Greater Head Research Articles

Backstroke start performance: the impact of using the Omega OBL2 backstroke ledge

FINA recently approved the backstroke ledge (Omega OBL2) to improve backstroke start performance in competition, but its performance has not been thoroughly evaluated. The purpose of this study was to compare the mechanics of starts performed with and without the OBL2. Ten high-level backstroke swimmers performed three starts with, and three starts without, the OBL2. A wall-mounted force plate measured the lower limb horizontal impulse, vertical impulse, take-off velocity and take-off angle. Entry distance, time to 10 m and start of hip and knee extension were recorded using video cameras. Starts performed with the OBL2 had a 0.13 s lower time to 10 m, 2.5% less variability in time to 10 m and 0.14 m greater head entry distance. The OBL2 provides a performance advantage by allowing an increased head entry distance rather than larger horizontal impulse on the wall. This may be due to the swimmers assuming different body positions during the start manoeuvre. Additional studies are needed to evaluate factors that contribute to improved performance when using the OBL2. Swimmers should train with the OBL2 and use it in competition to ensure optimal start performance.

A new species of Boehlkea (Characiformes: Characidae: Stevardiinae) from the rio Japurá, Amazon basin, Brazil

ABSTRACT A new species of Boehlkea is described from rio Japurá, Amazon basin. The new species differs from B. fredcochui by the presence of a vertically elongate humeral spot (vs. absence), complete lateral line (vs. incomplete), four rows of scales below lateral line (vs. three), and lower number of branched anal-fin rays (17-21 vs. 22-25), and from B. orcesi by the higher number of maxillary teeth (13-14 vs. 5-12), greater head length (27.9-29.9% vs. 24.3-27.5% of SL), and by the color pattern (basal half of dorsal-fin, distal portion of pelvic-fin, lower caudal-fin lobe and anal-fin with black chromatophores vs. absence of black chromatophores in the fins).

Response of Sunflower to Rainwater Conservation and Nutrient Management in Semi-arid Conditions

AbstractSunflower is an important oilseed crop grown throughout the year due to its short duration, day neutral, low photoperiod sensitivity and wider adoptability to agroclimatic conditions and soil types in Asian countries. Lower yields of sunflower in rainfed vertisols are attributed to lower soil moisture and nutrients availability. In this situation, we conducted field studies at research farm and farmers’ fields to know the response of sunflower to rainwater conservation and nutrient management in vertisols of India. Compartmental bunding and ridges and furrows conserved more rainwater in profile, thus producing greater sunflower seed yields varying from 22% to 28% compared to farmers’ practice of flat-bed sowing. Greater seed yield with resource conservation is attributed to higher head diameter with greater head weight and seed weight per plant over flat-bed sowing. Nutrient management as farmers practice INM1 (15 kg N ha−1 + 15 kg P2O5 ha−1 + 1.0 t farmyard manure ha−1) with Azospirillum seed treatment (INM2) produced 5–6% higher seed yield, whereas recommended rate of nutrients (40 kg N ha−1 + 40 kg P2O5 ha−1 + 2.0 t farmyard manure ha−1) with Azospirillum seed treatment (INM3) produced 13–16% greater seed yield both at research farm and farmers’ fields over INM1.

Infants born large-for-gestational-age display slower growth in early infancy, but no epigenetic changes at birth.

We evaluated the growth patterns of infants born large-for-gestational-age (LGA) from birth to age 1 year compared to those born appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA). In addition, we investigated possible epigenetic changes associated with being born LGA. Seventy-one newborns were classified by birth weight as AGA (10th–90th percentile; n = 42) or LGA (>90th percentile; n = 29). Post-natal follow-up until age 1 year was performed with clinical assessments at 3, 6, and 12 months. Genome-wide DNA methylation was analysed on umbilical tissue in 19 AGA and 27 LGA infants. At birth, LGA infants had greater weight (p < 0.0001), length (p < 0.0001), ponderal index (p = 0.020), as well as greater head (p < 0.0001), chest (p = 0.044), and abdominal (p = 0.007) circumferences than AGA newborns. LGA infants were still larger at the age of 3 months, but by age 6 months there were no more differences between groups, due to higher length and weight increments in AGA infants between 0 and 6 months (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.002, respectively). Genome-wide analysis showed no epigenetic differences between LGA and AGA infants. Overall, LGA infants had slower growth in early infancy, being anthropometrically similar to AGA infants by 6 months of age. In addition, differences between AGA and LGA newborns were not associated with epigenetic changes.

