Effects of a Four-Week Stand Up Paddleboard Program on Static Balance in College Students

Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP) is a new sport that requires balancing on a 12-14 foot board while paddling in a river, lake, or pond. SUP involves a great amount of balance in order to stay upright on the board and in the proper position to paddle. Previous research has suggested that SUP may enhance balance, but a training study has not yet been conducted. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the training effects of SUP on static balance in college-age individuals. Twenty-four college students were assessed for static balance using both a force plate and a HUMAC balance board. Tests were done on dominant single-leg static balance with eyes open for 30 seconds, eyes closed for 10 seconds, and two-legged on a bosu ball for 30 seconds. Participants were matched for both gender and height, and then divided into two groups of twelve. The participants in the experimental group met three times per week for a four-week period to paddleboard in the Dow pool at Hope College. Paddleboard training occurred for 15-20 minutes each session, for a total of twelve sessions over the four-week period. The control group maintained habitual activity. It was hypothesized that the experimental group would experience improvements in static balance over the control group. Significant results would allow SUP to be recommended as an effective mode for improving balance in this population. This study is ongoing, and results will be available during the poster celebration

Space-qualified laser system for the BepiColombo Laser Altimeter

The space-qualified design of a miniaturized laser for pulsed operation at a wavelength of 1064 nm and at repetition rates up to 10 Hz is presented. This laser consists of a pair of diode-laser pumped, actively q-switched Nd:YAG rod oscillators hermetically sealed and encapsulated in an environment of dry synthetic air. The system delivers at least 300 million laser pulses with 50 mJ energy and 5 ns pulse width (FWHM). It will be launched in 2017 aboard European Space Agency’s Mercury Planetary Orbiter as part of the BepiColombo Laser Altimeter, which, after a 6-years cruise, will start recording topographic data from orbital altitudes between 400 and 1500 km above Mercury’s surface

In-Orbit Performance of the GRACE Follow-on Laser Ranging Interferometer

The Laser Ranging Interferometer (LRI) instrument on the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) Follow-On mission has provided the first laser interferometric range measurements between remote spacecraft, separated by approximately 220 km. Autonomous controls that lock the laser frequency to a cavity reference and establish the 5 degrees of freedom two-way laser link between remote spacecraft succeeded on the first attempt. Active beam pointing based on differential wave front sensing compensates spacecraft attitude fluctuations. The LRI has operated continuously without breaks in phase tracking for more than 50 days, and has shown biased range measurements similar to the primary ranging instrument based on microwaves, but with much less noise at a level of 1 nm/Hz at Fourier frequencies above 100 mHz. © 2019 authors. Published by the American Physical Society

Reliable in vitro measurement of nitric oxide released from endothelial cells using low concentrations of the fluorescent probe 4,5-diaminofluorescein

Abstract4,5-Diaminofluorescein (DAF-2) and its membrane-permeable derivate DAF-2 diacetate are fluorescent probes that have been developed to perform real-time biological detection of nitric oxide (NO). Their use for intracellular imaging, however, has recently been seriously questioned and data using DAF-2 for extracellular NO detection at low levels, as for example released from endothelial cells, are rare. Here we show that a reliable detection of low levels of NO in biological systems by DAF-2 is possible (a) by using low DAF-2 concentrations (0.1 μM) and (b) by subtracting the DAF-2 auto-fluorescence from the measured total fluorescence. The described method allows easy real-time detection of endothelial NO formation

The soy isoflavone genistein induces a late but sustained activation of the endothelial nitric oxide-synthase system in vitro

1. Cardiovascular diseases are known as the major causes of death or disability in western countries. Decreased bioavailability of endothelial derived nitric oxide (NO) is recognized as an important promoter in cardiovascular disease. 2. In vivo studies suggest that phytoestrogens, especially isoflavones from soy, enhance endothelium-dependent vasoreactivity. 3. We hypothesized that isoflavones may affect the expression of endothelial-type nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and thereby NO formation in vitro. 4. Human EA.hy926 endothelial cells were treated with the soybean isoflavones biochanin A and formononetin and with their metabolites genistein and daidzein. eNOS promoter activity was examined by a luciferase reporter gene assay (20 h). Active eNOS was detected by quantifying conversion of L-arginine to L-citrulline and by measuring NO released from endothelial cells using the fluorescent probe DAF-2 (20–96 h). 5. eNOS promoter activity increased in response to isoflavone treatment (20 h). NO and L-citrulline production by EA.hy926 cells rose up to 1.7-fold of control levels after stimulation with genistein for 48–96 h. From these results, we conclude that the suggested positive effects of soy isoflavones on vascular reactivity may be indeed mediated via a long-term effect on the eNOS system

The BepiColombo Laser Altimeter

The BepiColombo Laser Altimeter (BELA) is the first European laser altimeter constructed for interplanetary flight. BELA uses a 50 mJ pulsed Nd:YAG laser operating at 10 Hz with a 20 cm aperture receiver to perform the ranging. The instrument also uses a digital approach for range detection and pulse analysis. The ranging accuracy is expected to be better than 2 metres and ∼20 cm in optimum conditions. With the given, only slightly elliptical, orbit, BELA should return a consistent data set for the most if not all of the planet. The instrument is required to function in an extreme environment with the thermal issues being particularly demanding. Novel solutions have been taken to resolve these issues. BELA is described in detail and its predicted performance outlined on the basis of pre-flight testing