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Relationships between Amortization Force and Kinetics Variables during Jumping and Landing
Get PDFObjectives: Force-time curve variables of countermovement jump are utilized to assess neuromuscular and biomechanical features related to lower extremity dynamics. The amortization phase is the transition phase between eccentric and concentric muscle activity and it is related to performance during jumping and agility activities. This study determines the relationship between Amortization Force and kinetics variables during a jumping and landing task. Equipment and methods: Seventeen junior professional male volleyball players performed three counter-movement jumps with maximum effort. The function of the stretch-shortening cycle of the legs concerning the jumping movement has been evaluated using the block jump skill on a dual-force platform (Kistler, CH). Kinetics data from Force - Time curve variables were calculated in MATLAB programs software (Math Works Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA) for the best jump trial. Multiple Stepwise Regression analysis was used to estimate the relationship between amortization force and other kinetic variables during jumping and landing as well as the magnitude coefficient of each variable. Results: Significant relationship between amortization force and other kinetic variables in the first step of stepwise regression models (p<0.05). Conclusions: These data may suggest that conditioning coaches should identify their player’s preferred position and incorporate a specific training program to enhance the players' power
Backpack loading position and self-selected foot position as measured by foot tracings
No full textBACKGROUND: It is known that even under static conditions a backpack wearer will need to make some adjustments to maintain postural stability. There is a paucity of research exploring the impact of altering the position of the feet with imposed loads of variable distance from the posterior midline. OBJECTIVE: Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine if changes in the horizontal position of a fixed load when wearing a backpack affect specific variables derived from foot tracings of males and females standing with their self-selected natural feet position. METHODS:150 healthy volunteer participants were instructed to adopt a natural stance across four conditions: Backpack with no weight, backpack with a weight (5% of body mass) placed at 0 cm, 20 cm, and 40 cm distance from the posterior body. Foot tracings were made for each condition. Base of Support (BoS), Feet Width (FW), and Feet Opening Angle (FOA) were calculated. RESULTS: The BoS significantly decreased in loaded conditions (0 cm, 20 cm and 40 cm) compared to unloaded. This was supported by FW and FOA significant findings that once the load was imposed the response was to approximate the feet and reduce ‘toeout’. CONCLUSION: This reaction of people to reduce their BoS in response to added backpack load appears counter intuitive and raises the question of whether this is maladaptive. Clarification by further investigation will inform backpack wearers to counter this instinctive response to load and increase postural stability
Temporal Assessment of DNA Shedding from Human Hands After Handwashing: Implications for Touch DNA Recovery
Get PDFThis study examines the temporal dynamics of DNA shedding from human hands following handwashing, with a focus on its implications for forensic touch DNA recovery. The research investigates fluctuations in DNA levels over time post-handwashing and highlights significant individual differences in shedding patterns. Statistical analysis revealed that DNA recovery levels at 30 minutes post-handwashing were significantly higher than those at 5 minutes (p < 0.01), demonstrating rapid DNA reaccumulation. Male participants shed significantly more DNA than female participants on average (p < 0.01), underscoring a potential influence of gender on DNA shedding tendencies.
Results further emphasized the challenges of accurately categorizing individuals as "high," "medium," or "low" shedders, although the methodology provided a robust framework for assessing shedding abilities. This variability in DNA shedding rates has critical forensic implications, particularly regarding the timing of evidence collection and the interpretation of touch DNA evidence. By accounting for these individual differences, forensic professionals can improve the accuracy and reliability of DNA analysis, ultimately strengthening forensic investigations.
