Towards Beijing 2022: Discussion on the growth in size of Paralympic Winter Games in terms of participating data from Örnsköldvik 1976 to PyeongChang 2018

Paralympic Winter Games (PWG) born in 1976. Across Games, media personnel has increased suggesting an increase in PWG size. However, the growth of PWG from Örnsköldsvik 1976 to PyeongChang 2018 in terms of participating data has not been discussed. This work aims to find if the growth in media coverage comes together with an increase in PWG size in terms of National Paralympic Committee, sports, medal events, and athletes. The presence of trend over PWG editions is evaluated with Mann-Kendall Trend Test and differences among sports and continents with Kruskal Wallis test. Showing a significant monotonic trend, the number of countries (p < .001, β = 0.81) and the number of participating athletes (p < .001, β = 7.40) seem to be good indicators of PWG. These two indicators are good descriptors of PWG size because related to sociocultural and political aspects. In contrast, number of medal events being related to many factors did not show statistically significant trend (p = .95); therefore, this indicator seems to be less appropriate to describe PWG size. If the whole history is considered, slow but significant changes in number of sports (p < .001, β = 0.08) suggest this indicator could be considered in describing Games size

Live cell imaging reveals focal adhesions mechanoresponses in mammary epithelial cells under sustained equibiaxial stress

Mechanical stimuli play a key role in many cell functions such as proliferation, differentiation and migration. In the mammary gland, mechanical signals such as the distension of mammary epithelial cells due to udder filling are proposed to be directly involved during lactation and involution. However, the evolution of focal adhesions -specialized multiprotein complexes that mechanically connect cells with the extracellular matrix- during the mammary gland development, as well as the influence of the mechanical stimuli involved, remains unclear. Here we present the use of an equibiaxial stretching device for exerting a sustained normal strain to mammary epithelial cells while quantitatively assessing cell responses by fluorescence imaging techniques. Using this approach, we explored changes in focal adhesion dynamics in HC11 mammary cells in response to a mechanical sustained stress, which resembles the physiological stimuli. We studied the relationship between a global stress and focal adhesion assembly/disassembly, observing an enhanced persistency of focal adhesions under strain as well as an increase in their size. At a molecular level, we evaluated the mechanoresponses of vinculin and zyxin, two focal adhesion proteins postulated as mechanosensors, observing an increment in vinculin molecular tension and a slower zyxin dynamics while increasing the applied normal strain.Fil: Sigaut, Lorena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Von Bilderling, Catalina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Bianchi, Micaela. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Centro de Microscopías Avanzadas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Burdisso, Juan Eduardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Centro de Microscopías Avanzadas; ArgentinaFil: Gastaldi, Laura Micaela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Centro de Microscopías Avanzadas; ArgentinaFil: Pietrasanta, Lia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Centro de Microscopías Avanzadas; Argentin

Hydraulic Actuation System with Active Control for the Lateral Suspensions of High Speed Trains

High speed trains normally use actively controlled pneumatic systems to recenter the carbody with respect to the bogie when the train negotiates a curve. Pneumatic systems are used because of their softness, which adds a little contribution to the elastic force generated by the mechanical springs of the lateral suspension system, thereby allowing the neccessary dynamic isolation between carbody and bogie. Howeve, pneumatic systems have the drawbacks of large dimensions and slow response, often accompanied by a few damped oscillations. An innovative solution was developed which makes use of hydraulic actuators providing them with artificial compliance generated by an appropriate control, hence making hydraulic actuators suitable for this application. A carbody centering system is thus obtained presenting fast response, small volume and a softness comparable to that of a pneumatic system. The optimal control law for this system was defined, the system dynamic characteristics were analyzed and a technological demonstrator was built to assess the system merits. The paper outlines the theoretical grounds for the system control, its performance and the most significant results obtained during a test campaign conducted on the technological demonstrator

Comparison of IMU set-ups for the estimation of gait spatio-temporal parameters in an elderly population

