Magnetocaloric Effect for a -Clock-Type System.

In this work, we study the magnetocaloric effect (MCE) in a working substance corresponding to a square lattice of spins with possible orientations, known as the "-state clock model". When the -state clock model has Q≥5 possible configurations, it presents the famous Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) phase associated with vortex states. We calculate the thermodynamic quantities using Monte Carlo simulations for even numbers, ranging from Q=2 to Q=8 spin orientations per site in a lattice.

Medial Meniscotibial Ligament Deficiency Increases Medial Meniscus Extrusion and Posterior Root Forces.

Background: There is growing evidence that medial meniscotibial ligament (MTL) deficiency and medial meniscus extrusion may precede the development of some medial meniscus posterior root (MMPR) tears. However, no study has investigated the biomechanical consequences of MTL deficiency on the MMPR.

Hypothesis: (1) MTL deficiency leads to increased medial meniscus extrusion, (2) increased medial meniscus extrusion is correlated with increased compression and shear forces at the MMPR, and (3) MTL repair restores medial meniscus extrusion and MMPR forces to native levels.

Acute Effects of Unplanned and Planned Hop-Landing Training on Neurocognitive Function and Knee Biomechanics.

Background: Athletes with decreased baseline neurocognitive function may experience noncontact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in unanticipated athletic situations. Many ACL injury prevention programs (IPPs) focus on improving closed-skill movements (eg, planned landing). However, the more open-skill movements (eg, unplanned reactive movements) required in unpredictable sports scenarios are commonly absent from ACL IPPs, and the acute effects of open-skill training on neurocognitive function remain unclear.

Innovative Emulsifiers in Cosmetic Products: A Patent Review (2013-2023).

The cosmetics industry, characterized by innovation and dynamism, is constantly undergoing research, often guided by market trends. Although it covers various sectors, emulsifiers have had a notable impact on its development. Numerous products depend on these components, and continuous research has led to the creation of ever-better products.

Identification of a non-canonical planar cell polarity pathway triggered by light in the developing mouse retina.

The coordinated spatial arrangement of organelles within a tissue plane, known as planar cell polarity (PCP), is critical for organ development and function. Gradients of morphogens and their receptors typically set-up PCP, but whether non-molecular cues, akin to phototropism in plants, also play a part remains unknown. Here, we report that basal bodies of newborn photoreceptor cells in the mouse retina are positioned centrally on the apical surface but then move laterally during the first postnatal week, generating cell-intrinsic asymmetry in the retinal plane.

A self-adjuvanted VLPs-based Covid-19 vaccine proven versatile, safe, and highly protective.

Vaccination has played a critical role in mitigating COVID-19. Despite the availability of licensed vaccines, there remains a pressing need for improved vaccine platforms that provide high protection, safety, and versatility, while also reducing vaccine costs. In response to these challenges, our aim is to create a self-adjuvanted vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, utilizing Virus-Like Particles (VLPs) as the foundation.

Motivation Unraveled: Giving Choice to Football Players to Improve Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Prevention.

Benjaminse, A, Nijmeijer, EM, Gokeler, A, Broekhaar, DC, and Cortes, N. Motivation unraveled: giving choice to football players to improve anterior cruciate ligament injury prevention. J Strength Cond Res 38(12): e735-e743, 2024-Providing athletes some control over a training session facilitates motor skill acquisition.

Dynamic Ultrasound Localization Microscopy Without ECG-Gating.

Objective: Dynamic Ultrasound Localization Microscopy (DULM) has first been developed for non-invasive Pulsatility measurements in the rodent brain. DULM relies on the localization and tracking of microbubbles (MBs) injected into the bloodstream, to obtain highly resolved velocity and density cine-loops. Previous DULM techniques required ECG-gating, limiting its application to specific datasets, and increasing acquisition time.

Machine Learning to Predict Enzyme-Substrate Interactions in Elucidation of Synthesis Pathways: A Review.

Enzyme-substrate interactions play a fundamental role in elucidating synthesis pathways and synthetic biology, as they allow for the understanding of important aspects of a reaction. Establishing the interaction experimentally is a slow and costly process, which is why this problem has been addressed using computational methods such as molecular dynamics, molecular docking, and Monte Carlo simulations. Nevertheless, this type of method tends to be computationally slow when dealing with a large search space.

Empirical approaches for rock burst prediction: A comprehensive review and application to the new level of El Teniente Mine, Chile.

Rockburst phenomena pose significant challenges in the mining industry, particularly with increased underground activities at greater depths. These sudden failures not only jeopardize personnel safety but also impact mining investments. Consequently, it becomes crucial to assess the reliability and effectiveness of empirical methods employed for predicting rock burst occurrences and their severity, an ongoing subject of debate within the scientific community.

Stride-to-stride fluctuations and temporal patterns of muscle activity exhibit similar responses during walking to variable visual cues.

Incorporating variability within gait retraining approaches has been proposed and shown to lead to positive changes. Specifically, submitting the individuals to walk in synchrony to cues that are temporally organized with a fractal-like patterns, promotes changes at the stride-to-stride fluctuations closer to those typically find in young adults. However, there is still a need to understand the underlying neuromuscular mechanisms associated to such improvement.

