The Effects of Exoskeleton Assistance at the Ankle on Sensory Integration During Standing Balance.

Exoskeleton devices can reduce metabolic cost, increase walking speed, and augment load-carrying capacity. However, little is known about the effects of powered assistance on the sensory information required to achieve these tasks. To learn how to use an assistive device, humans must integrate novel sensory information into their internal model.

Ankle Exoskeleton Assistance can Affect Step Regulation during Self-Paced Walking.

Exoskeleton assistance can reduce metabolic cost and increase preferred walking speed in unimpaired and impaired groups, but individual outcomes are highly variable. Assistance may influence step regulation, leading to individual modulation of gait variability, energetic cost, and balance control. In this study, we aimed to understand the effects of a powered ankle exoskeleton on step regulation and its relationship to self-selected walking speed, cost of transport, and gait variability.

Factors influencing student choice of a degree in physiotherapy: a population-based study in Catalonia (Spain).

Background: In other healthcare professions, there has been extensive research into students' motivation, but studies aiming to determine what leads individuals to choose a degree in physiotherapy are scarce. This research study had three main objectives: to obtain a sociodemographic profile of first-year physiotherapy students in Catalonia; to determine the factors that lead individuals to choose a degree in physiotherapy; and to determine potential differences, according to gender and country of origin.

Methods: This is an observational, cross-sectional, multicentre study.

Novel velocity estimation for symmetric and asymmetric self-paced treadmill training.

Background: Self-paced treadmills (SPT) can provide an engaging setting for gait rehabilitation by responding directly to the user's intent to modulate the external environment and internal effort. They also can improve gait analyses by allowing scientists and clinicians to directly measure the effect of an intervention on walking velocity. Unfortunately, many common SPT algorithms are not suitable for individuals with gait impairment because they are designed for symmetric gait patterns.

HPLC-CUPRAC post-column derivatization method for the determination of antioxidants: a performance comparison between porous silica and core-shell column packing.

Background: An HPLC method employing a post-column derivatization strategy using the cupric reducing antioxidant capacity reagent (CUPRAC reagent) for the determining antioxidants in plant-based materials leverages the separation capability of regular HPLC approaches while allowing for detection specificity for antioxidants.

Methods: Three different column types, namely core-shell and porous silica including two chemically different core-shell materials (namely phenyl-hexyl and C18), were evaluated to assess potential improvements that could be attained by changing from a porous silica matrix to a core-shell matrix. Tea extracts were used as sample matrices for the evaluation specifically looking at catechin and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG).

Be, Pb and K depositions over 11 years in Málaga.

The monthly bulk depositional fluxes of three natural radionuclides (Be, Pb and K) were measured at a Mediterranean coastal station (Málaga) over an 11-year period from 2005 to 2015. The mean annual depositional fluxes of Be, Pb and K were 1215, 144 and 67 Bq m year respectively, showing a clear seasonal trend with minimum values recorded during summer and maximum values in winter. The rainfall regime with dry summers allows estimating the dry deposition.

Diagnostic reference levels and complexity indices in interventional radiology: a national programme.

Objectives: To propose national diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) for interventional radiology and to evaluate the impact of the procedural complexity on patient doses.

Methods: Eight interventional radiology units from Spanish hospitals were involved in this project. The participants agreed to undergo common quality control procedures for X-ray systems.

Clear Cell Carcinoma of the Penis: An HPV-related Variant of Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Report of 3 Cases.

Penile clear cell carcinoma originating in skin adnexal glands has been previously reported. Here, we present 3 morphologically distinctive penile tumors with prominent clear cell features originating not in the penile skin but in the mucosal tissues of the glans surface squamous epithelium. Clinical and pathologic features were evaluated.

Study of ⁷Be and ²¹⁰Pb as radiotracers of African intrusions in Malaga (Spain).

The relationship between the particulate matter in the atmosphere of Malaga and the origin of air masses with special attention to African intrusions was analyzed. The concentrations of PM10 and the activities of some radionuclides ((7)Be and (210)Pb) as tracers of these intrusions are discussed. The origin of these radiotracers is completely different.

HPV- and non-HPV-related subtypes of penile squamous cell carcinoma (SCC): Morphological features and differential diagnosis according to the new WHO classification (2015).

The majority of penile carcinomas are squamous cell carcinomas originating in the squamous mucosa covering the glans, coronal sulcus, or inner surface of the foreskin, the 3 latter sites comprising the penile anatomical compartments. There is a variegated spectrum of subtypes of penile squamous cell carcinomas according to recent classification schemes. Currently, because of etiological and prognostic considerations, 2 morphologically and molecularly distinctive groups of subtypes of penile SCCs based on the presence of HPV were delineated.

Pathological factors, behavior, and histological prognostic risk groups in subtypes of penile squamous cell carcinomas (SCC).

