Non-invasive, spatio-temporal gait analysis for sprint running using a single camera

Sprint running velocity is the product of step length and step rate. A tool to measure these key metrics would aid sprint training. Athletes require fast and non-invasive analysis tools, to allow them to focus on performance. A non-invasive, single camera gait analysis system (Gait Analyser) was developed and installed at the Sheffield Hallam University City Athletics Stadium (SHUCAS). The Gait Analyser filmed athletes sprinting in lanes 1, 5 and 8 wearing different coloured shoes in varied lighting conditions (e.g. sunlight or overcast). The Gait Analyser automatically identified the position and time of athlete's foot contacts, allowing the calculation of step length, step time and step velocity. Output data were compared to corresponding, manually identified measurements. For optimised setups, 100% of foot contacts were identified. Resultant direction root-mean square error (RMSE) for foot contact position and time was 108.9 mm and 0.03 s respectively. RMSE for step length, step time and step velocity was 4.9 mm, 0.00 s and 0.07 m·s-1 respectively. The Gait Analyser measured spatio-temporal gait parameters of sprint running in situ without applying markers or sensors to the athlete or the running track: results were available 2-3 s after capture

Paracrine effects of oocyte secreted factors and stem cell factor on porcine granulosa and theca cells in vitro

Oocyte control of granulosa and theca cell function may be mediated by several growth factors via a local feedback loop(s) between these cell types. This study examined both the role of oocyte-secreted factors on granulosa and thecal cells, cultured independently and in co-culture, and the effect of stem cell factor (SCF); a granulosa cell derived peptide that appears to have multiple roles in follicle development. Granulosa and theca cells were isolated from 2–6 mm healthy follicles of mature porcine ovaries and cultured under serum-free conditions, supplemented with: 100 ng/ml LR3 IGF-1, 10 ng/ml insulin, 100 ng/ml testosterone, 0–10 ng/ml SCF, 1 ng/ml FSH (granulosa), 0.01 ng/ml LH (theca) or 1 ng/ml FSH and 0.01 ng/ml LH (co-culture) and with/without oocyte conditioned medium (OCM) or 5 oocytes. Cells were cultured in 96 well plates for 144 h, after which viable cell numbers were determined. Medium was replaced every 48 h and spent medium analysed for steroids. Oocyte secreted factors were shown to stimulate both granulosa cell proliferation (P < 0.001) and oestradiol production (P < 0.001) by granulosa cells throughout culture. In contrast, oocyte secreted factors suppressed granulosa cell progesterone production after both 48 and 144 hours (P < 0.001). Thecal cell numbers were increased by oocyte secreted factors (P = 0.02), together with a suppression in progesterone and androstenedione synthesis after 48 hours (P < 0.001) and after 144 hours (P = 0.02), respectively. Oocyte secreted factors also increased viable cell numbers (P < 0.001) in co-cultures together with suppression of progesterone (P < 0.001) and oestradiol (P < 0.001). In granulosa cell only cultures, SCF increased progesterone production in a dose dependent manner (P < 0.001), whereas progesterone synthesis by theca cells was reduced in a dose dependent manner (P = 0.002). Co-cultured cells demonstrated an increase in progesterone production with increasing SCF dose (P < 0.001) and an increase in oestradiol synthesis at the highest dose of SCF (100 ng/ml). In summary, these findings demonstrate the presence of a co-ordinated paracrine interaction between somatic cells and germ cells, whereby oocyte derived signals interact locally to mediate granulosa and theca cell function. SCF has a role in modulating this local interaction. In conclusion, the oocyte is an effective modulator of granulosa-theca interactions, one role being the inhibition of luteinization

Structural aspects of the membrane and ultrastructural features of sarcina flava and sarcina morrhuae

1. The preparation, purification and properties of a water-soluble membrane component from S. flava using the synthetic detergent Lubrol L has been described. This fraction contained carotenoid, glucose and peptide, was highly stable to heat and pH extremes, and release of free carotenoid from it proved extremely difficult. The possible effect of the binding of the membrane components within detergent micelles is discussed and the dangers inherent, in the determination of molecular weights, by osmometry or ultracentrifugation, in the presence of detergent have been indicated. 2. The polar carotenoid subfractions from S. flava have been characterised and found to consist of carotenoid, glucose and peptide. The linkage between carotonoid and glucose is presumed to be glycosidic, and a model for the in vivo orientation of the carotenoid complex in the bacterial membrane has been proposed. A possible correlation between membrane stability and carotenoid content has been found, and this is discussed in relation to the model. 3. After complete removal of the free pigments from S. morrhuae by solvent extraction, a water soluble carotenoid fraction was isolated and characterised. The material, whose molecular weight is approximately 9,000 contains carotenoid, glucose and peptide. The bond between glucose and carotenoid is again presumed to be glycosidlc, and the peptide moiety contains high proportions of the acidic amino acids, the significance of which is discussed. This bound pigment is also thought to represent one form in which: carotenoid is bound in the bacterial membrane. 4. The effect of the age of the culture on the chemical composition of the total membrane fraction from S. flava has been investigated. Both protein and lipid contents decrease with age although there is little variation in carbohydrate content. It is suggested that the decreased lipid content is a reflection of the increased binding of lipid to protein with age. Considerable variation in the fatty acid composition with age was observed, which makes the use of the fatty acid profile as a taxonomic criterion for this species of doubtful value. The presence of a sterol in S. flava membrane lipids is indicated although from GLC data, it seems unlikely that this is cholesterol. Mono-saccharides detected in membrane hydrolysates were ribose, rhamnose, glucose, and mannose. The presence of glucosamine and galactosamine was also indicated. 5, The general ultrastructural features of whole cells of both S. flava and S. morrhuae have been described. S. flava exhibits many of the fine structural features common to Gram-positive organisms and was seen to form the packets of cells typical of the Sarcinae. Cell division in S. flava was shown to be of the cell membrane septation type, and a mechanism for this mode of division has been proposed. Preparation of protoplasts from S. flava using the method of Baird-Parker and Woodroffe (1967) was unsuccessful, but the treatment with lysozyme, revealed a layered appearance of the cell wall. Several intracytoplasmic membranous inclusions were seen in these cells and their relationship to mesosomes is discussed. Mesosomes as such were also present, but never in association with developing septa. The effect of varying conditions of fixation on the fine structure of S. flava was also studied. Evidence has been presented that, under certain conditions, sporulation may occur in S. flava. Good fixation of S. morrhuae cells proved difficult to achieve, and this may be due to insufficient concentration of salts in the fixation medium. Cells of S. morrhuae are approximately twice the size of S. flava cells, and division was seen to occur in a much more random fashion, producing irregular clumps of cells with common cell walls. Spherical or ovoid bodies of unknown composition were seen in association with the cytoplasmic membrane

