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

Groundwater and Subsurface Water in a Landscape with Shallow Bedrock: Implications for Agricultural Nutrient Export

Controls on nutrient export from agricultural landscapes include regional hydrological and geological conditions. In many central Kentucky basins shallow fractured bedrock produces focused groundwater discharge and flashy runoff events. Eastern Kentucky University’s Meadowbrook Farm is currently experimenting with nutrient sequestration techniques; however the effectiveness of these techniques given the local hydrogeology needs to be quantified. Our objective was to determine the potential pathways for nutrient export by mapping key hydrologic features and using a watershed approach. The key features mapped were springs, tile drains, runoff channels, land use and the underlying geology. We chose a 0.46 km2 watershed to study closely because it contained a good representation of farm activities and hydrology. Within the watershed we constructed a V-notch weir at the outlet to determine the flow from surface runoff and groundwater outputs and conducted a water budget. Next, we installed gaging stations along a main fourth order stream that the farm drains into. Finally, we selected sites within the stream to conduct differential stream gaging to quantify the input and outputs of groundwater to the stream. Mapping indicated that the Boyle Dolomite contained 100% of the springs. This means that the Boyle Dolomite is controlling groundwater export off of the farm. Hydrographs indicated flashy runoff events consisting of ~15% of precipitation volume. Tributaries dried approximately 5 days after a precipitation even. Nutrient export must be confined within these flashy events. Differential stream gaging indicated both gaining and losing stream reaches

Effects of placebos without deception compared with no treatment: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Aim Our aim was to address the clinical efficacy of open-label placebos compared with no treatment by systematic review, and meta-analysis where possible. Methods We searched the Cochrane Injuries Group's Specialised Register, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Ovid MEDLINE(R) In-Process & Other NonIndexed Citations (OvidSP), EMBASE (OvidSP), and clinical trials registers and screened reference lists. We ran the most recent search on April 27 2015. All randomised controlled trials of any medical condition, which had both open-label placebo and no-treatment or treatment as usual groups were included. Two authors independently applied the selection criteria and extracted data. The risk of bias of included studies was assessed using the Cochrane criteria. We used random-effects model for meta-analysis. Results After removing duplicates we screened 348 publications, assessed 24 articles for eligibility and identified 5 trials (260 participants) that met our inclusion criteria. The clinical conditions were: irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), depression, allergic rhinitis, back pain and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The overall risk of bias was moderate. All 5 trials were eligible for meta-analysis. We found a positive effect for non-deceptive placebos (standardized mean difference (SMD) 0.88, 95% CI 0.62 to 1.14, P<0.00001, I2= 1%). Conclusions Open-label placebos appear to have favorable clinical outcomes, compared to no treatment or no additional treatment. Caution is warranted when interpreting the results due to the limitations including the small number of trials and lack of blinding. Larger definitive trials are now warranted to explore the potential patient benefit of open-label placebos

Sharing Emergency Planning Assumptions: Management Views Differ

Effective disaster management requires advanced planning. News media centers, public information hot-lines, and on-site volunteer procedures must be established in anticipation of large scale emergencies. In the following article, Kartez reviews the disaster planning programs and policies of 250 public agencies associated with disaster-prone communities. The study describes managerial perspectives of disaster planning policy. The article is a guide for planners concerned with the complexities of community crisis mitigation

Health and Housing in an Aging Population: Identifying Risk Factors of Seniors Living Independently

Background: Aging is associated with numerous risk factors for declining physical and mental health. As a result, many elder individuals are forced to relocate to nursing homes, assisted living centers or just closer to adequate medical facilities. Studies have shown: • Relocation of elders is associated with depression, anxiety, memory loss, and decreased social adjustment and life satisfaction • Persistently lonely people exhibit a 2-fold greater risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD) than those who are not chronically lonely • Increased social interaction improves cognitive function in individuals with AD By helping seniors to age in place, many of the deleterious risks of relocation, such as social isolation, depression, and cognitive decline could be avoided. In addition to relocation, other risk factors that affect cognition have been identified: • Physical activity is associated with higher cognitive functioning in elders • Polypharmacy is a risk factor for impaired cognition Thus, simple modifications that allow seniors to age in place may reduce morbidity and enhance quality of life. Cathedral Square Corporation (CSC) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to develop, manage, and own housing that provides community services to promote the health and well-being of elders, low income persons, and persons with disabilities. Students from the University of Vermont College of Medicine (UVM) partnered with CSC in a project to promote aging in place via evaluation of seniors’ current needs and the development of a service model to meet these needs at home.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1010/thumbnail.jp

Fatty acid nitroalkenes ameliorate glucose intolerance and pulmonary hypertension in high-fat diet-induced obesity

