Significant Increase In Height Research Articles

Physiological and morphological responses of young mahogany ( Swietenia macrophylla King) plants to drought

Young mahogany ( Swietenia macrophylla King) plants were grown under either well-watered (pre-dawn leaf water potential, Ψ pd, ca. −0.40 MPa) or drought ( Ψ pd, ca. −3.52 MPa) conditions to examine some physiological strategies that allow the maintenance of leaf turgor. In well-watered plants, stomatal conductance ( g s) was nearly constant (440 mmol m −2 s −1) between 7:00 and 13:00 h. This was accomplished by significant increases in transpiration ( E) and apparent total hydraulic conductance ( K T), in which averages were higher at 13:00 h. From 13:00 to 17:00 h, g s, E, and K T decreased sharply, reaching their lower values at 17:00 h. In these plants, significant increases in height (116%), stem diameter (50%) and leaf area (200%) were registered over the experimental period (20 days). Analyses of linear regression between g s or E and leaf-to-air vapor pressure deficit ( Δ w) were not significant. In water-stressed plants, g s and E were higher at 7:00 h and lower from 9:00 to 17:00 h, while K T was higher in early morning (7:00 h) and in late afternoon (17:00 h) than between 9:00 and 15:00 h. Moreover, both g s and E decreased potentially ( P < 0.001) with the diurnal increases on Δ w. Drought also decreased leaf and leaflet numbers and reduced total leaf area, but had no effect on stem height and diameter. Leaf proline was higher (ca. 400%, between 13:00 and 15:00 h) in water-stressed plants, suggesting osmotic adjustment under drought. Twelve hours after resumption of irrigation, Ψ pd was similar ( P > 0.05) between well-watered and drought-stressed plants, suggesting an ability of plants to recover turgor after stress cessation. Altogether, our data support the hypothesis that young mahogany plants have the ability to satisfactorily tolerate or postpone drought.

Changes in Spinal Height Following Sustained Lumbar Flexion and Extension Postures: A Clinical Measure of Intervertebral Disc Hydration Using Stadiometry

Background Decreased intervertebral disc height can result in diminished load carrying capacity of the spinal segment. Clinical means of assessing postures able to rehydrate the discs were investigated. Objective The purposes of this study were 3-fold: (1) to determine if our test protocol using a commercially available stadiometer demonstrated findings consistent with prior laboratory-based protocols; (2) to determine if hyperextension in the prone position and trunk flexion in the supine position caused increased spine height after sustained loading; and (3) to compare the effects of hyperextension in the prone position and trunk flexion in the supine position on spine height changes after a period of sustained loading. Methods This study used a pretest, posttest crossover design. Ten women and 11 men (mean age, 24 ± 2.6 years) participated. Subjects held either 10 minutes of hyperextension in the prone position or 10 minutes of trunk flexion in the supine position in the recovery phase. Spine height was measured using a commercially available stadiometer. Spinal height change was determined from measurements taken after loaded sitting and measurements taken after hyperextension in the prone position and trunk flexion in the supine position. Results A 1-sample t test indicated no significant difference existed between our mean height change after 5 minutes of sitting and previously published validated findings. A paired t test indicated significant increase in height after both supine flexion and prone extension lying ( P< .0001). The mean height gain was 3.11 mm using prone extension and 3.19 mm using the supine flexion protocol. A paired t test indicated no significant difference between these 2 recovery positions ( P = .927). Conclusion The stadiometer measurement protocol demonstrated that hyperextension in the prone position and trunk flexion in the supine position were easily effective positions for the temporary recovery of spine height after sustained loading. These findings lay the foundation for future research into the viscoelastic creep properties of the intervertebral disk under loading and therapeutic conditions.

The heights and weights of Irish children from the post-war era to the Celtic tiger

Background:Childhood obesity is a significant global health issue. National level data on long-term secular trends are relatively sparse.Methods:Data were obtained from three large-scale surveys of school-aged children in Ireland involving...

