Creation and Validation of Chronojump-Boscosystem: A Free Tool to Measure Vertical Jumps

Measuring the height of the vertical jump is an indicator of the strength and power of the lower body. The technological tools available to measure the vertical jump are black boxes and are not open to third-party verification or adaptation. We propose the creation of a measurement system called Chronojump-Boscosystem, consisting of open hardware and free software. Methods: A microcontroller was created and validated using a square wave generator and an oscilloscope. Two types of contact platforms were developed using different materials. These platforms were validated by the minimum pressure required for activation at different points by a strain gauge, together with the on/off time of our platforms in respect of the Ergojump-Boscosystem platform by a sample of 8 subjects performing submaximal jumps with one foot on each platform. Agile methodologies were used to develop and validate the software. Results: All the tools fall under the free software / open hardware guidelines and are, in that sense, free. The microcontroller margin of error is 0.1%. The validity of the fiberglass platform is 0.95 (ICC). The management software contains nearly 113.000 lines of code and is available in 7 languages.

Free and total plasma levels of lopinavir during pregnancy, at delivery and postpartum: implications for dosage adjustments in pregnant women.

BACKGROUND: Physiological changes associated with pregnancy may alter antiretroviral plasma concentrations and might jeopardize prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission. Lopinavir is one of the protease inhibitors more frequently prescribed during pregnancy in Europe. We described the free and total pharmacokinetics of lopinavir in HIV-infected pregnant and non-pregnant women, and evaluated whether significant alterations in its disposition and protein binding warrant systematic dosage adjustment. METHODS: Plasma samples were collected at first, second and third trimester of pregnancy, at delivery, in umbilical cord and postpartum. Lopinavir free and total plasma concentrations were measured by HPLC-MS/MS. Bayesian calculations were used to extrapolate total concentrations to trough (Cmin). RESULTS: A total of 42 HIV-positive pregnant women and 37 non-pregnant women on lopinavir/ritonavir were included in the study. Compared to postpartum and control values, total lopinavir Cmin was decreased moderately (31-39%) during pregnancy, and free Cmin minimally, showing significant alteration only at delivery (-35%). However, total and free Cmin remained in all patients above the target concentrations for wild-type virus of 1,000 ng/ml, and above the unbound IC50(WT) of 0.64-0.77 ng/ml of lopinavir, respectively. Lopinavir free fractions remained higher during pregnancy compared to postpartum and controls, and were influenced by α-1-acid-glycoprotein and albumin decrease. Free cord-to-mother ratio (0.43) was 2.7-fold higher than total cord-to-mother ratio (0.16), suggesting higher fetal exposure. CONCLUSIONS: The moderate decrease of total lopinavir concentrations during pregnancy is not associated with proportional decrease in free concentrations. Both reach a nadir at delivery, albeit not to an extent that would put treatment-naive women at risk of insufficient exposure to the free, pharmacologically active concentrations of lopinavir. No dosage adjustment is therefore needed during pregnancy as it is unlikely to further enhance treatment efficacy but could potentially increase the risk of maternal and fetal toxicity. Nonetheless, in case of viral resistance in treatment-experienced pregnant women, loss of virological control or questionable adherence, it is justified to consider lopinavir dosage adjustment based on total plasma concentration measurement.

Gene expression patterns unveil a new level of molecular heterogeneity in colorectal cancer.

The recognition that colorectal cancer (CRC) is a heterogeneous disease in terms of clinical behaviour and response to therapy translates into an urgent need for robust molecular disease subclassifiers that can explain this heterogeneity beyond current parameters (MSI, KRAS, BRAF). Attempts to fill this gap are emerging. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TGCA) reported two main CRC groups, based on the incidence and spectrum of mutated genes, and another paper reported an EMT expression signature defined subgroup. We performed a prior free analysis of CRC heterogeneity on 1113 CRC gene expression profiles and confronted our findings to established molecular determinants and clinical, histopathological and survival data. Unsupervised clustering based on gene modules allowed us to distinguish at least five different gene expression CRC subtypes, which we call surface crypt-like, lower crypt-like, CIMP-H-like, mesenchymal and mixed. A gene set enrichment analysis combined with literature search of gene module members identified distinct biological motifs in different subtypes. The subtypes, which were not derived based on outcome, nonetheless showed differences in prognosis. Known gene copy number variations and mutations in key cancer-associated genes differed between subtypes, but the subtypes provided molecular information beyond that contained in these variables. Morphological features significantly differed between subtypes. The objective existence of the subtypes and their clinical and molecular characteristics were validated in an independent set of 720 CRC expression profiles. Our subtypes provide a novel perspective on the heterogeneity of CRC. The proposed subtypes should be further explored retrospectively on existing clinical trial datasets and, when sufficiently robust, be prospectively assessed for clinical relevance in terms of prognosis and treatment response predictive capacity. Original microarray data were uploaded to the ArrayExpress database (http://www.ebi.ac.uk/arrayexpress/) under Accession Nos E-MTAB-990 and E-MTAB-1026. © 2013 Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics. Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.

