Biomechanical responses to water fitness programmes: a narrative review

In the past years, there was an increasing interest in the biomechanical responses in water fitness sessions. The present review consolidates the current “state-of-art” on the biomechanical responses in water fitness programmes. The literature was searched and screened studies on: (i) healthy subjects; and (ii) water fitness sessions and programmes reporting physical condition outcomes. A total of 36 studies met the inclusion criteria and categorized into four categories: (i) kinematics (n = 5); (ii) ground reaction force (n = 10); (iii) neuromuscular (n = 8); and (iv) strength (n = 14). There was a larger amount of evidence on strength, whereas some gaps in the body of knowledge still persist in the remaining categories. The existent studies cover a large range of age brackets (from young adults to the elderly). Women were recruited more often than men to be part of the studies. The effect of music cadence, body segments, exercise type (e.g., alternated or simultaneous), water depth, resistance equipment, and training protocols were the main topics under research.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A Decade-Long Commitment to Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance in Portugal

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a worldwide problem with serious health and economic repercussions. Since the 1940s, underuse, overuse, and misuse of antibiotics have had a significant environmental downside. Large amounts of antibiotics not fully metabolized after use in human and veterinary medicine, and other applications, are annually released into the environment. The result has been the development and dissemination of antibiotic-resistant bacteria due to many years of selective pressure. Surveillance of AMR provides important information that helps in monitoring and understanding how resistance mechanisms develop and disseminate within different environments. Surveillance data is needed to inform clinical therapy decisions, to guide policy proposals, and to assess the impact of action plans to fight AMR. The Functional Genomics and Proteomics Unit, based at the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD) in Vila Real, Portugal, has recently completed 10 years of research surveying AMR in bacteria, mainly commensal indicator bacteria such as enterococci and Escherichia coli from the microbiota of different animals. Samples from more than 75 different sources have been accessed, from humans to food-producing animals, pets, and wild animals. The typical microbiological workflow involved phenotypic studies followed by molecular approaches. Throughout the decade, 4,017 samples were collected and over 5,000 bacterial isolates obtained. High levels of AMR to several antimicrobial classes have been reported, including to β-lactams, glycopeptides, tetracyclines, aminoglycosides, sulphonamides and quinolones. Multi-resistant strains, some relevant to human and veterinary medicine like extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing E. coli and vancomycin-resistant enterococci, have been repeatedly isolated even in non-synanthropic animal species. Of particular relevance are reports of AMR bacteria in wildlife from natural reserves and endangered species. Future work awaits as this threatening yet unsolved problem persists

Kinetic analysis of water fitness exercises: contributions for strength development

The evaluation of propulsive forces in water allows the selection of the most appropriate strategies to develop strength during water fitness sessions. The aim of this study was threefold: (i) to analyze the rate of force production; (ii) to analyze the rate of force variation; and (iii) to compare limbs’ symmetry in two water fitness exercises. Twenty‐two young health subjects (age: 21.23 ± 1.51 years old, body mass: 67.04 ± 9.31 kg, and height: 166.36 ± 8.01 cm) performed incremental protocols of horizontal adduction (HA) and rocking horse (RHadd), from 105 until 150 b∙min–1. Data acquisition required an isokinetic dynamometer and a differential pressure system that allowed the assessment of (a) isometric peak force of dominant upper limb (IsometricFD); (b) propulsive peak force of dominant upper limb (PropulsiveFD); and (c) propulsive peak force of nondominant upper limb (PropulsiveFND). Significant differences were found in the rate of force production (RateFD) between the majority cadences in both exercises. The RateFD reached ~68% of the force in dry‐land conditions, and lower cadences promoted a higher rate of force variation (ΔForce). Most actions were asymmetric, except for the HA at 135 b∙min–1. In conclusion, the musical cadence of 135 b∙min–1 seems to elicit a desired rate of force production with a symmetric motion in both exercises.This work was supported by national funding through the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P., under project UID/DTP/04045/2019info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Brain and liver mitochondria isolated from diabeticGoto-Kakizaki rats show different susceptibility to induced oxidative stress

