29 research outputs found
The influence of physical activity performed at 20-40 years of age on cardiovascular outcomes in medical patients aged 65-75
Summary Introduction Several studies show that physical activity can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, but the vast majority of these focus on the short- to intermediate-term benefits or refer to very specific populations. This observational study was conducted to determine whether physical activity performed during the third or fourth decade of life influences the occurrence of cardiovascular events in patients aged 65-75 years. Materials and methods We studied a cohort of 2191 unselected patients admitted to Internal Medicine Departments. Data were collected on the patients' medical history and their physical activity level when they were 20 to 40 years old. For the latter purpose, we used a specific questionnaire to assess the levels of physical activity related to the patients' job, daily life, leisure time, and sports. Results Almost half (44.2%) of the patients we evaluated reported moderate-intense physical activity when they were 20-40 years old. Around one third (35.8%) of the patients had experienced at least one major cardiovascular event, and there was a slight trend towards fewer cardiovascular events in patients with histories of physical activity (mean risk reduction: 4%, multivariate analysis). More evident benefits were observed in the subgroup of patients with diabetes, where cardiovascular outcomes were much better in patients who had been physically active than in those with sedentary life-styles (mean risk reduction: 24%). Conclusions Given its design, our study may have underestimated the cardiovascular benefits of physical activity. Nonetheless, our results suggest that moderate-intense exercise during young adulthood may have limited beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease in old age, except in specific high-risk populations (diabetic patients). More evident benefits are probably associated with regular physical activity throughout life
, and the neutrino mass hierarchy at a double baseline Li/B -Beam
We consider a -Beam facility where Li and B ions are
accelerated at , accumulated in a 10 Km storage ring and let
decay, so as to produce intense and beams. These beams
illuminate two iron detectors located at Km and
Km, respectively. The physics potential of this setup is analysed in full
detail as a function of the flux. We find that, for the highest flux ( ion decays per year per baseline), the sensitivity to
reaches ; the sign of
the atmospheric mass difference can be identified, regardless of the true
hierarchy, for ; and, CP-violation
can be discovered in 70% of the -parameter space for , having some sensitivity to CP-violation down to
for .Comment: 35 pages, 20 figures. Minor changes, matches the published versio
Low emission development strategies in agriculture. An agriculture, forestry, and other land uses (AFOLU) perspective
As countries experience economic growth and choose among available development pathways, they are in a favorable position to adopt natural resource use technologies and production practices that favor efficient use of inputs, healthy soils, and ecosystems. Current emphasis on increasing resilience to climate change and reducing agricultural greenhouse gasses (GHG) emissions strengthens the support for sustainable agricultural production. In fact, reducing losses in soil fertility, reclaiming degraded lands, and promoting synergistic interaction between crop production and forests are generally seen as good climate change policies. In order for decision-makers to develop long-term policies that address these issues, they must have tools at their disposal that evaluate trade-offs, opportunities, and repercussions of the options considered. In this paper, the authors combine and reconcile the output of three models widely accessible to the public to analyze the impacts of policies that target emission reduction in the agricultural sector. We present an application to Colombia which reveals the importance of considering the full scope of interactions among the various land uses. Results indicate that investments in increasing the efficiency and productivity of the livestock sector and reducing land allocated to pasture are preferable to policies that target deforestation alone or target a reduction of emissions in crop production. Investments in livestock productivity and land-carrying capacity would reduce deforestation and provide sufficient gains in carbon stock to offset greater emissions from increased crop production while generating higher revenues
The Future of Columbus Operations
After 6 years of successful Columbus operations a decision point for the Columbus
Control Center has been reached. The trade-off between operational flexibility and cost
saving effects has to be well balanced. Based on the experience of the operations of a manned
vehicle in orbit and the science goals for the experiments performed in Columbus over the
next years the way forward has to be determined. Looking at the mid- and long-term plan
the tasks for the Columbus Control Center will increase over the next years. On the one side
a large number of new payloads and experiments are ready to be executed, which will
enhance the science return from the Columbus module and will ask for a control center in
full swing to support science operations. On the other side there is high activity time for
European Astronauts on ISS in the next two years with Luca Parmitano already in orbit
during Incr. 36/37, Alexander Gerst in Increment 40/41 launched in May 2014, Samantha
Cristoforetti during Increment 42/43 starting December 2014 and Timothy Peake in
Increment 46/47 from December 2015 onwards. This will be complemented by the shortterm
flight of Andreas Mogensen in September 2015. Additionally the last ATV-5 flight will
be supported by Col-CC in 2014. These missions will need full support from the control
center to ensure the success of the mission and to achieve the envisaged science return. To be
able to support these European payloads and missions and in addition to support the NASA
payloads in Columbus continuously, a minimum infrastructure for the control center is
needed. Col-CC has already severely reduced the costs for operations in the last years and
increased the efficiency to support long-term Columbus operations until 2020 and beyond.
Now a stable configuration is necessary to be able to achieve the goals set for Columbus
science return in the next years
Exploring changes in children’s well-being due to COVID-19 restrictions: the Italian EpaS-ISS study
Abstract Background While existing research has explored changes in health behaviours among adults and adolescents due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the impact of quarantine on young children’s well-being is still less clear. Moreover, most of the published studies were carried out on small and non-representative samples. The aim of the EpaS-ISS study was to describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the habits and behaviours of a representative sample of school children aged mainly 8–9 years and their families living in Italy, exploring the changes in children’s well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the immediately preceding time period. Methods Data were collected using a web questionnaire. The target population was parents of children attending third-grade primary schools and living in Italy. A cluster sample design was adopted. A Well-Being Score (WBS) was calculated by summing the scores from 10 items concerning the children’s well-being. Associations between WBS and socio-demographic variables and other variables were analysed. Results A total of 4863 families participated. The children’s WBS decreased during COVID-19 (median value from 31 to 25; p = 0.000). The most statistically significant variables related to a worsening children’s WBS were: time of school closure, female gender, living in a house with only a small and unliveable outdoor area, high parents’ educational level and worsening financial situation. Conclusions According to parents ' perception, changes in daily routine during COVID-19 negatively affected children’s well-being. This study has identified some personal and contextual variables associated with the worsening of children’s WBS, which should be considered in case of similar events