Physical determinants of Division 1 Collegiate basketball, Women’s National Basketball League and Women’s National Basketball Association athletes: with reference to lower body sidedness

In female basketball the assumed components of success include power, agility, and the proficiency at executing movements using each limb. However, the importance of these attributes in discriminating between playing levels in female basketball have yet to be determined. The purpose of this study was to compare lower body power, change of direction (COD) speed, agility, and lower-body sidedness between basketball athletes participating in Division 1 Collegiate basketball (United States), Women\u27s National Basketball League (WNBL) (Australia), and Women\u27s National Basketball Association (WNBA) (United States). Fifteen female athletes from each league (N = 45) completed a double and single leg counter-movement jump, static jump, drop jump, 5-0-5 COD Test, and an offensive and defensive Agility Test. One-way analysis of variance with post-hoc comparisons, were conducted to compare differences in physical characteristics (height, body mass, age) and performance outcomes (jump, COD, agility assessments) between playing levels. Separate dependent t-tests were performed to compare lower body sidedness (left vs. right lower-limbs) during the single-leg CMJ jumps (vertical jump height) and 5-0-5 COD test for each limb within each playing level. WNBA athletes displayed significantly greater lower body power (P = 0.01 - 0.03) compared to WNBL athletes, significantly faster COD speed (P = 0.02 - 0.03), and offensive and defensive agility performance (P = 0.02 - 0.03) compared to WNBL and Collegiate athletes. WNBL athletes also produced faster defensive agility performance compared to Collegiate athletes (P = 0.02). Further, WNBA and WNBL athletes exhibited reduced lower body sidedness compared to Collegiate athletes. These findings indicate the importance of lower body power, agility, and reduced lower body imbalances to execute more proficient on court movements, required to compete at higher playing levels. Copyright (C) 2017 by the National Strength & Conditioning Association

Mosquito Repellency of Polyester Nets Treated with Cyclodextrin/Repellent Complexes

Fabric treatments with β-Cyclodextrins (β-CD) have been studied for different applications as nanotechnologycal approaches to achieve functional textiles. In particular, repellents and insecticides have been incorporated in β-CD treated textiles to prolong their release. In this case, Citriodiol®, a naturally derived mosquito repellent, was incorporated to β-CD treated polyester (PET) nets. Two methods for citriodiol inclusion were studied; i) pipette dripping or ii) impregnation of fabric in a plastic bag, in order to increase the repellent activity of PET textile substrates. Release profiles were analyzed by gas chromatography and repellency was monitored by in vivo assays with Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Long lasting and reloadable mosquito repellent nets could be achieved by treating PET knits with citriodiol/β-CD complexes.Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectore

Presencia, autoconciencia y autocuidado de los profesionales que trabajan con el sufrimiento

Professionals working in a sanitary environment are often exposed to high emotional experiences that rise from the contact with vulnerability, loss, and suffering of patients and relatives, leading to a high exposition to stress.Advances in neurobiology and a higher knowledge of therapeutic relationships allow a better understanding of how we can look after ourselves better and provides resources to transform the experience of sufferers and companions.Understanding the role of self-awareness, presence and self-care and their neurobiological fundamentals allow the development of proposals to prevent the risk of burnout and other prevalent mental health problems among professionals.This work reviews the basis of help relationship, the risks and chances of our work, the relationship between empathy, self-awareness and compassion, as well as the emotional balance needed to work in this environment and self-awareness as a platform of presence and emotional regulation.Some useful practices for selfcare are presented, including teamwork as a protection factor. Finally, a commitment of professionals with their self-care is proposed.El trabajo en el entorno sanitario expone frecuentemente a los profesionales a experiencias de intensidad emocional, que emergen del contacto con la vulnerabilidad, las pérdidas y el sufrimiento de pacientes y familiares, lo que supone una elevada exposición al estrés. Los avances en neurobiología y la mejor comprensión de la neurofisiología de la relación terapéutica, permiten entender cómo podemos, no solo cuidarnos mejor, sino como dotarnos de recursos para transformar constructivamente la experiencia del que sufre y del que acompaña. La compresión del rol de la autoconciencia, la presencia y el autocuidado y sus fundamentos neurobiológicos, nos permiten elaborar propuestas para prevenir el riesgo de burn out y otros problemas de salud mental muy prevalentes entre los profesionales. El artículo revisa las bases de la relación de ayuda, los riesgos y oportunidades de nuestro trabajo, las relaciones entre empatía, autoconciencia y compasión; el balance emocional necesario para trabajar en este entorno y la autoconciencia como plataforma de la presencia y de la regulación emocional. Se ofrecen algunas prácticas útiles para el autocuidado, incluyendo el trabajo en equipo como factor de protección. Y finalmente se propone un compromiso del profesional con su autocuidado