The Relationship of Ferroan Dolomite Aggregate to Rapid Concrete Deterioration, HR-266, 1987

Some of Iowa's 13,200 miles of portland cement concrete (pcc) pavement have remained structurally sound for over 50 years while others have suffered premature deterioration. Research has shown that the type of coarse aggregate used in the pcc is the major cause of this premature deterioration. Some coarse aggregates for concrete exhibit a nonuniform performance history. They contribute to premature deterioration on heavily salted primary roadways while providing long maintenance-free life on unsalted secondary pavements. This inconsistency supports the premise that there are at least two mechanisms that contribute to the deterioration. Previous research has shown that one of these mechanisms is a bad pore system. The other is apparently a chemical reaction. The objective of this research is to develop simple rapid test methods to predict the durability of carbonate aggregate in pcc pavement. X-ray diffraction analyses of aggregate samples have been conducted on various beds from numerous quarries producing diffraction plots for more than 200 samples of dolomitic or dolomite aggregates. The crystalline structures of these dolomitic aggregates show maximum-intensity dolomite/ankerite peaks ranging from a d-spacing of 2.884 angstroms for good aggregates to a d-spacing of 2.914 angstroms for nondurable aggregates. If coarse aggregates with known bad pore systems are removed from this summary, the d-spacing values of the remaining aggregates correlate very well with expected service life. This may indicate that the iron substitution for magnesium in the dolomite crystal is associated with the instability of the ferroan dolomite aggregates in pcc pavement.

Long term retention of retigabine in a cohort of people with drug resistant epilepsy.

PURPOSE: To assess the utility of retigabine (RTG) for epilepsy in clinical practice at a single UK tertiary centre. METHODS: We identified all individuals who were offered RTG from April 2011 to May 2013. We collected demographics, seizure types, previous and current antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), starting and maximum attained daily dose of RTG, clinical benefits, side effects, and reason to discontinue RTG from in- and outpatient encounters until February 28, 2014. RESULTS: 145 people who had failed a median of 11 AEDs took at least one dose of RTG. One year retention was 32% and decreased following the safety alert by the US Federal Drug Administration (FDA) in April 2013. None became seizure free. 34 people (24%) reported a benefit that was ongoing at last assessment in five (3%). The most relevant benefit was the significant reduction or cessation of drop attacks or seizure-related falls in four women, this persisted at last assessment in two. The presence of simple partial seizures was associated with longer retention, as was a higher attained dose of RTG. Adverse effects were seen in 74% and largely CNS-related or nonspecific and affected the genitourinary system in 13%. CONCLUSION: Retention of RTG was less favourable compared to data from open label extension studies of the regulatory trials. In comparison with historical data on similar retention audits retention of RTG at one year appears to be less than lamotrigine, topiramate, levetiracetam, pregabalin, zonisamide, and lacosamide, and slightly higher than gabapentin.

Concept of fat balance in human obesity revisited with particular reference to de novo lipogenesis.

The measurement of fat balance (fat input minus fat output) involves the accurate estimation of both metabolizable fat intake and total fat oxidation. This is possible mostly under laboratory conditions and not yet in free-living conditions. In the latter situation, net fat retention/mobilization can be estimated based on precise and accurate sequential body composition measurements. In case of positive balance, lipids stored in adipose tissue can originate from dietary (exogenous) lipids or from nonlipid precursors, mainly from carbohydrates (CHOs) but also from ethanol, through a process known as de novo lipogenesis (DNL). Basic equations are provided in this review to facilitate the interpretation of the different subcomponents of fat balance (endogenous vs exogenous) under different nutritional circumstances. One difficulty is methodological: total DNL is difficult to measure quantitatively in man; for example, indirect calorimetry only tracks net DNL, not total DNL. Although the numerous factors (mostly exogenous) influencing DNL have been studied, in particular the effect of CHO overfeeding, there is little information on the rate of DNL in habitual conditions of life, that is, large day-to-day fluctuations of CHO intakes, different types of CHO ingested with different glycemic indexes, alcohol combined with excess CHO intakes, etc. Three issues, which are still controversial today, will be addressed: (1) Is the increase of fat mass induced by CHO overfeeding explained by DNL only, or by decreased endogenous fat oxidation, or both? (2) Is DNL different in overweight and obese individuals as compared to their lean counterparts? (3) Does DNL occur both in the liver and in adipose tissue? Recent studies have demonstrated that acute CHO overfeeding influences adipose tissue lipogenic gene expression and that CHO may stimulate DNL in skeletal muscles, at least in vitro. The role of DNL and its importance in health and disease remain to be further clarified, in particular the putative effect of DNL on the control of energy intake and energy expenditure, as well as the occurrence of DNL in other tissues (such as in myocytes) in addition to hepatocytes and adipocytes.

