Comparison of vitality states of finishers and withdrawers in trail running: An enactive and phenomenological perspective.

Studies on ultra-endurance suggest that during the races, athletes typically experience three vitality states (i.e., preservation, loss, and revival) at the phenomenological level. Nevertheless, how these states contribute to the management and outcome of performance remains unclear. The aim of this study was to determine whether and how the vitality states experienced by runners and their evolution during a trail race can be used to distinguish finishers from withdrawers. From an enactive and phenomenological framework, we processed enactive interviews and blog posts of race narratives. We distinguished units of meaning, which were grouped into sequences of experience; each sequence was then categorized as one of the three vitality states: state of vitality preservation (SVP), state of vitality loss (SVL) or state of vitality revival (SVR). We analyzed the distribution of these vitality states and their temporal organization at the beginning, in the second and third quarters, and at the end of the races, and we qualitatively characterized runners' adaptations to SVL. Results showed that finishers completed the race in SVP, with overall significantly more sequences in SVP and significantly fewer sequences in SVL than withdrawers. SVR did not discriminate finishers from withdrawers. The temporal organization of the vitality states showed a significant difference in the emergence of SVP from the second quarter of the race, as well as a significant difference in the emergence of SVL from the third quarter of the race. The analysis of adaptations to SVL confirmed that finishers were more capable of exiting SVL by enacting a preservation world when they felt physical or psychological alerts, whereas withdrawers remained in SVL. Our results showed that finishers and withdrawers did not enact the same phenomenological worlds in the race situation, especially in the organization of vitality adaptations and their relationships to difficulties; the cumulative effect of the succession of experienced vitality states differed, as well

Bosentan therapy for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. A national open label study assessing the effect of Bosentan on haemodynamics, exercise capacity, quality of life, safety and tolerability in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (BOCTEPH-Study).

we performed an open-label national study to evaluate the effects of Bosentan on haemodynamics, exercise capacity, quality of life, safety and tolerability in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). fifteen patients with CTEPH not eligible or waiting for surgery were enrolled. The primary endpoint was the change in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR). Secondary endpoints included quality of life (measured by the Minnesota living with heart failure questionnaire, MLHF), 6 minute walk distance (6MWD), World Health Organization (WHO) functional class, Borg dyspnoea scale, plasma endothelin, serum values of disease severity such as uric acid, N-terminal-pro brain natriuretic peptide (NTproBNP), C-reactive protein measured by a highly sensitive method (CRPs) and other serum and haemodynamic parameters. after six months of treatment with bosentan, the PVR decreased from 852 (319) to 657(249) dyn*s*m-5 (p = 0.02). Quality of life considerably improved from a mean total score of 48(14) to 35(17) (p = 0.003) with improvements in the physical (from 25(5) to 17(7)) and emotional (from 11(6) to 6(5)) subscores (p = 0.005 and 0.011), respectively. The 6MWD improved from 389(78) to 443(79) meters (p = 0.005). 4 patients (27%) improved and 11 patients (73%) maintained their WHO class with no deterioration during the six months of bosentan treatment (p = 0.02). Uric acid serum levels declined from 525(145) to 453(151) micromol/l (p = 0.006), NTproBNP and CRPs declined insignificantly. Endothelin serum levels increased from 4.3(1.5) to 5.9(2.2) pg/ml (p = 0.025). Patients tolerated the treatment well, and there were no severe adverse events or deaths. this open-label study suggests a beneficial effect of bosentan therapy not only on pulmonary haemodynamics, but also on quality of life and exercise capacity for patients with severe CTEPH

Intersubband gain in a Bloch oscillator and Quantum cascade laser

The link between the inversion gain of quantum cascade structures and the Bloch gain in periodic superlattices is presented. The proposed theoretical model based on the density matrix formalism is able to treat the gain mechanism of the Bloch oscillator and Quantum cascade laser on the same footing by taking into account in-plane momentum relaxation. The model predicts a dispersive contribution in addition to the (usual) population-inversion-dependent intersubband gain in quantum cascade structures and - in the absence of inversion - provides the quantum mechanical description for the dispersive gain in superlattices. It corroborates the predictions of the semi-classical miniband picture, according to which gain is predicted for photon energies lower than the Bloch oscillation frequency, whereas net absorption is expected at higher photon energies, as a description which is valid in the high-temperature limit. A red-shift of the amplified emission with respect to the resonant transition energy results from the dispersive gain contribution in any intersubband transition, for which the population inversion is small.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure

Field measurements of sonic boom penetration into the ocean

Author Posting. © Acoustical Society of America, 2000. This article is posted here by permission of Acoustical Society of America for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 107 (2000): 3073-3083, doi:10.1121/1.429336.Six sonic booms, generated by F-4 aircraft under steady flight at a range of altitudes (610–6100 m) and Mach numbers (1.07–1.26), were measured just above the air/sea interface, and at five depths in the water column. The measurements were made with a vertical hydrophone array suspended from a small spar buoy at the sea surface, and telemetered to a nearby research vessel. The sonic boom pressure amplitude decays exponentially with depth, and the signal fades into the ambient noise field by 30–50 m, depending on the strength of the boom at the sea surface. Low-frequency components of the boom waveform penetrate significantly deeper than high frequencies. Frequencies greater than 20 Hz are difficult to observe at depths greater than about 10 m. Underwater sonic boom pressure measurements exhibit excellent agreement with predictions from analytical theory, despite the assumption of a flat air/sea interface. Significant scattering of the sonic boom signal by the rough ocean surface is not detected. Real ocean conditions appear to exert a negligible effect on the penetration of sonic booms into the ocean unless steady vehicle speeds exceed Mach 3, when the boom incidence angle is sufficient to cause scattering on realistic open ocean surfaces.This work was funded by the NASA Langley Research Center (Technical Monitor, Dr. Kevin Shepherd)

First trimester antenatal depression and anxiety:prevalence and associated factors in an urban population in Soweto, South Africa

Depression and anxiety in the antenatal period are of public health concern given potential adverse effects for both mother and infant. Both are under-researched in the first trimester of pregnancy, especially in Africa. We examine the prevalence of first trimester antenatal depression and anxiety in a cohort of South African women and investigate associated risk factors. Data were collected from 946 women (2014–2016) in the Soweto First 1000 Days Cohort, a prospective pregnancy cohort in Soweto, South Africa. Antenatal depression was assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale with a score of ⩾13 indicating probable depression. Anxiety was assessed using the short form of the State-Trait Anxiety Index with a score ⩾12 indicating probable anxiety. Prevalence of antenatal depression was 27% [95% confidence interval (CI) 24.2–29.8] and anxiety 15.2% (95% CI 12.9–17.5). Factors associated with antenatal depression and anxiety were predominantly relationship- and family-centred. Women who perceived that their partner made life harder for them had three-fold increased odds for depression [(odds ratio (OR) 3.33 [2.28–4.85] P&lt;0.001], whereas those with family stressors had almost double the odds for depression (OR 1.78 [1.22–2.59] P=0.003) and anxiety (OR 1.75 [1.44–2.69] P=0.0011). Antenatal depression and anxiety are common in the first trimester of pregnancy, and partner and family relationship stressors are central. Longitudinal analysis is needed to determine if this is a phase of adjustment to pregnancy or onset of persistent symptomology. Early intervention may have secondary preventative effects and should involve the partner and family.</jats:p

Nouvelles approches pour la prévention de la malaria chez le voyageur [New approaches of malaria prevention for travelers]

Malaria is declining in many tropical countries. This reduction challenges our usual preventive strategies. In moderate to low risk areas, the Swiss guidelines recommend a stand-by emergency treatment. Controversies between experts are numerous though. Professionals at the Travel Clinic in Lausanne has explored shared-decision making through three clinical studies. The first showed that travelers visiting moderate to low risk malaria areas prefer a standby emergency treatment rather than chemoprophylaxis. The second study investigates the use of rapid diagnostic tests by travelers. The third focuses on the prospects of tropical telemedicine. Involving the traveler into the debate is a priority, until a vaccine becomes available

Chlamydia pneumoniae and Mycoplasma pneumoniae in children with cystic fibrosis: impact on bacterial respiratory microbiota diversity.

