Fitness Trackers and Friends: Using Technology to Facilitate Social Support and Physical Activity

Consistent physical activity enhances physiological and psychological well-being, with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommending at least 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity weekly. However, decreased exercise or sedentary habits can elevate depressive symptoms, diminish life quality, and increase disease risks. PURPOSE: To examine the effectiveness of a socially mediated, partner-based intervention incorporating fitness trackers. A secondary aim was to assess how self-efficacy (SE) and social support (SS) differed between dyad and solo exercisers. METHODS: Fourteen undergraduate students (M:11, F:3; aged 19-27 years) were randomly assigned to a solo (n=6) or dyad group (n=8). Participants wore a MyZone Fitness Tracker which calculated MyZone effort points (MEPs) for each workout, based on minutes spent in heart rate training zones. Both groups had access to individual results via an app, but the dyad group also viewed their partner’s workout data. The Multidimensional Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale (MSES) and Physical Activity and Social Support Scale (PASSS) measured self-efficacy and social support pre- and post-test, respectively. RESULTS: At the end of week 3, the dyad group showed more improvement in PA than the solo group (d = .56); however, the dyad group began with higher activity levels which were maintained throughout the study. Conversely, the solo exercise group experienced an 83% decrease in PA. In addition, the dyad group experienced higher SE compared to the solo group. Dyads reported higher feelings of SS compared to solo group. CONCLUSION: This study supported the positive effect of exercise dyads on exercise behavior and self-efficacy compared to solo exercise, as the pairs were able to maintain a higher level of PA and reported meaningful differences in self-efficacy and social support

Information Technology and Competitive Advantage: The Role of the Ownership Structure

This paper analyses the relationship between information technology use (IT) and competitive advantage. Previous empirical research shows that IT improves competitive advantage when it acts together with some human or managerial resources of an intangible nature. In this work we propose a new complementary resource to IT: democratic ownership structure. We empirically analyse whether ownership structure and IT have a positive, combined impact on competitive advantage. Results show that ownership structure is a key element in explaining competitive advantage differences. Nonetheless, we did not find any IT-ownership structure complementary effect

Ansiedad y su relación con la impulsividad en deportistas

Anxiety is an emotional response that is presented through physical or cognitive symptoms, while impulsivity is a quick response to a situation, both are present in daily life and in turn in sport, so the objective of this research is to identify the relationship between anxiety and impulsivity in athletes. The methodology is of a correlational-descriptive cross-sectional type; the population consisted of 142 athletes belonging to a neighborhood league in Quito, Ecuador, between 18 and 50 years of age; the Martens precompetitive anxiety test (CSAI-2) and the Barrat impulsivity scale (BIS-11) were used. The results showed that there was a relationship between the following dimensions: cognitive anxiety (Rho=0.286, p<0.001), somatic anxiety (Rho=0.479, p<0.001) and self-confidence (Rho= -0.372, p<0.001) with impulsivity, so it can be concluded that anxiety levels tend to rise along with impulsivity levels, while if athletes have high levels of self-confidence, impulsivity will be lower.La ansiedad es una respuesta emocional que se presenta mediante síntomas físicos o cognitivos, mientras que la impulsividad es una respuesta rápida ante una situación, ambas se encuentran presentes en la vida diaria y a su vez en el deporte, por lo cual el objetivo de esta investigación es identificar la relación entre la ansiedad e impulsividad en deportistas. La metodología es de tipo correlacional-descriptiva de corte trasversal; la población estuvo conformada por 142 deportistas pertenecientes una Liga Barrial de Quito- Ecuador, de entre 18 a 50 años; se utilizó el test de ansiedad precompetitiva de Martens (CSAI-2) y la escala de impulsividad de Barrat (BIS-11). Los resultados mostraron que existió relación entre las dimensiones de: ansiedad cognitiva (Rho=0,286, p<0,001), somática (Rho=0,479, p<0,001) y autoconfianza (Rho= -0,372, p<0,001) con la impulsividad, por lo que se puede concluir que los niveles de ansiedad tienden a subir junto con los niveles de impulsividad, mientras que si los deportistas presentan niveles altos de autoconfianza la impulsividad será menor

Health and economic crises and the Mexican agricultural sector

Objective: to determine if the economic crises of 1994 and 2008 and the health crises of 2009 and 2020 affected the relationship between the main price and the production of agricultural products in the states that have the highest production in the regions of the agricultural sector of Mexico. Design/methodology/approach: sixty structural stability tests were carried out with dummy variables, to analyze the effect of these crises on the price-quantity relationship of the main producer States of the five regions of the agricultural, sector of the main products produced in Mexico that they are grain corn, grain sorghum and beans. Results: the economic crises of 1994 and 2008, as well as the health crises of 2009 and 2020, in general (with some exceptions), did not impact the relationship between price and production in the main producing States of the five regions of the sector agriculture of Mexico of the main products produced in Mexico. Limitations on study/implications: not all products and all states of Mexico are examined. Findings/conclusions: economic and health crises, in general, do not disappear from the relationship between the price and production of the States and producers analyzed, that the price-production relationship of these is resilient in the face of economic and health crises, that is, producers do not significantly alter their production, given the price variations caused by the economic and health crises

