Isokinetic Testing: Sensitivity of the Force-Velocity Relationship Assessed through the Two-Point Method to Discriminate between Muscle Groups and Participants' Physical Activity Levels

Background: Isokinetic testing has been routinely used to assess the capacities of individual muscle groups. In this study we aimed to evaluate the sensitivity of the force-point (F-v) relationship assessed through the two-point method to discriminate between antagonist muscle groups and males with different physical activity levels. Methods: The concentric force output of the knee, hip, elbow, and shoulder flexors and extensors of 27 active and 13 non-active men was recorded at 60 and 180 degrees/s to determine the F-v relationship parameters (maximum force [F-0], maximum velocity [v(0)], and maximum power [P-max]). Results: F-0 and P-max were higher for knee extensors (effect size [ES] = 1.97 and 0.57, respectively), hip extensors (ES = 2.52 and 0.77, respectively), and shoulder flexors (ES = 1.67 and 0.83, respectively) compared to their antagonist muscles, while v(0) was higher for knee flexors compared to knee extensors (ES = 0.59). Active males revealed higher F-0 for knee extensors (ES = 0.72) and knee flexors (ES = 0.83) and higher P-max for knee flexors (ES = 0.70), elbow extensors (ES = 0.83) and shoulder extensors (ES = 0.36). Conclusions: The sensitivity of the two-point method for testing the maximal mechanical capacities was high for the knee, moderate for the hip and shoulder, and low for the elbow joint

Reliability of Sprint Force-Velocity-Power Profiles Obtained with KiSprint System

This study aimed to assess the within-and between-session reliability of the KiSprint system for determining force-velocity-power (FVP) profiling during sprint running. Thirty (23 males, 7 females; 18.7 ± 2.6 years;) young high-level sprinters performed maximal effort sprints in two sessions separated by one week. Split times (5, 10, 20 and 30 m), which were recorded with a laser distance meter (a component of the KiSprint system), were used to determine the horizontal FVP profile using the Samozino’s field-based method. This method assesses the FVP relationships through estimates of the step-averaged ground reaction forces in sagittal plane during sprint acceleration using only anthropomet-ric and spatiotemporal (split times) data. We also calculated the maximal theoretical power, force and velocity capabilities and the slope of the FV relationship, the maximal ratio of horizontal-to-resultant force (RF), and the decrease in the RF (DRF). Overall, the results showed moderate or good to excellent within-and be-tween-session reliability for all variables (ICC > 0.75; CV < 10 %), with the exception of FV slope and DRF that showed low rel-ative reliability (ICC = 0.47-0.48 within session, 0.31-0.33 be-tween-session) and unacceptable between-session absolute reliability values (CV = 10.9-11.1 %). Future studies are needed to optimize the protocol in order to maximize the reliability of the FVP variables, especially when practitioners are interested in the FV slope and DRF. In summary, our results question the utility of the sprint-based FVP profiling for individualized training pre-scription, since the reliability of the FV slope and D RF variables is highly questionable

Force-Velocity Profile of Competitive Kayakers: Evaluation of a Novel Single Kayak Stroke Test

The assessment of the force-velocity (F-V) profile in athletes may have important applications for training prescription, injury management, and fatigue monitoring. This study aimed to assess whether a novel single kayak stroke test (SKST) is able to provide the F-V relationship variables (maximum force, maximum velocity and maximum power) of competitive kayakers with acceptable reliability and external validity. Six female (age: 20.3 ± 3.7 years) and eight male (age: 20.8 ± 2.4 years) elite kayakers performed the SKST, bench press, bench pull, and short Wingate kayak test. The individual F-V relationships were highly linear [median r (range): left stroke = 0.986 (0.897 - 0.998); right stroke = 0.987 (0.971 - 0.999)]. The reliability of the F-V relationship parameters obtained during the SKST was high (within-session: CV ≤ 4.48% and ICC ≥ 0.93; between-session: CV ≤ 8.06% and ICC ≥ 0.65). The validity of the F-V relationship parameters obtained during the SKST was generally very high for maximum power (r range = 0.825 - 0.975), high for maximum force during both the bench press and the bench pull (r range = 0.751 - 0.831), and high or moderate for maximal velocity during the bench pull (r = 0.770 - 0.829) and the bench press (r = 0.355 - 0.471), respectively. The SKST can be considered a feasible procedure for testing the maximal upper-body muscle mechanical capacities of kayakers

Una evaluación de la escala sobre el miedo a la COVID-19 en docentes filipinos profesionales.

