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Adolescent baseball players with a history of medial elbow injury are often reinjured during demanding practice sessions or games. The physical characteristics of baseball players with a history of medial elbow injury have been reported in several previous studies, but the nature of their medial elbow stabilizers is unknown. This study investigated the difference in characteristics of elbow valgus laxity and medial elbow stabilizer parameters between baseball players with and without a history of medial elbow injury, prior to and during repetitive pitching.Sixteen high school baseball players with no history of medial elbow injury (No-Injury group) and 14 high school baseball players with a history of medial elbow injury (Injury History group) participated. The participants pitched 100 fastballs. Medial elbow joint-space gapping and strain ratio indicating tissue elasticity of ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) and forearm flexor-pronator muscles (FPMs) were measured by ultrasound before pitching and following each of five 20-pitch blocks. Student t tests and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare each parameter between groups.Medial elbow joint-space gapping and UCL elasticity were not significantly different between the 2 groups in each pitching block (P .05). The strain ratio of FPMs before pitching and after 100 pitches in the Injury History group were significantly greater than that in the No-Injury group (No-Injury vs. Injury History group: before pitching, 0.47 ± 0.19 vs. 0.68 ± 0.26, P = .016; 100 pitches, 0.35 ± 0.12 vs. 0.53 ± 0.20, P = .007). In the other pitching blocks, there was no significant difference between groups, but the effect size was medium and showed a similar tendency (20 pitches, P = .069, Cohen d = 0.69; 40 pitches, P = .116, Cohen d = 0.59; 60 pitches, P = .102, Cohen d = 0.62; 80 pitches, P = .058, Cohen d = 0.72).The results of this study indicate that FPM elasticity at baseline and during repetitive pitching in players with a history of medial elbow injury was harder than in players without injury history. This may suggest that baseball players with a history of medial elbow injury increase support of their previously injured medial elbow by hardening FPM elasticity to counteract elbow valgus stress generated during pitching, which may lead to long-term change in the FPMs. Therefore, physical management for this change may be important to prevent reinjury in baseball players with a history of medial elbow injury.

Little is known about the risk factors for developing groin pain in high school soccer players. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to investigate the risk factors for developing inguinal pain in high school soccer players who are undergoing an injury prevention program. A cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted on 202 high school soccer players. Players were allocated to either group A (3 schools, 66 players) receiving the Copenhagen adduction exercise (CAE) alone, or group B (2 schools, 73 players) receiving the CAE and Nordic hamstrings exercise, or group C, the control group without any intervention (2 schools, 63 players). Hip range of motion (ROM) and strength measures were assessed prior to a groin injury prevention program and used in univariate and multivariate analysis to predict development of groin pain. Logistic regression analysis identified that hip abduction ROM and eccentric adductor strength of the dominant leg were factors in the development of groin pain. Increased abduction ROM and decreased eccentric adductor muscle strength of the dominant leg were risk factors for the development of groin pain.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to determine a preventive strategy for ankle sprain injury through a questionnaire survey of coaches of junior high school basketball teams. [Participants and Methods] The questionnaire comprised questions concerning coaches’ characteristics, prevention-related content, and collaboration with medical staff. We distributed the questionnaire to 108 coaches, of which 48 (41.7%) responded. [Results] The results revealed that none of the participant coaches had ever collaborated with medical staff. [Conclusion] Additional effort from medical staff is needed to hold seminars and contact coaches of junior high school teams in order to conduct an injury prevention program.

Ir-Catalyzed cyclization of 1,5- and 1,6-dienes via C–H alkylation of an N-methyl group proceeded to give five- and six-membered carbocyclic compounds, respectively. The reaction using a chiral diphosphine ligand enabled the asymmetric cyclization.

Background Groin pain is frequently reported by soccer players. A prevention program incorporating the Copenhagen adduction exercise (CAE) has been shown effective in decreasing adductor muscle injury in semi-professional soccer players. However, the effect of such programs on groin pain in high school soccer players is unknown. No reports have examined the effects of combining the CAE with other targeted exercises such as the Nordic hamstrings exercise (NHE). Purpose To evaluate the preventative effects of exercise on groin pain in high school soccer players in three groups comprising NHE alone, combined NHE and CAE, and a control group. Design Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial. Methods A cluster randomized controlled trial spanning 16 weeks was conducted on 202 high school soccer players from seven high schools in a Japanese under 18 Soccer League. Players were allocated to either group A (three schools, 66 players) receiving the CAE alone, or group B (two schools, 73 players) receiving the CAE and NHE, or control group C (two schools, 63 players) who performed their usual training. This study compared the number of injuries, injury rate, and severity of the injury of groin pain in these three groups. Results The number of players injured was less in group B (4 players) compared to C (18 players), and time-lost to soccer was less in groups A (6 players) and B (3 players) compared to group C (16 players). Injury rates were significantly lower in groups A and B, with the relative risk of injury compared to group C of 0.42 (95% CI 0.19% to 0.90%) in group A and 0.19 (95% CI 0.07 to 0.54) in group B. Conclusion A 16-week program incorporating the CAE in training sessions in high school soccer players reduced the incidence of groin pain and which may be related to injury severity according to time -lost to soccer, however the combination of both the CAE and NHE may be more effective than the CAE alone. Level of Evidence 2b

