High Hurdle Research Articles

Postoperative Epidural Fibrosis: Challenges and Opportunities - A Review.

Postoperative epidural fibrosis (EF) is still a major limitation to the success of spine surgery. Fibrotic adhesions in the epidural space, initiated via local trauma and inflammation, can induce difficult-to-treat pain and constitute the main cause of failed back surgery syndrome, which not uncommonly requires operative revision. Manifold agents and methods have been tested for EF relief in order to mitigate this longstanding health burden and its socioeconomic consequences. Although several promising strategies could be identified, few have thus far overcome the high translational hurdle, and there has been little change in standard clinical practice. Nonetheless, notable research progress in the field has put new exciting avenues on the horizon. In this review, we outline the etiology and pathogenesis of EF, portray its clinical and surgical presentation, and critically appraise current efforts and novel approaches toward enhanced prevention and treatment.

Study and evaluation of automatic offloading for function blocks of applications

Systems using graphical processing units (GPUs) and field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) have increased due to their advantages over central processing units (CPUs). However, such systems require the understanding of hardware-specific technical specifications such as Hardware Description Language (HDL) and compute unified device architecture (CUDA), which is a high hurdle. Based on this background, we previously proposed environment-adaptive software that enables automatic conversion, configuration and high-performance operation of existing code according to the hardware to be placed. As an element of this concept, we also proposed a method of automatically offloading loop statements of application source code for CPUs to GPUs and FPGAs. In this paper, we propose a method for offloading a function block, which is a larger unit, instead of individual loop statements in an application to achieve higher speed by automatically offloading to GPUs and FPGAs. We implemented the proposed method and evaluated it using current applications offloading to GPUs and FPGAs.

Automatic Generating System of Information Security Policy

Information is indispensable in any organization, and its security must be properly guaranteed. At present, information security in an organization includes not only confidentiality but also integrity and availability, and means a balance between them. Establishing an information security policy is effective as a means for that purpose, but it is considered to be a high hurdle for organizations such as SMEs, which have neither personnel nor financial leeway, to tackle it. We thought that a system to help establish information security policies was necessary, so we proposed a framework and tried to implement it in application programs. At present, the creation process of the basic policy by presenting the template and the creation of the organizational profile are implemented. In this paper, we propose a method to reflect the characteristics obtained from the organization profile not only in the basic policy but also in the following countermeasure standards and implement it in the application program. Keywords: security policy, information asset, ontology, generation system, SMEs

Pengaruh Latihan High Hurdle Jump Into a Sprint dengan Latihan Lateral Hurdle Jump a Into Sprint Terhadap Peningkatan Kelincahan

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of high hurdle jump into sprint training and lateral hurdle jump into sprint training on increased agility. The research method used is an experimental method. The method used is by the research carried out, namely to find the influence of the form of high hurdle jump into sprint training with the form of lateral hurdle jump into sprint training at SMK Komputama Majenang Cilacap Regency. Based on the results of data analysis that has been carried out, the author concludes that high hurdle jump into a sprint and lateral hurdle jumps into a sprint can significantly increase agility in SMK Komputama Cilacap Regency students. Therefore, both types of exercises can be used as an effective modification of agility training for students of SMK Komputama Cilacap Regency or other individuals who want to improve their physical abilities in terms of agility.

Selecting informative bands for partial least squares regressions improves their goodness-of-fits to estimate leaf photosynthetic parameters from hyperspectral data.

The plant photosynthetic capacity determines the photosynthetic rates of the terrestrial biosphere. Timely approaches to obtain the spatiotemporal variations of the photosynthetic parameters are urgently needed to grasp the gas exchange rhythms of the terrestrial biosphere. While partial least squares regression (PLSR) is a promising way to predict the photosynthetic parameters maximum carboxylation rate (Vcmax) and maximum electron transport rate (Jmax) rapidly and non-destructively from hyperspectral data, the approach, however, faces a high risk of overfitting and remains a high hurdle for applications. In this study, we propose to incorporate proper band selection techniques for PLSR analysis to refine the goodness-of-fit (GoF) in estimating Vcmax and Jmax. Different band selection procedures coupled with different hyperspectral forms (reflectance, apparent absorption, as well as derivatives) were examined. Our results demonstrate that the GoFs of PLSR models could be greatly improved by combining proper band selection methods (especially the iterative stepwise elimination approach) rather than using full bands as commonly done with PLSR. The results also show that the 1st order derivative spectra had a balance between accuracy (R2 = 0.80 for Vcmax, and 0.94 for Jmax) and denoising (when a Gaussian noise was added to each leaf reflectance spectrum at each wavelength with a standard deviation of 1%) on retrieving photosynthetic parameters from hyperspectral data. Our results clearly illustrate the advantage of using the band selection approach for PLSR dimensionality reduction and model optimization, highlighting the superiority of using derivative spectra for Vcmax and Jmax estimations, which should provide valuable insights for retrieving photosynthetic parameters from hyperspectral remotely sensed data.

