Postural evaluation in young skaters: effect of two proprioceptive training

The roller skating involves developing of motor and artistic skills from an early age. The aim was to evaluate the effects that an ocular a podalic proprioceptive training cause to postural control and stability in a sample of young skaters. A total of 25 skaters aged between 9 and 15 (12±2.14) divided into two groups: the eyes group (EG) aimed at exercising visual proprioception, the feet group (FG) aimed at exercising podalic proprioception. The participants were subject to through electronic stabilometry in static mode, open (OE) and closed (CE) eyes, in a time T0 (pre-training) and T1 (post-training), without and with skates. The results through the two paired t-test showed that both variables Wz (TotHz) to CE within the EG (p<.05) and Wx (TotHz) to CE within the FG (p<.05) were statistical significance. The unpaired t-test showed that the FG obtained a greater statistical significance than the EG for the VarVit and Wx (TotHz) variables in CE (p<.05) and Wz (TotHz) in both CE and OE (p<.05). The two-way ANOVA found statistical significance (p<.05) on the Wx (TotHz) variable in open/closed eyes of the FG (T0/T1). We concluded that in roller skating it could be useful to integrate athletic training with a visual proprioceptive training.

Peer victimization in Primary School. Gender difference

Purpose: The peer victimization is frequent phenomenon in the school. The aim of study was to investigate the gender distinction in the peer victimization, also considering the role that physical activity inside and outside school could have in this phenomenon. Methods: The study included 277 students (142 females; 134 males), between the ages of 8 and 10, attending the primary school. A questionnaire based on "Multi-dimensional Peer-Victimization Scale (MPVS)'' (Mynard et al., 2000), Italian version (Scarpa et al, 2010) and adapted to the age of the subjects, was given, to evaluate four areas of victimization (physical victimization, verbal victimization, social manipulation and attack on property). In addition, subjects were asked which physical activities they practiced in and out of school. Results: The results showed that the phenomenon victimization is present in a content way, and that males are more involved than females. Physical victimization falls more in the male gender (average value of 2±1.4 and 1.6±0.9 for the males and females, respectively), while the social manipulation in the women gender (average value of 1.9±1.2 and 1.7±1.1 for the females and males, respectively). The correlation between two or more macro-areas is there for the 74.32% of the cases and verbal victimization is the most widespread phenomenon in our sample (9.46%). The extra-school physical activity is performed by the majority of students (83.57%). Conclusions: The results confirm existing studies in the literature. The peer victimization includes not only being the obvious target of physical attacks but also includes more subtle forms of abuse, falling more in females behavior than in males

Whisker and Nose Tactile Sense Guide Rat Behavior in a Skilled Reaching Task.

Skilled reaching is a complex movement in which a forelimb is extended to grasp food for eating. Video-recordings analysis of control rats enables us to distinguish several components of skilled reaching: Orient, approaching the front wall of the reaching box and poking the nose into the slot to locate the food pellet; Transport, advancing the forelimb through the slot to reach-grasp the pellet; and Withdrawal of the grasped food to eat. Although food location and skilled reaching is guided by olfaction, the importance of whisker/nose tactile sense in rats suggests that this too could play a role in reaching behavior. To test this hypothesis, we studied skilled reaching in rats trained in a single-pellet reaching task before and after bilateral whisker trimming and bilateral infraorbital nerve (ION) severing. During the task, bilaterally trimmed rats showed impaired Orient with respect to controls. Specifically, they detected the presence of the wall by hitting it with their nose (rather than their whiskers), and then located the slot through repetitive nose touches. The number of nose touches preceding poking was significantly higher in comparison to controls. On the other hand, macrovibrissae trimming resulted in no change in reaching/grasping or withdrawal components of skilled reaching. Bilaterally ION-severed rats, displayed a marked change in the structure of their skilled reaching. With respect to controls, in ION-severed rats: (a) approaches to the front wall were significantly reduced at 3-5 and 6-8 days; (b) nose pokes were significantly reduced at 3-5 days, and the slot was only located after many repetitive nose touches; (c) the reaching-grasping-retracting movement never appeared at 3-5 days; (d) explorative paw movements, equal to zero in controls, reached significance at 9-11 days; and (e) the restored reaching-grasping-retracting sequence was globally slower than in controls, but the success rate was the same. These findings strongly indicate that whisker trimming affected Orient, but not the reaching-grasping movement, while ION severing impaired both Orient (persistently) and reaching-grasping-retracting (transiently, for 1-2 weeks) components of skilled reaching in rats

Business model configuration and dynamics for technology commercialization in mature markets.

