A Diagnostic and Performance System for Soccer: Technical Design and Development.

This study presents a novel system for diagnosing and evaluating soccer performance using wearable inertial sensors integrated into players' insoles. Designed to meet the needs of professional podiatrists and sports practitioners, the system focuses on three key soccer-related movements: passing, shooting, and changes of direction (CoDs). The system leverages low-power IMU sensors, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication, and a cloud-based architecture to enable real-time data analysis and performance feedback.

Generation and Characterization of a New Aging Skin Human Dermal Extracellular Matrix Scaffold.

In vitro skin aging models represent a valuable tool for the study of age-related pathologies and potential treatments. However, the currently available models do not adequately represent the complex microenvironment of the dermis since they generally focus on cutaneous cellular senescence, rather than the full range of factors that contribute to the aging process, such as structural and compositional alteration of the dermal extracellular matrix. The following protocol describes the extraction and characterization of human adult extracellular matrix scaffolds for use in in vitro aging models.

Quantification of the Anterior-Centripetal Movement of the Ciliary Muscle During Accommodation Using Dynamic OCT Imaging.

Purpose: Although the lens undoubtedly plays a major role in presbyopia, altered lens function could be in part secondary to age-related changes of the ciliary muscle. Ciliary muscle changes with accommodation have been quantified using optical coherence tomography, but so far these studies have been limited to quantifying changes in ciliary muscle thickness, mostly at static accommodative states. Quantifying ciliary muscle thickness changes does not effectively capture the dynamic anterior-centripetal movement of the ciliary muscle during accommodation.

High-precision Cu isotopic analysis of human dietary Cu sources via multi-collector ICP-mass spectrometry.

The disruption of Cu homeostasis is associated with the pathogenesis of many diseases and can result in alterations in Cu isotope fractionation. Changes in the Cu isotope ratio (Cu/Cu) of body fluids and tissues have been observed in liver disorders, cancers, and other diseases, displaying diagnostic/prognostic potential. However, it is not entirely clear whether certain physiological or lifestyle factors may also influence the bodily Cu isotopic composition, potentially obfuscating the signature of the pathology.

Dendritic Platinum Nanoparticles Shielded by Pt-S PEGylation as Intracellular Reactors for Bioorthogonal Uncaging Chemistry.

Beyond their classical role as cytotoxics, Platinum (Pt) coordination complexes recently joined the selected group of transition metals capable of performing bioorthogonal reactions in living environments. To minimize their reactivity towards nucleophiles, which limit their catalytic performance, we investigated the use of Pt(0) with different forms, sizes and surface functionalization. We report herein the development of PEGylated Pt nanodendrites with the capacity to activate prodyes and prodrugs in cell culture and in vivo.

Safety assessment of natural materials for food contact in high temperature applications: Migration studies with solid simulant (Tenax®).

The concern of conventional plastics for food contact has opened the use of natural vegetal materials which can be used even at high temperature. However, their safety in use has to be carefully evaluated. This study shows the migration tests of volatile compounds to Tenax® at 175 °C for 1 h.

Leucocyte telomere length and conduction system ageing.

Background: Deterioration of the cardiac conduction system is an important manifestation of cardiac ageing. Cellular ageing is accompanied by telomere shortening and telomere length (TL) is often regarded as a marker of biological ageing, potentially adding information regarding conduction disease over and above chronological age. We therefore sought to evaluate the association between leucocyte telomere length (LTL) on two related, but distinct aspects of the cardiac conduction system: ECG measures of conduction (PR interval and QRS duration) and incident pacemaker implantation in a large population-based cohort.

Prediction of atrial and ventricular arrhythmias using multiple cardiovascular risk-factor polygenic risk scores.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) prediction improves by combining clinical scores with a polygenic risk score (PRS) for AF (AF-PRS), but there are limited studies of PRS for ventricular arrhythmia (VA) prediction.

Objective: We assessed the value of including multiple PRS for cardiovascular risk factors (CV-PRS) for incident AF and VA prediction.

Methods: We used 158,733 individuals of European ancestry from UK Biobank to build 3 models for AF: CHARGE-AF (AF1), AF1 + AF-PRS (AF2), AF2 + CV-PRS (AF3).

A Study of the Optimal Logic Combinations of RO-Based PUFs on FPGAs to Maximize Identifiability.

One of the challenges that wireless sensor networks (WSNs) need to address is achieving security and privacy while keeping low power consumption at sensor nodes. Physically unclonable functions (PUFs) offer a challenge-response functionality that leverages the inherent variations in the manufacturing process of a device, making them an optimal solution for sensor node authentication in WSNs. Thus, identifiability is the fundamental property of any PUF.

Nocturnal short-term HRV reflects impaired daytime vigilance better than overnight HRV in suspected OSA patients.

In obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), heart rate variability (HRV) decreases and performance in psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) worsens with more severe hypoxic load. Nevertheless, the association between HRV and PVT performance is poorly understood. Thus, we hypothesize that nocturnal short-term HRV is better related to daytime psychomotor vigilance compared to overnight HRV.

Synthesis, (bio)degradation, and utilization of starch-derived biopolymers in defined hard waters.

Climate change is causing a change in local rainfall, which generally brings with it a reduction in rainfall and, consequently, an increase in water hardness. This study explores the suitability and stability of various dextrin-derived polymers for cation removal in simulated hard water conditions. Thermal analysis and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy confirm the polymers' thermal stability and proper formation.

Preliminary steps for fabrication of microfluidic systems for swine sperm sorting: Materials, perfusing systems and flow.

The success rate of assisted reproductive techniques in the livestock production can be optimized by improving the quality of the semen sample by selecting only the good quality sperm from the ejaculate. Microfluidic technology has been studied for sperm sorting mainly in human ejaculates but has not been studied for boar sperm. Spermatozoa have been proven to be highly sensitive to different microplastics, but the potential toxic effects of the materials used to set up microfluidic systems have not been studied.

Pre- and post-COVID 19 outbreak relationship between physical activity and depressive symptoms in Spanish adults with major depressive disorder: a secondary analysis of the RADAR-MDD cohort study.

Aim: To evaluate the longitudinal association of sedentary behavior, light and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) participation with depressive symptoms and whether their possible association changed depending on the pandemic phase.

Methods: This longitudinal study conducted secondary analysis from the Spanish cohort of the Remote Assessment of Disease and Relapse - Major Depressive Disorder (RADAR-MDD) study. Depressive symptoms were assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8).

The Effect of Carbodiimide Crosslinkers on Gelatin Hydrogel as a Potential Biomaterial for Gingival Tissue Regeneration.

Connective tissue grafts for gingival recession treatment present significant challenges as they require an additional surgical site, leading to increased morbidity, extended operative times, and a more painful postoperative recovery for patients. Gelatin contains the arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) sequence, which supports cell adhesion and interactions. The development of gelatin hydrogels holds significant promise due to their biocompatibility, ease of customization, and structural resemblance to the extracellular matrix, making them a potential candidate for gingival regeneration.

A single computational model to simulate the three foot-rocker mechanisms of the gait cycle.

The use of computational models of the human foot based on finite element analysis offers a promising alternative for understanding the biomechanical internal changes of this structure. However, the evaluation of dynamic scenarios has been challenging. This research aims to design a computational model that accurately simulates foot biomechanics during the stance period of the gait cycle in healthy and flatfoot scenarios.

Tailoring the morphology and antibacterial activity of PBAT and thermoplastic cassava starch blown films with phosphate derivatives.

Phosphate derivatives contain a high number of reactive groups that interact functionally with various polymers. Tetrasodium pyrophosphate (Na₄P₂O₇), sodium tripolyphosphate (Na₅P₃O₁₀), and sodium hexametaphosphate (Na₆(PO₃)₆) were incorporated into bioplastic polybutylene-adipate-terephthalate (PBAT) blended with thermoplastic cassava starch (TPS) in blown films. Their physicochemical, morphological, thermal, and antimicrobial properties were investigated.

Patient-specific prostate tumour growth simulation: a first step towards the digital twin.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a major world-wide health concern. Current diagnostic methods involve Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) blood tests, biopsies, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to assess cancer aggressiveness and guide treatment decisions. MRI aligns with medicine, as patient-specific image biomarkers can be obtained, contributing towards the development of digital twins for clinical practice.

Intensity- and time-based strategies for micro/nano-sizing via single-particle ICP-mass spectrometry: A comparative assessment using Au and SiO as model particles.

Background: Single-particle ICP-mass spectrometry (SP-ICP-MS) is a powerful method for micro/nano-particle (MNP) sizing. Despite the outstanding evolution of the technique in the last decade, most studies still rely on traditional approaches based on (1) the use of integrated intensity as the analytical signal and (2) the calculation of the transport efficiency (TE). However, the increasing availability of MNP standards and advancements in hardware and software have unveiled new venues for MNP sizing, including TE-independent and time-based approaches.

Corrigendum: A minimal Turing test: reciprocal sensorimotor contingencies for interaction detection.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.

Hypoxaemic load in sleep apnoea is associated with acute changes in T-wave amplitude.

Aims: Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) imposes significant stress on the cardiovascular system and the heart. While long-term cardiac effects are understood, the immediate impact of hypoxaemia on the heart's electrophysiology lacks understanding. Our study aims to explore desaturation severity on cardiovascular repolarisation.