Influence Ofexercise High Hurdle Jump and Forward and Lateral Hurdle Jump on Increasing Leadstrength and Power Muscle

Treat sports players using a new type of exercise or a method that has been popular in the world of increasing physical abilities in recent years, namely the varied plyometric method so that athletes don't feel bored. Types of plyometric exercises high hurdle jump and forward and lateral hurdle jump are two types of plyometric exercises but their implementation is different. Therefore, it is necessary to provide learning resources and human resources who are able to provide material for plyometric training methods. This study aims to determine the effect of high hurdle jump and forward and lateral hurdle jump exercises on increasing leg muscle strength and power. This research uses a quantitative approach to the type of classroom action research. The research method uses experimental methods. The research design used the none equivalent (pretest and post-test) control group design. The independent variables in this study are high hurdle jump training, forward and lateral hurdle jump exercises, and the dependent variable is leg muscle strength and power. The sample in this study amounted to 30 students of class X who used the random sampling technique. Analysis of the data used in this study to test the effect is paired t-test. Furthermore, to test the difference in effect between the treatment and control groups was carried out using one way ANOVA on the normal data distribution. The test results showed that there was a significant difference in the high hurdle jump experimental group on the variable leg muscle strength and power with a significance value of p 0.00 <0.05, a percentage increase of 6.79% in the strength variable and 6.22% in the leg muscle power variable. There is a significant difference in the forward and lateral hurdle jump experimental group on the variable leg muscle strength and power with a significance value of p of 0.00 <0.05, a percentage increase of 6.04% in the strength variable and 7.51% in the leg muscle power variable. High hurdle jump exercises are more effective than forward and lateral hurdle jumps to increase strength and forward and lateral hurdle jumps are more effective than high hurdle jumps to increase leg muscle power.

Piercing the Corporate Veil - A Solution for Japanese Companies Act and Comparative Law Analysis regarding Hypothetical Case

This paper presents a solution for Japanese Companies Act and comparative law analysis regarding hypothetical case on “piercing the corporate veil”. It is a revised version of “Hisaei Ito and Hiroyuki Watanabe, Piercing the Corporate Veil”〔Ch. 6 of “Mathias Siems and David Cabrelli (eds), Comparative Company Law - A Case-Based Approach, 2nd edition (Oxford, Hart Publishing, 2018)”. In that book, this case was prepared by Japanese scholars, then lawyers from 12 countries(9 European countries, US, Japan and South Africa) responded to it based on their own law, and finally, based on these 12 case solutions the questioner wrote the case report. This paper added the results of joint research with lawyers and businessmen from various jurisdictions at Waseda University L.L.M. and Business School, based on hypothetical case. With the addition of Belgium, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Brazil as new jurisdictions, consequently comparative law research covering 19 countries have conducted. In particular, research on corporate law in Asian countries has been strengthened. Also it was tried to explain and analyze the solutions of European countries from a practical point of view. (The author is solely responsible for this paper, but details of case studies in some jurisdictions and comparative law research with Japanese law will be published separately at a later date.) Overall, French and Japanese law are very protective to the creditor in the current scenario. US law seems to be the least interested in creditor protection, with the US solution referring to contractual solutions for creditors. Yet, as a whole, it is difficult to make a general assessment on whether countries favor the interests of directors, shareholders or creditors. The company laws of most countries provide various tools of creditor protection, with many of them not concerned with directors’ duties but safeguarding the assets of the company (such as capital requirements). The following suggestions were made by many jurisdictions: application of such doctrine is very limited or there is very high hurdle to prove it. Regarding Japanese law, it is true that the existence of piercing the corporate veil doctrine has been established, including a Supreme Court judgment. However, you will find that in Japan there are few cases where this doctrine was actually accepted in court, and in most cases, it has been dealt with based on other interpretation theories on the provisions of the positive law. The solutions have also shown that questions of creditor protection are more complex than, say, shareholder protection because they touch on many areas of law apart from company and insolvency law, including contract, property, tort, civil procedure, accounting and securities law. Additional complications arise as a result of the need for the law to provide a balance between different types of creditors, such as secured and unsecured creditors, and by virtue of the fact that some laws are applicable to creditors regardless of whether the debtors are legal or natural persons, whereas others are specific to the creditors of companies. All these points cannot be discussed in this book in detail, but in the next chapter we will deal with another typical problem of creditor protection in company law. In addition, as an Appendix, Japanese Supreme Court Judgment in 2005 on Piercing the Corporate Veil was introduced.

