The purpose of this study was to test which specific type of exercise (i.e., jump squat (JS) or half-squat (HS)) is more effective at maintaining speed and power abilities throughout a preseason in ...soccer players. Twenty-three male soccer players were randomly allocated into two groups: JS and HS. The mean propulsive power, vertical jumping ability, and sprinting performance were evaluated before and after 4 weeks of a preseason period. The optimum power loads for the JS and HS exercises were assessed and were used as load-references. The soccer players performed 10 power oriented training sessions in total. Both JS and HS maintained power in JS and speed abilities (P > 0.05, for main effects and interaction effect) as indicated by ANCOVA. Both groups demonstrated reduced power during HS (ES = −0.76 vs. −0.78, for JS and HS, respectively); both groups improved acceleration (ACC) from 5 to 10 m (ES = 0.52). JS was more effective at reducing the ACC decrements over 0-5 m (ES = −0.38 vs. −0.58, for JS and HS, respectively). The HS group increased squat jump height (ES = 0.76 vs. 0.11, for HS and JS, respectively). In summary, JS is more effective in reducing the ACC capacity over very short sprints while HS is more effective in improving squat jump performance. Both strategies improve ACC over longer distances. New training strategies should be implemented/developed to avoid concurrent training effects between power and endurance adaptations during professional soccer preseasons.
We have observed the characteristic temperature dependence of the intermolecular phonon spectrum in the organic dimer Mott insulator Kappa -(ET) sub(2) Cu sub(2) (CN) sub(3) exhibiting a dielectric ...anomaly at ~30 K. The anomalous spectral narrowing of the 55 cm super(-1) phonon peak at ~30 K was analyzed in terms of motional narrowing within the framework of a stationary Gaussian process, i.e., the phonon frequency is modulated by the ultrafast charge fluctuation. The spectral narrowing occurs because the time constant of the correlation time tauc and the amplitude Delta of the frequency modulation satisfy the relation tauc < 1/ Delta at 30 K. At temperatures below 30 K, the motional narrowing is disturbed by the increase of tauc, near the charge-glass or the short-range order at 6 K. On the other hand, for temperatures above 30 K, the motional narrowing is disturbed by the increase of Delta with increasing temperature.
The aim of the present study was to clarify the clinical characteristics and prognosis of patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) associated with amyopathic dermatomyositis (ILD-ADM). The study ...consisted of 14 consecutive patients with ILD-ADM. Patients were classified into two categories, acute/subacute and chronic forms, according to the clinical presentation of ILD. The clinical features, responsiveness to therapy, and prognosis between the two forms were compared. Nine ILD-ADM patients were categorised as the acute/subacute form, and five as the chronic form. Arterial oxygen tension was significantly lower in the acute/subacute ILD than chronic ILD patients. On high-resolution computed tomography, ground-glass opacities were frequently found in the two forms, but consolidation was more common in acute/subacute ILD than chronic ILD. Bronchoalveolar lavage analysis showed higher numbers of total cells and lymphocytes in acute/subacute ILD than chronic ILD. Histologically, the most common finding was nonspecific interstitial pneumonia in the two forms, while diffuse alveolar damage was only found in acute/subacute ILD. Acute/subacute ILD was generally resistant to therapy, while chronic ILD responded well. Notably, the mortality of acute/subacute ILD was much higher than that of chronic ILD (67 versus 0%, respectively). In conclusion, interstitial lung disease associated with amyopathic dermatomyositis includes two different forms, the acute/subacute and chronic forms, with distinct prognoses.
Eukaryotic cells are composed of a variety of membrane-bound organelles that are thought to derive from symbiotic associations involving bacteria, archaea, or other eukaryotes. In addition to ...acquiring the plastid, all Archaeplastida and some of their endosymbiotic derivatives can be distinguished from other organisms by the fact that they accumulate starch, a semicrystalline-storage polysaccharide distantly related to glycogen and never found elsewhere. We now provide the first evidence for the existence of starch in a particular species of single-cell diazotrophic cyanobacterium. We provide evidence for the existence in the eukaryotic host cell at the time of primary endosymbiosis of an uridine diphosphoglucose (UDP-glucose)-based pathway similar to that characterized in amoebas. Because of the monophyletic origin of plants, we can define the genetic makeup of the Archaeplastida ancestor with respect to storage polysaccharide metabolism. The most likely enzyme-partitioning scenario between the plastid's ancestor and its eukaryotic host immediately suggests the precise nature of the ancient metabolic symbiotic relationship. The latter consisted in the export of adenosine diphosphoglucose (ADP-glucose) from the cyanobiont in exchange for the import of reduced nitrogen from the host. We further speculate that the monophyletic origin of plastids may lie in an organism with close relatedness to present-day group V cyanobacteria.
We have observed the Fano-type Faraday rotation spectrum in a one-dimensional magnetophotonic crystal at the Bloch surface wave (BSW) resonance and found that it is a result of the coupling between ...the s-polarized BSW and the p-polarized waveguiding modes of the magnetophotonic crystal. The shape of the resonance is determined by the relative position and spectral splitting of the modes.
Training camps are typical in elite Canoeing preparation, during which, the care to assure adaptation to avoid undesired fatigue is not always present. This study aimed identifying a specific sex ...response in perceived training loads, recovery and stress balance, and cardiac autonomic responses. Twenty-one elite athletes (11 males and 10 females) of the Portuguese Canoeing National team participated in the investigation. The daily HRV (lnRMSSD) was monitored. The (RESTQ-52) questionnaire was used to access the recovery and stress state. The 10-day training camp was composed of two consecutive 5-day periods (P1 and P2). Data analyses were performed using confidence limits, effect size, and magnitude-based inference. In the females, Session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE), lnRMSSD, and its coefficient of variation did not change between P1 and P2. However, in males, lnRMSSD showed a small reduction from P1 to P2. Also, sRPE was higher in males over the training period, with a possibly small difference at P2. Regarding RESTQ-52, total stress most likely increased with large and very large differences in males and moderate differences in females during the training period. Male canoeists undertook higher perceived training loads than females, with a consequent higher level of total perceived stress and lnRMSSD during a 10-day training camp.
The diagnosis and severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are defined by airflow limitation using spirometry. However, COPD has diverse clinical features, and several phenotypes ...based on non-spirometric data have been investigated. To identify novel phenotypes of COPD using radiologic data obtained by three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT).
The inner luminal area and wall thickness of third- to sixth-generation bronchi and the percentage of the low-attenuation area (less than -950 HU) of the lungs were measured using 3D-CT in patients with COPD. Using the radiologic data, hierarchical clustering was performed. Respiratory reactance and resistance were measured to evaluate functional differences among the clusters.
Four clusters were identified among 167 patients with COPD: Cluster I, mild emphysema with severe airway changes, severe airflow limitation, and high exacerbation risk; Cluster II, mild emphysema with moderate airway changes, mild airflow limitation, and mild dyspnea; Cluster III, severe emphysema with moderate airway changes, severe airflow limitation, and increased dyspnea; and Cluster IV, moderate emphysema with mild airway changes, mild airflow limitation, low exacerbation risk, and mild dyspnea. Cluster I had the highest respiratory resistance among the four clusters. Clusters I and III had higher respiratory reactance than Clusters II and IV.
The 3D-CT-based radiologic phenotypes were associated with the clinical features of COPD. Measurement of respiratory resistance and reactance may help to identify phenotypic differences.
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