Clinical and Radiologic Analysis of 3-level Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion With Interbody Cages Without Plate Fixation

Objectives The primary objective of this study was to analyze the clinical and radiologic outcomes of 3-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion procedures performed using interbody cages without plate fixation. Methods Twenty-two patients with radiculomyelopathy were retrospectively evaluated. Functional outcome of patients with radiculopathy was assessed using Odom's criteria, and myelopathic patients were rated according to Nurick's classification. Radiographs were used for evaluation of the cervical lordosis, fusion, foraminal height, and implant position. Results An excellent or good functional result was found in all of the patients with radiculopathy. In addition, Nurick grades improved from a mean of 2.4 before surgery to a mean of 1.2 at follow-up (P=0.007). These effects were accompanied by a significant increase in height of the foramina after surgery (P=0.006). However, there was no statistically significant difference between cervical lordosis before surgery and at final follow-up. Fusion was observed in 17 (77.3%) of the patients, whereas the remaining 5 patients (22.7%) had asymptomatic pseudarthrosis. Of the 66 total cages implanted, subsidence was present in 31 (46.9%). The mean follow-up was 26.1 months. Conclusions The use of interbody cages without plate fixation for 3-level anterior cervical discectomy increases cervical lordosis, increases foraminal height, assists fusion, and is associated with good clinical outcomes.

A Confocal microscopic study on colony morphology and sporulation of Bacillus sp.

Hexavalent chromium Cr(VI) is one of the dominant oxidation states of chromium that exist in the environment and is highly toxic to all forms of life. In the present study, we employ a confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) and investigate the effect of Cr(VI) on colony morphology of a Bacillus sp. isolated from soil exposed to tannery effluent. The colonies grown at chromium concentrations, control and 100 ppm are found to be opaque and beyond 200 ppm the colonies were translucent thus exhibiting phase variation. CLSM studies on colonies grown on control plates showed significant increase in height and in biovolume as a function of time whereas, the translucent colonies showed very little change in height and biovolume corresponding to the colony growth. Exopolymeric substance (EPS) content of translucent colonies was lesser than that of opaque colonies, indicating that EPS also plays a role in the observed phenomenon of phase variation. Studies on the effect of Cr(VI) on spore formation showed that Cr(VI) concentrations up to 100 ppm favored spore formation, while concentrations beyond 100 ppm showed a steady decline in spore formation.

Aging of the Bony Orbit: A Three-Dimensional Computed Tomographic Study

Facial aging is a dynamic process involving the aging of soft tissue and bony structures. The shape, size, and volume of the bony orbit have all been shown to change with increasing age. In this study, we demonstrate how specific bony aspects of the orbit change with age in both male and female subjects and what impact this may have on the techniques used in facial cosmetic surgery. Facial bone computed tomography (CT) scans were obtained from 60 white subjects (30 female, 30 male). Our study population consisted of 10 male and 10 female subjects in each of 3 age categories. Each CT scan underwent three-dimensional (3-D) reconstruction with volume rendering. Orbital aperture width was measured as a line drawn from the posterior lacrimal crest to the frontozygomatic suture. This line was then used as the x-axis from which the distance to the superior and inferior orbital rim at nine equal increments (labeled 10 to 90) was obtained. The orbital aperture area was also measured on each 3-D model. The Student t test was used to identify any trends between age groups. The orbital aperture width and area in both our male and female subjects showed a significant increase with increasing age. There was a significant increase in height of the superior orbital rim medially in both genders, suggesting that the superior orbital rim receded with age in this region. The inferior orbital rim receded significantly laterally in our female population, while our male subjects had a recession of the entire inferior orbital rim. These results suggest that the bony elements of the orbit change dramatically with age, and this, coupled with soft tissue changes, can lead to the appearance of the aged eye and orbit.

