Sex-based comparison of trunk flexors and extensors functional and contractile characteristics in young gymnasts

Purpose. Gymnastics is a sport characterized by acrobatic and postural strength exercises that require great trunk muscles activation and control. Males and females can be characterized by different morphological and neuromuscular characteristics of such muscles, and this might be of importance for training and injury prevention. The aim of this study was to measure different aspects of trunk flexors and extensors characteristics in a sample of young female and male gymnasts. Methods. Twenty-eight sub-elite adolescent female (n = 14, 16 y, 14-17) and male (n = 14, 17 y, 14-18) gymnasts participated in this cross-sectional study. Tensiomyography was used to assess muscle contractile properties of the rectus abdominis (m.RA) and erector spinae (m.ES), while muscle thickness was assessed for abdominal muscles and lumbar multifidus (m.LM) with ultrasound. Flexors, extensors, and lateral endurance tests were performed. Results. Females presented smaller m.ES radial displacement (p < 0.001, p & eta;(2) = 0.535), smaller internal oblique thickness (p < 0.001, p & eta;(2) = 0.543), and shorter lateral endurance (p = 0.002, p & eta;(2) = 0.302). A significant side x sex interaction was found for the external oblique thickness (p = 0.004, p & eta;(2) = 0.276). Conclusion. Present findings report sex-based differences in abdominal and lumbar muscles characteristics and support the development of different sex-based training and rehabilitation protocols in adolescent gymnasts

Modeling and Dynamic Management of 3D Multicore Systems with Liquid Cooling

Three-dimensional (3D) circuits reduce communication delay in multicore SoCs, and enable efficient integration of cores, memories, sensors, and RF devices. However, vertical integration of layers exacerbates the reliability and thermal problems, and cooling efficiency becomes a limiting factor. Liquid cooling is a solution to overcome the accelerated thermal problems imposed by multi-layer architectures. In this paper, we first provide a 3D thermal simulation model including liquid cooling, supporting both fixed and variable fluid injection rates. Our model has been integrated in HotSpot to study the impact on multicore SoCs. We design and evaluate several dynamic management policies that complement liquid cooling. Our results for 3D multicore SoCs, which are based on a 3D version of UltraSPARC T1, show that thermal management approaches that combine liquid cooling with proactive task allocation are extremely effective in preventing temperature problems. Our proactive management technique provides an additional 75% average reduction in hot spots in comparison to applying only liquid cooling. Furthermore, for systems capable of varying the coolant flow rate at runtime, our feedback controller increases the improvement to 95% on average

Positive energy balance is associated with accelerated muscle atrophy and increased erythrocyte glutathione turnover during 5 wk of bed rest

Background: Physical inactivity is often associated with positive energy balance and fat gain. Objective: We aimed to assess whether energy intake in excess of requirement activates systemic inflammation and antioxidant defenses and accelerates muscle atrophy induced by inactivity. Design: Nineteen healthy male volunteers were studied before and at the end of 5 wk of bed rest. Subjects were allowed to spontaneously adapt to decreased energy requirement (study A, n = 10) or were provided with an activity-matched diet (study B, n = 9). Groups with higher (HEB) or lower (LEB) energy balance were identified according to median values of inactivity-induced changes in fat mass (\u394FM, assessed by bioelectrical impedance analysis). Results: In pooled subjects (n = 19; median \u394FM: 1.4 kg), bed rest-mediated decreases in fat-free mass (bioelectrical impedance analysis) and vastus lateralis thickness (ultrasound imaging) were significantly greater (P &lt; 0.03) in HEBAB (-3.8 \ub1 0.4kg and -0.32 \ub1 0.04 cm, respectively) than in LEBab (-2.3 \ub1 0.5 kg and -0.09 \ub1 0.04 cm, respectively) subjects. In study A (median \u394FM: 1.8 kg), bed rest-mediated increases in plasma leptin, C-reactive protein, and myeloperoxidase were greater (P &lt; 0.04) in HEBA than in LEBA subjects. Bed rest-mediated changes of glutathione synthesis rate in eythrocytes (L-[3,3-2H2]cysteine incorporation) were greater (P = 0.03) in HEBA (from 70 \ub1 19 to 164 \ub1 29%/d) than in LEBA (from 103 \ub1 23 to 84 \ub1 27%/d) subjects. Conclusions: Positive energy balance during inactivity is associated with greater muscle atrophy and with activation of systemic inflammation and of antioxidant defenses. Optimizing caloric intake may be a useful strategy for mitigating muscle loss during period of chronic inactivity

