6,923 research outputs found
Effect of plyometric training on swimming block start performance in adolescents
This study aimed to identify the effect of plyometric training (PT), when added to habitual training (HT) regimes, on swim start performance. After the completion of a baseline competitive swim start, 22 adolescent swimmers were randomly assigned to either a PT (n = 11, age: 13.1 ± 1.4 yr, mass: 50.6 ± 12.3 kg, stature: 162.9 ± 11.9 cm) or an HT group (n = 11, age: 12.6 ± 1.9 yr, mass: 43.3 ± 11.6 kg, stature: 157.6 ± 11.9 cm). Over an 8-week preseason period, the HT group continued with their normal training program, whereas the PT group added 2 additional 1-hour plyometric-specific sessions, incorporating prescribed exercises relating to the swimming block start (SBS). After completion of the training intervention, post-training swim start performance was reassessed. For both baseline and post-trials, swim performance was recorded using videography (50Hz Canon MVX460) in the sagital plane of motion. Through the use of Silicon Coach Pro analysis package, data revealed significantly greater change between baseline and post-trials for PT when compared with the HT group for swim performance time to 5.5 m (−0.59 s vs. −0.21 s; p < 0.01) and velocity of take-off to contact (0.19 ms−1 vs. −0.07 ms−1; p < 0.01). Considering the practical importance of a successful swim start to overall performance outcome, the current study has found that inclusion of suitable and safely implemented PT to adolescent performers, in addition to HT routines, can have a positive impact on swim start performance
Tissue factor in cardiovascular disease pathophysiology and pharmacological intervention
Tissue factor (TF) is the major trigger of the coagulation cascade and thereby crucially involved in the maintenance of vascular hemostasis. By binding factor VIIa, the resulting TF:VIIa complex activates the coagulation factors IX and X ultimately leading to fibrin and clot formation. In the vessel wall, TF expression and activity is detectable in vascular smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts and, at a much lower level, in endothelial cells and can be induced by various stimuli including cytokines. In addition, TF is found in the bloodstream in circulating cells such as monocytes, in TF containing microparticles, and as a soluble splicing isoform. Besides its well-known extracellular role as a trigger of coagulation, TF also functions as a transmembrane receptor, and TF-dependent intracellular signaling events regulate the expression of genes involved in cellular responses such as proliferation and migration. TF indeed appears to be involved in the pathogenesis of neointima formation and tumor growth, and increased levels of TF have been detected in patients with cardiovascular risk factors or coronary artery disease as well as in those with cancer. Therefore, pharmacological or genetic inhibition of TF may be an attractive target for the treatment of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Different strategies for inhibition of TF have been developed such as inhibition of TF synthesis and blockade of TF action. Clinical applications of such strategies need to be tested in appropriate trials, in particular for evaluating the advantages of targeted versus systemic delivery of the inhibitors
Endothelial Regulation of Vascular Tone and Growth
The endothelium regulates vascular tone by releasing factors involved in relaxation and contraction, in coagulation and thrombus formation, and in growth inhibition and stimulation. Endothelium-dependent relaxations are elicited by transmitters, hormones, platelet substances, and the coagulation system, and by physical stimuli such as the shear stress from circulating blood. They are mediated by the endothelium-derived relaxing factor, recently identified as nitric oxide, which causes vasodilation and platelet deactivation. Other proposed endothelium- derived relaxing factors include a hyperpolarizing factor, lipooxygenase products, and the cytochrome P450 pathway. Endothelium-derived contracting factors are produced by the cyclooxygenase pathway and by endothelial cells, which produce the peptide endothelin-1, a potent vasoconstrictor that under normal conditions circulates at low levels. The endothelium produces both growth inhibitors— normally dominant—and growth stimuli. Denuded or dysfunctional endothelium leads to a proliferative response and intimal hyperplasia in the vessel wall; moreover, platelets adhere to the site and release potent growth factors. Endothelial dysfunction has numerous causes: Aging is associated with increased formation of contracting factor and decreased relaxing factor; denudation, such as by coronary angioplasty, impairs the capacities of regenerated endothelial cells; oxidized low-density lipoproteins and hypercholesterolemia interfere with nitric oxide production; hypertension morphologically and functionally alters the endothelium; and atherosclerosis markedly attenuates some endothelium- dependent relaxations. For patients with coronary bypass grafts, differences in endotheliumderived vasoactive factors between the internal mammary artery and the saphenous vein may be important determinants of graft function, with the mammary artery having more pronounced relaxations than the saphenous vein and thus a higher patency rate. Am J Hypertens 1993;6:283S-293
Bulk Fermi surface and electronic properties of CuBiSe
The electronic properties of CuBiSe have been
investigated using Shubnikov-de Haas and optical reflectance measurements.
