Validity of a contact mat and accelerometric system to assess countermovement jump from flight time

Countermovement jump (CMJ) height is an important parameter in physical performance. This study compared CMJ height measured using ChronoJump contact mat (CJ) and Myotest accelerometer (MT) systems with a force platform (FP). Thirty recreationally active adults (32.1 ± 10.4 years, 75.9 ± 12.0 kg, 173.2 ± 6.3 cm) completed a CMJ protocol where height was simultaneously recorded using the three systems. CJ and MT measures were strongly and significant correlated (r = 0.65, 0.66, respectively; p  0.05), yet MT-derived measures were significantly different from those obtained using the FP (p < 0.05). Systematic bias was observed between FP and the CJ and between FP and MT. This study demonstrates the validity of CJ and MT systems for the assessment of CMJ height. Systematic bias and between-device differences in measurement should be considered when interpreting and comparing data from these devices

Sodium fraction excretion rate in nocturnal enuresis correlates with nocturnal polyuria and osmolality

Abstract: Purpose: We verify the sodium fraction excretion rate (FE Na) and potassium fraction excretion WE K) rates in monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis. We also correlate FE Na and FE K to urinary osmolality, nocturnal polyuria and vasopressin in the same population. Materials and Methods: A total of 438 children 6 to 15 years old (mean age 9.7) presenting with monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis were recruited from different centers. Inclusion criteria were 3 or greater wet nights a week, no daytime incontinence and no treatment in the previous 2 months. Exclusion criteria were cardiopathy, endocrinopathy, psychiatric problems and urinary tract abnormalities. Micturition chart, diurnal (8 am to 8 pm) and nocturnal (8 pm to 8 am) urine collection, including separate diuresis volumes, (Na, K and Ca) electrolytes and osmolality were evaluated, as well as serum electrolytes, creatinine and nocturnal (4 am) vasopressin. Diurnal and nocturnal FE K and FE Na were calculated. ANOVA test, chi-square test, Student's t test and Pearson correlation test were used for statistical analysis. Results: Nocturnal polyuria (diurnal to nocturnal diuresis ratio less than 1) was found in 273 children (62.3%, group I and nocturnal urine volumes were normal in 165 with enuresis (37.7%, group 2). Nocturnal FE Na was abnormal in 179 children (40.8%), including 118 in group 1 (43.2%) and 61 in group 2 (36.9%) (chi-square not significant). FE Na was also increased in nocturnal versus daytime diuresis (Student's t test p < 0.001). In group 1 nocturnal FE Na correlated with nocturnal diuresis (Pearson correlation p = 0.003, r = +0.175), while daytime FE Na and nocturnal FE Na correlated with diurnal diuresis (Pearson correlation p = 0.001, r = +0.225 and Pearson correlation p = 0.001, r = +0.209, respectively). In group 2 nocturnal FE Na did not correlate with diuresis (Pearson correlation p = 0.103, r = +0.128) but correlated with vasopressin values (Pearson correlation p = 0.042, r = -0.205). Urine osmolality was reduced in 140 children (31.9%) and correlated with nocturnal diuresis (Pearson correlation p = 0.003, r = -0.321). Vasopressin was decreased in 332 children (75.8%, 62.6% in group 1 and 13.2% in group 2). No significant difference was found between sexes and age of enuretic subgroups. Conclusions: Nocturnal FE Na correlates with nocturnal diuresis, whereas daytime FE Na does not. FE K in daytime and nighttime diuresis does not statistically differ in nocturnal polyuric and nonpolyuric enuretic groups. Osmolality correlates with nocturnal diuresis, and vasopressin at 4 am was lower in the nocturnal polyuric group. The hypothesis of a subset of enuretic patients presenting with nocturnal polyuria associated with high nocturnal natriuria and low vasopressin values has been confirmed

Star-forming galaxies versus low- and high-excitation radio AGN in the VLA-COSMOS 3GHz Large Project