The increasing average age emphasizes the importance of gait analysis in elderly populations. Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) represent a suitable wearable technology for the characterization of gait by estimating spatio-temporal parameters (STPs). However, the location of inertial sensors on the human body and the associated algorithms for the estimation of gait STPs play a fundamental role and are still open challenges. Accordingly, the aim of this work was to compare three IMUs set-ups (trunk, shanks, and ankles) and correspondent algorithms to a gold standard optoelectronic system for the estimation of gait STPs in a healthy elderly population. In total, 14 healthy elderly subjects walked barefoot at three different speeds. Gait parameters were assessed for each IMUs set-up and compared to those estimated with the gold standard. A statistical analysis based on Pearson correlation, Root Mean Square Error and Bland Altman plots was conducted to evaluate the accuracy of IMUs. Even though all tested set-ups produced accurate results, the IMU on the trunk performed better in terms of correlation (R ≥ 0.8), RMSE (0.01-0.06 s for temporal parameters, 0.03-0.04 for the limp index), and level of agreement (-0.01 s ≤ mean error ≤ 0.01 s, -0.02 s ≤ standard deviation error ≤ 0.02 s), also allowing simpler preparation of subjects and minor encumbrance during gait. From the promising results, a similar experiment might be conducted in pathological populations in the attempt to verify the accuracy of IMUs set-ups and algorithms also in non-physiological patterns

DISPOSICIÓN A PAGAR POR SEGUROS DE ÍNDICES CLIMÁTICOS PARA PRODUCCIÓN LECHERA

This paper proposes the use of a weather-based index insurance for managing production risk in dairy farms of Argentina. We analyse the potential use of this product to protect against the risk of reduced milk production caused by extreme weather conditions (rainfall and temperature). Using milk producer survey data and contingent valuation method we estimate willingness to pay for a potential insurance policy. The survey was conducted in the central region of Argentina and 165 milk producers were surveyed. Design of the contingent valuation method considers the specific characteristics of the potential product and four premium rates. Using standard willingness to pay techniques, we assess the premium rate that milk producers are willing to pay. In general milk producers appear willing to pay premium rates of 6 to 12 percent for the hypothetical insurance product.El trabajo analiza la valoración por un seguro de riesgo climático en productores de leche en Argentina. Se analiza el uso potencial de este tipo de seguros como mecanismo de cobertura ante disminuciones de producción de leche causadas por condiciones climáticas adversas tales como inundación, sequía y altas temperaturas. Mediante la implementación de una encuesta a productores se estimó la disposición a pagar (DAP) utilizando métodos de valoración contingente. El producto que se trata de valorar es un seguro paramétrico basado en un índice de precipitaciones y temperatura. De acuerdo con las estimaciones los productores estarían dispuestos a pagar una prima entre 6% y 12% del total de los litros de leche asegurados

Climate variability and agricultural production in argentina: the role of risk-transfer mechanisms

Research related to climate variability is particularly important in the current conditions faced by Argentine agriculture. These include (a) increased specialization in soybeans, with resulting reduced possibilities of risk-reduction through “portfolio” effects, (b) increased importance of crop production in argentine agriculture, (c) macroeconomic instability resulting in severe contraction and increased interest rates of credit and (d) upward trend in input use and per-acre production costs with consequent increase in break-even crop yields. This paper summarizes recent research related to production variability in Argentine agriculture, as well as the consequences of this variability on efficiency and resource allocation and presents an overview of strategies for coping with adverse climate events. We estimate willingness to pay (WTP) of agricultural producers for index-type insurance mechanisms, and outline the requirements for the development of a risk-transfer market for agricultural producers.La investigación relacionada con la variabilidad climática es particularmente importante en las condiciones actuales de la agricultura argentina. Éstas incluyen (a) una mayor especialización en la soja, con la consiguiente reducción de las posibilidades de reducción del riesgo a través de efectos "cartera", (b) mayor importancia de la producción de cultivos en la agricultura argentina, (c) inestabilidad macroeconómica que resulta en una severa contracción e incremento de las tasas de interés del crédito y (d) tendencia al alza en el uso de insumos y en los costos de producción por acre, con el consecuente aumento del rendimiento de las cosechas. Este trabajo resume las investigaciones recientes relacionadas con la variabilidad de la producción en la agricultura argentina, así como las consecuencias de esta variabilidad en la eficiencia y asignación de recursos y presenta una visión general de las estrategias para hacer frente a los eventos climáticos adversos. Estimamos la voluntad de pagar (WTP) de los productores agrícolas por los mecanismos de seguro tipo índice, y esbozamos los requisitos para el desarrollo de un mercado de transferencia de riesgo para los productores agrícolas

