16 research outputs found
Effects of game location, team quality and final outcome on game-related statistics in professional handball close games
The aim of this study was to identify the effects of team quality, game location and final outcome on handball performance indicators during close games. The sample consisted of 126 close games (goal
differences of 1.98±1.37) from the Spanish Professional Menâs Handball League (2012/13). Factor analysis identified six factors: Factor 1 â successful 6m and 7m shots and unsuccessful 6m, 7m and 9m shots; Factor 2 â successful 6m and 9m shots and unsuccessful saves from 9m shots; Factor 3 â successful and unsuccessful counter-attack shots, assists, blocks and recovered balls; Factor 4 â successful and unsuccessful saves from 7m shots; Factor 5 â successful and unsuccessful saves from counter-attack shots; Factor 6 â yellow cards and successful saves from 6m shots. A mixed linear model identified the effects of team quality, game location and game outcome on the previously identified factors. Game location effects were significant for Factor 3, with higher values for home teams. Game outcome main effects were identified for Factors 3, 5 and 6, with teams having higher values when winning. The team quality was significant for Factor 3, with higher values for superior teams. The team quality x game outcome and team quality x game location interactions were significant for Factor 3. The game location x game outcome interaction was significant for Factors 2 and 3. These findings can contribute to a better understanding of the situational variablesâ determinants of elite handball performances, helping the coaches to prepare the players accordingly
In vitro co-cultures of Pinus pinaster with Bursaphelenchus xylophilus: a biotechnological approach to study pine wilt disease
Abstract
Main conclusion Co-cultures of Pinus pinaster with
Bursaphelenchus xylophilus were established as a
biotechnological tool to evaluate the effect of nematotoxics
addition in a host/parasite culture system.
The pinewood nematode (PWN), Bursaphelenchus xylophilus,
the causal agent of pine wilt disease (PWD), was
detected for the first time in Europe in 1999 spreading
throughout the pine forests in Portugal and recently in
Spain. Plant in vitro cultures may be a useful experimental
system to investigate the plant/nematode relationships in
loco, thus avoiding the difficulties of field assays. In this
study, Pinus pinaster in vitro cultures were established and
compared to in vivo 1 year-old plantlets by analyzing shoot
structure and volatiles production. In vitro co-cultures were
established with the PWN and the effect of the phytoparasite
on in vitro shoot structure, water content and
volatiles production was evaluated. In vitro shoots showed
similar structure and volatiles production to in vivo maritime
pine plantlets. The first macroscopic symptoms of
PWD were observed about 4 weeks after in vitro co-culture
establishment. Nematode population in the culture medium
increased and PWNs were detected in gaps of the callus
tissue and in cavities developed from the degradation of
cambial cells. In terms of volatiles main components,
plantlets, P. pinaster cultures, and P. pinaster with B. xylophilus
co-cultures were all b- and a-pinene rich. Cocultures
may be an easy-to-handle biotechnological approach
to study this pathology, envisioning the understanding
of and finding ways to restrain this highly
devastating nematode.
Keywords Maritime pine ! Monoxenic culture !
Pinewood nematode ! Relative water content ! Shoots
structure ! Volatiles
Abbreviations
BAP 6-Benzylaminopurine
DAI Days after inoculation
EPPO European and Mediterranean Plant Protectio
Validation tool for traction force microscopy
Traction force microscopy (TFM) is commonly used to estimate cellsâ traction forces from the deformation that they cause on their substrate. The accuracy of TFM highly depends on the computational methods used to measure the deformation of the substrate and estimate the forces, and also on the specifics of the experimental set-up. Computer simulations can be used to evaluate the effect of both the computational methods and the experimental set-up without the need to perform numerous experiments. Here, we present one such TFM simulator that addresses several limitations of the existing ones. As a proof of principle, we recreate a TFM experimental set-up, and apply a classic 2D TFM algorithm to recover the forces. In summary, our simulator provides a valuable tool to study the performance, refine experimentally, and guide the extraction of biological conclusions from TFM experiments
Functional Characterization of TLR4 +3725 G/C Polymorphism and Association with Protection against Overweight
Subclinical low-grade systemic inflammation has been associated with obesity, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome (MS). Recent studies have highlighted the role of gut microbiota in these disorders. The toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) plays a key role in the innate immune response activation. We studied two polymorphisms (+3725G/C and 11350G/C) in the 3âČ untranslated region (3âČUTR) of the TLR4 gene that may alter its expression and their association with metabolic disorders related to systemic inflammation. We cloned the 3âČUTR into a luciferase reporter system and compared wild-type 3âČUTR (WT) and +3725C variant (MUT) constructs luciferase activities. MUT construct reduced the reporter gene activity by 30% compared to WT (Pâ=â0.0001). To evaluate the association between these polymorphisms with biochemical and clinical overweight related variables, we conducted a population cross-sectional study in 966 men of Argentine general population. Considering smoking as a confounding variable that causes systemic inflammation, we studied these possible effects in both, smokers and nonsmokers. The 11350G/C polymorphism was not detected in our sample whereas the CC genotype of +3725 polymorphism was associated with lean subjects (pâ=â0.011) and higher Adiponectin levels (pâ=â0.021). Subjects without any NCEP/ATP III MS component were associated with this genotype as well (pâ=â0.001). These results were strengthened in nonsmokers, in which CC genotype was associated with lean subjects (pâ=â0.003) and compared with G carriers showed significantly lower BMI (25.53 vs. 28.60 kg/m2; pâ=â0.023) and waist circumference (89.27 vs. 97.51 cm; pâ=â0.025). None of these associations were found in smokers. These results showed that +3725C variant has a functional effect down-regulating gene expression and it could be considered as a predictive factor against overweight, particularly in nonsmokers. Considering the role of TLR4 in inflammation, these findings would suggest that the presence of +3725C variant could predict a lower prevalence of chronic metabolic disorders