Purpose The food industry is a well-established and complex industry. New entrants attempting to penetrate it via the commercialization of a new technological innovation could face high uncertainty and constraints. The capability to innovate through collaboration and to identify suitable strategies and innovative business models (BMs) can be particularly important for bringing a technological innovation to this market. However, although the potential for these capabilities has been advocated, we still lack a complete understanding of how new ventures could support the technology commercialization process via the development of BMs. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach To address this gap, this paper builds a conceptual framework that knits together the different bodies of extant literature (i.e. entrepreneurship, strategy and innovation) to analyze the BM innovation processes associated with the exploitation of emerging technologies; determines the suitability of the framework using data from the exploratory case study of IT IS 3D – a firm which has started to exploit 3D printing in the food industry; and improves the initial conceptual framework with the findings that emerged in the case study. Findings From this analysis it emerged that: companies could use more than one BM at a time; hence, BM innovation processes could co-exist and be run in parallel; the facing of high uncertainty might lead firms to choose a closed and/or a familiar BM, while explorative strategies could be pursued with open BMs; significant changes in strategies during the technology commercialization process are not necessarily reflected in a radical change in the BM; and firms could deliberately adopt interim strategies and BMs as means to identify the more suitable ones to reach the market. Originality/value This case study illustrates how firms could innovate the processes of their BM development to face the uncertainties linked with the entry into a mature and highly conservative industry (food)

Length–weight relationships of bivalve species in Italian razor clam Ensis minor (Chenu, 1843) (Mollusca: Bivalvia) fishery

Length–weight relationships of bivalve species collected during razor clam (Ensis minor) surveys along Italian coastal waters (Northern Adriatic and Tyrrhenian Sea) in the 3-year period 2016–2018 are reported. A total of 13,588 individuals, belonging to 12 bivalve species and 20 populations between the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian Seas, were sampled for this study. Analyzing growth parameters for each population, we found 11 allometries and nine isometries. About half of the species investigated showed different growth characteristics between the two areas

EDUCAZIONE MOTORIA E MIGLIORAMENTO DELLA DISPONIBILITÀ ATTENTIVA IN ETÀ EVOLUTIVA

L’Obbiettivo del presente lavoro è di verificare l’ipotesi secondo la quale una seduta psicomotoria condotta prima di un compito didattico (nel caso lo svolgimento di un dettato), possa incrementare la disponibilità attentiva in alunni di età compresa tra i 7 e gli 8 anni e la qualità del risultato al compito stesso. A tal fine sono stati coinvolti 170 alunni, ai quali si sono somministrati due diversi tipi di intervento: una prova di dettato (D) e una prova di dettato preceduta da una seduta di ginnastica (Ex+D). Successivamente, si è proceduto al calcolo degli errori compiuti nelle diverse prove e alle verifiche statistiche. Dall’analisi dei dati è emerso che la MEDIA degli errori compiuti nei dettati è inferiore e statisticamente significativa (p<0.0005) quando questi sono preceduti da una seduta di ginnastica psicomotoria rispetto a quando effettuati senza alcun intervento. In conclusione si è osservato che la pratica psicomotoria è da considerarsi, a tutti gli effetti, una buona opportunità per stimolare la disponibilità attentiva e migliorare le prestazioni didattiche e ciò ci fa pronunciare, senza indugio, l’esortazione affinché essa possa divenire prassi consueta in ambiente scolastico

Pots vs trammel nets: A catch comparison study in a Mediterranean small-scale fishery

