The acute response of tendon to loading: implications for rehabilitation

Achilles tendinopathy is a common disorder involving physically active and sedentary individuals alike. Although the processes underlying its development are poorly understood, tendinopathy is widely regarded as an ‘overuse’ injury in which the tendon fails to adapt to prevalent loading conditions. Paradoxically, there is emerging evidence that heavy eccentric loading of the Achilles tendon may be an effective conservative approach for treatment of tendinopathy, with success rates of 60–80% reported. Interestingly, loading exercises involving other forms of muscle action, such as concentric activation, have been shown to be less effective treatment options. However, little is known about the acute response of tendon to exercise at present, and there are few plausible explanatory mechanisms for the observed beneficial effects of eccentric exercise, as opposed to other forms of strain stimuli. This paper presents the findings from a series of experiments undertaken to evaluate the effect of various strain stimuli on the time-dependent response of human Achilles tendon in vivo. It was shown for the first time, that heavy resistive ankle plantarflexion/ dorsiflexion exercises induced an immediate and significant decrease in Achilles tendon thickness (~15%). While thickness returned to pre-exercise levels within 24 hours, the recovery was exponential, with primary recovery occurring in less than 6 hours post-exercise. We proposed that such a diametral strain response with tensile loading reflects collagen realignment, Poison’s effects and radial extrusion of water from the tendon core. With unloading, the recovery of tendon dimensions likely reflects the re-diffusion of water via osmotic and/or inflammatory driven processes. Interestingly, prolonged walking was found to induce a similar diametral strain response. In subsequent studies, we demonstrated that eccentric exercise resulted in a greater reduction (-21%) in Achilles tendon thickness than isolated concentric exercise alone (-5%), despite a similar loading impulse. These novel findings, coupled with observations of a reduced diametral strain response with tendon pathology, highlight the importance of fluid movement to tendon function, nutrition and health. They also provide new insights into potential mechanisms underlying Achilles tendinopathy that impact rehabilitation strategies.

银山种群生态学研究

银杉(Cathaya argyrophylla)是我国特有的珍贵植物，被认为处于濒危状态。本文结合前人的研究，通过大量的野外调查，弄清了银杉的种质资源现状，分析银杉的群落特征，在此基础上重点研究了银杉种群的主要特征。 研究表明，现存银杉间断分布于我国亚热带山地，形成4个集结地，资源总量（株高大于1米者）不占4000棵。现有银杉群落处于演替的早、中期阶段，到演替后期，银杉将被组成地带性植被的优势阔叶树种取代。 银杉种群的空间分布格局与银杉的生物学特性及微环境有关。在老龄种群内，容易产生林窗，银杉在林窗形成异龄群聚，以寻求充足的光照和营养支持，种群多表现为集群分布;在群落内微环境异质性较明显时，也导致集群分布。在各种银杉群落中，就银杉种群而言，光因子可能是影响其分布格局的主导因子。银杉种群集群分布的格局规模虽在和群落种群间有明显差异，但大多在面积小于16平方米的较小尺度下发生。 银杉各群落类型中银杉种群年龄化加剧的现象，有些种群在某些龄组出现断层。从年龄结构看，有些银杉种群处于被阔叶树种更替的境地。 林窗干扰对银杉种群的更新意义重大，在林窗内和非林窗银杉群落内，银杉种群的重要值均为最大;银杉幼树在林窗内的高生长量普遍大于荫蔽的林冠下，这些充分说明银杉是典型的林窗更新方式。 银杉结实有明显的大小年之分，一般在2-3个小年之后为1-2个大年，母树结实量不与树龄成正相关，在植株间差别很大。每个球果出种量平均为4.267粒，无种子的球果占比重达12.2%。饱满种子的平均重量仅为0.0197克，远远低于乔木树种种子的平均水平。林地内自然善状况下播种，种子发芽率仅为21%，松土后播种可使发芽率加倍。种子宜于湿沙贮藏，干藏导致种子发芽率大幅度下降。松鼠是长期危害球果的主要动物，其危害率可达15%。 对银杉生长规律的研究发现，幼龄银杉在全光照下和荫蔽林冠下比在林窗内高生长都要缓慢;成年银杉高生长盛期在130年前出现;银杉种群地上部分生物量在大部分群落类型间介于62000-91000千克/公顷之间。 第四纪冰川时期，强烈的气候变迁，造成银杉种群的大尺度减少，并导致其间断分布于我国亚热带山地;冰后期以来的气候波动及近代剧烈的人类活动使已经片断化的银杉种群数量进一步下降。从而导致银杉遗传多样性低和生殖障碍大，后者反过来又进一步引起种群数量下降和分布区缩小，形成恶性循环，造成银杉濒危。