Background: Medial elbow injury is common in baseball pitchers, with evidence of elbow valgus instability after only 60 consecutive pitches. However, the tissue-specific effects of repetitive pitching on medial elbow stabilizers are largely unknown. Purpose/Hypothesis: This study aimed to investigate changes in the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) and forearm flexor-pronator muscles (FPMs) during repetitive pitching and factors that relate to identified change. We hypothesized that repetitive pitching would increase elasticity of the medial elbow stabilizers and therefore induce laxity. Study Design: Descriptive laboratory study. Methods: A total of 30 high school baseball pitchers participated (mean ± SD age, 16.6 ± 0.5 years). Each participant pitched 100 times (5 blocks of 20 pitches). The strain ratio, indicating elasticity in the UCL and FPMs, was measured using ultrasound before pitching and after every 20-pitch block. Data for each pitch block were compared using analysis of variance. Multiple regression analysis was used to investigate factors related to the change rate of the strain ratio. Results: The strain ratio of the UCL after 100 pitches was significantly less than that before pitching (before pitching, 4.83 ± 1.70; after 100 pitches, 3.59 ± 1.35; P = .013), but this was not the case for the FPMs (before pitching, 0.57 ± 0.24; after 100 pitches, 0.43 ± 0.18; P = .07). The ratio of the strain ratio in the UCL and FPMs (UCL/FPMs) before pitching (β = −0.385; P = .031) and the elbow flexion range of motion before pitching (β = −0.352; P = .046) were significantly and independently correlated with the change rate of the UCL. Conclusion: Elasticity significantly increased for the UCL, indicating laxity, but not for the FPMs after 100 pitches. Furthermore, the ratio of elasticity (UCL/FPMs) and the elbow flexion range of motion before pitching were significantly related to the change rate of UCL elasticity. Clinical Relevance: To reduce laxity of the UCL, pitchers should be limited to

Background: Pitching induces elbow valgus stress, which can lead to an increase in medial elbow joint-space gapping when repeated. Previous basic research on the medial elbow joint shows that the contraction associated with gripping reduces medial elbow joint-space gapping. However, no studies have investigated the relationship between grip strength and increased medial elbow joint-space gapping during repetitive pitching. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether grip strength is related to medial elbow joint-space gapping during repetitive pitching. Our hypothesis was that increased grip strength would correlate with a reduction in medial elbow joint-space gapping. Methods: A total of 25 high school baseball players participated in this study. Each subject pitched 100 times. The medial elbow joint-space gapping and grip strength were measured before and after pitching. Correlation analysis was used to identify the relationship between medial elbow joint-space gapping and grip strength. Results: Medial elbow joint-space gapping (mm) increased by 25.5% ± 8.0% after 100 pitches (gapping before, 5.0 ± 0.9; gapping after, 6.2 ± 1.1; P < .001). Grip strength (kg) after 100 pitches decreased by 2.8% ± 7.4% to that before pitching (before, 40.4 ± 5.5; after 39.2 ± 5.6; P < .05). There was no significant correlation between the change rate of medial elbow joint gapping and grip strength at any time (grip strength: before pitching, P = .74; after pitching, P = .40; change rate from before to after pitching, P = .24). Conclusions: Grip strength is not related to increased medial elbow joint-space gapping induced by repetitive pitching. This indicates that physical ability expressed by grip strength is not associated with preventing increases in medial elbow joint-space gapping during repetitive pitching. Further studies are required to investigate the stabilization mechanism of the medial elbow joint during pitching.

Sea ice algae, comprised mainly of diatoms, are the main primary producers in polar ecosystems, and they are generally distributed with the highest biomass at the bottom of ice. The taxonomy of ice algae has been traditionally investigated using light microscopy, but molecular techniques, including pigment analysis, have recently provided new insights into the diversity and physiology of ice algae. However, no comparative taxonomic survey has been conducted for ice algae thus far. Here, we investigated differences and similarities in (1) the diversity and (2) the photosynthetic strategies of diatom communities in sea ice and the underlying seawater of Saroma-Ko Lagoon, Hokkaido, Japan, using algal pigment signatures determined by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography, light and scanning electron microscopy and Ion Torrent next-generation sequencing techniques targeting the 18S rRNA gene (i.e., DNA barcoding). Ice algae typically possessed greater biomass (> 20-fold) and chlorophyll (Chl) a breakdown products than under-ice phytoplankton, suggesting that the ice algae formed blooms, and cell senescence and disruption could be significant mitigating factors. At the genus level, the diversity of diatoms in sea ice was higher than in under-ice seawater, although the evenness was comparable or lower in ice algae than in under-ice phytoplankton. Ice algae had a larger xanthophyll pool size and a higher ratio of photoprotective to photosynthetic pigments (11-fold and 4.5-fold higher, respectively) than under-ice phytoplankton. The results indicated that ice algae were well adapted to changes in the light regime, which could partly support their survival capability and high taxonomic diversity.

Background Medial elbow injuries are common in baseball pitchers. This study investigated the reliability of medial elbow elastography measurement and the characteristics of the medial elbow stabilizers. Methods Medial elbow joint space gapping and the strain ratios of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) and the forearm flexor-pronator muscle (FPM) were measured at rest and during gripping in 29 healthy college students. The intraclass correlation coefficients of elastography were calculated. The data were compared between tissues and between rest and gripping. Results The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC1,3) of the elastography measurements were 0.91 and 0.83 for the UCL and 0.80 and 0.85 for the FPM for each examiner. Medial elbow joint space gapping during gripping (3.1 ± 0.6 mm) was significantly less than that at rest (3.8 ± 0.8 mm, P Conclusions Elastography measurements of the UCL and FPM have almost perfect reliability. Gripping reduces medial elbow joint space gapping compared with rest. For both tissues, gripping reduces their elasticity compared with rest. The elasticity of the UCL is less than that of the FPM both at rest and during gripping.

Iridium-catalyzed sp

The harder the forearm flexor–pronator muscles (FPMs) relative to the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL), the less likely it is for UCL laxity to occur with repeated pitching. This study aimed to clarify what selective contraction of the forearm muscles makes FPMs harder relative to UCL. The study evaluated 20 elbows of male college students. Participants selectively contracted the forearm muscles in eight conditions under gravity stress. The medial elbow joint width and the strain ratio indicating tissue hardness of the UCL and FPMs during contraction were evaluated using an ultrasound system. Contraction of all FPMs (in particular flexor digitorum superficialis [FDS] and pronator teres [PT]) decreased the medial elbow joint width compared to rest (p < 0.05). UCL hardens due to the contraction involving the FDS muscle (p < 0.05). FPMs harden due to the contraction of flexor carpi ulnaris (FCU) and FDS (p < 0.05). In the ratio of strain ratio UCL/FPMs, there was no significant difference between rest and each contraction task (p > 0.05). However, contractions composed of FCU and PT tended to harden FPMs relative to the UCL. FCU and PT activation may be effective in UCL injury prevention.

