Body Composition and Perceived Stress through a Calendar Year in NCAA I Female Volleyball Players

International Journal of Exercise Science 12(5): 433-443, 2019. The aim of the study was to track changes of perceived stress and body composition across an entire calendar year in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) division I female volleyball players. We hypothesized that perceived stress and body composition would vary between the competitive season and off-season, with the largest changes occurring during time points prior to the onset and after the end of the competitive season. Eight female volleyball players participated in a longitudinal study. Body mass, body mass index (BMI), percent body fat, fat mass, and fat free mass were obtained during the early, mid, late, and off season and during the pre, early, mid, and late competitive season. The perceived stress scale-10 was used to appraise stress levels. BMI and body mass were significantly higher in pre-season compared to early-offseason. Changes in BMI between these points were due to increase in fat mass. Fat mass and percent body fat were significantly higher in pre-season compared to late off-season, mid-season, and late season. Perceived stress was significantly higher at the mid-season compared to early offseason. A significant positive correlation existed between BMI and body fat (p\u3c0.05, r=0.69), while a significant negative correlation existed between percent body fat and perceived stress (p\u3c0.05, r=0.34). Tracking body composition and perceived stress in collegiate female volleyball players can provide informative feedback on the training status and well-being of female collegiate athletes. Interestingly, it appears stress in these athletes may be more dependent upon the school session rather than participation in competitive sports

Visualization of scientific arts and some examples of applications

In this paper, implementation and visualization of scientific arts are described using some examples of application in subject research areas, such as sculpture, archeology, fine arts and information aesthetics, which have been discussed through the Scientific Art Session at FLUCOME9, Tallahassee, Florida, 2007-9. In the application to sculpture, stereo visualization techniques, such as anaglyph stereo visualization and integral imaging technique, are introduced to realize the three-dimensional geometry of sculpture to enhance visual impact on the art. The second application is the flow visualization technique for archeology, where the vortices behind the river stones are studied to understand the origin of patterns on Jomon pottery. Interestingly, such vortex patterns also appear in the paintings of fine arts. The third example is the visualization of information aesthetics, where the Web information, such as public media and stock market, are visualized through scientific techniques. These example of visualization of scientific arts provide the present state of the art in interdisciplinary visualization

Solution composition and particle size effects on the dissolution and solubility of a ThO2 microstructural analogue for UO2 matrix of nuclear fuel

The objective of this study was to investigate the dissolution rate of ThO2 which was synthesised to approximate, as closely as possible, the microstructure of UO2 in a nuclear fuel matrix. The optimal sintering temperature for ThO2 pellets was found to be 1750 ℃, which produced pellets with a microstructure similar to UO2 nuclear fuel pellets, with randomly oriented grains ranging in size from 10 to 30 μm. Dissolution was conducted using ThO2 particles of different size fractions (80 to 160 μm and 2 to 4 mm) in the presence and absence of carbonate, in solutions with pH from 2 to 8 and at 80 ℃. Dissolution rates were calculated from Th released from the solid phase to solution. Particles of ThO2 were also leached with 1 M HNO3 at 80 ℃ in order to investigate the morphological changes at the particle surfaces. The concentration of Th was found to be ≥ 10–9 mol/L at pH ≤ 4, lower than the theoretical solubility of crystalline ThO2. At higher pH values, from 4 to 8, the measured concentrations (10−10 to 10–12 mol/L) were between the theoretical solubility of ThO2 and Th(OH)4. Grain boundaries were shown to exert an influence on the dissolution of ThO2 particles. Using high resolution aqueous solution analysis, these data presented here extend the current understanding of Th solubility in solutio

Characterisation of a high pH cement backfill for the geological disposal of nuclear waste: The Nirex Reference Vault Backfill

In a conceptual UK geological disposal facility for nuclear waste within a high-strength, crystalline geology, a cement-based backfill material, known as Nirex Reference Vault Backfill (NRVB), will be used to provide a chemical barrier to radionuclide release. The NRVB is required to have specific properties to fulfil the operational requirements of the geological disposal facility (GDF); these are dependent on the chemical and physical properties of the cement constituent materials and also on the water content. With the passage of time, the raw materials eventually used to synthesise the backfill may not be the same as those used to formulate it. As such, there is a requirement to understand how NRVB performance may be affected by a change in raw material supply. In this paper, we present a review of the current knowledge of NRVB and results from a detailed characterisation of this material, comparing the differences in performance of the final product when different raw materials are used. Results showed that minor differences in the particle size, surface area and chemical composition of the raw material had an effect on the workability, compressive strength, the rate of hydration and the porosity, which may influence some of the design functions of NRVB. This study outlines the requirement to fully characterise cement backfill raw materials prior to use in a geological disposal facility and supports ongoing assessment of long-term post-closure safety

Prevention of bone mineral changes induced by bed rest: Modification by static compression simulating weight bearing, combined supplementation of oral calcium and phosphate, calcitonin injections, oscillating compression, the oral diophosphonatedisodium etidronate, and lower body negative pressure

