774 research outputs found
Ball Kicking Biomechanics
No full textBall kicking is a key action performed in a number of sports such as soccer, Australian football, and the rugby codes. In goal or point scoring situations (e.g., penalty kick in soccer and place kick in rugby), maximising the ball velocity is considered the primary determinant of kick success. However, since a kick also needs to be accurate or it will miss the intended target, biomechanical research has tended to focus on both these aspects of kicking performance. This article will describe the biomechanical factors that affect ball kicking performance, with a particular focus on the Soccer instep kick. First, the mechanics of the kick leg from the top of the backswing through to ball impact will be discussed. Next, other factors such as the influence of pelvis, torso, and support leg motion on the kick leg will be considered. Some of the important characteristics of other variations of the kicking skill such as the side-foot and punt kicks will also be summarised. The article will conclude with some practical recommendations and suggestions for future research
Stages for the More Sustainable Farm
No full textCurrently, agricultural farm units are faced with a double and most times contradictory challenge, in order to be successful: on the one hand the invested capital has to be profitable and the economic performance has to be maximised. On the other hand, given the socio-environmental situation, it is necessary to preserve and to protect the environment and natural resources. Given the potential conflict of the two aims, since the satisfaction of one implies the underperformance of the other (and vice versa), the question then is: which is the solution to choose? We intend, in this work, to formulate a farm plan with the purpose of reconciling the criteria of environmental sustainability with that of economic competitiveness. For this achievement we proceed to the comparative study of sustainability of different groups of farms identified in the study area (first evaluation cycle) through MESMIS (“Marco para la Evaluación de Sistemas de Manejo de Recursos Naturales Mediante Indicadores de Sustentabilidad” - Framework for Evaluation of Natural-Resource Systems Handling through Sustainability Indicators) methodology, that allowed to select the more sustainable group of farms. Based on the found potentialities and weakness on these production systems, we stepped to the planning of a production unit of bovine meat, which obeys simultaneously to economic and environmental objectives, using Multicriteria Decision. We finished the work with the sustainability evaluation between groups of farms identified previously and the planned farms (second evaluation cycle), based, again, in the MESMIS methodology, to confirm (or not) the greatest sustainability of the last ones. Analyses of the results allow us to confirm the greatest relative sustainability of the planned farm, for the diverse traced scenarios.Decision taking, planning, sustainability, Environmental Economics and Policy, Farm Management,
Conformational dependence of through-space tellurium-tellurium spin-spin coupling in peri-substituted bis(tellurides)
No full textThe work in this project was supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). M.B. wishes to thank EaStCHEM and the University of St Andrews for support.Three related series of peri‐substituted bis(tellurides) bearing naphthalene, acenaphthene and acenaphthylene backbones (Nap/Acenap/Aceyl(TeY)2 (Nap=naphthalene‐1,8‐diyl N ; Acenap=acenaphthene‐5,6‐diyl A ; Aceyl=acenaphthylene‐5,6‐diyl Ay ; Y=Ph 1 ; Fp 2 ; Tol 3 ; An‐p 4 ; An‐o 5 ; Tp 6 ; Mes 7 ; Tip 8 ) have been synthesised and their solid‐state structures determined by X‐ray crystallography. Molecular conformations were classified as a function of the two C9‐C‐Te‐C(Y) dihedral angles (θ); in the solid all members adopt AB or CCt configurations, with larger Te(aryl) moieties exclusively imposing the CCt variant. Exceptionally large J(125Te,125Te) spin–spin coupling constants between 3289–3848 Hz were obtained for compounds substituted by bulky Te(aryl) groups, implying these species are locked in a CCt‐type conformation. In contrast, compounds incorporating smaller Te(aryl) moieties are predicted to be rather dynamic in solution and afford much smaller J values (2050–2676 Hz), characteristic of greater populations of AB conformers with lower couplings. This conformational dependence of through‐space coupling is supported by DFT calculations.Peer reviewe
A influência da tragédia na Alexandra, de Lícofron, e a questão da performance
No full textLycophron’s Alexandra is a Hellenistic poem in which a messenger reports the prophecies that he heard Cassandra pronounce within the cell where she was arrested by his father, Priam. In this poem we find a number of features that show that its author was greatly influenced by the Tragedy of the fifth century B. C. In this paper, I intend to examine the elements that characterize this influence in the poem and, in conclusion, I want to deal with the performance possibilities of such a composition. In the most recent texts of the critics, the prevailing idea is that the Alexandra would have been written for highly educated Alexandrian readers. However, I defend the idea that perhaps Lycophron has composed his poem thinking of a sort of recitation, even if it was for a highly prepared public.A Alexandra, de Lícofron, é um poema helenístico no qual um mensageiro relata as profecias que ouviu Cassandra pronunciar de dentro da cela onde tinha sido presa pelo seu pai, Príamo. Nesse poema encontramos uma série de características que mostram que seu autor foi muito influenciado pela tragédia do século V a.C. Neste trabalho, pretendo examinar os elementos que caracterizam essa influência no poema e, como conclusão, pretendo tratar das possibilidades de performance de tal tipo de composição. Nos textos dos críticos mais recentes, prevalece a ideia de que a Alexandra teria sido composta para leitores eruditos do período alexandrino. Porém, quero defender a ideia de que talvez Lícofron tenha composto seu poema pensando num tipo de recitação, mesmo que fosse para um público altamente preparado
THE EFFECT OF REPRESENTATIVE TASK DESIGN ON GROUND REACTION FORCES PRODUCED BY ADOLESCENT RUGBY PLAYERS
No full textOur primary aim in this study was to investigate differences in the ground reaction forces (GRFs) produced when adolescent rugby players performed match-reflective tasks of increasing degrees of representativeness. Fourteen male players performed three tasks; a straight jog, an anticipated cut and an unanticipated cut. These tasks were performed in four different conditions; landing with their dominant or non-dominant leg, while carrying or not carrying a rugby ball. Greater GRFs were recorded during both the weight acceptance and late push-off phases of the cutting tasks compared with the straight jog and during the push-off phase when the direction of the cut was anticipated. Carrying a ball, however, did not affect the GRFs recorded. These findings highlight the importance of employing representative task design when assessing performance and designing practice
La creación del personaje femenino: una aproximación desde la obra de Gilma Peña y Alexandra Cardona.