Creatine monohydrate attenuates body fat accumulation in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia during maintenance chemotherapy

Corticosteroids are an important component of the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), with known significantly negative effects on bone and muscle. Creatine monohydrate (CrM) supplementation may be an adjunctive therapeutic strategy to attenuate some of these adverse effects. Nine children with ALL in the maintenance phase of treatment on the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) protocol 2000-2001 were treated with CrM (0.1 g/kg/day) for two sequential periods of 16 weeks (16 weeks treat > 6 weeks wash-out > 16 weeks treat). A cohort of children (N = 50) who were receiving the same chemotherapy at the same time served as natural history controls. Measurements included height, weight, body mass index (BMI), and lumbar spine bone mineral density (LS-BMD), whole body bone mineral content (WB-BMC), fat-free mass (FFM), and percent body fat (%BF) using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Despite the long course of corticosteroid treatment for ALL, children showed significant increases in height, LS-BMD, WB-BMC and FFM over approximately 38 weeks (P < 0.05) during the study. There was an increase in BMI over time, but children taking CrM had a reduction, while the natural history group showed an increase in % BF (P < 0.05 for interaction). Children with ALL treated with corticosteroids as part of a maintenance protocol of chemotherapy showed an increase in % BF that was attenuated by CrM supplementation.

Análisis longitudinal de las dimensiones corporales en adolescentes de la Escuela Nacional de Ballet de Cuba

Introduction Ballet teachers kneed to know the characteristics and changes that take place in the physiques of ballet dancers during growth and development. The objective of this study was to determine body dimension changes in dancers in the Cuban National Ballet School at 2 moments of growth, maturation and development. Method We performed a longitudinal study of 54 girls and 40 boys aged between 15 and 20 years. To determine body dimensions, an anthropometric protocol of 26 measurements was applied. Results In both girls and boys and all age groups, weight and height significantly increased, while growth velocity decreased with age. In girls in all age groups, statistically significant increases in height were found due to the lower extremity. No specific changes in variations in uncorrected muscle circumferences were found in either sex. Most skinfolds did not significantly decrease from one year to the next in girls while none of the skinfolds significantly increased in boys during the study.

Unusual early morning development of the equatorial anomaly in the Brazilian sector during the Halloween magnetic storm

The solar events that occurred at the end of October 2003 gave rise to very strong geomagnetic disturbances that peaked twice with Dst values reaching −345 nT around 0000 UT on 30 October and −400 nT around 2300 UT, on the same day. Disturbances in several ionospheric parameters were observed over Brazil. This work will focus on the ionospheric response to the initial westward prompt penetration electric field and on the strong intensification of the equatorial ionization anomaly that occurred because of the electric field polarity reversal that followed in the early morning hours of 29 October. The F layer peak height over the equator first decreased under the strong prompt penetration westward electric field, which was followed by significant height increase under eastward electric field. We have used Sheffield University Plasmasphere Ionosphere Model (SUPIM) with an intensified westward disturbed electric field in the presunrise hours, presumably due to prompt penetration from the magnetosphere, in order to study the effect of such a field in the ionosphere. The simulation results showed that prompt penetration of magnetospheric electric fields of westward polarity to the nightside equatorial region seems to be the most probable cause of the initial F layer height decreases. The intensification of the equatorial ionization anomaly and the unusual enhancement on F layer peak density, which was not modeled by the SUPIM, are explained as caused by the strong eastward electric field that followed the initial phase in combination with a highly variable disturbed meridional/transequatorial wind system as inferred from the F2 layer peak height variations. The highly dynamic wind pattern, with a short‐term response (2–4 hours), is compatible with the predictions of some previous theoretical model calculations reported in the literature.