Markers of bone metabolism during 14 days of bed rest in young and older men

OBJECTIVE: We aimed at comparing markers of bone metabolism during unloading in young and older men, and to assess countermeasure effectiveness. METHODS: 16 older (60\ub12 years) and 8 younger men (23\ub13 years) underwent bed rest (BR) for 14 days. A subgroup of the Older performed cognitive training during BR and supplemented protein and potassium bicarbonate afterwards. Biochemical markers of bone and calcium/phosphate metabolism were assessed. RESULTS: At baseline urinary NTX and CTX were greater in younger than in older subjects (P0.17). P1NP was greater in young than in older subjects (P<0.001) and decreased during BR in the Young (P<0.001). Sclerostin increased during BR across groups (P=0.016). No systematic effects of the countermeasure were observed. CONCLUSION: In men, older age did not affect control of bone metabolism, but bone turnover was reduced. During BR formation markers were reduced only in younger men whereas resorption markers increased to a comparable extent. Thus, we assume that older men are not at an elevated, and possibly even at a reduced risk to lose bone when immobilize

The pricing of audit and non-audit services in a regulated environment: a longitudinal study of the UK life insurance industry

This paper studies the relationship between audit and non-audit service fees paid to the statutory auditor by UK life insurance firms, utilising an extensive panel data sample set for the period 1999-2009. Consistent with a knowledge spill over (impairment of independence) hypothesis, we predict and find that audit fees are positively (negatively) associated with actuarial (tax service) fees. Additionally, our results indicate that regulatory changes enforced after 2004 deterred UK life insurance firms from purchasing non-audit services that are perceived to impair auditor independence. Finally, we find evidence concerning the inter-temporal determination of audit fees

Amelioration of sexual adverse effects in the early breast cancer patient

As the number of breast cancer survivors increases, the long term consequences of breast cancer treatment are gaining attention. Sexual dysfunction is a common complaint amongst breast cancer survivors, and there are few evidence based recommendations and even fewer well designed clinical trials to establish what treatments are safe or effective in this patient population. We conducted a PubMed search for articles published between 1995–2009 containing the terms breast cancer, sexual dysfunction, libido, vaginal dryness, testosterone, and vaginal estrogen. We initially reviewed articles focusing exclusively on sexual issues in breast cancer patients. Given the paucity of clinical trials addressing sexual issues in breast cancer patients, we also included studies evaluating both hormone and non-hormone based interventions for sexual dysfunction in post-menopausal women in general. Among breast cancer survivors, vaginal dryness and loss of libido represent some of the most challenging long term side effects of breast cancer treatment. In the general post-menopausal population, topical preparations of estrogens and testosterone both appear to improve sexual function; however there are conflicting reports about the efficacy and safety of these interventions in women with a history of breast cancer, and further research is warranted

Financial Characteristics of Companies Audited by Large Audit Firms

Purpose “ The purpose of this paper is to examine how financial characteristics associated with the choice of a big audit firm with further investigation on the agency costs of free cash flows.Design/methodology/approach “ The sample used for this work includes industrial listed companies from Germany and France. To test our hypothesis, we used a number of logit models, extending the standard model selection audit firm, to include the variables of interest. Following previous work, our dependent dummy variable is Big4 or non-Big4.Findings “ We observed that most independent variables in the German companies show similar results to previous work, but we did not have the same results for the French industry. Moreover, our findings suggest that the total debt and dividends can be an important reason for determining the choice of a large audit firm, reducing agency costs of free cash flows.Research limitations/implications “ This study has some limitations on the measurements of the cost of the audit fees and also generates opportunities for additional searching.Originality/value “ The paper provides only one aspect to explain the relationship between the problems of agency costs of free cash flow and influence in choosing a large auditing firm, which stems from investors\u27 demand for higher quality audits