PRELIMINARY STUDY OF TRAINING COMPONENTS ON SENSORIMOTOR SYSTEM IN TAI CHI

The purpose of this study was to identify if Tai Chi (TC) movements are full with the training components on sensorimotor system by movement kinematics and electromyography (EMG) analysis. Two TC masters performed a typical TC movement "brush knees and twist steps" twice. Motion analysis showed that joint angles (ankles, knees and hips) of eight different postures, height and velocity of center of gravity (C.G.) of the whole movement had no significant difference in two trials. The results indicated that the TC masters had good awareness of joint position and movement and spatial position sense. Moreover, EMG analysis showed that muscles activated from full relaxation to vigorous contraction and the similar EMG patterns of each muscle in two trials suggested the good training effect of TC on muscle coordinative contraction

Risk mitigation for the use of non-space qualified commercial off the shelf (cots) avionics in small satellites

M.S. University of Hawaii at Manoa 2011.Includes bibliographical references.With the growing popularity of small satellites, low end 'small sat' missions are now being used for science, military, and educational efforts. Low end missions may typically be allocated less, or much less than a few million dollars. But in an industry where a single space qualified flight computer stack can easily cost upwards of a million dollars, entire low end budgets can be quickly spent on a single space qualified subsystem. Mass produced 'commercial off the shelf' (COTS) components, designed and manufactured for only terrestrial applications, are now becoming the only solution to enable low end missions to fly. However, there are many risks that avionics experience during storage, transport into space, and orbit operations. There are also risks that COTS avionics would pose to the satellite's own payload. Since terrestrial COTS is vital to small projects, there is a great need for a comprehensive guide for COTS risk identification and mitigation specific to small project needs. This study not only provides a comprehensive survey of disparate sources which facilitate risk management, but also selects specific information specific to COTS. I have also included new test data that I have gathered from my work at the Hawaiʻi Space Flight Laboratory, and my personal notes from my four years of experience working on small satellite projects. The recommendations that I have included are tailored specifically for small satellite projects. Risks specific to metallic whiskers, outgassing, and radiation are given special attention due to their potentially mission-ending risk factors

The effect of basic fffiroblast growth factors ( bfgf ) in tendon healing - An in vitro study

Tendon healing is subjected to a number of regulating actors. Fibroblast growth factor, FGF, serving a wide spectrum of bioactivities, is a potential mitogenic and chemotactic factor to enhance wound healing. This study investigates the effect of basic FGF (bFGF) on an in vitro wound closure assay, and the proliferative and chemotactic response of cultured rat patellar tendon fibroblasts. In quiescent confluent cells of patellar tendon tissue culture, a cell-free-zone was generated. The width of the wound was measured at 0, 6, 12, 24 hours post injury, in the presence of 0, 2, 10, 50ng/ml of bFGF Cell proliferative response was measured by BrdU (5-Bromo-2'deoxyuridine) incorporation as the number of cells that are in S-phase per unit area. Chemotactic response was measured as the number of cells migrating along a concentration gradient of bFGF per unit area, in a blind well chamber. bFGF, at an optimal concentration of 2-10ng/ml, gives a statistically significant increase in wound closure rate, as well as cell proliferation. However, bFGF seems not to be a chemotactic agent under these conditions

Effect of fibroblast growth factor: An in vitro study of tendon healing

The effect of basic fibroblast growth factor on the proliferative and chemotactic response of cultured rat patellar tendon fibroblasts was studied in an in vitro wound closure model. In quiescent confluent fibroblast culture, a uniform cell free zone, or wound, was generated mechanically as an in vitro wound. The width of the cell free zone was measured at 0, 6, 12, and 24 hours after the injury, in the presence of 0, 2, 10, or 50 ng/mL of basic fibroblast growth factor. Basic fibroblast growth factor, at a concentration of 10 ng/mL, significantly accelerated wound closure, resulting in almost complete closure by 24 hours after the injury. Basic fibroblast growth factor, at a concentration of 2 ng/mL, significantly enhanced cell proliferation as estimated by 5-Bromo-2'-deoxyuridine incorporation, but increasing the concentration of the growth factor to 50 ng/mL did not show additional improvement. Thus, the enhancement of wound closure by basic fibroblast growth factor may be caused by the cell proliferative response, rather than by chemotaxis