The Canterbury Tales Handbook by Elizabeth Scala (review)

Reviewed by: The Canterbury Tales Handbook by Elizabeth Scala Peter Fields Elizabeth Scala. The Canterbury Tales Handbook. Norton, 2020. 297 p. Elizabeth Scala knows that she does not have the luxury of scale. A handbook becomes a problem if it competes with its subject for the student's reading time. Her technique is to anticipate a disconnect between Chaucer and the modern reader and then to leap into the breach with a provisional explanation that moves the reader forward. The only slow place is dwelling momentarily on the General Prologue, taking advantage of the first 18 lines to introduce a model for explication. Especially well-done is how Scala seems to take on too much, making a point, for instance, of explaining the demande d'amour in "The Knight'sTale." What first seems like a needless excursus emerges as a great opportunity to acknowledge the difficulty the modern young person might have entering into the motives and emotions of courtly love as in the case of Arcite's bittersweet dilemma of regretful freedom. Suddenly released upon the wide world, Arcite frets the loss of that prison window he once shared with his fellow knight Palamon because it afforded an unencumbered view of Emelye, the idol of their hearts. [End Page 250] The Knight's own language presumes that the skeptical reader must be won over if only by flattery: "But almost as though he knows that his audience is made up of potentially resisting readers, the Knight preemptively turns it into a group of lovers—courtly, aristocratic, gentle lovers—subtly persuading us to play the demande's game" (47). Such is Scala's modus operandi of first highlighting a pitfall for modern students, then hinting that the astute and playful Chaucer is simpatico with modern sensibility. Interestingly, she does not feel the need to apologize for Chaucer's bawdy fabliaux like "The Miller's Tale," "The Reeve's Tale," "The Friar's Tale," and "The Summoner's Tale." Here the teacher can sit back and give Scala the wheel as she acquaints students with double-entendre like "quainte." Scala builds momentum right up to "The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale," where she makes a perfect compromise between examining the far-ranging implications of Chaucer's most important speaker and keeping the reader moving along. The concision of Scalas also does well with the motif of marriage-as-torture-of-women in "The Clerk's Tale" and "The Merchant's Tale." She makes an exceptionally compelling case for "The Man-of-Law's Tale" as genre-bending "secular hagiography," all the while staying breezy with her prose. Scala reconnoiters as of "The Squire's Tale," shifting from modern resistance to a more esoteric consideration of whether language can express the speaker's meaning. The Squire for instance seems conscious of the limitations of language to express the inexpressible. By surrendering to limitation, he enters another level of sensibility and wonder. The hinge of the book is the chapter on "The Franklin's Tale," a story that depends on the tension between marriage and courtly love and comes to a rather hip conclusion to the marriage debate: "The answer that the Franklin offers is that no one should have mastery (which we might define as control over another person or being), and everyone should have sovereignty (or control over themselves)" (179). However, "The Physician's Tale," whose story of a father who wins his daughter's permission to cut off her head (to avoid her marriage to a corrupt judge), would logically seem to present Scala a high hurdle for casting Chaucer as a hero of personal freedom. But Scala stands up for the story and reveals her previous strategy for reconciling the resistant modern reader: "But rather than suggest that the story is some kind of intentional failure (on Chaucer's part or the Physician's), we might see [End Page 251] the tale as provocatively experimental" (182). Another great explanation is her take on the Pardoner's subterfuge, which strategically blurs "[…] the distinction between forgiveness a poena (from the pain of punishment) and forgiveness a culpa (from guilt of one's actions or intent)" (189). Her larger purpose...