Acoustic properties of carbon nanotube electrodes in BAW resonators

In this paper the acoustic characterization of a layer of carbon nanotubes (CNT) deposited on AlN solidly mounted resonators is described. The structure of the CNT layer is analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The electrical sheet resistance is derived from 4 point probe measurements and from the fitting of the electrical response of the resonators. Values of sheet resistance around 100 Ω/□ are measured. The longitudinal acoustic velocity is derived from the fitting of the electrical response of the resonators using Mason's model, by adjusting the overtones produced in the CNT layer. A mean value of 62000 m·s-1 is obtained, although some devices show values around 90000 m·s -1, close to the theoretical value of 100000 m·s-1. Some results on the deposition of CNT layers on metallic top electrodes and their influence on the performance of the resonator are also presented. © 2013 IEEE.

棕色固氮菌钼铁蛋白α亚基的分离

CA13为棕色固氮菌nifK基因缺失突变株，可单独产生钼铁蛋白的α亚基而无β亚基。我们利用CA13菌株，经DEAE－纤维素柱层析及SephadexG-100凝胶柱层析，分离得到保持天然状态的α亚基。经SDS-聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳。测得其分子量为62000，并对分离得到的α亚基进行了其氨基酸组分分析。分离纯化保持天然状态的钼铁蛋白的亚基。对于研究钼铁蛋白亚基间的重组。FeMo-Co活性中心的空间位置以及FeMo-Co与亚基的重组具有重要意义。

Técnicas de búsqueda de empleo : educación de personas adultas.

Pretende aportar un material multidisciplinar con propuestas didácticas para abordar los contenidos curriculares de programas específicos dirigidos a jóvenes. El hilo conductor de las actividades son algunos deportes, originados en los cinco continentes del mundo, abordados desde diferentes dimensiones: social, cultural, económica, física, lúdica, etc. El carácter universal del deporte lo señala como una actividad que sirve de nexo entre culturas, su carácter universal constituye punto de encuentro, un lugar común entre culturas diferentes.

The effect of earlier mating and improving fertility on greenhouse gas emissions intensity of beef production in northern Australian herds

Approximately 5% of Australian national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are derived from the northern beef industry. Improving the reproductive performance of cows has been identified as a key target for increasing profitability, and this higher efficiency is also likely to reduce the GHG emissions intensity of beef production. The effects of strategies to increase the fertility of breeding herds and earlier joining of heifers as yearlings were studied on two properties at Longreach and Boulia in western Queensland. The beef production, GHG emissions, emissions intensity and profitability were investigated and compared with typical management in the two regions. Overall weaning rates achieved on the two properties were 79% and 74% compared with typical herd weaning rates of 58% in both regions. Herds with high reproductive performance had GHG emissions intensities (t CO2-e t–1 liveweight sold) 28% and 22% lower than the typical herds at Longreach and Boulia, with most of the benefit from higher weaning rates. Farm gross margin analysis showed that it was more profitable, by $62 000 at Longreach and $38 000 at Boulia, to utilise higher reproductive performance to increase the amount of liveweight sold with the same number of adult equivalents compared with reducing the number of adult equivalents to maintain the same level of liveweight sold and claiming a carbon credit for lower farm emissions. These gains achieved at two case study properties which had different rainfall, country types, and property sizes suggest similar improvements can be made on-farm across the Mitchell Grass Downs bioregion of northern Australia.