The purpose of this study was to assess knee joint loading in the target knee during a golf swing compared to loading rates of high impact activities such as cutting and drop landings. Nine healthy competitive golfers completed golf swings with the target foot both straight and externally rotated 30 degrees, as well as drop landings and cutting maneuvers. Motion capture data was collected at 240 Hz and ground reaction force data was collected at 2400 Hz. The frontal and transverse knee moments were examined using repeated measures ANOVA through SPSS. The abduction moments were higher in golf swings as compared to the other high impact activities (p=.010), while the external rotation moments were lower (p=.003). There were no significant differences between externally rotated and neutral golf swings. These results suggest moments applied to the knee during a golf swing are similar to those applied during a high impact activity.
In the present study, we evaluated the effect of CGM on osteogenic differentiation of cultured osteoblasts, and determined whether combination treatment with LLLT had synergistic effects on osteogenic differentiation. The results indicated that CGM promoted proliferation, differentiation, and mineralization of osteoblasts at the threshold concentration of 10 μg/ml; whereas, CGM showed cytotoxic properties at concentrations above 100 μg/ml. ALP activity and mineralization were increased at concentrations above 10 μg/ml . CGM in concentrations up to 10 μg/ml also increased the expression of osteoblast-activated factors including type I collagen, BMP-2, RUNX2, and Osterix. The CGM (50 μg/ml) and LLLT (80 mW for 15 sec) combination treatment group showed the highest proliferation levels, ALP activity, and mineralization ratios. The combination treatment also increased the levels of phosphorylated forms of p38, ATF2, PKD, ERK, and JNK. In addition, the osteoblast differentiation factors including type I collagen, BMP-2, RUNX2, and Osterix protein levels were clearly increased in the combination treatment group. These results suggested that the combination treatment of CGM and LLLT has synergistic effects on the differentiation and mineralization of osteoblastic cells.
Measurements of atmospheric CO2 were made in the mountainous region of Srinagar-Garhwal, India (January to December 2006). Concentrations of CO2 averaged 393±4.9 ppm in 2006. Daily variations of CO2 values showed minimum during the daytime (376.2 ppm) and peaked in the morning/evening (410.1 ppm). At monthly intervals, the CO2 values varied from 367±11.14 (May) to 425.2±13.54 ppm (March). If divided on a seasonal basis, the values declined to minimum amounts in post-monsoon (389.9±9.0 ppm) and reached maximums during winter (397.1±11.6 ppm). Although phenology is significant in controlling CO2 levels, short-term changes cannot be explained without the anthropogenic perturbations (e.g., vehicular pollution and forest fires). The CO2 concentrations in Srinagar-Garhwal (393.4 ppm) were generally higher than those of other major monitoring locations around the world.
The injection molded Fe sintered bodies were fabricated using two kinds of nano Fe powders, Fe-5%vol.ZrO2 and Fe-10vol.%ZrO2 powders. The relationship between microstructure and mechanical properties depending on the ZrO2 contents and sintering temperature were characterized by SEM and TEM techniques. In the wear test, the Fe-0vol%ZrO2 sintered bodies showed mainly adhesive wear, but in the Fe-5%vol. ZrO2 and Fe-10vol. % ZrO2 composites the main wear behavior showed abrasive wear mode.
In this work, the present concentration levels of total gaseous mercury (TGM) are compared among three East Asian countries, Korea, China, and Japan. Comparison of Hg distribution patterns was made by selecting representative figures for each type of land use among those three countries. The results of the analysis indicate that Hg concentrations within a country can fall into a wide range due probably to the diversity of source processes. It is seen that the urban areas of China and Japan generally exhibit large spatial variability with notably high Hg levels (above 10 ng m-3), compared to their Korean counterparts. Although the presence of high Hg levels in Chinese locations can be accounted for by the major man-made source processes (e.g., the use of coal), the causes of unexpectedly high Hg data in Japanese sites appear to be rather complicated. The Hg concentration levels in relatively remote locations however show much reduced values, above 3 ng m-3, which is still higher than the typical background concentrations of 1 to 2 ng m-3 in Europe or America. Considering that the presence of unusually high Hg levels in urban areas of Asia is the consequence of man-made activities, the prevalence of excessively high Hg values in certain regions of the Asian continent needs further research to accurately assess the fundamental picture of Hg geochemistry in the East Asia.
The efficacy of an experimentally designed cold chain container and a currently used styrofoam container was investigated with respect to important factors affecting the quality of fresh beef during storage under different conditions. The temperature in the TEPP-1 container was maintained at 5℃ using a phase change material (PCM) during transport and delivery. During storage in the TEPP-1 container, no significant difference was observed in pH of beef, but color decreased slightly, which does not affect the desire to purchase. After storage for 7 days, the rate of VBN and TBA in the TEPP-1 container, was lower than that in the TEPP-2 container. Drip loss was lower in the TEPP-1 container (0.87%) than in the TEPP-2 container (1.78%). No significant changes were observed in microbal count until 4 days in either of the containers, but after storage for 7 days, the count increased significantly. Microbial count in TEPP-1 was 6.65 log CFU/mL and that in TEPP-2 was 7.62 log CFU/mL. The results of sensory evaluations indicated that the overall acceptability of beef after storage for 7 days was better in the TEPP-1 container than in the TEPP-2 container. The EPS container was inferior in comparison with TEPP-1 and TEPP-2. It was impossible to continue the experiment using the EPS container after 3 days. These results suggest that the experimentally designed TEPP-1 container can be used for beef transport and delivery for 7 days without significantly affecting the quality of beef.