Application of microencapsulated biopesticides to improve repellent finishing of cotton fabrics

Insect repellent textiles are currently being investigated as a complementary tool to control disease vectors, such as mosquitoes. The application of microencapsulated biopesticides to textiles is a promising low-toxicity alternative to other control methods, as microcapsules may prolong the release of the repellent agent. In this work, microcapsules containing two biopesticides, namely citronella essential oil and citriodiol® were prepared and applied to cotton textiles using a variety of techniques. The aim of this work was to evaluate these functional textiles to select the most efficient, durable systems. Citriodiol-treated cotton presented a prolonged durability, and 100% repellency could be achieved for more than 30 days after padding onto cotton fabrics. It has to be pointed out that all these repellent textiles have been obtained by scalable, low-cost methods which would require no additional investment for textile finishing industries.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y MuseoCentro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectore

Mosquito Repellency of Polyester Nets Treated with Cyclodextrin/Repellent Complexes

Fabric treatments with β-Cyclodextrins (β-CD) have been studied for different applications as nanotechnologycal approaches to achieve functional textiles. In particular, repellents and insecticides have been incorporated in β-CD treated textiles to prolong their release. In this case, Citriodiol®, a naturally derived mosquito repellent, was incorporated to β-CD treated polyester (PET) nets. Two methods for citriodiol inclusion were studied; i) pipette dripping or ii) impregnation of fabric in a plastic bag, in order to increase the repellent activity of PET textile substrates. Release profiles were analyzed by gas chromatography and repellency was monitored by in vivo assays with Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Long lasting and reloadable mosquito repellent nets could be achieved by treating PET knits with citriodiol/β-CD complexes.Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectore

A comparison between padding and bath exhaustion to apply microcapsules onto cotton