The global Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis has enormously induced psychological impacts on humans like fear. Considering this particular concern, there is a need to test instruments used to measure such psychological impact. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Fear of COVID-19 (FCV-19) Scale originally developed by Ahorsu et al. (2020). A sample of 1,060 K to 12 professional teachers from Mindanao, Philippines were selected to participate in the online survey. The preliminary analysis showed a high level of perceived fear of COVID-19 in the respondents of this study. The results of the series of tests are encouraging as the FCV-19 Scale generated a robust construct validity for both one- and two- factor structure models and a very high internal consistency complemented by strong inter-item correlations and item-total correlations. The results further supported the concurrent validity of the FCV-19 Scale with selected COVID-19-related characteristics significantly predicting fear of COVID-19. Overall, this paper provides an assessment of the fear of COVID-19 in a sample of professional teachers and the properties of the FCV-19 Scale in a particular context. The FCV-19 Scale, a seven-item scale, is a valid and reliable measure that can be used to assess the fear of COVID-19 of Filipino teachers.La crisis mundial de la enfermedad del coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) ha inducido enormemente impactos psicológicos en los humanos como el miedo. Teniendo en cuenta esta preocupación particular, existe la necesidad de probar los instrumentos utilizados para medir dicho impacto psicológico. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo evaluar las propiedades psicométricas de la Escala Miedo a COVID-19 (FCV-19) desarrollada originalmente por Ahorsu et al. (2020). Se seleccionó una muestra de 1.060 profesores profesionales de K a 12 de Mindanao, Filipinas, para participar en la encuesta en línea. El análisis preliminar mostró un alto nivel de miedo percibido a COVID-19 en los encuestados de este estudio. Los resultados de la serie de pruebas son alentadores ya que la Escala FCV-19 generó una validez de constructo robusta para modelos de estructura de uno y dos factores y una consistencia interna muy alta complementada por fuertes correlaciones entre ítems y correlaciones ítem-total. Los resultados respaldaron aún más la validez concurrente de la escala FCV-19 con características seleccionadas relacionadas con COVID-19 que predicen significativamente el miedo al COVID-19. En general, este artículo proporciona una evaluación del miedo al COVID-19 en una muestra de profesores profesionales y las propiedades de la Escala FCV-19 en un contexto particular. La escala FCV-19, una escala de siete ítems, es una medida válida y confiable que puede usarse para evaluar el miedo al COVID-19 de los maestros filipinos

Consistent and inconsistent choices under uncertainty: The role of cognitive abilities

There is an intense debate whether decision making under uncertainty is partially driven by cognitive abilities. The critical issue is whether choices arising from subjects with lower cognitive abilities are more likely driven by errors or lack of understanding than pure preferences for risk. The latter implies that the often argued link between risk preferences and cognitive abilities might be a spurious correlation. This experiment reports evidence from a sample of 556 participants who made choices in risk-related tasks about winning and losing money and completed three cognitive tasks, all with real monetary incentives: number-additions under time pressure (including incentive-compatible expected number of correct additions), the Cognitive Refection Test (to measure analytical/reflective thinking) and the Remote Associates Test (for convergent thinking). Results are unambiguous: none of our cognition measures plays any systematic role on risky decision making. Our data indeed suggest that cognitive abilities are negatively associated with noisy, inconsistent choices, which might have led to spurious correlations with risk preferences in previous studies

Cognitive abilities and risk-taking: Errors, not preferences

There is an intense debate whether risk-taking behavior is partially driven by cognitive abilities. The critical issue is whether choices arising from subjects with lower cognitive abilities are more likely driven by errors or lack of understanding than pure preferences for risk. The latter implies that the often-argued link between risk preferences and cognitive abilities (a common finding is that abilities relate negatively to risk aversion and positively to loss aversion) might be a spurious correlation. This experiment reports evidence from a sample of 556 participants who made choices in two risk-related tasks and completed three cognitive tasks, all with real monetary incentives: number-additions (including incentive-compatible expected number of correct additions), the Cognitive Reflection Test (to measure analytical/reflective thinking) and the Remote Associates Test (for convergent thinking). Results are unambiguous: none of our cognition measures plays any systematic role on risky decision making. Using structural equation modeling and factor analysis, we show that cognitive abilities are negatively associated with noisy, inconsistent choices and this effect may make higher ability individuals appear to be less risk averse and more loss averse. Yet we show that errors are more likely to appear when the two payoffs in a given decision exhibit similar probability. Therefore, our results suggest that failing to account for noisy decision making might have led to erroneously inferring a correlation between cognitive abilities and risk preferences in previous studies

