The impact of a new exercise facility on physical activity at the community level: A non-randomized panel study in Japan

Background Considering that building a sports facility is a major investment to promote population health, it is important to understand whether it is effective in increasing the level of physical activity (PA) in the community. This study examined the impact of building a new multipurpose exercise facility on community-level PA in Japan. Methods This non-randomised panel study compared two sites: an intervention site where a new exercise facility was built (opened after baseline data collection) and a control site where there was no such additional exercise facility. From each site, 3200 adult residents (aged 30–74 years) were randomly selected at baseline (2013) and at follow-up (2015). The number of participants retained for analysis was 845 at baseline and 924 at follow-up for the intervention site, and 821 at baseline and 1018 at follow-up for the control site. The outcomes were participants’ self-reported PA, perceived availability of PA facilities, awareness of others being active, and willingness to engage in PA. We examined the interaction terms between the sites and time of measurement in regression analyses to examine whether the magnitude of change from baseline to follow-up differed between the two sites. Results The changes in the proportion of participants meeting the PA guideline and those engaging in moderate-to-vigorous intensity PA were not significantly different between the intervention and control sites. The intervention site had a greater increase in the proportion of participants who were aware of PA facilities from baseline to follow-up than in the control site. The odds ratio for awareness of others being active approached significance, suggesting that there was a tendency at the intervention site towards a greater increase in the proportion of participants who noticed physically active people. Conclusions This study did not find community-level increases in PA after the construction of the exercise facility. However, a significant improvement in the awareness of PA facilities was observed in the intervention site. A sustained community-level effort to promote PA, possibly including social components, and a further tracking of residents’ PA are needed to take a full advantage of the new exercise facility and to assess its long-term impact. Trial registration UMIN-CTR UMIN000034116 (retrospectively registered: 13 September 2018)

Visual onset expands subjective time

We report a distortion of subjective time perception in which the duration of a first interval is perceived to be longer than the succeeding interval of the same duration. The amount of time expansion depends on the onset type defining the first interval. When a stimulus appears abruptly, its duration is perceived to be longer than when it appears following a stationary array. The difference in the processing time for the stimulus onset and motion onset, measured as reaction times, agrees with the difference in time expansion. Our results suggest that initial transient responses for a visual onset serve as a temporal marker for time estimation, and a systematic change in the processing time for onsets affects perceived time

G-type antiferromagnetism and orbital ordering due to the crystal field from the rare-earth ions induced by the GdFeO_3-type distortion in RTiO_3 with R=La, Pr, Nd and Sm

The origin of the antiferromagnetic order and puzzling properties of LaTiO_3 as well as the magnetic phase diagram of the perovskite titanates are studied theoretically. We show that in LaTiO_3, the t_{2g} degeneracy is eventually lifted by the La cations in the GdFeO_3-type structure, which generates a crystal field with nearly trigonal symmetry. This allows the description of the low-energy structure of LaTiO_3 by a single-band Hubbard model as a good starting point. The lowest-orbital occupation in this crystal field stabilizes the AFM(G) state, and well explains the spin-wave spectrum of LaTiO_3 obtained by the neutron scattering experiment. The orbital-spin structures for RTiO_3 with R=Pr, Nd and Sm are also accounted for by the same mechanism. We point out that through generating the R crystal field, the GdFeO_3-type distortion has a universal relevance in determining the orbital-spin structure of the perovskite compounds in competition with the Jahn-Teller mechanism, which has been overlooked in the literature. Since the GdFeO_3-type distortion is a universal phenomenon as is seen in a large number of perovskite compounds, this mechanism may also play important roles in other compounds of this type.Comment: 20 pages, 15 figure

Students and academics working in partnership to embed cultural competence as a graduate quality

Since 2014, the University of Sydney has been experimenting with a new initiative motivated by the research on “students as partners”. In 2014, six students were selected as Ambassadors of the Sydney Teaching Colloquium (STC)-the University’s annual learning and teaching conference-as undergraduate researchers. In that year, the focus was on assessment standards

Nitric Oxide-Sensitive Guanylyl Cyclase Is Differentially Regulated by Nuclear and Non-Nuclear Estrogen Pathways in Anterior Pituitary Gland

