46 research outputs found
Muscle contraction velocity, strength and power output changes following different degrees of hypohydration in competitive olympic combat sports
Efecto de la bajada de peso y la competición sobre el perfil de estado de ánimo en deportes de combate
El propósito de este estudio ha sido describir los cambios que sufre el estado de ánimo que presentan los deportistas de combate durante las fases de bajada de peso y su posterior recuperación antes del comienzo de los eventos competitivos prioritarios de la temporada. Un total de 105 hombres y mujeres especialistas en las modalidades de combate de luchaolímpica, taekwondo y boxeo fueron pesados y contestaron la versión abreviada del Perfil de Estados de Ánimo (POMS) entre 30 y 60 minutos antes del pesaje oficial (PRE) y entre 30 y 60 minutos antes del comienzo del primer combate (POST) de sus respectivos campeonatos nacionales. Los resultados demostraron que las hubo mejoras significativas (p < .05) en lasdimensiones de Cólera, Fatiga y Depresión, aunque estos cambios no parecen estar relacionados con la variación porcentual de la masa corporal que experimentan los deportistas durante este mismo periodo (r < .261). Estos hallazgos nos indican que las 12-18 horas que separan el pesaje oficial y el comienzo del torneo en deportes de combate propician mejoras sustanciales en sus estados de ánimo, aunque estos cambios parecen ser independientesde sus fluctuación de la masa corporal
A horizon scan exercise for aquatic invasive alien species in Iberian inland waters
As the number of introduced species keeps increasing unabatedly, identifying and prioritising current and potential Invasive Alien Species (IAS) has become essential to manage them. Horizon Scanning (HS), defined as an exploration of potential threats, is considered a fundamental component of IAS management. By combining scientific knowledge on taxa with expert opinion, we identified the most relevant aquatic IAS in the Iberian Peninsula, i.e., those with the greatest geographic extent (or probability of introduction), severe ecological, economic and human health impacts, greatest difficulty and acceptability of management. We highlighted the 126 most relevant IAS already present in Iberian inland waters (i.e., Concern list) and 89 with a high probability of being introduced in the near future (i.e., Alert list), of which 24 and 10 IAS, respectively, were considered as a management priority after receiving the highest scores in the expert assessment (i.e., top-ranked IAS). In both lists, aquatic IAS belonging to the four thematic groups (plants, freshwater invertebrates, estuarine invertebrates, and vertebrates) were identified as having been introduced through various pathways from different regions of the world and classified according to their main functional feeding groups. Also, the latest update of the list of IAS of Union concern pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 1143/2014 includes only 12 top-ranked IAS identified for the Iberian Peninsula, while the national lists incorporate the vast majority of them. This fact underlines the great importance of taxa prioritisation exercises at biogeographical scales as a step prior to risk analyses and their inclusion in national lists. This HS provides a robust assessment and a cost-effective strategy for decision-makers and stakeholders to prioritise the use of limited resources for IAS prevention and management. Although applied at a transnational level in a European biodiversity hotspot, this approach is designed for potential application at any geographical or administrative scale, including the continental one
Historical Isolation versus Recent Long-Distance Connections between Europe and Africa in Bifid Toadflaxes (Linaria sect. Versicolores)
Background: Due to its complex, dynamic and well-known paleogeography, the Mediterranean region provides an ideal framework to study the colonization history of plant lineages. The genus Linaria has its diversity centre in the Mediterranean region, both in Europe and Africa. The last land connection between both continental plates occurred during the Messinian Salinity Crisis, in the late Miocene (5.96 to 5.33 Ma). Methodology/Principal Findings: We analyzed the colonization history of Linaria sect. Versicolores (bifid toadflaxes), which includes c. 22 species distributed across the Mediterranean, including Europe and Africa. Two cpDNA regions (rpl32-trnL UAG and trnK-matK) were sequenced from 66 samples of Linaria. We conducted phylogenetic, dating, biogeographic and phylogeographic analyses to reconstruct colonization patterns in space and time. Four major clades were found: two of them exclusively contain Iberian samples, while the other two include northern African samples together with some European samples. The bifid toadflaxes have been split in African and European clades since the late Miocene, and most lineage and speciation differentiation occurred during the Pliocene and Quaternary. We have strongly inferred four events of post-Messinian colonization following long-distance dispersal from northern Africa to the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Greece. Conclusions/Significance: The current distribution of Linaria sect. Versicolores lineages is explained by both ancien
LISTA NEGRA Y LISTA DE ALERTA DE ESPECIES EXÓTICAS INVASORAS ACUÁTICAS DE LA PENÍNSULA IBÉRICA - Ejercicio de exploración del horizonte transnacional centrado en las especies exóticas invasoras acuáticas de alto riesgo para las aguas interiores ibéricas.
