Correlation between physical activity and sedentary behavior with healthy and unhealthy behaviors in Italy and Tuscan region: a cross sectional study

Introduction. Regular physical activity (PA) has associated with various positive health aspects such as a decreased risk of chronic or generic illnesses, furthermore, a sedentary lifestyle has been asso- ciated with health problems such as obesity. To examine the rela- tionship between patterns of PA, screen-based media use (SBM) and social health indicators within a specific demographic group and highlight the regional vs. national differences in these relationships. Methods. The data is drawn from the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC) database, a national cross-sec- tional survey in a representative sample (N = 3920) of students aged 11-13-15 years and compared to those of the Tuscan region (N = 3381). Variables considered other than PA and SBM use includes positive health indicators such as physical health status, quality of family and peer relationships, fruit consumption, break- fast consumption as well as negative health indicators, such as health complaints, smoking and alcohol use. Results. Some positive health indicators showed a positive cor- relation with PA. Students adopting healthy behaviours often met the Physical Activity Guide Line (PAGL). On the contrary, negative health indicators were associated with PAGL in a neg- ative way. In general SBM was positively related to several of the negative health indicators and vice versa. SBM was related in a positive fashion to tobacco use that repre- sents a protective factor. Discussion. The results show that met PAGL is associated with positive health indicators and that high levels of SBM use is asso- ciated with negative health indicators. The study also emphasizes the relationship between PA, SBM use and social factors. Increas- ing PA and decreasing SBM use should be an aim in general health behaviour promotion

The Relationship between Population Structure and Aluminum Tolerance in Cultivated Sorghum

Background: Acid soils comprise up to 50% of the world's arable lands and in these areas aluminum (Al) toxicity impairs root growth, strongly limiting crop yield. Food security is thereby compromised in many developing countries located in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. In sorghum, SbMATE, an Al-activated citrate transporter, underlies the Alt(SB) locus on chromosome 3 and confers Al tolerance via Al-activated root citrate release. Methodology: Population structure was studied in 254 sorghum accessions representative of the diversity present in cultivated sorghums. Al tolerance was assessed as the degree of root growth inhibition in nutrient solution containing Al. A genetic analysis based on markers flanking Alt(SB) and SbMATE expression was undertaken to assess a possible role for Alt(SB) in Al tolerant accessions. In addition, the mode of gene action was estimated concerning the Al tolerance trait. Comparisons between models that include population structure were applied to assess the importance of each subpopulation to Al tolerance. Conclusion/Significance: Six subpopulations were revealed featuring specific racial and geographic origins. Al tolerance was found to be rather rare and present primarily in guinea and to lesser extent in caudatum subpopulations. Alt(SB) was found to play a role in Al tolerance in most of the Al tolerant accessions. A striking variation was observed in the mode of gene action for the Al tolerance trait, which ranged from almost complete recessivity to near complete dominance, with a higher frequency of partially recessive sources of Al tolerance. A possible interpretation of our results concerning the origin and evolution of Al tolerance in cultivated sorghum is discussed. This study demonstrates the importance of deeply exploring the crop diversity reservoir both for a comprehensive view of the dynamics underlying the distribution and function of Al tolerance genes and to design efficient molecular breeding strategies aimed at enhancing Al tolerance.CGIAR[G3007.04]McKnight FoundationFundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG)National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq

Phytolith Analysis for Differentiating between Foxtail Millet (Setaria italica) and Green Foxtail (Setaria viridis)

Foxtail millet (Setaria italica) is one of the oldest domesticated cereal crops in Eurasia, but identifying foxtail millets, especially in charred grains, and differentiating it from its wild ancestor, green foxtail (Setaria viridis), in the archaeobotanical remains, is still problematic. Phytolithic analysis provides a meaningful method for identifying this important crop. In this paper, the silicon structure patterns in the glumes, lemmas, and paleas from inflorescence bracts in 16 modern plants of foxtail millet and green foxtail from China and Europe are examined using light microscopy with phase-contrast and a microscopic interferometer. Our research shows that the silicon structure of ΩIII from upper lemmas and paleas in foxtail millet and green foxtail can be correspondingly divided into two groups. The size of ΩIII type phytolith of foxtail millet is bigger than that from green foxtail. Discriminant function analysis reveals that 78.4% of data on foxtail millet and 76.9% of data on green foxtail are correctly classified. This means certain morphotypes of phytoliths are relatively reliable tools for distinguishing foxtail millet from green foxtail. Our results also revealed that the husk phytolith morphologies of foxtail millets from China and Eastern Europe are markedly different from those from Western Europe. Our research gives a meaningful method of separating foxtail millet and green foxtail. The implications of these findings for understanding the history of foxtail millet domestication and cultivation in ancient civilizations are significant

Development and validation of a model to predict the 10-year risk of general practitioner-recorded COPD

