The impact of some morphological and motor characteristics in short distance running

The knowledge of morphological development and their impact on motor skills in short-distance athletes should be one of the main concerns of athletics coaches, because any scientific research in the field of physical culture and sports is about proving the development and evaluation of anthropological characteristics which are responsible for achieving success in athletics. The purpose of this paper is to confirm the impact of some anthropometric characteristics in the execution of running speeds on short distances, specifically in running at 100, 200 and 400 meters to students aged 18 ± 6 years of the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports in Prishtina. The sample of this research has included a total of 60 students aged 18 years of the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports in Prishtina. The measurements were executed during September in the hall of the Faculty, while the 100, 200, and 400 meter runs in the stadium "Fadil Vokrri" Prishtina. The only condition that was used during the determination of the sample was: that the students are involved in regular physical education classes (and on the day of the measurement be healthy, without the flu, cold or other symptoms). The variables which are applied in this research have been 8 anthropometric variables and 3 motor-specific variables. The results obtained after their processing indicate that the impact of anthropometric variables is higher in running at 100, 200 and 400 meters. Short distance running and long distance running reduces the impact of anthropometric parameters whereas the influence of metabolic factors of energy production is increased.  These results were also confirmed using regression analysis, so that groups of predictors of anthropometric characteristics, specific motor skills that statistically significantly influenced each variable of individual criteria. The world records below the 10-second limit, in the 100 m, near the 9-meter limit, show not only the high level of sports, but also the strong impact on the growth, especially of strength indicators, speed-strength, explosive force, as main and applied motor skills in sports and athlete’s everyday life

Laser-Induced, Green and Biocompatible Paper-Based Devices for Circular Electronics

The growing usage and consumption of electronics-integrated items into the daily routine has raised concerns on the disposal and proper recycling of these components. Here, a fully sustainable and green technology for the fabrication of different electronics on fruit-waste derived paper substrate, is reported. The process relies on the carbonization of the topmost surface of different cellulose-based substrates, derived from apple-, kiwi-, and grape-based processes, by a CO2 laser. By optimizing the lasing parameters, electronic devices, such as capacitors, biosensors, and electrodes for food monitoring as well as heart and respiration activity analysis, are realized. Biocompatibility tests on fruit-based cellulose reveal no shortcoming for on-skin applications. The employment of such natural and plastic-free substrate allows twofold strategies for electronics recycling. As a first approach, device dissolution is achieved at room temperature within 40 days, revealing transient behavior in natural solution and leaving no harmful residuals. Alternatively, the cellulose-based electronics is reintroduced in nature, as possible support for plant seeding and growth or even soil amendment. These results demonstrate the realization of green, low-cost and circular electronics, with possible applications in smart agriculture and the Internet-of-Thing, with no waste creation and zero or even positive impact on the ecosystem

Status and Trends of Physical Activity Surveillance, Policy, and Research in 164 Countries: Findings From the Global Observatory for Physical Activity—GoPA! 2015 and 2020 Surveys

Background: Physical activity (PA) surveillance, policy, and research efforts need to be periodically appraised to gain insight into national and global capacities for PA promotion. The aim of this paper was to assess the status and trends in PA surveillance, policy, and research in 164 countries. Methods: We used data from the Global Observatory for Physical Activity (GoPA!) 2015 and 2020 surveys. Comprehensive searches were performed for each country to determine the level of development of their PA surveillance, policy, and research, and the findings were verified by the GoPA! Country Contacts. Trends were analyzed based on the data available for both survey years. Results: The global 5-year progress in all 3 indicators was modest, with most countries either improving or staying at the same level. PA surveillance, policy, and research improved or remained at a high level in 48.1%, 40.6%, and 42.1% of the countries, respectively. PA surveillance, policy, and research scores decreased or remained at a low level in 8.3%, 15.8%, and 28.6% of the countries, respectively. The highest capacity for PA promotion was found in Europe, the lowest in Africa and low- and lower-middle-income countries. Although a large percentage of the world’s population benefit from at least some PA policy, surveillance, and research efforts in their countries, 49.6 million people are without PA surveillance, 629.4 million people are without PA policy, and 108.7 million live in countries without any PA research output. A total of 6.3 billion people or 88.2% of the world’s population live in countries where PA promotion capacity should be significantly improved. Conclusion: Despite PA is essential for health, there are large inequalities between countries and world regions in their capacity to promote PA. Coordinated efforts are needed to reduce the inequalities and improve the global capacity for PA promotion

Flexible screen-printed nitrate sensors with Cu nanoclusters: A comparative analysis on the effect of carbon nanotubes

In this work, we present a novel flexible amperometric sensor for nitrate detection, based on a silver (Ag) working electrode modified with single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and copper (Cu). A simple and low-cost fabrication technique combining printing and electrochemical deposition was used: After spray deposition of SWCNTs on the screen-printed Ag working electrode, Cu was electrodeposited. The electrochemical performance of our sensors was analyzed and compared to reference sensors fabricated without SWCNTs (Cu/Ag), proving the capability of SWCNTs to improve the sensitivity and the performance of the sensors thanks to the increased electroactive surface area. In fact, the Cu/SWCNTs/Ag sensors showed higher catalytic activity towards the electro-reduction of nitrate (sensitivity: 18.19 μA/mM), as well as a lower limit of detection (LOD: 0.281 nM) in comparison to the Cu/Ag sensors (sensitivity: 12.19 μA/mM and LOD: 0.381 nM). Full sensor functionality after repetitive mechanical bending to 5 mm radius was also proven