Upper limb muscle fatigue during prolonged Boccia games with underarm throwing technique

This study investigated the acute fatigue pattern in neuromuscular activity after a simulated Boccia game and the effect of fatigue pattern on sport performance. Nine elite Boccia athletes were tested before, during, and after a simulated game. Maximum ball speed was captured with video, and the target hitting rate and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) score were collected and analyzed. Electromyography signals from the upper trapezius, anterior deltoid, posterior deltoid, biceps brachii, triceps brachii, and wrist extensor muscles were collected by surface electrode and were evaluated with mean power frequency (MPF). Only the upper trapezius muscle showed fatigue as demonstrated by a reduction of MPF of 8% (p = 0.027) when comparing the first and last throws in a simulated game. Subjective RPE score increased during the game (118%, p = 0.004), and sports performance in terms of maximum ball speed (-12%, p = 0.004) and target hitting rate (-25%, p = 0.004) also deteriorated. In conclusion, fatigue on the upper trapezius muscle was demonstrated in elite Boccia athletes following a prolonged Boccia game and may have affected Boccia performance. Preventative measures against upper trapezius muscle fatigue and endurance training for synergists of the upper trapezius muscle may be considered in future studies

Hepatocyte growth factor stimulates chemotactic response in mouse embryonic limb myogenic cells in vitro

In this study we investigate the influence of Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF) on the motility of embryonic forelimb myoblasts. Using Blindwell chemotactic chambers, it was found that HGF at concentrations of 1-50 ng/ml dramatically enhanced the ability of myogenic cells to migrate. This stimulatory effect was elicited in a dose-dependent fashion and the effect was reversed with the addition of HGF neutralizing antibodies. A checkerboard analysis was performed and it revealed that HGF's effect on limb myoblast motility was through both chemokinesis and chemotaxis. HGF was also examined for its ability to stimulate myogenic cell proliferation, using MF20 antibody as the myogenic marker. At all concentrations tested, HGF did not stimulate an overall increase in the numbers of MF20-positive myoblasts in culture. To examine the chemokinetic effect of HGF on cell migration in the limb, cells were isolated from the proximal regions of the limb (areas rich in myogenic cells), exposed to HGF, labeled with DiI and transplanted into 11.5 day mouse forelimbs. After 36 h of culture, it was found that DiI-labeled limb cells, pretreated with HGF, migrated significantly further in the limb than labeled cells that have not been exposed to HGF. The chemotactic effect of HGF was also investigated by implanting beads loaded with and without HGF into the 11.5 day limb. Proximal to the beads, DiI-labeled limb cells were also transplanted. It was found that HGF was able to chemotactically attract and direct the migration of DiI-labeled limb cells. Immunohistological staining was performed with HGF antibodies to determine the distribution of HGF in the 11.5 day mouse forelimb. It was found that HGF was strongly expressed by the apical ectodermal ridge (AER), the ectoderm and the mesenchyme directly beneath the AER. Positive staining was also obtained for the myogenic regions. However, the pattern was heterogeneous - punctuated with myogenic cells expressing and not expressing HGF

Prospective memory performance in patients with drug-naive, first-episode psychosis

Schizophrenia is associated with an impairment of prospective memory (PM) which refers to the ability to remember to carry out an intended action in the future. However, most of these studies were limited to chronic samples. The current study examined the event-based PM and time-based PM using a dual-task paradigm in 22 drug-naive, first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients and 23 healthy controls. Results indicated that FEP patients performed significantly poorer than healthy controls in both event-based and time-based PM. However, the significant difference in time-based PM disappeared after controlling for working memory. Correlation analysis indicated that both types of PM did not correlate with positive symptoms or negative symptoms, duration of illness, or duration of untreated psychosis. However, time-based PM was correlated with the general psychopathology subscale of the PANSS. Taken together, these findings suggest that PM deficits are present in drug-naive FEP patients; impairment of event-based PM appears to occur independently, whereas time-based PM impairment may be, in part, a secondary consequence of a working memory deficit. (C) 2012 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved