Global practitioner assessment and management of mental fatigue and mental recovery in high-performance sport : A need for evidence-based best-practice guidelines

Background Mental fatigue and mental recovery have gained scientific attention in relation to sporting performance, yet best practice assessment and management methods are lacking. A greater understanding of current knowledge and practices in high-performance sport are necessary. Objective To understand the contemporary knowledge, beliefs, monitoring processes, management strategies, perceived responsibility, sources of evidence, and challenges, when assessing the mental fatigue and mental recovery of athletes in high-performance sport. Methods A mixed-methods survey approach obtained information from 156 multi-disciplinary high-performance sport practitioners. Descriptive outputs were reported and potential differences between key concepts were detected using Wilcoxon-signed rank analysis. Thematic analysis interpreted open-text responses. Results Only 11.5% and 5.1% of respondents indicated they were “very” knowledgeable about mental fatigue and mental recovery, respectively. Knowledge (p < 0.001) and confidence in application (p = 0.001) were significantly greater for mental fatigue than mental recovery. Nearly all respondents perceived mental fatigue and mental recovery impacted training and competition performance, with a greater negative impact during competition (p < 0.001). A limited number of respondents reported deliberate assessment (31.1%) or management (51.2%) of mental fatigue and mental recovery. A combination of sources of evidence were used to inform practice, with common challenges to implementation including staff knowledge, athlete-buy in, time-availability, and a lack of evidence. Practitioners reported that assessing and managing mental fatigue and mental recovery was multi-disciplinary in nature. Conclusion Practitioners reported that mental fatigue and mental recovery did impact performance, yet this was not reflected in the implementation of evidence-based assessment and management practices in high-performance sport

The Spitzer Survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud: Discovery of Embedded Protostars in the HII Region NGC 346

We use Spitzer Space Telescope observations from the Spitzer Survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud (S3MC) to study the young stellar content of N66, the largest and brightest HII region in the SMC. In addition to large numbers of normal stars, we detect a significant population of bright, red infrared sources that we identify as likely to be young stellar objects (YSOs). We use spectral energy distribution (SED) fits to classify objects as ordinary (main sequence or red giant) stars, asymptotic giant branch stars, background galaxies, and YSOs. This represents the first large-scale attempt at blind source classification based on Spitzer SEDs in another galaxy. We firmly identify at least 61 YSOs, with another 50 probable YSOs; only one embedded protostar in the SMC was reported in the literature prior to the S3MC. We present color selection criteria that can be used to identify a relatively clean sample of YSOs with IRAC photometry. Our fitted SEDs indicate that the infrared-bright YSOs in N66 have stellar masses ranging from 2 Msun to 17 Msun, and that approximately half of the objects are Stage II protostars, with the remaining YSOs roughly evenly divided between Stage I and Stage III sources. We find evidence for primordial mass segregation in the HII region, with the most massive YSOs being preferentially closer to the center than lower-mass objects. Despite the low metallicity and dust content of the SMC, the observable properties of the YSOs appear consistent with those in the Milky Way. Although the YSOs are heavily concentrated within the optically bright central region of N66, there is ongoing star formation throughout the complex and we place a lower limit on the star formation rate of 3.2 x 10^-3 Msun/yr over the last ~1 Myr.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures (3 in color), 2 tables. Accepted for publication in Ap

The Chemical and Dynamical Evolution of Isolated Dwarf Galaxies

Using a suite of simulations (Governato et al. 2010) which successfully produce bulgeless (dwarf) disk galaxies, we provide an analysis of their associated cold interstellar media (ISM) and stellar chemical abundance patterns. A preliminary comparison with observations is undertaken, in order to assess whether the properties of the cold gas and chemistry of the stellar components are recovered successfully. To this end, we have extracted the radial and vertical gas density profiles, neutral hydrogen velocity dispersion, and the power spectrum of structure within the ISM. We complement this analysis of the cold gas with a brief examination of the simulations' metallicity distribution functions and the distribution of alpha-elements-to-iron.Comment: To appear in the proceedings of the JENAM 2010 Symposium "Dwarf Galaxies: Keys to Galaxy Formation and Evolution" (Lisbon, 9-10 September 2010), P. Papaderos, S. Recchi, G. Hensler (eds.), Springer Verlag (2011), in pres

