1,282 research outputs found
Excess Body Weight and Gait Influence Energy Cost of Walking in Older Adults
Purpose: To study how excess body weight influences the energy cost of walking (Cw) and determine if overweight and obese older adults self-select stride frequency to minimize Cw.
Methods: Using body mass index (BMI) men and women between the ages of 65–80 yr were separated into normal weight (NW, BMI ≤ 24.9 kg m−2, n = 13) and overweight-obese groups (OWOB, BMI ≥25.0 kg m−2, n = 13). Subjects walked at 0.83 m s−1 on an instrumented treadmill that recorded gait parameters, and completed three, six-minute walking trials; at preferred stride frequency (PSF), at +10% PSF, and at −10% PSF. Cw was determined by indirect calorimetry. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to compare groups, and associations were tested with Pearson correlations, α = 0.05.
Results: OWOB had 62% greater absolute Cw (301 ± 108 vs. 186 ± 104 J m−1, P \u3c 0.001) and 20% greater relative Cwkg (3.48 ± 0.95 vs. 2.91 ± 0.94 J kg−1 m−1, P = 0.046) than NW. Although PSF was not different between OWOB and NW (P = 0.626), Cw was 8% greater in OWOB at +10% PSF (P \u3c 0.001). At PSF OWOB spent less time in single-limb support (33.1 ± 1.5 vs. 34.9 ± 1.6 %GC, P = 0.021) and more time in double-limb support (17.5 ± 1.6 vs. 15.4 ± 1.4 %GC, P = 0.026) than NW. In OWOB, at PSF, Cw was correlated to impulse (r = −0.57, P = 0.027) and stride frequency (r = 0.51, P = 0.046).
Conclusions: Excess body weight is associated with greater Cw in older adults, possibly contributing to reduced mobility in overweight and obese older persons
Kinetic Monte Carlo Modelling to Study Diffusion in Zeolite. Understanding the Impact of Dual Site Isotherm on the Loading Dependence of n-Hexane and n-Heptane Diffusivities in MFI Zeolite, as Revealed by QENS Experiments
ENERGIE:MATERIAUX+HJO:NLAInternational audienceThis study concerns the diffusion of single-component molecules in zeolites, characterised by an isotherm represented by a dual-site Langmuir model with a point of inflection. The systems investigated are n-hexane and n-heptane in MFI zeolite at 300 K. Experiments conducted using the Quasi-Elastic Neutron Scattering (QENS) technique have demonstrated that this inflection has an impact on the loading dependence of the transport Dt and corrected DC diffusion coefficients of these systems. The results of these experiments are described here. A Kinetic Monte Carlo study is then conducted, showing how the energy levels of the molecule adsorption sites in a zeolite affect the loading dependence of the diffusion coefficients of these molecules
Mechanical Flip-Chip for Ultra-High Electron Mobility Devices
Electrostatic gates are of paramount importance for the physics of devices
based on high-mobility two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) since they allow
depletion of electrons in selected areas. This field-effect gating enables the
fabrication of a wide range of devices such as, for example, quantum point
contacts (QPC), electron interferometers and quantum dots. To fabricate these
gates, processing is usually performed on the 2DEG material, which is in many
cases detrimental to its electron mobility. Here we propose an alternative
process which does not require any processing of the 2DEG material other than
for the ohmic contacts. This approach relies on processing a separate wafer
that is then mechanically mounted on the 2DEG material in a flip-chip fashion.
This technique proved successful to fabricate quantum point contacts on both
GaAs/AlGaAs materials with both moderate and ultra-high electron mobility.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Inner ear ossification and mineralization kinetics in human embryonic development - microtomographic and histomorphological study.
