of organic gas and particle phase constituents. Out of a total of 14 sampling periods within 30 cloud events three events (EI, EII and EIII) are selected for detailed analysis. At various occasions an impact of the cloud process on particle chemical composition such as on the organic compounds content, sulphate and nitrate and also on particle size distributions and particle mass is observed. Moreover, direct phase transfer of polar organic compound from the gas phase is found to be very important for the understanding of cloudwater composition. For the modelling side, a main result of the MODMEP project is the development of a cloud model, which combines a complex multiphase chemistry with detailed microphysics. Both components are described in a fine-resolved particle/drop spectrum. New numerical methods are developed for an efficient solution of the entire complex model. A further development of the CAPRAM mechanism has lead to a more detailed description of tropospheric aqueous phase organic chemistry. In parallel, effective tools for the reduction of highly complex reaction schemes are provided. Techniques are provided and tested which allow the description of complex multiphase chemistry and of detailed microphysics in multidimensional chemistry-transport models