Background: In recent years, the functional movement screen (FMS) and FMS training have attracted attention as a means of preventing injury, but no studies have examined the effect of such training in high-school baseball players. The aim of this study was to clarify the effect of FMS training on FMS score, physical function and baseball performance in high-school baseball players. Methods: Subjects in this randomized controlled clinical trial were high-school male baseball players assigned to either an FMS training group (intervention group) or a control group. The intervention group performed FMS training 4 times per week for 12 weeks. FMS ability, physical function, and baseball performance were measured prior to the intervention, 8, 12, and 24 weeks after the intervention in the subjects’ school environment. Results: A total of 71 baseball players aged 15 to 17 years were recruited and assigned to either an intervention group (n = 37) or control group (n = 34). There was no significant difference in the characteristics of participants between the 2 groups. Most FMS scores improved to 12 weeks after continued training. In the intervention group compared with the control group, deep squat, hurdle step, inline lunge, active straight leg raise, trunk stability push-up and rotary stability FMS score, total FMS score and eyes closed single leg stance time significantly increased after 8 weeks of training. While hurdle step, inline lunge, active straight leg raise, trunk stability push-up, total FMS score, and eyes closed single leg stance time significantly increased, pitching ball speed significantly decreased at the end of the 12 week training period. Eyes closed single leg stance time and feeling of fatigue significantly improved 12 weeks after training. The number of subjects who scored less than 14 for the total FMS score in the intervention group compared with control group were significantly less after 8 and 12 weeks of FMS training. Conclusion: FMS training for 8 weeks contributes to improving FMS scores for high-school baseball players, but FMS scores go down if FMS training is not continued. Trial registration: University Hospital Medical Information Network Center, Tokyo, Japan: UMIN000027553. Registered on May 30, 2017.

Iridium-catalyzed sequential sp^3 C–H alkylation of an N-methyl group proceeded to give α-substituted amines, where, in addition to the achiral amines, chiral amines were prepared in one pot via sequential reactions with two different alkenes. …

To prevent elbow injury in baseball players, various methods have been used to measure medial elbow joint stability with valgus stress. However, no studies have investigated higher levels of elbow valgus stress. This study investigated medial elbow joint space gapping measured ultrasonically resulting from a 30 N valgus stress vs. gravitational valgus stress after a repetitive throwing task.The study included 25 high school baseball players. Each subject pitched 100 times. The ulnohumeral joint space was measured ultrasonographically, before pitching and after each successive block of 20 pitches, with gravity stress or 30 N valgus stress. Two-way repeated measures analysis of variance and Pearson correlation coefficient analysis were used.The 30 N valgus stress produced significantly greater ulnohumeral joint space gapping than gravity stress before pitching and at each successive 20-pitch block (P .01). For the 2 stress methods, ulnohumeral joint space gapping increased significantly from baseline after 60 pitches (P .01). Strong significant correlations were found between the 2 methods for measurement of medial elbow joint space gapping (r = 0.727-0.859, P .01).Gravity stress and 30 N valgus stress may produce different effects with respect to medial elbow joint space gapping before pitching; however, 30 N valgus stress appears to induce greater mechanical stress, which may be preferable when assessing joint instability but also has the potential to be more aggressive. The present results may indicate that constraining factors to medial elbow joint valgus stress matched typical viscoelastic properties of cyclic creep.

The future shoaling of surface mixed layer depth due to global warming will expose natural assemblages of phytoplankton to increased mean light. Under these conditions, photoprotective acclimation against high light can determine ecological success. We investigated photoprotective responses to sunlight and recovery from photodamage of photosystem II (PSII) in natural assemblages north and south of the Polar Front (PF). The decrease in the maximum quantum yield (Fv/Fm) of PSII during direct sunlight exposure for 2 h was moderated progressively by the enhancement of diatoxanthin synthesis. When the light-exposed cells were incubated under three reduced light conditions, Fv/Fm recovered to more than the initial values north of the PF but did not reach initial values south of the PF. Temperatures higher in the north than the south of the PF could have induced the faster recovery from photodamage of PSII in assemblages north of the PF. These northern assemblages may be able to acclimate to fast-changing light conditions.

The ongoing rise in atmospheric CO2 concentration is causing rapid increases in seawater pCO2 levels. However, little is known about the potential impacts of elevated CO2 availability on the phytoplankton assemblages in the Southern Ocean’s oceanic regions. Therefore, we conducted four incubation experiments using surface seawater collected from the subantarctic zone (SAZ) and the subpolar zone (SPZ) in the Australian sector of the Southern Ocean during the austral summer of 2011–2012. For incubations, FeCl3 solutions were added to reduce iron (Fe) limitation for phytoplankton growth. Ambient and high (~750 µatm) CO2 treatments were then prepared with and without addition of CO2-saturated seawater, respectively. Non-Fe-added (control) treatments were also prepared to assess the effects of Fe enrichment (overall, control, Fe-added, and Fe-and-CO2-added treatments). In the initial samples, the dominant phytoplankton taxa shifted with latitude from haptophytes to diatoms, likely reflecting silicate availability in the water. Under Fe-enriched conditions, increased CO2 level significantly reduced the accumulation of biomarker pigments in haptophytes in the SAZ and AZ, whereas a significant decrease in diatom markers was only detected in the SAZ. The CO2-related changes in phytoplankton community composition were greater in the SAZ, most likely due to the decrease in coccolithophore biomass. Our results suggest that an increase in CO2, if it coincides with Fe enrichment, could differentially affect the phytoplankton community composition in different geographical regions of the Southern Ocean, depending on the locally dominant taxa and environmental conditions.

