INFLUENCE OF A CUSTOM MADE MAXILLARY MOUTHGUARD ON EXERCISE PERFORMANCE OF AMATEUR ROAD CYCLISTS.

Aim: To evaluate the influence of a custom made maxillary mouthguard (Parabite Malpezzi®, PM) on submaximal and maximal physiological parameters determining performance in road cycling. Methods: Ten well-trained amateur road cyclists (35±5 yr.) performed an incremental cardiopulmonary test until exhaustion on a frictional braked cycle ergometer, with work rate (WR) increase of 15 watts per minute at a freely chosen pedaling cadence. WR, heart rate, oxygen consumption (VO2), carbon dioxide production, and ventilation at Lactate Threshold (LT), at Respiratory Compensation Point (RCP) and at maximal exercise (MAX) were determined in normal condition (C) and wearing PM, made with an original method based on gnathological and anthropometric parameters. Cycling economy was also evaluated by analyzing the slope of the VO2/WR (ΔVO2/ΔWR, mL/watt/min) relationship during the test in the two experimental conditions. Results: Wearing PM compared to C resulted in an average significant 6% and 4% increases of WR at RCP (281±32 vs 266±19 watts, P=0.04) and at MAX (353±44 vs 339±38 watts, P=0.004) respectively. Wearing PM also resulted in a 8% lower ΔVO2/ΔWR (9.5±1.1 vs 10.3±1.1 mL/watt/min, P=0.06) while did not significantly alter any of the other measured parameters at LT, RCP and MAX. Conclusion: Wearing individually fitted maxillary mouthguard enhanced cycling economy and exercise performance above Lactate Threshold, while did not affect other parameters generally associated with cycling performance. These preliminary results provide support to encourage athletes to correct jaw posture and occlusal clench in order to improve exercise performance

Spada: a project to study the effectiveness of shielding materials in space

The SPADA (SPAce Dosimetry for Astronauts) project is a part of an extensive teamwork that aims to optimize shielding solutions against space radiation. Shielding is indeed an irreplaceable tool to reduce exposure of crews of future Moon and Mars missions. We concentrated our studies on two flexible materials, Kevlar R� and Nextel R,� because of their ability to protect human space infrastructures from micrometeoroids. We measured radiation hardness of these shielding materials and compared to polyethylene, generally acknowledged as the most effective space radiation shield with practical applications in spacecraft. Both flight test (on the International Space Station and on the Russian FOTON M3 rocket), with passive dosimeters and accelerator-based experiments have been performed. Accelerator tests using high-energy Fe ions have demonstrated that Kevlar is almost as effective as polyethylene in shielding heavy ions, while Nextel is a poor shield against high-charge and -energy particles. Preliminary results from spaceflight, however, show that for the radiation environment in low-Earth orbit, dominated by trapped protons, thin shields of Kevlar and Nextel provide limited reduction

Late cellular effects of 12C ions

The expanding role of particle-based radiation treatment of cancer (hadrontherapy) requires a thorough understanding of its possible late effects at the cellular and tissue levels. The biological effectiveness of a C-12, ion beam in the induction of two biological endpoints, neoplastic transformation and premature cellular senescence,was studied in human cells in vitro and compared to that exhibited by low linear energy transfer (LET) radiation. Cells were exposed to the therapeutic C-12 ion beam used at GSI at various positions of the beam ionisation path, corresponding to the low-LET entrance channel (plateau), the high-LET Spread-Ont Bragg Peak (SOBP) or at 3.8cm past the SOBP. In the framework of the INFN-funded project ETIOPE, this paper reports preliminary results oil survival and neoplastic transformation after a physical close of 0.75 GY, and on the onset of cellular senescence after 0.5 or 2 Gy of plateau- and SOBP-irradiated cells. A three-dimensional approach to investigate tile effects C-12 ion beams oil the expression of cell adhesion molecules is also examined

Teaching English. Ricerca e pratiche innovative per la scuola primaria

La pubblicazione propone contributi di carattere scientifico e didattico sull'insegnamento dell'inglese nella scuola primaria. Ne risulta un quadro articolato che, a partire dalla rifelssione sul profilo linguistico dell'insegnante di scuola primaria, document alcune pratiche innovative in ambito di didattica e di formazione