The Differences in Physical Activity Preferences and Practices among High versus Low Active Adolescents in Secondary Schools

This study aimed to (a) identify the differences in the preferred, practiced, and organized physical activity (PA) between high and low physically active Czech and Polish boys and girls and to (b) identify which types of PA are likely to be recommended by low active boys and girls. The research was carried out between 2010 and 2019 in the Czech Republic and Poland and included 6619 participants aged 15 to 19 years. The preferences and practices of the different types of PA and participation in organized PA were identified using a PA preference questionnaire and weekly PA was identified using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-long form. Czech and Polish boys and girls who were low active preferred less physically demanding and more health-oriented PA compared with high active individuals. Power exercises and participation in organized PA are the most significant predictors of achieving at least 3 × 20 min of vigorous PA per week among low active individuals in both countries. Monitoring the trends in the preferred and practiced types of PA among boys and girls is crucial for the effective promotion of PA to low active boys and girls and positive changes in physical education and school health policy.

Reciprocal Homer1a and Homer2 Isoform Expression Is a Key Mechanism for Muscle Soleus Atrophy in Spaceflown Mice

The molecular mechanisms of skeletal muscle atrophy under extended periods of either disuse or microgravity are not yet fully understood. The transition of Homer isoforms may play a key role during neuromuscular junction (NMJ) imbalance/plasticity in space. Here, we investigated the expression pattern of Homer short and long isoforms by gene array, qPCR, biochemistry, and laser confocal microscopy in skeletal muscles from male C57Bl/N6 mice (n = 5) housed for 30 days in space (Bion-flight = BF) compared to muscles from Bion biosatellite on the ground-housed animals (Bion ground = BG) and from standard cage housed animals (Flight control = FC). A comparison study was carried out with muscles of rats subjected to hindlimb unloading (HU). Gene array and qPCR results showed an increase in Homer1a transcripts, the short dominant negative isoform, in soleus (SOL) muscle after 30 days in microgravity, whereas it was only transiently increased after four days of HU. Conversely, Homer2 long-form was downregulated in SOL muscle in both models. Homer immunofluorescence intensity analysis at the NMJ of BF and HU animals showed comparable outcomes in SOL but not in the extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle. Reduced Homer crosslinking at the NMJ consequent to increased Homer1a and/or reduced Homer2 may contribute to muscle-type specific atrophy resulting from microgravity and HU disuse suggesting mutual mechanisms.

The histone methyltransferase NSD3 contributes to cohesin loading during mitotic exit

During the cell cycle, dynamic post-translational modifications modulate the association of the cohesin complex with chromatin. Phosphorylation / dephosphorylation and acetylation / deacetylation of histones and of cohesin components ensure correct establishment of cohesion during S phase and its proper dissolution during mitosis. In contrast, little is known about the contribution of methylation to the regulation of sister chromatid cohesion. We performed a RNA interference-mediated inactivation screen against 14 histone methyltransferases of the SET domain family that highlighted NSD3 as a factor essential for sister chromatid cohesion in mitosis. We established that NSD3 ensures proper level of the cohesin loader MAU2 and of cohesin itself onto chromatin at mitotic exit. Consistent with its implication in the loading of kollerin and cohesin complexes onto chromatin, we showed that NSD3 associates with chromatin in early anaphase prior to that of MAU2 and RAD21 and dissociates from chromatin upon cell's entry into prophase. Finally, we demonstrated that of the two NSD3 variant that exist in somatic cells, the long form that carries the methyltransferase activity is the one that acts in cohesion regulation. Taken together, these results describe a novel factor associated with histone methylation in cohesin loading.

Immunofluorescence studies on the expression of the SARS-CoV-2 receptors in human term placenta

Until September 2021, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19) pandemic caused over 217 million infections and over 4.5 million deaths. In pregnant women the risk factors for the need of intensive care treatment are generally the same as in the overall population. Of note, COVID-19+ women deliver earlier than COVID-19- women, and the risk for severe neonatal and perinatal morbidity and mortality is significantly higher. The probability and pathways of vertical transmission of the virus from the pregnant woman to the fetus are highly controversial. Recent data have shown that 54 (13%) of 416 neonates born to COVID-19-positive women were infected. Here, we investigated term placentas collected before the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and studied the main COVID-19 receptors ACE2, TMPRSS2, as well as NRP1. We performed qPCR and immunofluorescence on cryosections in combination with markers for syncytiotrophoblast, endothelial cells, macrophages and stromal cells. The qPCR studies showed expression of both the truncated delta form of ACE2, which does not bind the COVID-19 spike protein, and the long form. The ACE2 antibody used does not distinguish between the two forms. We did not observe expression of the canonical SARS-CoV-2 entry machinery on syncytio- and cytotrophoblast. ACE2 and TMPRSS2 are co-expressed in a subpopulation of stromal cells, which in part are CD68-positive macrophages. NRP1 is localized to endothelial cells. In sum, the term placenta is not an organ that directly favors vertical transmission of COVID-19, however, microtraumas and placentitis may weaken its barrier function.

