Peak torque and rate of torque development in elderly with and without fall history

Background Falls are one of the greatest concerns among the elderly A number of studies have described peak torque as one of the best fall-related predictor. No studies have comprehensively focused on the rate of torque development of the lower limb muscles among elderly fallers. Then, the aim of this study was to determine the relationship between muscle peak torque and rate of torque development of the lower limb joints in elderly with and without fall history It was also aimed to determine whether these parameters of muscle performance (i e, peak torque and rate of torque development) are related to the number of falls. Methods: Thirty-one women volunteered to participate in the study and were assigned in one of the groups according to the number of falls over the 12 months that preceded the present Then, participants with no fall history (Cl; n = 13; 67.6[7.5] years-old), one fall (GII; n = 8, 66 0[4 91 years-old) and two or more falls (GIII, n = 10; 67.8[8.8] years-old) performed a number of lower limb maximal isometric voluntary contractions from which peak torque and rate of torque development were quantified Findings. Primary outcomes indicated no peak torque differences between experimental groups in any lower limb joint. The rate of torque development of the knee flexor muscles observed in the non-fallers (Cl) was greater than that observed in the fallers (P < 0.05) and had a significant relationship with the number of falls (P < 0 05) Interpretation. The greater knee flexor muscles` rate of torque development found in the non-fallers in comparison to the fallers indicated that the ability of the elderly to rapidly reorganise the arrangement of the lower limb may play a significant role in allowing the elderly to recover balance after a trip. Thus, training stimulus aimed to improve the rate of torque development may be more beneficial to prevent falls among the elderly than other training stimulus, which are not specifically designed to improve the ability to rapidly produce large amounts of torque (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier Ltd

Signals in Communication Engineering History

This paper is a study of various electric signals, which have been employed throughout the history of communication engineering in its two main landmarks: the telegraph and the telephone. The signals are presented in their time and frequency domain representations. The historical order has been followed in the presentation: wired systems, spark gap wireless, continuous wave (CW) and amplitude modulation (AM), detection by rectification, and frequency modulation (FM). The analysis of these signals is meant to lead into a better understanding of the evolution of communication technology. The material presented in this work could be used to illustrate ""Signals and Systems"" and ""Communication Systems"" courses by taking advantage of its technical as well as historical contents.

A History of Eating in Sao Paulo (1920 to 1950)

This paper proposes a way to analyze the history of eating in Sao Paulo (Brazil) between 1920 and 1950. It addresses the relative absence of research on this topic for this period characterized by the rapid expansion of the city, which became a key market, an important regulator of consumption habits, and a meeting place for diverse social groups. An abundance of sources makes it possible to undertake a social history of eating. On the one hand, intellectuals of different backgrounds and interests produced a good deal of work on popular food habits. On the other, the article points to the possibility of using lifestyle studies and surveys on eating habits from this period in order to gain insight into the lives of different sectors of the population.

Life history of Proctolaelaps bulbosus feeding on the coconut mite Aceria guerreronis and other possible food types occurring on coconut fruits

Aceria guerreronis Keifer (Acari: Eriophyidae) is a major pest of coconut fruits (Cocos nucifera L.) in many countries of the Americas, Africa, and parts of Asia. Considerable attention has been given to studies of biological control agents of A. guerreronis. Proctolaelaps bulbosus Moraes, Reis and Gondim Jr. is a predator recently discovered in association with A. guerreronis. Nothing is known about its biology. The aim of this study was to determine suitable food sources for P. bulbosus, among items commonly found on coconut fruits, including A. guerreronis. Food sources evaluated included the mites A. guerreronis, Steneotarsonemus concavuscutum Lofego and Gondim Jr., and Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schrank), the fungus Rhizopus aff. stolonifer (Ehrenb.) Vuill and coconut pollen; the mite Tetranychus urticae Koch was also included in the assessments, for being a commonly used prey for mass production and laboratory rearing of predatory mites. Proctolaelaps bulbosus was able to develop up to adulthood when fed A. guerreronis, R. aff. stolonifer and T. putrescentiae. It had the highest population growth rates when feeding on the former (R (o) = 17.5; r (m) = 0.392). These results indicate that A. guerreronis is the most suitable food for P. bulbosus among the possible food sources found on coconut fruits and that P. bulbosus can survive in the absence of eriophyid using R. aff. stolonifer as a food source.

Diet-dependent life history, feeding preference and thermal requirements of the predatory mite Neoseiulus baraki (Acari: Phytoseiidae)

Neoseiulus baraki Athias-Henriot (Acari: Phytoseiidae) has been reported from the Americas, Africa and Asia, often in association with Aceria guerreronis Keifer (Acari: Eriophyidae), one of the most important pests of coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) in diVerent parts of the world. That phytoseiid has been considered one of the most common predators associated with A. guerreronis in Brazil. The objective of this study was to evaluate the feeding preference and the eVect of food items commonly present on coconut fruits and several temperature regimes on the life history of a Brazilian population of N. baraki. Completion of immature development was possible when N. baraki was fed A. guerreronis, Steneotarsonemus concavuscutum Lofego and Gondim Jr., and Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schrank). Fecundity was highest on T. putrescentiae (39.4 eggs), followed by A. guerreronis (24.8 eggs). In choice tests, irrespective of the food on which N. baraki was reared, a larger number of adults of this predator chose leaf discs containing A. guerreronis than discs containing other food items, demonstrating a preference of the former for the latter as food. Egg to adult thermal developmental time was calculated as 84.2 degree-days, above a threshold of 15.8 degrees C. This lower developmental threshold is higher than previously published for phytoseiid species from higher latitudes. Neoseiulus baraki was shown to have higher biotic potential at 30 degrees C (r(m) 0.29). The results suggest N. baraki to be a promising biological control agent of A. guerreronis, well adapted to survive and develop in areas with relatively high temperatures, where that pest prevails.

