Maturation level in adolescents: effects on body composition and physical activity changes

Background and aims: Longitudinal studies help move researchers closer to understanding determinants and mediators of maturation, physical activity (PA) and adiposity. The aim of this study was to longitudinally explore the influence of maturation on PA and adiposity changes in adolescents. Methods: Eighty healthy adolescents (42 girls and 38 boys) were followed over three academic years. A PA score was estimated using the Physical Activity Questionnaire (PAQ-A). Fat mass percentage (FMP) was assessed by anthropometric measurements. Sexual maturity was estimated by percentage of predicted adult stature and adolescents were classified into three changes groups: C0, change from on time to late maturation; C1, no change; C2, change from late/on time to on time/early maturation. A stepwise linear regression was conducted in order to estimate the predictors of PA and FMP changes. Results: An interaction between PA and maturation was statically significant (P<0.05). A non-significant trend was observed between three stages of change with a progressive reduction of FMP across the three stages of change in maturation level (C0 = 0.2752.70%; C1= -1.4901.10%; C2= -6.4172.57%; pairwise comparisons: C0 - C2 = 6.69%, P=0.081 and C1-C2 = 4.93%, P=0.080). Conclusions: Our results suggest that body composition changes observed during adolescence are not driven by changes in PA. PA alteration patterns were influenced by sex but not by maturation.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. Supported by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport (AP2010-0583); the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (DEP2011-30565

Teaching Style in Physical Education and Changes of Daily Physical Activity after One Academic Year in Adolescents: GEOS Study

Increased Moderate-Vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and reduced sedentary time (ST) are key factors for a healthy lifestyle during childhood and adolescence. Studies have suggested that schools may be effective resources to promote healthy habits (Sallis, McKenzie et al. 2012). Therefore, in PE, is important to assess how teachers use strategies and provide students tools to engage in PA with the purpose of reduce the risk of sedentary behavior and contribute to promotion MVPA habits for a healthy lifestyle (Lonsdale, C. et al., 2013). Many factors may be involved in the successful PE class to promote healthy out-school behaviors, as teaching styles (TS), learning styles, learning time, motivation and so on (Mosston, M. 1966). Regarding TS, there is a lack of knowledge about influence of the teaching style (TS) in the promotion of daily MVPA. It was our aim to observe the differences of total daily PA dimensions between two groups of adolescents who were taught during a whole academic year using reproducing (RK) or producing knowledge (PK) TSs.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Abelian Toda field theories on the noncommutative plane

Generalizations of GL(n) abelian Toda and $\widetilde{GL}(n)$ abelian affine Toda field theories to the noncommutative plane are constructed. Our proposal relies on the noncommutative extension of a zero-curvature condition satisfied by algebra-valued gauge potentials dependent on the fields. This condition can be expressed as noncommutative Leznov-Saveliev equations which make possible to define the noncommutative generalizations as systems of second order differential equations, with an infinite chain of conserved currents. The actions corresponding to these field theories are also provided. The special cases of GL(2) Liouville and $\widetilde{GL}(2)$ sinh/sine-Gordon are explicitly studied. It is also shown that from the noncommutative (anti-)self-dual Yang-Mills equations in four dimensions it is possible to obtain by dimensional reduction the equations of motion of the two-dimensional models constructed. This fact supports the validity of the noncommutative version of the Ward conjecture. The relation of our proposal to previous versions of some specific Toda field theories reported in the literature is presented as well.Comment: v3 30 pages, changes in the text, new sections included and references adde

Large-scale analysis of the SDSS-III DR8 photometric luminous galaxies angular correlation function