Bordetella bronchiseptica pneumonia in a man with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p><it>Bordetella bronchiseptica </it>can be a cause of virulent pneumonia in humans with impaired immune systems. Few cases have been reported in the medical literature where <it>Bordetella bronchiseptica </it>has been the only pathogen isolated during a course of interstitial pneumonia.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 42-year-old African-American man with human immunodeficiency virus presented with pulmonary symptoms that mimicked <it>Pneumocystis jiroveci </it>pneumonia. A sputum culture grew <it>Bordetella brochiseptica</it>, a common respiratory commensal of wild and domestic animals, rarely implicated in human infections.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p><it>Bordetella bronchiseptica </it>should be added to the differential list of pathogens which can affect people with human immunodeficiency virus and pulmonary symptoms. Sputum culture, as well as history of animal exposure, in these patients is advised.</p

ABPgame+ o cómo hacer del último curso de ingeniería una primera experiencia profesional

Algunos de los aspectos clave en el desarrollo profesional de un ingeniero son su capacidad para trabajar en equipo, para integrar diferentes puntos de vista y para desarrollar grandes proyectos con un alto nivel de incertidumbre. Los planes de estudio de las titulaciones que preparan a estos futuros ingenieros no pueden permanecer ajenos a estas necesidades y deben plantear situaciones lo más cercanas posible a la realidad que se encontrarán nuestros egresados en su vida laboral. Estas razones, nos han llevado a plantear una experiencia innovadora en una titulación de nueva implantación como es el Grado en Ingeniería Multimedia. Hemos elegido, para ello, la metodología del Aprendizaje Basado en Proyectos (ABP), aplicada al itinerario de Creación y Entretenimiento Digital en cuarto curso, donde los estudiantes, agrupados en equipos, desarrollan un único gran proyecto durante el año, que es un videojuego. Queremos destacar dos consecuencias de esta experiencia: primero, el papel fundamental de la asignatura Proyectos Multimedia, sirviendo de apoyo al resto de asignaturas al llevar el peso de la gestión de los equipos y del seguimiento del proyecto. Y después, que los estudiantes pueden obtener un producto terminado al final del curso que les permita inaugurar su portafolio profesional

Análisis arqueosismológico del conjunto arqueológico romano de Mulva- Munigua (Sevilla, España). Resultados preliminares

El conjunto arqueológico romano de Mulva-Munigua (Sevilla, España) presenta daños en las edificaciones que pueden ser interpretadas como resultado de la ocurrencia de un evento sísmico (Efectos Arqueológicos de los Terremotos: EAEs) a finales del siglo III A.D., fecha coincidente con el inicio del periodo de declive económico de este asentamiento romano. Para intentar establecer el posible origen sísmico de las deformaciones, se ha procedido al inventario y análisis de las estructuras deformadas presentes en el yacimiento. No obstante, algunas de estas deformaciones también se pueden interpretar como resultado de procesos gravitaciones asociados a la ladera Este de la colina sobre la que se sitúa parte del yacimiento. Las direcciones de máxima deformación (ey) obtenidas del análisis de EAEs indica dos direcciones preferentes de la deformación (o movimiento preferente del terreno): NNO-SSE y ENEOSO. Aunque los datos presentan una dispersión importante, se puede establecer que la orientación principal NNO-SSE es compatible con un evento sísmico situado en el borde norte del Valle del Guadalquivir. La orientación ENE-OSO podría relacionarse con un evento posterior, o más seguramente con procesos de ladera de carácter cosísmico o no.The Roman archaeological site of Mulva-Munigua (Sevilla, Spain) displays building damage features suggesting a seismic origin (Earthquake Archaeological Effects: EAEs). The proposed seismic event could be tentatively dated in the late 3rd century AD, coinciding with the beginning of the economic fall of the Roman Empire at Iberia. However, some of the recorded EAEs can be also interpreted as a result of intervening slope movements in the eastern hillslope of this roman site. The inventory and analysis of the proposed EAEs make possible to discern between seismic oriented damage and other causes. In spite of the data show a significant dispersion, their analysis result in two different orientations of maximum deformation (ey) or preferential ground movement: NNW-SSE and ENE-WSW. The main ey orientation (NNW-SSE) can be tentatively related to a seismic event occurred in the environs of the northern border of the Guadalquivir Depression. The secondary orientation (ENE-WSW) can be interpreted as a consequence of latter slope movements triggered (or not) by other ancient earthquakes

Near- And Sub-barrier Fusion Of The Be7+ Ni58 System

Evaporation proton yields were measured for the fusion of the radioactive proton-rich nucleus Be-7 onto a Ni-58 target at six near-barrier energies. Total fusion cross sections were deduced by using calculated proton multiplicities. The resulting fusion excitation function shows a considerable enhancement with respect to calculations for a bare potential, even for energies above the Coulomb barrier. Inelastic couplings can account for the enhancement at the highest energy. Total fusion channels nearly saturate the total reaction cross section in the measured energy region. Comparison with previous results scaled appropriately for Be-7 + (Al-27, U-238) shows good agreement