Sport specific assessment of inter-limb asymmetries: A way to reduce injuries
In recent years, lower inter-limb asymmetries have become a topic of increasing interest in sports research. Numerous studies have investigated the occurrence of between-limb differences in a variety of physical tests, ranging from strength, sprinting, and change of direction speed to jumping tasks. The main focus has been the association of asymmetries to either enhanced injury risk or reduced physical performance. Sport specific aspects and differences of lower limb asymmetries have not often been analysed. Additionally, most studies have been performed with male athletes. Women, however, present higher prevalence of lower limb asymmetries in strength, coordination, and postural control than men. These two aspects were therefore addressed in the present study. Female youth soccer (n=18, age: 16.7 ± 0.8 years) and floorball (n=18, age: 17.6 ± 0.9 years) players completed a test battery consisting of six unilateral jumping tasks in horizontal and lateral direction to detect sport specificity in inter-limb asymmetries. The test comprised the following hops: (1) Single Leg Hop for Distance and (2) a newly created version of it, (3) Single Leg Triple Hop, (4) Single Leg Crossover Hop, (5) Side Hop and (6) Single Leg 6-meters Timed Hop. The scores of every jump were calculated into Limb Symmetry Indexes for each participant. A linear mixed effect (LME) model (using function lmer in program R) was applied to evaluate the effects of sport and jump type on asymmetries. In terms of the whole test battery, there was a significantly higher magnitude of asymmetries in soccer compared to floorball (p=0.0067) with a mean difference of 1.9%. Three significant differences between the effects of different jump types were detected (5>2: p=0.027; 5>3: p6: p=0.014). Moreover, the results showed no significant effect on leg dominance. According to the findings of this study, soccer appears to be more asymmetric than floorball, leading to the suggestion that inter-limb asymmetries may not only be task-specific, but also sportspecific. Since no significant correlations were detected, this study suggests that inter-limb asymmetries are independent of leg dominance. Considering the possible reduction in athletic performance and increasing injury risk, strength and conditioning coaches are advised to assess athletes' inter-limb asymmetries using a broad, sport specific test battery and decrease them.
Plantastic Pods: The Grow Stick Rooting Revolution for Seeds & Cuttings
Cultivating plants from seeds or cuttings is a fundamental aspect of gardening and agriculture. While traditional methods have been practiced for centuries, there is a persistent need for innovative and efficient approaches to enhance plant growth and development. This section explores the challenges associated with traditional propagation methods and examines potential solutions offered by emerging technologies and materials. Plant propagation is necessary to allow efficient multiplication and distribution of desirable plant varieties (Sorensen & Garland, 2024). Plant propagation is the process of creating new plants. There are two primary methods of propagation: sexual and asexual. .Sexual propagation involves the union of pollen and egg, drawing genetic material from two parent plants to create a new, genetically diverse offspring. This process utilizes the floral parts of a plant. .Asexual propagation, on the other hand, involves taking a part of a single parent plant and inducing it to regenerate into a new plant. The resulting offspring is genetically identical to its parent. This method utilises the vegetative parts of a plant, such as stems, roots, or leaves. One emerging technology that has garnered attention in this field is the use of cocopeat, a sustainable growing medium derived from coconut husks (Pane et al. 2021). Cocopeat has been extensively studied as a potential alternative to peat moss in plant propagation (Gericke, 1940). It offers a favourable balance between air porosity and water holding capacity, promoting root development and nutrient uptake (Kalaivani and Jawaharlal, 2019). Furthermore, cocopeat is a renewable and environmentally-friendly resource, making it an attractive option for sustainable seedling cultivation. Research has shown that the use of cocopeat as a growing medium can enhance the growth of both vegetables and various ornamental plants, such as Impatiens. The biostimulant effect of the Trichoderma atroviride fungus, which can readily colonize coir, has been observed to increase aboveground biomass, flower production, pigments, and nutrient concentration in these plants (Traversari et al., 2024).
Tlaolli Onilli
Most people in the country tend to consume soda as part of their daily lives, without thinking about the health consequences that this entails. And the fact is that 墨西哥 is considered the main consumer of soda in the world (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México [UNAM], 2019), and not only that, it also tops the lists of obesity and diabetes (Procuraduría Federal del Consumidor [PROFECO], 2018). A bad diet is one of the main causes of these medical conditions, so it is necessary to rethink the foods of daily consumption. In this project, the development of a carbonated beverage with three main ingredients: purple corn, hibiscus, and pineapple, which contain diverse nutritional properties in addition to having significant amounts of antioxidants (Secretaría de Cultura,2020; Sumaya et al., 2014; Kongsuwan et al., 2009), is established as an objective. In addition, antioxidants act as regulators of cellular aging and prevent chronic diseases (Vilaplana, 2007). For this reason, the elaboration of a beverage with these characteristics is considered harmless and a good option for people with a chronic disease or who are prone to it, as well as a healthy alternative to the consumption of soft drinks. In this project, an experimental methodology was followed to prepare the nutritional beverage, which had nutritional properties, such as vitamin and antioxidant content, in addition to having a pleasant taste and texture.