A Simulation Study on the Efficacy of Advanced Belt Restraints to Mitigate the Effects of Obesity for Rear-Seat Occupant Protection in Frontal Crashes

Objective: Recent field data analyses have shown that the safety advantages of rear seats relative to the front seats have decreased in newer vehicles. Separately, the risks of certain injuries have been found to be higher for obese occupants. The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of advanced belt features on the protection of rear-seat occupants with a range of body mass index (BMI) in frontal crashes.Methods: Whole-body finite element human models with 4 BMI levels (25, 30, 35, and 40 kg/m2) developed previously were used in this study. A total of 52 frontal crash simulations were conducted, including 4 simulations with a standard rear-seat, 3-point belt and 48 simulations with advanced belt features. The parameters varied in the simulations included BMI, load limit, anchor pretensioner, and lap belt routing relative to the pelvis. The injury measurements analyzed in this study included head and hip excursions, normalized chest deflection, and torso angle (defined as the angle between the hip–shoulder line and the vertical direction). Analyses of covariance were used to test the significance (P <.05) of the results.Results: Higher BMI was associated with greater head and hip excursions and larger normalized chest deflection. Higher belt routing increased the hip excursion and torso angle, which indicates a higher submarining risk, whereas the anchor pretensioner reduced hip excursion and torso angle. Lower load limits decreased the normalized chest deflection but increased the head excursion. Normalized chest deflection had a positive correlation with maximum torso angle. Occupants with higher BMI have to use higher load limits to reach head excursions similar to those in lower BMI occupants.Discussion and Conclusion: The simulation results suggest that optimizing load limiter and adding pretensioner(s) can reduce injury risks associated with obesity, but conflicting effects on head and chest injuries were observed. This study demonstrated the feasibility and importance of using human models to investigate protection for occupants with various BMI levels. A seat belt system capable of adapting to occupant size and body shape will improve protection for obese occupants in rear seats.

Associations between psychosocial functioning and smiling intensity in patients with head and neck cancer

Increasing attention is being given to developing quantitative measures of facial expression. This study used quantitative facial expression analysis to examine associations between smiling intensity and psychosocial functioning in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC). Smiling intensity of 95 HNC patients was measured using 48 quantitative measures calculated from facial photographs with and without a smile. We computed a composite smiling intensity score for each patient representing the degree of similarity to healthy controls. A lower composite score indicates that the person is less expressive, on average, than healthy controls. Patients also completed self-report measures assessing domains of body image and quality of life (QOL). Spearman rank correlations were computed to examine relationships between composite scores and psychosocial functioning. Composite scores were significantly correlated with multiple measures of body image and QOL. Specifically, decreased smiling intensity was associated with feelings of dissatisfaction with one’s body, perceived negative social impact of body image, increased use of avoidance as a body image-coping strategy, reduced functional well-being, and greater head and neck cancer-specific issues. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate associations between an objectively quantified facial expression (i.e. smiling) and psychosocial functioning. Most previous studies have measured facial expression qualitatively. These findings indicate that smiling intensity may serve as an important clinical indicator of psychosocial well-being and warrants further clinical investigation.

Features of intra- and extra-cranial blood flow in patients with essential hypertension stage II according to smoking status