Acronyms and Opportunities for Improving Deep Nets

Recently, several studies have reported promising results with BERT-like methods on acronym tasks. In this study, we find an older rule-based program, Ab3P, not only performs better, but error analysis suggests why. There is a well-known spelling convention in acronyms where each letter in the short form (SF) refers to “salient” letters in the long form (LF). The error analysis uses decision trees and logistic regression to show that there is an opportunity for many pre-trained models (BERT, T5, BioBert, BART, ERNIE) to take advantage of this spelling convention.

A Study of Long-Form Works for the Jazz Ensemble

<p>Reflections (In Mosaic) is a long-form work written for a modern jazz orchestra. While made up of seven smaller parts, it is intended to be listened to as a single continuous performance. Reflections (In Mosaic) serves as an exploration into formal structures more complex than the standard blues and cyclical AABA forms. This is achieved through the use of inter-related musical themes, transitional material that develops musical themes and propels the story of the piece forward, programmatic themes, and a consideration towards a more integrative approach to improvised sections in a modern jazz composition context. This exegesis features a comprehensive musical and topical analysis of four case studies: Duke Ellington’s Harlem (1951), Charles Mingus’s Fables of Faubus (1959), Gunther Schuller’s Seven Studies on Themes of Paul Klee (1959), and Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays’s The Way Up (2005). In my analysis I examine the features of long-form works from a range of different angles through discussions on: (1) the formal features of the symphonic jazz genre and the integration of concert-style gestures into the jazz big band tradition, (2) the role performance and improvisation can have in communicating an idea within a composed structure, (3) the use of programmatic themes, and (4) a model for a structural design which draws on comparisons to narrative structure. Of particular importance to my compositional project is the use of a programmatic theme. Reflections is directly inspired by the film Magnolia (1999), written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. I do not attempt to mirror the narrative or structure of the film in Reflections but, instead, loosely base the composition on the film’s characters and topical themes. The culmination of this exegesis is a discussion of how the four case studies informed my own compositional processes.</p>

A Study of Long-Form Works for the Jazz Ensemble

<p>Reflections (In Mosaic) is a long-form work written for a modern jazz orchestra. While made up of seven smaller parts, it is intended to be listened to as a single continuous performance. Reflections (In Mosaic) serves as an exploration into formal structures more complex than the standard blues and cyclical AABA forms. This is achieved through the use of inter-related musical themes, transitional material that develops musical themes and propels the story of the piece forward, programmatic themes, and a consideration towards a more integrative approach to improvised sections in a modern jazz composition context. This exegesis features a comprehensive musical and topical analysis of four case studies: Duke Ellington’s Harlem (1951), Charles Mingus’s Fables of Faubus (1959), Gunther Schuller’s Seven Studies on Themes of Paul Klee (1959), and Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays’s The Way Up (2005). In my analysis I examine the features of long-form works from a range of different angles through discussions on: (1) the formal features of the symphonic jazz genre and the integration of concert-style gestures into the jazz big band tradition, (2) the role performance and improvisation can have in communicating an idea within a composed structure, (3) the use of programmatic themes, and (4) a model for a structural design which draws on comparisons to narrative structure. Of particular importance to my compositional project is the use of a programmatic theme. Reflections is directly inspired by the film Magnolia (1999), written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. I do not attempt to mirror the narrative or structure of the film in Reflections but, instead, loosely base the composition on the film’s characters and topical themes. The culmination of this exegesis is a discussion of how the four case studies informed my own compositional processes.</p>

Reverse Engineering Language Acquisition with Child-Centered Long-Form Recordings

Language use in everyday life can be studied using lightweight, wearable recorders that collect long-form recordings—that is, audio (including speech) over whole days. The hardware and software underlying this technique are increasingly accessible and inexpensive, and these data are revolutionizing the language acquisition field. We first place this technique into the broader context of the current ways of studying both the input being received by children and children's own language production, laying out the main advantages and drawbacks of long-form recordings. We then go on to argue that a unique advantage of long-form recordings is that they can fuel realistic models of early language acquisition that use speech to represent children's input and/or to establish production benchmarks. To enable the field to make the most of this unique empirical and conceptual contribution, we outline what this reverse engineering approach from long-form recordings entails, why it is useful, and how to evaluate success. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Linguistics, Volume 8 is January 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

Reliability and validity of the Mexican teachers’ physical activity questionnaire (MTPAQ) in a subsample of female Mexican teachers

Background Reliable and valid instruments are needed to estimate physical activity levels. The purposes of this study were to estimate the reliability and validity of the Physical Activity Questionnaire (MTPAQ) in a subsample of the Mexican Teachers Cohort study. Methods We completed telephone interviews and clinical examinations of 82 teachers. Two MTPAQ, five International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ)-long form, and two accelerometer (AC) measures were used to determine physical activity levels throughout 24 months. Moderate and walking physical activity (MWPA min/week), vigorous physical activity (VPA min/week), and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity minutes per week (MVPA min/week) were estimated for each instrument. Pearson, Intra-class correlations and deattenuated adjustments were used to determine the reliability and validity of MTPAQ. Results MWPA and MVPA min/week of MTPAQs were moderately correlated (r ≥ 0.54) to min/week of IPAQ-long form. MWPA and MVPA min/week average MTPAQ and MTPAQ1 and average AC, AC1 and AC2 were fairly correlated (r ≥ 0.20). A higher correlation was observed when correlation coefficients were attenuated (r ≥ 0.32). Conclusions MTPAQ1 is a reliable and valid tool to measure physical activity levels.