The acute effect of maximal exercise on central and peripheral arterial stiffness indices and hemodynamics in children and adults

Xavier Melo is supported by a research grant from the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), Ministry of Education and Science of Portugal (grant: SFRH/ BD/ 70515/ 2010). Nuno M. Pimenta is cofinanced by national funds through the Programa Operacional do Alentejo 2007-2013 (ALENT-07-0262- FEDER-001883)This study compared the effects of a bout of maximal running exercise on arterial stiffness in children and adults. Right carotid blood pressure and artery stiffness indices measured by pulse wave velocity (PWV), compliance and distensibility coefficients, stiffness index α and β (echo-tracking), contralateral carotid blood pressure, and upper and lower limb and central/aortic PWV (applanation tonometry) were taken at rest and 10 min after a bout of maximal treadmill running in 34 children (7.38 ± 0.38 years) and 45 young adults (25.22 ± 0.91 years) having similar aerobic potential. Two-by-two repeated measures analysis of variance and analysis of covariance were used to detect differences with exercise between groups. Carotid pulse pressure (PP; η(2) = 0.394) increased more in adults after exercise (p < 0.05). Compliance (η(2) = 0.385) decreased in particular in adults and in those with high changes in distending pressure, similarly to stiffness index α and β. Carotid PWV increased more in adults and was related to local changes in PP but not mean arterial pressure (MAP). Stiffness in the lower limbs decreased (η(2) = 0.115) but apparently only in those with small MAP changes (η(2) = 0.111). No significant exercise or group interaction effects were found when variables were adjusted to height. An acute bout of maximal exercise can alter arterial stiffness and hemodynamics in the carotid artery and within the active muscle beds. Arterial stiffness and hemodynamic response to metabolic demands during exercise in children simply reflect their smaller body size and may not indicate a particular physiological difference compared with adults.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Waist-to-height ratio is independently related to whole and central body fat, regardless of the waist circumference measurement protocol, in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Pimenta N.M., Cortez-Pinto H., Melo X., Silva-Nunes J., Sardinha L.B. & Santa-Clara H. (2017) Waist-to-height ratio is independently related to whole and central body fat, regardless of the waist circumference measurement protocol, in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients. J Hum Nutr Diet. 30, 185–192, which has been published in final form atdoi: 10.1111/jhn.12410. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.Background: Waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) has been reported as a prefer-able risk related body fat (BF) marker, although no standardised waistcircumference measurement protocol (WCmp) has been proposed. Thepresent study aimed to investigate whether the use of a different WCmpaffects the strength of relationship between WHtR and both whole andcentral BF in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients.Methods: BF was assessed with dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in28 NAFLD patients [19 males, mean (SD) 51 (13) years and nine females,47 (13) years]. All subjects also underwent anthropometric evaluationincluding height and waist circumference (WC) measurement using fourdifferent WCmp (WC1, minimal waist; WC2, iliac crest; WC3, mid-distancebetween iliac crest and lowest rib; WC4, at the umbilicus) and WHtR wascalculated using each WC measurements (WHtR1, WHtR2, WHtR3 andWHtR4, respectively). Partial correlations were conducted to assess the rela-tion of WHtR and DXA assessed BF.Results: All WHtR were particularly correlated with central BF, includingabdominal BF (r = 0.80, r = 0.84, r = 0.84 and r = 0.78, respectively, forWHtR1, WHtR2, WHtR3 and WHtR4) and central abdominal BF (r = 0.72,r = 0.77, r = 0.76 and r = 0.71, respectively, for WHtR1, WHtR2, WHtR3and WHtR4), after controlling for age, sex and body mass index. There wereno differences between the correlation coefficients obtained between allstudied WHtR and each whole and central BF variable.Conclusions: Waist-to-height ratio was found a suitable BF marker in thepresent sample of NAFLD patients and the strength of the relationshipbetween WHtR and both whole and central BF was not altered by usingdifferent WCmp in the present sample of NAFLD patients.FUNDING SOURCES The first author of this paper was supported by a research grant (PhD scholarship) from the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), Ministry of Education and Science of Portugal (grant: SFRH/ BD/ 70515/ 2010). The present study was funded by: the Centre for the Study of Human Performance, Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, Lisbon, Portugal.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A Review on Cooperative Question-Answering Systems

