On the generation of ocean wind waves as inferred from airborne radar measurements of fetch-limited spectra

A section of sea surface that had been subjected to a constant offshore wind was profiled by using an airborne radar-wave profiler. The profiles extended seaward from the coast for a distance of 350 km . From these data, estimates of the spectrum of encounter of the sea surface were obtained for different fetch lengths...

KINETIC AND KINEMATIC CHARACTERISTICS OF IMPACTS FROM VARIOUS HEIGHTS EXPERIENCED BY CHILDREN

In 1977, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission reported treatment of93,000 children in emergency rooms for injuries sustained on playgrounds. By 1986, the number had risen to over 200,000 and 70 percent ofthese cases were falls from equipment onto various play surfaces (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 1986). In addition to free play activities, today's youth are also experiencing acute injuries from single impact trauma during organized sports (Micheli, 1986)

A Description of Stroke Dynamics in 100 Meter Wheelchair Racing

Since wheelchair racing was introduced in the United States over thirty years ago, wheelchair sports have been experiencing a growing popularity. An ever increasing number of national, and international competitions are being held for the disabled athlete; and record times in racing events are being set on an almost routine basis. Much interest by coaches, athletes, and researchers exists in identifying optimal performance factors in wheelchair propulsion, Three major areas of interest relating to performance have been the topics of recent research, symposia, and conferenees. These include the following: (1) designing effective training programs; (2) improving chair design; and (3) optimizing technique. Elite disabled athletes are being profiled by researchers from both physiological and biomechanical perspectives. All wheelchair users stand to benefit from wheelchair sports and research. Where many everyday chair users once were in a heavy, awkward «hospital-type» chair that fitted no one and certainly wasn't designed for sports use, now light weight, easily maneuverable chairs are in use. As equipment is improved and propulsion techniques become more efficient, all chair users can benefit from such knowledge. The United States Olympic Committee sponsored their first Sports Medieine and Sports Science Conference for the Disabled Athlete in the United States in March of 1987. This conference provided the opportunity for coaches, athletes, researchers, and other persons interested in sports for the disabled athlete to come together to share knowledge and ideas, and to examine the unique needs of the disabled performer. While physical limitations may influence the disabled athlete's perfomance, today's athletes are vitally interested in learning how to maximize their individual physical abilities. Although the major thrust of a great many of the research studies investigating wheelchair athletes has often been of a physiologic nature, a growing body of biomechanic research on wheelchair propulsion has been identified (Ridgwaw, Pope & Wilkerson, 1987; Siler, Martin & Mungiole, 1987; Higgs, 1986; Sanderson & Sommer, 1985; Cerquiglini, Figura, Marchetti & Ricci, 1981; King, 1981; and Perry, 1981). Many of these investigations have included small sample sizes, have been limited to male subjects, and have included relatively few classes of wheelchair athletes. Additionally, few have studied the elite wheelchair athlete during commpetition. The purpose of this study was to develop a kinematic model of wheelchair propulsion during 100-meter racing as performed by three classes of elite male wheelchair athletes

Development of a validation model for the defense meteorological satellite program's special sensor microwave imager

The Defence Meteorological Space Program's (DMSP) Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I), an operational wind speed algorithm was developed. The algorithm is based on the D-matrix approach which seeks a linear relationship between measured SSM/I brightness temperatures and environmental parameters. D-matrix performance was validated by comparing algorithm derived wind speeds with near-simultaneous and co-located measurements made by off-shore ocean buoys. Other topics include error budget modeling, alternate wind speed algorithms, and D-matrix performance with one or more inoperative SSM/I channels

SEGMENTALCOORDINATIONAND TEMPORAL STRUCTURE OF THE VOLLEYBALL PIKE

In the game ofvol1eyball, the spike is one ofthe most difficult and demanding techniques to master. The athlete is expect4ed to jump and hit a ball with maximum force and accuracy at the approximate peak of the jump. Prsala (1982) identified four phases in the analysis of the spike: the approach, preparation, hitting, and landing. The approach involves t 0 or three controlled running strides, a transitional last step to prepare for the transfer ofhorizontal momentum to vertical momentum, and a two foot vertical jump. In the preparatory phase the striking arm is swung upward in an abduct d and laterally rotated position. The elbow is fle ed at approximately 90 degrees and the wrist hyperextended. During the hitting phase, the shoulder is elevated; the upper arm is inwardly rotated and a ducted; the forearm is extended at the elbow and the wrist is flexed. The athl te absorbs the downward momentum by flexing the joints of the lower extremities when landing

