“You have 60 minutes to do what you can’t do in real life. You can be violent”: young athletes’ perceptions of violence in sport

Various forms of violence against youth are documented in sport. To date, young athletes’ perceptions of violence in sport remain relatively unstudied. The objective of this study was to examine how violence and its various manifestations in sport have been understood by young athletes. In total, 60 athletes from a variety of sports and ages (12–17 years old) participated in nine semi-structured focus groups. The interview data were submitted to a thematic analysis using NVivo. Results obtained showed that various motivations for participating in sport influenced the ways in which young athletes addressed violence in this context. Additionally, the findings showed that violence in sport is a concept that young athletes partially understand. Even if most of them described various forms of violence in sport, some forms were misunderstood or have not been addressed at all. Finally, young athletes provided their own explanations of this issue in sport. From their perspective, violence in sport can be seen as part of the sport, a strategy to achieve competitive success on the field, a protective mechanism or a result of the valorisation of violence in sport by peers, parents, coaches and sport organisations. Considering that some young athletes normalised violence in sport, it seems crucial to make prevention efforts targeting social norms in sport

Biobanks in Europe: Prospects for Harmonisation and Networking

Biobanks (i.e. the organised collections consisting of biological samples and associated data, have gained great significance for research and personalised medicine) are increasingly recognised as a crucial infrastructure for research. However, at the same time the widely varied practices in biobanking regarding for example collection, storage and consent procedures may also pose a barrier to cross-border research and collaboration by limiting access to samples and data. In this context, a recent study indicates that the limited sharing and linkage of samples is a key barrier for research, such as pharmacogenetics. Wide variation is observed in the implementation of relevant existing regulation, which may add further burden to harnessing the public health benefit of these collections. Therefore, it has been suggested that there is a strong need for a harmonised approach on biobanking practices and improved networking of existing and new collections. This Report shows information on the extent of biobanking in Europe, collected through a survey of existing European biobanks regarding both technical aspects (e.g. storage conditions) and aspects of governance and ethics (e.g. sample and data sharing, consent procedures, collaborations etc.). In total, 126 biobanks from 23 countries in Europe were surveyed. Significant lack of harmonisation has been found, especially in the legal aspects (e.g. data protection, consent). This may be partly attributed to the varied interpretation and implementation of EC directives covering aspects of biobanking by national authorities. One of the main complications is that, although the field of data protection is harmonised through the EC directive on data protection, the collection, storage, and sharing of samples is not. Furthermore, in countries that have introduced special biobanks acts it is not always clear where the borderline lies between the scope of these acts and that of the Directive. Indeed, according to the survey, biobanks within the same country reported different practices, suggesting that the problems of harmonization might be higher than expected and claimed. Not only are there different national laws, but apparently within EU member states biobanks do not implement homogenous practices on privacy and data protection issues. Desk research and expert interviews were done to complete the picture presented by the survey. Experts widely recognised the need to improve collaboration and networking among the numerous existing biobanks, as well as new initiatives in Europe (and world-wide). Efficient organisation of these resources through the development, for example, of an infrastructure would potentially facilitate financial sustainability and greatly contribute to the rapid progress of research and development of better diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. The most favoured model involved the development of a virtual biobank that would allow networking of biobanks across different countries and centralisation of data rather than samples. However, several organisational challenges (wide variation in biospecimen collection, storage techniques, data comparability, etc.) may hamper such an effort. The lack of uniform regulatory and ethical requirements and/or practices may pose an additional barrier. The European Commission has already recognised the importance of international biobank projects and many of them have been funded and established in the context of the EU Framework Programmes. To help promote networking of biobanks and thus maximise public health benefits, at least some degree of harmonisation must be achieved. Whether this should be achieved solely at the level of legal/regulatory requirements and practices and/or by technical standardisation requires further investigation. Experts suggested the establishment of an international (rathen than just a European) umbrella (or network) organization, which would establish common operating procedures.JRC.DDG.J.2-The economics of climate change, energy and transpor

