Promoting physical activity among university students: a systematic review of controlled trials

Objective: University study is often accompanied by a decline in physical activity (PA) levels but can offer the opportunity to promote a lifelong active lifestyle. This review aims to summarize controlled trials of interventions promoting PA among uni- versity students, describing the quality of the evidence, effective strategies, and deficiencies in the interventions employed, to provide directions for future research and for practical implementations. Data Source: PubMed, PsychINFO, Cochrane Library, Education Source, and SPORTDiscus. Study Inclusion Criteria: Randomized or nonrandomized controlled trial, describing an intervention to promote PA in uni- versity students, where PA was one of the outcomes and results were published in English. Data Extraction: Country, study design, participants\u2019 inclusion criteria, participation rate and characteristics, randomization, blinding, theoretical framework, intervention characteristics, participant retention rate and withdrawal reasons, measures employed, data analysis, PA results, and findings regarding PA correlates. Data Synthesis: Data were synthetized considering study characteristics, strategies used, and outcomes. Results: Two thousand five hundred eighty-five articles were identified. Twenty-seven studies met the inclusion criteria. Sixteen studies reported an increase in PA levels. Conclusion: Physical Activity promotion interventions should address a range of behavioral determinants. Personalized approaches and PA sessions should be considered in future studies. The high risk of bias of many studies (mainly due to attrition and poor reporting) and missing information about intervention components limit the strength of conclusions about the most effective strategies and the evidence of effectiveness, highlighting the need for further high-quality studies

Domain wall displacement in Py square ring for single nanometric magnetic bead detection

A new approach based on the domain wall displacement in confined ferromagnetic nanostructures for attracting and sensing a single nanometric magnetic particles is presented. We modeled and experimentally demonstrated the viability of the approach using an anisotropic magnetoresistance device made by a micron-size square ring of Permalloy designed for application in magnetic storage. This detection concept can be suitable to biomolecular recognition, and in particular to single molecule detection.Comment: 8pages, 3figure

Search for right-handed currents in muon decay

We report preliminary results of an experiment designed to measure the mass of the right-handed intermediate vector boson. The presence of such a particle in electroweak interactions is predicted by left-right symmetric gauge theories. The experiment measures the momentum spectrum of the positrons from the decay at rest of (1) longitudinally polarized muons produced in the decay at rest of ..pi../sup +/ ..-->.. ..mu../sup +/nu (polarization P/sub ..mu../) and (2) unpolarized muons. The endpoints of these two spectra are used to determine the quantity xi P/sub ..mu../ where xi is a Michel parameter. This product is related to the ratio of the mass of left and right handed W and to the phase between the two helicity states. We measure, at the 90% CL, 1 - delta/rho 380 GeV/c/sup 2/

Preferência de Bemisia tabaci, biótipo B (Hemiptera: aleyrodidae) a genótipos de soja.

O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar a preferência de B. tabaci a 18 genótipos de soja com chance de escolha, em condições de casa de vegetação. Os genótipos avaliados foram: BRI 04-01668, BRI 04-01685, BRI 04-02770, BRI 04-02855, BRI 04-02935, BRI 04-02983, BRS 7860RR, BRS Barreira, BRS Gisele RR, BRS Juliana, BRS Valiosa RR, BRSGO 7960, BRSGO 8060, CD219, CD 215, Emgopa 302RR, IAC 17 e IAC 19. Os materiais com menores infestações de ovos e ninfas foram: BRI 04-01668, BRI 04-01685, BRI 04-02770 e IAC 17 (padrão de resistência) e os mais infestados foram BRS Juliana RR e Emgopa 302RR Os genótipos BRS 7860RR e BRSGO 8060 apresentaram o mesmo perfil de não preferência que IAC19 (padrão de resistência)

Reduced gait variability and enhanced brain activity in older adults with auditory cues: a functional near-infrared spectroscopy study