The Question-Answering (QA) systems fall in the study area of Information Retrieval (IR) and Natural Language Processing (NLP). Given a set of documents, a QA system tries to obtain the correct answer to the questions posed in Natural Language (NL). Normally, the QA systems comprise three main components: question classification, information retrieval and answer extraction. Question classification plays a major role in QA systems since it classifies questions according to the type in their entities. The techniques of information retrieval are used to obtain and to extract relevant answers in the knowledge domain. Finally, the answer extraction component is an emerging topic in the QA systems. This module basically classifies and validates the candidate answers. In this paper we present an overview of the QA systems, focusing on mature work that is related to cooperative systems and that has got as knowledge domain the Semantic Web (SW). Moreover, we also present our proposal of a cooperative QA for the SW

Waist circumference in Liver Disease

Background Central fat accumulation is important in Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) etiology. It is unknown weather any commonly used waist circumference (WC) measurement protocol (mp), as whole and central fat accumulation marker, is preferable for patients with NAFLD. The present study sought to find a preferable WC mp to be used in patients with NAFLD, based on three-fold criterion. Material and methods Body fat (BF) was assessed through Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) in 28 patients with NAFLD (19 males, 51 + 13 yrs, and 9 females, 47 + 13 yrs). WC was measured using four different WC mp (WC1-narrowest torso, WC2- just above iliac crest, WC3- mid-distance between iliac crest and last rib and WC4- at the umbilicus). Results All WC measurements were highly correlated particularly with central BF depots, including trunk BF (r=0.78; r=0.82; r=0.82; r=0.84; respectively for WC1, WC2, WC3 and WC4) abdominal BF (r=0.78; r=0.78; r=0.80; r=0.72; respectively for WC1, WC2, WC3 and WC4) and central abdominal BF (r=0.76; r=0.77; r=0.78; r=0.68; respectively for WC1, WC2, WC3 and WC4), controlling for age, sex and body mass index. There were no differences between the correlation coefficients obtained between all studied WC measurements and each whole and central analyzed BF variable. Conclusion All studied WC mp seem suitable for use in patients with NAFLD, particularly as central BF clinical assessment tool, though not interchangeably. Hence biological and precision criteria alone did not sanction the superiority of any WC mp. Practical criteria may endorse WC measured at the iliac crest.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Using a dialogue manager to improve search in the semantic web

Question-Answering systems that resort to the Semantic Web as a knowledge base can go well beyond the usual matching words in documents and, preferably, find a precise answer, without requiring user help to interpret the documents returned. In this paper, we introduce a Dialogue Manager that by analysing the question and the type of expected answer, provides accurate answers to questions posed in Natural Language. The Dialogue Manager not only represents the semantics of the questions, but also the structure of the discourse including the user intentions and the questions context, adding the ability to deal with multiple answers and providing justified answers. Our system performance is evaluated by comparing with similar question answering systems. Although the test suite has slight dimensions, the results obtained are very promising

Waist-to-Hip Ratio is Related to Body Fat Content and Distribution Regardless of the Waist Circumference Measurement Protocol, in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Patients

Central accumulation and distribution of body fat (BF) is an important cardiometabolic risk factor. Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), commonly elevated in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients, has been endorsed as a risk related marker of central BF content and distribution, but no standardized waist circumference measurement protocol (WCmp) has been proposed. We aimed to investigate whether using different WCmp affects the strength of association between WHR and BF content and distribution in NAFLD patients. BF was assessed with Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) in 28 NAFLD patients (19 males, 51 ± 13 yrs, and 9 females, 47 ± 13 yrs). Waist circumference (WC) was measured using four different WCmp (WC1: minimal waist; WC2: iliac crest; WC3: mid-distance between iliac crest and lowest rib; WC4: at the umbilicus) and WHR was calculated accordingly (WHR1, WHR2, WHR3 and WHR4, respectively). High WHR was found in up to 84.6% of subjects, depending on the WHR considered. With the exception of WHR1, all WHR correlated well with abdominal BF (r=0.47 for WHR1; r=0.59 for WHR2 and WHR3; r=0.58 for WHR4) and BF distribution (r=0.45 for WHR1; r=0.56 for WHR2 and WHR3; r=0.51 for WHR4), controlling for age, sex and body mass index (BMI). WHR2 and WHR3 diagnosed exactly the same prevalence of high WHR (76.9%). The present study confirms the strong relation between WHR and central BF, regardless of WCmp used, in NAFLD patients. WHR2 and WHR3 seemed preferable for use in clinical practice, interchangeably, for the diagnosis of high WHR in NAFLD patients.co-financed by national funds through the Programa Operacional do Alentejo (ALENT-07-0262-FEDER-001883)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Linking cardiorespiratory fitness classification criteria to early subclinical atherosclerosis in children

