Textile-based wearable sensors for assisting sports performance

There is a need for wearable sensors to assess physiological signals and body kinematics during exercise. Such sensors need to be straightforward to use, and ideally the complete system integrated fully within a garment. This would allow wearers to monitor their progress as they undergo an exercise training programme without the need to attach external devices. This takes physiological monitoring into a more natural setting. By developing textile sensors the intelligence is integrated into a sports garment in an innocuous manner. A number of textile based sensors are presented here that have been integrated into garments for various sports applications

Natural history of falls in an incident cohort of Parkinson’s disease: early evolution, risk and protective features

The natural history of falls in early Parkinson’s disease (PD) is poorly understood despite the profound effect of falls on outcome. The primary aim of this study was to describe the natural history of falls, and characterise fallers over 54 months in 99 newly diagnosed people with PD. Seventy-nine (79.7%) participants fell over 54 months and 20 (20.3%) remained falls-naïve. Twenty six (26.2%) reported retrospective falls at baseline. Gait outcomes, disease severity and self-efficacy significantly discriminated across groups. Subjective cognitive complaints emerged as the only significant cognitive predictor. Without exception, outcomes were better for non-fallers compared with fallers at any time point. Between group differences for 54 month fallers and non-fallers were influenced by the inclusion of retrospective fallers and showed a broader range of discriminant characteristics, notably stance time variability and balance self-efficacy. Single fallers (n = 7) were significantly younger than recurrent fallers (n = 58) by almost 15 years (P = 0.013). Baseline performance in early PD discriminates fallers over 54 months, thereby identifying those at risk of falls. Clinical profiles for established and emergent fallers are to some extent distinct. These results reiterate the need for timely interventions to improve postural control and gait

Natural history of falls in an incident cohort of Parkinson’s disease: early evolution, risk and protective features

The natural history of falls in early Parkinson’s disease (PD) is poorly understood despite the profound effect of falls on outcome. The primary aim of this study was to describe the natural history of falls, and characterise fallers over 54 months in 99 newly diagnosed people with PD. Seventy-nine (79.7%) participants fell over 54 months and 20 (20.3%) remained falls-naïve. Twenty six (26.2%) reported retrospective falls at baseline. Gait outcomes, disease severity and self-efficacy significantly discriminated across groups. Subjective cognitive complaints emerged as the only significant cognitive predictor. Without exception, outcomes were better for non-fallers compared with fallers at any time point. Between group differences for 54 month fallers and non-fallers were influenced by the inclusion of retrospective fallers and showed a broader range of discriminant characteristics, notably stance time variability and balance self-efficacy. Single fallers (n = 7) were significantly younger than recurrent fallers (n = 58) by almost 15 years (P = 0.013). Baseline performance in early PD discriminates fallers over 54 months, thereby identifying those at risk of falls. Clinical profiles for established and emergent fallers are to some extent distinct. These results reiterate the need for timely interventions to improve postural control and gait

The Genealogy Project: The Founding of a Podcast

When thinking about a new journal, my first thought about this was tohave a multimedia aspect to the journal that would include a series ofongoing podcasts that Daniel Chapman and I would do collaboratively.This turned into The Genealogy Project. Since we began this project about a year and half ago, Daniel and I have interviewed many scholars across generations. As conversations unfolded, I found that many of us have had inter-connected life histories and backgrounds. As I began thinking about a podcast in curriculum studies I thought that it might be a way to archive the work being done by my generation. I wanted to make sure that our work did not disappear from the archives. But, too, I wanted to show that my generation is also linked backwards to previous generations. As Derrida teaches, the archive is more about the to-come. The Genealogy Project Podcast is about archiving the future of a field. What we are able to do in the field today is due to the work that was done by scholars who came before us and mentored us. As my generation mentors future generations to-come, the field will go its own way and take on new life. I would liketo showcase scholars from all generations to join in the conversationswe are having about the field

Inhibition and changes in antibiotic sensitivity of bacteria cultured aerobically and anaerobically in four different medicinal honeys