There is increasing interest in the earlier detection of, and intervention in, patients at highest risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).status: publishe

Comparative evolutionary genetics of deleterious load in sorghum and maize

Sorghum and maize share a close evolutionary history that can be explored through comparative genomics1,2. To perform a large-scale comparison of the genomic variation between these two species, we analysed ~13 million variants identi- fied from whole-genome resequencing of 499 sorghum lines together with 25 million variants previously identified in 1,218 maize lines. Deleterious mutations in both species were prev- alent in pericentromeric regions, enriched in non-syntenic genes and present at low allele frequencies. A comparison of deleterious burden between sorghum and maize revealed that sorghum, in contrast to maize, departed from the domestication-cost hypothesis that predicts a higher deleterious burden among domesticates compared with wild lines. Additionally, sorghum and maize population genetic summary statistics were used to predict a gene deleterious index with an accuracy greater than 0.5. This research represents a key step towards understanding the evolutionary dynamics of deleterious variants in sorghum and provides a comparative genomics framework to start prioritizing these variants for removal through genome editing and breeding

Global patient outcomes after elective surgery: prospective cohort study in 27 low-, middle- and high-income countries.

BACKGROUND: As global initiatives increase patient access to surgical treatments, there remains a need to understand the adverse effects of surgery and define appropriate levels of perioperative care. METHODS: We designed a prospective international 7-day cohort study of outcomes following elective adult inpatient surgery in 27 countries. The primary outcome was in-hospital complications. Secondary outcomes were death following a complication (failure to rescue) and death in hospital. Process measures were admission to critical care immediately after surgery or to treat a complication and duration of hospital stay. A single definition of critical care was used for all countries. RESULTS: A total of 474 hospitals in 19 high-, 7 middle- and 1 low-income country were included in the primary analysis. Data included 44 814 patients with a median hospital stay of 4 (range 2-7) days. A total of 7508 patients (16.8%) developed one or more postoperative complication and 207 died (0.5%). The overall mortality among patients who developed complications was 2.8%. Mortality following complications ranged from 2.4% for pulmonary embolism to 43.9% for cardiac arrest. A total of 4360 (9.7%) patients were admitted to a critical care unit as routine immediately after surgery, of whom 2198 (50.4%) developed a complication, with 105 (2.4%) deaths. A total of 1233 patients (16.4%) were admitted to a critical care unit to treat complications, with 119 (9.7%) deaths. Despite lower baseline risk, outcomes were similar in low- and middle-income compared with high-income countries. CONCLUSIONS: Poor patient outcomes are common after inpatient surgery. Global initiatives to increase access to surgical treatments should also address the need for safe perioperative care. STUDY REGISTRATION: ISRCTN5181700

Determining the usability of computer input devices by Parkinson’s disease sufferers

Parkinson’s disease (PD) causes a range of possibly disabling symptoms. The combination of these symptoms impairs a PD sufferer’s mobility and makes it difficult to use household appliances and devices, such as telephones, television sets and microwave ovens.1 PD sufferers often lose their communication skills, are isolated and become bored. Because the PD sufferer is not mentally disabled, this isolation often leads to frustration and depression.2 Over the past few years, computers have proven to be an excellent tool to mentally stimulate the computer user and assist with communication. The Internet has evolved and enabled likeminded people to form virtual communities, helping people who were previously isolated and unable to interact socially to communicate using their computers.3 Computers can help PD sufferers in various ways. The two most significant ways are assisting with communication, especially taking part in Internet communities, and providing mental stimulation. In order for PD sufferers to gain the benefit of using a computer, they need to be able to use the computer. The ability to use a computer is a skill that can be measured accurately by means of usability tests. The standard keyboard and mouse, which are devices that everybody is familiar with, were used for testing after setting their sensitivities with the Windows® Accessibility options, allowing the user more control over both.4 The special keyboard is a modified standard keyboard that is covered by a key guide. The key guide shields the keyboard, allowing the user to rest his/her hands on the keyboard without pressing any keys. The guide has finger holes corresponding to the keys on the keyboard, allowing the user to press the keys. The joystick used for testing was a Microsoft® Sidewinder® Force Feedback 2 joystick. It allows for the setting of various resistant forces, pressing against or guiding the user’s hand in a chosen direction.SA Fam Pract 2005;47(1) 58-5

Afrikaans 2B (Vraestel 1)

Exam paper for second semester B.A. Graa

A Highly Scalable Monitoring Tool for Wi-Fi Networks

The paper introduces a monitoring tool that was designed for an existing network of Wi-Fi hotspots. This was done by adding data collection and visualization components to the existing network. Syslog protocol was used for data collection and left running for two months monitoring network’s performance. Google Maps was used for Visualizing overall network’s performance. The tool was tested with experts and it was compared to existing monitoring tools and It was found that the monitoring tool was more scalable and effective than traditional monitoring tools