It is unclear if cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) can be used as a screening tool for premature changes in carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) in paediatric populations. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was 3-fold: (i) to determine if CRF can be used to screen increased cIMT; (ii) to determine an optimal CRF cut-off to predict increased cIMT; and (iii) to evaluate its ability to predict increased cIMT among children in comparison with existent CRF cut-offs. cIMT was assessed with high-resolution ultrasonography and CRF was determined using a maximal cycle test. Receiver operating characteristic analyses were conducted in boys (n = 211) and girls (n = 202) aged 11-12 years to define the optimal sex-specific CRF cut-off to classify increased cIMT (≥75th percentile). Logistic regression was used to examine the association between the CRF cut-offs with the risk of having an increased cIMT. The optimal CRF cut-offs to predict increased cIMT were 45.81 and 34.46 mL·kg(-1)·min(-1) for boys and girls, respectively. The odds-ratios for having increased cIMT among children who were unfit was up to 2.8 times the odds among those who were fit (95% confidence interval: 1.40-5.53). Considering current CRF cut-offs, only those suggested by Adegboye et al. 2011. (Br. J. Sports Med. 45(9): 722-728) and Boddy et al. 2012 (PLoS One, 7(9): e45755) were significant in predicting increased cIMT. In conclusion, CRF cut-offs (boys: ≤ 45.8; girls: ≤ 34.5 mL·kg(-1)·min(-1)) are associated with thickening of the arterial wall in 11- to 12-year-old children. Low CRF is an important cardiovascular risk factor in children and our data highlight the importance of obtaining an adequate CRF.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Enhancement of algorithm for detection of gold strip circuit vessel sensor errors

Thesis (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2019Sensors are used to understand the condition and flow of mineral processes. Having accurate and precise information is fundamental for proper operation. Even small errors are relevant to cost when considering the operational span of a mine. Finding small errors is hard; few algorithms can detect them and fewer still, when considering errors on the scale of 2% in magnitude. Some tools have recently been developed using data mining techniques for detecting small errors. Rambabu Pothina (2017) created an algorithm for detecting small errors in strip vessel temperature sensors in the carbon stripping circuit in Pogo mine. The algorithm performed well and was able to detect small magnitude errors without disrupting the industrial process. This thesis improves the understanding of the performance of the algorithm, while also making some minor changes. First, a statistical analysis of the results of the algorithm on baseline data revealed an inherent difference in how the carbon strip process was run with respect to the two strip vessels. This discovery provided insight into the algorithm, and how its performance depended on process characteristics. Second, the error detection algorithm was tested under scenarios different from Pothina (2017). Three separate types of errors were artificially added to real data: a) a fixed 2% ("fixed" error increase) b) a fixed 2% decrease ("fixed" error decrease) and c) an error with a mean value of 2% of magnitude ("noisy" error). Additionally, error was added to temperature data from each strip vessel (rather than just one), though only one at a time. The algorithm was tested under each scenario for each of the four years, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. The time to detect errors ranged from 19 to 73 days. The time to detect was very high (53 to 73 days) in 2017 since there were large data gaps that year. In general, time to detect was about 30 days. The performance under noisy error were not that far below fixed error scenario. The algorithm took 10% more time to detect errors under noisy error scenario compared to fixed error scenario. On average, the algorithm detected an error after 25 cycles, regardless of the time span this represents. This is consistent in years with plentiful data, such as 2015, as well as years with less data, 2017 and 2018. In years with data gaps, 25 cycles represent a longer time period. Seeded errors that decreased vessel temperature have very similar results to its equivalent increase, i.e. the decrease in 2% of S2 has results similar to the increase of 2% in S1 and vice versa. In conclusion, these additional testing and analysis helped develop a more comprehensive understanding of the behavior of the data and the algorithms. These results validate and strengthen the findings of Pothina (2017).University of Alaska Fairbanks: Department of Mining and Geological Engineering, Department of Labor, Mining Engineering Endowment, Pogo Mine, Fort Knox Min

