Is there an association between ACTN3 R577X polymorphism and muscle power phenotypes in young, non-athletic adults?

We investigated the association between ACTN3 R577X polymorphism and jumping (vertical squat and counter-movement jump tests) and sprint ability (30 m dash) in non-athletic, healthy young adults [N=284 (217 male), mean (SD) age: 21 (2) years]. We analyzed the differences in the study phenotypes among ACTN3 R577X genotypes by one-way analysis of covariance before and after adjusting for sex, age, weight and height (confounders). We also compared the genotype and allele frequencies between those with the best and worst results in the aforementioned tests (≥90th vs 0.05). In summary, α-actinin-3 deficiency does not negatively influence the ability to generate explosive leg muscle power in a young non-athletic population

Razões para a atividade física no tempo livre e sua relação o cumprimento das recomendações

Los objetivos del estudio fueron: describir los motivos para practicar actividad física en el tiempo libre (AFTL) en adultos de Madrid y analizar su asociación con el sexo y la edad y con la posibilidad de cumplir las recomendaciones de AF. Se realizó un estudio transversal con 1500 personas de Madrid (15-74 años). La AFTL se evaluó con la versión 2 del Global Physical Activity Questionnaire y los motivos de práctica mediante la versión española de la escala Motives for Physical Activity Measure-Revised. Los motivos se ordenaron así: salud (6.19±.87), disfrute (5.67±1.05), competencia (4.84±1.31), social (4.81±1.70) y apariencia (4.63±1.52). Conceder una relevancia alta a los motivos salud y competencia se asoció con mayor probabilidad de cumplir las recomendaciones (OR=1.69 y OR=1.83, respectivamente). La salud es el motivo más importante para la práctica de AFTL en la muestra estudiada. Le siguen: disfrute, competencia, relaciones sociales y apariencia. Las mujeres conceden importancia alta a la salud y a la apariencia, más que los hombres. El protagonismo del motivo salud aumenta con la edad. Para los motivos de competencia, social y apariencia la tendencia es opuesta. La probabilidad de alcanzar las recomendaciones es mayor cuando se concede una importancia alta a la salud o a la competenciaThe aim of the study was to describe the motives for Leisure Time Physical Activity (LTPA) in Madrid adults; analyse their association to gender and age, and with the possibility of meeting the physical activity recommendations. A cross-sectional study from 1500 subjects living in Madrid (age: 15-74 years). LTPA was assessed using Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (version 2), and practice motives using the Spanish version of the Motives for Physical Activity Measure-Revised scale. Motives for LTPA were reported in the following order: fitness (6.19±.87), enjoyment (5.67±1.05), competence (4.84±1.31), social (4.81±1.70) and appearance (4.63±1.52). Conceding a high relevance to the motives of fitness or competence was associated to a higher possibility of meeting the recommendations (OR=1.69 y OR=1.83, respectively). Based in the studied sample, health is the main important motive for LTPA practice. Followed by enjoyment, competence, social relations and appearance. Women concede a higher importance to health and appearance than men. The importance of health motive increase with the age, while the competence, social and appearance motives have the opposite tendency. The possibility of meeting the PA recommendations is higher when a higher importance to health or competence is concededOs objetivos do estudo foram descrever as razões para a prática de atividade física no tempo livre entre adultos em Madrid e analisar sua associação com sexo e idade e a possibilidade de implementar as recomendações do AF. Um estudo cruz com 1500 pessoas em Madrid (15-74 anos) foi realizada. LTPA foi avaliada com a versão 2 da Global Physical Activity Questionnaire e as razões para a prática pela versão em espanhol dos motivos de escala para a atividade física Medida-Revised. As razões são ordenados da seguinte forma: saúde (6.19 ± .87), prazer (5.67 ± 1.05), a concorrência (4.84 ± 1.31), social (4.81 ± 1.70) e aparência (4,63 ± 1,52). Concedesse uma alta relevância a razões de saúde e à concorrência foi associado com cumprir as recomendações (OR = 1.69 e OR = 1.83, respectivamente). A saúde é a prática mais importante da AFL na mostra estudada. Pelar seguintes razões: Prazer, Competição, relações sociais e aparência. As mulheres dão mais importância a saúde e aparência, mais do que os homens. O papel da razão da saúde aumenta com a idade. Por razões de concorrência, social e aparência a tendência é oposta. A probabilidade de alcançar as recomendações é maior quando uma elevada importância foi anexada para a saúde ou a concorrênci

Brown bear behaviour in human-modified landscapes: The case of the endangered Cantabrian population, NW Spain

Large carnivores are recolonizing parts of their historical range in Europe, a heavily modified human landscape. This calls for an improvement of our knowledge on how large carnivores manage to coexist with humans, and on the effects that human activity has on large carnivore behaviour, especially in areas where carnivore populations are still endangered. Brown bears Ursus arctos have been shown to be sensitive to the presence of people and their activities. Thus, bear conservation and management should take into account potential behavioural alterations related to living in human-modified landscapes. We studied the behaviour of brown bears in the Cantabrian Mountains, NW Spain, where an endangered population thrives in a human-modified landscape. We analysed bear observations video-recorded over a 10-year period to try to identify human and landscape elements that could influence bear behaviour. Neither the occurrence nor the duration of vigilance behaviour in Cantabrian bears seemed to be influenced by the proximity of human infrastructures and activity. Our findings suggest that the general pattern of human avoidance by bears is adapted to the human-modified landscape they inhabit. Bears generally avoid people, but close presence of human infrastructures or activity did not seem to trigger an increased bear behavioural response. Coexistence between large carnivores and humans in human-modified landscapes is possible, even when human encroachment is high, provided that carnivores are not heavily persecuted and direct interactions are avoided. Further research should also document the potential existence of other responses to human presence and activity, e.g., hunting, traffic noise, and measuring stress levels with physiological indicators.This research was financially supported by the IBA (International Association for Bear Research and Management) grant project IBA-RG_16_2016 ‘Brown bear behaviour in human-dominated landscapes: the effect of human density and ecotourism’. During this research, G.B. was financially supported by a collaboration contract with the MUSE – Museo delle Scienze of Trento (Italy), J.M-P. was supported by the ARAID foundation and V.P., A.O. and R.G.G. were also financially supported by the Excellence Project CGL2017-82782-P financed by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (MINECO), the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) and the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER, EU)