Detection and analysis of new psittacine beak and feather disease virus (PBFDv) nucleotide sequences

ΔΕΝ ΥΠΑΡΧΕΙ ΠΕΡΙΛΗΨΗPsittacine beak and feather disease (PBFD) affects a large number of Psittaciformes species. In this study, five White Cockatoo parrots (Cacatua alba) with clinical signs of PBFD were examined. After euthanasia, a full necropsy of parrots was performed and organs with macroscopic changes were sampled for routine histopathological evaluation. To confirm the presence of psittacine beak and feather disease virus (PBFDv), feather samples were analyzed with the PCR method. Sequence analysis of the obtained PCR products indicated their close relationship (99%) to other PBFDv isolates. Six variable nucleotide sites were discovered, two missense and four silent mutations. This paper presents the evidence of new PBFDv sequence in Cockatoo species

Atención en un centro de parto según las recomendaciones de la Organización Mundial de la Salud

Centros de parto constituem modelo que\ud adota tecnologia apropriada na assistência\ud à parturiente. O objetivo foi caracterizar\ud a assistência intraparto em um centro de\ud parto extra-hospitalar quanto às práticas\ud recomendadas pela Organização Mundial\ud da Saúde (OMS). Estudo descritivo sobre\ud 1.079 partos assistidos de 2006 a 2009 na\ud Casa do Parto de Sapopemba, São Paulo,\ud Brasil. Os resultados mostraram ausculta\ud intermitente (média=7 controles); posição\ud materna no expulsivo semissentada\ud (82,3%), lateral (16,0%), outras (1,7%);\ud aceitação da dieta (95,6%); acompanhante\ud (93,3%); até três exames vaginais (85,4%);\ud banho de aspersão (84,0%), deambulação\ud (68,0%), massagem (60,1%), exercícios\ud com bola suíça (51,7%); amniotomia\ud (53,4%); ocitocina na dilatação (31,0%),\ud banho de imersão (29,3%), ocitocina no\ud expulsivo (25,8%) e episiotomia (14,1%).\ud Concluiu-se que os profissionais do centro\ud de parto utilizam práticas recomendadas\ud pela OMS, contudo existem práticas cujo\ud uso pode ser reduzido, tais como amniotomia,\ud administração de ocitocina, episiotomia\ud e posição semissentada no expulsivoBirth centers are maternal care models\ud that use appropriate technology when\ud providing care to birthing women. This\ud descriptive study aimed to characterize intrapartum\ud care in a freestanding birth center,\ud in light of the practices recommended\ud by the World Health Organization (WHO),\ud with 1,079 assisted births from 2006 to\ud 2009 in the Sapopemba Birth Center, São\ud Paulo, Brazil. Results included the use of\ud intermittent auscultation (mean=7 controls);\ud maternal positions during delivery:\ud semi-sitting (82.3%), side-lying (16.0%),\ud other positions (1.7%), oral intake (95.6%);\ud companionship (93.3%); exposure to up\ud to three vaginal examinations (85.4%),\ud shower bathing (84.0%), walking (68.0%),\ud massage (60.1%), exercising with a Swiss\ud ball (51.7%); amniotomy (53.4%), oxytocin\ud use during the first (31.0%) and second\ud stages of labor (25.8%), bath immersion\ud (29.3%) and episiotomy (14.1%). In this\ud birth center, care providers used practices\ud recommended by the WHO, although\ud some practices might have been applied\ud less frequentlyCentros de parto constituyen un modelo\ud que adopta la tecnología apropiada en la\ud atención a la parturienta. El objetivo fue caracterizar\ud la atención intraparto en un centro\ud de parto extra-hospitalario en relación a las\ud prácticas recomendadas por la Organización\ud Mundial de la Salud (OMS). Estudio descriptivo\ud sobre 1.079 partos atendidos del 2006 al\ud 2009 en la Casa de Parto de Sapopemba, São\ud Paulo, Brasil. Los resultados mostraron: auscultación\ud intermitente (media=7 controles);\ud posición materna en el expulsivo - semisentada\ud (82,3%), lateral (16,0%), otras (1,7%);\ud aceptación de dieta (95,6%); acompañante\ud (93,3%); hasta tres exámenes vaginales\ud (85,4%); baño en ducha (84,0%), deambulación\ud (68,0%), masaje (60,1%), ejercicios con\ud pelota suiza (51,7%); amniotomía (53,4%);\ud oxitocina durante la dilatación (31,0%), baño\ud de inmersión (29,3%), oxitocina durante el\ud expulsivo (25,8%) y episiotomía (14,1%). Se\ud concluyó que los profesionales del centro de\ud parto utilizan prácticas recomendadas por\ud la OMS, pero existen algunas prácticas cuyo\ud uso puede reducirse, tales como la amniotomía,\ud administración de oxitocina, episiotomía\ud y posición semisentada en el período\ud expulsivoCNPqPIBIC 115521/2008-

