Psychological determinants of whole-body endurance performance

Background: No literature reviews have systematically identified and evaluated research on the psychological determinants of endurance performance, and sport psychology performance-enhancement guidelines for endurance sports are not founded on a systematic appraisal of endurance-specific research. Objective: A systematic literature review was conducted to identify practical psychological interventions that improve endurance performance and to identify additional psychological factors that affect endurance performance. Additional objectives were to evaluate the research practices of included studies, to suggest theoretical and applied implications, and to guide future research. Methods: Electronic databases, forward-citation searches, and manual searches of reference lists were used to locate relevant studies. Peer-reviewed studies were included when they chose an experimental or quasi-experimental research design, a psychological manipulation, endurance performance as the dependent variable, and athletes or physically-active, healthy adults as participants. Results: Consistent support was found for using imagery, self-talk, and goal setting to improve endurance performance, but it is unclear whether learning multiple psychological skills is more beneficial than learning one psychological skill. The results also demonstrated that mental fatigue undermines endurance performance, and verbal encouragement and head-to-head competition can have a beneficial effect. Interventions that influenced perception of effort consistently affected endurance performance. Conclusions: Psychological skills training could benefit an endurance athlete. Researchers are encouraged to compare different practical psychological interventions, to examine the effects of these interventions for athletes in competition, and to include a placebo control condition or an alternative control treatment. Researchers are also encouraged to explore additional psychological factors that could have a negative effect on endurance performance. Future research should include psychological mediating variables and moderating variables. Implications for theoretical explanations of endurance performance and evidence-based practice are described

Influence of soil water content and atmospheric conditions on leaf water potential in cv. "Touriga Nacional" deep-rooted vineyards

Abstract In this study, the influence of soil and atmosphere conditions on noon and basal leaf water potential of vines ‘‘Touriga Nacional’’ in the Da˜o region submitted to different irrigation treatments is analysed. Both indicators showed to be dependent on environmental conditions at the time of measurement. Leaf water potential at noon of fully watered plants was linearly related with atmospheric conditions, with values registered when vapour pressure deficit (VPD) was higher than approximately 3 kPa being no different from the values registered in stressed plants. Therefore, this indicator cannot be reliably used to distinguish different plant water stress levels when atmospheric conditions induce high evaporative demands. The basal leaf water potential (wb) was also influenced by VPD at the time of measurement for all soil water conditions. In well irrigated plants, it was even possible to establish a baseline that can therefore be used to identify nonwater stressed conditions (wb (MPa) = -0.062–0.0972 VPD (kPa), r2 = 0.78). A good correlation was found between soil humidity and wb. However, more than the average value of the whole thickness of soil monitored, the wb values were dependent on the distribution of soil humidity, with the plants responding to the presence of wet layers

A second generation genetic map for rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Genetic maps characterizing the inheritance patterns of traits and markers have been developed for a wide range of species and used to study questions in biomedicine, agriculture, ecology and evolutionary biology. The status of rainbow trout genetic maps has progressed significantly over the last decade due to interest in this species in aquaculture and sport fisheries, and as a model research organism for studies related to carcinogenesis, toxicology, comparative immunology, disease ecology, physiology and nutrition. We constructed a second generation genetic map for rainbow trout using microsatellite markers to facilitate the identification of quantitative trait loci for traits affecting aquaculture production efficiency and the extraction of comparative information from the genome sequences of model fish species.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A genetic map ordering 1124 microsatellite loci spanning a sex-averaged distance of 2927.10 cM (Kosambi) and having 2.6 cM resolution was constructed by genotyping 10 parents and 150 offspring from the National Center for Cool and Cold Water Aquaculture (NCCCWA) reference family mapping panel. Microsatellite markers, representing pairs of loci resulting from an evolutionarily recent whole genome duplication event, identified 180 duplicated regions within the rainbow trout genome. Microsatellites associated with genes through expressed sequence tags or bacterial artificial chromosomes produced comparative assignments with tetraodon, zebrafish, fugu, and medaka resulting in assignments of homology for 199 loci.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The second generation NCCCWA genetic map provides an increased microsatellite marker density and quantifies differences in recombination rate between the sexes in outbred populations. It has the potential to integrate with cytogenetic and other physical maps, identifying paralogous regions of the rainbow trout genome arising from the evolutionarily recent genome duplication event, and anchoring a comparative map with the zebrafish, medaka, tetraodon, and fugu genomes. This resource will facilitate the identification of genes affecting traits of interest through fine mapping and positional cloning of candidate genes.</p

Physiological Significance of Hydraulic Segmentation, Nocturnal Transpiration and Capacitance in Tropical Trees: Paradigms Revisited