A Primer of Picture-Aided Navigation in Mobile Systems

The goal of this paper is to present a new concept regarding the way of explaining itineraries based on pictures in mobile systems. Instead of presenting a map, or a list of words, an original method is proposed based on a picture database and handheld devices. Knowing the exact position of the user, the system will sent him regularly pictures of the way where to go. This system is especially targeted not for drivers but for pedestrians essentially in tourist cities. In order to reach this objective, pictures were taken along each street both ways. Thus, a picture database was built for which the more common query is to compute the minimum path for going from one place to another. The result format is initially presented as a sequence of nodes and edges; then this sequence is transformed into a sequence of pictures. Those pictures are then sent to the user according to his position and his pace. In order to help the user, the pictures are decorated with arrows.This presentation is based on two prototypes made within a French-Argentinean collaboration.Trabajo publicado en Lecture Notes in Geoinformation and Cartography book seriesLaboratorio de Investigación y Formación en Informática Avanzad

Vital NETosis vs. suicidal NETosis during normal pregnancy and preeclampsia

Background: NETosis occurs in the context of infection or inflammation and results in the expulsion of decondensed DNA filaments called NETs (Neutrophil Extracellular Traps) into the extracellular environment. NETosis activates coagulation and contributes to the thrombotic risk of inflammatory diseases. To date, two mechanisms of NETosis have been identified: suicidal NETosis, in which neutrophils die after expelling the filaments; and vital NETosis, in which expulsion appears without altering the membrane. Human pregnancy is associated with a mild pro-inflammatory state, which is increased in the event of complications such as preeclampsia (PE). NETosis has been observed in these situations, but the mechanism of its production has not yet been studied. The aim of our study was to evaluate the balance of vital vs. suicidal NETosis in normal pregnancy and in PE.Patients/Methods: Neutrophils from healthy volunteers were stimulated with plasma from normal pregnancies (n = 13) and from women developing preeclampsia (n = 13). Immunofluorescent labelling was performed to determine the percentages and origin of NETs in both groups. Inhibition with suicidal or vital NETosis inhibitors was also performed to validate our results.Results: We found a significant increase in NETs in women with PE compared to women with normal pregnancies. We showed that vital and non-vital NETosis are present in normal and preeclamptic pregnancies. We demonstrated that the higher proportion of NETs observed in PE was due to non-vital NETosis whose main component is represented by suicidal NETosis.Discussion: These results suggest the important part of non-vital NETosis in the pathophysiology of PE

Sex- and Diet-Specific Changes of Imprinted Gene Expression and DNA Methylation in Mouse Placenta under a High-Fat Diet

Changes in imprinted gene dosage in the placenta may compromise the prenatal control of nutritional resources. Indeed monoallelic behaviour and sensitivity to changes in regional epigenetic state render imprinted genes both vulnerable and adaptable

Femmes en formation professionnelle menant à l'exercice d'un métier traditionnellement masculin : une étude qualitative de l'expérience scolaire dans une perspective féministe