Today diseases of the cardiovascular system are called the problem number 1in the world, including Ukraine. Every year more than 500 thousand Ukrainians dye from CVDs, i.e. 1370 people on average dye every day. Smoking is one of the most serious threats to health, especially with regard to cardiovascular disease. Every year, smoking kills more than 1.2 million people in Europe (of which 450 thousand - due to cardiovascular diseases) and about 650 thousand people of the EU countries (including from cardiovascular problems - 185 thousand). Analysis of the literature suggests paucity and contradictory information about changes in the functional status of the various systems of the body while smoking. The aim of the work was to study the peculiarities of cerebral hemodynamics in patients with hypertension stage II depending on smoking status. Material and methods. We examined 100 patients with essential hypertension stage II low additional cardiovascular risk, 53 men and 47 women. Depending on the smoking status (at least 10 years), all patients were divided into 2 groups: a group of smokers included 30 patients, in the group of non-smokers there were 70 patients. To assess cerebral hemodynamic Doppler ultrasound and duplex scanning methods were used. Statistical processing of the material was performed using the software package Statistica 6.0 («Statsoft», USA, № license AXXR712D833214FAN5). Results and discussion. Analysis of the data shows the predominance of authentic vascular resistance index in the right CCA by 3.3% (p = 0.033), in the right MCA by 8.5% (p = 0.05), in the left MCA by 7.1% (p = 0.042) in hypertensive patients with smoking status, compared with non-smoking hypertensive patients. In smokers with hypertension statistically significant increasing of the indicator reserve vasoconstriction by 4.63 times (p = 0.029) in the left ICA and by 3.01 times (p = 0.031) in the right ICA was also found compared with data rates in nonsmokers hypertensive patients. The results of our studies in hypertensive patients revealed the following gender differences. Significant predominance of resistance index in the right ICA by 10.8%, the maximum linear velocity of blood flow in the left ICA by 22.0% was obtained in female smokers compared with male smokers. At the same time, in women-smokers lower values of systolic and diastolic index in the right CCA by 8.7% and resistance index in the left MCA by 4.9% than in male smokers were observed. Conclusions: Disorders of cerebral blood flow in hypertensive patients with smoking status compared with hypertensive nonsmokers were characterized by more pronounced carotid artery spasm. In hypertensive patients with smoking status most sensitive Doppler indicators of the great neck and head arteries are Pourcel resistance indices in the common carotid and middle cerebral arteries, as well as indicators of cerebrovascular reactivity in the internal carotid artery. Gender differences of Doppler indices of the great neck and head arteries in hypertensive patients with smoking status were characterized by: higher vascular resistance in the common and internal carotid arteries in women and in the middle cerebral arteries in men, possibly due to spasm of the arteries under the influence of tobacco smoke.

A 7-Year-Old Boy with Light Cupula of the Horizontal Semicircular Canal

A 7-Year-Old Boy with Light Cupula of the Horizontal Semicircular Canal Report of childhood positional vertigo is very rare. We present a 7-year-old boy who revealed persistent direction-changing geotropic positional nystagmus. In the supine position, horizontal nystagmus toward the left continued as long as the position was maintained. However, it ceased when the head was turned to the right side by 45o. With greater head turn (right-ear-down), nystagmus toward the right lasted for more than 1 minute. In the left-ear-down position, horizontal nystagmus toward the left occurred and lasted for more than 1 minute. After the disappearance of positional nystagmus, we detected canal paresis of the right ear by caloric test. We considered that the pathophysiology of the persistent type of geotropic nystagmus is a result of light debris cupulolithiasis of the horizontal canal.

Parents’ presence affects embryos’ development in Salaria fluviatilis (Asso, 1801), a fish with parental care

In fishes, the parents’ presence generally improves embryos’ survival through parental care, but it is also associated with some disadvantages such as clutch cannibalism and loss of male physical condition. Captive breeding of the river blennySalaria fluviatilismight improve if these disadvantages were avoided by artificially replacing parental care benefits in the lab. Before accepting this procedure, it should be studied whether embryo development is dependent or not on any other unknown effect related to the parents’ presence. In this study, the ontogenetic sequence and several morphological structures – standard length, head height, jaw length and yolk-sac volume – from embryos reared both in the presence and in the absence of the parents were compared. At day 11 after oviposition, in the parents’ absence treatment, well-developed embryos were obtained, but a smaller size of the yolk-sac, a greater head height and a tendency to have a greater jaw length than in the parents’ presence treatment were found. These results suggest that the parents’ presence might affect embryo development and perhaps offspring sexual determination. Given these differences, the practise of depriving clutches from their parents in captivity breeding programmes should be questioned.

Kinematics of Child Volunteers and Child Anthropomorphic Test Devices During Emergency Braking Events in Real Car Environment

