Influence of Fatigue and Anticipation on Knee Kinematics and Kinetics during a Jump-cut Maneuver

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) are common among athletes, particularly females. This research aims to reconcile the anticipated and unanticipated movement pattern of jumping and cutting with fatigue for both genders. The research will compare lower extremity biomechanics of a jump-cut after a sports specific fatigue protocol, intending to examine movement patterns which may predispose the subject to ACL injury. METHODS: Twenty healthy subjects were studied (24.9±3.3yrs), including 10 females. A 3D electromagnetic system measured knee kinematics and kinetics during jump-cut tasks. The jump-cut task included anticipated (A) and unanticipated (UA) trials to both directions. For the UA trials, the subject was unaware of the cutting direction until initiation of the task. The fatigue protocol consisted of jumping, sprinting, step-ups, and agility. Subjects completed the jump-cut task again in a fatigued state. A repeated measures ANOVA was used to analyze peak and mean angles, moments and ground reaction forces (GRF), with post-hoc Tukey tests for significant findings between factors (gender, pre/post-fatigue, A/UA). RESULTS: Significant main effects were found for gender and IR/ER and ADD/ABD peak and/or mean angles, and ADD/ABD moments; pre and post-fatigue and IR/ER, EXT/FLEX, and ADD/ABD peak and/or mean angles, and ADD/ABD moments; A/UA conditions and IR/ER and ADD/ABD peak and/or mean angles. Significant interactions existed for gender and A/UA for EXT moment and for pre/post-fatigue and A/UA for EXT moment, IR moment and IR/ER angles. CONCLUSION: Subjects demonstrated significant changes in knee kinematics and kinetics. Fatigue and A/UA states influenced knee movement patterns in variable ways, which may indicate an attempt to safely land and cut. Additionally, females demonstrated biomechanics that may increase their risk for ACL injury relative to males. Gender, fatigue, and A/UA conditions had an impact on one another and should be considered when designing sports training programs to reduce risky movement patterns

Using Remote Sensing to Map the Risk of Human Monkeypox Virus in the Congo Basin

Although the incidence of human monkeypox has greatly increased in Central Africa over the last decade, resources for surveillance remain extremely limited. We conducted a geospatial analysis using existing data to better inform future surveillance efforts. Using active surveillance data collected between 2005 and 2007, we identified locations in Sankuru district, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where there have been one or more cases of human monkeypox. To assess what taxa constitute the main reservoirs of monkeypox, we tested whether human cases were associated with (i) rope squirrels (Funisciurus sp.), which were implicated in monkeypox outbreaks elsewhere in the DRC in the 1980s, or (ii) terrestrial rodents in the genera Cricetomys and Graphiurus, which are believed to be monkeypox reservoirs in West Africa. Results suggest that the best predictors of human monkeypox cases are proximity to dense forests and associated habitat preferred by rope squirrels. The risk of contracting monkeypox is significantly greater near sites predicted to be habitable for squirrels (OR = 1.32; 95% CI 1.08–1.63). We recommend that semi-deciduous rainforests with oil-palm, the rope squirrel’s main food source, be prioritized for monitoring

Potential CO2 removal from enhanced weathering by ecosystem responses to powdered rock

International audienceNegative emission technologies underpin socioeconomic scenarios consistent with the Paris Agreement. Afforestation and bioenergy coupled with carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and storage are the main land negative emission technologies proposed, but the range of nature-based solutions is wider. Here we explore soil amendment with powdered basalt in natural ecosystems. Basalt is an abundant rock resource, which reacts with CO2 and removes it from the atmosphere. Besides, basalt improves soil fertility and thereby potentially enhances ecosystem carbon storage, rendering a global CO2 removal of basalt substantially larger than previously suggested. As this is a fully developed technology that can be co-deployed in existing land systems, it is suited for rapid upscaling. Achieving sufficiently high net CO2 removal will require upscaling of basalt mining, deploying systems in remote areas with a low carbon footprint and using energy from low-carbon sources. We argue that basalt soil amendment should be considered a prominent option when assessing land management options for mitigating climate change, but yet unknown side-effects, as well as limited data on field-scale deployment, need to be addressed first

Using remote sensing to map the risk of human monkeypox virus in the Congo Basin.

Although the incidence of human monkeypox has greatly increased in Central Africa over the last decade, resources for surveillance remain extremely limited. We conducted a geospatial analysis using existing data to better inform future surveillance efforts. Using active surveillance data collected between 2005 and 2007, we identified locations in Sankuru district, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where there have been one or more cases of human monkeypox. To assess what taxa constitute the main reservoirs of monkeypox, we tested whether human cases were associated with (i) rope squirrels (Funisciurus sp.), which were implicated in monkeypox outbreaks elsewhere in the DRC in the 1980s, or (ii) terrestrial rodents in the genera Cricetomys and Graphiurus, which are believed to be monkeypox reservoirs in West Africa. Results suggest that the best predictors of human monkeypox cases are proximity to dense forests and associated habitat preferred by rope squirrels. The risk of contracting monkeypox is significantly greater near sites predicted to be habitable for squirrels (OR = 1.32; 95% CI 1.08-1.63). We recommend that semi-deciduous rainforests with oil-palm, the rope squirrel's main food source, be prioritized for monitoring

Pathogen-Host Associations and Predicted Range Shifts of Human Monkeypox in Response to Climate Change in Central Africa

<div><p>Climate change is predicted to result in changes in the geographic ranges and local prevalence of infectious diseases, either through direct effects on the pathogen, or indirectly through range shifts in vector and reservoir species. To better understand the occurrence of monkeypox virus (MPXV), an emerging Orthopoxvirus in humans, under contemporary and future climate conditions, we used ecological niche modeling techniques in conjunction with climate and remote-sensing variables. We first created spatially explicit probability distributions of its candidate reservoir species in Africa's Congo Basin. Reservoir species distributions were subsequently used to model current and projected future distributions of human monkeypox (MPX). Results indicate that forest clearing and climate are significant driving factors of the transmission of MPX from wildlife to humans under current climate conditions. Models under contemporary climate conditions performed well, as indicated by high values for the area under the receiver operator curve (AUC), and tests on spatially randomly and non-randomly omitted test data. Future projections were made on IPCC 4^th Assessment climate change scenarios for 2050 and 2080, ranging from more conservative to more aggressive, and representing the potential variation within which range shifts can be expected to occur. Future projections showed range shifts into regions where MPX has not been recorded previously. Increased suitability for MPX was predicted in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Models developed here are useful for identifying areas where environmental conditions may become more suitable for human MPX; targeting candidate reservoir species for future screening efforts; and prioritizing regions for future MPX surveillance efforts.</p></div

Land cover at sites with MPX infections in humans in Sankuru (2005–07).

<p>The land cover data are from <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0066071#pone.0066071-FACET1" target="_blank">[58]</a>.</p

Climatic and land cover variables used to analyze MPX transmission.

<p>AMO = Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, MWD = maximum water deficit, NDVI = normalized difference vegetation index.</p

Variable importance of Maxent models of MPXV occurrence.

<p>Results are shown for a model that included reservoir species based on climate and remote sensing variables with all ‘features’ allowed (auto features, i.e. linear and quadratic coefficients can be used for each predictor, as well as step functions and interactions) (top panel), and a model that included only the reservoir species, based on climate variables, and with only linear ‘features’ (i.e. only linear coefficients are used for each predictor) allowed in the model (bottom panel). Dark blue bars indicate test results in which only the variable in question was entered into the model, and light blue bars in which all variables except the one in question were entered. Longer dark blue bars and shorter light blue bars indicate higher variable importance.</p