Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

Guest Opinion

Guest Opinion

Though China looms large in the Mexican consciousness as an economic competitor, the same is not the same from the Chinese perspective. This study of the reporting of Mexico in China reflects on the lack of understanding of Mexico in China other than as a function of China’s international political economy. Though the prospects for greater cooperation may appear significant, the likelihood of this happening should clearly not be exaggerated. Mexico-China relations are asymmetrical and likely to stay that way for some time. Mexico’s value to China lies in its relationship to the USA, and not for anything intrinsic in the Mexican economy or society.

Book review: La misión Hasekura: 400 años de su legado en las relaciones entre México y Japón, Alicia Girón, Aurelia Vargas y Carlos Uscanga (coords.). Colección Universitaria de Estudios Asiáticos, Vol. 1, UNAM, 2015.

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The present study aimed to analyze Mediterranean diet adherence and its relationship with anthropometric variables in young elite paddlers. One hundred and ten young male paddlers (mean age: 15.51 ±0.66 years old and mean BMI: 22.35 ± 1.66 kg·m-2) were measured according to International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry guidelines. Mediterranean diet adherence was analyzed using the KIDMED questionnaire. Most of the paddlers presented an excellent adherence to the Mediterranean diet (n=73); meanwhile, 31 showed a medium and six a low adherence. Anthropometric variables, body mass index, somatotype and body composition percentages showed similar values when the paddlers were divided based on their adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Paddlers showed an adequate consumption of cereals, olive oil, dairy products for breakfast, processed baked goods, candy sweets, and fast food. The consumption of fruits, vegetables, fish, legumes, yogurt, cheese, and nuts was lower than recommended. In conclusion, the present study showed that there is not a clear relationship between anthropometric parameters and the Mediterranean diet adherence among young elite male paddlers. Furthermore, most paddlers showed an excellent or medium adherence to the Mediterranean diet.

Introduction: Autism is a neurodevelopment disorder called Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD); it manifests in childhood, and it is characterized by limitations in social interactions and stereotyped behaviors. Objective: to evaluate the gross motor skills (GMS) development through a systematic program of general exercises in four adolescents with ASD. Methodology: conducting a longitudinal case study with two cross-sections; four adolescents aged 12 to14 years participated in a systematic education intervention program oriented to develop gross motor skills in twelve weeks (45-minute interventions, twice a week, one student per teacher). Before and after the systematic education intervention program to develop gross motor skills, the evaluation of students was made with the Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills (ABLL – R) score system. Results: after the intervention, the participants presented a positive result in improving physical activities compared to their results before the intervention. The most significant difficulty was in the activities of losing balance followed by a dynamic recovery, with or without objects. At the beginning of the intervention, all the participants presented deficiencies of gross motor skills. After the intervention, they showed an improvement in those skills. Conclusions: although people with ASD have permanent disabilities, the physical activity educationally oriented to adolescents ASD allowed significant progress in gross motor skills.

Objective: to determine the factors associated to motivation in students for achievement of III cycle (seventh, eighth, and ninth grades) of the General Basic Education during Physical Education classes. Methodology: The AMPET questionnaire (Achievement Motivation in Physical Education Test) was applied to a total of 396 students (178 women and 218 men) of high school from five public educational centers, located in the Central Canton of the Province of Heredia, Costa Rica. A descriptive analysis was made with averages and standard deviations, 2x3 factorial ANOVA for independent groups. Results: Differences (p = .000) were observed in the commitment factor and learning delivery according to the academic level. When doing a post-hoc Tukey, it was found that the lower the academic level, the greater the commitment and learning delivery; that is to say, the seventh grade students reflect a higher score in the factor of commitment and learning delivery (4.03 ± .06) in comparison with eighth level (3.60 ± .05) and ninth level students (3.62 ± .06). With respect to the perceived motor competence factor, differences were obtained (p = .000) according to sex. The above reflects that men have a greater perceived motor competence (3.03 ± .06), compared to women (2.62 ± .07). Regarding the anxiety factor when making mistakes or under stress situations, statistically significant differences were found (p = .000); according to sex, women obtained a higher score in anxiety when making mistakes or under stress situations 2.51 ± .06), compared to men (2.16 ± .05). Conclusion: The research revealed that women respond differently than men to the factors associated with achievement motivation and it should be noted that physical education is a source of stress for them, an important fact to analyze to know its cause, and whether it is due to the existence of a gap in motor competence that has consequences on behavior, as well as to compare whether this behavior is repeated in schools in different regions of the country.

The six-minute walk test (SMWT) consists of walking as far as possible and is characterized by being an easy test to perform. This paper examines the relationship between the three variables of distance traveled, cardiac and pulmonary pathologies, and the oxygen consumption of a criterion test on treadmill and/or cycle ergometer, and the prediction equations of VO2 in the SMWT of Maldonado and Ingle (2006), Vanhelst (2013) and Costa (2017) for people with pathologies. The paper is a bibliographic review that used the Scopus and WOS databases containing articles in English, Spanish and Portuguese, published between 2000 and 2017. Distance is the variable that was most measured, and it was most associated with VO2; correlations with values from 0.01 to 0.8 were found. The pathologies most related to VO2 max were pulmonary hypertension, obstructive pulmonary disease, and ventricular heart failure and stroke; and the cycle ergometer was the most commonly used in the VO2 max criterion tests. Only one equation was created for children who were obese; it included distance and BMI (Vanhelst). Another equation was generated for adults with heart disease that also included sex (Costa). Besides, one equation was for patients with ventricular systolic dysfunction that also incorporated age, volume expiratory and hemoglobin (Ingle); another one was created for adults with heart failure, and this formula considered the distance (Maldonado). It is suggested to use the most appropriate equation and create predictive models for people with different characteristics.

The objective of this research was to know the factors that determine the participation of the old people in the pre-sport voliocho at the canton of Santo Domingo, Heredia, Costa Rica. This is a grounded theory-based study with a qualitative approach. Twenty older adults participated, aged between 65 and 81 years, practicing pre-sport games for seven years or more. A life story methodology, a semi-structured interview, and the passive observation were used to collect the data. The analysis was carried out by means of the codification in categories established by the Social Cognitive Theory of Bandura (1986). The results show that the main factors of adherence are perceived self-efficacy, expected benefits, self-control, motor skills, social environment relationships, and physical environment. In conclusion, we can appreciate the importance of personal, behavioral, and environmental factors in order to initiate and maintain any physical-sport program in older adults over time.