The absence of quantitative comparisons of sediment trap-collected zooplankton (TCZ) and plankton net-collected zooplankton (NCZ) prevents the effective use of TCZ for ecological studies. We compared 24 TCZ time-series at 200 m with 19 vertical NCZ casts and recorded various environmental variables in Franklin Bay, Canadian Arctic during 2003–2004. While 30 taxonomic groups were commonly found in both the TCZ and NCZ assemblages, their taxonomic composition and seasonal variation differed. Based on the multiple regression analysis, we divided zooplankton taxa into three groups; Group 1: it was significantly correlated with NCZ abundance, Group 2: it was significantly correlated with environmental variables but not with NCZ abundance, and Group 3: no significant correlations were found. Pteropods (mostly Limacina helicina) and two copepods (Heterorhabdus norvegicus and Metridia longa) were found in Group 1, suggesting that their entrapment activity were relatively constant throughout the year, and therefore their NCZ abundance can be estimated from that of TCZ using the trap settings in this study. Conversely, in Group 2, Calanus hyperboreus had no significant relationship with the NCZ abundance (C. hyperboreus). This is likely the result of a winter peak in TCZ abundance during their reproductive season; the co-occurrence of high suspended particulate organic matter with low C/N ratio around the trap probably indicated the presence of C. hyperboreus eggs and nauplii. Therefore, monitoring interannual changes in C. hyperboreus reproductive succession by TCZ abundance might be possible in the future studies. In conclusion, Group 1 taxa are potential candidates for ecological monitoring using TCZs.

BACKGROUND Repetitive pitching induces an increase in medial elbow joint space gapping and may consequently lead to local tissue stress and injury. Use of an elbow brace may prevent this from occurring by preventing an increase of medial elbow joint space gapping. However, an elbow brace adds weight to the limb and may increase the burden on the throwing arm. OBJECTIVE To investigate whether use of an elbow brace during repetitive pitching reduces shoulder and arm range of motion and grip strength. DESIGN Prospective crossover study. SETTING University campus. PARTICIPANTS Twenty-five healthy high school baseball players. METHODS Each participant pitched 100 times under two conditions: without an elbow brace (control) and wearing an elbow brace. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS Shoulder and elbow range of motion (ROM) before pitching and after every block of 20 pitches. Grip strength before pitching and after 100 pitches. RESULTS There was no significant main effect and interaction for ROM between the two conditions and between pitching sets. In both conditions, grip strength after 100 pitches was significantly lower than that before pitching (P

Absorption and fluorescence of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in sea ice and surface waters in the southern Sea of Okhotsk was examined. Sea-water CDOM had featureless absorption increasing exponentially with shorter wavelengths. Sea ice showed distinct absorption peaks in the ultraviolet, especially in younger ice. Older first-year sea ice had relatively flat absorption spectra in the ultraviolet range. Parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) identified five fluorescent CDOM components, two humic-like and three protein-like. Sea water was largely governed by humic-like fluorescence. In sea ice, protein-like fluorescence was found in considerable excess relative to sea water. The accumulation of protein-like CDOM fluorescence in sea ice is likely a result of biological activity within the ice. Nevertheless, sea ice does not contribute excess CDOM during melt, but the material released will be of different composition than that present in the underlying waters. Thus, at least transiently, the CDOM introduced during sea-ice melt might provide a more labile source of fresher protein-like DOM to surface waters in the southern Sea of Okhotsk.

This paper presents a unique study of Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) for the maintenance decision making about a real life movable bridge. The mechanical components of movable bridges are maintained on a scheduled basis. However, it is desired to have a condition-based maintenance by taking advantage of SHM. The main objective is to track the operation of a gearbox and a rack-pinion/open gear assembly, which are critical parts of bascule type movable bridges. Maintenance needs that may lead to major damage to these components needs to be identified and diagnosed timely since an early detection of faults may help avoid unexpected bridge closures or costly repairs. The fault prediction of the gearbox and rack-pinion/open gear is carried out using two types of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs): 1) Multi-Layer Perceptron Neural Networks (MLP-NNs) and 2) Fuzzy Neural Networks (FNNs). Monitoring data is collected during regular opening and closing of the bridge as well as during artificially induced reversible damage conditions. Several statistical parameters are extracted from the time-domain vibration signals as characteristic features to be fed to the ANNs for constructing the MLP-NNs and FNNs independently. The required training and testing sets are obtained by processing the acceleration data for both damaged and undamaged condition of the aforementioned mechanical components. The performances of the developed ANNs are first evaluated using unseen test sets. Second, the selected networks are used for long-term condition evaluation of the rack-pinion/open gear of the movable bridge. It is shown that the vibration monitoring data with selected statistical parameters and particular network architectures give successful results to predict the undamaged and damaged condition of the bridge. It is also observed that the MLP-NNs performed better than the FNNs in the presented case. The successful results indicate that ANNs are promising tools for maintenance monitoring of movable bridge components and it is also shown that the ANN results can be employed in simple approach for day-to-day operation and maintenance of movable bridges.

Phytoplankton in the mixed layer is exposed to increasing levels of light when transported to the surface layer of the ocean. The photoprotective response of natural assemblages of phytoplankton can differ among community structures. We investigated photoprotective acclimation and xanthophyll cycle pigments in size-fractionated natural phytoplankton assemblages during the austral summer in the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean. We estimated concentrations of phytoplankton pigments in the micro-size fractions (>20 μm) and nano-size fractions (2–20 μm) by subtracting concentrations in the 67 %) and in deck incubation bottles under variable light conditions (>75 % of the temporal variation) for the micro-size fractions suggest a higher potential for photoprotective acclimation than for the nano-size fractions. Decreases in DT/(DD + DT) with increases in the optical depth of the mixed layer (ζ MLD) suggest that larger variations in light availability in the mixed layer might predict lower values of DT/(DD + DT) at the surface, regardless of cell size.

