University of British Columbia

About: University of British Columbia is a education organization based out in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 89939 authors who have published 209679 publications receiving 9226862 citations. The organization is also known as: UBC & The University of British Columbia.

An update of controlled physical activity trials in cancer survivors: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract: Introduction Approximately 11.1 million cancer survivors are alive in the United States. Activity prescriptions for cancer survivors rely on evidence as to whether exercise during or after treatment results in improved health outcomes. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluates the extent to which physical activity during and post treatment is appropriate and effective across the cancer control continuum. Methods A systematic quantitative review of the English language scientific literature searched controlled trials of physical activity interventions in cancer survivors during and post treatment. Data from 82 studies were abstracted, weighted mean effect sizes (WMES) were calculated from 66 high quality studies, and a systematic level of evidence criteria was applied to evaluate 60 outcomes. Reports of adverse events were abstracted from all studies. Results Quantitative evidence shows a large effect of physical activity interventions post treatment on upper and lower body strength (WMES=0.99 & 0.90, p<0.0001 & 0.024, respectively) and moderate effects on fatigue and breast cancer-specific concerns (WMES=�0.54 & 0.62, p=0.003 & 0.003, respectively). A small to moderate positive effect of physical activity during treatment was seen for physical activity level, aerobic fitness, muscular strength, functional quality of life, anxiety, and self-esteem. With few exceptions, exercise was well tolerated during and post treatment without adverse events. Conclusions Current evidence suggests many health benefits from physical activity during and post cancer treatments. Additional studies are needed in cancer diagnoses other than breast and with a focus on survivors in greatest need of improvements for the health outcomes of interest.

The Effect of Errors in Means, Variances, and Covariances on Optimal Portfolio Choice

Abstract: There is considerable literature on the strengths and limitations of mean-variance analysis. The basic theory and extensions of MV analysis are discussed in Markowitz [1987] and Ziemba & Vickson [1975]. Bawa, Brown & Klein [1979] and Michaud [1989] review some of its problems…

Applied bioinformatics for the identification of regulatory elements

Abstract: The compilation of multiple metazoan genome sequences and the deluge of large-scale expression data have combined to motivate the maturation of bioinformatics methods for the analysis of sequences that regulate gene transcription. Historically, these bioinformatics methods have been plagued by poor predictive specificity, but new bioinformatics algorithms that accelerate the identification of regulatory regions are drawing disgruntled users back to their keyboards. However, these new approaches and software are not without problems. Here, we introduce the purpose and mechanisms of the leading algorithms, with a particular emphasis on metazoan sequence analysis. We identify key issues that users should take into consideration in interpreting the results and provide an online training example to help researchers who wish to test online tools before taking an independent foray into the bioinformatics of transcription regulation.