The effect of whole body vibration on the sprint ability of Korean national bobsled and skeleton athletes

This study aims to find out whether whole body vibration has an effect on the sprint ability to shorten the time of bobsled-skeleton athletes. Seventeen bobsled-skeleton athletes (male = 11, female = 6) were recruited from Korea Winter Olympics National Team. Participants were randomly assigned to either a sprint immediately after whole body vibration or a sprint without whole body vibration protocol during two separate visits by a period of 3 months. To evaluate the effects of the sprint ability, measurements were performed 60-m sprint recorded test. In males, at the 45m (p<0.05) significant faster sprint section record after WBV more than Non-WBV. In females, at the 15m (p<0.05), 30m (p<0.01), 45m (p<0.05), and 60m (p<0.05) significant faster sprint section record after WBV more than Non-WBV. In males, at the 30m (p<0.05), 45m (p<0.05), and 50m (p<0.05) significant faster sprint cumulative record after WBV more than Non-WBV. In females, at the 15m (p<0.05), 30m (p<0.05), 45m (p<0.01), 50m (p<0.01), and 60m (p<0.01) significant faster sprint cumulative record after WBV more than Non-WBV. This study indicated that significant faster after WBV more than Non-WBV in males and females bobsled-skeleton athletes.

Modelling a Time Series of Records with PyMC3

We present a Bayesian approach for modeling a time series for a cumulative record that takes the form of the maximum or minimum of a sequence of attempts, in the absence of data for the underlying attempts. We discuss the derivation of the likelihood function, sampling of the posterior via PyMC3, and forecasting the distribution of future records.

Growth response of Great Basin limber pine populations to climate variability over the past 4002 years

Tree-rings representing annual dates from live and deadwood Pinus flexilis at ten sites across the central Great Basin (~38°N) yielded a cumulative record across 4002 years (1983 BC–AD 2019). Individual site chronologies ranged in length from 861–4002 years; all were continuous over their sample depths. Correlations of growth with climate were positive for water relations and mostly negative for summer temperatures. Growth was generally correlated across sites, with the central Nevada stands most distinct. Although growth was low during the Late Holocene Dry Period, variability marked this interval, suggesting that it was not pervasively dry. All sites had low growth during the first half of the Medieval Climate Anomaly, high growth during the mid-interval pluvial, and low growth subsequently. Little synchrony occurred across sites for the early Little Ice Age. After AD 1650, growth was depressed until the early twentieth century. Growth at all sites declined markedly ca. AD 1985, was similar to the lowest growth period of the full records, and indicative of recent severe droughts. A small rebound in growth occurred after ca. AD 2010. A strong signal for Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) occurred in growth response at most sites. The persistence of all stands despite climate variability indicates high resilience of this species.

Argumentative time work for legitimizing homeopathy: Temporal reasons for the acceptance of an alternative medical practice

In Romania, as elsewhere, there is persistent controversy surrounding homeopathy wherein various parties try to draw the boundaries of legitimate medical practice. The literature on complementary and alternative medicine features little discussion on the temporal dimensions of controversies surrounding these therapies, focusing mainly on the temporalities of the lived experience of treatment. Yet time is a powerful resource for challenging and gaining legitimacy. In order to capture the use of time as a resource for legitimating or contesting homeopathy, we advance the theory of time work by examining the rhetorical role of different temporalities in this dispute. We find that proponents and users of homeopathy appeal to temporal properties of treatment, such as the longer duration of consultation, and of healing, namely, a specific sequence of symptoms and reactions, stories of failed biomedical treatments followed by successful homeopathic interventions, and stories of durable efficacy. Critics invoke the temporal properties of science, especially a cumulative record of failed attempts to prove homeopathic efficacy beyond placebo, or to causally account for its putative effects. Argumentative time work also involves manipulation of temporal modalities, in which homeopathy is legitimized both through continuity with the past and through breaking away from the past, with an eye to a promised future. At the same time, critics of homeopathy invoke temporal modalities to cast homeopathy as a relic of an unscientific past. This research illustrates the value of "argumentative time work" as a conceptual tool in examining public controversies.