We investigated the water-column light utilization efficiency (Ψ) of phytoplankton photosynthesis in the Western Subarctic Gyre (WSG) of the North Pacific during summer 2008. The Ψ values (0.64–1.86 g C [g Chl a]−1 [mol photon]−1 m2) obtained were observed to increase significantly with decreasing daily photosynthetic available radiation (PAR) and were generally higher than those of previous studies, not only from the subarctic Pacific but also from the world’s oceans. To examine the effect of iron availability on Ψ in the WSG, Ψ values were estimated from the data of two in situ iron fertilization experiments: the Subarctic Pacific Iron Experiment for Ecosystem Dynamics Study I (SEEDS-I) and II (SEEDS-II). We found that iron availability did not affect Ψ values. Overall, this study revealed that Ψ values changed remarkably in the WSG during the summer, and that higher values were found at the stations where moderate PAR levels (ca. 10–30 mol photons m−2 day−1) were observed and where autotrophic flagellates predominated in the phytoplankton assemblages.

Response of phytoplankton to increasing CO2 in seawater in terms of physiology and ecology is key to predicting changes in marine ecosystems. However, responses of natural plankton communities especially in the open ocean to higher CO2 levels have not been fully examined. We conducted CO2 manipulation experiments in the Bering Sea and the central subarctic Pacific, known as high nutrient and low chlorophyll regions, in summer 2007 to investigate the response of organic matter production in iron-deficient plankton communities to CO2 increases. During the 14-day incubations of surface waters with natural plankton assemblages in microcosms under multiple pCO2 levels, the dynamics of particulate organic carbon (POC) and nitrogen (PN), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and phosphorus (DOP) were examined with the plankton community compositions. In the Bering site, net production of POC, PN, and DOP relative to net chlorophyll-a production decreased with increasing pCO2. While net produced POC:PN did not show any CO2-related variations, net produced DOC:DOP increased with increasing pCO2. On the other hand, no apparent trends for these parameters were observed in the Pacific site. The contrasting results observed were probably due to the different plankton community compositions between the two sites, with plankton biomass dominated by large-sized diatoms in the Bering Sea versus ultra-eukaryotes in the Pacific Ocean. We conclude that the quantity and quality of the production of particulate and dissolved organic matter may be altered under future elevated CO2 environments in some iron-deficient ecosystems, while the impacts may be negligible in some systems.

The social learning process of birds and fishesinspired the development of the heuristic Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) search algorithm. The advancement of GraphicsProcessing Units (GPU) and the Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) platform plays a significant role to reduce thecomputational time in search algorithm development. This paperpresents a good implementation for the Standard Particle SwarmOptimization (SPSO) on a GPU based on the CUDA architecture, which uses coalescing memory access. The algorithm is evaluatedon a suite of well-known benchmark optimization functions. Theexperiments are performed on an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980GPU and a single core of 3.20 GHz Intel Core i5 4570 CPUand the test results demonstrate that the GPU algorithm runsabout maximum 46 times faster than the corresponding CPUalgorithm. Therefore, this proposed algorithm can be used toimprove required time to solve optimization problems.

T-817MA [1-{3-[2-(1-benzothiophen-5-yl)ethoxy]propyl}azetidin-3-ol maleate] is a newly synthesized neuroprotective agent for the treatment of psychiatric disorders characterized by cognitive disturbances, such as Alzheimer's disease. Cognitive impairment has also been suggested to be a cardinal feature of schizophrenia. We sought to determine whether T-817MA would ameliorate sensorimotor gating deficits and loss of parvalbumin (PV)-positive γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurons in the brain of rats transiently exposed to MK-801, an N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor blocker, in the neonatal stage, as an animal model of schizophrenia. Prepulse inhibition (PPI) was examined in rats treated neonatally with MK-801 (postnatal day; PD 7-10, 0.2 mg/kg/day, s.c.) or vehicle at PD 35 and PD 63. The number of PV-positive GABAergic neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the hippocampus was measured after the behavioral assessments. T-817MA (10 or 20 mg/kg) or vehicle was administered for 14 days (on PD 49-62). Administration of T-817MA at 20 mg/kg, but not 10 mg/kg, ameliorated PPI deficits and completely reversed the decrease in the number of PV-positive GABAergic neurons in rats given MK-801. These results indicate that T-817MA may provide a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of cognitive deficits of schizophrenia.

We previously reported that left ventricular (LV) slices from isoproterenol (ISO)-induced hypertrophied rat hearts showed an increase of energy expenditure due to remodeling of Ca(2+) handling in excitation-contraction coupling, i.e., suppressed SERCA2a activity and enhanced Na(+)/Ca(2+)exchanger-1 (NCX-1) activity. Na(+)/H(+) exchanger-1 (NHE-1) inhibitor (NHEI) has been demonstrated to exert beneficial effects in the development of cardiac remodeling. We hypothesized that a novel NHE-1 selective inhibitor, BIIB723 prevents remodeling of Ca(2+) handling in LV slices of ISO-induced hypertrophied rat hearts mediated by inhibiting NCX-1 activity. The significant shortening in duration of multi-cellular Ca(2+) transient in ISO group was normalized in ISO+BIIB723 group. The significant increase in amplitude of multi-cellular Ca(2+) waves (CaW) generated at high [Ca(2+)](o) of LV slices in ISO group was also normalized in ISO+BIIB723 group. However, the enhanced NCX-1 activity was not antagonized by BIIB723. We recently reported that ISO-induced down-regulation of a Ca(2+) handling protein, SERCA2a, was normalized by BIIB723. Therefore, it seems likely that BIIB723 normalized shortened multi-cellular Ca(2+) transient duration and increased CaW amplitude in LV slices mediated via normalization of SERCA2a activity. Furthermore, the results presented here suggest the multi-cellular Ca(2+) transient duration and CaW amplitude in LV slices might be better indices reflecting SERCA2a activity than SERCA2a protein expression level.

