The Effects Of Various Warm-Up Devices on Bat Velocity and Trajectory in Collegiate Baseball Players

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of various weighted warm-up devices on standard baseball bat velocity and trajectory in collegiate baseball players. Methods: Three, right-handed hitters (mean age= 19.3yrs ±1.5yrs; height= 1.74m±.13m; mass=81kg ±20.4kg; baseball experience=14.2 ±1.3) volunteered for this study. Maximal bat velocity was obtained by swinging the 30oz standard bat for the control condition. Participants were then instructed to perform a general and specific warm-up with each of the weighted bats (standard bat with 16oz donut ring (46oz total) and standard bat with 24oz power sleeve (54oz total)) on separate days. Following the warm-up procedures, participants were instructed to swing 3 times with the 30oz standard bat for maximal velocity while impacting the ball resting on the tee located belt-high and in the middle of home plate.Results: No significant differences were revealed by Shewart Chart method for baseball bat velocity or trajectory. Also, it was observed that all participants swung the bat at its lowest point in its trajectory for all conditions. Conclusion: Based upon no changes in the dependent variables in the population tested, Division II collegiate athletes can choose any of the warm-up devices investigated because no deleterious effects were observed

The Effects Of Various Warm-Up Devices on Bat Velocity and Trajectory in Collegiate Baseball Players

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of various weighted warm-up devices on standard baseball bat velocity and trajectory in collegiate baseball players. Methods: Three, right-handed hitters (mean age= 19.3yrs ±1.5yrs; height= 1.74m±.13m; mass=81kg ±20.4kg; baseball experience=14.2 ±1.3) volunteered for this study. Maximal bat velocity was obtained by swinging the 30oz standard bat for the control condition. Participants were then instructed to perform a general and specific warm-up with each of the weighted bats (standard bat with 16oz donut ring (46oz total) and standard bat with 24oz power sleeve (54oz total)) on separate days. Following the warm-up procedures, participants were instructed to swing 3 times with the 30oz standard bat for maximal velocity while impacting the ball resting on the tee located belt-high and in the middle of home plate.Results: No significant differences were revealed by Shewart Chart method for baseball bat velocity or trajectory. Also, it was observed that all participants swung the bat at its lowest point in its trajectory for all conditions. Conclusion: Based upon no changes in the dependent variables in the population tested, Division II collegiate athletes can choose any of the warm-up devices investigated because no deleterious effects were observed

Superradiant light scattering from a moving Bose-Einstein condensate

We investigate the interaction of a moving BEC with a far detuned laser beam. Superradiant Rayleigh scattering arises from the spontaneous formation of a matter-wave grating due to the interference of two wavepackets with different momenta. The system is described by the CARL-BEC model which is a generalization of the Gross-Pitaevskii model to include the self-consistent evolution of the scattered field. The experiment gives evidence of a damping of the matter-wave grating which depends on the initial velocity of the condensate. We describe this damping in terms of a phase-diffusion decoherence process, in good agreement with the experimental results

Innovative passive reinforcements for the gradual stabilization of a landslide according with the observational method

A large number of landslides occur in North-Eastern Italy during every rainy period due to the particular hydrogeological conditions of this area. Even if there are no casualties, the economic losses are often significant, and municipalities frequently do not have sufficient financial resources to repair the damage and stabilize all the unstable slopes. In this regard, the research for more economically sustainable solutions is a crucial challenge. Floating composite anchors are an innovative and low-cost technique set up for slope stabilization: it consists in the use of passive sub-horizontal reinforcements, obtained by coupling a traditional self-drilling bar with some tendons cemented inside it. This work concerns the application of this technique according to the observational method described within the Italian and European technical codes and mainly recommended for the design of geotechnical works, especially when performed in highly uncertain site conditions. The observational method prescribes designing an intervention and, at the same time, using a monitoring system in order to correct and adapt the project during realization of the works on the basis of new data acquired while on site. The case study is the landslide of Cischele, a medium landslide which occurred in 2010 after an exceptional heavy rainy period. In 2015, some floating composite anchors were installed to slow down the movement, even if, due to a limited budget, they were not enough to ensure the complete stabilization of the slope. Thanks to a monitoring system installed in the meantime, it is now possible to have a comparison between the site conditions before and after the intervention. This allows the evaluation of benefits achieved with the reinforcements and, at the same time, the assessment of additional improvements. Two stabilization scenarios are studied through an FE model: the first includes the stabilization system built in 2015, while the second evaluates a new solution proposed to further increase the slope stability

