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Physical, mental and behavioral health indicators in relation to academic performance in European boys and girls: the I.Family study
No full textBackground.
Academic performance in children is associated with a range of health-related factors, including physical fitness, mental well-being, sleep, and behavioral patterns. While previous studies have examined these factors individually, fewer have assessed their independent associations with academic achievement while accounting for other relevant health indicators. This study uses data from the I.Family study to explore how physical, mental, sleep-related, and behavioral health indicators relate to academic achievement among European adolescents, considering each factor’s contribution while adjusting for the others.
Methods.
We used data from the 2013–2014 wave of the I.Family study to investigate eight health indicators: health related quality of life (HRQoL), body mass index (BMI), diet, media use, physical activity, sleep duration and quality, and stressful life events. Their associations with self-reported academic performance in mathematics and language were analyzed using binary logistic regression models, adjusting for confounders such as parents’ education, income, survey country and child’s age. We conducted separate analyses for girls and boys to capture associations that are specific to academic subject and sex.
Results
A number of significant associations were found between several health indicators and academic performance. Higher HRQoL scores, reduced media time, and increased physical activity were linked to better academic performance in both mathematics and language for both boys and girls. Variation by sex and academic subjects were observed, with lower BMI, higher healthy diet scores and better sleep quality associated with better academic performance in language among girls. For mathematics, emotional, self-esteem, and family-related HRQoL were all significantly associated with higher performance for both boys and girls. In contrast, for language achievement, only family-related HRQoL was significant for both sexes.
Conclusions
Our study underscores the need to consider both the importance of accounting for heterogeneity in sex and the differences between math and language academic subjects when investigating determinants of academic performance, setting the stage for further research on this topic to explore potential competing, synergistic, or time-dependent effects among these different health dimensions
Probing axionlike particles with multimessenger observations of neutron star mergers
No full textAAxion-like particles (ALPs) can be copiously produced in binary neutron star (BNS) mergers through nucleon-nucleon bremsstrahlung if the ALP-nucleon couplings are sizable. The ALP-photon coupling may trigger conversions of ultralight ALPs into photons in the magnetic fields of the merger remnant and of the Milky Way. This effect would lead to a potentially observable short gamma-ray signal, in coincidence with the gravitational-wave signal produced during the merging process. This event could be detected through multimessenger observation of BNS mergers employing the synergy between gravitational-wave detectors and gamma-ray telescopes. Here, we study the sensitivity of current and proposed MeV gamma-ray experiments to detect such a signal. As an explicit example, we consider ALP couplings related as in the Kim-Shifman-Vainshtein-Zakharov axion model, and show that in this case the proposed instruments can reach a sensitivity down to ≳few ×10−13 GeV−1 for ≲10−9 eV, comparable with the SN 1987A limit
Immobilization of Thrombin on Agarose-Based Supports for Affinity Tag Removal
No full textThrombin, a specific serine protease, is essential in recombinant protein purification by removing affinity tags. However, its soluble form has drawbacks like instability, contamination, and limited reusability. This study explores the covalent immobilization of bovine thrombin to enhance its performance as a reusable biocatalyst. Using the CapiPy tool, surface residues suitable for immobilization on agarose supports were identified. Thrombin immobilized on glyoxyl-activated agarose showed optimal results, efficiently removing 6xHis-tags from recombinant proteins with activity comparable to the soluble enzyme. It also cleaved other peptide tags, underscoring its versatility. It retained full activity after 1.5 h at 50 °C, while the soluble form was almost inactivated. The immobilized enzyme maintained consistent performance over 10 batch cycles and achieved a space-time yield of 4.7 g·L–1·h–1. These findings highlight the potential of immobilized thrombin as a robust and cost-effective tool to improving recombinant protein purification workflows, with significant implications for both industrial and research applications
