The dose response for sprint interval training interventions may affect the time course of aerobic training adaptations

Low vs. high volume sprint-interval training (SIT) sessions have shown similar physiological benefits after 8 weeks. However, the dose response and residual effects of shorter SIT bouts (<10 s) are unknown. Following a 6-wk control period, 13 healthy inactive males were assigned to a low dose (LDG: n = 7) or high dose (HDG: n = 6) supervised 6-wk intervention: ×2/wk of SIT (LDG = 2 sets of 5 × 6 s ON: 18 s OFF bouts; HDG = 4–6 sets); ×1/wk resistance training (3 exercises at 3 × 10 reps). Outcome measures were tested pre and post control (baseline (BL) 1 and 2), 72 h post (0POST), and 3-wk post (3POST) intervention. At 0POST, peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) increased in the LDG (+16%) and HDG (+11%) vs. BL 2, with no differences between groups (p = 0.381). At 3POST, VO2peak was different between LDG (−11%) and HDG (+3%) vs. 0POST. Positive responses for the intervention’s perceived enjoyment (PE) and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) were found for both groups. Blood pressure, blood lipids, or body composition were not different between groups at any time point. Conclusion: LDG and HDG significantly improved VO2peak at 0POST. However, findings at 3POST suggest compromised VO2peak at 0POST in the HDG due to the delayed time course of adaptations. These findings should be considered when implementing high-dose SIT protocols for non-athletic population

Fluctuation Spectra and Force Generation in Non-equilibrium Systems

Many biological systems are appropriately viewed as passive inclusions immersed in an active bath: from proteins on active membranes to microscopic swimmers confined by boundaries. The non-equilibrium forces exerted by the active bath on the inclusions or boundaries often regulate function, and such forces may also be exploited in artificial active materials. Nonetheless, the general phenomenology of these active forces remains elusive. We show that the fluctuation spectrum of the active medium, the partitioning of energy as a function of wavenumber, controls the phenomenology of force generation. We find that for a narrow, unimodal spectrum, the force exerted by a non-equilibrium system on two embedded walls depends on the width and the position of the peak in the fluctuation spectrum, and oscillates between repulsion and attraction as a function of wall separation. We examine two apparently disparate examples: the Maritime Casimir effect and recent simulations of active Brownian particles. A key implication of our work is that important non-equilibrium interactions are encoded within the fluctuation spectrum. In this sense the noise becomes the signal

IEC Fusor Mobile Shielding Unit

The VCU Inertial Electrostatic Confinement (IEC) Fusor Senior Design Project provides Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) with a mobile fusor complete with the necessary shielding to protect operators as well as the general public from potentially hazardous radiation. The VCU IEC fusor is a Farnsworth-Hirsch type reactor, and consists of five basic components; a high voltage power supply, vacuum system, gas regulation system, primary reactor vessel assembly, and radiation shielding. These components were serviced and reassembled on a customized mobile cart. In addition to these components, a specimen holder and viewing monitor were added to the design. The specimen holder provides a practical method for neutron activation experiments, while the viewing monitor allows for safer visualization and operation of the fusor. An engineered cart provides the operator easy transportation of the shielding, fusor, and necessary components. The shielding consists of layers of High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Borated Polyethylene (BPE), and lead to minimize radiation dose exposure to limits acceptable by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). A camera inside the shielding is connected to a display monitor in order to provide a visual depiction of the deuterium ionization and fusion process. This allows operators and audiences to view the internal workings of the fusor from a safe distance. Lastly, an operator’s manual has been drafted to assist future operators with running the fusor. With these additions to the existing design, the fusor assembly serves as a vital asset for researchers, as well as an educational tool for students and teachers.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/capstone/1199/thumbnail.jp