Recent Advances in the Application of High Pressure Processing-Based Hurdle Approach for Enhancement of Food Safety and Quality

Various conventional and novel technologies have been investigated to address the problems of food safety and quality. However, every technique is associated with some certain limitations and some concerns remain unanswered. High pressure processing (HPP) is one of the emerging technologies which have been implemented in food industries. In this review, we focus on the recent advancements of HPP combined with other physical-, physico-chemical-, and biological-based methods for the improvement of food safety and quality. Researchers have reported several positive applications of HPP in food sector. Yet, there are some challenges of this technique like HPP-induced lipid oxidation, baroresistant of bacterial spores, changes in food color, and high investment costs of HPP machine. The challenges and limitations of HPP could be addressed by hurdle technology approach. The concept of hurdle technology which is also commonly referred to as combined technique has become a promising approach that simultaneously enhances microbial safety while minimizing the degradation of food quality attributes. Several researches have indicated the combined processing parameters based on the hurdle technology concept improves effectiveness and prospects in food treatment with the potential of achieving synergistic effects. The intelligent combination of hurdles would augment the food safety and quality in addition to the economic properties of food products.

World-Class Male Sprinters and High Hurdlers Have Similar Start and Initial Acceleration Techniques.

The effect of the inclusion of a high hurdle 13.72 m after the start line on elite sprint start and initial acceleration technique has yet to be investigated or understood. This highly novel study addresses that lack of information in an exceptional manner, through detailed biomechanical analysis of the world's best sprint and hurdle athletes, with data collected in situ at the 2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships, held in Birmingham, UK. High speed videos (150 Hz) were compared for eight sprinters and seven hurdlers for the start and initial acceleration phase of the finals of the men's 60 m and 60 m hurdles. Temporal and kinematic data were supplemented by vector coding analysis to investigate mechanisms by which these world-class athletes translate their centres of mass (CM) up to the fourth touchdown post-block exit. The sprinters and hurdlers coordinated their lower limb and trunk movement in a similar manner throughout the start and initial acceleration phases, which contributes new conceptual understanding of the mechanisms that underpin start and initial acceleration performance. Differences between groups were initiated from block set-up, with the hurdlers utilising a larger block spacing, but with the front block nearer to the start line than sprinters. Even after accounting for stature, the biggest differences in the raising of the CM occurred during the block phase, with hurdlers greater than sprinters (difference in vertical CM displacement scaled to stature = −0.037, very large effect size). Subsequent flight phases showed the biggest differences in the translation of the CM, in part due to longer flight times in the hurdlers, whilst the techniques of the two groups generally converged during the ground contact phases of initial acceleration. In highlighting that similar techniques are used by world-class sprinters and hurdlers, despite differing task constraints, this study has provided invaluable insights for scientists, coaches, and athletes, that will inform further developments in understanding and practice across both sprints and hurdles.

Rail accident analysis using large-scale investigations of train derailments on switches and crossings: Comparing the performances of a novel stochastic mathematical prediction and various assumptions

Each day tens of turnout-related derailment occur across the world. Not only is the prediction of them quite complex and difficult, but this also requires a comprehensive range of applications, and managing a well-designed geographic information system. With the advent of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and computers-aided solutions, the last two decades have witnessed considerable advances in the field of derailment prediction. Mathematical models with many assumptions and simulations based on fixed algorithms were also introduced to estimate derailment rates. While the former requires a costly investment of time and energy to try and find the most fitting mathematical solution, the latter is sometimes a high hurdle for analysists since the availability and accessibility of geospatial data are limited, in general. As train safety and risk analysis rely on accurate assessment of derailment likelihood, a guide for transportation research is needed to show how each technique can approximate the number of observed derailments. In this study, a new stochastic mathematical prediction model has been established on the basis of a hierarchical Bayesian model (HBM), which can better address unique exposure indicators in segmented large-scale regions. Integration of multiple specialized packages, namely, MATLAB for image processing, R for statistical analysis, and ArcGIS for displaying and manipulating geospatial data, are adopted to unleash complex solutions that will practically benefit the rail industry and transportation researchers.