Classics and canon in Secondary Education: exploring the thinking of 30 literature teachers in Spain
No full textThe controversy surrounding the canon since the 1970s, as well as the multicultural nature of contemporary societies, has led to the emergence of several studies, both empirical and based on teachers' beliefs, which analyse how the reading of the classics fits into this new plural context. However, there are no such approaches in Spain from the teachers' perspective. To address this issue, a qualitative case study is presented based on interviews with 30 secondary school teachers. Data were analysed thematically and coded with NVivo 12 software, resulting in the identification of four main categories: teacher beliefs about their relationship with the classics, knowledge, beliefs about the sociocultural factor, and teaching practices and strategies. The findings reveal that teachers think it is important to read the classics, but they also argue that they must be approached in ways that engage students in interpreting them. La controversia en torno al canon desde los años setenta, así como el carácter multicultural de las sociedades contemporáneas, ha propiciado la aparición de diversos estudios, tanto empíricos como basados en las creencias de los profesores, que analizan cómo encaja la lectura de los clásicos en este nuevo contexto plural. Sin embargo, en España no existen aproximaciones de este tipo desde la perspectiva del profesorado. Para abordar esta cuestión, se presenta un estudio de caso cualitativo basado en entrevistas a 30 profesores de Secundaria. Los datos se analizaron temáticamente y se codificaron con el software NVivo 12, dando como resultado la identificación de cuatro categorías principales: creencias de los profesores sobre su relación con los clásicos, conocimientos, creencias sobre el factor sociocultural y prácticas y estrategias de enseñanza. Los resultados revelan que los profesores creen que es importante leer a los clásicos, pero también sostienen que deben abordarse de manera que los alumnos participen en su interpretación
Optimal Dose of Aerobic Exercise Programs to Reduce Pain Intensity and Improve Health Status in Patients With Fibromyalgia: A Dose-Response Meta-Analysis
No full textObjective
The purpose of this study was to examine the dose-response relationship between aerobic exercise programs and changes in pain intensity and health status in patients with fibromyalgia.
Data Sources
Data sources for this study were PubMed, PEDro, Google Scholar, and EBSCO from inception until February 9, 2024.
Study Selection
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of aerobic exercise in patients with a clinical diagnosis of fibromyalgia were included.
Data Extraction
Outcome measures were pain intensity (Visual Analog Scale) and health status (Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ)). The dose-response relationship was evaluated using a restricted cubic spline model.
Data Synthesis
Twenty-three RCTs were included. The meta-analysis showed a significant improvement in pain intensity and functional status. A minimum dose of 50 min per week standardized mean difference (SMD = −0.67; 95% CI = −0.70 to −0.65) and a total duration of 600 min (SMD = −0.65; 95% CI = −0.69 to −0.62) were estimated to effectively reduce pain intensity. The maximum effect was achieved with 90 min per week (SMD = −1.14; 95% CI = −1.19 to −1.09) and 1200 min total duration (SMD = −1.08; 95%CI = −1.13 to −1.02). Additionally, a minimum dose of 65 min per week (SMD = −0.62; 95% CI = −0.6 to −0.69) and a total duration of 950 min (SMD = −0.61; 95% CI = −0.60 to −0.67) were estimated to effectively reduce the FIQ score. While the maximum effect was obtained with 150 min per week (SMD = −1.77; 95% CI = −1.89 to −1.65) and 3000 min of total duration (SMD = −1.43; 95% CI = −1.54 to −1.31).