17β-estradiol (E2) regulates hormonal release as well as proliferation and cell death in the pituitary. The main nitric oxide receptor, nitric oxide sensitive- or soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC), is a heterodimer composed of two subunits, α and β, that catalyses cGMP formation. α1β1 is the most abundant and widely expressed heterodimer, showing the greater activity. Previously we have shown that E2 decreased sGC activity but exerts opposite effects on sGC subunits increasing α1 and decreasing β1 mRNA and protein levels. In the present work we investigate the mechanisms by which E2 differentially regulates sGC subunits' expression on rat anterior pituitary gland. Experiments were performed on primary cultures of anterior pituitary cells from adult female Wistar rats at random stages of estrous cycle. After 6 h of E2 treatment, α1 mRNA and protein expression is increased while β1 levels are down-regulated. E2 effects on sGC expression are partially dependent on de novo transcription while de novo translation is fully required. E2 treatment decreased HuR mRNA stabilization factor and increased AUF1 p37 mRNA destabilization factor. E2-elicited β1 mRNA decrease correlates with a mRNA destabilization environment in the anterior pituitary gland. On the other hand, after 6 h of treatment, E2-BSA (1 nM) and E2-dendrimer conjugate (EDC, 1 nM) were unable to modify α1 or β1 mRNA levels, showing that nuclear receptor is involved in E2 actions. However, at earlier times (3 h), 1 nM EDC causes a transient decrease of α1 in a PI3k-dependent fashion. Our results show for the first time that E2 is able to exert opposite actions in the anterior pituitary gland, depending on the activation of classical or non-classical pathways. Thus, E2 can also modify sGC expression through membrane-initiated signals bringing to light a new point of regulation in NO/sGC pathway

Epidermal growth factor mediates detachment from and invasion through collagen I and Matrigel in Capan-1 pancreatic cancer cells

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is a highly invasive neoplasm. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) and its receptor are over expressed in pancreatic cancer, and expression correlates with invasion and metastasis. We hypothesized that EGF receptor and integrin signalling pathways interact in mediating cellular adhesion and invasion in pancreatic cancer, and that invasiveness correlates temporally with detachment from extracellular matrix. METHODS: We tested this hypothesis by investigating the role of EGF in mediating adhesion to and invasion through collagen I and Matrigel in the metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell line Capan-1. Adhesion and invasion were measured using in vitro assays of fluorescently-labeled cells. Adhesion and invasion assays were also performed in the primary pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell line MIA PaCa-2. RESULTS: EGF inhibited adhesion to collagen I and Matrigel in Capan-1 cells. The loss of adhesion was reversed by AG825, an inhibitor of erbB2 receptor signalling and by wortmannin, a PI3K inhibitor, but not by the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide. EGF stimulated invasion through collagen I and Matrigel at concentrations and time courses similar to those mediating detachment from these extracellular matrix components. Adhesion to collagen I was different in MIA PaCa-2 cells, with no significant change elicited following EGF treatment, whereas treatment with the EGF family member heregulin-alpha elicited a marked increase in adhesion. Invasion through Matrigel in response to EGF, however, was similar to that observed in Capan-1 cells. CONCLUSION: An inverse relationship exists between adhesion and invasion capabilities in Capan-1 cells but not in MIA PaCa-2 cells. EGF receptor signalling involving the erbB2 and PI3K pathways plays a role in mediating these events in Capan-1 cells

Improving seed germination of the eggplant rootstock Solanum torvum by testing multiple factors using an orthogonal array design

