Biomechanical comparison of shorts with different pads: An Insight into the Perineum Protection Issue

An intensive use of the bicycle may increase the risk of erectile dysfunction and the compression of the perineal area has been showed to be a major mechanism leading to sexual alterations compromising the quality of life. Manufacturers claim that pads contribute to increase cyclists perineal protection ensuring a high level of comfort. To investigate the influence of various cycling pads with regard to perineal protection and level of comfort. Nine club road cyclists rode 20 min on a drum simulator, located at the Nutrition and Exercise Physiology Laboratory, at a constant speed and gear ratio wearing the shorts with 3 cycling pads of different design and thickness: basic (BAS), intermediate (INT), and endurance (END). Kinematics and pressure data were recorded at min 5, 15, and 20 of the test using a motion capture system and a pressure sensor mat. The variables of interest were: 3-dimensional pelvis excursions, peak pressure, mean pressure, and vertical force. The comfort level was assessed with a ranking order based on the subjects' perception after the 20-min trials and measuring the vertical ground reaction force under the anterior wheel as well as the length of the center of pressure (COP) trajectory on the saddle. Results showed that the vertical force and the average value of mean pressure on the saddle significantly decreased during the 20-min period of testing for BAS and END. Mean peak pressure on the corresponding perineal cyclist area significantly increased only for BAS during the 20-min period. Interestingly objective comfort indexes measured did not match cyclists subjective comfort evaluation. The lower capacity of BAS to reduce the peak pressure on the corresponding perineal area after 20 min of testing, together with its positive comfort evaluation, suggest that a balance between protection and perceived comfort should be taken into account in the choice of the pad. Hence, the quantitative approach of objective comfort indexes introduced in this study could be helpful for manufacturers in the development of their protective pads

Suitability of soil bioengineering techniques in Central America: a case study in Nicaragua

International audienceIn the last few years "D. I. A. F." (Department of Agriculture and Forestry Engineering of Florence University), has been testing the effectiveness of Soil Bio-Engineering techniques in Central America. The focus of the present study was to find out which native plants were most suited for soil bio-engineering purposes, particularly in the realization of riverbank protection. Furthermore, we have also been aiming at economic efficiency. In the context of sustainable watershed management, these techniques seem to be appropriate, especially in underdeveloped countries. Concerning the plants to be used, we considered three native species, Gliricidia Sepium, Cordia dentata and Jatropha curcas, to be appropriate for this type of work. Economically speaking, the low cost of such interventions in underdeveloped countries, has been shown by the construction of riverbank protection using vegetated crib-walls in Nicaragua

Building the Dream: Transformational Resistance, Community-Based Organizations, and the Civic Engagement of Latinos in the New South

This article examines how a group of Latino youth living in the Southeast experienced, adapted to, and resisted oppressive social structures within their community through their involvement with youth media. Through the content analysis of a teen radio show produced by and for Latino youth, in conjunction with semistructured interviews and ethnographic field notes, the author investigates how five Mexican-born high school students confronted and attempted to transform the educational practices that served to keep them subordinate. The study posits the community organization that sponsored the radio show as a pedagogical site of resistance and transformation, which provided the students with an understanding of the importance of civic engagement and agency in the fight for the passage of the Dream Act

Surgical management of penetrating pulmonary injuries

Chest injuries were reported as early as 3000 BC in the Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus. Ancient Greek chronicles reveal that they had anatomic knowledge of the thoracic structures. Even in the ancient world, most of the therapeutic modalities for chest wounds and traumatic pulmonary injuries were developed during wartime

Tinnitus revival during COVID‑19 lockdown: how to deal with it?

To the Editor, The novel Coronavirus Disease, officially designated as COVID-19 by the WHO, is a serious issue for public health. To contain the COVID-19, the Italian Government stated on March 9th 2020 the prohibition of any movement throughout the national area unless for work/health reasons and the obligation to remain as much as possible inside one’s own home. With the start of the so-called “Phase Two” on May 4th 2020, circulation within the same region was allowed again, due to the progressive slowdown of the outbreak. Therefore, since lockdown measures were relaxed and access to the emergency room or ENT clinic became less worrying for patients, specialists of Otolaryngology Units in Bari (Italy) observed an increase in the amount of subjects complaining of the revival of intense tinnitus. We attempt in this letter to focus on patients affected by chronic subjective tinnitus, that already had a diagnosis and self-stabilized without a massive treatment. Research studies have reported tinnitus wide impact on quality of life of subjects experiencing it, involving their emotional state, concentration and sleep quality; at this regard, Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) is a self-reported tool regularly used to quantify the grade of perceived handicap as slight (0–16), mild (18–36), moderate (38–56), severe (58–76) or catastrophic (78–100) on the basis of 25 questions [1]. During the past 2 weeks, we have collected data from 16 patients among our population of chronic sufferers: THI observed was moderate in 62.5% and severe in 18.75% of cases, catastrophic in 12.5% and mild in 6.25% of subjects. Interestingly, the grade of handicap resulted increased by one-level in 12 out of 16 patients (75%); in particular, THI shifted from mild to moderate in 9 patients and from moderate to severe in 3 patients. As shown in the literature, tinnitus generation, maintenance and recrudescence are still debated. A cortical reorganization secondary to sensory deprivation has been proposed as one on the most frequent cause of tinnitus [2]. The avoidance of silence and acoustic masking have been proposed as effective measures to overcome sensory deprivation and increase masking of the symptom [3]. It is reasonable to think that, during the lockdown, the absence of environmental masking sounds from everyday life may have enhanced the tinnitus perception. Furthermore, proneness to worry and incoming stress during pandemic could be included as further potential risk factors for tinnitus worsening. As proficiently reviewed in a recent work [4], some internet/smartphone-based applications provide in tinnitus patients adequate counseling and interactive information together with sound therapy. As brain networks implicated in adaptive responses to sound stimuli and to worry are shared in many cases, an early decrease of anxiety status may release neural resources crucial for tinnitus habituation/distress perception [5]. In general, interactive platforms have been widely implemented during lockdown period due to the forced lack of real personal and working relationships; since smart-working seems to be successful for future plans, the development of smart applications and mobile services in the health care field may be promising in terms of cost-effectiveness, tolerability and simplicity of use

Comparative analysis of muscle activation patterns between skiing on slopes and on training devices

Abstract The increasing popularity of ski as winter sport and the difficulties related to its accessibility and environmental conditions led to the development of specific training devices for practise, both for improving technique and for training after injuries. In particular the aim of this work was to study the efficacy of two training devices: Skimagic ® and Skier's Edge ® , comparing their functionality to ski on natural snow. The efficacy of training devices was investigated after comparing the EMG activation patterns of snow skiing with the other two training conditions; good correlation of activation patterns should correspond to a better simulation of the skiing movement

Time-resolved energy transfer from single chloride terminated nanocrystals to graphene

We examine the time-resolved resonance energy transfer of excitons from single n-butyl amine-bound, chloride-terminated nanocrystals to two-dimensional graphene through time-correlated single photon counting. The radiative biexponential lifetime kinetics and blinking statistics of the individual surface-modified nanocrystal elucidate the non-radiative decay channels. Blinking modification as well as a 4 times reduction in spontaneous emission were observed with the short chloride and n-butylamine ligands, probing the energy transfer pathways for the development of graphene-nanocrystal nanophotonic devices