Stellar age gradients and inside-out star formation quenching in galaxy bulges

Radial age gradients hold the cumulative record for the multitude of physical processes driving the build-up of stellar populations and the ensuing star formation (SF) quenching process in galaxy bulges and, therefore, potentially sensitive discriminators between competing theoretical concepts on bulge formation and evolution. Based on spectral modeling of integral field spectroscopy (IFS) data from the CALIFA survey, we derived mass- and light-weighted stellar age gradients (∇(t⋆, B)ℒ, ℳ) within the photometrically determined bulge radius (RB) of a representative sample of local face-on late-type galaxies that span 2.6 dex in stellar mass (8.9 ≤ log ℳ⋆, T ≤ 11.5). Our analysis documents a trend of decreasing ∇(t⋆, B)ℒ, ℳ with increasing ℳ⋆, T, with high-mass bulges predominantly showing negative age gradients and vice versa. The inversion from positive to negative ∇(t⋆, B)ℒ, ℳ occurs at log ℳ⋆, T ≃ 10, which roughly coincides with the transition from lower-mass bulges whose gas excitation is powered by SF to bulges classified as composite, LINER, or Seyfert. We discuss two simple limiting cases for the origin of radial age gradients in massive late-type galaxy bulges. The first one assumes that the stellar age in the bulge is initially spatially uniform (∇(t⋆, B)ℒ, ℳ ≈ 0), thus the observed age gradients (∼ − 3 Gyr/RB) arise from an inside-out SF quenching (ioSFQ) front that is radially expanding with a mean velocity vq. In this case, the age gradients for massive bulges translate into a slow (vq ∼1–2 km s−1) ioSFQ that lasts until z ∼ 2, suggesting mild negative feedback by SF or an active galactic nucleus (AGN). If, on the other hand, negative age gradients in massive bulges are not due to ioSFQ but primarily due to their inside-out formation process, then the standard hypothesis of quasi-monolithic bulge formation has to be discarded in favor of another scenario. This would involve a gradual buildup of stellar mass over 2–3 Gyr through, for instance, inside-out SF and inward migration of SF clumps from the disk. In this case, rapid (≪1 Gyr) AGN-driven ioSFQ cannot be ruled out. While the ℳ⋆, T versus ∇(t⋆, B)ℒ, ℳ relation suggests that the assembly history of bulges is primarily regulated by galaxy mass, its large scatter (∼1.7 Gyr/RB) reflects a considerable diversity. This calls for an in-depth examination of the role of various processes (e.g., negative and positive AGN feedback, bar-driven gas inflows) with higher-quality IFS data in conjunction with advanced spectral modeling codes.

The Impact of Neopatrimonialism on Poverty in Contemporary Latin America

ABSTRACTNeopatrimonial exercise of power, combining ruler appropriation of resources with ruler discretionality in the use of state power, remains present to varying degrees in contemporary Latin America. Building on an extensive literature, this article provides a delimited conceptualization and measurement of neopatrimonialism for 18 countries in the region and examines the effects of neopatrimonial legacies on poverty with cross-national quantitative analysis. The study finds that higher levels of neopatrimonialism have a significant, substantive impact on poverty levels, controlling for other relevant demographic, socioeconomic, and political factors. It confirms the importance of a cumulative record of democracy for poverty alleviation, while the analysis indicates that neopatrimonialism limits the effects of the political left in power on poverty reduction.

A Blockchain Framework for Patient-Centered Health Records and Exchange (HealthChain): Evaluation and Proof-of-Concept Study

Background Blockchain has the potential to disrupt the current modes of patient data access, accumulation, contribution, exchange, and control. Using interoperability standards, smart contracts, and cryptographic identities, patients can securely exchange data with providers and regulate access. The resulting comprehensive, longitudinal medical records can significantly improve the cost and quality of patient care for individuals and populations alike. Objective This work presents HealthChain, a novel patient-centered blockchain framework. The intent is to bolster patient engagement, data curation, and regulated dissemination of accumulated information in a secure, interoperable environment. A mixed-block blockchain is proposed to support immutable logging and redactable patient blocks. Patient data are generated and exchanged through Health Level-7 Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources, allowing seamless transfer with compliant systems. In addition, patients receive cryptographic identities in the form of public and private key pairs. Public keys are stored in the blockchain and are suitable for securing and verifying transactions. Furthermore, the envisaged system uses proxy re-encryption (PRE) to share information through revocable, smart contracts, ensuring the preservation of privacy and confidentiality. Finally, several PRE improvements are offered to enhance performance and security. Methods The framework was formulated to address key barriers to blockchain adoption in health care, namely, information security, interoperability, data integrity, identity validation, and scalability. It supports 16 configurations through the manipulation of 4 modes. An open-source, proof-of-concept tool was developed to evaluate the performance of the novel patient block components and system configurations. To demonstrate the utility of the proposed framework and evaluate resource consumption, extensive testing was performed on each of the 16 configurations over a variety of scenarios involving a variable number of existing and imported records. Results The results indicate several clear high-performing, low-bandwidth configurations, although they are not the strongest cryptographically. Of the strongest models, one’s anticipated cumulative record size is shown to influence the selection. Although the most efficient algorithm is ultimately user specific, Advanced Encryption Standard–encrypted data with static keys, incremental server storage, and no additional server-side encryption are the fastest and least bandwidth intensive, whereas proxy re-encrypted data with dynamic keys, incremental server storage, and additional server-side encryption are the best performing of the strongest configurations. Conclusions Blockchain is a potent and viable technology for patient-centered access to and exchange of health information. By integrating a structured, interoperable design with patient-accumulated and generated data shared through smart contracts into a universally accessible blockchain, HealthChain presents patients and providers with access to consistent and comprehensive medical records. Challenges addressed include data security, interoperability, block storage, and patient-administered data access, with several configurations emerging for further consideration regarding speed and security.