Forest, Alexandre ... et al.-- 27 pages, 12 figures, 7 tables, Major pathways of biogenic carbon (C) flow are resolved for the planktonic food web of the flaw lead polynya system of the Amundsen Gulf (southeast Beaufort Sea, Arctic Ocean) in spring-summer 2008. This period was relevant to study the effect of climate change on Arctic marine ecosystems as it was characterized by unusually low ice cover and warm sea surface temperature. Our synthesis relied on a mass balance estimate of gross primary production (GPP) of 52.5 ± 12.5 g C m−2 calculated using the drawdown of nitrate and dissolved inorganic C, and a seasonal f-ratio of 0.64. Based on chlorophyll a biomass, we estimated that GPP was dominated by phytoplankton (93.6%) over ice algae (6.4%) and by large cells (>5 μm, 67.6%) over small cells (, The CFL system study is a project of the International Polar Year 2007–2008 funded by the Government of Canada (IPY #96). AF benefited from postdoctoral scholarships from the Fonds québécois de la recherche sur la nature et les technologies, and from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. The early data analyses conducted for this work have been made during a postdoctoral stay at the University of Tromsø, Norway, and AF would like to thank the Hyperboreum-Sedimentation Group for the hospitality. This synthesis is a joint contribution to the research programs of IPY–CFL, Québec-Océan, ISMER, CHONe, ArcticNet Network of Centres of Excellence of Canada, and to the Canada Research Chair on the response of marine Arctic ecosystems to climate warming

Temporal measurements of temperature, salinity, water–oxygen isotopic ratio and nutrient concentrations at Saroma-ko Lagoon, southern Sea of Okhotsk, were made in February–March 2008 to examine the processes by which nitrogen compounds from the atmosphere were incorporated via snowfall into sea ice. Granular ice made up more than half the ice thickness, and the mass fraction of snow in the snow-ice layer on top of the ice ranged from 0.8% to 46.9%. The high concentrations of NO 3 − + NO 2 − and NH 4 + observed in the snow and snow-ice throughout the study period were likely due to the proximity of the study site, in northern Japan, to the east coast of the Asian continent. Pollutants containing high NO 3 − and NH 4 + concentrations are transported from East Asia and deposited in snowfall over the sea ice in the southern part of the Sea of Okhotsk. Compared with NO 3 − + NO 2 − and NH 4 + concentrations, PO 4 3− concentrations in the snow and snow-ice were low. The strong correlation between the NO 3 − + NO 2 − and NH 4 + concentrations in the snow-ice and the mass fraction of snow indicates that the nitrogen compounds on top of the sea ice were controlled mainly by the snow contribution to the sea ice when snow-ice predominated. Our results indicate that chemical cycles in sea ice can be affected by polluted precipitation (snow) originating from a nonpolar sea.

Tau pathology is implicated in mechanisms of neurodegenerative tauopathies, including Alzheimer's disease (AD) and hereditary frontotemporal dementia and parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 (FTDP-17). It has been reported that transgenic mice expressing FTDP-17 mutation P301L of human tau (P301L mice) display extensive tau pathology and exhibit behavioral deficits with aging. In this study, we investigated the effects of T-817MA, a neuroprotective agent, on the motor and cognitive impairments associated with neuronal degeneration in P301L mice. T-817MA prevented the progression of motor deficit and the loss of spinal cord motor neurons in P301L mice. Furthermore, T-817MA significantly attenuated the spatial memory impairment and the reduction in synaptic terminal density in the hippocampal dentate gyrus of P301L mice. These results indicate that T-817MA improved the motor and cognitive impairments as a result of inhibiting neuronal degeneration derived from tau pathology in the P301L mice. Therefore, it is expected that T-817MA has a therapeutic potential for tau-related neurodegenerative diseases such as AD.

To improve the quality of wireless communication, transmit/receive diversity techniques in multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system have been investigated vigorously. In this paper, we consider an asymmetric MIMO orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MIMO-OFDM) system, in which the number of transmit antennas is larger than that of receive antennas. In this system, there is a need to achieve the high quality of communication in both low and high mobility scenarios by a single transmit diversity scheme. Recently, as for the advanced diversity schemes based on space time block coding (STBC)/space frequency block coding (SFBC), STBC/STBC-phase shift diversity (PSD) and SFBC-frequency switched transmit diversity (FSTD) have been proposed. However, in these schemes, it is possible that time diversity gain can not be sufficiently obtained especially in the low mobility scenario. Therefore, in this paper, the joint use of grouped phase rotation in time/frequency domain and STBC (GPR-STBC) is proposed to get the larger channel coding gains than other schemes. In this paper, we evaluate the average bit error rate (BER) performance by computer simulation in a comparison with the conventional transmit diversity schemes and discuss the relationship from the viewpoints of BER performance and computational complexity.

Regional variability in the annual fluxes of particulate organic carbon (POC) and biogenic silica (Si) at the periphery of the Mackenzie Shelf (Beaufort Sea) was investigated using eight long-term sediment traps moored at ~100-m depth. Relatively high autochthonous POC and Si fluxes were recorded in the Mackenzie Trough (4.1 and 8.9 g m−2 year−1 respectively) and off Cape Bathurst (6.6 and 79 g m−2 year−1), two areas where upwelling events are frequently observed. Diatomaceous new production was minimum on the mid-slope of the Mackenzie Shelf (2.8 g C m−2 year−1), moderate in the Mackenzie Trough (14.5 g C m−2 year−1), and highest off Cape Bathurst (128.7 g C m−2 year−1). High annual autochthonous POC flux corresponded to high diatom production. Among sites, the vertical attenuation of the POC flux increased with diatomaceous new production. Hence, the retention of autochthonous POC in the surface layer (

article i nfo Increasing CO2 in seawater (i.e. ocean acidification) may have various and potentially adverse effects on phytoplankton dynamics and hence the organic carbon dynamics. We conducted a CO2 manipulation experiment in the Sea of Okhotsk in summer 2006 to investigate the response of the organic carbon dynamics. During the 14-day incubation of nutrient depleted and 200 μatm in situ pCO2 surface water with a natural plankton assemblage under 150, 280, 480, and 590 μatm pCO2, the amount of net dissolved organic carbon accumulation was significantly lower at N480 μatm pCO2 than at 150 μatm pCO2, while differences in net particulate organic carbon accumulation between the treatments were small and did not show a clear relationship with the pCO2. This is the first report to show a decreased net organic carbon production of natural plankton community under elevated pCO2. Phytoplankton pigment analysis suggests that the relative contribution of fucoxanthin-containing phytoplankton such as diatoms to the phytoplankton biomass was lower at N280 μatm pCO2 than at 150 μatm pCO2. Different pCO2 conditions may alter the organic carbon dynamics through changes in plankton processes. We conclude that the continuing increase in atmospheric CO2 in a time scale from the last half century to the end of this century has potential to affect the carbon cycle in nutrient depleted subpolar surface waters.