Un objetivo importante de LIFE INVASAQUA es desarrollar herramientas que mejoren la gestión y sean más eficientes en el marco de Alerta Temprana y Respuesta Rápida (EWRR) para las Especies Exóticas Invasoras (EEI)
en la Península Ibérica. La exploración del horizonte para las EEI de alto riesgo es básica para aplicar medidas
que reduzcan las nuevas invasiones y para centrar los esfuerzos en las especies ya registradas. Desarrollamos
un ejercicio transnacional de exploración del horizonte centrado en las aguas interiores de España y Portugal
con el fin de proporcionar una lista negra de las EEI acuáticas actualmente establecidas y una lista de alerta de
las EEI acuáticas potenciales que pueden suponer una amenaza para los ecosistemas acuáticos y los sectores
socioeconómicos en el futuro. Para la exploración del horizonte seguimos un enfoque estructurado de 5 pasos
que combinaba las pruebas existentes sobre las EEI con una puntuación de expertos de los taxones priorizados.
En la lista negra final se priorizaron 126 EEI, que representan el 41,2% de los taxones exóticos registrados en las
aguas continentales ibéricas. Las 24 primeras especies tenían un riesgo de impacto muy alto porque obtuvieron
los valores máximos en el proceso de puntuación de la evaluación de riesgos. Además, la lista de alerta incluía 89
EEI con un riesgo significativo de invasión en la Península Ibérica en el futuro, estando 11 taxones en cabeza con
un riesgo muy alto de invasión
Electrochemistry: A basic and powerful tool for micro- and nanomotor fabrication and characterization
Electrochemistry, although an ancient field of knowledge, has become of paramount importance in the synthesis of materials at the nanoscale, with great interest not only for fundamental research but also for practical applications. One of the promising fields in which electrochemistry meets nanoscience and nanotechnology is micro/nanoscale motors. Micro/nano motors, which are devices able to perform complex tasks at the nanoscale, are commonly multifunctional nanostructures of different materials - metals, polymers, oxides- and shapes -spheres, wires, helices- with the ability to be propelled in fluids. Here, we first introduce the topic of micro/nanomotors and make a concise review of the field up to day. We have analyzed the field from different points of view (e.g. materials science and nanotechnology, physics, chemistry, engineering, biology or environmental science) to have a broader view of how the different disciplines have contributed to such exciting and impactful topic. After that, we focus our attention on describing what electrochemical technology is and how it can be successfully used to fabricate and characterize micro/nanostructures composed of different materials and showing complex shapes. Finally, we will review the micro and nanomotors fabricated using electrochemical techniques with applications in biomedicine and environmental remediation, the two main applications investigated so far in this field. Thus, different strategies have thus been shown capable of producing core-shell nanomaterials combining the properties of different materials, multisegmented nanostructures made of, for example, alternating metal and polymer segments to confer them with flexibility or helicoidal systems to favor propulsion. Moreover, further functionalization and interaction with other materials to form hybrid and more complex objects is also shown
Pre-treatment and extraction techniques for recovery of added value compounds from wastes throughout the agri-food chain
Pre-treatment and extraction techniques for recovery of added value compounds from wastes throughout the agri-food chain
The enormous quantity of food wastes discarded annually force to look for alternatives for this interesting feedstock. Thus, food bio-waste valorisation is one of the imperatives of the nowadays society. This review is the most comprehensive overview of currently existing technologies and processes in this field. It tackles classical and innovative physical, physico-chemical and chemical methods of food waste pre-treatment and extraction for recovery of added value compounds and detection by modern technologies and are an outcome of the COST Action EUBIS, TD1203 Food Waste Valorisation for Sustainable Chemicals, Materials and Fuels
Validity of hydration non-invasive indices during the weightcutting and official weigh-in for Olympic combat sports.
In Olympic combat sports, weight cutting is a common practice aimed to take advantage of competing in weight divisions below the athlete's normal weight. Fluid and food restriction in combination with dehydration (sauna and/or exercise induced profuse sweating) are common weight cut methods. However, the resultant hypohydration could adversely affect health and performance outcomes.The aim of this study is to determine which of the routinely used non-invasive measures of dehydration best track urine osmolality, the gold standard non-invasive test.Immediately prior to the official weigh-in of three National Championships, the hydration status of 345 athletes of Olympic combat sports (i.e., taekwondo, boxing and wrestling) was determined using five separate techniques: i) urine osmolality (UOSM), ii) urine specific gravity (USG), iii) urine color (UCOL), iv) bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), and v) thirst perception scale (TPS). All techniques were correlated with UOSM divided into three groups: euhydrated (G1; UOSM 250-700 mOsm · kg H2O(-1)), dehydrated (G2; UOSM 701-1080 mOsm · kg H2O(-1)), and severely dehydrated (G3; UOSM 1081-1500 mOsm · kg H2O(-1)).We found a positive high correlation between the UOSM and USG (r = 0.89: p = 0.000), although this relationship lost strength as dehydration increased (G1 r = 0.92; G2 r = 0.73; and G3 r = 0.65; p = 0.000). UCOL showed a moderate although significant correlation when considering the whole sample (r = 0.743: p = 0.000) and G1 (r = 0.702: p = 0.000) but low correlation for the two dehydrated groups (r = 0.498-0.398). TPS and BIA showed very low correlation sizes for all groups assessed.In a wide range of pre-competitive hydration status (UOSM 250-1500 mOsm · kg H2O(-1)), USG is highly associated with UOSM while being a more affordable and easy to use technique. UCOL is a suitable tool when USG is not available. However, BIA or TPS are not sensitive enough to detect hypohydration at official weight-in before an Olympic combat championship