Objectives: The objective of this study was to present, compare, and discuss the kinematic response of children and child anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs) during emergency braking events in different restraint configurations in a passenger vehicle. Methods: A driving study was conducted on a closed-circuit test track comprising 16 children aged 4 to 12 years old and the Q3, Hybrid III (HIII) 3-year-old, 6-year-old, and 10-year-old ATDs restrained on the right rear seat of a modern passenger vehicle. The children were exposed to one braking event in each of the 2 restraint systems and the ATDs were exposed to 2 braking events in each restraint system. All events had a deceleration of 1.0 g. Short children (stature 107–123 cm) and the Q3, HIII 3-year-old, and 6-year-old were restrained on booster cushions as well as high-back booster seats. Tall children (stature 135–150 cm) and HIII 10-year-old were restrained on booster cushions or restrained by 3-point belts directly on the car seat. Vehicle data were collected and synchronized with video data. Forward trajectories for the forehead and external auditory canal (ear) were determined as well as head rotation and shoulder belt force. Results: A total of 40 trials were analyzed. Child volunteers had greater maximum forward displacement of the head and greater head rotation compared to the ATDs. The average maximum displacement for children ranged from 165 to 210 mm and 155 to 195 mm for the forehead and ear target, respectively. Corresponding values for the ATDs were 55 to 165 mm and 50 to 160 mm. The change in head angle was greater for short children than for tall children. Shoulder belt force was within the same range for short children when restrained on booster cushions or high-back booster seats. For tall children, the shoulder belt force was greater when restrained on booster cushions compared to being restrained by seat belts directly on the car seat. Conclusions: The forward displacement was within the same range for all children regardless of stature and restraint system. However, the maximum forward position depended on the initial seated posture and shoulder belt position on the shoulder. Differences could also be seen in the curvature of the neck and spine. Short children exhibited a greater flexion motion of the head, whereas a more upright posture at maximum forward position was exhibited by the tall children. The ATDs displayed less forward displacement compared to the children. Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Traffic Injury Prevention to view the supplemental file.

Meta-analysis of effect of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation of pregnant women on head circumference of newborn infants

To evaluate systematically the effect of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 LC-PUFA) supplementation of pregnant women on head circumference of newborn infants. A thorough literature search was done for full texts which studied the effect of n-3 LC-PUFA supplementation of pregnant women on head circumference of newborn infants among PubMed, Cochrane Library, Chinese periodical full text database and Wanfang database using the mesh terms as n-3, long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, DHA, EPA, docosahexaenoic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, fish oil, pregnancy, infant. Only randomized controlled trials were chosen for analysis. A total of 74 relevant articles were selected. RevMan 5.0 software was used to perform the Meta analysis on those valid studies. Weighted mean difference was calculated with inverse variance method. The sensitivity analysis was also performed. Eight articles met the inclusion criteria, among which 6 literatures were from developing countries and the other 2 from developed countries. All of them were written in English. These studies were reported from 2001 to 2011. Intervention group included 871 objects with n-3 LC-PUFA supplementation, whereas control group included 894 objects with placebo or no supplementation. Supplementation was associated with significantly greater head circumference of the infants in the intervention group than that of the control group (weighted mean difference was 0.17 cm, 95%confidence interval (CI) was 0.01 - 0.32 cm, P < 0.05). But the difference was no long significant according to the sensitivity analysis (weighted mean difference was 0.16 cm, 95%CI was -0.01 - 0.34 cm, P = 0.07). The funnel plot was symmetrical, indicating there was no publication bias between the eight studies. It can't be confirmed whether supplementation with n-3 LC-PUFA of pregnant women can increase the infants' head circumference at birth from present data acquired.

A New Ant Species of the Genus Tetramorium Mayr, 1855 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Saudi Arabia, with a Revised Key to the Arabian Species

Tetramorium amalae sp. n. is described and illustrated from Saudi Arabia based on two worker caste specimens collected in Al Bahah region. The new species belongs to the T. shilohense group and appears to be closely related to T. dysderke Bolton from Nigeria. T. amalae is distinguished by having well-developed frontal carinae, smaller eyes, greater head length and width, greater pronotal width, and the petiole node is longer than broad. Tetramorium latinode Collingwood & Agosti is recorded for the first time from Saudi Arabia and for only the second time since the original description. The worker caste of T. latinode is redescribed and illustrated using scanning electron micrographs to facilitate recognition and the gyne is described for the first time with observations given on species relationships, biology and habitat. A revised key to the nineteen Tetramorium species recorded from Arabian Peninsula based on worker castes is provided. Tetramorium bicarinatum (Nylander) is recorded for the first time from Saudi Arabia. It is suggested that T. amalae and T. latinode are endemic to the Arabian Peninsula.