Results from water relations and hydraulic architecture studies of trees from tropical savannas and humid tropical and subtropical forests were reanalyzed in view of paradigms related to the (i) physiological significance of hydraulic segmentation across trees with different life history traits and habitats, (ii) determinants of massive tree mortality, (iii) nocturnal transpiration, and (iv) the role of internal stem water storage. Stems and leaves of tropical and subtropical deciduous tree species are equally vulnerable to cavitation, whereas leaves of evergreen species are substantially more vulnerable than stems. Tree species from tropical ecosystems that do not experience seasonal droughts have stems and leaves with similar vulnerability to cavitation while trees from tropical ecosystems that experience seasonal droughts have leaves that are more vulnerable to drought induced cavitation compared to stems. Strong segmentation (whether hydraulic or vulnerability) during severe droughts may have an indirect negative impact on tree carbon balance. For example for Sclerolobium paniculatum, a widespread tree species in neotropical savannas and seasonally dry forests, the decrease in total leaf surface area per plant (which impact hydraulic architecture) during droughts help to maintain an adequate water balance but has large physiological costs: trees receive a lower return in carbon gain from their investment in stem and leaf biomass. Leaf hydraulic failure and carbon starvation may contribute to the massive, size-dependent mortality observed in this species. The functional significance of the widespread phenomenon of nocturnal transpiration in tropical trees is discussed. One of the most likely functions of nocturnal sap flow in savanna trees growing in nutrient poor soils appears to be enhanced nutrient acquisition from oligotrophic soils. Large capacitance plays a central role in the rapid growth patterns of tropical deciduous tree species facilitating rapid canopy access as these species are less shade tolerant than evergreen species. Higher growth rates in species with high capacitance could be achieved by keeping the stomata open for longer periods of time.Fil: Bucci, Sandra Janet. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia "San Juan Bosco". Instituto de Biociencias de la Patagonia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto de Biociencias de la Patagonia; ArgentinaFil: Goldstein, Guillermo Hernan. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución. Laboratorio de Ecología Funcional; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Scholz, Fabian Gustavo. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia "San Juan Bosco". Instituto de Biociencias de la Patagonia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto de Biociencias de la Patagonia; ArgentinaFil: Meinzer, Frederick C.. Forestry Sciences Laboratory; Estados Unido

Fluxograma diferencial entre a artrite séptica e sinovite transitória do quadril em crianças Flowchart distinguishing between septic arthritis and transitory synovitis of the hip in children

O diagnóstico diferencial entre a artrite séptica e a sinovite transitória do quadril não é fácil de ser realizado, pois não há um exame que seja simples, nem satisfatoriamente sensível e específico para diferenciá-las. Sendo assim, é muitas vezes utilizada uma propedêutica armada de exames que demanda maior custo e requer melhor infra-estrutura da instituição de saúde. Perante isso, torna-se evidente a necessidade de uma análise multifatorial dos dados clínicos e laboratoriais envolvidos para a proposição de um fluxograma em que se possa racionalizar exames visando a correta abordagem e evitar a indicação de procedimentos, muitas vezes, desnecessários como a ressonância magnética ou mais invasivos como a artrocentese e a própria drenagem cirúrgica. Realizamos uma ampla revisão da literatura nas bases de dados do Pubmed e Cochrane até maio de 2009 em que foi analisada a importância do exame clínico, dos testes laboratoriais e de imagem para a diferenciação entre as duas afecções. Mediante o cruzamento dos dados foi elaborado um fluxograma para o diagnóstico e conduta na criança e no adolescente, com idade de seis meses a dezoito anos, com sintoma de dor no quadril, na suspeita de quadro inflamatório. Nivel de Evidência III, estudos diagnósticos, investigação de um exame para diagnóstico.<br>The distinguishing diagnosis between the septic arthritis and the transitory synovitis of a hip is not easy to be carried through; therefore, there is not a simple, nor sensible and satisfactorily specific examination to differentiate them. Thus, the use of a propedeutic set of examinations becomes necessary to demand greater cost and depend on a bigger infrastructure of the health institution. First of all, the necessity of a multifactorial analysis on a flowchart is evident, so it can rationalize the indication of unnecessary or more invasive procedures as artrocentesis, magnetic resonance and the surgical draining. A revision of literature on the databases of Pubmed and Cochrane until May of 2009 was carried through, and the importance of the clinical examination, laboratorial tests and imaging exams was analyzed. By studies on the data, it was elaborated a flowchart for the diagnosis and the conduction of the management on the patient, between the ages of six months and eighteen years old, with complaint of pain on the hip under suspicion of inflammatory picture. Level of Evidence: Level III, diagnostic studies - investigating a diagnostic test