Standardized Biomechanical Investigation of Posture and Gait in Pisa Syndrome Disease

Pisa syndrome is one of the possible postural deformities associated with Parkinson's disease and it is clinically defined as a sustained lateral bending of the trunk. Some previous studies proposed clinical and biomechanical investigation to understand the pathophysiological mechanisms that occur, mainly focusing on EMG patterns and clinics. The current research deals with the assessment of a standardized biomechanical analysis to investigate the Pisa syndrome postural effects. Eight patients participated in the experimental test. Both static posture and gait trials were performed. An optoelectronic system and two force plates were used for data acquisition, while a custom multi-segments kinematic model of the human spine was used to evaluate the 3D angles. All subjects showed an important flexion of the trunk superior segment with respect to the inferior one, with a strong variability among patients (range values between 4.3 degrees and 41.0 degrees). Kinematics, ground reaction forces and spatio-temporal parameters are influenced by the asymmetrical trunk posture. Moreover, different proprioception, compensation and abilities of correction were depicted among subjects. Considering the forces exchanged by the feet with the floor during standing, results highlighted a significant asymmetry (p-value = 0.02) between the omo and contralateral side in a normal static posture, with greater load distribution on the same side of lateral deviation. When asked to self-correct the posture, all patients demonstrated a reduction of asymmetry, but without stressing any statistical significance. All these aspects might be crucial for the definition of a PS patients' classification and for the assessment of the efficacy of treatments and rehabilitation

SEGUROS AGROPECUARIOS BASADOS EN ÍNDICES. SITUACIÓN ACTUAL Y VISIÓN DE MERCADO DE COMPAÑIAS ASEGURADORAS

This paper presents the stage of development of agricultural index insurances in Argentina. Market penetration and five-year commercial prospects are analyzed using survey data from a sample of data provided of insurance companies. The majority of the parametric insurance approved by the National Insurance Superintendence in Argentina are designed to cover rainfall events for typical agricultural activities in the Pampas region, with little development for regional productions and/or areas outside the Pampas. One third of the insured companies currently offers this type of insurance, although sales level is null to medium. In the medium term, insurers perception of commercialization level of this type of insurance for crops and livestock is considered acceptable. Insurance companies agree on the importance of public-private programs to expand market, and the need of adequate climate data to improve the design and fit of these coverages to farmers.En el presente trabajo se aborda el estado de desarrollo de los seguros agropecuarios basados en índices en Argentina. Asimismo, se analizan la penetración de mercado y las perspectivas comerciales a cinco años a través de información obtenida mediante una encuesta a las compañías aseguradoras que operan en el rubro agropecuario. La mayor parte de las coberturas paramétricas aprobadas por la Superintendencia de Seguros de la Nación están orientadas a cubrir eventos asociados al fenómeno meteorológico lluvias para producciones típicas de la región pampeana argentina, con escaso desarrollo para producciones regionales y/o de áreas extra pampeanas. Desde el punto de vista comercial, un tercio de las compañías aseguradas consultadas manifestó ofrecer este tipo de seguros, pero con un nivel de venta entre nulo y medio en los últimos dos años. A mediano plazo, las aseguradoras consideran que es posible lograr niveles aceptables de comercialización de este tipo de seguros en cultivos agrícolas extensivos y en ganadería bovina. En general, existe consenso sobre la necesidad de programas públicos-privados que favorezcan el desarrollo de mercado de estos productos, así como también contar con adecuada información climática para mejorar el diseño y el ajuste de este tipo de instrumento de transferencia de riesgos a las necesidades de los productores

