Implementation and Evaluation of a Baseball Pitching Program and Its Impact on Injury Prevention and Performance

The purpose of this study sought to examine the efficacy of biomechanical evaluations on collegiate baseball pitchers. Through this, we seek to develop a model for identifying at-risk athletes through a longitudinal assessment of pitching mechanics spanning pre-season to post-season along with in-season tracking of pathomechanics

KINEMATIC AND KINETIC COMPARISON BETWEEN PRE-PROFESSIONAL DOMINICAN REPUBLIC AND AMERICAN BASEBALL PITCHERS

The purpose of this study was to compare elbow valgus torque and shoulder distraction force in pre-professional American and Dominican Republic (DR) pitchers. Kinematics that are known to influence elbow valgus torque and shoulder distraction force were also compared. Three dimensional biomechanical analyses were performed on Dominican Republic (n = 37) and American (n = 37) baseball pitchers. Potential difference between Dominican Republic and American pitchers were assessed through analysis of covariance with 95% confidence intervals. Age, hand dominance, and pitch velocity are known to influence elbow torque and shoulder force, therefore these confounding variables were controlled for within the analyses. Pre-professional Dominican Republic pitchers were found to throw fastballs with slower ball velocity but experienced increased elbow valgus torque compared to their American counterparts. Increased elbow valgus torque and inefficient pitching mechanics among Dominican Republic pitchers should be considered when developing training programs and pitching plans for professional pitchers from the Dominican Republic

An Origami-Inspired Design of a Thermal Mixing Element Within a Concentrated Solar Power System

A Concentrated Solar Power on Demand (CSPonD) system heats a tank of molten salt with sunlight, storing the sun's energy thermally and generating electricity when needed using a heat exchanger. To prevent the heated salt from forming thermal gradients (reducing the heat exchanger's efficiency) or overheating (and becoming corrosive), a thermal mixing element mixes the heated salt both axially and radially. Since the mixing element can only move axially within the tank, it contains internal, radial channels to induce radial flow of the salt. These channels are constructed from tabbed wall-components, whose tabs seat into and extend past slots in the top-and bottom-plates of the mixing element. The top-and bottom-plates are constructed from multiple panels with overlapping slots, allowing the panels to form the plates when the tabs are inserted. This interlocking design allows majority of the mixing element to be rapidly manufactured at a low cost from sheet metal and simplifies transportation. In situ, the assembled components fasten together by bending the overextending tabs, minimizing the number of fasteners needed. Topics: Design, Concentrating solar powerMasdar Institute of Science and Technolog

A MAGNETICALLY SUSPENDED, SPHERICAL PERMANENT MAGNETIC DIPOLE ACTUATOR

The attitude control system (ACS) of a spacecraft contains a minimum of three reaction wheels to rotate the spacecraft in 3 degrees of freedom (DoF), but typically contains additional reaction wheels for both redundancy and improved pointing accuracy. Each wheel rotates the spacecraft about its axis by imparting an equal-and-opposite torque when the spacecraft accelerates the wheel. Since space, weight, and power (SWaP) are a premium on a spacecraft, reaction spheres, which impart an equal-and-opposite torque about an arbitrary axis when the spacecraft accelerates the sphere about that axis, have been proposed to reduce the ACS down to a single device. While NASA first proposed reaction spheres over a half century ago, limitations with previous designs have kept the technology from commercialization. These designs can be generalized into two categories: asynchronous, induction-type actuators and synchronous actuators similar to DC and hysteresis motors. The induction-type designs are difficult to model and suffer from eddy current losses in the rotor while the synchronous designs often have rotors constructed from multiple magnets which presents fabrication, strength, and balance issues. To incorporate the best of both worlds, the mechanical simplicity of an induction motor with the efficiency and simple model of a brushless DC motor, a spherical permanent magnetic dipole rotor actuated by a stator of surrounding soils has been considered. This paper presents the modeling, design, and vertical suspension of a prototype permanent magnetic dipole reaction sphere depicted in Figure 1

'On Your Feet to Earn Your Seat', a habit-based intervention to reduce sedentary behaviour in older adults: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Many older adults are both highly sedentary (that is, spend considerable amounts of time sitting) and physically inactive (that is, do little physical activity). This protocol describes an exploratory trial of a theory-based behaviour change intervention in the form of a booklet outlining simple activities ('tips') designed both to reduce sedentary behaviour and to increase physical activity in older adults. The intervention is based on the 'habit formation' model, which proposes that consistent repetition leads to behaviour becoming automatic, sustaining activity gains over time. METHODS: The intervention is being developed iteratively, in line with Medical Research Council complex intervention guidelines. Selection of activity tips was informed by semi-structured interviews and focus groups with older adults, and input from a multidisciplinary expert panel. An ongoing preliminary field test of acceptability among 25 older adults will inform further refinement. An exploratory randomized controlled trial will be conducted within a primary care setting, comparing the tips booklet with a control fact sheet. Retired, inactive and sedentary adults (n = 120) aged 60 to 74 years, with no physical impairments precluding light physical activity, will be recruited from general practices in north London, UK. The primary outcomes are recruitment and attrition rates. Secondary outcomes are changes in behaviour, habit, health and wellbeing over 12 weeks. DISCUSSION: Data will be used to inform study procedures for a future, larger-scale definitive randomized controlled trial. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN47901994

Large-Scale Gene Disruption in Magnaporthe oryzae Identifies MC69, a Secreted Protein Required for Infection by Monocot and Dicot Fungal Pathogens

To search for virulence effector genes of the rice blast fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae, we carried out a large-scale targeted disruption of genes for 78 putative secreted proteins that are expressed during the early stages of infection of M. oryzae. Disruption of the majority of genes did not affect growth, conidiation, or pathogenicity of M. oryzae. One exception was the gene MC69. The mc69 mutant showed a severe reduction in blast symptoms on rice and barley, indicating the importance of MC69 for pathogenicity of M. oryzae. The mc69 mutant did not exhibit changes in saprophytic growth and conidiation. Microscopic analysis of infection behavior in the mc69 mutant revealed that MC69 is dispensable for appressorium formation. However, mc69 mutant failed to develop invasive hyphae after appressorium formation in rice leaf sheath, indicating a critical role of MC69 in interaction with host plants. MC69 encodes a hypothetical 54 amino acids protein with a signal peptide. Live-cell imaging suggested that fluorescently labeled MC69 was not translocated into rice cytoplasm. Site-directed mutagenesis of two conserved cysteine residues (Cys36 and Cys46) in the mature MC69 impaired function of MC69 without affecting its secretion, suggesting the importance of the disulfide bond in MC69 pathogenicity function. Furthermore, deletion of the MC69 orthologous gene reduced pathogenicity of the cucumber anthracnose fungus Colletotrichum orbiculare on both cucumber and Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. We conclude that MC69 is a secreted pathogenicity protein commonly required for infection of two different plant pathogenic fungi, M. oryzae and C. orbiculare pathogenic on monocot and dicot plants, respectively

Multiple Translocation of the AVR-Pita Effector Gene among Chromosomes of the Rice Blast Fungus Magnaporthe oryzae and Related Species