Type-Specific Identification of Genital Human Papillomavirus Infection in Women with Cytological Abnormality

Objectives: To estimate the frequency of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and the genotype distribution of HPV among women with a Pap smear showing atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US) attending the Program for the Detection and Control of Cervical Cancer in Bogotá, Colombia. Study Design: Cervical samples from 200 women with an ASC-US Pap smear were analyzed for the presence of HPV DNA and genotype distribution using a commercial molecular technique (Linear Array®; Roche Molecular Systems, USA). Results: HPV infection was found in 140 women (70%). High-risk HPV types were present in 46.4% of the samples; 16.4% showed a low-risk HPV type, and 37.1% showed both. Of the positive samples, 42.9% were infected with a single viral genotype, whereas 57.1% exhibited multiple HPV infections. The most common HPV genotypes were HPV 16, 53, and 52 with a prevalence of 26.4, 16.4, and 13.6%, respectively. Conclusion: The epidemiological characterization of HPV infections described in this study might guide actions for epidemiological surveillance to strengthen the program in Bogotá and to develop appropriate HPV vaccination programs.Instituto de Genética Veterinari

MAMÍFEROS PEQUEÑOS EN LA DIETA DE LA LECHUZA TYTO ALBA (STRIGIFORMES: TYTONIDAE) EN DOS LOCALIDADES DEL OCCIDENTE DE ECUADOR, CON AMPLIACIÓN DISTRIBUCIONAL DE ICHTHYOMYS HYDROBATES (RODENTIA: CRICETIDAE)

En el presente estudio a partir de 107 egagrópilas de la lechuza, determinamos el consumo de 300 presas agrupadas en 21 especies, las egagrópilas fueron colectadas en dos localidades de diferente ambiente Los Santiagos y La Ciénaga, en las provincias de Chimborazo y Manabí, al occidente de Ecuador. Nuestros análisis revelaron una dieta compuesta mayoritariamente de mamíferos pequeños, sobre todo roedores, quienes constituyeron el 80%. Entre las presas más abundantes se encontró a Oligoryzomys sp. que representó el 38.7% de la dieta en las muestras de Los Santiagos y Sigmodon peruanus 33.6% en La Ciénaga, siendo el 22,5% y 41% respectivamente de la biomasa total consumida para cada sitio. La rata cangrejera Ichthyomys hydrobates es reportada por primera vez en la dieta de la lechuza y también en la localidad de Los Santiagos, ampliando el rango distribucional de este roedor para el centro-sur al occidente de Ecuador en aproximadamente 200 km.We analyzed 107 owl pellets and determined 300 prey items grouped into 21 species. The pellets were collected at two locations with different environments: Los Santiagos and La Ciénaga in the province of Chimborazo and Manabí in western Ecuador. Our analysis revealed a diet mostly comprised on small mammals, especially rodents which constituted 80%. Among the most abundant prey were Oligoryzomys sp. which accounted for 38.7% of the diet in Los Santiagos' samples and Sigmodon peruanus 33.6% in La Ciénaga, being 22.5% and 41% respectively of the total biomass consumed at each site. The crab-eating rat Ichthyomys hydrobates is first reported in this owl's diet and in the locality of Los Santiagos. This record extends the distributional range of I. hydrobates to southwest Ecuador by about 200 km

Participación comunitaria y procesos de comunicación en la implementación de programas de reasentamiento de familias dentro del contexto del desarrollo urbano en Barranquilla (Colombia)

Planning processes of development and growth of the city of Barranquilla have required the relocation of the population living in areas of intervention actions. As part of the implementation of the New Management Plan Territorial (POT), the city plans to revitalize an area around the Magdalena River with a view to improving the quality of life of citizens and to increase competitiveness of the city. The revitalization project is known as project “La Loma “. Under the current Land Use Plan of Barranquilla (POT), the urban development project “La Loma” includes, among other activities, the transfer of a large number of people currently living in this area. For this reason, this article aims to review the current POT and documents from City Council and the Mayor’s office associated with the POT and “La Loma” project, in order to identify and analyze the component of community participation and communication related to the implementation of this project. The results of the documents revealed the presence of regulatory elements associated with community participation. The results also showed potentially useful spaces for the implementation of inclusive communication processes. Therefore, this article proposes a guide for the formulation of a strategic communication plan with a focus on participatory communication and dialogue facilitator to be used during the execution of urban projects that include the relocation of families. © 2016, Universidad del Norte. All rights reserved

VHMPID: a new detector for the ALICE experiment at LHC

This article presents the basic idea of VHMPID, an upgrade detector for the ALICE experiment at LHC, CERN. The main goal of this detector is to extend the particle identification capabilities of ALICE to give more insight into the evolution of the hot and dense matter created in Pb-Pb collisions. Starting from the physics motivations and working principles the challenges and current status of development is detailed.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures. To be published in EPJ Web of Conference