PCA and Parellel SVM to Optimize the Diagnostic of Breast Cancer Based on Raman Spectroscopy

Breast cancer is one of the most deadly diseases in the world; therefore, rapid automated detection of breast cancer in patients is a relevant step in initiating appropriate treatment. In this paper we present a method that optimizes the response time in the automated detection of breast cancer in which a Raman signal is classified as coming from a healthy tissue biopsy or a damaged tissue biopsy. To carry out the detection, we applied Multivariate Component Analysis (PCA) in conjunction with a Classifier (Vector Support Machine (SVM)) in Parallel and from this methods we obtained high correct detection rates, corroborated when comparing the results of the classifier against previous tissue classifications performed by an expert pathologist. We believe that our approach can be applied to other organs of the body where timely detection and classification of cancer can be difficult and of prognostic relevance, such as stomach and pancreas, among others

An entropy test for single-locus genetic association analysis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The etiology of complex diseases is due to the combination of genetic and environmental factors, usually many of them, and each with a small effect. The identification of these small-effect contributing factors is still a demanding task. Clearly, there is a need for more powerful tests of genetic association, and especially for the identification of rare effects</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We introduce a new genetic association test based on symbolic dynamics and symbolic entropy. Using a freely available software, we have applied this entropy test, and a conventional test, to simulated and real datasets, to illustrate the method and estimate type I error and power. We have also compared this new entropy test to the Fisher exact test for assessment of association with low-frequency SNPs. The entropy test is generally more powerful than the conventional test, and can be significantly more powerful when the genotypic test is applied to low allele-frequency markers. We have also shown that both the Fisher and Entropy methods are optimal to test for association with low-frequency SNPs (MAF around 1-5%), and both are conservative for very rare SNPs (MAF<1%)</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We have developed a new, simple, consistent and powerful test to detect genetic association of biallelic/SNP markers in case-control data, by using symbolic dynamics and symbolic entropy as a measure of gene dependence. We also provide a standard asymptotic distribution of this test statistic. Given that the test is based on entropy measures, it avoids smoothed nonparametric estimation. The entropy test is generally as good or even more powerful than the conventional and Fisher tests. Furthermore, the entropy test is more computationally efficient than the Fisher's Exact test, especially for large number of markers. Therefore, this entropy-based test has the advantage of being optimal for most SNPs, regardless of their allele frequency (Minor Allele Frequency (MAF) between 1-50%). This property is quite beneficial, since many researchers tend to discard low allele-frequency SNPs from their analysis. Now they can apply the same statistical test of association to all SNPs in a single analysis., which can be especially helpful to detect rare effects.</p

Sensitivity of a tonne-scale NEXT detector for neutrinoless double beta decay searches

The Neutrino Experiment with a Xenon TPC (NEXT) searches for the neutrinoless double-beta decay of Xe-136 using high-pressure xenon gas TPCs with electroluminescent amplification. A scaled-up version of this technology with about 1 tonne of enriched xenon could reach in less than 5 years of operation a sensitivity to the half-life of neutrinoless double-beta decay decay better than 1E27 years, improving the current limits by at least one order of magnitude. This prediction is based on a well-understood background model dominated by radiogenic sources. The detector concept presented here represents a first step on a compelling path towards sensitivity to the parameter space defined by the inverted ordering of neutrino masses, and beyond.Comment: 22 pages, 11 figure

Measurement of radon-induced backgrounds in the NEXT double beta decay experiment

The measurement of the internal $^{222}$Rn activity in the NEXT-White detector during the so-called Run-II period with $^{136}$Xe-depleted xenon is discussed in detail, together with its implications for double beta decay searches in NEXT. The activity is measured through the alpha production rate induced in the fiducial volume by $^{222}$Rn and its alpha-emitting progeny. The specific activity is measured to be $(38.1\pm 2.2~\mathrm{(stat.)}\pm 5.9~\mathrm{(syst.)})$~mBq/m$^3$. Radon-induced electrons have also been characterized from the decay of the $^{214}$Bi daughter ions plating out on the cathode of the time projection chamber. From our studies, we conclude that radon-induced backgrounds are sufficiently low to enable a successful NEXT-100 physics program, as the projected rate contribution should not exceed 0.1~counts/yr in the neutrinoless double beta decay sample.Comment: 28 pages, 10 figures, 6 tables. Version accepted for publication in JHE

Boletín NUESTRA AMÉRICA XXI - Desafíos y alternativas, num.59, Septiembre 2021

Una excelente iniciativa del Grupo de Trabajo Crisis y economía mundial, coordinado por María Josefina Morales, Julio Gambina y Gabriela Roffinelli