Generating and measuring the anisotropic elastic behaviour of Co thin films with oriented surface nano-strings on micro-cantilevers

In this research, the elastic behaviour of two Co thin films simultaneously deposited in an off-normal angle method was studied. Towards this end, two Si micro-cantilevers were simultaneously coated using pulsed laser deposition at an oblique angle, creating a Co nano-string surface morphology with a predetermined orientation. The selected position of each micro-cantilever during the coating process created longitudinal or transverse nano-strings. The anisotropic elastic behaviour of these Co films was determined by measuring the changes that took place in the resonant frequency of each micro-cantilever after this process of creating differently oriented plasma coatings had been completed. This differential procedure allowed us to determine the difference between the Young's modulus of the different films based on the different direction of the nano-strings. This difference was determined to be, at least, the 20% of the Young's modulus of the bulk Co

Improvement of oxygen-uptake kinetics and cycling performance with combined prior exercise and fast start

Purpose: To investigate whether oxygen uptake ( O2) kinetics and simulated 4-km cycling performance are synergistically improved by prior ‘priming’ exercise and an all-out starting strategy. Methods: Nine males completed four target work trials (114 ± 17 kJ) to assess O2 kinetics and cycling performance in a repeated-measures, cross-over experimental design. Trials were initiated with either a 12-s all-out start or a self-selected start and preceded by prior severe-intensity (70%Δ) priming exercise or no priming exercise. Results: The O2 MRT was lower (indicative of faster O2 kinetics) in the all-out primed condition (20 ± 6 s) compared to the all-out unprimed (23 ± 6 s), self-paced-unprimed (42 ± 13 s) and self-paced-primed (42 ± 11 s) trials (P<0.05), with the O2 MRT also lower in the all-out unprimed compared to self-paced-unprimed and self-paced-primed trials (P<0.05). Trial completion time was shorter (performance was enhanced) in the all-out primed trial (402 ± 14 s) compared to the all-out unprimed (408 ± 14 s), self-paced-unprimed (411 ± 16 s) and self-paced-primed (411 ± 19 s) trials (P<0.05) with no differences between the latter three trials. Conclusions: The findings from this study suggest that combining severe-intensity priming exercise with a short-duration all-out starting strategy can expedite the adjustment of O2 and lower completion time during a cycling performance trial to a greater extent than either intervention administered independently. These results might have implications for optimising performance in short-duration high-intensity competitive events such as a 4-km cycling time trial

Exploring ‘The autisms’ at a cognitive level

The autism spectrum is characterized by genetic and behavioral heterogeneity. However, it is still unknown whether there is a universal pattern of cognitive impairment in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and whether multiple cognitive impairments are needed to explain the full range of behavioral symptoms. This study aimed to determine whether three widely acknowledged cognitive abnormalities (Theory of Mind (ToM) impairment, Executive Function (EF) impairment, and the presence of a Local Processing Bias (LB)) are universal and fractionable in autism, and whether the relationship between cognition and behavior is dependent on the method of behavioral assessment. Thirty-one high-functioning children with ASD and thirty-seven children with neurotypical development (NTD), comparable in age, gender and Intelligence Quotient (IQ), completed several tasks tapping into ToM, EF, and LB, and autistic symptomatology was assessed through parental and teacher questionnaires, parental interview and direct observation. We found that ToM and EF deficits differentiated the groups and some ToM and EF tasks were related to each other. ToM and EF were together able to correctly classify more than three-quarters of the children into cases and controls, despite relating to none of the specific behavioral measures. Only a small subgroup of individuals displayed a LB, which was unrelated to ToM and EF, and did not aid diagnostic classification, most likely contributing to non-diagnostic symptoms in a subgroup. Despite the characteristic heterogeneity of the autism spectrum, it remains a possibility therefore that a single cognitive cause may underlie the range of diagnostic symptoms in all individuals with autism