We study the composition of the faint radio population selected from the VLA-COSMOS 3GHz Large Project, a radio continuum survey performed at 10 cm wavelength. The survey covers the full 2 square degree COSMOS field with mean $rms\sim2.3$ $\mu$Jy/beam, cataloging 10,899 source components above $5\times rms$. By combining these radio data with UltraVISTA, optical, near-infrared, and Spitzer/IRAC mid-infrared data, as well as X-ray data from the Chandra Legacy, and Chandra COSMOS surveys, we gain insight into the emission mechanisms within our radio sources out to redshifts of $z\sim5$. From these emission characteristics we classify our souces as star forming galaxies or AGN. Using their multi-wavelength properties we further separate the AGN into sub-samples dominated by radiatively efficient and inefficient AGN, often referred to as high- and low-excitation emission line AGN. We compare our method with other results based on fitting of the sources' spectral energy distributions using both galaxy and AGN spectral models, and those based on the infrared-radio correlation. We study the fractional contributions of these sub-populations down to radio flux levels of $\sim$10 $\mu$Jy. We find that at 3 GHz flux densities above $\sim$400 $\mu$Jy quiescent, red galaxies, consistent with the low-excitation radio AGN class constitute the dominant fraction. Below densities of $\sim$200 $\mu$Jy star-forming galaxies begin to constitute the largest fraction, followed by the low-excitation, and X-ray- and IR-identified high-excitation radio AGN.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, The many facets of extragalactic radio surveys: towards new scientific challenges, Bologna 20-23 October 201

Herschel Far-IR counterparts of SDSS galaxies: Analysis of commonly used Star Formation Rate estimates

We study a hundred of galaxies from the spectroscopic Sloan Digital Sky Survey with individual detections in the Far-Infrared Herschel PACS bands (100 or 160 $\mu$m) and in the GALEX Far-UltraViolet band up to z$\sim$0.4 in the COSMOS and Lockman Hole fields. The galaxies are divided into 4 spectral and 4 morphological types. For the star forming and unclassifiable galaxies we calculate dust extinctions from the UV slope, the H$\alpha$/H$\beta$ ratio and the $L_{\rm IR}/L_{\rm UV}$ ratio. There is a tight correlation between the dust extinction and both $L_{\rm IR}$ and metallicity. We calculate SFR$_{total}$ and compare it with other SFR estimates (H$\alpha$, UV, SDSS) finding a very good agreement between them with smaller dispersions than typical SFR uncertainties. We study the effect of mass and metallicity, finding that it is only significant at high masses for SFR$_{H\alpha}$. For the AGN and composite galaxies we find a tight correlation between SFR and L$_{IR}$ ($\sigma\sim$0.29), while the dispersion in the SFR - L$_{UV}$ relation is larger ($\sigma\sim$0.57). The galaxies follow the prescriptions of the Fundamental Plane in the M-Z-SFR space.Comment: 24 pages, 23 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Compton Thick AGN in the XMM-COSMOS survey

Heavily obscured, Compton Thick (CT, NH>10^24 cm^-2) AGN may represent an important phase in AGN/galaxy co-evolution and are expected to provide a significant contribution to the cosmic X-ray background (CXB). Through direct X-ray spectra analysis, we selected 39 heavily obscured AGN (NH>3x10^23 cm^-2) in the 2 deg^2 XMM-COSMOS survey. After selecting CT AGN based on the fit of a simple absorbed two power law model to the XMM data, the presence of CT AGN was confirmed in 80% of the sources using deeper Chandra data and more complex models. The final sample of CT AGN comprises 10 sources spanning a large range of redshift and luminosity. We collected the multi-wavelength information available for all these sources, in order to study the distribution of SMBH and host properties, such as BH mass (M_BH), Eddington ratio (\lambda_Edd), stellar mass (M*), specific star formation rate (sSFR) in comparison with a sample of unobscured AGN. We find that highly obscured sources tend to have significantly smaller M_BH and higher \lambda_edd with respect to unobscured ones, while a weaker evolution in M* is observed. The sSFR of highly obscured sources is consistent with the one observed in the main sequence of star forming galaxies, at all redshift. We also present optical spectra, spectral energy distribution (SED) and morphology for the sample of 10 CT AGN: all the available optical spectra are dominated by the stellar component of the host galaxy, and a highly obscured torus component is needed in the SED of the CT sources. Exploiting the high resolution Hubble-ACS images available, we conclude that these highly obscured sources have a significantly larger merger fraction with respect to other X-ray selected samples of AGN. Finally we discuss implications in the context of AGN/galaxy co-evolutionary models, and compare our results with the predictions of CXB synthesis models.Comment: Revised version after referee comments. Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics on 25 November 2014. 23 pages, 2 tables, 16 figure