Increased oxidative stress and changes in antioxidant capacity observed in both clinical and experimental diabetes mellitus have been implicated in the etiology of chronic diabetic complications. Many authors have shown that hyperglycemia leads to an increase in lipid peroxidation in diabetic patients and animals reflecting a rise in reactive oxygen species production. The aim of the study was to compare the susceptibility of mitochondria from brain and liver of Goto-Kakizaki (12-month-old diabetic) rats (GK rats), a model of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, to oxidative stress and antioxidant defenses.Brain and liver mitochondrial preparations were obtained by differential centrifugation. Oxidative damage injury was induced in vitro by the oxidant pair ADP/Fe2+ and the extent of membrane oxidation was assessed by oxygen consumption, malondialdehyde (MDA) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) formation. Coenzyme Q and alpha-tocopherol contents were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).Brain mitochondria isolated from 12-month-old control rats displayed a higher susceptibility to lipid peroxidation, as assessed by oxygen consumption and formation of MDA and TBARS, compared to liver mitochondria. In GK rats, mitochondria isolated from brain were more susceptible to invitro oxidative damage than brain mitochondria from normal rats. In contrast, liver mitochondria from diabetic rats were less susceptible to oxidative damage than mitochondria from normal rats. This decreased susceptibility was inversely related to their alpha-tocopherol and coenzyme Q (CoQ) content.The present results indicate that the diabetic state can result in an elevation of both alpha-tocopherol and CoQ content in liver, which may be involved in the elimination of mitochondrially generated reactive oxygen species. The difference in the antioxidant defense mechanisms in the brain and liver mitochondrial preparations of moderately hyperglycemic diabetic GK rats may correspond to a different adaptive response of the cells to the increased oxidative damage in diabetes. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Modelling the 200 m front-crawl performance predictors at the winter season peak

This study aimed to identify potential predictors of 200 m front crawl performance at the winter season peak based on the anthropometric, physiological and biomechanical domains. Twelve expert male swimmers completed an incremental 7 × 200 m step test immediately after their most important winter competitions. Measurements were made of: (i) height, body mass and arm span as anthropometrical parameters; (ii) velocity at a 4 mmol·L-1 lactate concentration (V4), maximal oxygen uptake (VO2máx) and energy cost (C), as physiological parameters; (iii) stroke frequency (SF), stroke length (SL), stroke index (SI) and propelling efficiency (ƞp) as biomechanical indicators; and (iv) 200 m front crawl race time in official long course competitions. Spearman correlation coefficients identified V4 as the single factor having significant relationship with performance. Simple regression analysis determined V4, SI and arm span as the most relevant variables of each group. Multiple linear regression models showed that physiological factors explained better (59%) the variation in performance at this stage of the season, followed by the biomechanical (14%) ones. Therefore, V4 can be one important aspect for training control and diagnosis for those who want to achieve success in the 200 m front crawl at the winter season peakThis research was funded by the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation, under the project UID04045/2020info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Inter-limb symmetry at simultaneous and alternated arms flexion by the elbow during water fitness sessions

The aim was to compare the inter-limb symmetry between alternated and simultaneous arms flexion during water fitness sessions. Twenty-three elderly women were recruited to perform flexion by the elbow with di erent mechanical strategies: (a) simultaneous and (b) alternated. An incremental protocol was used, with four music cadences, starting at 105 beats per minute up to 150. The peak force of dominant and non-dominant upper-limbs was retrieved. A symmetry index (SI, %) was also used to quantify coordination. There were significant variations in force produced by the dominant and non-dominant limbs in most of the cadences in the alternated or simultaneous actions. Differences with a medium e ect between upper-limbs were shown when moving simultaneously indicating that an alternated movement can be a more proper strategy to work with. Despite that, both strategies seemed to be characterized by an asymmetric pattern (SI from 20 to 30%), requiring full attention from water fitness practitioners.This research was supported by the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation under the project UID04045/2020.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Is there any effect of symmetry on velocity of the four swimming strokes?