Conclusion
These findings may be useful in optimizing the minimal dose of aerobic exercise to achieve health improvements in people with fibromyalgia
Obstructive sleep apnea severity and pathophysiological traits in overlap syndrome: Insights from the <scp>SNOOzzzE</scp> cohort
No full textThe overlap syndrome (OVS), defined as coexisting chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), is linked to worse outcomes than either condition alone. Patients with COPD and OSA may have fewer obstructive events, but underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Using a large clinical cohort, we tested the hypothesis that OSA severity and pathophysiological traits differ in OVS versus OSA‐alone. Data from the SNOOzzzE cohort (3319 adults with in‐laboratory polysomnography 2017–2019) were used. OVS patients were identified through chart review and matched to OSA‐only patients (3:1) by age, sex, and body mass index. OSA severity was assessed using apnea hypopnea index (AHI), hypoxic burden (HB), and T90 (%time with SpO2 < 90%), while OSA traits were quantified from polysomnographic signals via validated algorithms. Mixed model analysis quantified group differences before and after adjustment for covariate differences (Black race, smoking) accounting for matching as a random effect. In our diverse cohort (103 OVS vs. 309 OSA‐only; 38% women, 44% non‐White, 17% Hispanic), OVS patients tended to have a lower AHI and HB (approximately −10%, p < 0.1), but significantly higher T90 (~50%, p = 0.003). OVS patients had less upper airway collapsibility, lower arousal threshold, lower ventilatory response to arousal (p < 0.05) and tended to have higher upper airway dilator muscle compensation (p = 0.09). In adjusted analyses, effect estimates were similar, but significance was attenuated. Hyperinflation and air trapping were inversely associated with AHI/HB. OSA severity and mechanisms differ in OVS versus OSA‐only. Future research should seek to evaluate these differences for their prognostic ability
<i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i> sulfurtransferase <scp>SseA</scp> is activated by its neighboring gene product Rv3284
No full textTuberculosis remains a critical global health challenge, which underscores the need for new therapeutic targets. A potential drug target is the rhodanese‐like thiosulfate sulfurtransferase SseA, which plays a role in macrophage infection by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and its resistance to oxidative stress. In our research, we identified a protein (Rv3284), herein referred to as SufEMtb, that interacts with SseA and modulates its activity. Sequence analysis and molecular modeling revealed that SufEMtb enhances SseA enzymatic function by binding to its non‐catalytic N‐terminal domain and favoring an activating conformational change in a regulatory loop of SseA. This interaction appears crucial for effective enzyme activity and the maintenance of redox homeostasis in Mtb, making the SseA–SufEMtb complex a potential target for new therapies
Un catalán contra el Rif: Joaquín Planell y la guerra química en Marruecos. II. De Washington a Alhucemas
No full textEste artículo es la segunda parte de un trabajo sobre la figura del oficial de Artillería catalán Joaquín Planell Riera. A través de su trayectoria profesional y la de un pequeño grupo de actores con él relacionados se contribuirá a esclarecer la evolución del programa español de guerra química entre 1923 y 1927, el periodo álgido de la Guerra del Rif. En concreto, se analizarán los objetivos y actividades de la comisión española enviada a Estados Unidos a finales de 1923; la actuación de Planell en el frente de Melilla en 1924; la adopción de los humos artificiales, especialmente del ácido clorosulfónico, como elemento de combate en el ejército español y su fabricación por las empresas catalanas Sociedad Anónima Cros y Sociedad Electroquímica de Flix; o la participación de Planell en la defensa de la isla de Alhucemas frente a ataques rifeños
Computing anharmonic infrared spectra of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons using machine learning molecular dynamics
No full textWe introduce a machine learning molecular dynamics (MLMD) approach to calculate the anharmonic infrared (IR) absorption spectra of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), key carriers of interstellar aromatic IR bands. This method accounts for temperature effects in a molecule-specific way and achieves accuracy comparable to conventional quantum chemical calculations at a fraction of the cost, scaling linearly with system size. We applied MLMD to calculate the anharmonic spectra of 1704 PAHs in the NASA Ames PAH IR Spectroscopic Data base with up to 216 carbon atoms at different temperatures, demonstrating its capability for high-throughput spectral calculations of large molecular systems. Our results highlight MLMD’s potential to enable the development of extensive molecular spectral data sets, enhancing data-driven analyses of astronomical IR spectra, particularly in anticipation of upcoming observations from the James Webb Space Telescope