No full textEste trabajo indaga en el proceso creativo que las guionistas Gilma Peña y Alexandra Cardona llevan a cabo en la construcción de personajes femeninos. A partir de entrevistas semiestructuradas y del análisis fílmico de algunas escenas de las producciones ¿Por qué diablos? y Confesión a Laura, se describe el aporte que las escritoras hicieron a la representación de las mujeres en las pantallas colombianas. Asimismo, como apuesta por la creación y como resultado de este ejercicio investigativo, se lleva a cabo la escritura de un guión propio para explorar cómo los métodos, estilos y enfoques narrativos de estas guionistas pueden inspirar y contribuir en la creación de historias y protagonistas femeninas.This work explores the creative process that screenwriters Gilma Peña and Alexandra Cardona employ in constructing female characters. Based on semi-structured interviews and a film analysis of selected scenes from the productions ¿Por qué diablos? and Confesión a Laura, the author describes the writers' contributions to the representation of women on Colombian screens. Furthermore, as a creative endeavor and as a result of this investigative exercise, the author writes a script to explore how the methods, styles, and narrative approaches of these screenwriters can inspire and contribute to the creation of female stories and protagonistsPregradoComunicador(a) Social - Periodist
Addressing the challenges of climate change risks and adaptation in coastal areas: A review
No full textClimate change is and will continue altering the world's coasts, which are the most densely populated and economically active areas on earth and home for highly valuable ecosystems. While there is considerable relevant research, in the authors' experience this problem remains challenging for coastal engineering. This paper reviews important challenges in this respect and identifies three key actions to address them: (a) refocusing traditional practice towards more climate-aware approaches; (b) developing more comprehensive risk frameworks that include the multi-dimensionality and non-stationarity of their components and consideration of uncertainty; and (c) building bridges between risk assessment and adaptation theory and practice. We conclude that the way forward includes numerous activities including increased observations; the attribution of coastal impacts to their drivers; enhanced climate projections and their integration into impact models; more impact assessments at the local scale; dynamic projections of spatially-distributed exposure and vulnerability; and the exploration of inherently adaptive options. Given the complexity of the possible solutions, more practical guidance is required.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Coastal Engineerin
BIOMECHANICAL ANALYSIS OF ELITE FEMALE RUGBY PLACE KICKERS
No full textThe purpose of this study was to investigate rugby place kicking technique of elite female players. Five International-level female place kickers took at least five maximum range place kicks, and their technique was analysed using 3D motion capture. In comparison to successful male kickers, females achieved slower kicking foot and ball velocities and shorter maximum kicking distances. Reduced extension of the support leg hip and knee joints, combined with slower centre of mass deceleration, meant that females appeared to transfer less momentum from their approach to the ball, thus, requiring them to perform more positive work at their kicking hip. A faster approach to the ball and more pronounced support leg extension may enable females to achieve greater place kicking distances
Nikolai Evreinov and Edith Craig as Mediums of Modernist Sensibility
No full textNikolai Evreinov (1870-1953) was a Russian playwright, director, and theorist of the theatre who played a leading part in the modernist movement of Russian theatre. Evreinov's 1911 monodrama The Theatre of the Soul (V kulisakh dushi) was staged by the Crooked Mirror theatre in St Petersburg in 1912. It was also performed in London (1915) and Rome (1929), and inspired Man Ray to create his aerograph The Theatre of the Soul (1917). In this article Alexandra Smith links Evreinov's play to Russian modernist thought shaped by the atmosphere of crisis associated with the Russo-Japanese War and the first Russian Revolution. It demonstrates that Edith Craig's production of Evreinov's play suggests that the philosophy of theatricalization of everyday life might enable modern subjects to overcome the fragmentation of modern society. Craig's use of the montage-like techniques of Evreinov's play prefigures cinematographic experiments of the 1920s and Marinetti's notion of synthetic theatre. Alexandra Smith is a Reader in Russian Studies at the University of Edinburgh and is the author of The Song of the Mockingbird: Pushkin in the Works of Marina Tsvetaeva (1994) and Montaging Pushkin: Pushkin and Visions of Modernity in Russian Twentieth-Century Poetry (2006), as well as numerous articles on Russian literature and culture.</p
Diphtheria-like disease caused by Toxigenic Corynebacterium ulcerans strain
No full textToxigenic Corynebacterium ulcerans is an increasingly reported cause of diphtheria in the United Kingdom and is often associated with a zoonotic origin (1,2). Here, we report a case of diphtheria caused by toxigenic C. ulcerans in a woman, 51 years of age, from Scotland, UK, who was admitted to a hospital in August 2013 with a swollen, sore throat and a gray-white membrane over the pharyngeal surface. The patient had returned from a 2-week family holiday in the state of Florida, United States, before the admission and also reported recent treatment of a pet dog for pharyngitis. The patient was believed to have been vaccinated against diphtheria during childhood. She was immediately admitted to an isolation ward and treated with a combination of clindamycin, penicillin, and metronidazole
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