Anthropometric Dimensions and Bone Quality in International Male Beach Handball Players: Junior vs. Senior Comparison

Background: Beach handball is a recent team sport characterized by defensive and offensive actions on a sand surface. Scientific evidence has shown that body composition is fundamental in sports performance. The main objective of this study was to know the body composition, anthropometric characteristics, and bone mineral density of elite beach handball players. Furthermore, another purpose was to analyze the differences between categories (junior and senior) and playing position. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study of 36 male players (18 juniors and 18 seniors) of the Spanish National Beach Handball Team was conducted. Full profile anthropometry and calcaneal ultrasound measurements were used. Results: Significant differences between categories (p < 0.05) were found in: height, body mass, arm span, BMI, muscle mass, fat mass, bone mass, skinfolds, and body perimeters. The somatotype changes depending on the playing position. Bone mineral density of the players was adequate. No significant differences were found by playing position. Conclusions: Senior players had a better body composition due to the presence of less fat mass than junior players. This study provides reference values of elite junior and senior beach handball players and by playing positions. This data is useful for the identification of talents and players who should be trained to improve their body composition

Firing behaviour of Tertiary, Cretaceous and Permo-Triassic clays from Castellon ceramic cluster (Spain)

This study is focused on the knowledge of clays historically used in manufacturing of ceramic pavement and coatings from the province of Castellon (NE, Spain) with a large ceramic industry. This research began in the early 1980s in the research group led by Professor T. Sanfeliu and continues today. This review paper and the last advances in knowledge have been written in honor of Professor E. Galán, one of the pioneers in the study of ceramic clays and kaolin in Spain. The objective of this paper is to extract conclusions about mineralogy, porosity and bending strength in ceramic test bodies manufactured using Tertiary-age, Cretaceous and Permo–Triassic local clays. Tertiary clays show a high CaO content and their predominant mineral phases are calcite and quartz. Cretaceous clays show a scarce CaO content. These Cretaceous raw materials are clays with high quartz and illite percentages. Permo–Triassic clays present a difference in the K2O and Fe2O3 content. The mineralogical composition is mainly formed by quartz, clay minerals and hematites. Ceramic test bodies were molded by extrusion and undergoing a firing process. Characterization of the fired clays was accomplished by TOM and XRD. Granular texture and porphyry structure, quartz phenocrysts and opaque hematite crystals were observed. Illitic clays rich in carbonates form plagioclases, wollastonite and gehlenite from 950 °C. In samples with low content in calcite and dolomite, the predominant mineral phases are quartz and hematite from 1000 °C onwards. A mercury porosimeter was used for determining the porous texture of ceramic matrix. A progressive reduction in open porosity and an increase of bending strength are observed with increasing temperature. The essays for bending strength were carried out by an INSTRON. A decline in porosity was observed when temperature rise associated with an increase in bending strength. Establishing relations between bending strength and the seven parameters studied link to the porous behaviour of the ceramic tests it was not possible because empirical equations do not fit experimental results

Evaluation of micromorphological changes in tooth enamel after mechanical and ultrafast laser preparation of surface cavities

The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the morphological changes that occur in tooth enamel after mechanical instrumentation and after femtosecond laser irradiation with different parameters via light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Twelve totally impacted third molars were collected and sectioned to provide several cut surfaces. These surfaces were exposed to infrared (λ = 795 nm, 120 fs, 1-kHz repetition rate, maximum mean power 1 W) laser pulses and machined by means of a conventional mechanical technique. Two very different geometrical patterns were performed with femtosecond laser pulses: shallow rectangular cavities and deep cylindrical ones. The results of both machining procedures were examined using light and scanning electron microscopy. The SEM images show the femtosecond laser ability to produce high-precision cavities in tooth enamel. No signs of collateral damage, burning, melting, or cracks were observed despite the far different laser pulse energies used (ranging from 7 to 400 μJ), unlike what is seen with conventional mechanical techniques. The femtosecond laser has the potential to become an optimal tool for the treatment of dental decay and as an alternative to the conventional drill to reduce mechanical damage during removal of the hard dental tissue.A.G. and P.M. acknowledge the support of Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación through the Consolider Program SAUUL (CSD2007-00013) and research project FIS2009-09522, from Junta de Castilla y León through the Program for Groups of Excellence (GR27) and of the EC Seventh Framework Programme (LASERLAB-EUROPE, grant agreement no. 228334).We also acknowledge the support of the Centro de Laseres Pulsados, CLPU, Salamanca, Spain

Implementation and validation of an economic module for the epidemiological model Be-FAST to predict the costs generated by livestock diseases epidemics. Application to the Classical Swine Fever case in Spain.