BACKGROUND: Aging is associated with declining mobility, which negatively affects quality of life and incurs substantial economic costs. Techniques to maintain safe mobility in older adults are therefore essential. Rhythmic auditory cueing (RAC) can improve walking patterns in older adults. However, the neural correlates associated with RAC, how they are influenced by repeated exposure and their relationships with gait response, cognitive function, and depressive symptoms are unclear. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the effects of RAC during walking on cortical activation and the relationship between RAC-related cortical changes and cognitive function, depressive symptoms, and gait response. METHODS: Seventeen young adults and eighteen older adults walked on a motorized treadmill for 5 minutes (5 trials with alternating 30-second blocks of usual walking and RAC walking). Changes in oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO2) in the frontal cortex were recorded using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Cognitive domains were assessed through validated tests. A triaxial accelerometer measured gait parameters. RESULTS: Gait variability decreased and prefrontal HbO2 levels increased during cued walking relative to usual walking. Older adults showed greater HbO2 levels in multiple motor regions during cued walking although the response reduced with repeated exposure. In older adults, lower depression scores, higher cognitive functioning, and reduced gait variability were linked with increased HbO2 levels during RAC walking. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that walking improves with RAC in older adults and is achieved through increased activity in multiple cortical areas. The cortical response decline with repeated exposure indicates older adults' ability to adapt to a new task

Human articular chondrocytes immortalized by HPV-16 E6 and E7 genes: Maintenance of differentiated phenotype under defined culture conditions

AbstractObjective To establish an immortalized normal human articular chondrocyte line which could be useful for a better understanding of cell molecular mechanisms relevant for the development of new therapeutic approaches in rheumatic diseases.Design Chondrocytes from human adult articular healthy cartilage were transfected in primary culture with a plasmid containing two human papilloma virus type 16 (HPV-16) early function genes: E6 and E7, using the highly efficient cationic liposome-mediated (lipofection) procedure. The transfection was verified by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis of E7 mRNA and by immunofluorence localization of the E7 protein in the cell cytoplasm. The established chondrocyte cell line was examined in monolayer and in two culture conditions that were described to re-induce differentiated characteristics: culturing in a serum-free defined medium supplemented with an insulin-containing serum substitute and seeding on a hyaluronan-based non-woven structured biomaterial. The expression of markers characteristic of cartilage was shown in the mRNA by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Immunohistological staining and Western blotting analysis were performed to evaluate type II collagen synthesis. Proteoglycans deposition was detected by Alcian Blue staining. A Field Emission In Lens Scanning Microscopy was used to look at the morphology of the immortalized cells at very high magnification.Results Normal human articular chondrocytes were efficiently transfected leading to the establishment of an immortalized cell line as confirmed by HPV-16 E7 mRNA and protein detection. These cells were able to re-express type II collagen both at mRNA and protein levels under the two defined cultured conditions we used, still maintaining type I collagen expression. Collagen IX mRNA was present only in early primary culture while collagen type X and aggrecan transcripts were always detected. Alcian Blue staining showed a proteoglycan-rich matrix production. The ultrastructural analysis of the immortalized cells revealed that their morphology strictly resembled that of normal chondrocytes.Conclusions The cell line that we obtained may be a useful tool for increasing our knowledge of the genetic and biochemical events involved in the processes of cartilage growth and differentiation. Moreover, it appears to be a suitable model for pharmacological and toxicological studies related to rheumatic diseases relevant to humans

Cultivares na dieta de macacos-prego barbados, Cebus libidinosus Spix (Primates: Cebidae), em fragmentos florestais no sudeste do Brasil

