A comparison of genetic variants between proficient low- and high-risk sport participants

Athletes participating in high-risk sports consistently report higher scores on sensation-seeking measures than do low-risk athletes or non-athletic controls. To determine whether genetic variants commonly associated with sensation seeking were over-represented in such athletes, proficient practitioners of high-risk (n = 141) and low-risk sports (n = 132) were compared for scores on sensation seeking and then genotyped at 33 polymorphic loci in 14 candidate genes. As expected, athletes participating in high-risk sports score higher on sensation seeking than did low-risk sport athletes (P < .01). Genotypes were associated with high-risk sport participation for two genes (stathmin, (P = .004) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (P = .03)) as well as when demographically matched subsets of the sport cohorts were compared (P < .05); however, in all cases, associations did not survive correction for multiple testing.     

Strong similarity measures for ordered sets of documents in information retrieval

A general method is presented to construct ordered similarity measures (OS-measures), i.e., similarity measures for ordered sets of documents (as, e.g., being the result of an IR-process), based on classical, well-known similarity measures for ordinary sets (measures such as Jaccard, Dice, Cosine or overlap measures). To this extent, we first present a review of these measures and their relationships.The method given here to construct OS-measures extends the one given by Michel in a previous paper so that it becomes applicable on any pair of ordered sets. Concrete expressions of this method, applied to the classical similarity measures, are given.Some of these measures are then tested in the IR-system Profil-Doc. The engine SPIRIT^© extracts ranked document sets in three different contexts, each for 550 requests. The practical usability of the OS-measures is then discussed based on these experiments.     

Babinat and the development of microcomputer-based national documentation networks in the less developed countries

The application of microcomputers in support of national information systems is rapidly spreading in most of the Less Developed Countries (LDCs). The advantages and limitations of the technology in these countries are discussed. Hardware and software compatibility are not as important a requirement in this context as the availability of an adapted reference format, which the present standard formats do not properly meet. The application should take into account the specific constraints of national information systems in LDCs, including the need to minimize the repetitive recording of the same data elements and to secure full compatibility with international information systems. BABINAT has been designed toward this end by a consortium of French organizations which currently support the development of information systems in the LDCs. Its rationale, characteristic features and development are presented.     

偏光显微镜在壁画颜料分析中的应用

近年来偏光显微镜在文物保护上的应用越来越广泛 ,尤其是在壁画地仗、颜料成分及病害分析等方面 ,本文列举了偏光显微镜在颜料分析中多方面的应用。     

From the periodic table to photochemistry with fluorescent jellies: A food science celebration of the International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements

It began in 1869, and today we have 118 elements listed in the Periodic table, thanks to Mendeleev's work. Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen are elements presented in many organic compounds. Some of them can exhibit photophysical and photochemical properties. Herein, we proposed an easy to make an experiment in chemistry classes to connect both subjects, periodic table and photochemistry, through periodic tables made of fluorescent jellies. A sheet of PET‐G was heated and put over the periodic table mold made in a 3D‐printing to produce the form used in this work. Quinine and vitamin B2, from tonic water and vitamin supplement, respectively, were the fluorescent compounds selected to be in the gelification process to give the jelly fluorescence. The light source was a black light lamp. This work allowed for the discussion of photophysics and photochemistry concepts, 3D‐printing process, gelification, and the International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements—IYPT2019—with undergraduate students without the use of expensive reagents or equipment.     

微粒夹紧固定电极法对Ag_2Se和UO_2O_2电化学行为研究

硒化银(Ag2Se)是一种具有重要应用价值的半导体材料。过氧化铀酰(UO2O2)是核残渣腐蚀过程的生成物。应用微粒夹紧固定电极法对Ag2Se和UO2O2的电化学行为进行了研究,并对各氧化还原峰进行了分析。     

NTBFs—the French case

New technology-based firms (NTBFs) represent only a small proportion of the firms established in France each year; they attract very little specific attention from the national statistical apparatus and are considered to be of marginal significance by both the public authorities and financial institutions. Although the definition of NTBFs is problematic, the available evidence suggests that the survival rate of technology-based firms is higher than that of other start-ups. The most successful in terms of growth belong to dense and convergent networks through which they interact with larger firms and research organisations. There is very little public policy specifically targeted on NTBFs in France. Instead, public financing has been devoted mainly to the development of SMEs in general—in support of their role in the creation of new employment—and to supporting technology-based firms, both large and small, to strengthen the international competitiveness of the French industry.     

Microfluidics as a functional tool for cell mechanics

Living cells are a fascinating demonstration of nature’s most intricate and well-coordinated micromechanical objects. They crawl, spread, contract, and relax—thus performing a multitude of complex mechanical functions. Alternatively, they also respond to physical and chemical cues that lead to remodeling of the cytoskeleton. To understand this intricate coupling between mechanical properties, mechanical function and force-induced biochemical signaling requires tools that are capable of both controlling and manipulating the cell microenvironment and measuring the resulting mechanical response. In this review, the power of microfluidics as a functional tool for research in cell mechanics is highlighted. In particular, current literature is discussed to show that microfluidics powered by soft lithographic techniques offers the following capabilities that are of significance for understanding the mechanical behavior of cells: (i) Microfluidics enables the creation of in vitro models of physiological environments in which cell mechanics can be probed. (ii) Microfluidics is an excellent means to deliver physical cues that affect cell mechanics, such as cell shape, fluid flow, substrate topography, and stiffness. (iii) Microfluidics can also expose cells to chemical cues, such as growth factors and drugs, which alter their mechanical behavior. Moreover, these chemical cues can be delivered either at the whole cell or subcellular level. (iv) Microfluidic devices offer the possibility of measuring the intrinsic mechanical properties of cells in a high throughput fashion. (v) Finally, microfluidic methods provide exquisite control over drop size, generation, and manipulation. As a result, droplets are being increasingly used to control the physicochemical environment of cells and as biomimetic analogs of living cells. These powerful attributes of microfluidics should further stimulate novel means of investigating the link between physicochemical cues and the biomechanical response of cells. Insights from such studies will have implications in areas such as drug delivery, medicine, tissue engineering, and biomedical diagnostics.     

Time courses of emotions experienced after a mountain ultra-marathon: Does emotional intelligence matter?

This research examined the time courses of emotions in sport settings (anxiety, dejection, anger, happiness, excitement) experienced by mountain ultra-marathon (MUM) runners within the month following a demanding MUM race and the role of emotional intelligence (EI) in these time courses. A six-wave one-month longitudinal design was used with one measurement point within two days before the race to measure EI and five time points within the month following the race to assess emotions experienced among a sample of 29 runners. Results of multilevel growth curve analyses showed significant linear decreases of dejection and anxiety and a significant linear increase of anger. EI was related to the intercept (level at the end of the MUM race) of happiness, excitement and dejection. Moreover the interaction of EI with time was associated with happiness, excitement and anger. This means that high and low emotional intelligent runners exhibited distinct trajectories of emotional intelligence within the month following the MUM race. Indeed, trait-EI appeared to have a protective role against stress process leading to emotional adjustment within the recovery period following an ultra-endurance event. As such, consultants and coaches could conduct specific program over the sport season designed to enhance trait-EI of MUM runners.