Access to Expert Stroke Care with Telemedicine: REACH MUSC

Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability, and recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) can significantly reduce the long-term impact of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) if given within 3 h of symptom onset. South Carolina is located in the “stroke belt” and has a high rate of stroke and stroke mortality. Many small rural SC hospitals do not maintain the expertise needed to treat AIS patients with rtPA. MUSC is an academic medical center using REACH MUSC telemedicine to deliver stroke care to 15 hospitals in the state, increasing the likelihood of timely treatment with rtPA. The purpose of this study is to determine the increase in access to rtPA through the use of telemedicine for AIS in the general population and in specific segments of the population based on age, gender, race, ethnicity, education, urban/rural residence, poverty, and stroke mortality. We used a retrospective cross-sectional design examining Census data from 2000 and geographic information systems analysis to identify South Carolina residents that live within 30 or 60 min of a primary stroke center (PSC) or a REACH MUSC site. We include all South Carolina citizens in our analysis and specifically examine the population’s age, gender, race, ethnicity, education, urban/rural residence, poverty, and stroke mortality. Our sample includes 4,012,012 South Carolinians. The main measure is access to expert stroke care at a PSC or a REACH MUSC hospital within 30 or 60 min. We find that without REACH MUSC, only 38% of the population has potential access to expert stroke care in SC within 60 min given that most PSCs will maintain expert stroke coverage. REACH MUSC allows 76% of the population to be within 60 min of expert stroke care, and 43% of the population to be within 30 min drive time of expert stroke care. These increases in access are especially significant for groups that have faced disparities in care and high rates of AIS. The use of telemedicine can greatly increase access to care for residents throughout South Carolina

Sex‑Specific Changes in Physical Performance Following Military Training: A Systematic Review

This is the final version of the article. Available from Springer Verlag via the DOI in this record.Introduction Men and women joining the military undergo the same training, often in mixed-sex platoons. Given the inherent physiological and physical performance differences between men and women, it is reasonable to question whether sex differences exist in the adaptation to military training and, therefore, whether sex-specific training should be employed to optimise training adaptations. Objective To systematically review the literature evaluating changes in the physical performance of men and women following military training. Methods Six database sources were searched in addition to extensive secondary searching. Primary prospective intervention studies (all designs) evaluating physical training interventions in military populations, reporting pre- to post-training changes in physical fitness outcomes for both women and men, were included. Results We screened 3966 unique records. Twenty-nine studies (n = 37 study reports) were included, most of which were conducted in the USA and evaluated initial training for military recruits. Positive changes were more consistently observed in aerobic fitness and muscle strength (whole body and upper body) outcomes than lower body strength, muscle power or muscle endurance outcomes, following physical training. Relative pre- to post-training changes for all outcome measures tended to be greater in women than men although few statistically significant sex by outcome/time interactions were observed. Conclusion Improvements in some, but not all, performance components were observed following a period of military training. Largely, these improvements were not significantly different between sexes. Further prospective research is needed to evaluate sex-specific differences in the response to physical training in controlled conditions to improve military physical training outcomes for both sexes.This work was commissioned through the Defence Human Capability Science and Technology Centre (DHCSTC, Grant number TIN 3.199). DHCSTC had no role in the design, analysis or writing of this article

Overlap of QRPA states based on ground states of different nuclei --mathematical properties and test calculations--

The overlap of the excited states in quasiparticle random-phase approximation (QRPA) is calculated in order to simulate the overlap of the intermediate nuclear states of the double-beta decay. Our basic idea is to use the like-particle QRPA with the aid of the closure approximation and calculate the overlap as rigorously as possible by making use of the explicit equation of the QRPA ground state. The formulation is shown in detail, and the mathematical properties of the overlap matrix are investigated. Two test calculations are performed for relatively light nuclei with the Skyrme and volume delta-pairing energy functionals. The validity of the truncations used in the calculation is examined and confirmed.Comment: 17 pages, 15 figures, full paper following arXiv:1205.5354 and Phys. Rev. C 86 (2012) 021301(R

PlantGDB: a resource for comparative plant genomics

PlantGDB (http://www.plantgdb.org/) is a genomics database encompassing sequence data for green plants (Viridiplantae). PlantGDB provides annotated transcript assemblies for >100 plant species, with transcripts mapped to their cognate genomic context where available, integrated with a variety of sequence analysis tools and web services. For 14 plant species with emerging or complete genome sequence, PlantGDB's genome browsers (xGDB) serve as a graphical interface for viewing, evaluating and annotating transcript and protein alignments to chromosome or bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC)-based genome assemblies. Annotation is facilitated by the integrated yrGATE module for community curation of gene models. Novel web services at PlantGDB include Tracembler, an iterative alignment tool that generates contigs from GenBank trace file data and BioExtract Server, a web-based server for executing custom sequence analysis workflows. PlantGDB also hosts a plant genomics research outreach portal (PGROP) that facilitates access to a large number of resources for research and training

A pulsed, mono-energetic and angular-selective UV photo-electron source for the commissioning of the KATRIN experiment

The KATRIN experiment aims to determine the neutrino mass scale with a sensitivity of 200 meV/c^2 (90% C.L.) by a precision measurement of the shape of the tritium $\beta$-spectrum in the endpoint region. The energy analysis of the decay electrons is achieved by a MAC-E filter spectrometer. To determine the transmission properties of the KATRIN main spectrometer, a mono-energetic and angular-selective electron source has been developed. In preparation for the second commissioning phase of the main spectrometer, a measurement phase was carried out at the KATRIN monitor spectrometer where the device was operated in a MAC-E filter setup for testing. The results of these measurements are compared with simulations using the particle-tracking software "Kassiopeia", which was developed in the KATRIN collaboration over recent years.Comment: 19 pages, 16 figures, submitted to European Physical Journal