Life history of the predatory mite Phytoseiulus fragariae on Tetranychus evansi and Tetranychus urticae (Acari : Phytoseiidae, Tetranychidae) at five temperatures

Tetranychus evansi Baker and Pritchard and Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) are important pests of Solanaceae in many countries. Several studies have demonstrated that T. urticae is an acceptable prey to many predatory mites, although the suitability of this prey depends on the host plant. T. evansi, has been shown to be an unfavorable prey to most predatory mites that have been tested against it. The predator Phytoseiulus fragariae Denmark and Schicha (Acari: Phytoseiidae) has been found in association with the two species in Brazil. The objective of this work was to compare biological parameters of P. fragariae on T. evansi and on T. urticae as prey. The study was conducted under laboratory conditions at 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 degrees C. At all temperatures, survivorship was lower on T. evansi than on T. urticae. No predator reached adulthood at 10 degrees C on the former species; even on the latter species, only about 36% of the predators reached adulthood at 10 degrees C. For both prey, in general, duration of each life stage was shorter, total fecundity was lower and intrinsic rate of population increase (r(m) ) was higher with increasing temperatures. The slower rate of development of P. fragariae on T. evansi resulted in a slightly higher thermal requirement (103.9 degree-days) on that prey than on T. urticae (97.1 degree-days). The values of net reproduction rate (R-0), intrinsic rate of increase (r (m) ) and finite rate of increase (lambda) were significantly higher on T. urticae, indicating faster population increase of the predator on this prey species. The highest value of r (m) of the predator was 0.154 and 0.337 female per female per day on T. evansi and on T. urticae, respectively. The results suggested that P. fragariae cannot be considered a good predator of T. evansi.

The Effects of Live, Taped and No Music on People Experiencing Posttraumatic Amnesia

This study compared the effects of live, taped, and no music, on agitation and orientation levels of people experiencing posttraumatic amnesia (PTA). Participants (N = 22) were exposed to all 3 conditions, twice over 6 consecutive days. Songs used in the live and taped music conditions were identical and were selected based on participants' own preferred music. Pre and posttesting was conducted for each condition using the Agitated Behavior Scale (Corrigan, 1989) and the Westmead PTA Scale (Shores, Marosszeky, Sandanam, Batchelor, 1986). Participants' memory for the music used was also tested and compared with their memory for pictorial material presented in the Westmead PTA Scale. Results indicate that music significantly reduced agitation (p

Australian Newspaper History Group Newsletter

Current findings related to the history of Australian newspapers.

Australian Newspaper History Group Newsletter

Current findings, news and announcements related to the history of Australian newspapers.

Australian Newspaper History Group Newsletter

Current findings, news and announcements related to the history of Australian newspapers.

A Critical Appraisal of Narrative in Sport History: Reading the Surf Lifesaving Debate

All debates in history—who started the Cold War, how successful were the Chartists in achieving their aims, to what extent was the recession of the American frontier culturally significant in American history— are debates between competing narrative interpretations. Moreover, because the historical imagination itself exists intertextually within our own social and political environment, the past is never discovered set aside from everyday life. History is designed and composed in the here and now.

Deconstructing sport history: The postmodern challenge

The crisis in the historical profession today is both conceptual and political, both methodological and practical. To the crises of the decline of great narrative history for the popular audience, the multiculturalist challenge to Eurocentric history, and the loss of faith in grand themes of progress and liberation that provided moral and political guidance through history’s lessons, must be added the crisis created by the implications of literary and rhetorical theory for the very practice of history itself.

Remembering sport history: Narrative, social memory and the origins of the rugby league in Australia

This study examines the historiography of the origins of rugby league in Australia. By accepting the inclusive nature of representation of the past as found in social memory theory, a wide range of sources ranging from histories written by academics to annuals, yearbooks and newspaper books are consulted. These sources reveal that there are several competing and conflicting accounts of the emergence of rugby league in Australia. These divergent accounts are used to facilitate a discussion of the role of narrative in sport history This article argues that narrative is an integral, not optional, feature of the production of history and that the historography of the origins of rugby league highlight the problematic nature of objectivity in history and the unavoidable, impositionalist role of the historian.

Clifford Geertz, 1926-2006: Meaning, method, and Indonesian economic history

Clifford Geertz was best known for his pioneering excursions into symbolic or interpretive anthropology, especially in relation to Indonesia. Less well recognised are his stimulating explorations of the modern economic history of Indonesia. His thinking on the interplay of economics and culture was most fully and vigorously expounded in Agricultural Involution. That book deployed a succinctly packaged past in order to solve a pressing contemporary puzzle, Java's enduring rural poverty and apparent social immobility. Initially greeted with acclaim, later and ironically the book stimulated the deep and multi-layered research that in fact led to the eventual rejection of Geertz's central contentions. But the veracity or otherwise of Geertz's inventive characterisation of Indonesian economic development now seems irrelevant; what is profoundly important is the extraordinary stimulus he gave to a generation of scholars to explore Indonesia's modern economic history with a depth and intensity previously unimaginable.