Increased gyrification in schizophrenia and non affective first episode of psychosis

Prefrontal cortex gyrification has been suggested to be altered in patients with schizophrenia and first episode psychosis. Therefore, it may represent a possible trait marker for these illnesses and an indirect evidence of a disrupted underlying connectivity. The aim of this study was to add further evidence to the existing literature on the role of prefrontal gyrification in psychosis by carrying out a study on a sizeable sample of chronic patients with schizophrenia and non-affective first-episode psychosis (FEP-NA) patients. Methods: Seventy-two patients with schizophrenia, 51 FEP-NA patients (12 who later develop schizophrenia) and 95 healthy controls (HC) underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Cortical folding was quantified using the automated gyrification index (GI). GI values were compared among groups and related to clinical variables. Results: Both FEP-NA and patients with schizophrenia showed a higher mean prefrontal GI compared to HC (all p. <. 0.05). Interestingly, no differences have been observed between the two patients groups as well as between FEP-NA patients who did and did not develop schizophrenia. Conclusions: Our results suggest the presence of a shared aberrant prefrontal GI in subjects with both schizophrenia and first-episode psychosis. These findings support the hypothesis that altered GI represents a neurodevelopmental trait marker for psychosis, which may be involved in the associated neurocognitive deficits

"Even if the test result is negative, they should be able to tell us what is wrong with us": a qualitative study of patient expectations of rapid diagnostic tests for malaria.

BACKGROUND: The debate on rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for malaria has begun to shift from whether RDTs should be used, to how and under what circumstances their use can be optimized. This has increased the need for a better understanding of the complexities surrounding the role of RDTs in appropriate treatment of fever. Studies have focused on clinician practices, but few have sought to understand patient perspectives, beyond notions of acceptability. METHODS: This qualitative study aimed to explore patient and caregiver perceptions and experiences of RDTs following a trial to assess the introduction of the tests into routine clinical care at four health facilities in one district in Ghana. Six focus group discussions and one in-depth interview were carried out with those who had received an RDT with a negative test result. RESULTS: Patients had high expectations of RDTs. They welcomed the tests as aiding clinical diagnoses and as tools that could communicate their problem better than they could, verbally. However, respondents also believed the tests could identify any cause of illness, beyond malaria. Experiences of patients suggested that RDTs were adopted into an existing system where patients are both physically and intellectually removed from diagnostic processes and where clinicians retain authority that supersedes tests and their results. In this situation, patients did not feel able to articulate a demand for test-driven diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Improvements in communication between the health worker and patient, particularly to explain the capabilities of the test and management of RDT negative cases, may both manage patient expectations and promote patient demand for test-driven diagnoses

Observing Supermassive Black Holes across cosmic time: from phenomenology to physics

In the last decade, a combination of high sensitivity, high spatial resolution observations and of coordinated multi-wavelength surveys has revolutionized our view of extra-galactic black hole (BH) astrophysics. We now know that supermassive black holes reside in the nuclei of almost every galaxy, grow over cosmological times by accreting matter, interact and merge with each other, and in the process liberate enormous amounts of energy that influence dramatically the evolution of the surrounding gas and stars, providing a powerful self-regulatory mechanism for galaxy formation. The different energetic phenomena associated to growing black holes and Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN), their cosmological evolution and the observational techniques used to unveil them, are the subject of this chapter. In particular, I will focus my attention on the connection between the theory of high-energy astrophysical processes giving rise to the observed emission in AGN, the observable imprints they leave at different wavelengths, and the methods used to uncover them in a statistically robust way. I will show how such a combined effort of theorists and observers have led us to unveil most of the SMBH growth over a large fraction of the age of the Universe, but that nagging uncertainties remain, preventing us from fully understating the exact role of black holes in the complex process of galaxy and large-scale structure formation, assembly and evolution.Comment: 46 pages, 21 figures. This review article appears as a chapter in the book: "Astrophysical Black Holes", Haardt, F., Gorini, V., Moschella, U and Treves A. (Eds), 2015, Springer International Publishing AG, Cha