Unified modelling of aerospace systems: a bond graph approach

Systems Integration is widely accepted as the basis for improving the efficiency and performance of many engineering products. The aim is to build a unified optimised system not a collection of subsystems that are combined in some ad hoc manner. This moves traditional design boundaries and, in so doing, enables a structured evolution from an integrated system concept to an integrated system product. It is recognised that the inherent complexity cannot be handled effectively without mathematical modelling. The problem is not so much the large number of components but rather the very large number of functional interfaces that result. The costs involved are high and, if the claims of improved efficiency and performance are to be affordable (or even achievable), predictive modelling and analysis will play a major role in reducing risk. A modelling framework is required which can support integrated system development from concept through to certification. This means building a 'system' inside a computer and demonstrating the feasibility of an entire development cycle. The objective is to provide complete coverage of system functionality so as to gain confidence in the design before becoming locked into a full development programme with associated capital investment and contractual arrangements. With these points in mind the purpose of this thesis is threefold. First, to demonstrate the application of bond graphs as a unified modelling framework for aerospace systems. Second, to review the main principles involved with the modelling of engineering systems and to justify the selection of the bond graph notation as a suitable means of representing the power flow (i.e. the dynamics) of physical systems. Third, to present an exposition of the bond graph method and to evolve it into a versatile notation for integrated systems. The originality of the work is based on the recognition that systems integration is a relatively new field of interest without a mature body of academic literature or reported research. Apparently, there is no open literature on the modelling of complete air vehicles plus their embedded vehicle systems which deals with issues of integrated dynamics and control. To this end, bond graph concepts need to be developed and extended in new direction in order to facilitate an intuitive approach to the modelling of integrated systems

Investigation of serine kinase signalling networks in T lymphocytes

The aim of the work that constitutes the present PhD thesis was to elucidate the intracellular serine/threonine (S/T) kinase dependant signalling pathways downstream of the T cell receptor in human T lymphocytes. S/T kinases are known to play key roles in mediating growth, survival and differentiation in response to antigenic stimulation of T cells. The T cell receptor exerts its function through a complex web of tyrosine kinases and regulatory adaptor proteins that culminate in the activation of phosphatidyl-inositol and small G protein dependent S/T kinases. The variety of S/T kinases and high proportion of proteins that are phosphorylated at their S/T residues have paradoxically made the search for protein substrates for these kinases notoriously difficult. It is of fundamental importance for understanding cellular regulation to discover new cell-specific downstream targets and ultimate effectors of these pathways. We herein describe a successful strategy to identify new, cell specific, effectors of S/T kinases in signalling cascade. We utilised the properties of an antiserum, raised against a sequence phosphorylated on a serine residue, to cross-react with several phosphorylated proteins that have a similar structure at the site of phosphorylation. Using this antiserum together with proteomics analysis we were able to purify and characterise new targets of antigen receptor initiated signalling in T-lymphocytes. This approach led us to unearth two haematopoietic proteins, namely proIL-16 and SLY, neither having been described previously as a target for T cell receptor regulation. The use of proteomics coupled to sera detecting specific phosphorylation has proved a powerful tool to discover downstream effectors of TcR activation. The versatility of the technique should prove invaluable in fingerprinting other cell types, or comparing subpopulations of lymphocytes

Towards a Digital Land of Song: A Digital Approach to the Archival Record of Welsh Traditional Music, its Performance and its Reception

Divided between a prototype digital resource and a written companion, this research implements and examines some of the possibilities and prospects offered to the study of Welsh traditional music by digital humanities methods and approaches. Built on a relational database, the digital prototype functions as a server-based annotated index of a sample of sources from the collections of the National Library of Wales. The user interface of the prototype uses hyperlinks and geographical mapping to express connections between sources of, figures involved with, and reception information relating to Welsh traditional music. Its written companion serves as a contextual review and exposition of some of the research interests that have informed the creation of the prototype. Philosophically, these interests include the concepts of cultural geography, national identity, collective memory, archive, and their intersections with music. Musicologically, the research centres around twin axes: the traces of Welsh traditional music in the theoretical and literal archive constituted by the National Library of Wales, and the integration and inter-referencing of these traces in a virtual space in order to consider Welsh traditional music and its material record as a situated cultural activity

Issues Surrounding a B5 State Mandate in Missouri

This report presents a background of diesel consumption and soy-diesel production in Missouri. Two possible profitability scenarios are presented which assume alternative combinations of bio-diesel and soybean oil prices with three possible alternatives related to countercyclical payments, fixed funding, and payment limits on mandated quantities

Mississippi River Research Conclusions Executive Summary

Briefing paper requested by Senator Bond detailing the conclusions from the Mississippi River research to date