The different characteristics of the four swimming strokes affect the interplay between the four limbs, acting as a constraint to the force produced by each hand and foot. The purpose of this study was to analyze the symmetry of force production with a varying number of limbs in action and see its effect on velocity. Fifteen male swimmers performed four all-out bouts of 25-m swims in the four strokes in full-body stroke and segmental actions. A differential pressure system was used to measure the hands/feet propulsive force and a mechanical velocity meter was used to measure swimming velocity. Symmetry index was calculated based on the force values. All strokes and conditions presented contralateral limb asymmetries (ranging from 6.73% to 28% for the peak force and from 9.3% to 35.7% for the mean force). Backstroke was the most asymmetric stroke, followed-up by butterfly, front crawl, and breaststroke. Kicking conditions elicited the higher asymmetries compared with arm-pull conditions. No significant associations were found between asymmetries and velocity. The absence of such association suggests that, to a certain and unknown extent, swimming may benefit from contralateral limb asymmetryFunding: This research was funded by FCT—Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology through the project UID04045/2020 and the grant SFRH/142009/2018info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Active aroma compounds assessment of processed and non-processed micro- and macroalgae by solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry targeting seafood analogs

The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/ fsufs.2022.1011020/full#supplementary-materialThe odor of four algae was investigated and compared to evaluate the potential of these algae to mimic shrimp aroma. Solid-phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography analysis coupled with sensory analysis was used for performance assessment. The volatile organic compounds were determined in non-processed, raw samples (r), and processed cooked (c) and cooking water (w) samples for two microalgae [Nannochoropsis oceanica (NO) and Tetraselmis chuii (TC)], two macroalgae [Ulva rígida (UR) and Saccharina latíssima (SL)], and shrimp Vannamei cong (SH). The results showed significant differences in the composition of volatile compounds between macroalgae and microalgae. The key odorants in macroalgae were octanal, 2-octenal, nonanal, and β-ionone, and in microalgae were 1,5-octadien-3-ol, hexanal, 2,4-decadienal, 2-octenal, octanal, nonanal, 3,5-octadien-2-one, and terpenes. The PCA analysis of GC-MS data showed odor similarities between the studied samples, which were divided into five main groups: (1) TC(c) and TC(w); (2) TC(r) and NO(c); (3) NO(r), NO(w), and SL(w); (4) SL(c), UR(r), UR(c), and UR(w); and (5) SL(r). The data from the sensory analysis show bigger similarities between the macroalgae and the shrimp odor. Overall, the data provided indicate that the cooking water and cooked samples are very similar in key components of odorants. These features allow the possibility to use algae and their processed resulting products as a shrimp flavor replacement in non-animal-based food formulations, thus decreasing the pressure on seafood crops and aquaculture-associated issues leading to more sustainable livestock. Furthermore, circularity and waste reduction may be further enabled by the use of otherwise wasted cooking water as an odorant agent.This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UIDB/04469/2020 unit and by LABBELS— Associate Laboratory in Biotechnology, Bioengineering and Microelectromechanical Systems, LA/P/0029/2020. This study was also funded by the ESIF—European Structural and Investment Funds under the scope of the projects ALGAVALOR—Microalgae integrated production and valorization of its various applications (ref. POCI-01-0247-FEDER-035234; LISBOA-01-0247-FEDER-035234; ALG-01-0247-FEDER-035234; through Portugal 2020), and BioEcoNorte project (ref. NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000070, through Portugal 2020 and Norte2020). CM is recipient of a Ph.D. scholarship supported by FCT (Ref. 2021.05734.BD).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The effect of a concept mapping Intervention on shared cognition and adaptive team performance over time

Research has demonstrated the value of team adaptation for organizational teams. However, empirical work on interventions that teams can take to increase adaptive team performance is scarce. In response, this study proposes a concept mapping intervention as a way to increase teams’ ability to adapt following a task change. Particularly, this study examines the effect of a concept mapping intervention on team transition adaptation (the drop in performance after a change) and reacquisition adaptation (the slope of performance after the change) via its effect on task mental models and transactive memory systems. We conducted a longitudinal experimental study of 44 three-person teams working on an emergency management simulation. Findings suggest that the concept mapping intervention promotes reacquisition adaptation, task mental models, and transactive memory systems. Results also suggest that task mental models mediate the effect of the concept mapping intervention on reacquisition adaptation. A post hoc analysis suggests that the concept mapping intervention is only effective if it leads to high task mental model accuracy. Our study presents concept mapping as a practical intervention to promote shared cognition and reacquisition adaptation.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - FCTinfo:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio