Thermal biofeedback, locus of control and precompetitive anxiety in young athletes

Small groups of athletes (maximum size 8) were taught to voluntarily control their finger temperature, in a test of the feasibility of thermal biofeedback as a tool for coaches. The objective was to decrease precompetitive anxiety among the 140 young, competitive athletes (track and field, N=61; swimming, N=79), 66 females and 74 males, mean age 14.8 years, age range 8.9-20.5 years, from local high schools and swimming clubs. The biofeedback (visual and auditory) was provided by small, battery-powered devices that were connected to thermistors attached to the middle finger of the dominant hand. An easily readable digital LCD display, in 0.01 degrees C increments, provided visual feedback, while a musical tone, which descended in pitch with increased finger temperature, provided the audio component via small headphones. Eight twenty minute sessions were scheduled, with 48 hours between sessions. The measures employed in this prestest-posttest study were Levenson's locus of control scale (IPC), and the Competitive Sport Anxiety Inventory (CSAI-2). The results indicated that, while significant control of finger temperature was achieved, F(1, 160)=5.30, p

480 km transmission of MDM 576-Gb/s 8QAM using a few-mode re-circulating loop

We demonstrate successful 3-mode-division-multiplexed × 192-Gb/s dual-polarization 8QAM (total 576 Gb/s) transmission over 480 km of few-mode fiber (FMF). This distance was obtained using an all few-mode re-circulating loop containing a 60 km FMF span. © 2013 IEEE.

Quantum dot materials for ultrafast optoelectronics

The report discussed on a new high performance quantum dot based laser sources which demonstrated a record-high peak power and subpicosecond optical pulses in 1-1.3μm wavelength range.

Nanophotonic microfluidic sensor and manipulator

Resonant structures created along a thin capillary by nanoscale deformation of its surface can perform comprehensive sensing and manipulation of microfluids. The concept is illustrated with a model of triangular bottle resonator and floating microparticles.

Efficient packing for phase regenerative channels

We compare the performance of advanced modulation formats in cascaded phase regenerative systems and demonstrate the importance of constellation optimization to the transfer function characteristics of the regenerator. © 2013 IEEE.

The MODE-GAP project

The MODE-GAP project was established to identify the optimum fiber type for use beyond the capacity crunch. This paper will review some of the key drivers behind the project and analyze the key limits and potential improvements © 2013 IEEE.

Transient reconfigurable subangstrom-precise photonic circuits at the optical fiber surface

Transient fully reconfigurable photonic circuits can be introduced at the optical fiber surface with subangstrom precision. A building block of these circuits - a 0.7Å-precise nano-bottle resonator - is experimentally created by local heating, translated, and annihilated.

Trapping and unlimited delay of light pulses at microscale without distortion

A tunable bottle microresonator can trap an optical pulse of the given spectral width, hold it as long as the material losses permit, and release without distortion.

Manifestações oculares em mulheres com síndrome dos ovários policísticos: prevalência e associação com fatores de risco metabólicos e inflamatórios

Objetivos: Estimar a prevalência de alterações do filme lacrimal e da doença do olho seco (DOS), comparar as mudanças na pressão intraocular (PIO) e comparar as espessuras macular e da camada de fibras nervosas da retina (CFNR), entre mulheres com síndrome dos ovários policísticos (SOP) e mulheres saudáveis, estratificando-as em condições clínicas, metabólicas e inflamatórias. Metodologia: O estudo incluiu 45 mulheres com SOP e 47 mulheres saudáveis ovulatórias submetidas a avaliações clínico-ginecológicas e oftalmológicas, incluindo propedêuticas para a avaliação do filme lacrimal e medida da PIO, e medição da espessura macular, da CFNR e parâmetros do disco óptico usando tomografia de coerência óptica. Resultados: Tempo de ruptura do filme lacrimal (TRFL; p=0.001) e impregnação por fluoresceína (p=0.006) apresentaram diferenças estatisticamente significantes entre os grupos estudados. A prevalência de DOS foi de 44,4% nas portadoras de SOP. Houve redução estatisticamente significativa do TRFL na presença de SOP (p=0.001). Além disso, houve efeito estatisticamente significativo de intolerância à glicose e síndrome metabólica/inflamação na impregnação por fluoresceina (p=0.004; p=0.015, respectivamente). A PIO encontrou-se estatisticamente mais elevada no grupo SOP que no grupo controle (p=0.011). Houve um aumento na média do IPC (índice pressão-córnea) com a associação entre SOP e da síndrome metabólica (p = 0.005); A média da espessura da CNFR superior ao redor do nervo óptico foi estatisticamente mais espessa nas voluntárias com SOP que nas voluntárias saudáveis (p=0.036); Após estratificação pela presença de resistência insulínica, as médias dos subcampos das espessuras maculares “macular interno temporal, macular interno inferior, macular interno nasal e macular externo nasal, foram mais espessas no grupo SOP que no grupo controle (p<0.05); Houve associação significativa entre obesidade e resistência insulínica (p=0.037), e intolerância à glicose (p=0.001), com aumento médio do componente principal 1 (CP1), e, na presença de síndrome metabólica (p<0.0001), com aumento médio do componente principal 2 (CP2), respectivamente, em relação à espessura macular total. Na presença de obesidade e inflamação, houve redução no escore médio da CP2 (p=0.034), em relação à espessura da CFNR na mácula. xviii Conclusões: Há uma associação da SOP, suas alterações metabólicas e inflamatórias com alterações do filme lacrimal e com mudanças na PIO. A diminuição na espessura da CFNR macular e aumento da espessura total macular estão possivelmente associadas às alterações metabólicas, e, o aumento na espessura da CFNR ao redor do nervo óptico estão provavelmente associadas às alterações hormonais, inerentes à SOP.

Raman Converting laser systems (US 8,494,012 B2)

Preprint

Nanotechnology in the food industry I: applications

Nanotechnology is a multidisciplinary science that is having a boom today, providing new products with attractive physicochemical properties for many applications. In agri/feed/food sector, nanotechnology offers great opportunities for obtaining products and innovative applications for agriculture and livestock, water treatment and the production, processing, storage and packaging of food. To this end, a wide variety of nanomaterials, ranging from metals and inorganic metal oxides to organic nanomaterials carrying bioactive ingredients are applied. This review shows an overview of current and future applications of nanotechnology in the food industry. Food additives and materials in contact with food are now the main applications, while it is expected that in the future are in the field of nano-encapsulated and nanocomposites in applications as novel foods, additives, biocides, pesticides and materials food contact.

El clima intuido en el Madrid medieval a través de sus documentos y del Libro de la Montería (siglos XIV-XVI)

El presente trabajo pretende analizar cuáles eran las características climáticas que se sucedían en Madrid y su Tierra a lo largo del año, fundamentalmente entre los siglos XIV y XVI. Se intentará comprobar, dentro de las limitaciones que impone la documentación de la época, si en aquel tiempo se daba también un clima mediterráneo, o no, y si este ha variado mucho desde entonces. Igualmente se podrá comprobar algo que tal vez podría, aunque no debería, sorprendernos: el hombre medieval tenía muy claros muchos conceptos meteorológicos y climatológicos, aunque siempre aprehendidos con una finalidad práctica, para aplicarlos en su vida cotidiana tan cercana y dependiente de la naturaleza.

Oligomerisation process

This invention relates to base oils for lubricating compositions. In particular, the present invention provides a process for the selective oligomerisation of C5 to C 20 alpha-olefins to produce polyalphaolefin oligomers with a molecular weight distribution that is suitable for use in lubricant base oils.

Oligomerisation process

This invention relates to base oils for lubricating compositions. In particular, the present invention provides a process for the selective oligomerisation of C5 to C20 alpha-olefins to produce polyalphaolefin oligomers with a molecular weight distribution that is suitable for use in lubricant base oils.