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

How reliable are Hanle measurements in metals in a three-terminal geometry?

We test the validity of Hanle measurements in three-terminal devices by using aluminum (Al) and gold (Au). The obtained Hanle and inverted Hanle-like curves show an anomalous behavior. First, we measure Hanle signals 8 orders of magnitude larger than those predicted by standard theory. Second, the temperature and voltage dependences of the signal do not match with the tunneling spin polarization of the ferromagnetic contact. Finally, the spin relaxation times obtained with this method are independent of the choice of the metallic channel. These results are not compatible with spin accumulation in the metal. Furthermore, a scaling of the Hanle signal with the interface resistance of the devices suggests that the measured signal is originated in the tunnel junction.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure

Ultrastructural Features of Apoptosis

Apoptosis is a gene-directed physiological and programmed process of cell deletion aimed at the regulation of tissue and organ development. It affects different cell types and is triggered by a variety of stimuli all inducing closely comparable structural changes. Despite the deeply different morphology and metabolism of the cell models and the various inducers and their initial effects, a convergence seems to take place in a common metabolic pathway that, in most cases, involves the activation of a Ca2+ dependent endonuclease. A growing body of data is now available on the molecular events that lead to DNA damage. DNA cleavage in nucleosomic or oligonucleosomic fragments is related to the appearance of unusual and very characteristic ultrastructural changes. The nucleus is especially affected, and shows chromatin rearrangements consisting of cup-shaped marginations, sharply separated from diffuse chromatin areas. Nuclear fragmentation subsequently appears, finally followed by the formation of numerous micronuclei. Cytoplasmic damage appears at a very late stage and the process takes place despite good preservation of plasma membrane and cytoplasm

Awake Da Vinci robotic partial nephrectomy: First case report ever in a situation of need

We report a unique case of a robotic partial nephrectomy performed under continuous spinal anesthesia (CSA). A 63-year-old woman, active smoker with mild obesity and previous right pneumonectomy, was diagnosed with a growing 5.5-cm renal right cystic tumor. Being at high risk for general anesthesia, a loco-regional approach was indicated. Therefore, after multidisciplinary discussion, a robotic-assisted partial nephrectomy under CSA was considered mandatory. After T4-T5 sensory and motor block, retroperitoneoscopic robot-assisted surgery was successfully performed. Postoperative period was uneventful, with optimal pain control. This unique case demonstrates the feasibility of robotic surgery under CSA, for imperative indications

Room-temperature air-stable spin transport in bathocuproine-based spin valves

Organic semiconductors, characterized by weak spin-scattering mechanisms, are attractive materials for those spintronic applications in which the spin information needs to be retained for long times. Prototypical spin-valve devices employing organic interlayers sandwiched between ferromagnetic materials possess a figure of merit (magnetoresistance (MR)) comparable to their fully inorganic counterparts. However, these results are a matter of debate as the conductivity of the devices does not show the expected temperature dependence. Here we show spin valves with an interlayer of bathocuproine in which the transport takes place unambiguously through the organic layer and where the electron spin coherence is maintained over large distances (>60 nm) at room temperature. Additionally, the devices show excellent air stability, with MR values almost unaltered after 70 days of storage under ambient conditions, making bathocuproine an interesting material for future spintronic applications.Fil: Sun, Xiangnan. CIC nanoGUNE; EspañaFil: Gobbi, Marco. Université de Strasbourg; Francia. CIC nanoGUNE; EspañaFil: Bedoya Pinto, Amilcar. CIC nanoGUNE; EspañaFil: Txoperena, Oihana. CIC nanoGUNE; EspañaFil: Golmar, Federico. CIC nanoGUNE; España. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Industrial; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Llopis, Roger. CIC nanoGUNE; EspañaFil: Chuvilin, Andrey. CIC nanoGUNE; España. Fundación Vasca para la Ciencia; EspañaFil: Casanova, Félix. CIC nanoGUNE; España. Fundación Vasca para la Ciencia; EspañaFil: Hueso, Luis E.. CIC nanoGUNE; España. Fundación Vasca para la Ciencia; Españ