We analyse the large-scale angular correlation function (ACF) of the CMASS luminous galaxies (LGs), a photometric-redshift catalogue based on the Data Release 8 (DR8) of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey-III. This catalogue contains over $600 \, \, 000$ LGs in the range $0.45 \leq z \leq 0.65$, which was split into four redshift shells of constant width. First, we estimate the constraints on the redshift-space distortion (RSD) parameters $b\sigma_8$ and $f\sigma_8$, where $b$ is the galaxy bias, $f$ the growth rate and $\sigma_8$ is the normalization of the perturbations, finding that they vary appreciably among different redshift shells, in agreement with previous results using DR7 data. When assuming constant RSD parameters over the survey redshift range, we obtain $f\sigma_8 = 0.69 \pm 0.21$, which agrees at the $1.5\sigma$ level with Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey DR9 spectroscopic results. Next, we performed two cosmological analyses, where relevant parameters not fitted were kept fixed at their fiducial values. In the first analysis, we extracted the baryon acoustic oscillation peak position for the four redshift shells, and combined with the sound horizon scale from 7-year \textit{Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe} $(WMAP7)$ to produce the constraints $\Omega_{m}=0.249 \pm 0.031$ and $w=-0.885 \pm 0.145$. In the second analysis, we used the ACF full shape information to constrain cosmology using real data for the first time, finding $\Omega_{m} = 0.280 \pm 0.022$ and $f_b = \Omega_b/\Omega_m = 0.211 \pm 0.026$. These results are in good agreement with $WMAP7$ findings, showing that the ACF can be efficiently applied to constrain cosmology in future photometric galaxy surveys.Comment: MNRAS accepted. Minor corrections to match publish versio

Reference values of total and regional skeletal muscle mass in children and adolescents

Introduction: The acquisition of skeletal muscle mass (SMM) during childhood and adolescence must be a main concern to ensure healthy growth and improved motor development. Moreover, peak SMM increment must happen during youth, which would determine adulthood health and performance. Although some indicators of SMM have been using for assessment of nutrition status since the seventies like upper arm circumference or arm areas there is insuffi cient SMM data throughout childhood and adolescence to establish references norms. The first aim of this study, therefore, was to analyze trends of fat free mass (FFM) and regional and total SMM. The second objective was to compare trends between SMM and FFM by age and gender. Method: Cross-sectional data of 1103 healthy volunteers were analyzed (13.3 ± 2.5 yrs, BMI=20.1 ± 3.4 kg/m2; 323 girls and 780 boys). They were recruited from local primary schools, high-schools and local sport clubs. Anthropometry in accordance with ISAK guidelines was used to measure: triceps, thigh and calf skinfolds, and arm, thigh and calf circumferences were assessed by a caliper and tape respectively. Regional muscle areas were calculated from the corrected limb circumferences. FFM was estimated by anthropometric-derived equation. Validated age-specifi c models were applied to obtain SMM based on anthropometric variables (Poortmans’ (0.000) while FFM showed 688.7 (P>0.000). Sex interaction was found. Conclusions: Our fi ndings show that there is a diff erence between boys and girls in the relationship between total SMM and age. Regional muscle areas from the upper limbs don’t develop in linear fashion with age in contrast to development in the lower extremity areas. These results suggest that upper and lower muscle areas growth is diff erent in terms of timing. Longitudinal studies are required to confirm these results.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Concurrent and Construct Validity of Methods to Estimate Fat-Free Mass in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults

INTRODUCTION: Indirect methodologies are available to estimate fat-free mass (FFM) as a skeletal muscle mass surrogate in field settings at low cost. However, there is a lack of knowledge related with the FMM estimations variability introduced by the available methods and its correlations with performance constructs. The association between repeated measures of FFM by different methodologies and strength tests must provide a valuable construct validity analysis, which allows us to select the best method to assess the functional body composition. PURPOSE: To analyze validity and agreement between laboratory and field methods to estimate FFM in children, adolescents, and young adults, and their relationships with strength. METHODS: We studied a dataset of participants aged 6-21y (531 assessments, 287 boys). FFM was evaluated by isotope dilution method (REF), dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and anthropometry (ANT). Isometric strength was assessed by limb dynamometry and dynamic strength as sprinting and jumping. Concurrent validity was analyzed by differences between methods and concordance correlation coefficient (CCC), agreement by Bland-Altman analysis, and construct validity by individual associations. RESULTS: FFM from ANT had the lowest bias in girls (-2.33±4.41kg, P≤0.0001) and from BIA in boys (-1.79±4.51kg, P≤0.0001). The best CCC was found for FFM-BIA (girls, 0.764; boys, 0.926). The highest correlation with constructs was found for handgrip and FFM-BIA in girls (r=-0.743) and FFM-REF in boys (r=0.812; both P≤0.001). CONCLUSION: Our results showed BIA was the best method to estimate FFM. Nonetheless, there was not a single method which correlated the best with all strength constructs. The low coordinative requirement of isometric strength test could be one of the reasons to find a better correlation with FFM than explosive dynamic tests, and this leads us to speculate that isometric strength is more dependent of body composition than dynamic tests. These findings needed to be refuted with additional constructs

Dressing approach to the nonvanishing boundary value problem for the AKNS hierarchy

We propose an approach to the nonvanishing boundary value problem for integrable hierarchies based on the dressing method. Then we apply the method to the AKNS hierarchy. The solutions are found by introducing appropriate vertex operators that takes into account the boundary conditions.Comment: Published version Proc. Quantum Theory and Symmetries 7 (QTS7)(Prague, Czech Republic, 2011

About the self-dual Chern-Simons system and Toda field theories on the noncommutative plane

The relation of the noncommutative self-dual Chern-Simons (NCSDCS) system to the noncommutative generalizations of Toda and of affine Toda field theories is investigated more deeply. This paper continues the programme initiated in $JHEP {\bf 10} (2005) 071$, where it was presented how it is possible to define Toda field theories through second order differential equation systems starting from the NCSDCS system. Here we show that using the connection of the NCSDCS to the noncommutative chiral model, exact solutions of the Toda field theories can be also constructed by means of the noncommutative extension of the uniton method proposed in $JHEP {\bf 0408} (2004) 054$ by Ki-Myeong Lee. Particularly some specific solutions of the nc Liouville model are explicit constructed.Comment: 24 page

Clustering of photometric luminous red galaxies I : Growth of Structure and Baryon Acoustic Feature

The possibility of measuring redshift space (RSD) distortions using photometric data have been recently highlighted. This effect complements and significantly alters the detectability of baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) in photometric surveys. In this paper we present measurements of the angular correlation function of luminous red galaxies (LRGs) in the photometric catalog of the final data release (DR7) of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey II (SDSS). The sample compromise ~ 1.5 x 10^6 LRGs distributed in 0.45 < z < 0.65, with a characteristic photometric error of ~ 0.05. Our measured correlation centered at z=0.55 is in very good agreement with predictions from standard LCDM in a broad range of angular scales, $0.5^\circ < \theta < 6^\circ$. We find that the growth of structure can indeed be robustly measured, with errors matching expectations. The velocity growth rate is recovered as $f \sigma_8 = 0.53 \pm 0.42$ when no prior is imposed on the growth factor and the background geometry follows a LCDM model with WMAP7+SNIa priors. This is compatible with the corresponding General Relativity (GR) prediction $f \sigma_8 = 0.45$ for our fiducial cosmology. If we adopt a parametrization such that $f=\Omega ^\gamma_m(z)$, with $\gamma \approx 0.55$ in GR, and combine our $f\sigma_8$ measurement with the corresponding ones from spectroscopic LRGs at lower redshifts we obtain $\gamma=0.54 \pm 0.17$. In addition we find evidence for the presence of the baryon acoustic feature matching the amplitude, location and shape of LCDM predictions. The photometric BAO feature is detected with 98 % confidence level at z=0.55.Comment: 16 pages, 19 figures, minor changes to text to match accepted version by MNRA