Public Service and restriction of basic labour rights in Japan

6 | International Union Rights | 26/1 FOCUS | UNION RIGHTS OF STATE ADMINISTRATION AND ESSENTIAL SERVICES WORKERS Public Service and restriction of basic labour rights in Japan Still restricted: basic rights for Japanese public service workers In Japan, the basic labour rights of public sector workers employed by central and local government are largely restricted. In legal terms, trade unions in the public sector are called ‘employee organizations’. They have the right to organise, but do not have the rights to adopt collective bargaining agreement, nor to strike. This is a high hurdle or obstacle to achieve better working conditions, as we negotiate with the National Personnel Authority for central government employees and with each local government’s personnel commission or equality commission for local government employees. As a result, their terms and conditions are regulated by law, ordinance and orders legally committed to recommendation or opinion by those compensatory structures. However, this broad restriction violates the Constitution of Japan, which granted basic labour rights for all workers. The ILO supervisory bodies have repeatedly criticised the government of Japan, and they have requested improvements to rights for public servants. We, Japanese public sector unions, have struggled to restore our rights. The restrictions have posed a lot of challenges and difficulties First, we face decreasing wage standards for public service workers, particularly low starting pay as well as blunting wage increases for workers over 45 years of age. This particular pattern of public service workers wage reflects that of private sector workers. In 1973, the Japanese trade union movement achieved a 20.1 percent wage increase in the ‘Shunto’ (‘Spring Offensive’) collective bargaining, and in 1974 it achieved 32.9 percent. The number of strikes in 1974 was 11,576, which is the highest number since the Second World War. Business quickly reacted, and organised a counterattack at the bargaining table, and on the right to strike – not only in the private sector, but also in the public sector, so that wage increases could not take place by workers’ strike. Secondly, the restriction caused deterioration of administration. Under the principle of separation of powers, legislation is superior to the power of administration. Separate from the Diet (parliament in Japan), the administration is neutral and maintained stability and continuity in order to secure rights and interests of the people. Taking into consideration that the will of the cabinet consists of parliamentarians, the administration has maintained neutrality by collecting objective and fair data and statistics, or always made multiple proposals in policy issues. However, due to the lack of equal labour-employer negotiation and basic rights, political power now has superiority in policy proposals in a top-down way. In recent years, we have witnessed a series of frauds and the use of illicit statistics or data to support positions of the cabinet. Thirdly, this creates a lack of confidence in the political process, and politics is becoming not ‘for the people’ but also ‘for the handful number of ruling people’. We do believe it is vital to realise democracy in public sector workplaces for more open and democratic administration processes for the people. Basic labour rights for public service workers are vital for decent administration. I also have to point out that the lack of basic labour rights impoverishes public service workers, including those in essential services. They are denied an independent-minded way of work, and are working without any rights under de facto oppression by the employer. The most serious case is the prohibition of the rights to organise for firefighters and prison staff, a violation of ILO Convention 87. The government has implemented a policy to privatise or outsource prisons. If the prisons are privatised, workers should have basic labour rights employed by private entity. There is no reason to restrict the right to organise for prison staff. The government claims firefighters are regarded as workers in an essential service and as part of police force. And in fact, the Japanese fire service was formed in 1872 as part of the police organization. However, it was around 70 years ago that the fire service came under the control of municipal governments, just after the Second World War. During the...

The wearable devices application for evaluation of 110 meter high hurdle race

Purpose: This study was intended to explore the continuous changes in the kinematic parameters of hurdlers in a 110 meter (110m) high hurdle race from hurdles 1 through 10. Method: Ten excellent college athletes who specialized in the 110m high hurdle race volunteered for this study. Inertial measurement units (IMUs) strapped to the back of the athlete’s feet and 10 high-speed cameras were used to document the movements of the hurdlers as they were hurdling along the entire track. Kwon3D and MATLAB computer programs were employed for the analysis of kinematic parameters (take-off distance, landing distance, take-off distance percentage, landing distance percentage, flight time, time between hurdles, hurdle cycle time, hurdle cycle velocity, height of centre gravity above the hurdle and take-off angles). The trend analysis was introduced to test the changes of the parameters between hurdles. The level of significance was set to α =.05. Results: The results showed that the subjects averaged 14.31±0.29 seconds in their 110m high hurdle tests. Regarding the trend analysis, all kinematic parameters except landing distance displayed quadratic linear patterns along the 110m race. Conclusion: The athletes rapidly gained speed as they sprinted from the starting line and reached their maximum speeds between hurdles 5 and 6, after which their speed declined. In addition, the kinematic parameters changed as the running velocity varied.