Passive bottom-set nets are the most widely used fishing gears in Mediterranean small-scale fisheries (SSFs). Trammel nets, in particular, have key advantages such as their ease of use and handling and high capture efficiency for numerous commercial species. However, they entail high discard rates (5\u201344% of the total catch) connected to high mortality, thus exerting an adverse impact on benthic communities, besides catching individuals of commercial species under the minimum conservation reference size (MCRS) and specimens of protected species. Fish pots are seen as alternative and a more sustainable gear type that allow reducing discards in SSFs. In this study, a collapsible pot was tested at three coastal sites in the north-western Adriatic Sea (GFCM GSA 17) to compare its catch efficiency with that of the local traditional trammel nets. Data analysis demonstrated a similar catch efficiency for the commercial species, both among sites and as a whole. Moreover, the trammel net caught a larger amount of discards, both in terms of species number and of CPUEW. The catch comparison study involved the two most abundant landed species, common cuttlefish Sepia officinalis and annular sea bream Diplodus annularis. The pots were more effective for S. officinalis, whereas the trammel net was more effective for the shorter length classes for D. annularis, which were mostly under the MCRS (12 cm). The innovative pots could provide a valuable alternative to the trammel nets traditionally used in the Adriatic Sea, at least in certain areas and periods. Their main advantages include that they do not require a different rigging and they can be used without bait, while their foldable design allows large numbers to be easily loaded on board SSF vessels. The results of this pilot study indicate that pots can achieve the objectives of reducing discards and bycatch in SSFs without penalizing the catch of commercial species

Impacto de uma experiência de quase-morte e conversão religiosa sobre a saúde mental de um criminoso: relato de caso e revisão da literatura

OBJECTIVE: Near-death experiences have been defined as profound psychological events that may occur to a person while close to death or in a situation of extreme physical or emotional distress. These experiences seem to have an important effect on the patients’ mental health and may occur in several situations despite their cultural and religious beliefs. CASE DESCRIPTION: The present case report describes the positive impact of a near-death experience (Greyson scale > 7) followed by religious conversion on the mental health of a former prisoner. COMMENTS: Investigation of the role of near-death experiences by the scientific community could shed light on the coping mechanisms and moral/ethical transformations that take place in these individuals.OBJETIVO: As experiências de quase-morte são definidas como eventos psicológicos profundos, que podem ocorrer quando uma pessoa está em morte iminente ou em situação de intensa crise física ou emocional. Essas experiências parecem ter efeito importante sobre a saúde mental desses pacientes e ocorrem em diversas situações, a despeito de culturas e crenças religiosas. RELATO DE CASO: O presente relato de caso descreve a influência positiva de uma experiência de quase-morte (escala de Greyson > 7) seguida de conversão religiosa sobre a saúde mental de um ex-detento. COMENTÁRIO: A investigação do papel de experiências de quase-morte em âmbito científico poderia ajudar a elucidar os mecanismos de coping e transformações éticas e morais que ocorrem nesses indivíduos.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Hospital São PauloAssociação Médico-Espírita de São PauloClínica OtossonoFaculdade de Ciências Médicas Santa Casa de São PauloInstituto de Psiquiatria Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São PauloInstituto de Psiquiatria HCFMUSP Conselho Penitenciário do Estado de São PauloUniversidade Federal de Juiz de ForaHospital João EvangelistaUNIFESP, Hospital São PauloSciEL

Differential ABC transporter gene expression in adult Dirofilaria immitis males and females following in vitro treatment with ivermectin, doxycycline or a combination of both

BACKGROUND: Combination doxycycline/macrocyclic lactone (ML) protocols have been shown to provide a more rapid adulticidal and microfilaricidal effect than either MLs or doxycycline alone, although female worms were reported to have a higher tolerance to treatments compared to male worms. The present study aimed to evaluate how ABC transporters may be involved in the synergic effect of the combination treatment. Adult worms of D. immitis were treated in vitro for 24 hours with doxycycline (DOXY), ivermectin (IVM) and a combination of both, and changes in the modulation of ABC transporter genes were measured. Levels of doxycycline inside different treatment media, post-treatment, were determined through HPLC analysis. RESULTS: Quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed the presence of changes in the modulation of ABC transporter genes evaluated in this study. In particular, in female worms, the combination treatment induced a substantial increase in gene expressions, especially of Dim-pgp-10 and Dim-haf-4; whereas in male worms, the greatest increase in gene expression was observed for Dim-pgp-10 and Dim-pgp-11 when treated with DMSO\u2009+\u2009IVM and DMSO\u2009+\u2009DOXY/IVM. HPLC analysis of the DOXY concentrations in the media after in vitro treatments of male worms showed a slight difference between the DMSO\u2009+\u2009DOXY samples and the combination (DMSO\u2009+\u2009DOXY\u2009+\u2009IVM), while no difference was observed among females. CONCLUSIONS: Further studies are required to explain whether the modulation of cellular efflux plays a role, even partially, in the adulticide effect of doxycycline/macrocyclic lactone combinations in heartworm-infected dogs. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate P-gp expression in adult D. immitis