Predictive Value of Technical Throwing Skills on Nomination Status in Youth and Long-Term Career Attainment in Handball

Background Research on talent in sports aims to identify predictors of future performance. This study retrospectively investigated 1) relationships between young handball field players’ technical throwing skills and (a) their potential nomination to youth national teams and (b) their long-term career attainment 10 years later, and 2) associations between nomination status and career attainment. Results Results from retrospectively predicting nomination status and career attainment using logistic regression analyses show that technical throwing skills were partly able to explain players’ nomination status (Nagelkerke R2: females 9.2%, males 13.1%) and career attainment (Nagelkerke R2: 9.8% for female players). Here, variables throwing velocity and time on exercise showed statistically significant effects. In addition, nomination status and career attainment were shown to be associated using chi-square tests (w of .37 and .23 for female and male players, respectively) and nomination status as a predictor increased the prediction of career attainment remarkably (Nagelkerke R2: females 20.3%, males 12.7%). Conclusions Given these results, basic technical throwing skills may serve rather as a prerequisite in this age group on national level, emphasizing its importance already on lower levels and in younger age groups. Furthermore, advantages from entering the national TID system early especially for females are discussed.

Caregiver Burden and Quality of Life in Late Stage Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic, progressive, neurodegenerative disease involving both motor and non-motor symptoms (NMS). In the late stage of the disease, Hoehn and Yahr (H&Y) stage IV-V, the symptomatology is often severe and patients become increasingly dependent on help in their daily life, resulting in an increased burden for the informal caregivers. To assess the implications of the caregiver burden, caregiver quality of life (QoL) was assessed in 74 informal caregivers to patients in late stage PD, by the Alzheimer’s Patient Partners Life Impact Questionnaire (APPLIQue), which has been found useful also in PD. The majority of caregivers were the spouse/partner. Individual items provided information on which aspects of caregiver burden were the most common, i.e., items: “feel guilty if not there (71% affirmed)”, “the situation wears me down” (65% affirmed) and “always on my mind” (61% affirmed). In simple linear regression analyses, male patient gender (p = 0.007), better cognition (p = 0.004), lower NMS burden (p = 0.012) and not being the partner (p = 0.022) were associated with better caregiver QoL. Multivariable linear regression analyses identified better cognition (p = 0.004) and male patient gender (p = 0.035) as independently associated with better informal caregiver QoL. Identifying and treating NMS as well as recognizing and alleviating caregiver burden seem essential to enhance QoL for both patients and caregivers in late stage PD.

The Independent Association Between Age and Serum Cholesterol Levels in Patients with Familial Hypercholesterolemia

(1) Background: Studies have suggested that age and the serum total cholesterol (TC) concentration are independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH); however, the relationship between age and TC in patients with FH is unclear. We aimed to investigate the correlation between age and TC in patients with FH. (2) Methods: In this retrospective, controlled not matched analysis, a total of 103 patients with FH and 106 non-FH controls were recruited into the study from 2004 to 2017. Spearman and partial correlation analyses, as well as multiple regression analyses, were used to evaluate the relationship between TC and age. (3) Results: There were no significant differences in age, gender, or BMI between the FH group and the control group (p > 0.05). Family history of CVD, TC, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a)) and non-HDL-C levels were significantly higher in patients with FH compared to the control (p < 0.01). Additionally, the serum TC levels for ages ≥ 50 years were significantly higher than those for ages < 50 years (p < 0.05) in FH patients. In both Spearman and partial correlation analyses, age was found to be significantly correlated with serum TC (p < 0.001) in the FH group but not in the control group, which was confirmed by further multiple linear regression analyses and logistic regression analyses. (4) Conclusions: Age is an independent factor influencing serum TC level in patients with FH, and it is necessary to conduct early screening and early intervention.

Tree vegetative and generative properties and their inter-correlations for prospective apple cultivars under two training systems for young trees