Premsa gratuïta, un model de comunicació local = Free press, a local communication model

The relationship between non-institutional free press and local communication is quite particular since this type of press forms a very characteristic model of local communication, showing that advertising suffices to finance an information product addressed to a fairly well-defined readership as long as this product has a good advertising sales department and an effective distribution in its operating area. This paper discusses the present situation of the free press in Catalonia, where this phenomenon has been quite prominent. It points out the main features of this type of press and makes a review of its history, which runs from the euphoria of its early years and its expansion and consolidation, to the current crisis

Sex allocation conflict in ants: when the queen rules.

Insect societies are paramount examples of cooperation, yet they also harbor internal conflicts whose resolution depends on the power of the opponents. The male-haploid, female-diploid sex-determining system of ants causes workers to be more related to sisters than to brothers, whereas queens are equally related to daughters and sons. Workers should thus allocate more resources to females than to males, while queens should favor an equal investment in each sex. Female-biased sex allocation and manipulation of the sex ratio during brood development suggest that workers prevail in many ant species. Here, we show that queens of Formica selysi strongly influenced colony sex allocation by biasing the sex ratio of their eggs. Most colonies specialized in the production of a single sex. Queens in female-specialist colonies laid a high proportion of diploid eggs, whereas queens in male-specialist colonies laid almost exclusively haploid eggs, which constrains worker manipulation. However, the change in sex ratio between the egg and pupae stages suggests that workers eliminated some male brood, and the population sex-investment ratio was between the queens' and workers' equilibria. Altogether, these data provide evidence for an ongoing conflict between queens and workers, with a prominent influence of queens as a result of their control of egg sex ratio.

Comparison of 3D segmented gradient-echo and steady-state free precession coronary MRI sequences in patients with coronary artery disease.

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to compare two state-of-the-art coronary MRI (CMRI) sequences with regard to image quality and diagnostic accuracy for the detection of coronary artery disease (CAD). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Twenty patients with known CAD were examined with a navigator-gated and corrected free-breathing 3D segmented gradient-echo (turbo field-echo) CMRI sequence and a steady-state free precession sequence (balanced turbo field-echo). CMRI was performed in a transverse plane for the left coronary artery and a double-oblique plane for the right coronary artery system. Subjective image quality (1- to 4-point scale, with 1 indicating excellent quality) and objective image quality parameters were independently determined for both sequences. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for the detection of significant (> or = 50% diameter) coronary artery stenoses were determined as defined in invasive catheter X-ray coronary angiography. RESULTS: Subjective image quality was superior for the balanced turbo field-echo approach (1.8 +/- 0.9 vs 2.3 +/- 1.0 for turbo field-echo; p < 0.001). Vessel sharpness, signal-to-noise ratio, and contrast-to-noise ratio were all superior for the balanced turbo field-echo approach (p < 0.01 for signal-to-noise ratio and contrast-to-noise ratio). Of the 103 segments, 18% of turbo field-echo segments and 9% of balanced turbo field-echo segments had to be excluded from disease evaluation because of insufficient image quality. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for the detection of significant coronary artery stenoses in the evaluated segments were 92%, 67%, 85%, respectively, for turbo field-echo and 82%, 82%, 81%, respectively, for balanced turbo field-echo. CONCLUSION: Balanced turbo field-echo offers improved image quality with significantly fewer nondiagnostic segments when compared with turbo field-echo. For the detection of CAD, both sequences showed comparable accuracy for the visualized segments.

Navigator-gated and real-time motion corrected free-breathing MR Imaging of myocardial late enhancement.