RÉSUMÉ: Au Québec, l'intégration des femmes à des métiers traditionnellement masculins est une préoccupation constante depuis les années 1970. Depuis, diverses politiques ont été mises en place pour encourager les femmes à investir les domaines professionnels traditionnellement masculins. Toutefois, malgré les discours ambiants exprimant la liberté de choisir pour tous, la division sexuelle du travail est toujours bien présente et ce clivage marginalise majoritairement les femmes. De plus, en regard aux études effectuées, il semble que les femmes connaissent encore d'importants obstacles à leur intégration professionnelle à des métiers masculins. Face à ce constat, c'est précisément la division sexuelle des domaines de formation, malgré le phénomène de la féminisation des études depuis quelques décennies, qui est abordée dans ce mémoire. Cette segmentation est présente à tous les niveaux de formation, mais accentuée à la formation professionnelle, reléguant les femmes à des domaines menant à des emplois sous-valorisés. Dans une approche qualitative/interprétative et dans une perspective féministe, le vécu scolaire de sept femmes inscrites à un programme de formation professionnelle menant à l'exercice d'un métier traditionnellement masculin est abordé comme une expérience subjective et le fruit de choix individuels, mais non exempt de déterminismes sociaux, notamment ceux relevant des catégories sociales de sexe. S'appuyant sur une analyse thématique de sept entretiens individuels semi-dirigés, les objectifs de recherche de ce mémoire sont de décrire leur parcours scolaire, incluant les motivations liées au choix de carrière, leur expérience quotidienne, les obstacles et les sources de soutien, et leurs perceptions du caractère sexuellement stéréotypé de leur domaine. Malgré le fait qu'elles expriment une grande satisfaction face à leur expérience scolaire, les résultats obtenus démontrent que les obstacles auxquels font face ces femmes depuis les dernières décennies évoluent très lentement. En effet, leurs discours révèlent la présence de nombreuses inégalités basées sur le sexe, notamment en rapport à leur choix de carrière, au soutien reçu de leur entourage, aux compétences à acquérir et à leur future insertion professionnelle. -- Mots clés : métier non traditionnel, formation professionnelle, rapports sociaux de sexe, étude féministe, expérience scolaire, parcours scolaire. --ABSTRACT: In Quebec, the issue of the integration of women in traditionally male professions is a constant concern since the 1970s. Since then, various policies have been put in place to encourage women to invest those professions. However, despile the ambient statement ex pressing the freedom to choose for all, the sexual division of labor is always present and women are predominantly marginalizes. In addition, the conclusions of anterior studies show that women still face considerable barriers to their integration in male occupations. Given this fact, il is precisely the sexual division of field training, despile the phenomenon of the feminization of education over the last few decades, which is discussed in this paper. This segmentation is present at all levels of education, but emphasized at the vocational education, relegating women toward undervalued jobs in a qualitative/interpretive and feminist perspective, the school experiences of seven women currently studying in a vocational training program leading to a traditionally male occupation is approached as a subjective experience and the result of individual choices, but not exempt from social determinants, including those covered by social categories of sex. Based on a thematic analysis of seven individual semi-structured interviews, the research objectives are to describe their school career, including motivations related to career choices, their daily experience, the obstacles and the sources of support, and their perceptions of the sexually stereotyped characteristics of their field of study. Although they express great satisfaction about their school experience, the results show that the barriers facing women are changing very slowly. Indeed, their comments reveal the presence of many inequalilies based on gender, particularly in relation to their career choice, the support received from their entourage, the skills to be acquired and for their future professional integration. -- Keywords: Non-Tradilional Occupation, Vocational Education, Gender, Feminist Study, Educational Experience, School Career

Which type of repetitive muscle contractions induce a greater acute impairment of position sense?

The objective of this study was to determine which type of repetitive muscle contractions induces a greater acute impairment of elbow position sense. Eleven male subjects participating in the study underwent (i) a fatigue task (FT) consisting of 9 sets of 10 voluntary isometric, concentric, or eccentric contractions randomly performed on three separate sessions, and (ii) pre- and post-treatment maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVC). Prior to and between sets of FT, a proprioception task (PT) consisting of matching the right arm to the left reference arm was performed at three different target angular positions (70°, 110° and 150°). Each set was immediately followed by 3 PT and 1 minute rest. The statistical analysis revealed that post-treatment MVCs were significantly decreased compared to pre-treatment MVC in all conditions with a greater drop following the eccentric session. Despite this greater drop, position sense was only significantly affected by the concentric exercise session. In addition, matching errors tended to be larger at 110° compared to the other angles. The results showed that concentric muscle contractions impaired position sense in the midrange angle of the elbow joint and this should be taken into consideration when designing proprioception rehabilitation programs

Des femmes dans des mondes d’hommes : Regard sur l’expérience scolaire et apports d’une perspective féministe

Au Québec, l’intégration des femmes aux métiers traditionnellement masculins est une préoccupation, constante depuis plusieurs décennies, qui se traduit notamment par la mise en place de différentes politiques d’égalité. Toutefois, malgré les discours officiels exprimant l’accès égal pour tous à tous les domaines professionnels, la division sexuelle du monde du travail est toujours bien présente. Cette segmentation s’observe aussi dans le monde scolaire, à tous les niveaux de formation, mais il semble qu’elle soit particulièrement marquée à la formation professionnelle au secondaire, reléguant les femmes à des domaines professionnels où les emplois sont souvent sous-valorisés. Devant ce constat, c’est dans une approche qualitative/interprétative et dans une perspective féministe que l’expérience scolaire de sept femmes inscrites à un programme de formation professionnelle au secondaire menant à l’exercice d’un métier traditionnellement masculin est examinée. S’appuyant sur une analyse thématique d’entretiens individuels semi-dirigés, les données présentées suggèrent, malgré une appréciation généralement positive de leur expérience, que les obstacles rencontrés par ces femmes dans les dernières décennies s’aplanissent bien lentement. En effet, leurs discours révèlent la présence de nombreuses inégalités basées sur le sexe et montrent que leur intégration aux groupes scolaires majoritairement masculins constitue encore un défi pour elles