Aerobic Physical Activity Participation and Correlates of Participating in Muscle Strengthening Physical Activity: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

The purpose of this study was to evaluate differences in correlates of muscle-strengthening physical activity (PA) between those meeting and not meeting aerobic PA guidelines. A sample of college students (n = 392) completed a survey measuring constructs from the reasoned action approach for muscle-strengthening PA. Overall, 56% (n = 220) met the aerobic PA recommendations, and 25% (n = 99) met the muscle-strengthening PA recommendations. The mean age of participants was 19.9 years (± 1.76) (meeting aerobic PA = 20.0 years old ± 1.73; not meeting aerobic PA = 19.8 years old ± 1.79), and there were no differences between race or class standing between groups [a majority of the sample identified as white/Caucasian (83.4%; n = 327) and female (69.4%; n = 272)]. Separate linear regression models were created for college students meeting and not meeting aerobic PA guidelines. College students meeting aerobic guidelines (n = 220) reported significantly more muscle-strengthening PA (m = 2.89 days ± 2.0) than students not meeting guidelines (n = 172) (m = 2.06 days ± 1.9) (p \u3c 0.001; d = 0.42). Regression models showed that attitudes, perceived norms, and perceived behavioral control (PBC) explained a substantial amount of the variance of intentions for both groups [meeting (45.5%); not meeting (59.7%)], however PBC moderated the relationship between intentions and muscle-strengthening PA for those not meeting aerobic recommendations. Results demonstrate that there are different correlates for muscle-strengthening PA, based on participation in aerobic PA, which translates to a need for different intervention approaches and strategies for both groups

Caracterização funcional de genes associados com o tempo de floração em macieira.

A macieira é uma árvore de clima temperado pertencente à família Rosaceae. Árvores de macieira entram em um período de dormência durante o inverno, o que garante a sobrevivência dessas plantas frente a temperaturas abaixo de zero e permite à planta retomar o crescimento vegetativo e reprodutivo na primavera. A indução, progressão e liberação da dormência é dependente de temperaturas abaixo de 7,2°C e é regulada por um mecanismo molecular endógeno de gemas. Em estudos anteriores do Laboratório de Genética Molecular Vegetal, foi identificado um importante QTL no cromossomo 9 de macieira que explica mais de 50% da variação fenotípica observada para o tempo de floração. Dois genes candidatos, MdFLC-like e MdPRE1, foram localizados dentro do intervalo de confiança deste QTL. Na planta modelo Arabidopsis thaliana, FLC e PRE1 estão envolvidos no processo de floração e crescimento, respectivamente, o que reforça um possível papel de MdFLC-like e MdPRE1 na regulação do tempo de floração em macieira. No presente estudo, está sendo investigado o papel dos genes MdFLC-like e MdPRE1 na progressão e liberação da dormência em gemas de macieira.(Embrapa Uva e Vinho. Documentos, 99

The burden of severe cases of Influenza disease: The Friuli Venezia Giulia Region experience

IIntroduction. Influenza is a matter of serious concern for clinicians, in both outpatient and in-hospital settings. Worldwide, the 2017-18 epidemic proved to be the most severe since 2003-04. We report a real-world experience regarding the management of patients with influenza admitted to a large teaching hospital in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region during the 2017-2018 influenza season. We also provide a practical guide for the management of hospitalized influenza patients. Methods. A retrospective observational analysis was conducted among all influenza patients requiring admission to our center during the 2017-18 season. Results. Overall, 29 patients were admitted to the University Hospital of Udine during the 2017-18 season with a diagnosis of influenza. B virus was responsible for the majority of cases. More than 65.5% of the subjects presented with a complication. We estimated that 41.4% of the patients admitted were affected by a \u201csevere form\u201d. All these cases required admission to the Intensive Care Unit, with 27.6% and 10.3% needing Orotracheal Intubation and Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation, respectively. The fatality rate was 24.1%. Notably, only 9 subjects in our cohort had been vaccinated. Based on the experience acquired during the past season, we propose a practical guide to the management of influenza cases in everyday hospital practice. Conclusion. The cornerstones of the management of all hospitalized influenza patients are the rapid identification and treatment of severe forms. Timely and strict adherence to contact and respiratory precautions are also fundamental to reducing the risk of intra-hospital outbreaks. Despite improvements in antiviral therapies and supportive measures, influenza-related morbidity and mortality remain high. In our opinion, a universal vaccination program is the only safe and effective method of filling the gap

Caracterização funcional de genes associados com o tempo de brotação em macieiras.