Utječe li tehnika visoke prepreke na rezultate web-ispitivanja?

Tehnika visoke prepreke jedna je od strategija kontrole odustajanja ispitanika od web-ispitivanja. Tehnikom visoke prepreke pokušava se umjetno i namjerno izazvanim zastojem u učitavanju početne stranice web-upitnika izazvati što ranije odustajanje manje motiviranih ispitanika. Dakle, očekuje se da će oni ispitanici koji unatoč čekanju nastave s ispunjavanjem upitnika biti motiviraniji, a time i da će njihovi odgovori biti više kvalitete. Do sada je objavljeno vrlo malo istraživanja i radova na temu korisnosti tehnike visoke prepreke (i sličnih tehnika), a dobiveni su rezultati nejasni i/ili međusobno oprečni. U ovom je članku opisano istraživanje koje se bavi utjecajem tehnike visoke prepreke na rezultate web-ispitivanja na uzorku od 235 studentica i studenata Filozofskog fakulteta u Rijeci. Primijenjen je web-upitnik općih stavova prema internetu. Konkretno, korištene su dvije inačice web-upitnika; jedna sa zastojem u učitavanju početne stranice, kao eksperimentalni uvjet, i jedna bez zastoja, za kontrolu. Ustanovljeni su efekti zastoja na odustajanje sudionika, ali ne i na sadržaj odgovora ni na brzinu odgovaranja. Primjena zastoja rezultirala je značajnim smanjenjem broja ispitanika koji započinju odgovarati na upitnik. No, s obzirom na to da ispitanici koji usprkos zastoju započnu odgovarati na upitnik u značajno većem postotku ispunjavaju upitnik do kraja u odnosu na ispitanike iz kontrolne skupine, broj se u cijelosti ispunjenih upitnika u konačnici nije razlikovao među skupinama.

Loss function-based evaluation of physician report cards

Report cards classifying physicians into performance tiers are central to health care quality improvement initiatives. Misclassification is a concern since physicians often have small patient panels for standard performance measures. Given that report cards are used for different purposes by different stakeholders, we specify loss functions and evaluate the potential cost of misclassification for physician report card designs. Monte Carlo simulation to explore misclassification risk and cost for four illustrative physician report card designs and three loss functions representing overall misclassification, patient, and pay-for-performance program perspectives. True physician performance is simulated under a beta-binomial model with parameters yielding simulated true scores resembling previously reported estimates. Misclassification risk varied across report card designs. Overall misclassification risk increased with the number of performance tiers for our simulated scenarios. However, the relationship between misclassification cost and number of tiers was inconsistent across the loss functions. The report card with the lowest misclassification cost varied across stakeholders. Within stakeholder, the costs of a two-tier report card with a high or low hurdle (25th and 75th percentile, respectively) varied. Loss functions and report card designs are illustrative and not intended to exhaustively catalog all possibilities. Little guidance exists on misclassification costs from the patient perspective. Misclassification cost depends on how performance information will be used and by whom. Selecting the lowest-cost design for a given stakeholder could maximize the usefulness of physician performance data. Misclassification cost could guide report card design, improving the usefulness of a report card for one stakeholder without disadvantaging others .