Food Intake of Children with Short Stature Born Small for Gestational Age before and during a Randomized GH Trial

Parents of short children born SGA often report that their children have a serious lack of appetite and a low food intake. In this study we investigated food intake, by using a standardized 7-day food questionnaire, in 88 short SGA children before start of GH treatment. The intake was compared with the recommended daily intake (RDI) of age-matched children. We also compared the food intake of GH-treated children (n = 62) with randomized controls (n = 26) after 1 year of GH treatment. In addition, we evaluated the effect of food intake and GH treatment on body composition and serum levels of IGF-I, IGFBP-3 and leptin. Our study shows that caloric intake, fat and carbohydrate intake of short SGA children aged 5.9 (1.6) years was significantly lower compared to the RDI for age-matched children. One year of GH treatment resulted in a significant increase of caloric, fat, carbohydrate and protein intake compared to baseline. Compared to randomized controls, caloric, carbohydrate and protein intake increased significantly after 1 year of GH treatment. Short SGA children had significantly lower SDS scores for LBM, fat mass, skinfold (SF) and BMI compared to age-matched references. They also had significantly lower serum IGF-I, IGFBP-3 and leptin levels. GH treatment resulted in a significant increase of height, LBM, BMI, IGF-I and IGFBP-3 SDS and a significant decrease of SF SDS and leptin SDS. In conclusion, our study shows that short SGA children have indeed a lower food intake than age-matched controls. During GH treatment the food intake increased significantly compared to baseline in contrast to the randomized control group.

Metabolic and Hormonal Changes of Severely Burned Children Receiving Long-Term Oxandrolone Treatment

When given to children for 1 year after a severe burn, oxandrolone significantly improves lean body mass, bone mineral content, and muscle strength. The beneficial effects of oxandrolone on height and weight were observed 1 year after treatment was discontinued. To study the efficacy of oxandrolone in severely burned children for 12 months after burn and 12 months after the drug was discontinued. Oxandrolone attenuates body catabolism during the acute phase after burn. It is unclear whether oxandrolone would have any beneficial effects during long-term treatment or if there were any effects after the drug was stopped. Sixty-one children with 40% total body surface area burns were enrolled in this study. Patients were randomized into those to receive oxandrolone (n = 30) or placebo (n = 31) for the first 12 months. Treatment was discontinued after 12 months, and the patients were studied without the drug for the following 12 months. At discharge and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after burn, height, weight, body composition, resting energy expenditure, muscle strength, and serum human growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-1), IGF binding protein-3, insulin, cortisol, parathyroid hormone, tri-iodothyronine uptake (T3 uptake), and free thyroxine index (FTI) were measured. Statistical analysis used Tukey multiple comparison test. Significance was accepted at P < 0.05. Oxandrolone improved lean body mass, bone mineral content and muscle strength compared with controls during treatment, P < 0.05. Serum IGF-1, T3 uptake, and FTI were significantly higher during drug treatment compared with controls, P < 0.05. Significant increases in height and weight with oxandrolone were observed after the end of treatment. Oxandrolone improved body composition and strength in severely burned children during the 12 months of treatment. Its effect on height and weight continued after treatment was discontinued.

The Association between Diet and Height in the Postinfancy Period Changes with Age and Socioeconomic Status in Filipino Youths

Whether the determinants of linear growth can have independent effects beyond the critical infancy period has been questioned. This research uses uniquely suited data from >2000 youths from the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Study in the Philippines to examine the association between diet and height in the postinfancy period. Anthropometric, diet, and other data were collected bimonthly from 0 to 2 y, and at the mean ages of 8, 11.5, 15.5, and 18.5 y. Generalized Estimating Equations were used to quantify the mean effects of diet diversity and energy intake on height across increments demarcated by the postinfancy data (2-8.5, 8.5-11.5, 11.5-15.5, and 15.5-18.5 y). We examined whether the effects differed by socioeconomic status (SES) and age. Effects with P < 0.05 were considered significant. Each additional unit of diet variety (range 0-8 U) was associated with a significant 0.33-cm increase in height in boys. Each additional 100 kcal (4186 kJ) was associated with significant increases in height of 0.05 cm in boys, and 0.02 cm in girls. Significant interactions (P < 0.15) with SES showed that each 100 kcal increase in energy intake was associated with a 0.08-cm increase in height at low SES with no difference at high SES. In both boys and girls, the effects of energy intake decreased with age, as shown by a significant age interaction (P < 0.15). The methods used incorporate the longitudinal nature of the data to offer a unique examination of the association between diet and height in the postinfancy period.