INTRODUCING THE OUT-OF-SEASON ARTICHOKE PRODUCTION IN THE PIEDMONT REGION

Artichoke reaches the fresh market in Italy from October to May. During summer, many fresh vegetables are available, while fresh artichoke is not present despite consumer appreciation for its organoleptic quality and freshness. During summer, in the typical Mediterranean growing areas of artichoke, high temperature limits head formation, while the species cultivated in North France are commercialized in Italy in September. In North of Italy there are traditional and small plantations in some areas of the Piedmont Region, producing head artichokes for the summer, although serving a narrow local market only. The major agronomic issue is to overcome the winter freezing temperatures and late spring freeze. A two-year project aimed at the introduction of out-of-season artichoke production took place, testing two F1 hybrids (Opal, Concerto), two weed control strategies (mulching, no-mulching), two transplanting dates (April, May), two covering strategies for late spring freeze (plastic cover, no cover). Gibberellins were applied for flowering to obtain heads in the first year. Harvest occurred in August and September, in the first year, and in June and July, in the second year. During the first year, Opal, early planting and covering enhanced yield, although total production was very limited (0.12 kg/plant). During the second year, early planting only increased production, however, yield was greater than in the first year (0.43 kg/plant). Early planting gave 45% more yield in the second year than late planting. In general, Opal produced more than Concerto, while heavier and greater heads were obtained with Concerto. Opal was thus more adapted for processing than Concerto, and it was tested as canned artichoke. Both hybrids were resistant to freezing winter temperatures, although during summer plant protection was a serious problem, especially due to downy mildew (Bremia lactucae) and European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis) attacks, both due to close by growing areas of lettuce and corn, respectively.

Effect of Infractions in Youth Hockey on the Severity of Head Impacts

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of infraction and noninfraction collisions sustained during participation in youth ice hockey on biomechanical measures of head impact severity. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Bantam League ice hockey games during 1 season. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of 16 male Bantam AAA-level ice hockey players (including 1 goaltender who was removed from the analyses; mean age, 14 y; 9 forwards and 6 defensemen) was studied. ASSESSMENT OF RISK FACTORS: Body collisions that occurred during matches were captured on video footage. Recording followed the movement of the puck and was continuous and time-stamped. Collisions outside the view of the camera were excluded from the analysis. Collisions were subdivided into rule infractions or not, the type of infraction (boarding/charging, checking from behind, elbowing, head contact, and high sticking), and whether the player was the striker or was struck. Collisions were evaluated from the video by the principal investigator, and 4 months later, a subset was reevaluated (88% agreement in evaluation of the presence and type of infraction). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The main outcome measure was head impact severity during collisions, measured as linear acceleration >10g of the center of gravity of the head, rotational head acceleration (rad·s), and Head Impact Technology severity profile (HITsp; Simbex, Lebanon, New Hampshire), which is a composite of linear and rotational accelerations and impact duration and location. These measurements were picked up and transmitted by means of the HIT system that was contained in the players' close fitting helmets, which were adapted for the purpose. They were synchronized to the video record of collisions. MAIN RESULTS: Of 665 body collisions, 82.7% were deemed legal, and 17.3% were deemed infractions. Linear accelerations and HITsp were greater during collisions involving infractions than during noninfraction collisions (P = 0.012 and P = 0.021, respectively), but rotational accelerations did not differ for infractions and legal collisions (P = 0.142). Elbowing, intentional head contact, and high-sticking infractions accounted for 11% of collisions and, compared with all noninfractions, produced greater linear acceleration (P = 0.005) and HITsp (P = 0.01) but not greater rotational acceleration (P = 0.059). Boarding/charging infractions and checking from behind did not result in significantly greater linear acceleration, rotational acceleration, or HITsp than all noninfraction collisions (P ≥ 0.103 for each category). Players who were struck from behind sustained lower rotational head accelerations than those who did the striking, but there were no other differences between players who were struck and the strikers in elbowing, head contact, high-sticking, boarding, or charging infractions. CONCLUSIONS: Although collisions involving infractions were a small proportion of Bantam-level ice hockey collisions, they did result in greater head impact severity on some biomechanical measures. Language: en

Optimal management for groundwater of Nubian aquifer in El Dakhla depression, Western Desert, Egypt

