220 research outputs found

    La influencia y actuación de los padres en el fútbol cadete

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    In this investigation is analysed the influence and the conduct carried out by footballers’ parents who belong to 2nd category of U15’s league in the Balearic Islands. This study is focused on management behaviours, pressure, support, comprehension and parents’ active participation. The participants were 102 parents (63 fathers and 39 mothers) who participated voluntarily with the study during the 2016-2017 season filling up the questionnaire Análisis del Comportamiento y Actuación de Padres y Madres en el Deporte (ACAPMD). Furthermore, 176 young footballers filled up the questionnaire Parental Involvement Sports Questionnaire (PISQ). The results show that, firstly, doesn’t exist significant differences between obtained data by fathers and mothers. Results also point that parents have high implication levels about their children’s sport. Furthermore, parents are interested into keep a nice parent-child relationship and they value positively their sons’ sportive schools. On the other hand, parents don’t agree with spectators’ interventions from the grandstands in their children’s matches.En esta investigación se analiza la influencia y la actuación de los padres de futbolistas pertenecientes a la categoría cadete 2ª regional de las Islas Baleares. El estudio se centra en los comportamientos de gestión, presión, apoyo, comprensión y la participación activa de los padres en las actividades deportivas de sus hijos. Los participantes fueron 102 progenitores (63 padres y 39 madres), quienes participaron voluntariamente en el estudio rellenando el cuestionario Análisis del Comportamiento y Actuación de Padres y Madres en el Deporte (ACAPMD) durante la temporada 2016-2017. Además, un total de 176 jugadores completaron el cuestionario Parental Involvement Sports Questionnaire (PISQ). Los resultados muestran que no hay diferencias significativas entre los datos obtenidos por padres y madres. También, señalan que los padres muestran niveles elevados de implicación con el deporte de sus hijos y se muestran interesados en mantener una buena relación paterno-filial. En cambio, no se posicionan a favor de las intervenciones de los padres desde la grada en los partidos de sus hijos

    Protecting and Evaluating Genomic Privacy in Medical Tests and Personalized Medicine

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    In this paper, we propose privacy-enhancing technologies for medical tests and personalized medicine methods that use patients' genomic data. Focusing on genetic disease-susceptibility tests, we develop a new architecture (between the patient and the medical unit) and propose a "privacy-preserving disease susceptibility test" (PDS) by using homomorphic encryption and proxy re-encryption. Assuming the whole genome sequencing to be done by a certified institution, we propose to store patients' genomic data encrypted by their public keys at a "storage and processing unit" (SPU). Our proposed solution lets the medical unit retrieve the encrypted genomic data from the SPU and process it for medical tests and personalized medicine methods, while preserving the privacy of patients' genomic data. We also quantify the genomic privacy of a patient (from the medical unit's point of view) and show how a patient's genomic privacy decreases with the genetic tests he undergoes due to (i) the nature of the genetic test, and (ii) the characteristics of the genomic data. Furthermore, we show how basic policies and obfuscation methods help to keep the genomic privacy of a patient at a high level. We also implement and show, via a complexity analysis, the practicality of PDS

    <i>In Vitro</i> Activity of Squaramides and Acyclic Polyamine Derivatives against Trophozoites and Cysts of <i>Acanthamoeba castellanii</i>

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    Pathogenic strains of Acanthamoeba cause keratitis (AK), granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE), amoebic pneumonitis (AP), and skin infection in human and animals. The treatment of an Acanthamoeba infection is invariably very difficult and not always effective, and compounds that are amebicidic or amebistatic are frequently toxic and/or irritating for humans. Squaramides and polyamine derivatives have been demonstrated to have antitumor and antiprotozoal activity. The aim of this study was to investigate the activity of 5 squaramides and 5 acyclic polyamines against trophozoites and cysts of A. castellanii Neff. Amoebicidal activity against the trophozoites and cytotoxicity against Vero cells were evaluated with a colorimetric assay, using Alamar Blue®, and chlorhexidine digluconate was assayed as the reference drug. The squaramides 3 and 5 and the acyclic polyamine 6 appeared to be the most active against the trophozoites and their cytotoxicity was low, showing selectivity indexes of 28.3, 26, and 25.7, respectively, similar to the control drug, chlorhexidine digluconate (27.6). But only the squaramide 3 showed complete cysticidal activity at the concentrations of 100 and 200 µM, as the chlorhexidine digluconate. Further studies of the mechanism of action and in vivo assays are needed, but squaramide 3 could be used for developing novel therapeutic approaches against Acanthamoeba infections

    Evolutionary, ecological and biotechnological perspectives on plasmids resident in the human gut mobile metagenome

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    Numerous mobile genetic elements (MGE) are associated with the human gut microbiota and collectively referred to as the gut mobile metagenome. The role of this flexible gene pool in development and functioning of the gut microbial community remains largely unexplored, yet recent evidence suggests that at least some MGE comprising this fraction of the gut microbiome reflect the co-evolution of host and microbe in the gastro-intestinal tract. In conjunction, the high level of novel gene content typical of MGE coupled with their predicted high diversity, suggests that the mobile metagenome constitutes an immense and largely unexplored gene-space likely to encode many novel activities with potential biotechnological or pharmaceutical value, as well as being important to the development and functioning of the gut microbiota. Of the various types of MGE that comprise the gut mobile metagenome, plasmids are of particular importance since these elements are often capable of autonomous transfer between disparate bacterial species, and are known to encode accessory functions that increase bacterial fitness in a given environment facilitating bacterial adaptation. In this article current knowledge regarding plasmids resident in the human gut mobile metagenome is reviewed, and available strategies to access and characterize this portion of the gut microbiome are described. The relative merits of these methods and their present as well as prospective impact on our understanding of the human gut microbiota is discussed