Preinoculation with Arbuscular Mycorrhizae Helps Acacia auriculiformis Grow in Degraded Indian Wasteland Soil

The effect of inoculation of two arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, Glomus fasciculatum, and G. macrocarpum, alone and in combination, on establishment and growth of Acacia auriculiformis in a wasteland soil was studied under nursery and field conditions. Under nursery conditions, mycorrhiza-colonized seedlings showed significantly higher root shoot dry weights and higher concentrations of phosphorus (P), potassium (K), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), and sodium (Na) in shoots of mycorrhizal than nonmycorrhizal seedlings. However, concentration of calcium (Ca) was unchanged. Acacia auriculiformis exhibited a maximal mycorrhizal dependency of 79.6% on dual inoculation. Mycorrhizal dependency differed with AM fungal isolates and age of the plant. Under field conditions, AM colonization of A. auriculiformis enhanced tree survival rates (85%) after transplantation. Arbuscular mycorrhiza-colonized plants showed significant increase in height, biomass production, and girth as compared to nonmycorrhizal plants. In general, all growth parameters were higher on dual inoculation of G. fasciculatum and G. macrocarpum as compared to uninoculated plants under both nursery and field conditions.

Two-Year Clinical and Immune Outcomes in Human Immunodeficiency Virus–Infected Children Who Reconstitute CD4 T Cells Without Control of Viral Replication After Combination Antiretroviral Therapy

To evaluate 96-week clinical and immune outcomes to protease inhibitor-containing antiretroviral therapy. A prospective study was conducted of 40 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected children who displayed viral suppression (VS) with successful immune reconstitution (IS), failure to suppress virus (VF) or develop immune reconstitution (IF), or discordant immune and viral responses (VF/IS) at 24 weeks posttherapy. All children enrolled had viral RNA >4.0 log10 copies per mL and were Centers for Disease Control ad Prevention immune stage 2 or 3. Clinical, viral, and immune outcomes were assessed during the subsequent 72 weeks. VS/IS and VF/IS groups displayed similar sustained increases in CD4 T cells, although viral levels rebounded by 48 and 96 weeks posttherapy to pretherapy levels in the discordant group. The VF/IS outcome group had significant increases in height and weight z scores compared with entry and were similar to the VS/IS group. After treatment, antigen-specific responses after tetanus immunization were similar in the VF/IS and VS/IS groups. Prevalence of HIV-associated illnesses decreased in both VS/IS and VF/IS but not in VF/IF response groups. The findings indicate that viral replication under the selective pressure of protease inhibitors fails to exhibit the same deleterious impact on T-cell immunity as pretherapy viruses. CD4 T-cell counts may be a better predictor of disease progression and improvement in growth than viral burden in HIV-infected children who receive a protease inhibitor as part of a highly active antiretroviral therapy regimen.

Early growth of white spruce underplanted beneath spaced and unspaced aspen stands in northeastern British Columbia

We examined the growth of white spruce planted underneath a 33-year-old stand of trembling aspen following thinning and fertilization. Thinning the stand to 2000 stems·ha–1 resulted in increased light reaching spruce seedlings and significant increases in height and diameter growth of seedlings over that observed in either the unspaced or 3000 stems·ha–1 treatments. Fertilization (applied 3 years prior to planting) stimulated development of understory vegetation and did not benefit the planted spruce. While growth was improved by thinning, the benefits of the thinning treatment to establishment of white spruce appeared to be small, and amounted to increasing seedling height from 62 cm (unthinned) to 73 cm (thinned to 1000 or 2000 stems·ha–1) at the end of 5 years. Results indicated that when stands are thinned for the purpose of accelerating growth rates of underplanted spruce, residual basal areas above 25 m2·ha–1 should be retained to suppress growth of understory vegetation. Comparison of height at age 5 for seedlings planted under untended stands at Fort Nelson with three sites near Dawson Creek indicated no differences between locations, when height at the time of planting was included as a covariate.