Little information is available on vegetative and generative performance of apple cultivars during the early growth of trees in orchards. The aim of this five-year study was to evaluate 2 vegetative (trunk cross sectional area (TCSA) and tree height (TH)) and 7 generative parameters (tree yield (TY), fruit number per tree (FNT), crop load (CL), fruit diameter (FD), shape index (SI), fruit surface color (FSC) and fruit color intensity (FCI)) and their inter-correlations (Pearson correlation, regression analyses and PCA) for young apple trees, on 9 apple cultivars (‘Jugala’, ‘Galaval’, ‘Gala Venus Fengal’, ‘Gala Decarli-Fendeca’, ‘Gala Schnitzer (S) Schniga’, ‘Fuji September Wonder’, ‘Crimson Crisp (Co-op 39)’, ‘Jeromine’, and ‘Red Idared’) in a slender spindle training system (2597 trees ha−1) and on 4 apple cultivars (‘Wilton’s Red Jonaprince’, ‘Red Cap Valtod (S)’, ‘Early Red One’, and ‘Red Topaz’) in a super spindle training system (5194 trees ha−1) in Eastern Hungary. The strongest vegetative growth was observed in ‘Red Idared’, while the weakest was in ‘Early Red One’. Most ‘Gala’ mutants showed high yields in all years, except for ‘Galaval’. On the 6 year-old trees, the lowest tree yield was found in ‘Fuji September Wonder’ (8.2 kg tree−1), while the highest was found in ‘Gala Venus Fengal’ (35.8 kg tree−1). The lowest fruit number per tree (15 fruit tree−1) was found in ‘Jeromine’, while the highest (222 fruit tree−1) was in ‘Gala Venus Fengal’. The highest crop load was found in ‘Gala Venus Fengal’ (12.72 fruit per cm2 TCSA), while the lowest was in ‘Jeromine’ (2.13 fruit per cm2 TCSA). The smallest fruit diameter (66.3 mm) was recorded in ‘Gala Schnitzer (S) Schniga’, while highest (93.6 mm) was in ‘Red Idared’. The lowest shape index (0.73) was found in ‘Red Topaz’, while the highest (0.92) was in ‘Red Idared’. The majority of the cultivars reached very good fruit surface color (80–100%). The lowest fruit surface color (40%) was observed in ‘Gala Schnitzer (S) Schniga’, while the highest (100%) was in ‘Jeromine’ and ‘Early Red One’. The highest fruit color intensity was observed in most cultivars with the exception of ‘Jeromine’, ‘Gala Schnitzer (S) Schniga’ and’Fuji September Wonder’. In addition, correlation and regression analyses revealed strong and significant (p = 0.05) relationships between TH vs TCSA, TY vs TCSA, TH vs TY, TY vs FNT, and FCI vs FSC. PCA explained 87% of the total variance and PC1, PC2, PC3, and PC4 accounted for 33, 21, 20, and 13% of the variance, respectively, and correlated with TSCA, TH, TY and FNT; with FNT, CL and FS; with FSC and FCI; and with TH and SI, respectively. In conclusion, our study provides useful tree property data on prospective mutants/cultivars for growers/advisors in order to select the most suitable cultivars for establishing new orchards under climate conditions similar to central Europe.

Contribution of Leisure Context, Motivation and Experience to the Frequency of Participation in Structured Leisure Activities among Adolescents

Leisure time is considered an important context for adolescent development. The purpose of this article is to investigate what contributes to the frequency of adolescents’ participation in structured leisure activities (SLA). Participants were aged 14–21 years (M = 18.87, SD = 1.23) and 44.8% of participants were female. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted. Results indicate that boys and adolescents who perceive the context of participation in SLA as safe, are externally or intrinsically motivated, and perceive that participation has contributed to their identity development and experiences of initiative, as well as their experiences of stress, are more likely to participate frequently in SLA. On the other hand, these findings indicate that girls and adolescents who are unmotivated to participate in SLA and who experience negative peer influences while participating in SLA are less likely to frequently participate in SLA. It can be concluded that it is important to think much more broadly than just the setting of the activities themselves when promoting young people’s participation in SLA. Some of the features of SLA that promote positive youth development are presented in this paper.

Differences Between Young and Older Adults in Working Memory and Performance on the Test of Basic Auditory Capabilities†

The Test of Basic Auditory Capabilities (TBAC) is a battery of auditory-discrimination tasks and speech-identification tasks that has been normed on several hundred young normal-hearing adults. Previous research with the TBAC suggested that cognitive function may impact the performance of older adults. Here, we examined differences in performance on several TBAC tasks between a group of 34 young adults with a mean age of 22.5 years (SD = 3.1 years) and a group of 115 older adults with a mean age of 69.2 years (SD = 6.2 years) recruited from the local community. Performance of the young adults was consistent with prior norms for this age group. Not surprisingly, the two groups differed significantly in hearing loss and working memory with the older adults having more hearing loss and poorer working memory than the young adults. The two age groups also differed significantly in performance on six of the nine measures extracted from the TBAC (eight test scores and one average test score) with the older adults consistently performing worse than the young adults. However, when these age-group comparisons were repeated with working memory and hearing loss as covariates, the groups differed in performance on only one of the nine auditory measures from the TBAC. For eight of the nine TBAC measures, working memory was a significant covariate and hearing loss never emerged as a significant factor. Thus, the age-group deficits observed initially on the TBAC most often appeared to be mediated by age-related differences in working memory rather than deficits in auditory processing. The results of these analyses of age-group differences were supported further by linear-regression analyses with each of the 9 TBAC scores serving as the dependent measure and age, hearing loss, and working memory as the predictors. Regression analyses were conducted for the full set of 149 adults and for just the 115 older adults. Working memory again emerged as the predominant factor impacting TBAC performance. It is concluded that working memory should be considered when comparing the performance of young and older adults on auditory tasks, including the TBAC.