Árvores de macieira entram em um período de dormência durante o inverno, o que garante a sobrevivência dessas plantas frente a baixas temperaturas e permite à planta retomar o desenvolvimento vegetativo e reprodutivo na primavera

Technical measures without enforcement tools: is there any sense? A methodological approach for the estimation of passive net length in small scale fisheries

Passive nets are currently among the most important fishing gears largely used along the Mediterranean coasts by the small scale fisheries sector. The fishing effort exerted by this sector is strongly correlated with net dimensions. Therefore, the use of passive nets is worldwide managed by defining net length and net drop. The EC Reg. 1967/2006 reports that the length of bottom-set and drifting nets may be also defined considering their weight or volume; however, no practical suggestions for fisheries inspectors are yet available. Consequently,  even if such technical measures are reasonable from a theoretical viewpoint, they are hardly suitable as a management tool, due to the difficulties in harbour control. The overall objective of this paper is to provide a quick methodological approach for the gross estimation of passive net length (by net type) on the basis of net volume. The final goal is to support fisheries managers with suitable advice for enforcement and control purposes. The results obtained are important for the management of the fishing effort exerted by small scale fisheries. The methodology developed in this study should be considered as a first attempt to tackle the tangled problem of net length estimation that can be easily applied in other fisheries and areas in order to improve the precision of the models developed herein

Towards a fully self-consistent spectral function of the nucleon in nuclear matter

We present a calculation of nuclear matter which goes beyond the usual quasi-particle approximation in that it includes part of the off-shell dependence of the self-energy in the self-consistent solution of the single-particle spectrum. The spectral function is separated in contributions for energies above and below the chemical potential. For holes we approximate the spectral function for energies below the chemical potential by a $\delta$-function at the quasi-particle peak and retain the standard form for energies above the chemical potential. For particles a similar procedure is followed. The approximated spectral function is consistently used at all levels of the calculation. Results for a model calculation are presented, the main conclusion is that although several observables are affected by the inclusion of the continuum contributions the physical consistency of the model does not improve with the improved self-consistency of the solution method. This in contrast to expectations based on the crucial role of self-consistency in the proofs of conservation laws.Comment: 26 pages Revtex with 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Assessing fish–fishery dynamics from a spatially explicit metapopulation perspective reveals winners and losers in fisheries management

Sustainable management of living resources must reconcile biodiversity conservation and socioeconomic viability of human activities. In the case of fisheries, sustainable management design is made challenging by the complex spatiotemporal interactions between fish and fisheries. We develop a comprehensive metapopulation framework integrating data on species life-history traits, connectivity and habitat distribution to identify priority areas for fishing regulation and assess how management impacts are spatially distributed. We trial this approach on European hake fisheries in the north-western Mediterranean, where we assess area-based management scenarios in terms of stock status and fishery productivity to prioritize areas for protection. Model simulations show that local fishery closures have the potential to enhance both spawning stock biomass and landings on a regional scale compared to a status quo scenario, but that improving protection is easier than increasing productivity. Moreover, the interaction between metapopulation dynamics and the redistribution of fishing effort following local closures implies that benefits and drawbacks are heterogeneously distributed in space, the former being concentrated in the proximity of the protected site. A network analysis shows that priority areas for protection are those with the highest connectivity (as expressed by network metrics) if the objective is to improve the spawning stock, while no significant relationship emerges between connectivity and potential for increased landings. Synthesis and applications. Our framework provides a tool for (1) assessing area-based management measures aimed at improving fisheries outcomes in terms of both conservation and socioeconomic viability and (2) describing the spatial distribution of costs and benefits, which can help guide effective management and gain stakeholder support. Adult dispersal remains the main source of uncertainty that needs to be investigated to effectively apply our model to fisheries regulation

Real-world outcomes of sipuleucel-T treatment in PROCEED, a prospective registry of men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

BackgroundThe large registry, PROVENGE Registry for the Observation, Collection, and Evaluation of Experience Data (PROCEED)(NCT01306890), evaluated sipuleucel-T immunotherapy for asymptomatic/minimally symptomatic metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).MethodsPROCEED enrolled patients with mCRPC receiving 3 biweekly sipuleucel-T infusions. Assessments included overall survival (OS), serious adverse events (SAEs), cerebrovascular events (CVEs), and anticancer interventions (ACIs). Follow-up was for ≥3 years or until death or study withdrawal.ResultsIn 2011-2017, 1976 patients were followed for 46.6 months (median). The median age was 72 years, and the baseline median prostate-specific antigen level was 15.0 ng/mL; 86.7% were white, and 11.6% were African American. Among the patients, 1902 had 1 or more sipuleucel-T infusions. The median OS was 30.7 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 28.6-32.2 months). Known prognostic factors were independently associated with OS in a multivariable analysis. Among the 1255 patients who died, 964 (76.8%) died of prostate cancer (PC) progression. The median time from the first infusion to PC death was 42.7 months (95% CI, 39.4-46.2 months). The incidence of sipuleucel-T-related SAEs was 3.9%. The incidence of CVEs was 2.8%, and the rate per 100 person-years was 1.2 (95% CI, 0.9-1.6). The CVE incidence among 11,972 patients with mCRPC from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare database was 2.8%; the rate per 100 person-years was 1.5 (95% CI, 1.4-1.7). One or more ACIs (abiraterone, enzalutamide, docetaxel, cabazitaxel, or radium 223) were received by 77.1% of the patients after sipuleucel-T; 32.5% and 17.4% of the patients experienced 1- and 2-year treatment-free intervals, respectively.ConclusionsPROCEED provides contemporary survival data for sipuleucel-T-treated men in a real-world setting of new life-prolonging agents, which will be useful in discussing treatment options with patients and in powering future trials with sipuleucel-T. The safety and tolerability of sipuleucel-T in PROCEED were consistent with previous findings