Introduction/Background In recent years, the Functional Movement Screen (FMS™) has been used for the prevention of disability. Some studies have reported that corrective exercise to improve FMS score is an effective method of preventing injuries (Bodden et al., 2015; Justin et al., 2017). However, measurement instrument to assess FMS™ are not available in high school's. The purpose of this research is to clarify the effectiveness of corrective exercises without specific FMS measurement instruments on FMS score, physical function, and throwing performance in high school baseball players. Material and method High school baseball players were randomly assigned to two groups; 37 in the training group and 34 in the control group. All subjects were evaluated for FMS score, eyes closed single leg stance time, subjective fatigue, as well as pitching ball speed and control at the beginning of the intervention and at 2-months follow-up. Baseball players in training group conducted the corrective exercises 4 times per week for 2 months. Results When comparing the 2 groups group, pitching ball control significantly decreased in the training group compared to prior to the intervention. After 2 months, deep squat, hurdle step, inline lunge, active straight-leg raise, trunk stability pushup, rotary stability, total score of FMS, and pitching ball control showed significant better results in the training group compared to the control group. Conclusion Results of this study showed that corrective exercises improved asymmetries, trunk stability, movement pattern, proprioception, total FMS score, and pitching ball control without using special instruments following a 2-months training period. Corrective exercises to improve FMS are effective even in high school baseball players without using special measurement instruments.

Introduction/Background The Nordic Hamstring Exercise (NHE) has been used for the prevention of hamstring injury among soccer players. Many studies have shown the effect of NHE among professional soccer players but there are a few studies for adolescent amateur soccer players. The purpose of this study was to clarify the effect of the NHE on preventing hamstrings injury by calculating hamstring injury rate and time-loss injury rate in adolescent amateur soccer players. Material and method The subjects were high school soccer players in Japan. They were clustered as a team and randomly assigned into two groups; 156 in the NHE group and 103 in the control group. All of the subjects were measured by physical function, practice and game hour per day, injury detail if happened and time-loss hour for soccer. Hamstring injury rate and time-loss injury rate were calculated. Two groups were compared by unpaired t test at significant level of 5%. Results Hamstring injuries occurred in 7 cases; 4 in the NHE group and 3 in the control group. Hamstring injury rate was 0.09 per 1000 athlete-hours in the NHE group while 0.10 in the control group. The relative risk of hamstring injury rate was 1.14. Time-loss hamstring injury rate was 0.11 per 1000 athlete-hours in the NHE group while 0.52 in the control group. The relative risk of time-loss hamstring injury rate was 4.54. Conclusion As an effect of the NHE in high school soccer players, time-loss injury rate had stronger impact than the hamstring injury rate. These results indicated that the NHE in high school soccer players may had reduced the severity of hamstrings injury without changing injury rate. It is suggested that importance of investigating hamstrings injury prevention in adolescent amateur soccer players using time-loss injury rate in future.

Introduction/Background In recent years, neuromuscular training (NMT) using a balance board has become a common form of exercise to prevent ankle sprain. Previous studies of effectiveness of this approach have focused on adults, and there are few studies investigating junior high school students. The purpose of this study was to clarify the effect of the NMT using a balance board upon ankle injury in junior high school basketball players. Material and method Hundred and six junior high school basketball players without concurrent injuries were recruited. All players were randomly assigned with 40 allocated to a control group and 66 to a NME group. Subjects in the NME group completed an ankle injury prevention program including single calf rising, single leg squat, dribble with single leg, handling with single leg and pass with single leg on the floor for 2 weeks and those on the balance board for the following 6 weeks. Ankle injury rates were calculated and compared by occurrence of injury's per 1000 practice hours in the control and NME groups. Results The number of ankle inversion injuries were 17 in the control group and 13 in the NME group. Ankle injury rate per 1,000 hours revealed 4.43 in the control and 1.99 in NME group, respectively. Serious injuries, judged by single calf raise, where time loss to sport exceeded 1-week were 4 in the control group and 1 in the NME group. Average time loss in days in the control group (1.98 ± 0.59) was significantly greater than that in the NME group (1.37 ± 0.17). Conclusion Our study showed that NMT using a balance board reduced the occurrence of ankle sprain in junior high school basketball players. In addition, NMT may have contributed to a reduction in the severity of ankle injury.

Experiments conducted aboard the R/V Hakuho Maru (Cruise KH-02-3) in the autumn of 2002 were designed to study the pathways of atmospheric aerosol transport, selected trace elements and major ions composition of particles and quantify their dry deposition over the East China Sea. We determined the concentrations of trace elements Al, Mn, Pb, Se, and Zn and major ions Na+, SO42− and NO3− in aerosol particles. Aerosols were continuously collected in fine and coarse size fractions with a cut off at 2.5 μm. Particle number densities (volumes) were determined in four size ranges between 0.1 and

