Spectrographic analysis of bismuth-tin eutectic alloys by spark-ignited low-voltage ac-arc excitation

Spectrographic method determines individual stainless steel components in molten bismuth-42 w/o tin eutectic to determine the solubility of Type 304 stainless steels. It utilizes the high sensitivity and precision of the spark-ignited, low-voltage ac-arc excitation of samples rendered homogeneous by dissolution

The effects of activity related fatigue on dynamic postural control as measured by the Star Excursion Balance Test

The purpose of this study was to examine how dynamic postural control as measured by the Star Excursion Balance Test, was affected by an activity related fatiguing protocol. Forty male and female students from West Virginia University volunteered to participate. They completed the pre-test in all eight directions with the average of the three trials calculated for each direction. They then performed a functional fatiguing protocol that lasted 20 minutes with their rating of perceived exertion measured before, during and after. After completing the fatiguing protocol the post-test on the SEBT was in all eight directions. There was a significant interaction between time and direction and significant main effects for time and direction were also observed. A significant main effect for RPE was observed. The results of this study indicate that a fatiguing protocol will contribute to a significant decline in dynamic postural control when measured by the SEBT

The emerging role of HLA‐C in HIV‐1 infection

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/87109/1/j.1365-2567.2011.03474.x.pd

Eta-mesic nuclei in relativistic mean-field theory

With the eta-nucleon (eta N) interaction Lagrangian deduced from chiral perturbation theory, we study the possible eta-mesic nuclei in the framework of relativistic mean-field theory. The eta single-particle energies are sensitive to the eta N scattering length, and increase monotonically with the nucleon number A. If the scattering length is in the range of a^{eta N}=0.75-1.05 fm and the imaginary potential V_{0}-15 MeV, some discrete states of C, O and Ne eta bound states should be identified in experiments. However, when the scattering length a^{eta N} 30 MeV, no discrete eta meson bound states could be observed in experiments.Comment: 6 page

Virtual reality gaming elevates heart rate but not energy expenditure compared to conventional exercise in adult males

Virtual reality using head-mounted displays (HMD) could provide enhanced physical load during active gaming (AG) compared to traditional displays. We aimed to compare the physical load elicited by conventional exercise and AG with an HMD. We measured energy expenditure (EE) and heart rate (HR) in nine healthy men (age: 27 ± 5 years) performing three testing components in a randomised order: walking at 6 km/h (W6), AG, and AG with an additional constraint (AGW; wrist-worn weights). Although we found that HR was not significantly different between W6 and the two modes of AG, actual energy expenditure was consistently lower in AG and AGW compared to W6. We observed that playing AG with wrist-worn weights could be used as a means of increasing energy expenditure only at maximum game level, but ineffective otherwise. Our findings indicate that AG in an HMD may not provide a sufficient stimulus to meet recommended physical activity levels despite increased psychophysiological load. The differential outcomes of measures of HR and EE indicates that HR should not be used as an indicator of EE in AG. Yet, adding a simple constraint (wrist-worn weights) proved to be a simple and effective measure to increase EE during AG

Using blur for perceptual investigation and training in sport? A clear picture of the evidence and implications for future research

Dynamic, interactive sports require athletes to identify, pick-up and process relevant information in a very limited time, in order to then make an appropriate response. Perceptual-cognitive skills are therefore a key determinant of elite sporting performance. Recently, sport scientists have investigated ways to assess and train perceptual cognitive skills, with one such method involving the use of blurred stimuli. Here, we describe the two main methods used to generate blur (i.e., dioptric and Gaussian) and then review the current findings in a sports context. Overall, it has been shown the use of blur can enhance performance and learning of sporting tasks in novice participants, especially when the blur is applied to peripheral stimuli. However, while intermediate and expert level participants are relatively impervious to the presence of blur, it remains to be determined if they are positive effects on learning. In a final section, we describe some of the methodological issues that limit the application of blur and then discuss the potential use of virtual reality to extend the current research base in sporting contexts

Effector memory differentiation increases detection of replication-competent HIV-l in resting CD4+ T cells from virally suppressed individuals.

Studies have demonstrated that intensive ART alone is not capable of eradicating HIV-1, as the virus rebounds within a few weeks upon treatment interruption. Viral rebound may be induced from several cellular subsets; however, the majority of proviral DNA has been found in antigen experienced resting CD4+ T cells. To achieve a cure for HIV-1, eradication strategies depend upon both understanding mechanisms that drive HIV-1 persistence as well as sensitive assays to measure the frequency of infected cells after therapeutic interventions. Assays such as the quantitative viral outgrowth assay (QVOA) measure HIV-1 persistence during ART by ex vivo activation of resting CD4+ T cells to induce latency reversal; however, recent studies have shown that only a fraction of replication-competent viruses are inducible by primary mitogen stimulation. Previous studies have shown a correlation between the acquisition of effector memory phenotype and HIV-1 latency reversal in quiescent CD4+ T cell subsets that harbor the reservoir. Here, we apply our mechanistic understanding that differentiation into effector memory CD4+ T cells more effectively promotes HIV-1 latency reversal to significantly improve proviral measurements in the QVOA, termed differentiation QVOA (dQVOA), which reveals a significantly higher frequency of the inducible HIV-1 replication-competent reservoir in resting CD4+ T cells