Quantum oscillations reveal a bulk, three-dimensional Fermi surface with
anisotropy 2 and a modest increase in
free-carrier concentration and in scattering rate with respect to the undoped
BiSe, also confirmed by reflectivity data. The effective mass is
almost identical to that of BiSe. Optical conductivity reveals a
strong enhancement of the bound impurity bands with Cu addition, suggesting
that a significant number of Cu atoms enter the interstitial sites between Bi
and Se layers or may even substitute for Bi. This conclusion is also supported
by X-ray diffraction measurements, where a significant increase of microstrain
was found in CuBiSe, compared to BiSe.Comment: Accepted to Phys. Rev B (R
Unusual Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations in BiTeCl
We report measurements of Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) oscillations in single
crystals of BiTeCl at magnetic fields up to 31 T and at temperatures as low as
0.4 K. Two oscillation frequencies were resolved at the lowest temperatures,
Tesla and Tesla. We also measured the
infrared optical reflectance and Hall effect; we
propose that the two frequencies correspond respectively to the inner and outer
Fermi sheets of the Rashba spin-split bulk conduction band. The bulk carrier
concentration was cm and the effective
masses for the inner and for the
outer sheet. Surprisingly, despite its low effective mass, we found that the
amplitude of is very rapidly suppressed with increasing temperature,
being almost undetectable above K
Collisions of low-energy electrons with isopropanol
We report measured and calculated cross sections for elastic scattering of low-energy electrons by isopropanol (propan-2-ol). The experimental data were obtained using the relative flow technique with helium as the standard gas and a thin aperture as the collimating target gas source, which permits use of this method without the restrictions imposed by the relative flow pressure conditions on helium and the unknown gas. The differential cross sections were measured at energies of 1.5, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 15, 20, and 30 eV and for scattering angles from 10∘ to 130∘. The cross sections were computed over the same energy range employing the Schwinger multichannel method in the static-exchange plus polarization approximation. Agreement between theory and experiment is very good. The present data are compared with previously calculated and measured results for n-propanol, the other isomer of C_3H_7OH. Although the integral and momentum transfer cross sections for the isomers are very similar, the differential cross sections show a strong isomeric effect: In contrast to the f-wave behavior seen in scattering by n-propanol, d-wave behavior is observed in the cross sections of isopropanol. These results corroborate our previous observations in electron collisions with isomers of C_4H_9OH
The classical dynamics of two-electron atoms near the triple collision
The classical dynamics of two electrons in the Coulomb potential of an
attractive nucleus is chaotic in large parts of the high-dimensional phase
space. Quantum spectra of two-electron atoms, however, exhibit structures which
clearly hint at the existence of approximate symmetries in this system. In a
recent paper,(Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 054302 (2004)), we presented a study of the
dynamics near the triple collision as a first step towards uncovering the
hidden regularity in the classical dynamics of two electron atoms. The
non-regularisable triple collision singularity is a main source of chaos in
three body Coulomb problems. Here, we will give a more detailed account of our
findings based on a study of the global structure of the stable and unstable
manifolds of the triple collision.Comment: 21 pages, 17 figure
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