Future research should explore additional factors influencing DNA shedding, including skin type, ethnicity, and long-term activity levels. Investigating the effects of different handwashing agents, environmental conditions, and extended timelines on DNA recovery could further refine forensic methodologies, enhancing the utility of touch DNA evidence in forensic science
Editorial: ‘Transdisciplinarity in Disability, Art and Design’
No full textThis Special Issue, guest-edited by art historian and curator Amanda Cachia, brings together artists and researchers situated in the overlapping communities concerned with disability studies, art and design to explore how the concept of ‘transdisciplinarity’ helps to navigate the intersection of disability, art form, audience and context. Readers will encounter a dynamic blend of twelve scholarly and artistic projects, which collectively explore evolutions and trends within the cross-pollination of disability, art and design, and explore the critical role of access as a medium of change
On the frontline 9: The optical assistant's role in communicating myopia management
No full textTony Douglass considers the role of the optical assistant as part of the practice team when communicating about myopia managemen
Grave / Grebh / Græf
Get PDFThrough this paper and research project, I explore the question of how the resting place of the body can become a catalyst for growth. Grave/Grebh/ Græf explores the potential for metamorphosis and renewal through the liveliness of decay. My practice originally centred on the corpse itself, tracking the decay of individual animals found on the roadside to try to capture the last residual trace of the spirit after the body has gone. I am now searching for these traces in the vegetation that grows from their resting places. Grave/Grebh/Græf examines various burial sites through observational drawing and grieving rituals. The drawings require intense periods, focus, respect, and reverence, paralleling the intention of the rosary prayers or other devotional obits repetitively performed by parishioners to preserve the memory of the deceased. Gallagher and Hiller (2011, p. 17) said, “That we who are still alive must perform obligatory tasks to care for the needy dead is a powerful, nearly universal human belief.” We choose to notice and attend to the familiar through that attention. To notice is to care
Dating Antique Photographs End of Project Report
No full textThis end-of-project report summarises the outcomes and public impact of the Dating Antique Photographs Project, led by Brandon Reece Taylorian and funded by the Institute of Creativity, Communities and Culture. The report outlines the creation of The Handbook of Antique Photographs, a practical research-based guide to identifying and dating nineteenth- and early twentieth-century photographs, alongside the delivery of two public workshops at the University of Central Lancashire. It highlights strong participant engagement, positive testimonials, and the successful development of additional project resources, including antique photograph log sheets and the website antiquephotographs.co.uk. Overall, the report presents the project as a successful model of public-facing historical research that combined scholarly expertise with accessible community outreach and heritage education
Takeaway coffee: The interplay between convenience and sustainability
No full textDisposable cups contribute to plastic pollution, with billions of cups discarded globally every year. The purpose of this study was to investigate how consumer sustainability attitudes and practice transfer to takeaway coffee consumption. This was done by exploring coffee drinkers’ perceived value of takeaway coffee. The coffee cup, whether disposable or reusable, was seen as integral to the takeaway coffee experience and the study also sought to explore coffee drinkers’ behaviour around cups. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with an international sample of coffee drinkers. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the interview data. Prominent themes were mapped onto Holbrook’s (1999) typology of consumer value. Takeaway coffee was found to be dominated by self-oriented values, with taste and convenience supreme elements that drive consumption. Other-oriented value elements such as sustainability received low priority in purchase decisions. In the interplay between convenience and sustainability, convenience was found to have the upper hand. The findings are of value to policy makers and coffee brands in terms of empowering coffee drinkers to enjoy takeaway coffee sustainably
AGN STORM 2. X. The Origin of the Interband Continuum Delays in Mrk 817 *
Get PDFThe local (z = 0.0315) active galactic nucleus (AGN) Mrk 817 was monitored over more than 500 days with space-borne and ground-based instruments as part of a large international campaign, AGN STORM 2. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of the broadband continuum variations using detailed modeling of the broad line region (BLR), several types of disk winds classified by their optical depth, and new numerical simulations. We find that diffuse continuum (DC) emission, with additional contributions from strong and broad emission lines, can explain the continuum lags observed in this source during high- and low-luminosity phases. Disk illumination by the variable X-ray corona contributes only a small fraction of the observed continuum lags. Our BLR models assume radiation-pressure-confined clouds distributed over a distance of 2–122 light days. We present calculated mean emissivity radii of many emission lines, and DC emission, and suggest a simple, transfer-function-dependent method that ties them to cross-correlation lag determinations. We do not find clear indications for large-optical-depth winds, but identify the signature of lower-column-density winds. In particular, we associate the shortest observed continuum lags with a combination of τ(1 Ryd) ≈ 2 wind and a partly shielded BLR. Even smaller optical depth winds may be associated with X-ray absorption features and with noticeable variations in the widths and lags of several high-ionization lines like He ii and C iv. Finally, we demonstrate the effect of torus dust emission on the observed lags in the i and z bands