Flexible Screen-Printed Electrochemical Sensors Functionalized with Electrodeposited Copper for Nitrate Detection in Water

Nitrate (NO3-) contamination is becoming a major concern due to the negative effects of an excessive NO3- presence in water which can have detrimental effects on human health. Sensitive, real-time, low-cost, and portable measurement systems able to detect extremely low concentrations of NO3- in water are thus becoming extremely important. In this work, we present a novel method to realize a low-cost and easy to fabricate amperometric sensor capable of detecting small concentrations of NO3- in real water samples. The novel fabrication technique combines printing of a silver (Ag) working electrode with subsequent modification of the electrode with electrodeposited copper (Cu) nanoclusters. The process was tuned in order to reach optimized sensor response, with a high catalytic activity toward electroreduction of NO3- (sensitivity: 19.578 μA/mM), as well as a low limit of detection (LOD: 0.207 nM or 0.012 μg/L) and a good dynamic linear concentration range (0.05 to 5 mM or 31 to 310 mg/L). The sensors were tested against possible interference analytes (NO2-, Cl-, SO42-, HCO3-, CH3COO-, Fe2+, Fe3+, Mn2+, Na+, and Cu2+) yielding only negligible effects [maximum standard deviation (SD) was 3.9 μA]. The proposed sensors were also used to detect NO3- in real samples, including tap and river water, through the standard addition method, and the results were compared with the outcomes of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Temperature stability (maximum SD 3.09 μA), stability over time (maximum SD 3.69 μA), reproducibility (maximum SD 3.20 μA), and repeatability (maximum two-time useable) of this sensor were also investigated

Lipidomics comparing DCD and DBD liver allografts uncovers lysophospholipids elevated in recipients undergoing early allograft dysfunction

Finding specific biomarkers of liver damage in clinical evaluations could increase the pool of available organs for transplantation. Lipids are key regulators in cell necrosis and hence this study hypothesised that lipid levels could be altered in organs suffering severe ischemia. Matched pre- and post-transplant biopsies from donation after circulatory death (DCD, n = 36, mean warm ischemia time = 21min) and donation after brain death (DBD, n = 76, warm ischemia time = none) were collected. Lipidomic discovery and multivariate analysis (MVA) were applied. Afterwards, univariate analysis and clinical associations were conducted for selected lipids differentiating between these two groups. MVA grouped DCD vs. DBD (p = 6.20 × 10(−12)) and 12 phospholipids were selected for intact lipid measurements. Two lysophosphatidylcholines, LysoPC (16:0) and LysoPC (18:0), showed higher levels in DCD at pre-transplantation (q < 0.01). Lysophosphatidylcholines were associated with aspartate aminotransferase (AST) 14-day post-transplantation (q < 0.05) and were more abundant in recipients undergoing early allograft dysfunction (EAD) (p < 0.05). A receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) curve combining both lipid levels predicted EAD with 82% accuracy. These findings suggest that LysoPC (16:0) and LysoPC (18:0) might have a role in signalling liver tissue damage due to warm ischemia before transplantation

Novel gate electrode design for flexible planar electrolyte-gated field-effect transistor-based sensors for real-time ammonium detection

In this work, the comparison between two different gate electrode layouts (square-shaped and U-shaped, designed with the same area) for flexible and planar electrolyte-gated field-effect transistor-based sensors for ammonium detection is reported. Spray-deposited semiconducting carbon nanotubes were employed as active material, while the functionalization was achieved by means of an ion-selective membrane, based on the nonactin ionophore. The devices fabricated with the two designs were compared in terms of the response towards different concentrations of ammonium. Both showed excellent linear detection for ammonium in the physiological range of interest from 0.1 to 10 mM. The devices with the square-shaped gate achieved average sensitivity of 1.270 mu A/decade (relative standard deviation 70.55%), while the devices with the novel U-shaped gate showed an improved sensitivity of 2.669 mu A/decade (relative standard deviation 31.46%)

Method for instability compensation and detection of ammonium in sweat via conformal electrolyte-gated field-effect transistors

The research interest towards wearable sensing devices has rapidly increased in recent years, due to the importance that personalized healthcare monitoring has gained in our everyday life. In this context, electrolyte gated field-effect transistors (EG-FETs) for sensing applications are receiving increasing attention, owing to their intrinsic signal amplification and low operating voltages. Here, we report carbon nanotube EG-FETs (EG-CNTFET)-based sensors, functionalized with a nonactin-based ion-selective membrane for operation in an aqueous environment. In particular, we show a facile data analysis protocol to obtain a highly stable baseline response (i.e., 60 min) required for sensing applications. We successfully employ our EG-CNTFET-based sensors for the detection of ammonium (NH+4) in water, as well as in complex artificial sweat medium. Furthermore, we show how conditioning the membranes in artificial sweat significantly reduces the variability of the sensors. We achieve sensitivity as high as 1.797 &amp; mu;A/decade, with the linear range of the sensors entirely covering the physiological concentrations of NH+4 in sweat. We also show how increasing the nonactin concentration (from 0.2 to 1% wt) improves the sensors' sensitivity by a factor of 2

Teatri i Apollonisë

Lahi Bashkim, Fiedler Manuel, Lulgjuraj A., Shkodra-Rrugia Brikena, Shehi Eduard, Döhner G., Sído K., Velo K., Grunwald M., Pánzcél S., Streblow W. Teatri i Apollonisë. In: Iliria, vol. 36, 2012. pp. 409-414