Magnaporthe oryzae is the causal agent of rice blast disease, a devastating problem worldwide. This fungus has caused breakdown of resistance conferred by newly developed commercial cultivars. To address how the rice blast fungus adapts itself to new resistance genes so quickly, we examined chromosomal locations of AVR-Pita, a subtelomeric gene family corresponding to the Pita resistance gene, in various isolates of M. oryzae (including wheat and millet pathogens) and its related species. We found that AVR-Pita (AVR-Pita1 and AVR-Pita2) is highly variable in its genome location, occurring in chromosomes 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and supernumerary chromosomes, particularly in rice-infecting isolates. When expressed in M. oryzae, most of the AVR-Pita homologs could elicit Pita-mediated resistance, even those from non-rice isolates. AVR-Pita was flanked by a retrotransposon, which presumably contributed to its multiple translocation across the genome. On the other hand, family member AVR-Pita3, which lacks avirulence activity, was stably located on chromosome 7 in a vast majority of isolates. These results suggest that the diversification in genome location of AVR-Pita in the rice isolates is a consequence of recognition by Pita in rice. We propose a model that the multiple translocation of AVR-Pita may be associated with its frequent loss and recovery mediated by its transfer among individuals in asexual populations. This model implies that the high mobility of AVR-Pita is a key mechanism accounting for the rapid adaptation toward Pita. Dynamic adaptation of some fungal plant pathogens may be achieved by deletion and recovery of avirulence genes using a population as a unit of adaptation

Excavation of an early 17th-century glassmaking site at Glasshouse, Shinrone, Co. Offaly, Ireland

An archaeological research excavation was conducted in the area immediately surrounding an upstanding glassmaking furnace near Shinrone, Co. Offaly, Ireland. It dates to the early to mid 17th century and was built and operated by French Huguenots, probably de Hennezells (de Hennezel/Henzeys/Hensie) who had settled in this region as part of the Crown plantation of King’s County (now Co. Offaly). This furnace, which employed wood rather than coal as a fuel, is a very rare survival, with no other upstanding examples known in Ireland, Britain or the Lorraine region of France where the form probably originated

Optimasi Portofolio Resiko Menggunakan Model Markowitz MVO Dikaitkan dengan Keterbatasan Manusia dalam Memprediksi Masa Depan dalam Perspektif Al-Qur`an

Risk portfolio on modern finance has become increasingly technical, requiring the use of sophisticated mathematical tools in both research and practice. Since companies cannot insure themselves completely against risk, as human incompetence in predicting the future precisely that written in Al-Quran surah Luqman verse 34, they have to manage it to yield an optimal portfolio. The objective here is to minimize the variance among all portfolios, or alternatively, to maximize expected return among all portfolios that has at least a certain expected return. Furthermore, this study focuses on optimizing risk portfolio so called Markowitz MVO (Mean-Variance Optimization). Some theoretical frameworks for analysis are arithmetic mean, geometric mean, variance, covariance, linear programming, and quadratic programming. Moreover, finding a minimum variance portfolio produces a convex quadratic programming, that is minimizing the objective function ðð¥with constraintsð ð 𥠥 ðandð´ð¥ = ð. The outcome of this research is the solution of optimal risk portofolio in some investments that could be finished smoothly using MATLAB R2007b software together with its graphic analysis

Search for heavy resonances decaying to two Higgs bosons in final states containing four b quarks

A search is presented for narrow heavy resonances X decaying into pairs of Higgs bosons (H) in proton-proton collisions collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC at root s = 8 TeV. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 fb(-1). The search considers HH resonances with masses between 1 and 3 TeV, having final states of two b quark pairs. Each Higgs boson is produced with large momentum, and the hadronization products of the pair of b quarks can usually be reconstructed as single large jets. The background from multijet and t (t) over bar events is significantly reduced by applying requirements related to the flavor of the jet, its mass, and its substructure. The signal would be identified as a peak on top of the dijet invariant mass spectrum of the remaining background events. No evidence is observed for such a signal. Upper limits obtained at 95 confidence level for the product of the production cross section and branching fraction sigma(gg -> X) B(X -> HH -> b (b) over barb (b) over bar) range from 10 to 1.5 fb for the mass of X from 1.15 to 2.0 TeV, significantly extending previous searches. For a warped extra dimension theory with amass scale Lambda(R) = 1 TeV, the data exclude radion scalar masses between 1.15 and 1.55 TeV