A new performance threshold in sport climbing: A change in how climbing trainers work?

Objectives: Previous research has shown that the finger flexor's occlusion threshold (OT) could be different among sport climbers when expressed as a percentage of their maximum finger force (OT%), and that there is no association between the OT% and the climberś ability level. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the possible association between the relative finger force applied at the OT% (rff-OT%) and climbing ability level. Equipment and methods: WWe approximated the finger flexor's OT of 34 sport climbers by finger hang endurance test analyses at different intensities between 35% and 85% of their individual maximum finger force on a previously individually adapted edge depth, and we valued their rff-OT% as the relative force they could perform at that intensity. Results: We found a high correlation between the rff-OT% and climbing ability in elite climbers. These findings suggest that having an OT at the highest possible percentage is critical, in addition to having a high relative finger force, as this would enable climbers to express relative force at a wider range of intensities with favorable metabolic conditions

Frequency and duration of vigorous physical activity bouts are associated with adolescent boys’ bone mineral status: A cross-sectional study

Purpose: Vigorous physical activity (VPA) has been proven to promote osteogenesis in adolescents; however the specifics of the optimal pattern of frequency and duration of VPA are unknown. The main goal of the present study was to analyze the associations of different length of VPA bouts with bone health. Methods: 180 healthy male adolescents (11–13 years) had their bone mineral content and density assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scans at the whole body, femoral neck (FN) and lumbar spine and their physical activity measured by an accelerometer during one week. Results: VPA was the intensity with the strongest associations with bone mineral parameters especially at the FN. Subjects whose longest VPA bout was 5 min or above had higher FN bone mineral density (BMD) than those who did not complete any 5-min bout and these differences were greater with participants who reached 15 consecutive minutes of VPA (>15': 0.977 ± 0.020 g/cm2; 5'-15': 0.907 ± 0.009 g/cm2; <5': 0.876 ± 0.009 g/cm2; all p < 0.05). When comparing the relevance of VPA bouts and volume of physical activity, the group with low volume and having a VPA bout had better FN BMD compared to the group with high volume but no VPA bout. Additionally, the group with both high volume and VPA bout showed better FN BMD than the rest of the groups. Conclusions: VPA may be the most effective activity intensity to improve bone mineral density and content of adolescent boys, with greater benefits if VPA periods either long or frequent

Determination of reflectance and transmittance of multi-layer of InGaAs and theoretical methods for obtaining of optical constants

5 páginas, 3 figuras, 2 tablas.-- Trabajo presentado al 1st International Congress on Instrumentation and Applied Sciences celebrado en Cancún (México) del 26 al 29 de Octubre de 2010.The theoretical concepts are necessary to obtain the optical constants of several materials in InGaAs Photodiode and are possible to obtain from experimental dates of reflectance and transmittance and several optical coverings can be designed. In this work we will show how to calculate the reflectance of photodiode for all the wavelengths (each 50 nm, according to the data of refractive index), as well as changing to the angle of incidence and polarization s and p, besides the calculation of the transmittance of a multi-layer ones of InGaAs. A multi-layer is constituted by a series of piled up laminae some on others and in this work we will suppose that they are homogenous, isotropic and plane-parallel, the structure is in the first case we have a transparent layer of NSi, late second layer of InP (Zn), soon a third layer of InGaAs and finally a later of InP (S). These multilayers are destined for optical applications, in our case will be case of study in the case of the photodiodes, the thicknesses of the layers will be of the order of the wavelength of incident radiation, which in the case of radiation IR/NIR is translated in thicknesses of approximately between 1y 100 nm. For the determination of optical constants they are possible to be done of different ways in our case we will concentrate in 1) Measured of reflectance in normal incidence. These measures only provide the value of n in the case of means transparents.2) Measured of reflectance in two angles of incidence. It allows to the use of natural light or polarized.3) Two measures of R p R s in two angles of incidence outside the normal one. 4) Rs and Rp in a single angle of incidence outside the normal one.Peer reviewe

Sleep-disordered breathing, circulating exosomes, and insulin sensitivity in adipocytes