Pathologists' contribution in the determination of prognosis in invasive penile squamous cell carcinoma is crucial. The TNM staging system is based on the identification of pathological data. There are multiple pathologically based factors believed to be important in relation to the rates of regional inguinal lymph node and specific cancer death.

Behavior of ambient concentrations of natural radionuclides (7)Be, (210)Pb, (40)K in the Mediterranean coastal city of Málaga (Spain).

During a 4-year period (January 2009-December 2012), the (7)Be, (210)Pb, and (40)K activity concentrations in airborne particulate matter were weekly determined at the Málaga (Spain) located in the southern Iberian Peninsula. Totally 209 polypropylene filters were analyzed in the mentioned period. In 100% of the filters, (7)Be and (40)K activity concentrations were detected while (210)Pb activity concentration was detected in 96% of the filters.

Design and Synthesis of a New Class of Twin-Chain Amphiphiles for Self-Assembled Monolayer-based Electrochemical Biosensor Applications.

A new class of twin-chain hydroxyalkylthiols (mercaptoalkanols) featuring a nearly constant cross-section and the potential for modification of one or both termini are available with complete regioselectivity through Pd-mediated couplings of benzene diiododitriflate, including an example of a previously unreported coupling to generate an ortho-substituted arene bis acetic acid. Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) prepared from the new amphiphiles demonstrate improved stability in an electrochemical sensor system compared with monolayers prepared from analogous single chain thiols.

Application of synchrotron FTIR microspectroscopy for determination of spatial distribution of methylene blue conjugated onto a SAM via"click" chemistry.

We report, for the first time, the application of synchrotron FTIR microspectroscopy to determine the spatial distribution of methylene blue conjugated onto a self-assembled monolayer surface via Sharpless "click" chemistry.

Fabrication of an electrochemical DNA sensor array via potential-assisted "click" chemistry.

Here we report the fabrication of a 3-pixel electrochemical DNA sensor array via potential-assisted "click" chemistry. We found that the sensors in the array exhibit close to identical sensor performance when compared to sensors constructed via conventional "click" chemistry.

Folding-based electrochemical DNA sensor fabricated by "click" chemistry.

Here we report a folding-based electrochemical DNA (E-DNA) sensor fabricated by Sharpless "click" chemistry; the "click" chemistry-based E-DNA sensor compares favorably to a sensor fabricated via the conventional "two-step approach".

Effects of collector types in sampling of atmospheric depositional fluxes.

The bulk gross alpha, gross beta and (7)Be depositional fluxes were measured in Málaga (36.7 degrees N, 4.5 degrees W), a coastal Mediterranean station in the south of Spain for one whole year.

Leachable 226Ra in Philippine phosphogypsum and its implication in groundwater contamination in Isabel, Leyte, Philippines.

Phosphogypsum (PG), the major waste material in phosphate fertilizer processing, has been known to contain enhanced levels of naturally-occurring radionuclides especially (226)Ra. The lack of radioactivity data regarding Philippine phosphogypsum and its environmental behavior in the Philippine setting has brought concern on possible contamination of groundwater beneath the phosphogypsum ponds in Isabel, Leyte, Philippines. The radioactivity of Philippine phosphogypsum was determined and the leaching of (226)Ra from phosphogypsum and through local soil was quantified.

Effects of inspiratory muscle training on exercise capacity and spontaneous physical activity in elderly subjects: a randomized controlled pilot trial.

Inspiratory muscle training (IMT) has been shown to improve exercise capacity in diseased populations. We chose to examine the effects of eight weeks of IMT on exercise capacity and spontaneous physical activity in elderly individuals. Eighteen moderately active elderly subjects (68.

Exhalation of (222)Rn from phosphogypsum piles located at the Southwest of Spain.

Phosphogypsum (PG) is a waste product of the phosphoric acid production process and contains, generally, high activity concentrations of uranium series radionuclides. It is stored in piles formed over the last 40 years close to the town of Huelva (Southwest of Spain). The very broad expanse of the PG piles (about 1200 ha) produces a local, but unambiguous, radioactive impact to their surroundings.

Is cardiorespiratory fitness related to quality of life in survivors of breast cancer?

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether indices of cardiorespiratory fitness are related to quality of life (QOL) in women survivors of breast cancer. Using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-30 questionnaire, we assessed the QOL of 16 participants (age, 50 +/- 9 years; body mass, 66.6 +/- 9.

Combined aerobic and resistance training in breast cancer survivors: A randomized, controlled pilot trial.

The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the effects of a combined cardiorespiratory and resistance exercise training program of short duration on the cardiorespiratory fitness, strength endurance, task specific functional muscle capacity, body composition and quality of life (QOL) in women breast cancer survivors. Sixteen subjects were randomly assigned to either a training (n = 8; age: 50 +/- 5 yrs) or control non-exercising group (n = 8; age: 51 +/- 10 yrs). The training group followed an 8-week exercise program consisting of 3 weekly sessions of 90-min duration, supervised by an experienced investigator and divided into resistance exercises and aerobic training.