922 research outputs found
TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF POACEAE POLLEN IN AREAS OF SOUTHERN UNITED KINGDOM, SPAIN AND PORTUGAL
Overall, longer Poaceae pollen seasons coincided with earlier pollen season start dates. Winter rainfall noticeably affects
the intensity of Poaceae pollen seasons in Mediterranean areas, but this was not as important in Worcester. Weekly data
from Worcester followed a similar pattern to that of Badajoz and Ăvora but at a distance of more than 1500 km and 4-5
weeks later
A multihost bacterial pathogen overcomes continuous population bottlenecks to adapt to new host species
While many bacterial pathogens are restricted to single host species, some have the capacity to undergo host switches, leading to the emergence of new clones that are a threat to human and animal health. However, the bacterial traits that underpin a multihost ecology are not well understood. Following transmission to a new host, bacterial populations are influenced by powerful forces such as genetic drift that reduce the fixation rate of beneficial mutations, limiting the capacity for host adaptation. Here, we implement a novel experimental model of bacterial host switching to investigate the ability of the multihost pathogen Staphylococcus aureus to adapt to new species under continuous population bottlenecks. We demonstrate that beneficial mutations accumulated during infection can overcome genetic drift and sweep through the population, leading to host adaptation. Our findings highlight the remarkable capacity of some bacteria to adapt to distinct host niches in the face of powerful antagonistic population forces.status: publishe
Muon decay in orbit: spectrum of high-energy electrons
Experimental searches for lepton-flavor-violating coherent muon-to-electron
conversion in the field of a nucleus, have been proposed to reach the
unprecedented sensitivity of 10^(-16) - 10^(-18) per stopped muon. At that
level, they probe new interactions at effective-mass scales well beyond 1000
TeV. However, they must contend with background from ordinary bound muon decay.
To better understand the background-spectrum shape and rate, we have carried
out a detailed analysis of Coulombic-bound-state muon decay, including nuclear
recoil. Implications for future experiments are briefly discussed.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in Phys.Rev.D. v2: One
sentence modified to avoid possible misunderstandings. Journal versio
Functional movement screen differences between male and female young judokas athletes
Background and Study Aim: The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) test has been used in different sports to identify the alterations and asymmetries in the basic movement patterns of the athletes, although it has not been analysed as widely in children population, and even less in judo. The cognitive objective of this study was knowledge about the basic motor competence and the probability of injury in children practicing judo through the evaluation of fundamental movement patterns using the FMS test, and to establish a comparison between genders. Material and Methods: Thirty young judokas (16 girls and 14 boys) participated in the study. The performance of each participant was digitally recorded by two cameras, one in each plane (front and sagittal), and was later analysed jointly by two evaluators who are experts in the use of FMS. Results: The girls obtained higher scores on the sum of the seven tests, compared to boys (16.00 ±1.79 vs. 13.57 ±2.59; p = 0.005). In particular, girls scored significantly better than boys in the deep squat, the rotary stability and the active straight leg raise tasks (p<0.05). The boys scored statistically significantly higher than girls in the trunk stability push up task (p<0.05). Conclusions: The girls scored higher on most tasks, indicating better fundamental movement patterns. In addition, most girls scored above 14 points, while most boys scored at or below 14 points, which may indicate decreased motor competence and increased risk of injury in boys
Experimental Type 2 Diabetes Induces Enzymatic Changes in Isolated Rat Enterocytes
Diabetes in humans and in experimental animals
produces changes in the function and structure of the
small intestine. The authors determined the activity of
intestinal disaccharidases (maltase and sucrase) and of
6-phosphofructo-1-kinase (PFK-1) in enterocytes isolated
from the small intestine of male Wistar rats (2.5 to 3 months
old) with experimental nonobese type 2 diabetes, induced by
streptozotocin (STZ) injection on the day of birth (n0-STZ)
or on the 5th day of life (n5-STZ), with different degrees
of hyperglycemia and insulinemia (n0-STZ and n5-STZ
models). The glycemia (mmol/L) of the diabetic rats
(n0-STZ: 8.77 ± 0.47; n5-STZ: 20.83 ± 0.63) was higher
(P < .01) than that of the nondiabetic (ND) rats
(5.99 ± 0.63); on the contrary, the insulinemia (ng/mL) was
significantly lower in both n0-STZ (1.74 ± 0.53; P < .05)
and n5-STZ (1.12 ± 0.44; P < .01) diabetic rats than in normal
rats (3.77 ± 0.22). The sucrase and maltase activities
(U/g protein) in diabetic rats (n0-STZ: 89 ± 9 and 266 ± 12;
n5-STZ: 142 ± 23 and 451 ± 57) were significantly higher
than those in the ND group (66 ± 5 and 228 ± 22). The
PFK-1 activities (mU/mg protein) in the diabetic models
(n0-STZ: 14.89 ± 1.51; n5-STZ: 13.35 ± 3.12) were significantly
lower (P < .05) than in ND rats (20.54 ± 2.83). The
data demonstrated enzymatic alterations in enterocytes isolated
fromthe small intestine of n0-STZ rats that are greater
(P < .05) than in the more hyperglycemic and hypoinsulinemic
n5-STZ animals. The results also show that nonobese type 2âlike diabetes in the rat produces modifications that
favor an increase in glucose absorption rates
The Effects of Tissue Flossing on Perceived Knee Pain and Jump Performance: A Pilot Study