    The 2009 edition of the GEISA spectroscopic database

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    The updated 2009 edition of the spectroscopic database GEISA (Gestionet Etudedes Informations Spectroscopiques Atmospheriques ; Management and Study of Atmospheric Spectroscopic Information) is described in this paper. GEISA is a computer-accessible system comprising three independent sub-databases devoted, respectively, to: line parameters, infrared and ultraviolet/visible absorption cross-sections, microphysical and optical properties of atmospheric aerosols. In this edition, 50 molecules are involved in the line parameters sub-database, including 111 isotopologues, for a total of 3,807,997 entries, in the spectral range from 10-6 to 35,877.031cm-1. GEISA, continuously developed and maintained at LMD (Laboratoirede Meteorologie Dynamique, France) since 1976, is implemented on the IPSL/CNRS(France) ‘‘Ether’’ Products and Services Centre WEB site (http://ether.ipsl.jussieu.fr), where all archived spectroscopic data can be handled through general and user friendly associated managements of software facilities. More than 350 researchers are registered for online use of GEISA

    Population pharmacokinetic modelling and evaluation of different dosage regimens for darunavir and ritonavir in HIV-infected individuals

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    Objectives Darunavir is a protease inhibitor that is administered with low-dose ritonavir to enhance its bioavailability. It is prescribed at standard dosage regimens of 600/100 mg twice daily in treatment-experienced patients and 800/100 mg once daily in naive patients. A population pharmacokinetic approach was used to characterize the pharmacokinetics of both drugs and their interaction in a cohort of unselected patients and to compare darunavir exposure expected under alternative dosage regimens. Methods The study population included 105 HIV-infected individuals who provided darunavir and ritonavir plasma concentrations. Firstly, a population pharmacokinetic analysis for darunavir and ritonavir was conducted, with inclusion of patients' demographic, clinical and genetic characteristics as potential covariates (NONMEM®). Then, the interaction between darunavir and ritonavir was studied while incorporating levels of both drugs into different inhibitory models. Finally, model-based simulations were performed to compare trough concentrations (Cmin) between the recommended dosage regimen and alternative combinations of darunavir and ritonavir. Results A one-compartment model with first-order absorption adequately characterized darunavir and ritonavir pharmacokinetics. The between-subject variability in both compounds was important [coefficient of variation (CV%) 34% and 47% for darunavir and ritonavir clearance, respectively]. Lopinavir and ritonavir exposure (AUC) affected darunavir clearance, while body weight and darunavir AUC influenced ritonavir elimination. None of the tested genetic variants showed any influence on darunavir or ritonavir pharmacokinetics. The simulations predicted darunavir Cmin much higher than the IC50 thresholds for wild-type and protease inhibitor-resistant HIV-1 strains (55 and 550 ng/mL, respectively) under standard dosing in >98% of experienced and naive patients. Alternative regimens of darunavir/ritonavir 1200/100 or 1200/200 mg once daily also had predicted adequate Cmin (>550 ng/mL) in 84% and 93% of patients, respectively. Reduction of darunavir/ritonavir dosage to 600/50 mg twice daily led to a 23% reduction in average Cmin, still with only 3.8% of patients having concentrations below the IC50 for resistant strains. Conclusions The important variability in darunavir and ritonavir pharmacokinetics is poorly explained by clinical covariates and genetic influences. In experienced patients, treatment simplification strategies guided by drug level measurements and adherence monitoring could be propose

    Predicting new venture survival and growth: does the fog lift?

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    This paper investigates whether new venture performance becomes easier to predict as the venture ages: does the fog lift? To address this question we primarily draw upon a theoretical framework, initially formulated in a managerial context by Levinthal (Adm Sci Q 36(3):397–420, 1991) that sees new venture sales as a random walk but survival being determined by the stock of available resources (proxied by size). We derive theoretical predictions that are tested with a 10-year cohort of 6579 UK new ventures in the UK. We observe that our ability to predict firm growth deteriorates in the years after entry—in terms of the selection environment, the ‘fog’ seems to thicken. However, our survival predictions improve with time—implying that the ‘fog’ does lift

    The 2015 edition of the GEISA spectroscopic database

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    The GEISA database (Gestion et Etude des Informations Spectroscopiques Atmosphériques: Management and Study of Atmospheric Spectroscopic Information) has been developed and maintained by the ARA/ABC(t) group at LMD since 1974. GEISA is constantly evolving, taking into account the best available spectroscopic data. This paper presents the 2015 release of GEISA (GEISA-2015), which updates the last edition of 2011 and celebrates the 40th anniversary of the database. Significant updates and additions have been implemented in the three following independent databases of GEISA. The “line parameters database” contains 52 molecular species (118 isotopologues) and transitions in the spectral range from 10−6 to 35,877.031 cm−1, representing 5,067,351 entries, against 3,794,297 in GEISA-2011. Among the previously existing molecules, 20 molecular species have been updated. A new molecule (SO3) has been added. HDO, isotopologue of H2O, is now identified as an independent molecular species. Seven new isotopologues have been added to the GEISA-2015 database. The “cross section sub-database” has been enriched by the addition of 43 new molecular species in its infrared part, 4 molecules (ethane, propane, acetone, acetonitrile) are also updated; they represent 3% of the update. A new section is added, in the near-infrared spectral region, involving 7 molecular species: CH3CN, CH3I, CH3O2, H2CO, HO2, HONO, NH3. The “microphysical and optical properties of atmospheric aerosols sub-database” has been updated for the first time since 2003. It contains more than 40 species originating from NCAR and 20 from the ARIA archive of Oxford University. As for the previous versions, this new release of GEISA and associated management software facilities are implemented and freely accessible on the AERIS/ESPRI atmospheric chemistry data center website
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