Samples of first-year sea ice, snow and under-ice water were collected in the southern Sea of Okhotsk in mid-February 2007 and 2008 to elucidate the processes controlling nutrient concentrations in sea ice. Temperature, salinity, oxygen isotopic ratio (δ18O) and inorganic nutrient concentrations (NO3, NH4, NO2, PO4 and SiO2) were measured. Sea ice was categorized into four types; snow–ice, frazil ice, columnar ice and a mixture of granular and columnar ice, based on δ18O composition and ice texture. Frazil ice dominated the total ice thickness (52.8%), and columnar ice was sandwiched between frazil ice layers, indicating dynamic ice-growth processes such as rafting and ridging. Furthermore, the ice was banded by layers of particulate materials (sediment layers), which were frequently encountered during cruises. High NO3 and NH4 concentrations were found in snow and snow–ice implying that these were supplied from the atmosphere with snowfall and incorporated into the sea ice through snow–ice formation. In the sediment-laden layers, which were categorized as frazil ice, NO2, PO4 and SiO2 concentrations were highest of all the ice types and considerably enriched compared to parent seawater, suggesting the remineralization of the particulate organic matter. On the other hand, NO3 concentrations in sediment layers were low (depleted), leading to extremely low N (NO3 + NH4 + NO2): P ratios in sediment layers, from 0.2 to 0.8, with respect to that of under-ice water or Redfield ratio. These results suggest that in part of sediment-laden layers fixed-nitrogen was removed partially as molecular nitrogen (N2) from the sea ice environment by anaerobic nitrate reduction processes (denitrification) by denitrifying bacteria while adding phosphate from associated remineralization of organic phosphorus. The effect of melting of snow and sea ice is dilution for salinity, NO3 and SiO2, no change in NO2 and PO4, and a minor enrichment for NH4 in the mixed layer in spring and early summer. This suggests that snow/ice meltwater with different nutrient ratios than in under-ice water/Redfield ratio is supplied to under-ice water during melt season in April/May in southern Sea of Okhotsk. However, the impact of sediment-laden sea ice cannot be assessed at this point.

The original article shows TDFe in Table 1 as µmol L−1. The correct TDFe in Table 1 should be nmol L−1.

Typically, all undecomposed metazoans found in formalin-poisoned cups of sediment traps are considered to be active intruders (or ‘‘swimmers’’) and are removed to prevent an overestimation of the downward particle flux. However, intact metazoans dead before entering the trap should be included in the estimation of downward flux of carbon. Arctic copepods collected in the field were killed either by formalin to mimic death by actively swimming into the formalin-poisoned cups, or by crowding or high temperature and then preserved in formalin to simulate death before entering the trap. In the crowding and heat treatments, 64% of Calanus hyperboreus and C. glacialis and 44% of Pareuchaeta glacialis differed from copepods killed by formalin in the postmortem posture of the antennules or swimming legs. These frequencies were used to estimate the contribution of passively sinking copepods (PSCs) to the particulate organic carbon (POC) flux measured by a sediment trap moored at 70 m in the Beaufort Sea (Canadian sector of the Arctic Ocean). PSCs represented only a small fraction (,5%) of the copepods collected in the trap, thus justifying the removal of swimmers from samples to avoid a massive overestimation of fluxes. Nevertheless, PSCs contributed 36% of the overall POC flux of 6.8 g C m22 yr21, and discarding them along with the swimmers would have resulted in a significant underestimation of downward export. Given their rich carbon content (up to 50%), PSCs could be an important food resource for pelagic and benthic scavengers.

The chlorophyll a specific absorption coefficient of phytoplankton, a(phi)*(lambda) is an important parameter to determine for primary production models and for the estimation of phytoplankton physiological condition. Knowledge of this parameter at high latitudes where nutrient rich cold water submitted to low incident light is a common environment is almost nonexistent. To address this issue, we investigated the light absorption properties of phytoplankton as a function of irradiance, temperature, and nutrients using a large data set in the southern Beaufort Sea during the open water to ice cover transition period. The a(phi)*(lambda) tended to increase from autumn when open water still existed to early winter when sea ice cover was formed, resulting from a biological selection of smaller-size phytoplankton more efficient to absorb light. There was no significant correlation between a(phi)*(lambda) and irradiance or temperature for both seasons. However, a(phi)*(lambda) showed a significant positive correlation with NO3 + NO2. Implications of the results for phytoplankton community adaptation to changing light levels are discussed. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Arctic copepods were collected using time-series sediment traps in the Amundsen Gulf, Canadian Arctic, as part of the CASES (Canadian Arctic Shelf Exchange Study) program. Four sediment traps were deployed at three stations (200 m depth for CA15, 200 and 400 m depths for CA18, and 200 m depth for CA20) from October 2003 to July 2004. We collected many copepod nauplii ranging in body length from 155 to 811 μm, among which nauplii (mostly N1–2) of Calanus with a size of ∼190 μm apparently increased in abundance from February to mid-March. Mature-stage adult females (AF) of Calanus hyperboreus were collected in the traps from February to March, and adult males of C. hyperboreus appeared from November to December at all stations. The likely spawning period of these AF coincided with the occurrence period of ∼190 μm-sized nauplii. This finding suggests that these nauplii were derived from C. hyperboreus and that their breeding began at the beginning of November or December at the latest, continuing through April in the Amundsen Gulf.

Okhotsk Sea pack ice from Shiretoko in northern Hokkaido, sampled in March 2007, contained microalgal communities dominated by the centric diatoms Thalassiosira nordenskioeldi and T. punctigera. Domination by this genus is very unusual in sea ice. Communities from nearby fast ice at Saroma-ko lagoon were dominated by Detonula conferavea and Odontella aurita. Average microalgal biomass of the Okhotsk Sea pack ice (surface and bottom) was 1.59 ± 1.09 μg chla l−1 and for fast ice (bottom only) at nearby Saroma-ko lagoon, 16.5 ± 3.2 μg l−1 (=31.1 ± 5.0 mg chla m−2). Maximum quantum yield of the Shiretoko pack ice algal communities was 0.618 ± 0.056 with species-specific data ranging between 0.211 and 0.653. These community values are amongst the highest recorded for sea ice algae. Rapid light curves (RLC) on individual cells indicated maximum relative electron transfer rates (relETR) between 20.8 and 60.6, photosynthetic efficiency values (α) between 0.31 and 0.93 and onset of saturation values (E k) between 33 and 91 μmol photons m−2 s−1. These data imply that the pack ice algal community at Shiretoko was healthy and actively photosynthesising. Maximum quantum yield of the Saroma-ko fast ice community was 0.401 ± 0.086, with values for different species between 0.361 and 0.560. RLC data from individual Saroma-ko fast ice algal cells indicated relETR between 55.3 and 60.6, α values between 0.609 and 0.816 and E k values between 74 and 91 μmol photons m−2 s−1 which are consistent with measurements in previous years.