The phenomenon of calcium loss during bed rest was found to be analogous to the loss of bone material which occurs in the hypogravic environment of space flight. Ways of preventing this occurrence are investigated. A group of healthy adult males underwent 24-30 weeks of continuous bed rest. Some of them were given an exercise program designed to resemble normal ambulatory activity; another subgroup was fed supplemental potassium phosphate. The results from a 12-week period of treatment were compared with those untreated bed rest periods. The potassium phosphate supplements prevented the hypercalciuria of bed rest, but fecal calcium tended to increase. The exercise program did not diminish the negative calcium balance. Neither treatment affected the heavy loss of mineral from the calcaneus. Several additional studies are developed to examine the problem further

Evolution of phase assemblage of blended magnesium potassium phosphate cement binders at 200 degrees and 1000 degrees C

The fire performance of magnesium potassium phosphate cement (MKPC) binders blended with fly ash (FA) and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS) was investigated up to 1000°C using X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis and SEM techniques. The FA/MKPC and GBFS/MKPC binders dehydrate above 200°C to form amorphous KMgPO4, concurrent with volumetric and mass changes. Above 1000°C, additional crystalline phases were formed and microstructural changes occurred, although no cracking or spalling of the samples was observed. These results indicate that FA/MKPC and GBFS/MKPC binders are expected to have satisfactory fire performance under the fire scenario conditions relevant to the operation of a UK or other geological disposal facility

Repeated administration of phytocannabinoid Δ9-THC or synthetic cannabinoids JWH-018 and JWH-073 induces tolerance to hypothermia but not locomotor suppression in mice, and reduces CB1 receptor expression and function in a brain region-specific manner

These studies probed the relationship between intrinsic efficacy and tolerance / cross-tolerance between Δ9-THC and synthetic cannabinoid drugs of abuse (SCBs) by examining in vivo effects and cellular changes concomitant with their repeated administration in mice. Dose-effect relationships for hypothermic effects were determined in order to confirm that SCBs JWH-018 and JWH-073 are higher efficacy agonists than Δ9-THC in mice. Separate groups of mice were treated with saline, sub-maximal hypothermic doses of JWH-018 or JWH-073 (3.0 mg/kg or 10.0 mg/kg, respectively) or a maximally hypothermic dose of 30.0 mg/kg Δ9-THC once per day for 5 consecutive days while core temperature and locomotor activity were monitored via biotelemetry. Repeated administration of all drugs resulted in tolerance to hypothermic effects, but not locomotor effects, and this tolerance was still evident 14 days after the last drug administration. Further studies treated mice with 30.0 mg/kg Δ9-THC once per day for 4 days, then tested with SCBs on day 5. Mice with a Δ9-THC history were cross-tolerant to both SCBs, and this cross-tolerance also persisted 14 days after testing. Select brain regions from chronically treated mice were examined for changes in CB1 receptor expression and function. Expression and function of hypothalamic CB1Rs were reduced in mice receiving chronic drugs, but cortical CB1R expression and function were not altered. Collectively, these data demonstrate that repeated Δ9-THC, JWH-018 and JWH-073 can induce long-lasting tolerance to some in vivo effects, which is likely mediated by region-specific downregulation and desensitization of CB1Rs

Aero-Heating of Shallow Cavities in Hypersonic Freestream Flow

The purpose of these experiments and analysis was to augment the heating database and tools used for assessment of impact-induced shallow-cavity damage to the thermal protection system of the Space Shuttle Orbiter. The effect of length and depth on the local heating disturbance of rectangular cavities tested at hypersonic freestream conditions has been globally assessed using the two-color phosphor thermography method. These rapid-response experiments were conducted in the Langley 31-Inch Mach 10 Tunnel and were initiated immediately prior to the launch of STS-114, the initial flight in the Space Shuttle Return-To-Flight Program, and continued during the first week of the mission. Previously-designed and numerically-characterized blunted-nose baseline flat plates were used as the test surfaces. Three-dimensional computational predictions of the entire model geometry were used as a check on the design process and the two-dimensional flow assumptions used for the data analysis. The experimental boundary layer state conditions were inferred using the measured heating distributions on a no-cavity test article. Two test plates were developed, each containing 4 equally-spaced spanwise-distributed cavities. The first test plate contained cavities with a constant length-to-depth ratio of 8 with design point depth-to-boundary-layer-thickness ratios of 0.1, 0.2, 0.35, and 0.5. The second test plate contained cavities with a constant design point depth-to-boundary-layer-thickness ratio of 0.35 with length-to-depth ratios of 8, 12, 16, and 20. Cavity design parameters and the test condition matrix were established using the computational predictions. Preliminary results indicate that the floor-averaged Bump Factor (local heating rate nondimensionalized by upstream reference) at the tested conditions is approximately 0.3 with a standard deviation of 0.04 for laminar-in/laminar-out conditions when the cavity length-to-boundary-layer thickness is between 2.5 and 10 and for cavities in the depth-to-boundary-layer-thickness range of 0.3 to 0.8. Over this same range of conditions and parameters, preliminary results also indicate that the maximum Bump Factor on the cavity centerline falls between 2.0 and 2.75, as long as the cavity-exit conditions remain laminar. Cavities with length-to-boundary-layer-thickness ratio less than 2.5 can not be easily classified with this approach and require further analysis