1,721,136 research outputs found
Total genetic score: An instrument to improve the performance in the elite athletes
No full textIntroduction: The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the effectiveness of the TGS calculation method to identify genetic athletic predisposition in two groups of basketball and soccer players based on genetics analysis. Through the genetic profile we calculated, by an algorithm, the TGS (Total Genetic Score) in both groups; this idea comes from the concept that it's better to personalized workout based on athlete genetic profile. Identifying specifically performance demands (based on the metabolism system used during performance, aerobic or anaerobic) and paying attention to the performance- enhancing genes and their polymorphisms, is important focus it in order to build personalized and successful training for every single athlete. Materials and methods: We considered two groups of professional athletes: 21 basketball players and 21 soccer players both involved in professional championships. For the genetic analysis a saliva sample was taken from athletes, and the polymorphisms ..
Performance enhancing strategies in sailing sports: beyond training and nutrition
Full text linkPurpose. Sailing is a water sport comprising several disciplines distinguished by the type of boat and number of crew. The sailor must constantly accommodate the movement of the hull according to the weather conditions. The study aims to provide targeted guidance regarding training and nutrition for sailor athletes. Methods. Complete and effective training requires a synergistic combination of sport -specific elements and strategies designed to improve overall strength. Extensive discussion has been made of the types of workouts aimed at improving performance and preventing injury. Results. Our research findings revealed that even though sailors' training considers the development of strength, endurance, speed, balance, and coordination, which are necessary to counteract the continuous adaptations of posture to weather conditions, these athletes are exposed to the risk of injuries that predominantly affect the knee and lower back. Sailing is an aerobic/ anaerobic sport in which there are no explicit suggestions regarding the nutritional aspect and supplementation and what their contribution could be in improving performance. Conclusions. We hypothesise that targeted training paths for sailing athletes and personalisation of nutritional suggestions by timing the intake of macro- and micronutrients as well as taking specific supplements, can reduce the risk of injury and better impact recovery and performance in this discipline
Effects of BDNF and COMT epigenetic regulatory polymorphisms on Executive Functions in adolescents
Full text linkExecutive Functions (EFs) are higher-order cognitive processes required for goal-directed behaviors. Literature on the genetic basis of executive functions suggests that these functions are mediated by the modulation of dopaminergic neurotransmission. The aim of the present study was to investigate how the Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met and the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met polymorphisms affect Cool and Hot executive functions. A total of 48 healthy Italian preadolescents, between 8 and 14 years of age, were included in the study. Participants completed the Digit Span Test, the Tower of London, The Balloon Analogue Risk Task, and The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). The participants who were homozygous for the Val allele for BDNF performed better on the memory task and the decision making task than Val/Met and Met/Met subjects, while those who were homozygous for the Met allele for COMT performed better on the decision-making task. Results suggest that the Val allele for BDNF and the Met allele for COMT are associated with higher performances on some tasks of EFs. The results reinforce the hypothesis that Val and Met alleles show functional changes related to high order cognitive processes both for BDNF and COMT polymorphisms
Physical activity, nutrition and bone health
Full text linkThis review aims to describe the roles that physical activity and nutrition have in bone metabolism and to examine their
effects on bone in a situation of altered metabolism as a consequence of inadequate nutrition and/or excessive physical activity.
Referring to the recent studies and the main guidelines in the literature on athlete nutrition, the paper also focuses on essential
nutrients for bone health during performance. Finally, it discusses the negative effect of some nutrients on bone mineral density
Is the Secret in the Gut? SuperJump Activity Improves Bone Remodeling and Glucose Homeostasis by GLP-1 and GIP Peptides in Eumenorrheic Women
Full text linkWe showed that twenty weeks of SuperJump activity, an innovative workout training performed on an elastic minitrampoline, reduced bone resorption and increased bone formation in eumenorrheic women acting on the key points of the regulation of bone metabolism. The present study analyzed whether the gastrointestinal hormones are involved in the mechanism of action and if it has an impact on glucose homeostasis. The control group was composed of twelve women, similar to the exercise group that performed SuperJump activity for twenty weeks. The analysis was performed on blood samples and investigated GLP-1, GIP, GLP-2, PYY, ghrelin, glucose, insulin, insulin resistance, β-cell function, and insulin sensitivity. The results showed that the activity contributes to raising the GLP-1and GIP levels, and not on GLP-2, PYY, and ghrelin, which did not change. Moreover, SuperJump activity significantly reduced fasting insulin, glucose, insulin resistance, and increased insulin sensitivity but did not affect beta cell function. These data suggest that GLP-1, and GIP are involved in the mechanism of action that improves bone and glucose homeostasis following 20 weeks of SuperJump activity in eumenorrheic women
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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