Multi-wavelength analysis of the dust emission in the Small Magellanic Cloud

We present an analysis of dust grain emission in the diffuse interstellar medium of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). This study is motivated by the availability of 170 microns ISOPHOT data covering a large part of the SMC, with a resolution enabling to disentangle the diffuse medium from the star forming regions. After data reduction and subtraction of Galactic foreground emission, we used the ISOPHOT data together with HiRes IRAS data and ATCA/Parkes combined HI column density maps to determine dust properties for the diffuse medium. We found a far infrared emissivity per hydrogen atom 30 times lower than the Solar Neighborhood value. The modeling of the spectral energy distribution of the dust, taking into account the enhanced interstellar radiation field, gives a similar conclusion for the smallest grains (PAHs and very small grains) emitting at shorter wavelength. Assuming Galactic dust composition in the SMC, this result implies a difference in the gas-to-dust ratio (GDR) 3 times larger than the difference in metallicity. This low depletion of heavy elements in dust could be specific of the diffuse ISM and not apply for the whole SMC dust if it results from efficient destruction of dust by supernovae explosions.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

Discovery of a new Transient X-ray Pulsar in the Small Magellanic Cloud

Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer observations of the Small Magellanic Cloud have revealed a previously unknown transient X-ray pulsar with a pulse period of 95s. Provisionally designated XTE SMC95, the pulsar was detected in three Proportional Counter Array observations during an outburst spanning 4 weeks in March/April 1999. The pulse profile is double peaked reaching a pulse fraction \~0.8. The source is proposed as a Be/neutron star system on the basis of its pulsations, transient nature and characteristically hard X-ray spectrum. The 2-10 keV X-ray luminosity implied by our observations is > 2x10^37 erg/s which is consistent with that of normal outbursts seen in Galactic systems. This discovery adds to the emerging picture of the SMC as containing an extremely dense population of transient high mass X-ray binaries.Comment: Accepted by A&A. 7 pages, 6 figure

Australia Telescope Compact Array Radio Continuum 1384 and 2368 Mhz Observations of Sagittarius B

We present images of the Sagittarius (Sgr) B giant molecular cloud at 2368 and 1384 MHz obtained using new, multi-configuration Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) observations. We have combined these observations with archival single-dish observations yielding images at resolutions of 47" by 14" and 27" by 8" at 1384 and 2368 MHz respectively. These observations were motivated by our theoretical work (Protheroe et al. 2008) indicating the possibility that synchrotron emission from secondary electrons and positrons created in hadronic cosmic ray (CR) collisions with the ambient matter of the Sgr B2 cloud could provide a detectable (and possibly linearly polarized) non-thermal radio signal. We find that the only detectable non-thermal emission from the Sgr B region is from a strong source to the south of Sgr B2, which we label Sgr B2 Southern Complex (SC). We find Sgr B2(SC) integrated flux densities of 1.2+/-0.2 Jy at 1384 MHz and 0.7+/-0.1 Jy at 2368 MHz for a source of FWHM size at 1384 MHz of ~54". Despite its non-thermal nature, the synchrotron emission from this source is unlikely to be dominantly due to secondary electrons and positrons. We use polarization data to place 5-sigma upper limits on the level of polarized intensity from the Sgr B2 cloud of 3.5 and 3 mJy/beam at 1384 and 2368 MHz respectively. We also use the angular distribution of the total intensity of archival 330 MHz VLA and the total intensity and polarized emission of our new 1384 MHz and 2368 MHz data to constrain the diffusion coefficient for transport of the parent hadronic CRs into the dense core of Sgr B2 to be no larger than about 1% of that in the Galactic disk. Finally, we have also used the data to perform a spectral and morphological study of the features of the Sgr B cloud and compare and contrast these to previous studies.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, matches version published in the Astronomical Journa