Faculty Scholarship Celebration 2017

Program for Western Carolina University's annual Faculty Scholarship Celebration

Faculty Scholarship Celebration 2018

Program for Western Carolina University's annual Faculty Scholarship Celebration

Faculty Scholarship Celebration 2019

Program and bibliography for Western Carolina University's annual Faculty Scholarship Celebration

Collimated blue light generation in rubidium vapor

We describe an experiment for generating and characterizing a beam of collimated blue light (CBL) in a rubidium vapor.Two low-power, grating-feedback diode lasers, operating at 780.2 nm (5S3/2 → 5D5/2) and 776.0 nm (5P3/2 → 5D5/2), respectively, provide step-wise excitation to the 5D excited state in rubidium. Under the right experimental conditions, cascade decay through the 6P excited state will yield a collimated blue (420-nm) beam of light with high temporal and spatial coherence. We investigate the production of a blue beam under a variety of experimental conditions and characterize the spatial coherence and spectral characteristics. This experiment provides advanced undergraduate students with a unique opportunity to investigate nonlinear optical phenomena in the laboratory and uses equipment that is commonly available in laboratories equipped to investigate diode-laser-based absorption spectroscopy in rubidium

Collimated blue light generation in rubidium vapor

We describe an experiment for generating and characterizing a beam of collimated blue light (CBL) in a rubidium vapor.Two low-power, grating-feedback diode lasers, operating at 780.2 nm (5S3/2 → 5D5/2) and 776.0 nm (5P3/2 → 5D5/2), respectively, provide step-wise excitation to the 5D excited state in rubidium. Under the right experimental conditions, cascade decay through the 6P excited state will yield a collimated blue (420-nm) beam of light with high temporal and spatial coherence. We investigate the production of a blue beam under a variety of experimental conditions and characterize the spatial coherence and spectral characteristics. This experiment provides advanced undergraduate students with a unique opportunity to investigate nonlinear optical phenomena in the laboratory and uses equipment that is commonly available in laboratories equipped to investigate diode-laser-based absorption spectroscopy in rubidium

Use of Coronary Computed Tomographic Angiography to guide management of patients with coronary disease

Background In a prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled trial, 4,146 patients were randomized to receive standard care or standard care plus coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA). Objectives The purpose of this study was to explore the consequences of CCTA-assisted diagnosis on invasive coronary angiography, preventive treatments, and clinical outcomes. Methods In post hoc analyses, we assessed changes in invasive coronary angiography, preventive treatments, and clinical outcomes using national electronic health records. Results Despite similar overall rates (409 vs. 401; p = 0.451), invasive angiography was less likely to demonstrate normal coronary arteries (20 vs. 56; hazard ratios [HRs]: 0.39 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.23 to 0.68]; p < 0.001) but more likely to show obstructive coronary artery disease (283 vs. 230; HR: 1.29 [95% CI: 1.08 to 1.55]; p = 0.005) in those allocated to CCTA. More preventive therapies (283 vs. 74; HR: 4.03 [95% CI: 3.12 to 5.20]; p < 0.001) were initiated after CCTA, with each drug commencing at a median of 48 to 52 days after clinic attendance. From the median time for preventive therapy initiation (50 days), fatal and nonfatal myocardial infarction was halved in patients allocated to CCTA compared with those assigned to standard care (17 vs. 34; HR: 0.50 [95% CI: 0.28 to 0.88]; p = 0.020). Cumulative 6-month costs were slightly higher with CCTA: difference $462 (95$303 to $621). Conclusions In patients with suspected angina due to coronary heart disease, CCTA leads to more appropriate use of invasive angiography and alterations in preventive therapies that were associated with a halving of fatal and non-fatal myocardial infarction. (Scottish COmputed Tomography of the HEART Trial [SCOT-HEART]; NCT01149590