Hot Storm

(Weather report) Brain Stimulation for Athlete Performance

By Robert Webb

 Neurotechnology describes the field of technology used to manipulate and measure brain processes. In the future, will athletes increasingly begin to neurotechnology methods to get an edge over their competition? Athletes may be able to use non-invasive brain stimulation to alter their brain functioning for a beneficial effect. Already scientists have used a brain stimulation method called transcranial direct current stimulation tDCS (a non-invasive way to electrically stimulate the brain) to reduce the fatigue associated with exercise.

Transcranial direct current stimulation uses a small amount of electricity to stimulate the brain. It can be used on a person while they are wide awake and conscious. Neuromuscular fatigue is defined as the exercise dependent decrease in a person’s ability of thier muscle fibres to generate some force. Researchers discovered that anodal tDCS (that can activate localized brain areas) was able to decrease the subject’s fatigue related muscle pain. The scientists also found that anodal tDCS was able to improve the endurance time by modulating directly the brain’s excitabiliy. It was able to increase motivation, decrease fatigue related muscle pain and finally improving muscle coupling.

Another neurotechnology method to manipulate the brain is transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Transcranial magnetic stimulation uses electromagnetism to stimulate specific areas of the brain. In the past it has been used to improve the working memory deficits that are associated with sleep deprivation. Working memory is a person’s general concentration and ability to store/manipulate information. So this transcranial magnetic stimulation in theory might be able improve an athletes concentration when they are fatigued. Transcranial magnetic stimulation could also be used to enhance a person’s regular concentration as well.

Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation can reach deeper into the brain than conventional TMS. Deep TMS may be able to non-invasively stimulate the reward related regions of the brain. Doing this type of brain manipulation may actually enable researchers to artificially induce a stimulant or euphoric like effect in an athlete by selectively activating specific brain regions. This type of effect would be beneficial for a long term endurance type of sport where a huge boost in mood is necessary for having an optimal performance. Deep TMS may also be used to target a variety of different regions to improve specific performance tasks.

The banned substance list that goes along with the recent olympic games does not actually have any mention about using non-invasive brain stimulation. However both transcranial direct current stimulation or transcranial magnetic stimulation may eventually find increasing use by certain athletes in the future. Right now, it still may be a little too early to actually assess how useful these new types of neurtechnologies would be for athlete’s performance.

As for cheating, using these neurotechnologies would be almost impossible to detect. Their wouldn’t be any drug tests that could detect when a person had undergone this type of treatment. The on and only plausible method of detecting this type of brain manipulation might be from a brain scan. So using neurotechnology could be a very effective way of brain doping while at the same time sidestepping negative penalties from a regulatory body. Using these types of brain stimulation methods for athletes is all speculative of course, and it is currently unclear if any of these types of brain manipulation would actually have enough of an effect on performance to be worthwhile.

Read my neurotechnology blog brain lesions and also

brain stem injury and finally

brain injury concussion for more information about neuroscience and neurotechnology.

Wine Making History and Processes
By Dave Southern

 Winemaking history started way back 6000 BC. It became popular in ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt. There are two general categories in making winethe still wine production and the sparkling wine production.

Wine making started thousands of years ago during the early Bronze Age. It was proven by archaeologists that the earliest wine production came from the sites of Georgia and Iran in early 6000 to 5000 BC. Another evidence of wine making is found in Macedonia, a part of Eastern Europe. Remnants of crushed grapes are discovered there. In Egypt, wine became a part of their recorded history and played a remarkable role in their ancient ceremonial life. Wine was common in the classical era of Greece and Rome, too. The Roman Empire improved the cultivation techniques in making wine by establishing plantations as well as storage and by shipping wine all over Western Europe and other countries.

Wine consumption became popularized from the 15th century onwards, surpassing the devastating phylloxera louse of the 1870s. Many religious groups such as the Christian Church and medieval Islamic hindered the production of wines because they believed that it was forbidden. However, the Muslim chemists and Geber started the idea of distillation of wine for medicinal purposes.

Today, wine making requires a deep scientific knowledge and profound understanding known as oenology. Oenology is the science of wine making. Laboratory tests increasingly supplemented and replaced traditional methods. They offer comprehensive information about the process by studying and practicing oenology.

There are two general categories in making wine. First is the still wine production which entails no carbonation. The second is the sparkling wine production which involves carbonation. The most widespread and recognized example of a sparkling wine is the champagne. In other regions, a sparkling wine is called Asti in Italy, Cava in Spain, and Cap Classique in South Africa.

Process of wine making

Once harvested, grapes are flattened. Depending on what kind of wine is being made, fermentation usually takes between one to two weeks. Yeast changes nearly all of the sugar content in the grape sap into crisp ethanol or alcohol. Following the first fermentation, the juice is moved to containers in preparation for the next stage. It is in this stage that grape sugar is gradually changed into alcohol and the wine becomes transparent. Some wines are set aside to age in oak barrels prior to bottling giving it the additional savor. Still other wines are bottled right away.

Pressing

Pressing is a process of separating juice from the grapes and their skin. Grapes are gradually mashed out. Then the total amount of juice is immediately separated and ready for vinification. Vinification covers all the phases between the coming of grapes in the chai and the transfer of wine into oak barrels. This day, a lot of winemakers apply pressure to increase and determine the amount of tannin extracted from the juice. Pressed juices or wines are generally lower in acid compared to the free-run juice.

Pigeage

This refers to a local French term for traditional process or stomping grapes in an open area or fermentation tanks. Grapes are crushed to the surface and carbon dioxide gases are released. Layer of skins and other solids from grapes are called caps. Caps are the best source of tannins. Traditionally, the caps are mixed into the juice each day by stomping it through the vat.

During the first fermentation, yeast cells are mixed with sugar and they multiply. They produce carbon dioxide also known as alcohol. The percentage of sugar is well calculated. Its density is able to obtain the desired alcohol percentage. After fermenting the alcohol, malolactic fermentation takes place. This is a process in which particular strains of bacteria converts malic acid into milder lactic acid. This kind of fermentation is generally done to immunize desired bacteria thus ensuring wine with softer taste and superior complexity.

Cold and heat stabilization

It is a process used in reducing tartrate crystals, commonly known as potassium bitartrate typically seen in wines. Tartrate crystals are similar to clear sand or grains or wine crystals. Cold and heat stabilization is next in wine making process. Unstable proteins are removed and tartrate crystals (or potassium bitartrate) frequently found in wine is reduced. After the stabilization process, secondary fermentation and bulk aging come next. This is then continued by laboratory tests as well as blending and fining. Preservatives application, filtration, and bottling process come last.

For more information on Wine Making Process please visit our website.

Find Out The Latest Details On Weather Forecasts Around The World

weather report

Thursday, October 30th, 2008 at 5:35 am and is filed under science. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.