ReCiPla - Cyclic Soil Microplastic Remover
GROSSMANN, João Miguel Sastre. ReCiPla - Cyclic Soil Microplastic Remover: A way to remove microplastics from soil using electrostatics. 2023. 28 p. Research report – Scientific Apprentice Program, Colégio Dante Alighieri, São Paulo, 2023. Microplastics are the largest form of physical pollution on the planet. Affecting everything from terrestrial and aquatic environments to the air, compounds up to 1 micrometer in size are present inside the human body and can intoxicate the main organs in which they are found, such as the lungs, spleen, liver, and heart. Therefore, methods of removing these compounds from nature are essential, which is why this research is based on electrostatically removing MP from the soil. To this end, a vibrating conveyor belt was designed that would act in conjunction with a plate electrified by a Van de Graaff generator to separate the plastic compound using electric field induction. After characterization tests to quantify the voltage produced by the generator, which produced an average of 95 kV, the vibrating belt was made and will be used later in conjunction with the electrostatic method. This methodology suggests that it’s a success even after the electrified plate was applied to its structure. It carried out the proposed processes, such as moving the test masses, vibrating them, and fully supporting the electrified plate. In addition, the electrostatic removal method was tested to verify its efficiency and applicability. It was found that the removal of microplastics ranged it from 10 to 20% efficiency, suggesting it to be an effective method for separating microplastics. It should be noted that these statistics will be improved as the research progresses. In this way, the research proved capable of establishing an electrostatic removal method, as well as a process for transporting the material to be removed, thus achieving the objectives it set out to achieve. Finally, it should be noted that this research is still under development, with a view to applying the process in conjunction with the conveyor belt to carry out sample tests, as well as improving the removal process in the future to make it more efficient.
Production of Nano-Composite Artificial Bone Tissue Using Bioceramic Synthesis from Bio-Waste
Certain specially structured ceramics, which can be used as biomaterials to replace bone, have recently started being utilized in the medical field. The aim of this study is to produce high-bioactivity silica from corn cob waste, a widely available organic material in nature, and combine it with calcium oxide (CaO) obtained by grinding organic mussel shell waste with high bioactivity. This combination is intended to synthesize dicalcium silicate (2CaO.SiO₂) to develop an alternative tissue scaffold with high bioactivity, capable of replacing bone, for existing titanium alloys. The goal is to incorporate this scaffold into PEEK (polyether ether ketone), a novel tissue scaffold material, at varying percentages to create a next-generation innovative bone substitute material. An additional objective is to demonstrate through biocompatibility tests that the produced ceramic-polymer biocomposite exhibits antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus.
Climate Change Brings New Novel Virus
1. Research Motivation Have you ever seen news stating that spring is gradually disappearing from the Korean Peninsula? The characteristics of the four seasons are disappearing due to the impact of global warming. As supporting evidence, droughts and heatwaves continue during the rainy season, and unexpected heavy rainfall occurs during autumn. These abnormal temperature phenomena are greatly affecting agriculture. Crops wither due to untimely cold spells or summer droughts, and the proliferation of bacteria and pests worsens. We need to conduct a thorough investigation and response to such weather phenomena. Carbon is known to be the main culprit behind these abnormal temperature phenomena. We want to explore how carbon affects climate change and understand the implications it has. 2. Research Objectives The consequences of climate change, such as deforestation and rising sea levels, will cause significant damage to society as a whole. This will also have a profound impact on the survival of all living organisms on Earth. Unless industrialization is halted, global warming will continue, making it crucial to gain a proper understanding and find accurate alternatives. The damages caused by global warming are expanding the habitats of mosquitoes, which is expected to have an impact on the spread of mosquito-borne diseases. This can also influence the emergence of novel viruses similar to COVID-19. By examining past outbreaks of diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, we aim to predict and understand such occurrences, as well as explore ways to minimize global warming. 3. Expected Benefits Based on this research, a focused exploration of the ecological impacts of global warming can provide essential data to understand the effects of climate anomalies on us and prepare for them. As these phenomena are expected to worsen over time, it will be possible to develop measures to minimize the damage caused by bacterial infections and agricultural losses.