Analysis of agroclimatic resources for Georgian viticulture

One of the results of the \u201cResearch Project for the Study of Georgian Grapes and Wine Culture\u201d promoted by the National Wine Agency of the Republic of eorgia was the production of a bilingual handbook for modern viticulture. The first sections of the handbook were devoted to the agrometeorological analysis of environmental resources and limitations, comprising a general analysis of Georgian climate and agrometeorological features, followed by detailed regional cards. The agrometeorological analysis of Georgia was based on daily data collected by National and International networks for the period 1974-2013. Several agrometeorological indexes were calculated in order to define resources and limitations for viticulture for each viticultural region of Georgia, providing fundamental information for grape-growing and wine-making

Abrupt and gradual temperature changes influence on the climatic suitability of Northwestern Alpine grapevine growing regions for the invasive Grape leafhopper Scaphoideus titanus Ball (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae)

The paper aims to elucidate the influence of abrupt and gradual climate changes on the suitability for colonization of Scaphoideus titanus populations in grapevine-growing areas of the Northwestern Alpine region. This study spans several decades of temperature recordings and is carried out in ten grapevine-growing areas. A timevarying distributed delay with attrition model, linked to a grapevine phenology model, is used to simulate the development of S. titanus populations and produce an annual Climatic Suitability Index (CSI). Area-specific CSI time series were obtained. The Breusch-Godfrey test revealed few significant partial autocorrelations in nine areas and the occurrence of six consecutive - first decreasing and then increasing - partial correlations in one case only. The occurrence of abrupt and gradual changes of the index were studied via multiple least square regression analyses. In general, the climatic suitability of all areas tended to improve through time. However, gradual and abrupt temperature changes were not consistently reflected in gradual and abrupt CSI patterns: abrupt and gradual CSI changes were observed in two areas, abrupt changes were detected in three areas, and exclusively gradual changes in the remaining five. Pest control institutions of the region under study may deal with different scenarios of pest status such as long-time presence and increasing risks, high colonization risks or limited colonization risks for the foreseeable future. Institutions charged with pest control elsewhere are advised to use a mechanistic demographic model to study area-specific infestation patterns and colonization risks because the results obtained here cannot be transferred to other areas without site-specific evaluation

A novel heteroditopic terpyridine-pincer ligand as building block for mono- and heterometallic Pd(II) and Ru(II) complexes

A palladium-catalyzed Stille coupling reaction was employed as a versatile method for the synthesis of a novel terpyridine-pincer (3, TPBr) bridging ligand, 4'-{4-BrC6H2(CH2NMe2)(2)-3,5}-2,2':6',2 ''-terpyridine. Mononuclear species [PdX(TP)] (X = Br, Cl), [Ru(TPBr)(tpy)](PF6)(2), and [Ru(TPBr)(2)](PF6)(2), synthesized by selective metalation of the NCNBr-pincer moiety or complexation of the terpyridine of the bifunctional ligand TPBr, were used as building blocks for the preparation of heterodi- and trimetallic complexes [Ru(TPPdCl)(tpy)](PF6)(2) (7) and [Ru(TPPdCl)(2)]-(PF6)(2) (8). The molecular structures in the solid state of [PdBr(TP)] (4a) and [Ru(TPBr)(2)](PF6)(2) (6) have been determined by single-crystal X-ray analysis. Electrochemical behavior and photophysical properties of the mono-and heterometallic complexes are described. All the above di- and trimetallic Ru complexes exhibit absorption bands attributable to (MLCT)-M-1 (Ru -> tpy) transitions. For the heteroleptic complexes, the transitions involving the unsubstituted tpy ligand are at a lower energy than the tpy moiety of the TPBr ligand. The absorption bands observed in the electronic spectra for TPBr and [PdCl(TP)] have been assigned with the aid of TD-DFT calculations. All complexes display weak emission both at room temperature and in a butyronitrile glass at 77 K. The considerable red shift of the emission maxima relative to the signal of the reference compound [Ru(tpy)(2)](2+) indicates stabilization of the luminescent (MLCT)-M-3 state. For the mono- and heterometallic complexes, electrochemical and spectroscopic studies (electronic absorption and emission spectra and luminescence lifetimes recorded at room temperature and 77 K in nitrile solvents), together with the information gained from IR spectroelectrochemical studies of the dimetallic complex [Ru(TPPdSCN)(tpy)](PF6)(2), are indicative of charge redistribution through the bridging ligand TPBr. The results are in line with a weak coupling between the {Ru(tpy)(2)} chromophoric unit and the (non)metalated NCN-pincer moiety