The contribution of intracellular and fastidious bacteria in Cystic fibrosis (CF) pulmonary exacerbations, and progressive lung function decline remains unknown. This project aimed to explore their impact on bacterial microbiota diversity over time in CF children. Sixty-one children enrolled in the MUCOVIB multicentre prospective cohort provided 746 samples, mostly nasopharyngeal swabs, throat swabs and sputa which were analysed using culture, specific real-time qPCRs and 16S rRNA amplicon metagenomics. Chlamydia pneumoniae (n = 3) and Mycoplasma pneumoniae (n = 1) were prospectively documented in 6.6% of CF children. Microbiota alpha-diversity in children with a documented C. pneumoniae was highly variable, similarly to children infected with Staphylococcus aureus or Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The transition from routine follow-up visits to pulmonary exacerbation (n = 17) yielded variable changes in diversity indexes with some extreme loss of diversity. The high rate of C. pneumoniae detection supports the need for regular screenings in CF patients. A minor impact of C. pneumoniae on the microbial community structure was documented. Although detected in a single patient, M. pneumoniae should also be considered as a possible aetiology of lung infection in CF subjects

Shadows cast on the transition disk of HD 135344B. Multiwavelength VLT/SPHERE polarimetric differential imaging

The protoplanetary disk around the F-type star HD 135344B (SAO 206462) is in a transition stage and shows many intriguing structures both in scattered light and thermal (sub-)millimeter emission which are possibly related to planet formation processes. We study the morphology and surface brightness of the disk in scattered light to gain insight into the innermost disk regions, the formation of protoplanets, planet-disk interactions traced in the surface and midplane layers, and the dust grain properties of the disk surface. We have carried out high-contrast polarimetric differential imaging (PDI) observations with VLT/SPHERE and obtained polarized scattered light images with ZIMPOL in R- and I-band and with IRDIS in Y- and J-band. The scattered light images reveal with unprecedented angular resolution and sensitivity the spiral arms as well as the 25 au cavity of the disk. Multiple shadow features are discovered on the outer disk with one shadow only being present during the second observation epoch. A positive surface brightness gradient is observed in the stellar irradiation corrected images in southwest direction possibly due to an azimuthally asymmetric perturbation of the temperature and/or surface density by the passing spiral arms. The disk integrated polarized flux, normalized to the stellar flux, shows a positive trend towards longer wavelengths which we attribute to large aggregate dust grains in the disk surface. Part of the the non-azimuthal polarization signal in the Uphi image of the J-band observation could be the result of multiple scattering in the disk. The detected shadow features and their possible variability have the potential to provide insight into the structure of and processes occurring in the innermost disk regions.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A, 20 pages, 15 figure

Searching for faint companions with VLTI/PIONIER. I. Method and first results

Context. A new four-telescope interferometric instrument called PIONIER has recently been installed at VLTI. It provides improved imaging capabilities together with high precision. Aims. We search for low-mass companions around a few bright stars using different strategies, and determine the dynamic range currently reachable with PIONIER. Methods. Our method is based on the closure phase, which is the most robust interferometric quantity when searching for faint companions. We computed the chi^2 goodness of fit for a series of binary star models at different positions and with various flux ratios. The resulting chi^2 cube was used to identify the best-fit binary model and evaluate its significance, or to determine upper limits on the companion flux in case of non detections. Results. No companion is found around Fomalhaut, tau Cet and Regulus. The median upper limits at 3 sigma on the companion flux ratio are respectively of 2.3e-3 (in 4 h), 3.5e-3 (in 3 h) and 5.4e-3 (in 1.5 h) on the search region extending from 5 to 100 mas. Our observations confirm that the previously detected near-infrared excess emissions around Fomalhaut and tau Cet are not related to a low-mass companion, and instead come from an extended source such as an exozodiacal disk. In the case of del Aqr, in 30 min of observation, we obtain the first direct detection of a previously known companion, at an angular distance of about 40 mas and with a flux ratio of 2.05e-2 \pm 0.16e-2. Due to the limited u,v plane coverage, its position can, however, not be unambiguously determined. Conclusions. After only a few months of operation, PIONIER has already achieved one of the best dynamic ranges world-wide for multi-aperture interferometers. A dynamic range up to about 1:500 is demonstrated, but significant improvements are still required to reach the ultimate goal of directly detecting hot giant extrasolar planets.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in A&