A Blockchain Framework for Patient-Centered Health Records and Exchange (HealthChain): Evaluation and Proof-of-Concept Study (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Blockchain has the potential to disrupt the current modes of patient data access, accumulation, contribution, exchange, and control. Using interoperability standards, smart contracts, and cryptographic identities, patients can securely exchange data with providers and regulate access. The resulting comprehensive, longitudinal medical records can significantly improve the cost and quality of patient care for individuals and populations alike. OBJECTIVE This work presents HealthChain, a novel patient-centered blockchain framework. The intent is to bolster patient engagement, data curation, and regulated dissemination of accumulated information in a secure, interoperable environment. A mixed-block blockchain is proposed to support immutable logging and redactable patient blocks. Patient data are generated and exchanged through Health Level-7 Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources, allowing seamless transfer with compliant systems. In addition, patients receive cryptographic identities in the form of public and private key pairs. Public keys are stored in the blockchain and are suitable for securing and verifying transactions. Furthermore, the envisaged system uses proxy re-encryption (PRE) to share information through revocable, smart contracts, ensuring the preservation of privacy and confidentiality. Finally, several PRE improvements are offered to enhance performance and security. METHODS The framework was formulated to address key barriers to blockchain adoption in health care, namely, information security, interoperability, data integrity, identity validation, and scalability. It supports 16 configurations through the manipulation of 4 modes. An open-source, proof-of-concept tool was developed to evaluate the performance of the novel patient block components and system configurations. To demonstrate the utility of the proposed framework and evaluate resource consumption, extensive testing was performed on each of the 16 configurations over a variety of scenarios involving a variable number of existing and imported records. RESULTS The results indicate several clear high-performing, low-bandwidth configurations, although they are not the strongest cryptographically. Of the strongest models, one’s anticipated cumulative record size is shown to influence the selection. Although the most efficient algorithm is ultimately user specific, Advanced Encryption Standard–encrypted data with static keys, incremental server storage, and no additional server-side encryption are the fastest and least bandwidth intensive, whereas proxy re-encrypted data with dynamic keys, incremental server storage, and additional server-side encryption are the best performing of the strongest configurations. CONCLUSIONS Blockchain is a potent and viable technology for patient-centered access to and exchange of health information. By integrating a structured, interoperable design with patient-accumulated and generated data shared through smart contracts into a universally accessible blockchain, HealthChain presents patients and providers with access to consistent and comprehensive medical records. Challenges addressed include data security, interoperability, block storage, and patient-administered data access, with several configurations emerging for further consideration regarding speed and security.

RENDIMIENTO DEL ALUMNADO DE EDUCACIÓN SECUNDARIA OBLIGATORIA: INFLUENCIA DE LAS HABILIDADES SOCIALES Y LA INTELIGENCIA EMOCIONAL

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN E.S.O.: SOCIAL SKILLS AND EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE INFLUENCE.The aim of this paper is to analyse the relationship between emotional intelligence, social skills and academic performance in students of Secondary Compulsory Education (ESO) of a Castilla La Mancha private center, in Spain, which ages are from 13 to 16 years old. Participants in the study are 73 students of Secondary Compulsory Education (ESO). The 47,9% of the total students are female, and 52,1 % are male.The instruments used were the EQ-i:YV test, by BarOn (1977), the Matson Questionnaire of social skills for adolescent students (Matson, Rotatori and Helsen, 1983) and the cumulative record of evaluation, for each participating students in this study. The data analysis techniques employed in this study have been correlation analysis and multiple regression step by step analyse. Results of this study show a connection between the total punctuations of social skills and the academic performance in all levels of ESO. (Secondary Compulsory Education). The higher results in social skills, the higher results in academic performance. In adition, we can find a connection between some factors of social skills and factors of emotional intelligence that influences academic performance, according to Factor II of Matson (Social Skills/Assertiveness) and the Factor C of BarOn (stress management).Key words: Emotional intelligence, social skills, academic performance, empathy.Resumen.En este trabajo se analizan las relaciones entre la inteligencia emocional, las habilidades sociales y el rendimiento académico de los alumnos de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria (ESO) de un centro concertado de una línea de Castilla La Mancha, con edades comprendidas entre los 13 y 16 años. Los participantes en el estudio son 73 estudiantes de toda la etapa de la ESO. Los instrumentos de medida utilizados fueron el test EQ-i: YV de BarOn (1977), el cuestionario de Matson de habilidades sociales para adolescentes (Matson, Rotatori, y Helsen, 1983) y el registro acumulativo de evaluación (RAE) de cada uno de los cursos y alumnos participantes. Las técnicas de análisis de datos empleadas han sido, el análisis de correlación y análisis de regresión múltiple paso a paso.Los resultados indican que existe relación entre las puntuaciones totales de habilidades sociales y las puntuaciones en rendimiento académico, de forma que a mejor puntuación en habilidades sociales, también encontramos mayores puntuaciones en rendimiento académico. Por otro lado, encontramos que también existe relación entre factores concretos de las habilidades sociales y factores de la inteligencia emocional sobre el rendimiento académico, Factor II de Matson (Habilidades Sociales/Asertividad) y el Factor C de BarOn (Manejo del estrés).Palabras clave: Inteligencia emocional, habilidades sociales, rendimiento académico, empatía.