El Dakhla depression occupies a structurally localized depression at 100 to140 m (amsl), below a 400 m escarpment bordering the Libyan Plateau, Western Desert of Egypt. In this area, groundwater of the Nubian Sandstone aquifer is the unique source of fresh water. The increasing demand of groundwater in El Dakhla depression has resulted in an indiscriminate exploitation of this source causing environmental hazards such as decline of groundwater levels. In this paper, the study of this problem is conducted. The methodology introduced in this paper includes application of mathematical and genetic algorithm (GA) techniques. The proposed model of optimization is based on the combination of the MODFLOW simulation with GA. The performance of the proposed model is tested on groundwater management problem (maximization of total pumping rate from Nubian aquifer at steady-state). The results of the simulation show that the present groundwater extractions (511783 m3/day) will affect the groundwater flow patterns in the northeastern areas of El Dakhla depression causing a significant head decline of about 26 m in some wells at the year 2050. The increase of the groundwater extractions from the concerned aquifer by 25% (126355 m3/day) will cause a great head decline of about 60 m in some wells and accordingly a cone of depression around the wells in the year 2050. In addition, the GA solutions solve these management problems in the groundwater of Nubian aquifer. The results show that under the increasing of pumping rate by 25% (which equalizes an increase in the cultivated area by 6000 ha), the optimal pumping rate and drawdown range from 638137.9 to 595977.9 m3/day and from 4.292 to 10.36 m respectively. This result seems to be the best for optimal management of groundwater. Key words: Hydrogeology, Nubian Sandstone aquifer, optimal management, genetic algorithm, MODFLOW, Dakhla depression, Egypt.

WebWatch

BioTechniquesVol. 51, No. 4 WebWatchOpen AccessWebWatchKevin AhernKevin Ahern*E-mail Address: ahernk@orst.eduSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:3 Apr 2018https://doi.org/10.2144/000113745AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInReddit Eat Right SiteWhile we live in a world where there is intense interest in healthy eating, paradoxically we only have to walk down the street to be surrounded by the evidence of the effects of unhealthy eating. Trying to connect these disconnected perspectives is NAFWA, the Nutrition and Food Web Archive. Organized by Christopher Theberge, who is nothing if not passionate about nutrition, NAFWA has an energy and exuberance that is rare on technical web sites. You can get a glimpse of it in “The Stunning Effect of This Single Vitamin on Cancer,” but it abounds on the site and contributes positively to a framework that keeps visitors clamoring for more.[http://www.nafwa.org]Rare MediaIt may seem odd that a web site called NORD (National Organization for Rare Disorders) serves 30 million Americans possessing a disease commonality, but it really isn't contradictory at all. That's the astonishing number of people in this country suffering from uncommon, little studied and often mysterious disorders. The site's ambitious agenda aims to serve patients, families, patient organizations, industry partners, and medical professionals. It accomplishes these goals with information on programs for patient assistance, medication assistance, and patient networking. NORD gives news on clinical trials and databases for rare diseases, identifies physicians working with rare diseases, and provides important information to patients suffering from them. NORD also provides seed grants to researchers who are investigating rare diseases. Finally, NORD has an entire section devoted to advocacy and the Take Action Now section provides necessary information.[http://www.rarediseases.org]Bi the NumbersThere are people who have great heads for numbers and then there are others who employ the “in one ear and out the other” method of recollection. For this latter group of individuals, Harvard's BioNumbers may be a godsend. However, it is unlikely that even a propeller-head would carry around in its memory the vast array of figures on display at this interesting and informative site. For example, how many recall the efficiency with which proline is absorbed by human intestines? The answer is 77.7%. How about the fact that there are an average of 160,000 copies of p53 in human cells or that the volume of a HeLa cell is approximately 2425 cubic microns? A wonderful site that has something to offer anyone interested in biological number trivia, bionumbers is for biologists spanning a very wide, nerdy spectrum.[http://bionumbers.hms.harvard.edu/]Chicken NuggetsWhile some may argue about chickens, eggs, and/or road crossings by the same, there is no debate when it comes to the value of the Gallus Expression In Situ Hybridization Analysis (GEISHA) site. Specializing in gene expression profiles in chick embryos during the first six days post-fertilization, GEISHA not only provides a vast array of eye-popping pictures, but also an impressive, extensive, and easily navigated dataset. The well-organized database includes multiple entry points to information, allowing users to browse by four main criteria (anatomical location, stage, gene name, and GEISHA ID) or perform text searches. Visitors can also use relevant transcription factor(s), growth factor(s), receptor(s), or microRNA(s) as criteria. Retrieved records include information from ENSEMBL and graphic images depicting the location(s) of expression in the embryo.[http://geisha.arizona.edu/geisha/]Expression pattern of microRNA 1 in a developing chicken embryo.Photograph by Diana Darnell. Copyright © 2009 the GEISHA Project.Getting the Fat OutOf the many health challenges facing this country, one of the most preventable ones has to be childhood obesity. The roots of the problem are numerous and the fixes are not simple, owing to a complex set of pressures arising from culture, commercial interests, and economics. One hope for improving the situation is education, which is the path being taken by the NIH's National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR) site. Topic areas include NCCOR projects, such as the Catalogue of Surveillance Systems (wide-ranging data relevant to obesity research), the NCCOR webinar series, a food marketing research roundtable, and a collection of funding opportunities inside the CDC and NIH.[http://www.nccor.org/]Cyberplant CollaborativeIf you're an iBotanist working on an iProblem requiring iComputing solutions, you surely will want to check out the iPlant Collaborative Web Portal, which aims to empower “a new plant biology.” All iKidding aside, plant molecular biologists will find bountiful information at the iPlant site. Highlights include the iPlant Tree of life (phylogeny), a discovery environment (web interface to access data and application resources), DNA Subway (education interface to bring iPlant to the classroom), atmosphere (cloud-enabled computational resources), and the iPlant Leaflet Newsletter.[http://www.iplantcollaborative.org/]FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Vol. 51, No. 4 Follow us on social media for the latest updates Metrics History Published online 3 April 2018 Published in print October 2011 Information© 2011 Author(s)PDF download