[EN] Solanum torvum is a highly vigorous relative of eggplant that is resistant to a number of harmful soil-borne diseases and is compatible for grafting with eggplant. Being a potential rootstock, this plant frequently presents poor and erratic germination, which makes its practical use difficult. We used an L8 (2(7)) orthogonal array design to evaluate the primary effects of seven factors (soaking of seeds, scarification with sodium hypochlorite (NaClO), application of gibberellic acid (GA(3)), use of potassium mitrate (KNO3) as a moistening agent, cold stratification, application of a heatshock, and light irradiation during germination) at two levels (L0 and L1) using four germination parameters (early and final germination, germination rate and vigour index) in fresh S. torvum seeds. S. torvum seeds had a strong dormancy with no germination in the untreated seeds and high early and final germination (approximately 100%) in certain treatments. An evaluation of the main effects revealed highly positive effects on germination from seed soaking, and the use of GA(3), KNO3, and light irradiation, whereas NaClO scarification had a negative effect. The application of cold stratification and heat shock treatments also had a positive effect on seed germination but to a lesser extent than the other treatments. An improved proposed protocol that consisted of subjecting seeds to soaking, the application of GA(3) and KNO3, cold stratification, heat shock, and light irradiation was validated and demonstrated to be highly effective, with seed germination success greater than 60% being observed at 3 days and final germination reaching a plateau at 6 days. A second validation experiment using a commercial growing substrate also showed a high emergence (approximately 50%) at 7 days and a final germination of approximately 80% was recorded with application of the improved protocol. The seed germination protocol that we have developed will facilitate the use of S. torvum as a rootstock for eggplant and its use in breeding programmes. Our results also reveal that orthogonal array designs are a powerful tool for establishing improved protocols for seed germination. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.This work was completed as part of the initiative "Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change: Collecting, Protecting and Preparing Crop Wild Relatives", which is supported by the Government of Norway. The project is managed by the Global Crop Diversity Trust with the Millennium Seed Bank of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and is implemented in partnership with national and international gene banks and plant breeding institutes. For further information see the project website: http://www.cwrdiversity.org/. Isabel Andujar and Pietro Gramazio are grateful to Universitat Politecnica de Valencia for their post-doctoral (PAID-10-14) and pre-doctoral (Programa FPI de la UPV-Subprograma 1) contracts, respectively.Ranil, RH.; Niran, HML.; Plazas Ávila, MDLO.; Fonseka, R.; Hemal Fonseka, H.; Vilanova Navarro, S.; Andújar Pérez, I.... (2015). Improving seed germination of the eggplant rootstock Solanum torvum by testing multiple factors using an orthogonal array design. Scientia Horticulturae. 193:174-181. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2015.07.030S17418119

The Effect of Predictability on Subjective Duration

Events can sometimes appear longer or shorter in duration than other events of equal length. For example, in a repeated presentation of auditory or visual stimuli, an unexpected object of equivalent duration appears to last longer. Illusions of duration distortion beg an important question of time representation: when durations dilate or contract, does time in general slow down or speed up during that moment? In other words, what entailments do duration distortions have with respect to other timing judgments? We here show that when a sound or visual flicker is presented in conjunction with an unexpected visual stimulus, neither the pitch of the sound nor the frequency of the flicker is affected by the apparent duration dilation. This demonstrates that subjective time in general is not slowed; instead, duration judgments can be manipulated with no concurrent impact on other temporal judgments. Like spatial vision, time perception appears to be underpinned by a collaboration of separate neural mechanisms that usually work in concert but are separable. We further show that the duration dilation of an unexpected stimulus is not enhanced by increasing its saliency, suggesting that the effect is more closely related to prediction violation than enhanced attention. Finally, duration distortions induced by violations of progressive number sequences implicate the involvement of high-level predictability, suggesting the involvement of areas higher than primary visual cortex. We suggest that duration distortions can be understood in terms of repetition suppression, in which neural responses to repeated stimuli are diminished

Clinical Validation of Integrated Nucleic Acid and Protein Detection on an Electrochemical Biosensor Array for Urinary Tract Infection Diagnosis

BACKGROUND: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common infection that poses a substantial healthcare burden, yet its definitive diagnosis can be challenging. There is a need for a rapid, sensitive and reliable analytical method that could allow early detection of UTI and reduce unnecessary antibiotics. Pathogen identification along with quantitative detection of lactoferrin, a measure of pyuria, may provide useful information towards the overall diagnosis of UTI. Here, we report an integrated biosensor platform capable of simultaneous pathogen identification and detection of urinary biomarker that could aid the effectiveness of the treatment and clinical management. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The integrated pathogen 16S rRNA and host lactoferrin detection using the biosensor array was performed on 113 clinical urine samples collected from patients at risk for complicated UTI. For pathogen detection, the biosensor used sandwich hybridization of capture and detector oligonucleotides to the target analyte, bacterial 16S rRNA. For detection of the protein biomarker, the biosensor used an analogous electrochemical sandwich assay based on capture and detector antibodies. For this assay, a set of oligonucleotide probes optimized for hybridization at 37°C to facilitate integration with the immunoassay was developed. This probe set targeted common uropathogens including E. coli, P. mirabilis, P. aeruginosa and Enterococcus spp. as well as less common uropathogens including Serratia, Providencia, Morganella and Staphylococcus spp. The biosensor assay for pathogen detection had a specificity of 97% and a sensitivity of 89%. A significant correlation was found between LTF concentration measured by the biosensor and WBC and leukocyte esterase (p<0.001 for both). CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: We successfully demonstrate simultaneous detection of nucleic acid and host immune marker on a single biosensor array in clinical samples. This platform can be used for multiplexed detection of nucleic acid and protein as the next generation of urinary tract infection diagnostics