Background: Sleep-disordered-breathing (SDB), which is characterized by chronic intermittent hypoxia (IH) and sleep fragmentation (SF), is a prevalent condition that promotes metabolic dysfunction, particularly among patients suffering from obstructive hypoventilation syndrome (OHS). Exosomes are generated ubiquitously, are readily present in the circulation, and their cargo may exert substantial functional cellular alterations in both physiological and pathological conditions. However, the effects of plasma exosomes on adipocyte metabolism in patients with OHS or in mice subjected to IH or SF mimicking SDB are unclear. Methods: Exosomes from fasting morning plasma samples from obese adults with polysomnographically-confirmed OSA before and after 3 months of adherent CPAP therapy were assayed. In addition, C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned to (1) sleep control (SC), (2) sleep fragmentation (SF), and (3) intermittent hypoxia (HI) for 6 weeks, and plasma exosomes were isolated. Equivalent exosome amounts were added to differentiated adipocytes in culture, after which insulin sensitivity was assessed using 0 nM and 5 nM insulin-induced pAKT/AKT expression changes by western blotting. Results: When plasma exosomes were co-cultured and internalized by human naive adipocytes, significant reductions emerged in Akt phosphorylation responses to insulin when compared to exosomes obtained after 24 months of adherent CPAP treatment (n = 24; p < 0.001), while no such changes occur in untreated patients (n = 8). In addition, OHS exosomes induced significant increases in adipocyte lipolysis that were attenuated after CPAP, but did not alter pre-adipocyte differentiation. Similarly, exosomes from SF- and IH-exposed mice induced attenuated p-AKT/total AKT responses to exogenous insulin and increased glycerol content in naive murine adipocytes, without altering pre-adipocyte differentiation. Conclusions: Using in vitro adipocyte-based functional reporter assays, alterations in plasma exosomal cargo occur in SDB, and appear to contribute to adipocyte metabolic dysfunction. Further exploration of exosomal miRNA signatures in either human subjects or animal models and their putative organ and cell targets appears warranted

Three-dimensional steep wave impact on a vertical plate with an open rectangular section

The present study treats the three-dimensional hydrodynamic slamming problem on a vertical plate subjected to the impact of a steep wave moving towards the plate with a constant velocity. The problem is complicated significantly by assuming that there is a rectangular opening on the plate which allows a discharge of the liquid. The analysis is conducted analytically assuming linear potential theory. The examined configuration determines two boundary value problems with mixed conditions which fully are taken into account. The mathematical process assimilates the plate with a degenerate elliptical cylinder allowing the employment of elliptical harmonics that ensure the satisfaction of the free-surface boundary condition of the front face of the steep wave, away from the plate. This assumption leads to an additional boundary value problem with mixed conditions in the vertical direction. The associated problem involves triple trigonometrical series and it is solved through a transformation into integral equations. To tackle the boundary value problem in the vertical direction a perturbation technique is employed. Extensive numerical calculations are presented as regards the variation of the velocity potential on the plate at the instant of the impact which reveals the influence of the opening. The theory is extended to the computation of the total impulse exerted on the plate using pressure-impulse theory

Search for the doubly heavy Ξbc0 baryon via decays to D 0 pK −

A search for the doubly heavy Ξ0bc baryon using its decay to the D0pK- final state is performed using proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV collected by the LHCb experiment between 2016 and 2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.4 fb−1. No significant signal is found in the invariant mass range from 6.7 to 7.2 GeV/c2. Upper limits are set at 95% credibility level on the ratio of the Ξ0bc production cross-section times its branching fraction to D0pK− relative to that of the Λ0b→D0pK− decay. The limits are set as a function of the Ξ0bc mass and lifetime hypotheses, in the rapidity range from 2.0 to 4.5 and in the transverse momentum region from 5 to 25 GeV/c. Upper limits range from 1.7 × 10−2 to 3.0 × 10−1 for the considered Ξ0bc mass and lifetime hypotheses

Predictors of Relapse in Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma in Colombia: Multicenter Study

Introducción: El cáncer diferenciado de tiroides es una enfermedad que si bien no tiene una tasa alta de mortalidad, acarrea una carga de morbilidad importante dada principal-mente por la recurrencia. Nuestro objetivo fue determinar los factores asociados a recaída en pacientes de tres centros de referencia en Colombia. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo retrospectivo. Las variables demográficas, clínicas e histopatológicas fue-ron recolectadas a partir de las historias clínicas de pacientes atendidos durante tres años. Resultados: Fueron incluidos 481 sujetos. El 85,7% eran mujeres y el 59,3% de la población fue mayor de 45 años. En el 97% de los casos se trató de carcinoma papilar. El promedio de seguimiento fue de 5,1±4,9 años. La recaída tumoral se do-cumentó en el 16,8% de los sujetos con una mediana de tiem-po de tres años desde la terapia inicial. Se encontró asociación entre recaída y el tamaño del tumor, extensión extratiroidea, relación ganglios comprometidos/resecados centrales y tota-les y compromiso periganglionar en el análisis univariado. El número de ganglios totales comprometidos ≥ 2 (HR 4,10, IC 95% 1,07 - 4,85) y el valor de tiroglobulina estimulada ≥ 7,29 ng/ml (HR 2,28, IC 95% 1,07-4,85, p=0,031) fueron los dos factores independientes asociados con recaída en el análisis multivariado. Autor de correspondenciaLisseth Fernanda Marín [email protected]ón de correspondencia: Centro Médico Carlos Ardila Lulle. Carrera 24 # 154 – 106 Urbanización El Bosque. Torre B, Módulo 55, consultorio 806.Teléfonos: 3188481025 - 6389303Fecha de recepción:18/06/2018Fecha de aceptación:27/02/2019 Conclusiones: Los pacientes con cáncer diferenciado de tiroides con compromiso metastásico de hasta un ganglio cer-vical y/o un nivel de tiroglobulina preablativa inferior a 7,29 ng/ml pueden ser considerados de bajo riesgo para recaída.Palabras clave: cáncer de tiroides, recurrencia, recaída, tiroglobulina, ganglios linfáticos.Artículo original92-100Background/Purpose: Differentiated thyroid cancer, de-spite not having a high mortality rate, entails an important morbidity burden, given mainly by recurrence. It was our objec-tive to determine the associated factors with relapse in patients with thyroid cancer in 3 hospitals in Colombia. Methods: A retrospective descriptive study was conducted. Demographic, clinical and histopathological characteristics were collected from medical records of patients attended dur-ing 3 years. Results: 481 patients were included. 85.7% were women and 59.3% were over 45 years. 97% of cases had papillary carci-noma. The mean time of follow-up was 5.1±4.9 years. Tumor re-lapse was documented in 16.8% of subjects with a median time of 3 years since initial therapy. Association between recurrence and tumor size, extrathyroid extension, metastatic/resected lymph node ratio (central and total) and extranodal extension was found in the univariate analysis. The total amount of meta-static lymph nodes ≥2 (HR 4.10, CI95%1.07-4.85) and a value of preablative stimulated thyroglobulin ≥7.29 ng/ml (HR 2.28, CI 95%1.07-4.85, p=0.031), were the only two significant features related to recurrence in the multivariate analysis. Conclusions: Patients with differentiated thyroid carcino-ma with ≤ 1 metastatic total lymph nodes and/or preablative stimulated thyroglobulin less than 7.29 ng/ml might be classi-fied as low recurrence risk.Keywords: thyroid cancer, recurrence, thyroglobulin, lymph nodes, lymphatic metastases

