Improved insulin sensitivity following a short-term whole body vibration intervention

Background and Objective: Despite being recommended for reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) the majority of the population do not partake in the advised amount of regular exercise. While high intensity type training has been shown to produce improvements in insulin sensitivity its uptake in high risk populations has been questioned. Contrastingly, whole body vibration training (WBVT) is reported to benefit a range of outcomes in a variety of populations. Limited data exists regarding this training modality on insulin sensitivity. Current study assessed the effect of WBVT on oral glucose tolerance response. Method: Following institutional ethics approval, five young healthy sedentary individuals undertook oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) prior to and on completion of 5-week progressive WBVT. Result: There were no changes in fasting plasma glucose concentrations before and after the 6 weeks of WBVT. Both pre- and post-training OGTT revealed no significant changes in plasma glucose concentrations over time. There was a 9% reduction in plasma glucose area under the curve (AUC) post training. The Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) decreased by 21% and Cederholm index of insulin sensitivity was increased by 18% following WBVT. Conclusion: Results suggest WBVT is associated with improved insulin sensitivity and could produce clinically relevant effects on fat metabolism in sedentary young people. Large-scale studies are now necessary to assess the effectiveness of WBVT in diabetic populations

Magnetic bearings for a high-performance optical disk buffer

An optical disk buffer concept can provide gigabit-per-second data rates and terabit capacity through the use of arrays of solid state lasers applied to a stack of erasable/reusable optical disks. The RCA optical disk buffer has evoked interest by NASA for space applications. The porous graphite air bearings in the rotary spindle as well as those used in the linear translation of the read/write head would be replaced by magnetic bearings or mechanical (ball or roller) bearings. Based upon past experience, roller or ball bearings for the translation stages are not feasible. Unsatisfactory, although limited experience exists with ball bearing spindles also. Magnetic bearings, however, appear ideally suited for both applications. The use of magnetic bearings is advantageous in the optical disk buffer because of the absence of physical contact between the rotating and stationary members. This frictionless operation leads to extended life and reduced drag. The manufacturing tolerances that are required to fabricate magnetic bearings would also be relaxed from those required for precision ball and gas bearings. Since magnetic bearings require no lubricant, they are inherently compatible with a space (vacuum) environment. Magnetic bearings also allow the dynamics of the rotor/bearing system to be altered through the use of active control. This provides the potential for reduced vibration, extended regions of stable operation, and more precise control of position

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS): breathtaking progress

Reports of a new severe respiratory disease, now defined as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), began to emerge from Guangdong, in southern China, in late 2002. The condition came to international attention through an explosive outbreak in Hong Kong in March 2003. Cases appeared throughout South-East Asia and in Toronto, the spread of SARS being accelerated by international air travel. A global emergency was declared by the World Health Organization, bringing together an international team of epidemiologists, public health physicians and microbiologists to study and contain the disease. This response has enabled the nature of the infectious agent to be identified, its mode of transmission to be established and diagnostic tests to be created rapidly.</p

Magnetic bearings for a spaceflight optical disk recorder

The development and testing of a magnetic bearing system for the translator of the read/write head in a magneto-optic disk drive are discussed. The asymmetrical three-pole actuators with permanent magnet bias support the optical head, and its tracking and focusing servos, through their radial excursion above the disk. The specifications for the magnetic bearing are presented, along with the configuration of the magnetic hardware. Development of a five degree of freedom collision model is examined which allowed assessment of the system response during large scale transients. Experimental findings and the results of performance testing are presented, including the roll-off of current-to-force due to eddy current loss in the magnetic materials

Whole body vibration training and its application to age-related performance decrements:an exploratory analysis

Middle age is associated with a pronounced decline in power and flexibility. Whilst whole body vibration training (WBVT) improves performance in a range of populations, whether WBVT can improve muscle power and flexibility in a middle-aged population is not known. The present study aimed to determine the influence of 5 weeks progressive WBVT in middle-aged (45-55 yrs.) and younger (20-30 yrs.) recreationally active females. Participants in each age group were randomly allocated to an intervention (WBVT) or control group. The WBVT groups trained for five weeks on a vibration platform, while the control groups performed identical exercises, with no vibration. Prior to, and after, the five-week study vertical countermovement jump (VCMJ) and range of motion (ROM) performance were measured. WBVT significantly (P = 0.001) improved VCMJ performance when compared to the control groups. This improvement was significantly (P = 0.001) greater in the middle-aged compared with the younger WBVT group. WBVT significantly (P = 0.001) improved ROM irrespective of age. Taken together, these results suggest that WBVT can off-set age related performance decrements, which has therapeutic implications for musculoskeletal aging. Therefore, WBVT could be undertaken to minimise age-related performance deterioration in middle-aged female populations

"Ai, que em faig un lio". Desenvolupaments recents del coneixement de les normatives lingüísties catalana i castellana

L'article examina el coneixement de les varietats normatives del català i del castellà, mitjançant un treball de camp innovador. Uns cinquanta participants van haver de reconèixer casos d'interferència lingüística i, a partir dels resultats, va ser possible avaluar els seus nivells de coneixement de la normativa lingüística vigent. Els participants provenien de dos grups d'edat. Els més joves tenien entre vint-i-cinc i trenta-cinc anys i els més grans, entre cinquanta-cinc i seixanta-cinc. El marc teòric de l'article es focalitza en el debat acadèmic sobre la planificació i la política lingüística, i sobretot en la planificació del corpus i la codificació de la llengua, ja que el treball de camp examina el paper de la interferència en la llengua normativa. Quant a la normativització de la llengua, a partir dels resultats del treball de camp, podrem dir que els catalans són cada cop més conscients de la normativa lingüística catalana vigent, sobretot pel que fa a la identificació dels casos d'interferència d'origen castellà. Observarem també que els diferents tipus de planificació i política lingüística en aquesta situació lingüística van estretament lligats, ja que tots formen part de la mateixa realitat sociolingüística.This paper examines the awareness of the normative forms of Catalan and Spanish by means of an innovative fieldwork experiment. Fifty participants were required to identify instan- ces of non-normative linguistic interference in the two languages and, based on the results, conclusions were drawn as to their awareness of current linguistic norms. The participants belonged to two age brackets: the younger group was between 25 and 35 years old while the older group was aged between 55 and 65 years. This study’s theoretical framework focuses on the academic debate on language policy and planning, particularly concerning corpus plan-ning and linguistic codification, since the experiment seeks specifically to evaluate the role of foreign interference in normative Catalan. On the basis of the experiment’s results, it may be asserted that Catalans are increasingly aware of the current linguistic norms of the Catalan language, above all with regard to the identification of instances of non-normative Spanish interference. It is also pointed out that, within the framework of this linguistic situation, the various types of language planning and policy are intrinsically linked, as they all form part of the same sociolinguistic reality