Breaking a Caesar Cipher / Vigenère Cipher Encryption for Secure Data Communication
This project had one purpose: creating almost unbreakable encryption by breaking a Caesar – and Vigenère Cipher and getting familiar with how they work. Created a program to encrypt and decrypt messages with a Caesar Cipher and Vigenère Cipher encryption. Breaking these encryptions in these programs will help to identify the factors that contribute to strong and weak encryption systems. A program was created to encrypt messages using Caesar Cipher with a key from 1 to 25 and decrypt messages without knowing the original key by doing different types of “attacks” on the system: a brute force and frequency analysis attack. Created another program to encrypt messages using Vigenère Cipher with a keyword or keyphrase and decrypted messages whilst knowing that original keyword. Tested and compared the two different cyphers when being attacked. This helped identify factors that influenced the strength of encryption and identified the advantages and disadvantages of each Cipher as well as the weaknesses in each attack. Through testing and breaking a Caesar and Vigenère Cipher successfully, multiple factors were identified that influenced the strength of the encryption system. These were used to ensure the new encryption created will be as strong as can be. Comparing the success rate of the different attacks on each Cipher, the similarities, weaknesses and strengths in the Brute Force and Frequency Analysis attacks were found.
Natural resources utilization for the in-house production of fluorescence lipid nanoparticles
Nanotechnology, a transformative force, has steadily gained traction across multiple scientific disciplines, including physics, chemistry, engineering, and biology. It offers unprecedented capabilities, especially in the realm of nanoscale particles, ushering in new paradigms in various applications. One of the most revolutionary applications of nanotechnology is in the pharmaceutical sector. Here, nanoparticles have transformed drug and vaccine delivery systems, offering both efficacy and precision. Among these nanoparticles, lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have stood out, especially for their role in delivering nucleic acid-based drugs and vaccines. These LNPs are intricate assemblies composed of lipids and nucleic acid complexes, offering an amalgamation of stability and deliverability. Such properties have rendered LNPs as invaluable tools in enhancing therapeutic efficacy while minimizing off-target side effects. The myriad of nanoparticles available includes the likes of silver, gold, and lipid nanoparticles. However, the emphasis of this research lies with lipid nanoparticles, given their widespread success in the pharmaceutical arena. LNPs have showcased their potential in delivering drugs with low therapeutic indices, emphasizing their capability to act as versatile platforms for novel drug development. Recent advances have further expanded the horizons of LNPs, paving the way for novel antisense oligonucleotides, innovative vaccines, and complex lipid nanoparticle formations. Characterizing these nanoparticles is paramount, not only for the development of novel drugs but also to comprehend their in vivo behavior. Their multifaceted nature, stemming from their unique excipients, core-bilayer design, and varying sizes, makes their characterization a critical step in the research and development pipeline.
King's Power - The Utilization of Agricultural Waste in the Production of Sustainable Dry Cells
The idea of dramatically reducing the cost of the production dry cell, reducing its carbon footprint, and being able to be an alternative to current materials such as biochars really propels the interest of performing this project research. Biochars from durian husk, bamboo and coconut shell are promising alternative chemical materials of the anodes in the dry cell due to their eco-friendly traits and availability in the trophic areas which covers about 40% of the land on earth. Using the technique of pyrolysis, the latest and the best technique to produce a high carbon content biochars, the dry cell uses the potassium hydroxide as the electrolyte and manganese dioxide as the catalysts that make the biochar mixture to produce maximum voltage of 65% from the dry cell sold in the current market. The voltage analysis of the biochar dry cell was done in our school science laboratory and then, characterization tests analysis was carried out on the products from the specific biomass namely the SEM/EDX analysis, at the Material Characterization Laboratory (MCL), Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University Putra 馬來西亞. Based on our research, the biochar obtained from the raw materials (Durian Husk, Bamboo and Coconut Shell) had shown different characteristics. The bamboo biochar had shown the most amount of carbon content which is 86.64% more than the durian husk biochar (72.77%) and coconut shell biochar (65.57%). On the other hand, based on the micrograph, we observed that the durian husk biochar had shown much created pores rather than bamboo biochar and coconut shell biochar. In our study, we found out that the average voltage produced by the three different biochars have shown that Durian Husk char dry cell produced the highest voltage which is 0.97V, more than the bamboo char (0.62V) and coconut shell char (0.73V). In conclusion, the biochar dry cell produced are much cheaper in term of its production as our biochar dry cell uses biomass that are freely available and comes from renewable source of energy, the best ingredient for Green Technology.