Aims Obesity is a risk factor for diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, with the incidence of these disorders becoming epidemic. Pathogenic responses to obesity have been ascribed to adipose tissue (AT) dysfunction that promotes bioactive mediator secretion from visceral AT and the initiation of pro-inflammatory events that induce oxidative stress and tissue dysfunction. Current understanding supports that suppressing pro-inflammatory and oxidative events promotes improved metabolic and cardiovascular function. In this regard, electrophilic nitro-fatty acids display pleiotropic anti-inflammatory signalling actions. Methods and results It was hypothesized that high-fat diet (HFD)-induced inflammatory and metabolic responses, manifested by loss of glucose tolerance and vascular dysfunction, would be attenuated by systemic administration of nitrooctadecenoic acid (OA-NO2). Male C57BL/6j mice subjected to a HFD for 20 weeks displayed increased adiposity, fasting glucose, and insulin levels, which led to glucose intolerance and pulmonary hypertension, characterized by increased right ventricular (RV) end-systolic pressure (RVESP) and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR). This was associated with increased lung xanthine oxidoreductase (XO) activity, macrophage infiltration, and enhanced expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic pressure remained unaltered, indicating that the HFD produces pulmonary vascular remodelling, rather than LV dysfunction and pulmonary venous hypertension. Administration of OA-NO2 for the final 6.5 weeks of HFD improved glucose tolerance and significantly attenuated HFD-induced RVESP, PVR, RV hypertrophy, lung XO activity, oxidative stress, and pro-inflammatory pulmonary cytokine levels. Conclusions These observations support that the pleiotropic signalling actions of electrophilic fatty acids represent a therapeutic strategy for limiting the complex pathogenic responses instigated by obesity.Fil: Kelley, Eric E.. University of Pittsburgh; Estados UnidosFil: Baust, Jeff. University of Pittsburgh; Estados UnidosFil: Bonacci, Gustavo Roberto. University of Pittsburgh; Estados Unidos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología; ArgentinaFil: Golin Bisello, Franca. University of Pittsburgh; Estados UnidosFil: Devlin, Jason E.. University of Pittsburgh; Estados UnidosFil: Croix, Claudette M. St.. University of Pittsburgh; Estados UnidosFil: Watkins, Simon C.. University of Pittsburgh; Estados UnidosFil: Gor, Sonia. University of Pittsburgh; Estados UnidosFil: Cantu Medellin, Nadiezhda. University of Pittsburgh; Estados UnidosFil: Weidert, Eric R.. University of Pittsburgh; Estados UnidosFil: Frisbee,Jefferson C.. University of Virginia; Estados UnidosFil: Gladwin, Mark T.. University of Pittsburgh; Estados UnidosFil: Champion, Hunter C.. University of Pittsburgh; Estados UnidosFil: Freeman, Bruce A.. University of Pittsburgh; Estados UnidosFil: Khoo, Nicholas K.H.. University of Pittsburgh; Estados Unido

Hospitalists in Teaching Hospitals: Opportunities but Not Without Danger

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73210/1/j.1525-1497.2004.42002.x.pd

A review of bioinformatics tools for bio-prospecting from metagenomic sequence data

The microbiome can be defined as the community of microorganisms that live in a particular environment. Metagenomics is the practice of sequencing DNA from the genomes of all organisms present in a particular sample, and has become a common method for the study of microbiome population structure and function. Increasingly, researchers are finding novel genes encoded within metagenomes, many of which may be of interest to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. However, such “bioprospecting” requires a suite of sophisticated bioinformatics tools to make sense of the data. This review summarizes the most commonly used bioinformatics tools for the assembly and annotation of metagenomic sequence data with the aim of discovering novel genes

Group evaluations as self-group distancing:Ingroup typicality moderates evaluative intergroup bias in stigmatized groups

Outgroup favoritism among members of stigmatized groups can be seen as a form of self-group distancing. We examined how intergroup evaluations in stigmatized groups vary as a function of ingroup typicality. In Studies 1 and 2, Black participants (N = 125,915;N = 766) more strongly preferred light-skinned or White relative to dark-skinned or Black individuals the lighter their own skin tone. In Study 3, overweight participants (N = 147,540) more strongly preferred normal-weight relative to overweight individuals the lower their own body weight. In Study 4, participants with disabilities (N = 35,058) more strongly preferred non-disabled relative to disabled individuals the less visible they judged their own disability. Relationships between ingroup typicality and intergroup evaluations were at least partially mediated by ingroup identification (Studies 2 and 3). A meta-analysis across studies yielded an average effect size ofr= .12. Furthermore, higher ingroup typicality was related to both ingroup and outgroup evaluations. We discuss ingroup typicality as an individual constraint to self-group distancing among stigmatized group members and its relation to intergroup evaluations

From Carriage Wheels to Interest Rates: The Evolution of Word Problems in Algebra Textbooks from 1901 to Today

In teaching algebra, extra-mathematical word problems can bridge the gap between questions about abstract numbers and questions about everyday life. Thus, more than other aspects of elementary algebra, we would expect word problems to have changed in the recent past. This paper documents the findings of a collective research project that examined the content of such word problems over the past century. Alongside amusing and provocative examples, this paper shows how students can participate in exploratory research with primary sources from the history of mathematics