Background: Tissue compression and partial vascular occlusion using band flossing results in reperfusion of blood to the muscle tissue that may ultimately reduce joint pain and increase range of motion, enhancing prevention from or rehabilitation of injury. However, the extent of research examining the effect of tissue flossing in an athletic setting is currently very limited, and the effects of band flossing on knee pain and jump performance have not yet been investigated and remain unclear. Purpose: To investigate the effect of band flossing on perceived knee pain and vertical jump performance in recreational athletes with knee pain. Methods: Five young male recreational athletes with previously reported knee pain took part in this study (age 22±0.5; height 184±6.8cm; weight 79±1.5kg; BMI 23.34±1.2 kg/m2). Participants performed a number of tests pre and post intervention, with the application of a floss band on the knee joint. The experimental protocol consisted in the performance of countermovement jump (CMJ) tests (without occlusion, with occlusion, and after occlusion). Pre and Post intervention measures included a perceived knee pain -by visual analogue scale (VAS)- and CMJ performance -by force platform-. Results: The application of flossing bands in knee joint resulted in enhancements in all test measures pre to post intervention (10% jump height; 4.5% time in the air; 5% jump velocity; 13% jump power; 7.5% jump force). Participants reported a 3.5-point pain enhancement in AVS during performance of CMJ tests. Conclusion: Flossing bands caused a reduction in perceived knee pain and improved vertical jump performance in young male recreational athletes
High precision fundamental constants at the TeV scale
This report summarizes the proceedings of the 2014 Mainz Institute for
Theoretical Physics (MITP) scientific program on "High precision fundamental
constants at the TeV scale". The two outstanding parameters in the Standard
Model dealt with during the MITP scientific program are the strong coupling
constant and the top-quark mass . Lacking knowledge on the
value of those fundamental constants is often the limiting factor in the
accuracy of theoretical predictions. The current status on and
has been reviewed and directions for future research have been identified.Comment: 57 pages, 24 figures, pdflate
Acute Effects of ACL Injury-Prevention Warm-Up and Soccer-Specific Fatigue Protocol on Dynamic Knee Valgus in Youth Male Soccer Players
Childhood anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuriesâwhich can pose a major risk to a childâs sporting careerâhave been on the rise in the last few decades. Dynamic knee valgus (DKV) has been linked to an increased risk of ACL injury. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the acute effects of an ACL injury prevention protocol (ACL-IPP) and a soccer-specific fatigue protocol (SSFP) on DKV in youth male soccer players. The research hypothesis was that DKV would be reduced by the ACL-IPP and increased by the SSFP. Eighteen youth male soccer players were divided according to baseline DKV. Those with moderate or large DKV performed a neuromuscular training protocol based on activation of the abductor and external rotator hip muscles. Those with little or no DKV performed a soccer-specific fatigue protocol. DKV was assessed using the single-leg squat pre- and post-protocols in both legs. The ACL-IPP significantly decreased DKV during single-leg squat (p < 0.01, effect size = 1.39), while the SSFP significantly increased baseline DKV in the dominant leg during single-leg squat (p = 0.012; effect size = 1.74). In conclusion, the ACL-IPP appears to acutely reduce the DKV in youth male soccer players, and the SSFP seems to acutely increase the DKV in those players who showed a light or no DKV in a non-fatigue situation. By using the SSFP, it may be possible to determine which players would benefit from injury prevention programs due to increased DKV during game scenarios, while hip abductor and external rotator neuromuscular training may be beneficial for players who have moderate and severe DKV during single-leg squat under non-fatigued scenarios
Phage inducible islands in the gram-positive cocci
The SaPIs are a cohesive subfamily of extremely common phage-inducible chromosomal islands (PICIs) that reside quiescently at specific att sites in the staphylococcal chromosome and are induced by helper phages to excise and replicate. They are usually packaged in small capsids composed of phage virion proteins, giving rise to very high transfer frequencies, which they enhance by interfering with helper phage reproduction. As the SaPIs represent a highly successful biological strategy, with many natural Staphylococcus aureus strains containing two or more, we assumed that similar elements would be widespread in the Gram-positive cocci. On the basis of resemblance to the paradigmatic SaPI genome, we have readily identified large cohesive families of similar elements in the lactococci and pneumococci/streptococci plus a few such elements in Enterococcus faecalis. Based on extensive ortholog analyses, we found that the PICI elements in the four different genera all represent distinct but parallel lineages, suggesting that they represent convergent evolution towards a highly successful lifestyle. We have characterized in depth the enterococcal element, EfCIV583, and have shown that it very closely resembles the SaPIs in functionality as well as in genome organization, setting the stage for expansion of the study of elements of this type. In summary, our findings greatly broaden the PICI family to include elements from at least three genera of cocci
Identification of potential sources of airborne 0lea pollen in the southwest Iberian Peninsula
Regional scale transport of olive pollen can result in increased nighttime concentrations of
this important aeroallergen. This could be particularly important in Mediterranean countries
where people can be outdoors during this time due to climate and lifestyle. Such studies are
valuable for allergy sufferers and health care professionals because the information can be
incorporated into forecasts, the outputs of which are used for avoiding exposure to
aeroallergens and planning medication. The results of studies of this nature can also be used
for examining gene flow in this important agricultural crop
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