PURPOSE: A new magnetic resonance imaging approach for detection of myocardial late enhancement during free-breathing was developed. METHODS AND RESULTS: For suppression of respiratory motion artifacts, a prospective navigator technology including real-time motion correction and a local navigator restore was implemented. Subject specific inversion times were defined from images with incrementally increased inversion times acquired during a single dynamic scout navigator-gated and real-time motion corrected free-breathing scan. Subsequently, MR-imaging of myocardial late enhancement was performed with navigator-gated and real-time motion corrected adjacent short axis and long axis (two, three and four chamber) views. This alternative approach was investigated in 7 patients with history of myocardial infarction 12 min after i. v. administration of 0.2 mmol/kg body weight gadolinium-DTPA. CONCLUSION: With the presented navigator-gated and real-time motion corrected sequence for MR-imaging of myocardial late enhancement data can be completely acquired during free-breathing. Time constraints of a breath-hold technique are abolished and optimized patient specific inversion time is ensured.

Soil compaction by machine traffic and least limiting water range related to soybean yield

The research aimed to evaluate machine traffic effect on soil compaction and the least limiting water range related to soybean cultivar yields, during two years, in a Haplustox soil. The six treatments were related to tractor (11 Mg weight) passes by the same place: T0, no compaction; and T1*, 1; T1, 1; T2, 2; T4, 4 and T6, 6. In the treatment T1*, the compaction occurred when soil was dried, in 2003/2004, and with a 4 Mg tractor in 2004/2005. Soybean yield was evaluated in relation to soil compaction during two agricultural years in completely randomized design (compaction levels); however, in the second year, there was a factorial scheme (compaction levels, with and without irrigation), with four replicates represented by 9 m² plots. In the first year, soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] cultivar IAC Foscarim 31 was cultivated without irrigation; and in the second year, IAC Foscarim 31 and MG/BR 46 (Conquista) cultivars were cultivated with and without irrigation. Machine traffic causes compaction and reduces soybean yield for soil penetration resistance between 1.64 to 2.35 MPa, and bulk density between 1.50 to 1.53 Mg m-3. Soil bulk density from which soybean cultivar yields decrease is lower than the critical one reached at least limiting water range (LLWR =/ 0).

Viral self-assembly as a thermodynamic process

The protein shells, or capsids, of nearly all spherelike viruses adopt icosahedral symmetry. In the present Letter, we propose a statistical thermodynamic model for viral self-assembly. We find that icosahedral symmetry is not expected for viral capsids constructed from structurally identical protein subunits and that this symmetry requires (at least) two internal switching configurations of the protein. Our results indicate that icosahedral symmetry is not a generic consequence of free energy minimization but requires optimization of internal structural parameters of the capsid proteins

Improved three-dimensional free-breathing coronary magnetic resonance angiography using gadocoletic acid (B-22956) for intravascular contrast enhancement.

PURPOSE: To evaluate gadocoletic acid (B-22956), a gadolinium-based paramagnetic blood pool agent, for contrast-enhanced coronary magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) in a Phase I clinical trial, and to compare the findings with those obtained using a standard noncontrast T2 preparation sequence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The left coronary system was imaged in 12 healthy volunteers before B-22956 application and 5 (N = 11) and 45 (N = 7) minutes after application of 0.075 mmol/kg of body weight (BW) of B-22956. Additionally, imaging of the right coronary system was performed 23 minutes after B-22956 application (N = 6). A three-dimensional gradient echo sequence with T2 preparation (precontrast) or inversion recovery (IR) pulse (postcontrast) with real-time navigator correction was used. Assessment of the left and right coronary systems was performed qualitatively (a 4-point visual score for image quality) and quantitatively in terms of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), vessel sharpness, visible vessel length, maximal luminal diameter, and the number of visible side branches. RESULTS: Significant (P < 0.01) increases in SNR (+42%) and CNR (+86%) were noted five minutes after B-22956 application, compared to precontrast T2 preparation values. A significant increase in CNR (+40%, P < 0.05) was also noted 45 minutes postcontrast. Vessels (left anterior descending artery (LAD), left coronary circumflex (LCx), and right coronary artery (RCA)) were also significantly (P < 0.05) sharper on postcontrast images. Significant increases in vessel length were noted for the LAD (P < 0.05) and LCx and RCA (both P < 0.01), while significantly more side branches were noted for the LAD and RCA (both P < 0.05) when compared to precontrast T2 preparation values. CONCLUSION: The use of the intravascular contrast agent B-22956 substantially improves both objective and subjective parameters of image quality on high-resolution three-dimensional coronary MRA. The increase in SNR, CNR, and vessel sharpness minimizes current limitations of coronary artery visualization with high-resolution coronary MRA.