Capuchin monkeys occupy a wide range of habitats where they feed on fruits, arthropods, and vertebrates. Their large home ranges (80-900 ha) suggest that living in forest fragments may challenge their adaptability. We identified and quantified the main food items of Cebus libidinosus Spix, 1823 in forests fragments (100 ha) in southeastern Brazil. We recorded the feeding activities of two groups using scan sampling over a 13-month period. The diet was composed of fruits, crops, animal prey, seeds, plant matter and undetermined. Fruit was eaten more in the wet season than in the dry season, and maize and sugar cane consumption peaked in the early dry season. The proportion of fruit in the diet was positively correlated with fruiting intensity of zoochorous trees. The plant diet included 54 species, with maize, Rhamnidium elaeocarpus, Acrocomia aculeata, Guazuma ulmifolia and Cariniana, being most important. Although dietary composition and diversity were similar to capuchins in larger forest fragments, feeding on crops attained higher percentages at times when zoochorous fruit production was low in fragments.Macacos-prego ocupam uma vasta gama de ambientes onde alimentam-se de frutos, artrópodes e vertebrados. Suas grandes áreas de vida (80-900 ha) sugerem que viver em fragmentos florestais pode ser um desafio a sua adaptabilidade. Foram identificados e quantificados os principais itens alimentares de Cebus libidinosus Spix, 1823 em fragmentos florestais (100 ha) no sudeste do Brasil. Registraram-se as atividades alimentares de dois grupos usando a varredura instantânea durante um período de 13 meses. A dieta compôs-se de frutos, presas animais, cultivares, sementes, material vegetal e indeterminado. Os frutos foram consumidos mais na estação chuvosa do que na estação seca e o consumo de milho e cana atingiu um pico no início da estação seca. A proporção de frutos na dieta foi positivamente correlacionada com a intensidade de frutificação das árvores zoocóricas. A dieta vegetal incluiu 54 espécies, com milho, Rhamnidium elaeocarpus, Acrocomia aculeata, Guazuma ulmifolia e Cariniana, sendo os mais importantes. Embora a composição da dieta e a diversidade tenham sido similares a grupos de macacos-prego em grandes fragmentos florestais, o uso de cultivares atingiu altas porcentagens em épocas quando a produção de frutos zoocóricos foi baixa nos fragmentos.3239Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Physical activity, sedentary behaviour and screen time among youths with Down syndrome during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: The COVID-19-related restrictions hampered habitual physical activity (PA), particularly affecting the more vulnerable, such as people with Down syndrome (DS). The study aimed to investigate changes in PA, sedentary behaviour (SB) and screen time (ST) of youths with DS, before, during and after the restrictions, also in relation to parental PA levels. Methods: A cross-sectional design with a retrospective assessment of variables for the before and during restrictions periods was adopted. Parents of youths with DS completed an online questionnaire. Sociodemographic aspects, weekly PA levels and youths' daily SB and ST were investigated, referring to three time-points: before the pandemic, during the restrictions and the restrictions-easing phase. Results: A total of 57 parents voluntarily participated in the study, proxy-reporting on their child (male = 41, female = 16, age = 21.4 ± 7.7 years). A repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance showed negative effects of restrictions (P < 0.05) on PA levels, SB and ST, independently from sociodemographic characteristics. In the restrictions-easing phase, PA levels did not return to before the pandemic values (P < 0.05). A positive correlation between parents and their child's PA was detected before the pandemic (r = 0.38; P < 0.01), no longer reported in the restrictions-easing phase. Conclusions: The findings showed the negative impact of restrictions on youths with DS lifestyle. Moreover, the importance of addressing the needs of the disabled community including the whole family is highlighted

Charged pions from Ni on Ni collisions between 1 and 2 AGeV

Charged pions from Ni + Ni reactions at 1.05, 1.45 and 1.93 AGeV are measured with the FOPI detector. The mean $\pi^{\pm}$ multiplicities per mean number of participants increase with beam energy, in accordance with earlier studies of the Ar + KCl and La + La systems. The pion kinetic energy spectra have concave shape and are fitted by the superposition of two Boltzmann distributions with different temperatures. These apparent temperatures depend only weakly on bombarding energy. The pion angular distributions show a forward/backward enhancement at all energies, but not the $\Theta = 90^0$ enhancement which was observed in case of the Au + Au system. These features also determine the rapidity distributions which are therefore in disagreement with the hypothesis of one thermal source. The importance of the Coulomb interaction and of the pion rescattering by spectator matter in producing these phenomena is discussed.Comment: 22 pages, Latex using documentstyle[12pt,a4,epsfig], to appear in Z. Phys.