Little is known about middle and inner ear development during the second and third parts of human fetal life. Using ultra-high resolution Microcomputed Tomography coupled with bone histology, we performed the first quantitative middle and inner ear ossification/mineralization evaluation of fetuses between 17 and 39 weeks of gestational age. We show distinct ossification paces between ossicles, with a belated development of the stapes. A complete cochlear bony covering is observed within the time-frame of the onset of hearing, whereas distinct time courses of ossification for semicircular canal envelopes are observed in relation to the start of vestibular functions. The study evidences a spatio-temporal relationship between middle and inner ear structure development and the onset of hearing and balance, critical senses for the fetal adaptation to birth
CL10-ORTHODONTIC LOADING OF TWO DIFFERENT MINISCREW IMPLANTS IN YOUNG PIGS : PRELIMINARY RESULTS
Fluctuations of energy flux in wave turbulence
We report that the power driving gravity and capillary wave turbulence in a
statistically stationary regime displays fluctuations much stronger than its
mean value. We show that its probability density function (PDF) has a most
probable value close to zero and involves two asymmetric roughly exponential
tails. We understand the qualitative features of the PDF using a simple
Langevin type model.Comment: submitted to PR
Effects of electromagnetic waves on the electrical properties of contacts between grains
A DC electrical current is injected through a chain of metallic beads. The
electrical resistances of each bead-bead contacts are measured. At low current,
the distribution of these resistances is large and log-normal. At high enough
current, the resistance distribution becomes sharp and Gaussian due to the
creation of microweldings between some beads. The action of nearby
electromagnetic waves (sparks) on the electrical conductivity of the chain is
also studied. The spark effect is to lower the resistance values of the more
resistive contacts, the best conductive ones remaining unaffected by the spark
production. The spark is able to induce through the chain a current enough to
create microweldings between some beads. This explains why the electrical
resistance of a granular medium is so sensitive to the electromagnetic waves
produced in its vicinity.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
Can timber provision from Amazonian production forests be sustainable?
Around 30 Mm3 of sawlogs are extracted annually by selective logging of natural production forests in Amazonia, Earth's most extensive tropical forest. Decisions concerning the management of these production forests will be of major importance for Amazonian forests' fate. To date, no regional assessment of selective logging sustainability supports decision-making. Based on data from 3500 ha of forest inventory plots, our modelling results show that the average periodic harvests of 20 m3 ha−1 will not recover by the end of a standard 30 year cutting cycle. Timber recovery within a cutting cycle is enhanced by commercial acceptance of more species and with the adoption of longer cutting cycles and lower logging intensities. Recovery rates are faster in Western Amazonia than on the Guiana Shield. Our simulations suggest that regardless of cutting cycle duration and logging intensities, selectively logged forests are unlikely to meet timber demands over the long term as timber stocks are predicted to steadily decline. There is thus an urgent need to develop an integrated forest resource management policy that combines active management of production forests with the restoration of degraded and secondary forests for timber production. Without better management, reduced timber harvests and continued timber production declines are unavoidable
Interactome network analysis identifies multiple caspase-6 interactors involved in the pathogenesis of HD
Caspase-6 (CASP6) has emerged as an important player in Huntington disease (HD), Alzheimer disease (AD) and cerebral ischemia, where it is activated early in the disease process. CASP6 also plays a key role in axonal degeneration, further underscoring the importance of this protease in neurodegenerative pathways. As a protein's function is modulated by its protein-protein interactions we performed a high throughput yeast-2-hybrid (Y2H) screen against ∼17,000 human proteins to gain further insight into the function of CASP6. We identified a high confidence list of 87 potential CASP6 interactors. From this list, 61% are predicted to contain a CASP6 recognition site. Of nine candidate substrates assessed, six are cleaved by CASP6. Proteins that did not contain a predicted CASP6 recognition site were assessed using a LUMIER assay approach and 51% were further validated as interactors by this method. Of note, 54% of the high-confidence interactors identified show alterations in human HD brain at the mRNA level, and there is a significant enrichment for previously validated huntingtin (HTT) interactors. One protein of interest, STK3, a proapoptotic kinase, was validated biochemically to be a CASP6 substrate. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that in striatal cells expressing mutant huntingtin (mHTT) an increase in full length and fragment levels of STK3 are observed. We further show that caspase-3 is not essential for the endogenous cleavage of STK3. Characterization of the interaction network provides important new information regarding key pathways of interactors of CASP6 and highlights potential novel therapeutic targets for HD, AD and cerebral ischemia
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