Identification of a Four-Gene-Based SERM Signature for Prognostic and Drug Sensitivity Prediction in Gastric Cancer

BackgroundGastric cancer (GC) is a highly molecular heterogeneous tumor with poor prognosis. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process and cancer stem cells (CSCs) are reported to share common signaling pathways and cause poor prognosis in GC. Considering about the close relationship between these two processes, we aimed to establish a gene signature based on both processes to achieve better prognostic prediction in GC.MethodsThe gene signature was constructed by univariate Cox and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression analyses by using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) GC cohort. We performed enrichment analyses to explore the potential mechanisms of the gene signature. Kaplan-Meier analysis and time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were implemented to assess its prognostic value in TCGA cohort. The prognostic value of gene signature on overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and drug sensitivity was validated in different cohorts. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) validation of the prognostic value of gene signature for OS and DFS prediction was performed in the Fudan cohort.ResultsA prognostic signature including SERPINE1, EDIL3, RGS4, and MATN3 (SERM signature) was constructed to predict OS, DFS, and drug sensitivity in GC. Enrichment analyses illustrated that the gene signature has tight connection with the CSC and EMT processes in GC. Patients were divided into two groups based on the risk score obtained from the formula. The Kaplan-Meier analyses indicated high-risk group yielded significantly poor prognosis compared with low-risk group. Pearson’s correlation analysis indicated that the risk score was positively correlated with carboplatin and 5-fluorouracil IC50 of GC cell lines. Multivariate Cox regression analyses showed that the gene signature was an independent prognostic factor for predicting GC patients’ OS, DFS, and susceptibility to adjuvant chemotherapy.ConclusionsOur SERM prognostic signature is of great value for OS, DFS, and drug sensitivity prediction in GC, which may give guidance to the development of targeted therapy for CSC- and EMT-related gene in the future.

Identification and Validation of Constructing the Prognostic Model With Four DNA Methylation-Driven Genes in Pancreatic Cancer

Background: Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a highly aggressive gastrointestinal tumor and has a poor prognosis. Evaluating the prognosis validly is urgent for PC patients. In this study, we utilized the RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) profiles and DNA methylation expression data comprehensively to develop and validate a prognostic signature in patients with PC.Methods: The integrated analysis of RNA-seq, DNA methylation expression profiles, and relevant clinical information was performed to select four DNA methylation-driven genes. Then, a prognostic signature was established by the univariate, multivariate Cox, and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analyses in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset. GSE62452 cohort was utilized for external validation. Finally, a nomogram model was set up and evaluated by calibration curves.Results: Nine DNA methylation-driven genes that were related to overall survival (OS) were identified. After multivariate Cox and LASSO regression analyses, four of these genes (RIC3, MBOAT2, SEZ6L, and OAS2) were selected to establish the predictive signature. The PC patients were stratified into two groups according to the median risk score, of which the low-risk group displayed a prominently favorable OS compared with the high-risk group, whether in the training (p &lt; 0.001) or validation (p &lt; 0.01) cohort. Then, the univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses showed that age, grade, risk score, and the number of positive lymph nodes were significantly associated with OS in PC patients. Therefore, we used these clinical variables to construct a nomogram; and its performance in predicting the 1-, 2-, and 3-year OS of patients with PC was assessed via calibration curves.Conclusion: A prognostic risk score signature was built with the four alternative DNA methylation-driven genes. Furthermore, in combination with the risk score, age, grade, and the number of positive lymph nodes, a nomogram was established for conveniently predicting the individualized prognosis of PC patients.

Youth and Parent Participation in Transition Planning in the U.S.A.: Findings from the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012 (NLTS 2012)

The purpose of this study was to use data from the United States' National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012 (NLTS 2012) to present descriptive information on youth and parent participation and youth's role in required Individualized Education Program (IEP)/transition planning meetings by disability category and age groupings (14-22 year olds, 14-15 year olds, and 16-22 year olds). The study found that youth and parent attendance in IEP/transition planning meetings was high across disability categories, but the extent to which youth and parents met with teachers to discuss transition goals was much lower. Data from NLTS 2012 and a previous U.S. study, the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2 (NLTS2), were compared for youth's participation with school staff in discussing transition goals. A significant decline in participation was found over the past decade. Logistic regression analyses illustrated differences in youth and parent participation and youth's role by disability category.

More Bang for Their Buck: Why (and When) Family Firms Better Leverage Corporate Social Responsibility

Family firms take different strategic actions because of their desire to grow and preserve socioemotional wealth (SEW), but pursuing SEW also generates what we call SEW resources that deliver advantages in certain contexts. We develop and test this idea with respect to corporate social responsibility (CSR). We theorize that SEW resources such as reputation, strong stakeholder relationships, and long-term orientation help family firms better leverage symbolic CSR to enhance short-term firm performance and better leverage substantive CSR to enhance long-term firm performance. Regression analyses on a 20-year panel of S& P 500 firms provide supportive evidence. Findings indicate that family firms not only “do it differently” to preserve SEW; they sometimes “do it better” because of SEW.