Classical Swine Fever (CSF) is one of the most harmful livestock di-seases for the economy of the swine sector worldwide. Specifically in Spain, the costs in the two last CSF outbreaks (1997 and 2001) have been estimated above 108 million euros. In this work, we aim to evaluate the economic impact of important livestock disease epidemics, and particularly the CSF in Spain. This study starts with a preliminary classification of the costs associated with CSF epidemics. In order to estimate the expected costs of a given epidemic in a considered area, a new economic module has been integrated into the epidemiological model Be-FAST, a time-spatial stochastic spread mathematical model for studying the transmission of diseases within and between farms. The input data for economic parameters have been obtained from entities related with the swine industry in Spain. The new Be-FAST module is tested by comparing the results obtained with historical data from CSF epidemics in Spain. The outcomes show that severe CSF epidemics also have a strong economic impact with around 80% of the costs related to animal culling, while costs associated with control measures are directly associated with the number of infected farms and the duration of the epidemic. The results presented in this work are expected to provide valuable information to decision makers, including animal health officials and insurance companies, and can be extended to other livestock diseases or used to predict the economic impact of future outbreaks

Globular Aggregates Stemming from the Self-Assembly of an Amphiphilic N-Annulated Perylene Bisimide in Aqueous Media

Herein, we describe the synthesis of highly emissive amphiphilic N-annulated PBI 1 decorated with oligo ethylene glycol (OEG) side chains. These polar side chains allow the straightforward solubility of 1 in solvents of different polarity such as water, iPrOH, dioxane, or chloroform. Compound 1 self-assembles in aqueous media by π-stacking of the aromatic units and van der Waals interactions, favored by the hydrophobic effect. The hypo- and hypsochromic effect observed in the UV-Vis spectra of 1 in water in comparison to chloroform is diagnostic of H-type aggregation. Solvent denaturation experiments allow deriving the free Gibbs energy for the self-assembly process in aqueous media and the factor m that is indicative of the influence exerted by a good solvent in the stability of the final aggregates. The ability of compound 1 to self-assemble in water yields globular aggregates that have been visualized by TEM imaging.Depto. de Química OrgánicaFac. de Ciencias QuímicasTRUEMCIUComunidad de Madridpu

Effect of tillage system on the functional diversity of weed communities: Is it worth measuring local functional traits?

Este trabajo tiene un doble objetivo: i) testar el efecto de tres sistemas de laboreo (laboreo de subsuelo, laboreo mínimo y siembra directa) sobre la diversidad funcional de la comunidad de arvenses; ii) evaluar la necesidad de hacer mediciones locales de rasgos funcionales (área foliar específica (SLA), altura total de la planta y peso de las semillas) para analizar el efecto del tipo de manejo. Se han calculado tres índices de diversidad funcional con los valores de los rasgos obtenidos en la literatura y con los valores de la comunidad local. El efecto del tipo de laboreo sobre estos índices se ha analizado mediante modelos lineales. Los resultados muestran una influencia del origen de los datos a la hora de detectar el efecto del manejo sobre la diversidad funcional de las comunidades arvenses, siendo la siembra directa el sistema que presenta los índices de diversidad funcional más altos.In this work we aim: i) to test the effect of three tillage systems (subsoil tillage, minimum tillage and no-tillage) on the functional diversity of weed communities; and ii) to assess the need for local measurements of functional traits (specific leaf area (SLA), total height of the plant and seed weight) when assessing the effect of management on weed functional diversity. Three functional diversity indexes have been developed, based on local data and data from the literature. The effect of tillage system on the indexes has been analyzed with linear models. The results show that the origin of the data determines the effect of the soil management on the functional diversity of the weed communities, being no-tillage the system with highest functional diversity indexes

Floating bare tether as upper atmosphere probe

Use of a conductive bare tape electrically floating in low Earth orbit as an effective electron beam source to produce artificial auroral effects, free of problems that mard tandard beams, is considered. Ambient ions impacting the tape with keV energies over most of its length liberate secondary electrons that race down the magnetic field, excite neutrals in the E layer, and result in auroral emissions. The tether would operate with both a power supply and a plasma contactor off at nighttime; power and contactor would be on at daytime for reboost. Tomographic analysis of auroral emissions from the footprint of the beam, as observed from the spacecraft, can provide density profiles of dominant neutral species in the E layer. A characteristic tether system, at altitude 300 km and moderate orbital inclination, would involve an aluminum tape with a length of 20 km, a width of 15 mm, and a thickness of 0.2 mm for a full-system mass around 1200 kg, with two thirds going into the power subsystem

Active Q-switched Fiber Lasers with Single and Dualwavelength Operation

A brief explanation on Q-switched fiber laser operating principle for active technique in terms of operation characteristics is presented. Experimental analysis of proposed pulsed fiber lasers by the active Q-switched technique is demonstrated. Experimental setups include the use of Er/Yb doped fiber as a gain medium and an acousto-optic modulator as cavity elements. Setup variations include the use of fiber Bragg gratings for wavelength selection and tuning and Sagnac interferometer for wavelength selection in single wavelength operation and for cavity loss adjustment in dual wavelength operation. The experimental analysis of principal characteristics of single-wavelength operation of the fiber laser and cavity loss adjustment method for dual-wavelength laser operation are discussed