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10570-015-0600-8[EN] The use of Microcapsules has increased in the textile sector. They have been applied as a possible means of introducing new products to textiles, such as insect repellents, antibiotics, skin moisturizers, etc. Microencapsulation technology has improved the fragrance durability on fabrics. Historically, the durability of the fragrance was poor, especially once the fabric had been washed. Microcapsules have been used in textiles for many years, however their previous characterization, adhesion behaviour and permanence on the fabrics are not well known. Nowadays the majority of textile industries are not able to characterize commercial products, or to study the process of adhering the microcapsule to the fibre's surface nor their functionality. Thus, the characterization of microencapsulated fabrics with different active core and the knowledge of the various application processes becomes a major challenge in the field of microcapsules use. There are various industrial processes to apply microcapsules, but determining optimal amounts of products, temperature, conditions and other process variables are an important challenge for the textile sector in order to achieve the highest depositions and retention of microcapsules. This work is focused on determining and quantifying presence fragrance microcapsules when applied onto fabrics by padding and by bath exhaustion and determining which method is the most effective. Consequently, diverse analysis techniques such as microscopy (SEM), spectroscopy FTIR and XPS have been used. We concluded that proposed techniques seem to be useful to compare fabrics treated with microcapsules. Results demonstrate that padding application gives better yields than bath exhaustion.Bonet Aracil, MA.; Monllor Pérez, P.; Capablanca Francés, L.; Gisbert Paya, J.; Díaz-García, P.; Montava Seguí, IJ. (2015). A comparison between padding and bath exhaustion to apply microcapsules onto cotton. Cellulose. 22(3):2117-2127. doi:10.1007/s10570-015-0600-8S21172127223Bonet M, Quijada C, Muñoz S, Cases F (2004) Characterization of ethylcellulose with different degrees of substitution (DS): a diffuse-reflectance infrared study. Can J Anal Sci Spectrosc 49(4):234–239Bonet M, Capablanca L, Monllor P, Díaz P, Montava I (2012) Studying bath exhaust as a method to apply microcapsules on fabrics. J Text Inst 103(6):629–635Buchert J, Pere LS, Johanson JM, Campbell J (2001) Analysis of surface chemistry of linen and cotton fabrics. Text Res J 71:626–629Fras L, Johanson LS, Stenius P, Laine P, Stana-Kleinscheck K, Ribitsch V (2005) Analysis of theoxidation of cellulosefibresbytitration and XPS. Colloids Surf A 260:101–108Gisbert G, Ibañez F, Bonet M, Monllor P, Díaz P, Montava I (2009) Increasing hydration of the epidermis by microcapsules in sterilized products. J Appl Polym Sci 113(4):2282–2286Hong K, Park S (1999) Melamine resin microcapsules containing fragant oil: synthesis and characterization. J Appl Polym Sci 58:128–131Jing HU, Zuobing X, Rujun Z, Shuangshuang M, Mingxi W, Zhen L (2011) Properties of aroma sustained-release cotton fabric with rose fragrance nanocapsule. Chin J Chem Eng 19(3):523–528Kokot S, Czarnik-Matusewicz C, Ozaki Y (2002) Two- dimensional correlation spectroscopy and principal component analysis studies of temperature-dependent IR spectra of cotton-cellulose. Biopolymers 67:456–469Kondo T, Sawatari C, Manley RJ, Gray DG (1994) Characterization of hydrogen bonding in cellulose synthetic polymer blend systems with regioselectively substituted methylcellulose. Macromolecules 27(1):210–215Miró Specos MM, Escobar G, Marino P, Puggia C, Defain Tesoriero MV, Hermida L (2010) Aroma finishing of cotton fabrics by means of microencapsulation techniques. J Ind Text 40(1):13–32Monllor P, Bonet M, Cases F (2007) Characterization of the behaviour of flavour microcapsules in cotton fabrics. Eur Polym J 43:2481–2490Monllor P, Bonet M, Sánchez L, Cases F (2009) Thermal behaviour of microencapsulated flavours when applied to cellulose fabrics. Text Res J 79(4):365–380Monllor P, Capablanca L, Gisbert J, Díaz P, Bonet M (2010) Improvement of microcapsule adhesion to fabrics. Text Res J 80(7):631–635Nelson G (1991) Microencapsulates in textile coloration and finishing. Rev Prog Color Relat Top 21:72–85Nelson G (2001) Microencapsulation in textile finishing. Rev Prog Color Relat Top 321:57–64Nelson G (2002) Application of microencapsulation in textiles. Int J Pharm 242:55–62Rodrigues SN, Fernandes I, Martins IM, Mata VG, Barreiro F, Rodrigues AE (2008) Microencapsulation of limonene for textiles application. Ind Eng Chem Res 47:4142–4147Rodrigues SN, Martins, IM, Fernades IP, Gomes PB, Mata VG, Barreiro MF, Rodrigues AE (2009) Scentfashion®: microencapsulated perfumes for textile application. Chem Eng J 149(1–3):463–472. ISSN:1385-8947Sócrates G (1997) In: Infrared characteristic group frequencies. Tables and charts, 2nd ednTopalovic T, Nierstrasz VA, Bautista L, Jocic D, Navarro A, Warmoeskerken MMCG (2007) XPS and contact angle study of cotton surface oxidation by catalytic bleaching. Colloids Surf A 296:76–85Wilson RC, Pfhol WF (2000) Study of crosslinking reactions of melamine/formaldehyde resin with hydroxyl functional polyester by generalized 2-D infrared spectroscopy. Vib Spectrosc 23:13–22Zhang H, Wang X (2009) Fabrication and performances of microencapsulated phase change materials based on n-octadecane core and resorcinol-modified melamine-formaldehyde shell. Colloids Surf A 332:129–13

Manufacture Techniques of Chitosan-Based Microcapsules to Enhance Functional Properties of Textiles

In recent years, the textile industry has been moving to novel concepts of products, which could deliver to the user, improved performances. Such smart textiles have been proven to have the potential to integrate within a commodity garment advanced feature and functional properties of different kinds. Among those functionalities, considerable interest has been played in functionalizing commodity garments in order to make them positively interact with the human body and therefore being beneficial to the user health. This kind of functionalization generally exploits biopolymers, a class of materials that possess peculiar properties such as biocompatibility and biodegradability that make them suitable for bio-functional textile production. In the context of biopolymer chitosan has been proved to be an excellent potential candidate for this kind of application given its abundant availability and its chemical properties that it positively interacts with biological tissue. Notwithstanding the high potential of chitosan-based technologies in the textile sectors, several issues limit the large-scale production of such innovative garments. In facts the morphologies of chitosan structures should be optimized in order to make them better exploit the biological activity; moreover a suitable process for the application of chitosan structures to the textile must be designed. The application process should indeed not only allow an effective and durable fixation of chitosan to textile but also comply with environmental rules concerning pollution emission and utilization of harmful substances. This chapter reviews the use of microencapsulation technique as an approach to effectively apply chitosan to the textile material while overcoming the significant limitations of finishing processes. The assembly of chitosan macromolecules into microcapsules was proved to boost the biological properties of the polymer thanks to a considerable increase in the surface area available for interactions with the living tissues. Moreover, the incorporation of different active substances into chitosan shells allows the design of multifunctional materials that effectively combine core and shell properties. Based on the kind of substances to be incorporated, several encapsulation processes have been developed. The literature evidences how the proper choices concerning encapsulation technology, chemical formulations, and process parameter allow tuning the properties and the performances of the obtained microcapsules. Furthermore, the microcapsules based finishing process have been reviewed evidencing how the microcapsules morphology can positively interact with textile substrate allowing an improvement in the durability of the treatment. The application of the chitosan shelled microcapsules was proved to be capable of imparting different functionalities to textile substrates opening possibilities for a new generation of garments with improved performances and with the potential of protecting the user from multiple harms. Lastly, a continuous interest was observed in improving the process and formulation design in order to avoid the usage of toxic substances, therefore, complying with an environmentally friendly approach