Growth CO2 concentration modifies the transpiration response of Populus deltoides to drought and vapor pressure deficit.

Cottonwood (Populus deltoides Bartr. ex Marsh.) trees grown for 9 months in elevated carbon dioxide concentration ([CO2]) showed significant increases in height, leaf area and basal diameter relative to trees in a near-ambient [CO2] control treatment. Sample trees in the CO2 treatments were subjected to high and low atmospheric vapor pressure deficits (VPD) over a 5-week period at both high and low soil water contents (SWC). During these periods, transpiration rates at both the leaf and canopy levels were calculated based on sap flow measurements and leaf-to-sapwood area ratios. Leaf-level transpiration rates were approximately equivalent across [CO2] treatments when soil water was not limiting. In contrast, during drought stress, canopy-level transpiration rates were approximately equivalent across [CO2] treatments, indicating that leaf-level fluxes during drought stress were reduced in elevated [CO2] by a factor equal to the leaf area ratio of the two canopies. The shift from equivalent leaf-level transpiration to equivalent canopy-level transpiration with increasing drought stress suggests maximum water use rates were controlled primarily by atmospheric demand at high SWC and by soil water availability at low SWC. Changes in VPD had less effect on transpiration than changes in SWC for trees in both CO2 treatments. Transpiration rates of trees in both CO2 treatments reached maximum values at a VPD of about 2.0 kPa at high SWC, but leveled off and decreased slightly in both canopies as VPD increased above this value. At low SWC, increasing VPD from approximately 1.4 to 2.5 kPa caused transpiration rates to decline slightly in the canopies of trees in both treatments, with significant (P = 0.004) decreases occurring in trees in the near-ambient [CO2] treatment. The transpiration responses at high VPD in the presence of high SWC and throughout the low SWC treatment suggest some hydraulic limitations to water use occurred. Comparisons of midday leaf water potentials of trees in both CO2 treatments support this conclusion.

EFFECT OF SOYBEAN STEM GROWTH HABIT ON HEIGHT AND NODE NUMBER AFTER BEGINNING BLOOM IN THE MIDSOUTHERN USA

There are two broad types of stem growth habit in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]: indeterminate [generally maturity group (MG) IV and earlier] and determinate (generally MG V and later). Field studies of irrigated April and May plantings were conducted on Sharkey clay soil (very‐fine, smectitic, thermic Chromic Epiaquert) at Stoneville, MS (lat. 33°26′N), to determine if current expectations for stem growth habit are valid in genetic backgrounds of indeterminate MG IV and determinate MG V cultivars that are used in the early soybean production system (ESPS) in the midsouthern USA. All cultivars increased height and node number between beginning bloom (R1) and stem termination (ST), but the increases were greater for MG IV cultivars. Height and node number were greater at R1 for MG V than for MG IV cultivars, and greater for MG IV cultivars at ST. Averaged across planting date and year, MG V cultivars increased height and node number after R1 by 23 cm and 3.7 nodes, respectively. These results indicate that determinate MG V cultivars are capable of producing significant increases in height and node number after R1.