Predictores de recaída en carcinoma diferenciado de tiroides en Colombia: estudio multicéntrico

Introducción: El cáncer diferenciado de tiroides es una enfermedad que si bien no tiene una tasa alta de mortalidad, acarrea una carga de morbilidad importante dada principalmente por la recurrencia. Nuestro objetivo fue determinar los factores asociados a recaída en pacientes de tres centros de referencia en Colombia. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo retrospectivo. Las variables demográficas, clínicas e histopatológicas fueron recolectadas a partir de las historias clínicas de pacientes atendidos durante tres años. Resultados: Fueron incluidos 481 sujetos. El 85,7% eran mujeres y el 59,3% de la población fue mayor de 45 años. En el 97% de los casos se trató de carcinoma papilar. El promedio de seguimiento fue de 5,1±4,9 años. La recaída tumoral se documentó en el 16,8% de los sujetos con una mediana de tiempo de tres años desde la terapia inicial. Se encontró asociación entre recaída y el tamaño del tumor, extensión extratiroidea, relación ganglios comprometidos/resecados centrales y totales y compromiso periganglionar en el análisis univariado. El número de ganglios totales comprometidos ? 2 (HR 4,10, IC 95% 1,07 - 4,85) y el valor de tiroglobulina estimulada ? 7,29 ng/ml (HR 2,28, IC 95% 1,07-4,85, p=0,031) fueron los dos factores independientes asociados con recaída en el análisis multivariado. Conclusiones: Los pacientes con cáncer diferenciado de tiroides con compromiso metastásico de hasta un ganglio cervical y/o un nivel de tiroglobulina preablativa inferior a 7,29 ng/ml pueden ser considerados de bajo riesgo para recaída

Network structure of avian mixed-species flocks decays with elevation and latitude across the Andes.

Birds in mixed-species flocks benefit from greater foraging efficiency and reduced predation, but also face costs related to competition and activity matching. Because this cost-benefit trade-off is context-dependent (e.g. abiotic conditions and habitat quality), the structure of flocks is expected to vary along elevational, latitudinal and disturbance gradients. Specifically, we predicted that the connectivity and cohesion of flocking networks would (i) decline towards tropical latitudes and lower elevations, where competition and activity matching costs are higher, and (ii) increase with lower forest cover and greater human disturbance. We analysed the structure of 84 flock networks across the Andes and assessed the effect of elevation, latitude, forest cover and human disturbance on network characteristics. We found that Andean flocks are overall open-membership systems (unstructured), though the extent of network structure varied across gradients. Elevation was the main predictor of structure, with more connected and less modular flocks upslope. As expected, flocks in areas with higher forest cover were less cohesive, with better defined flock subtypes. Flocks also varied across latitude and disturbance gradients as predicted, but effect sizes were small. Our findings indicate that the unstructured nature of Andean flocks might arise as a strategy to cope with harsh environmental conditions. This article is part of the theme issue 'Mixed-species groups and aggregations: shaping ecological and behavioural patterns and processes'

The Pierre Auger Observatory III: Other Astrophysical Observations

Astrophysical observations of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays with the Pierre Auger ObservatoryComment: Contributions to the 32nd International Cosmic Ray Conference, Beijing, China, August 201