Integrated control strategies for dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya virus infections.

Arboviruses are a major threat to public health in tropical regions, encompassing over 534 distinct species, with 134 capable of causing diseases in humans. These viruses are transmitted through arthropod vectors that cause symptoms such as fever, headache, joint pains, and rash, in addition to more serious cases that can lead to death. Among the arboviruses, dengue virus stands out as the most prevalent, annually affecting approximately 16.

Quantitative pulsatility measurements using 3D dynamic ultrasound localization microscopy.

A rise in blood flow velocity variations (i.e. pulsatility) in the brain, caused by the stiffening of upstream arteries, is associated with cognitive impairment and neurodegenerative diseases.

Stride-to-stride variability is altered when running to isochronous visual cueing but remains unaltered with fractal cueing.

Running synchronised to external cueing is often implemented in both clinical and training settings, and isochronous cueing has been shown to improve running economy. However, such cueing disregards the natural stride-to-stride fluctuations present in human locomotion which is thought to reflect higher levels of adaptability. The present study aimed to investigate how alterations in the temporal structure of cueing affect stride-to-stride variability during running.

The pulvinar as a hub of visual processing and cortical integration.

The pulvinar nucleus of the thalamus is a crucial component of the visual system and plays significant roles in sensory processing and cognitive integration. The pulvinar's extensive connectivity with cortical regions allows for bidirectional communication, contributing to the integration of sensory information across the visual hierarchy. Recent findings underscore the pulvinar's involvement in attentional modulation, feature binding, and predictive coding.

Muscle activity variability patterns and stride to stride fluctuations of older adults are positively correlated during walking.

It has been found that fractal-like patterns are present in the temporal structure of the variability of healthy biological rhythms, while pathology and disease lead to their deterioration. Interestingly, it has recently been suggested that these patterns in biological rhythms are related with each other, reflecting overall health or lack of it, due to their interaction. However, the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms responsible for such dependency remain unknown.

Community arts engagement supports perceptions of personal growth in older adults.

Purpose: The effects of arts engagement on older adults have been well-documented. However, the ways older adults overcome common situational and dispositional barriers to enhance personal growth and well-being are less known.

Methods: Fifty-six community dwelling older adults (71.

Mature iPSC-derived astrocytes of an ALS/FTD patient carrying the TDP43 mutation display a mild reactive state and release polyP toxic to motoneurons.

Astrocytes play a critical role in the maintenance of a healthy central nervous system and astrocyte dysfunction has been implicated in various neurodegenerative disorders, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). There is compelling evidence that mouse and human ALS and ALS/FTD astrocytes can reduce the number of healthy wild-type motoneurons (MNs) in co-cultures or after treatment with astrocyte conditioned media (ACM), independently of their genotype. A growing number of studies have shown that soluble toxic factor(s) in the ACM cause non-cell autonomous MN death, including our recent identification of inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) that is excessively released from mouse primary astrocytes (, , and ) and human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC)-derived astrocytes () to kill MNs.

Scaling the Andean Shilajit: A Novel Neuroprotective Agent for Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a multifactorial neurodegenerative disorder without a cure, despite the enormous number of investigations and therapeutic approaches. AD is a consequence of microglial responses to "damage signals", such as aggregated tau oligomers, which trigger a neuro-inflammatory reaction, promoting the misfolding of cytoskeleton structure. Since AD is the most prevalent cause of dementia in the elderly (>60 years old), new treatments are essential to improve the well-being of affected subjects.

Effect of the Law Enforcement Duty Belt on Muscle Activation during Hip Hinging Movements in Young, Healthy Adults.

Sixty percent of all law enforcement officers (LEOs) experience low back pain (LBP), with the LEO duty belt (LEO) commonly reported to be a contributing factor. The primary purpose of the study was to investigate the LEODB's effect on muscular activity and compare it to a tactical vest, which is a commonly used alternative to an LEO. In total, 24 participants (13 male, 11 female; mass, 73.

Smooth and accurate predictions of joint contact force time-series in gait using over parameterised deep neural networks.

Alterations in joint contact forces (JCFs) are thought to be important mechanisms for the onset and progression of many musculoskeletal and orthopaedic pain disorders. Computational approaches to JCFs assessment represent the only non-invasive means of estimating forces; but this cannot be undertaken in free-living environments. Here, we used deep neural networks to train models to predict JCFs, using only joint angles as predictors.

Common law enforcement load carriage systems have limited acute effects on postural stability and muscle activity.

Law enforcement officers are inherently at a high risk of injury and the loads they must carry during their occupational duties further increase their injury risk. It is unknown how different methods of carrying a law enforcement officer's load influence factors related to injury risk. This study assessed the effects of common law enforcement load carriage systems on muscular activity and postural stability while standing.

Antioxidant potential of coffee husks in fresh pork sausage.

Coffee husks, a by-product of dry coffee processing, present a disposal problem in coffee-producing countries. Valorization of this residue is necessary to reduce its environmental impact and improve benefits to the producer. This study evaluated the antioxidant effect of coffee husks on physicochemical properties and sensory liking of fresh sausages packaged in aerobic (AEP) or modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) (20% CO + 80%N).