Height Changes Associated with Pigment Aggregation inXenopus laevisMelanophores

Melanophores are pigment cells found in the skin of lower vertebrates. The brownish-black pigment melanin is stored in organelles called melanosomes. In response to different stimuli, the cells can redistribute the melanosomes, and thereby change colour. During melanosome aggregation, a height increase has been observed in fish and frog melanophores across the cell centre. The mechanism by which the cell increases its height is unknown. Changes in cell shape can alter the electrical properties of the cell, and thereby be detected in impedance measurements. We have in earlier studies of Xenopus laevis melanophores shown that pigment aggregation can be revealed as impedance changes, and therefore we were interested in investigating the height changes associated with pigment aggregation further. Accordingly, we quantified the changes in cell height by performing vertical sectioning with confocal microscopy. In analogy with theories explaining the leading edge of migrating cells, we investigated the possibility that the elevation of plasma membrane is caused by local swelling due to influx of water through HgCl2-sensitive aquaporins. We also measured the height of the microtubule structures to assess whether they are involved in the height increase. Our results show that pigment aggregation in X. laevis melanophores resulted in a significant height increase, which was substantially larger when aggregation was induced by latrunculin than with melatonin. Moreover, the elevation of the plasma membrane did not correlate with influx of water through aquaporins or formation of new microtubules, Rather, the accumulation of granules seemed to drive the change in cell height.

Muscle Plasticity Following Plyometric And Combined (Plyometric And Resistance) Training

1153 It has been demonstrated that muscle jump performance can be increased in response to plyometric training lasting from 4–12 weeks. Researchers who investigate the transference of plyometric training to jump performance appear to be entrenched in two camps. One suggests that plyometric training needs to increase the degree of coordination and maximize the ability to use the muscle's stretch-shortening cycle. The other proposes that there is no need for specificity, but plyometric training improves power and vertical jump performance because it increases muscle contraction force. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare, in a short training study, the changes in central and peripheral properties of the leg extensors derived from maximal resistance training and a combined resistance + plyomteric training program and the effects on jump strategy and performance. METHODS: Twenty-two male Handball players, between the ages of 17 and 24, and in good health volunteered for this study. Participants were divided into three groups. Two were trained groups (weight training and weight training combined with plyometric training) and one was a control group (baseline). For the non-combined group, exercises were performed four times a week over the eight-week period. Exercise consisted of six sets of ten repetitions at 70% of the maximal isometric force output of the leg press with three minutes of rest between series. For the combined group, subjects performed the same training, and we added 6 sets of ten repetitions of plyometric training. RESULTS: After three weeks of training only combined training increased maximal voluntary force, squat jump and countermovement jump performance (p<0.05). However, weighttraining group presented no significant changes after three weeks of weight training, although there were slight increases. At the end of the 6-week training programs, the two training group increased maximal isometric force and squat jump performance. However, only combined training presented a significant increase in height jump performance and Joint knee stiffness during the countermovement jump (p<0.05). The electromyographic data analyses indicated that the SJ and CMJ were performed similarly before and after the training period for the weight training group. However the combined group presented an increase in IEMG values during the contact and concentric phase. CONCLUSIONS: The present study confirms the idea that a short training program can alter nervous system function. From a practical aspect our study suggests that changes in maximal strength and/or explosive strength do not produce automatic changes in combined movement such as CMJ.

Growth trends of spruce in the Orlické hory Mts.

In 2002, height and diameter growth of spruce was investigated in the Orlick&amp;eacute; hory Mts. (the Czech Republic). The aim was to confirm and to quantify a growth increase in stands of different age, and to reveal the relation between growth and climate, and level of nitrogen deposition. Stem analyses of ten sample trees of mature spruce stand (average age 163 years) confirmed a significant increase in height and diameter growth since the mid-eighties of the 20&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; century. Nearly 75% of radial increment variability could be explained by climatic factors. Growth in the last 10 years corresponded well to weather conditions. Analysis of the growth &amp;ndash; nitrogen deposition relationship showed negative correlations, but the results were not statistically significant. Comparison of the height growth curves of young stands (11&amp;ndash;47 years) proved that the younger the stand, the steeper the growth curve. The height of the youngest stands was on average the double of the height of older stands at the same age. The values of the height growth of young stands significantly overreached the yield table values in all the age classes analyzed.