Contributo ai commerci marittimi di eta' tardo-repubblicana: il relitto Perelli A

Questa ricerca si pone come contributo allo studio delle dinamiche produttive e commerciali nelle zone costiere alto-tirreniche comprese fra Populonia e l’area di Portus Pisanus tra il II e il I secolo a.C. Lo studio è basato soprattutto sui relitti identificati nelle acque antistanti tali zone. Sara' presentato parte del materiale inedito pertinente ad uno di tali relitti, e cioè quello di ‘Perelli A’, nave affondata nella seconda metà del I secolo a.C. nelle acque antistanti il porto di Piombino (LI), a poche miglia dalla costa

REALIZZAZIONE DI TRENCH AD ELEVATA PROFONDITA' IN SILICIO

In questo lavoro di tesi è stato studiato l’attacco elettrochimico del Si in soluzioni acquose a base di HF allo scopo di fabbricare matrici di macropori ad elevata profondità in substrati di tipo n ed orientazione cristallografica , i più comuni e meno costosi nell’industria microelettronica. A questo proposito è stato dapprima criticamente analizzato il sistema Si-HF in modo da comprendere ed evidenziare i parametri che lo caratterizzano. Sono stati quindi studiati gli effetti che sul processo di formazione dei macropori hanno la temperatura e gli additivi in soluzione, quali etanolo e TRITONIX-100. Sono state dunque fabbricate delle matrici di macropori regolari con diametro dei pori di 2 µm e profondità massima di 200 µm. Inoltre, attraverso la fabbricazione di un array di spirali circolari, è stato sperimentalmente dimostrato che l’etching anodico del Si in HF è indipendente dall’orientazione dei piani cristallini ed è l’unico che consente di realizzare microstrutture con geometria circolare e pareti verticali su substrati nell’ambito dei tradizionali attacchi anisotropi in fase liquida

SPACEE Protocol: “Spiritual Care Competence” in PAlliative Care Education and PracticE: Mixed-Methods Research in the Development of Iberian Guidelines

Spiritual care requires understanding the spiritual experiences of patients and recognizing their resources and needs. Therefore, educators and practitioners should develop their knowledge and understanding in this regard. Spiritual care helps people overcome their anxieties, worries, and suffering; reduces stress; promotes healing; and encourages patients to find inner peace. To provide comprehensive and appropriate care while upholding human/ethical virtues, the spiritual dimension must be a priority. We aim to develop spiritual care competence guidelines for Palliative Care (PC) education and practice in Portugal and Spain. The study detailed in this protocol paper will include three phases. In phase I, the phenomenon will be characterized and divided into two tasks: (1) a concept analysis of “spiritual care competence”; and (2) a systematic review of interventions or strategies used to integrate spiritual care in PC education and practice. Phase II will entail a sequential explanatory approach (online survey and qualitative interviews) to deepen understanding of the perceptions and experiences of educators, practitioners, and patients/family carers regarding spiritual care in PC education and practice and generate ideas for the next steps. Phase III will comprise a multi-phased, consensus-based approach to identify priority areas of need as decided by a group of experts. Results will be used to produce guidelines for integrating spirituality and spiritual care competence within PC education and practice and synthesized in a white book for PC professionals. The value of this improved examination of spiritual care competence will ultimately depend on whether it can inform the development and implementation of tailored educational and PC services. The project will promote the ‘spiritual care’ imperative, helping practitioners and patients/family carers in their preparedness for End-of-Life care, as well as improving curricular practices in this domain