PRINCÍPIOS DE UMA DIDÁTICA MULTIDIMENSIONAL: um estudo a partir de percepções de pós-graduandos em educação

O objetivo do presente artigo é evidenciar possíveis contribuições de uma Didática Multidimensional para a prática pedagógica, a partir das percepções de pós-graduandos em Educação. Considerando seus princípios fundamentais, dos quais se destacam: ensinar com pesquisa, relações dialógicas, mediação pedagógica, rede de saberes e processos de práxis. Neste sentido, surge o seguinte questionamento: Quais as percepções de pós-graduandos quanto à complexidade de uma Didática Multidimensional e suas contribuições para a atividade docente? Nesta pesquisa exploratória, participaram nove pós-graduandos em Educação – mestrandos e doutorandos, docentes do ensino superior de diversas áreas. Sendo que, as produções escritas sobre o que a didática ensina à própria área em articulação com os referenciais teóricos – Franco e Pimenta (2016); Pimenta, Franco e Fusari (2015); Libâneo (2014); Charlot (2000); Freire (1997); Veiga (1996); Candau (1983) – compuseram o corpus da pesquisa. O estudo teve como pressupostos o entendimento de que o ensino, objeto da Didática, se configura como uma prática social e um fenômeno complexo. O que demanda diferentes interlocuções entre os saberes a serem, constantemente, reconstruídos pelos professores e exige ruptura com os modelos prescritivos e transmissivos de aula, para uma formação centrada na pesquisa. Assim sendo, professores e estudantes, ao se compreenderem pesquisadores, problematizam a realidade na busca de alternativas de reflexão-transformação.AbstractThe objective of this article is to evidence possible contributions of a multidimensional didactics for the pedagogical practice. Considering its fundamental principles, which include: teaching with research; dialogical relations; pedagogical mediation, network of knowledge and processes of praxis. Thus, some questions arise, such as: What are the post-graduate students' perceptions regarding the complexity of a Multidimensional Didactics and its contributions to the teaching activity? In this exploratory research, nine postgraduate students participated in Education - masters and doctoral students, teaching higher education in various areas. Thereby, their productions written about what didactics teaches the own area in conjunction with the theoretical - Franco and Pimenta (2016); Pimenta, Franco and Fusari (2015); Libâneo (2014); Charlot (2000); Freire (1997); Veiga (1996); Candau (1983) – comprised the corpus of research. The study had as assumptions the understanding that education, object of didactics, configures itself as a social practice and a complex phenomenon, which requires different interlocutions among knowledges, to be constantly rebuilt by teachers and requires a rupture with the prescriptive models and transmissive classroom, for a training focused on research. In this sense, teachers and students to understand researchers, problematize the reality in the search for alternatives for reflection-transformation.Keywords: Didactics; Teaching in Higher Education; Multidimensional Didactics; Teaching-learning.ResumenEl objetivo del presente artículo es evidenciar posibles contribuciones de una Didáctica Multidimensional para la práctica pedagógica. Considerando sus principios fundamentales, de los cuales se destacan: enseñar con investigación; relaciones dialógicas; la mediación pedagógica, red de saberes y procesos de praxis, cuestionamos: ¿Cuáles son las percepciones de postgraduados en cuanto a la complejidad de una Didáctica Multidimensional y sus contribuciones a la actividad docente? Se trata de una investigación exploratoria, en la que participaron nueve postgraduados en Educación - maestrandos y doctorandos, docentes de la enseñanza superior de diversas áreas. Sus producciones escritas sobre lo que la didáctica enseña a la propia área en articulación con los referentes teóricos - Franco y Pimenta (2016); Pimenta, Franco y Fusari (2015); Libâneo (2014); Charlot (2000); Freire (1997); Veiga (1996); Candau (1983) – compusieron el corpus de la investigación. El estudio tuvo como presupuestos el entendimiento de que la enseñanza, objeto de la Didáctica, se configura como una práctica social y un fenómeno complejo, lo que demanda diferentes interlocuciones entre los saberes, a ser constantemente reconstruidos por los profesores y exige ruptura con los modelos prescriptivos y para la formación centrada en la investigación. En ese sentido, profesores y estudiantes, al comprenderse investigadores, problematizan la realidad en la búsqueda de alternativas de reflexión-transformación.Palabras clave: Didáctica. Docencia en la enseñanza superior. Didáctica Multidimensional. Enseñanza-aprendizaje