Race Pattern of Women’s 100-m Hurdles: Time Analysis of Olympic Hurdle Performance

Background: For control and effective management of training process in women’s 100-m hurdles event, the coaches, in addition to detailed biomechanical parameters, need also overall, more comprehensive technical parameters, called direct performance descriptors which are used for planning the distribution of an athlete’s efforts over the race. Purpose: The aim of this study was the investigation of the race behavior of elite women sprint hurdlers, on the basis of selected time parameters, and the examination of the existence of a common race pattern in high level hurdle performance. Method: The time data of the race performance between two consecutive Olympic Games were compared. The analyzing subjects consisted of all women 100-m hurdle finalists in Athens 2004 (n = 6) and all women 100-m hurdle finalists (n = 8) and semi-finalists (n = 14) in Beijing 2008. Results: No significant differences were revealed between the two competitions concerning to the means of approach run time, run-in time, intermediate touchdown times, interval times for the hurdle units and the corresponding average velocities. Significant relationship exists between the intermediate times and final performance. The time contribution of the first half of the race to the formation of the final performance is approximately equal to the second one and, generally the standardised time parameters show the existence of a common race pattern in high level hurdle performance. Conclusion: The presented biomechanical data provide coaches and athletes with valuable information about hurdle technique for effective interventions in the training process.

How Investment Opportunities Impact Optimal Capital Structure

This article addresses the question of how competition for investments among firms in a certain industry impacts their capital structure. We develop a new modelling framework, which simulates financial variables of a set of firms in a given sector. We use it to analyse how firms are competing for new investments. The leverage of the firm impacts its flexibility to react upon investment opportunities, and we show how it can be optimised to maximise the firm’s growth. As an illustration, we then apply the model on a set of European airlines and global pharmaceutical companies. The novelty that this paper introduces is the explicit modelling of the interaction among several companies. Invariably, the literature on optimal capital structure focuses on a single company optimising its capital structure in a world where the actions of its competitors are exogenous. Corporate Finance theory states that the optimisation of investment opportunities is one of three drivers of optimal leverage (together with reduction of the distress costs or tax expenditures). Our results suggest that the optimal capital structure should incorporate the competitive position of the firm as well as the availability of investment opportunities. Our framework allows corporate decision makers (CEOs and CFOs) to incorporate these aspects in their decision making. Our main conclusion is that the leverage of the company impacts its ability to capture investment opportunities in a world where such opportunities are scarce. Companies with very low or very high leverage have reduced flexibility to invest, due to a high hurdle rate. Reducing the volatility of cash flows via hedging generally improves the ability to invest. The ability to invest in random growth opportunities is particularly important in mature industries, where investment opportunities are limited. Finally, if more flexible companies exploit investment opportunities this reduces the investment options for their less flexible competitors.

Termination of Disloyal Workers

The National Labor Relations Act allows employers to discharge employees for cause, including disloyalty. But as a recent case demonstrates, the Board sets a high hurdle for employers to prove they acted lawfully when they fire employees for the disloyal act of complaining in a television interview about the employer's pay and other policies.

How differently actors cope with demanding constitutional amendment rules: two types of constitutional politics in federal democracies

ABSTRACTThe article seeks to explore why a high formal hurdle for constitutional amendments (constitutional rigidity) as it is present in Germany does not automatically lead to a lower number of amendments when compared with low rigidity countries and why Germany’s amendment rate is so much higher than that of some other federations. It theorizes that the frequency of interactions between stable, interdependent actors influences their willingness to compromise. Thus analyses of constitutional politics must expand the focus to longer time-horizons and to the parliamentary and federal context. Case studies on constitutional politics in two parliamentary federations, Germany and Canada, confirm that actors cope differently with the problem of multiple veto players in constitutional politics. In the long run, two distinct patterns of constitutional politics have emerged.

Perspectives for immunotherapy: which applications might achieve an HIV functional cure?

The major advances achieved in devising successful combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) have enabled the sustained control of HIV replication. However, this is associated with costly lifelong treatment, partial immune restoration, chronic inflammation and persistent viral reservoirs. In this context, new therapeutic strategies deserve investigation as adjuncts to cART so as to potentiate immune responses that are capable of completely containing HIV pathogenicity, particularly if cART is discontinued. This may seem a dauntingly high hurdle given the results to date. This review outlines the key research efforts that have recently resurrected immunotherapeutic options, and some of the approaches tested to date. These areas include promising cytokines or vaccine strategies, using different viral or non-viral vectors based on polyvalent “mosaic” antigens and highly conserved HIV envelope peptides, broadly neutralizing antibodies or new properties of antibodies to improve the control of immune system homeostasis. These novel immunotherapeutic strategies appear promising per se, or in combination with TLR-agonists in order to bypass the complexity of the interplay between immune activation, massive CD4+ T-cell loss and viral persistence.