Shoulder Girdle: Patterns of Trauma and Associated Injuries

To develop a system of quantification of shoulder girdle injuries that stratifies their severity and to assess the association between shoulder girdle injuries and associated nonbony injuries to the head, thorax, and great vessels. Retrospective review. Level I trauma center. Trauma registry data from all patients who required admission to the hospital from October 1995 through January 2008, specifically patients with shoulder girdle injuries. Excluded were patients with isolated burns and late effects of injuries. Not applicable. The patterns of shoulder girdle injury and their association with severe, nonorthopaedic injuries (head, thoracic, and great vessel). Also, the severity of all combinations of shoulder girdle injuries were observed using two systems (relative risk totals and injury severity score). Of 52,924 patients recorded, 2971 had 3811 shoulder girdle injuries. High-energy mechanisms prevailed, causing over 91% of all shoulder girdle injuries. The rates of head, great vessel, and thoracic injury in patients with a shoulder girdle injury were 31.5%, 3.9%, and 36.8%, respectively, and were significant when compared with nonshoulder girdle injuries (P < 0.001). The two most severe injury combinations included a sternum injury with either a clavicle or scapula fracture. Shoulder girdle injuries are strongly associated with great vessel, thoracic, and head injuries. In the presence of a sternum injury with a clavicle fracture or any open clavicle fracture, we recommend the routine use of a contrast-enhanced spiral thoracic computed tomography scan to aid in the diagnosis of a great vessel injury.

Computer use and adverse health problems – are clinicians concerned?