Sprinting Velocity Increases Through Postactivation Potentiation with a Hex-Bar Farmers Walk

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Endothelial dysfunction of resistance vessels in female apolipoprotein E-deficient mice

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The effects of hypercholesterolemia on vasomotricity in apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE) mice, a murine model of spontaneous atherosclerosis, are still unclear. The studies were mostly performed in conductance vessels from male mice fed a high-fat diet. In the present study, we evaluated the endothelial function of resistance vessels from normal C57BL/6 (C57) and hypercholesterolemic (ApoE) female mice in both normal and ovariectomized conditions.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Twenty week-old C57 and ApoE mice underwent ovariectomy or sham surgery and were studied 30 days later. The vascular reactivities to norepinephrine (NE, 10^-9to 2 × 10^-3mol/L), acetylcholine (ACh) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) (10^-10to 10^-3mol/L) were evaluated in the isolated mesenteric arteriolar bed through dose-response curves.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>ACh-induced relaxation was significantly reduced (P < 0.05) in ApoE compared with C57 animals, as indicated by both the maximal response (37 ± 4% vs. 72 ± 1%) and the LogEC₅₀(-5.67 ± 0.18 vs. -6.23 ± 0.09 mol/L). Ovariectomy caused a significant impairment in ACh-induced relaxation in the C57 group (maximal response: 61 ± 4%) but did not worsen the deficient state of relaxation in ApoE animals (maximal response: 39 ± 5%). SNP-induced vasorelaxation and NE-induced vasoconstriction were similar in ApoE and C57 female mice.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These data show an impairment of endothelial function in the resistance vessels of spontaneously atherosclerotic (ApoE-deficient) female mice compared with normal (C57) female mice. The endothelial dysfunction in hypercholesterolemic animals was so marked that ovariectomy, which impaired endothelial function in C57 mice, did not cause additional vascular damage in ApoE-deficient mice.</p

The application of the Boolean Stochastic Generation Method to model seepage under levees in heterogeneous soils

Soil heterogeneity plays an important role in incrementing the uncertainty about the reliability of geotechnical engineering works, especially levees. The presence of thin layers of soils more permeable than the surrounding matrix significantly changes the seepage flow net below and within the dike. However, the detection of these layers is extremely difficult. Consequently, to evaluate the overall safety of dikes it may be useful to adopt stochastic computation methods. The paper presents the calibration of a seepage model of an operational river embankment subject to sand boils. The levee, located along the Adige River (South Tyrol, Italy), has been monitored since 2016. Piezometers and spot temperature sensors are installed in the lateral banks while a distributed fiber optic sensors (FOS), buried in a 350 m long trench at the toe of the levee, is used to check temperature distribution in the subground. The Boolean Stochastic Generation (BoSG) method addresses the influence of layers of material with different properties with respect of the surrounding soil. 360 soil configurations were generated for a two-dimensional groundwater flow model of the levee and confronted with the monitoring data of two piezometers. This analysis permits to identify the configuration that has effects more congruent with piezometers data, which in this case is a configuration with a major presence of lenses on the waterside respect the field-side. This evidence could guide strategies for remedial works