The growing prevalence of bacterial antibiotic resistance has led to a rediscovery of the antimicrobial properties of honey. This study investigated the antibacterial activity in aerobic and anaerobic conditions, the effect on bacterial antibiotic sensitivity, and the composition of four medical-grade honeys Medihoney®, Comvita® Antibacterial Wound Gel™, Revamil® gel, and Surgihoney™RO®.A broth assay was used to assess the antibacterial activity of the honeys against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in aerobic and anaerobic conditions. A disk diffusion test was used to investigate the effect of exposure to a subinhibitory concentration of the honeys to the sensitivity of bacteria to a range of antibiotics. The composition of each honey was characterised by measuring: sugar content, pH, hydrogen peroxide activity, total polyphenolic content and antioxidant capacity.The honeys differed widely in antibacterial activity. Medihoney® was the most effective reducing the growth of both bacteria to < 1 compared to 9 log10 cfu/mL in the growth controls at all tested concentrations. Revamil® gel was the least active of the honeys only having a negligible effect on bacterial growth at the 25% honey concentration. All honeys were equally or more active in anaerobic conditions than in aerobic conditions. The polyphenolic content may influence the activity of honey. Various honey-antibiotic combinations were identified that enhanced antibiotic sensitivity in bacteria. More research is needed to clarify the role of polyphenols in honey activity and further explore the potential synergies between the honeys and antibiotics.1pubpub

Textile sensors to measure sweat pH and sweat-rate during exercise

Sweat analysis can provide a valuable insight into a person’s well-being. Here we present wearable textile-based sensors that can provide real-time information regarding sweat activity. A pH sensitive dye incorporated into a fabric fluidic system is used to determine sweat pH. To detect the onset of sweat activity a sweat rate sensor is incorporated into a textile substrate. The sensors are integrated into a waistband and controlled by a central unit with wireless connectivity. The use of such sensors for sweat analysis may provide valuable physiological information for applications in sports performance and also in healthcare

Exposure to 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is Associated with Hyperinsulinemia and Insulin Resistance

High exposures of Vietnam veterans to 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p- dioxin, a dioxin contained in the herbicide mixture Agent Orange, have previously been demonstrated to be associated with an increased prevalence of diabetes and hyperinsulinemia in non-diabetic subjects. Sixty-nine persons were identified who were in good health and had normal glucose levels during glucose tolerance testing. These subjects lived within 25 miles of the Vertac/Hercules Superfund site located in Jacksonville, Arkansas. The blood sera lipid concentrations of TCDD for the 69 subjects ranged between 2 and 94 ppt. When subjects with blood sera lipid TCDD levels in the top 10% (TCDD \u3e 15 ppt, n = 7) were compared to subjects with lower levels (2-15 ppt, n = 62), there were no group differences in age, obesity, gender distribution, total lipids, or glucose levels. However, plasma insulin concentrations, at fasting and 30, 60, and 120 min following a 75 g glucose load, were significantly higher in the group with high blood TCDD levels. These finding could not be explained by other known risk factors for hyperinsulinemia. The finding of the TCDD-hyperinsulinemia relationship is consistent with studies of Vietnam veterans and suggests that high blood TCDD levels may cause insulin resistance

A Non-Deterministric Parallel Sorting Algorithm

A miniswap Si,1 ≤ i \u3c n, compares two adjacent keys Пi, Пi+1 in the sequence (П1, ... , Пn), and transposes them if they are out of order. A full sweep is any composition of all n - 1 possible miniswaps. We prove that the composition of any n- 1 full sweeps is a sorting function

RDR6 Has a Broad-Spectrum but Temperature-Dependent Antiviral Defense Role in \u3ci\u3eNicotiana benthamiana\u3c/i\u3e

SDE1/SGS2/RDR6, a putative RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) from Arabidopsis thaliana, has previously been found to be indispensable for maintaining the posttranscriptional silencing of transgenes, but it is seemingly redundant for antiviral defense. To elucidate the antiviral role of this RdRP in a different host plant and to evaluate whether plant growth conditions affect its role, we down-regulated expression of the Nicotiana benthamiana homolog, NbRDR6, and examined the plants for altered susceptibility to various viruses at different growth temperatures. The results we describe here clearly show that plants with reduced expression of NbRDR6 were more susceptible to all viruses tested and that this effect was more pronounced at higher growth temperatures. Diminished expression of NbRDR6 also permitted efficient multiplication of tobacco mosaic virus in the shoot apices, leading to serious disruption with microRNA-mediated developmental regulation. Based on these results, we propose that NbRDR6 participates in the antiviral RNA silencing pathway that is stimulated by rising temperatures but suppressed by virus-encoded silencing suppressors. The relative strengths of these two factors, along with other plant defense components, critically influence the outcome of virus infections