The use of computers is prevalent throughout many societies today, with people from all age groups, both sexes, and in many careers having regular contact with them either in the home or at the workplace. Existing scientific evidence clearly demonstrates that poor posture, greater muscle activity and musculoskeletal pain, as well as psychological problems such as internet addiction and antisocial personality disorder, are widely found among habitual users of computers. It is important that the negative consequences of current technology on physical and psychological wellbeing are not ignored, and therefore prevention and rehabilitation of these health effects, in computer users, must be urgently considered by clinicians. Pain and discomfort in the upper body, particularly the neck and shoulders, has been found to correlate with habitual computer usage. A further study by Harris and Straker of students who regularly used a laptop computer found reports of discomfort from usage (60%) and also from carrying the laptop (63%). Such musculoskeletal complaints were linked to improper ergonomics and poor posture during computer use. Poor adaptive posture was also seen in children and young adults, with a wide variety of postures employed, although these age groups differed markedly from the postures adapted by adults. Poor posture was also clearly associated with tall people who used the type of small screen normally seen on laptop computers, and commonly sat at inappropriate heights for their leg lengths, suggesting that it would be better to place such devices on a raised platform. Computer users typically report various musculoskeletal complaints. Neck, back and shoulder pain has been found in adolescent computer users. The one year prevalence of neck and shoulder pain, the most commonly reported somatic pain syndrome, is 58 cases per 100 persons. Neck pain and clinical abnormality has also been correlated with greater head rotation and inclination. Similarly, upper torso pain and severe stiffness has been reported by computer users who have high head rotation and keyboard height above elbow level. In addition, low back pain was reported at least once during the working day in female computer users, and the risk factor for low back pain, and pain exacerbation from prolonged sitting during computer use, was calculated as an odds ratio of 1.1–1.5. Back discomfort has been shown, with statistical significance, to be correlated with a downward viewing angle. However, the highest level of muscular activity was found in erect sitting with forward inclination of the body in visual display technology (VDT) workers, and increased stretching of passive structures in the back was caused by poor posture. Existing evidence suggests that the negative effects on muscular activities were due to the fact that different sitting postures during computer use led to different trunk muscle activation. Thoracic upright sitting increased co-activation of global back muscles, whereas lumbar-pelvic upright sitting increased coactivation of local muscle groups. Similarly, neck and shoulder muscles, particularly the descending aspect of the trapezius muscles, were distressed with additional effects on other muscles such as the longissimus capitis. It is likely that an increase in trapezius muscle activity is found when using a standard desk and workplace board (forearm support) compared to a standard desk, although this may be dependent on the elbow flexion angle. The dynamic and sustained contraction of the small muscles of the forearms and hands, and the shoulder, neck and back muscles, during word processor work may be one of the causative factors in neck and shoulder problems. It has been clearly demonstrated that the trapezius muscles engage in static contraction during keyboard work, and that fatigue of the shoulder muscles occurs rapidly during simple shoulder movement even when there is an application of mass on only one arm. Hand/arm symptoms in computer users were found to be mainly caused by poor non-neutral wrist Correspondence to: Pattariya Intolo, Faculty of Health Sciences, Srinakhawirot University, Origkharak, Nakhonnayoik 26120, Thailand. Email: pattariy@swu.ac.th

Comparative forefoot trabecular bone architecture in extant hominids

The appearance of a forefoot push-off mechanism in the hominin lineage has been difficult to identify, partially because researchers disagree over the use of the external skeletal morphology to differentiate metatarsophalangeal joint functional differences in extant great apes and humans. In this study, we approach the problem by quantifying properties of internal bone architecture that may reflect different loading patterns in metatarsophalangeal joints in humans and great apes. High-resolution x-ray computed tomography data were collected for first and second metatarsal heads of Homo sapiens (n = 26), Pan paniscus (n = 17), Pan troglodytes (n = 19), Gorilla gorilla (n = 16), and Pongo pygmaeus (n = 20). Trabecular bone fabric structure was analyzed in three regions of each metatarsal head. While bone volume fraction did not significantly differentiate human and great ape trabecular bone structure, human metatarsal heads generally show significantly more anisotropic trabecular bone architectures, especially in the dorsal regions compared to the corresponding areas of the great ape metatarsal heads. The differences in anisotropy between humans and great apes support the hypothesis that trabecular architecture in the dorsal regions of the human metatarsals are indicative of a forefoot habitually used for propulsion during gait. This study provides a potential route for predicting forefoot function and gait in fossil hominins from metatarsal head trabecular bone architecture.

Head circumference, atrophy, and cognition

Clinical and epidemiologic studies suggest that patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) with larger head circumference have better cognitive performance at the same level of brain pathology than subjects with smaller head circumference. A total of 270 patients with AD participating in the Multi-Institutional Research in Alzheimer's Genetic Epidemiology (MIRAGE) study underwent cognitive testing, APOE genotyping, and MRI of the brain in a cross-sectional study. Linear regression analysis was used to examine the association between cerebral atrophy, as a proxy for AD pathology, and level of cognitive function, adjusting for age, duration of AD symptoms, gender, head circumference, APOE genotype, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, major depression, and ethnicity. An interaction term between atrophy and head circumference was introduced to explore if head circumference modified the association between cerebral atrophy and cognition. There was a significant inverse association between atrophy and cognitive function, and a significant interaction between atrophy and head circumference. With greater levels of atrophy, cognition was higher for individuals with greater head circumference. This study suggests that larger head circumference is associated with less cognitive impairment in the face of cerebral atrophy. This finding supports the notion that head circumference (and presumably brain size) offers protection against AD symptoms through enhanced brain reserve.