A Wearable Magneto-Inertial System for Gait Analysis (H-Gait): Validation on Normal Weight and Overweight/Obese Young Healthy Adults

Background: Wearable magneto-inertial sensors are being increasingly used to obtain human motion measurements out of the lab, although their performance in applications requiring high accuracy, such as gait analysis, are still a subject of debate. The aim of this work was to validate a gait analysis system (H-Gait) based on magneto-inertial sensors, both in normal weight (NW) and overweight/obese (OW) subjects. The validation is performed against a reference multichannel recording system (STEP32), providing direct measurements of gait timings (through foot-switches) and joint angles in the sagittal plane (through electrogoniometers). Methods: Twenty-two young male subjects were recruited for the study (12 NW, 10 OW). After positioning body-fixed sensors of both systems, each subject was asked to walk, at a self-selected speed, over a 14-m straight path for 12 trials. Gait signals were recorded, at the same time, with the two systems. Spatio-temporal parameters, ankle, knee, and hip joint kinematics were extracted analyzing an average of 89 ± 13 gait cycles from each lower limb. Intraclass correlation coefficient and Bland-Altmann plots were used to compare H-Gait and STEP32 measurements. Changes in gait parameters and joint kinematics of OW with respect NW were also evaluated. Results: The two systems were highly consistent for cadence, while a lower agreement was found for the other spatio-temporal parameters. Ankle and knee joint kinematics is overall comparable. Joint ROMs values were slightly lower for H-Gait with respect to STEP32 for the ankle (by 1.9° for NW, and 1.6° for OW) and for the knee (by 4.1° for NW, and 1.8° for OW). More evident differences were found for hip joint, with ROMs values higher for H-Gait (by 6.8° for NW, and 9.5° for OW). NW and OW showed significant differences considering STEP32 (p = 0.0004), but not H-Gait (p = 0.06). In particular, overweight/obese subjects showed a higher cadence (55.0 vs. 52.3 strides/min) and a lower hip ROM (23.0° vs. 27.3°) than normal weight subjects. Conclusions: The two systems can be considered interchangeable for what concerns joint kinematics, except for the hip, where discrepancies were evidenced. Differences between normal and overweight/obese subjects were statistically significant using STEP32. The same tendency was observed using H-Gait

Influence of BMI on Gait Characteristics of Young Adults: 3D Evaluation Using Inertial Sensors

Overweight/obesity is a physical condition that affects daily activities, including walking. The main purpose of this study was to identify if there is a relationship between body mass index (BMI) and gait characteristics in young adults. 12 normal weight (NW) and 10 overweight/obese (OW) individuals walked at a self-selected speed along a 14 m indoor path. H-Gait system, combining seven inertial sensors (fixed on pelvis and lower limbs), was used to record gait data. Walking speed, spatio-temporal parameters and joint kinematics in 3D were analyzed. Differences between NW and OWand correlations between BMI and gait parameters were evaluated. Conventional spatio-temporal parameters did not show statistical differences between the two groups or correlations with the BMI. However, significant results were pointed out for the joint kinematics. OW showed greater hip joint angles in frontal and transverse planes, with respect to NW. In the transverse plane, OW showed a greater knee opening angle and a shorter length of knee and ankle trajectories. Correlations were found between BMI and kinematic parameters in the frontal and transverse planes. Despite some phenomena such as soft tissue artifact and kinematics cross-talk, which have to be more deeply assessed, current results show a relationship between BMI and gait characteristics in young adults that should be looked at in osteoarthritis prevention