Structure-Optical Properties Relationships in Cobalt-Based Purple Pigments Used by Robert Delaunay.

Following the industrial revolution and the modernization of chemistry, purple became one of the most popular colors in the palettes of late 19th- to 20th-century painters. Among them, Robert Delaunay (1885-1941) was one of the key artists of the avant-garde movement in France in the early 20th century. Although widely used in modern and contemporary paintings, inorganic purple pigments of the cobalt phosphate and cobalt arsenate families have been little studied chemically until now.

Small Heart Size and Premature Death in 366,484 Individuals With Normal Ejection Fraction.

Background: In patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), small ventricular size has been associated with reduced functional capacity, but its impact on clinical outcomes is unclear.

Objectives: The goal of this study was to determine the relationship between small heart size and premature mortality within a large multicenter adult patient cohort with transthoracic echocardiographic examinations.

Methods: We divided 366,484 individuals with LVEF ≥50% (including a subset of 279,442 individuals with high-normal LVEF ≥60%) by sex and increasing quartiles for LV end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), LVEDV indexed to body surface area (LVEDVi), and LV end-diastolic diameter to assess associations with 5-year mortality through linkage with the National Death Index.

Genetics, Fitness and Left Ventricular Remodeling: The Current State of Play.

Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) exists on a spectrum and is driven by a constellation of factors including genetic and environmental differences. This results in wide inter-individual variation in baseline CRF and the ability to improve CRF with regular endurance exercise training. As opposed to monogenic conditions, CRF is described as a complex genetic trait as it is believed to be influenced by multiple common genetic variants in addition to exogenous factors.

Left Ventricular Volume as a Predictor of Exercise Capacity and Functional Independence in Individuals with Normal Ejection Fraction.

Aims: Low cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is associated with functional disability, heart failure and mortality. Left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic volume (LVEDV) has been linked with CRF, but its utility as a diagnostic marker of low CRF has not been tested.

Methods: This multi-center international cohort examined the relationship between LV size on echocardiography and CRF (peak oxygen uptake [peak VO2] from cardiopulmonary exercise testing) in individuals with LV ejection fraction ≥50%.

Evaluation of the Working Mechanism of a Newly Developed Powered Ankle-Foot Orthosis.

Ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) are commonly prescribed to children with cerebral palsy (CP). The conventional AFO successfully controls the first and second ankle rocker, but it fails to correct the third ankle rocker, which negatively effects push-off power. The current study evaluated a new powered AFO (PAFO) design, developed to address the shortcomings of the conventional AFO.