RESUMO
BACKGROUND: The kitesurfing athletes endure unexpected conditions in terms of the function of irregularities in the surface of the water that requires a correct proprioceptive response in order to maintain equilibrium and execute the required movements while maintaining contact with the board and the water. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this work was to use the star excursion balance test to compare the dynamic equilibrium of athletes who engage in kitesurfing activities with non-athletic subjects. METHODS: Fourteen kitesurfing athletes and fifteen sedentary male subjects completed three rounds of the star excursion balance test: familiarity, test one and test two. During each phase the eight directions of the test were performed three times on each leg and the maximum distance reached by the leg (cm) was measured before being divided by the length of the lower limb (%). To compare the intergroup averages, a student test t to independent samples was performed. To compare the averages across the eight directions in the same group, the repeated-measures ANOVA test was employed and to compare the averages of the right leg and the left leg, a student test t to dependent samples was used (α = 0.05). RESULTS: For both groups and in both legs, the distance reached in the medial, posteromedial, posterior and posterolateral directions was similar and further than the other directions. It was observed that the athletes in the comparison intergroup achieved superior results than those in the control group in the medial, posteromedial, posterior and posterolateral directions in both right and left legs and the lateral direction in the right leg (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Kitesurfing activities result in proportionate adaptations in the dynamic equilibrium of athletes, maybe in function of adaptations in the neuromuscular structure, resulting in a better performance in situations that cause disequilibrium.
RESUMO
This study evaluates the performance of a polymeric microfiltration membrane, as well as its combination with a coconut granular activated carbon (GAC) pretreatment, in a gravitational filtration module, to improve the quality of water destined to human consumption. The proposed membrane and adsorbent were thoroughly characterized using instrumental techniques, such as contact angle, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analyses. The applied processes (membrane and GAC + membrane) were evaluated regarding permeate flux, fouling percentage, pH and removal of Escherichia coli, colour, turbidity and free chlorine. The obtained results for filtrations with and without GAC pretreatment were similar in terms of water quality. GAC pretreatment ensured higher chlorine removals, as well as higher initial permeate fluxes. This system, applying GAC as a pretreatment and a gravitational driven membrane filtration, could be considered as an alternative point-of-use treatment for water destined for human consumption.
