Female Categories Research Articles

Head Trauma Exposure in Mixed Martial Arts Varies According to Sex and Weight Class.

Brain injury arising from head trauma is a major concern in mixed martial arts (MMA) because knockout (KO) and technical knockout (TKO) are frequent fight outcomes. Previous studies have shown a high incidence of matches ending due to strikes to the head but did not consider weight categories and female fights. This study aimed at analyzing match stoppages in MMA and the exposure to head trauma distinguished by sex and weight categories. The heavier the weight class, the greater the risk and incidence of head trauma will be, regardless of sex. Descriptive epidemiology study. Level 3. Publicly available data of 167 MMA events from 1903 fights between 2014 and 2017 were assessed, comprising 8 male and 2 female weight categories. The combined KO/TKO rates per 100 athlete-exposures in the middleweight (19.53), light heavyweight (20.8), and heavyweight (26.09) divisions were greater than previously reported for MMA. While stoppage via KO/TKO occurred in 7.9% of combats in the female strawweight division, it occurred in 52.1% of the male heavyweight fights. The male middleweight ( P = 0.001), light heavyweight ( P < 0.001), and heavyweight divisions ( P < 0.001) had an increased risk of KO/TKO due to strikes to the head by 80%, 100%, and 206%, respectively. The risk in the flyweight division decreased 62% ( P = 0.001). All categories were compared with the lightweight division. The female bantamweight category presented a 221% increased risk in matches ending due to KO/TKO compared with the strawweight division ( P = 0.012). Punches to the head were the major technique used to end a combat via KO/TKO, regardless of sex and weight class. Head injury risk and incidence varies considerably according to sex and weight category in MMA. The analysis of head trauma exposure in MMA athletes should be distinguished according to sex and weight category.

Gender Typicality of Faces Affects Children’s Categorization and Judgments of Women More than of Men

Most infants display more perceptual knowledge of female than male faces, which is related to their predominant experience with women. If disparities in social experience persist beyond infancy, children should have a better developed sense of what typifies female than male faces. Gender typicality of faces should therefore more often impact their cognitive decisions for female than male targets. To test this possibility, we assessed U.S. 5- to 9-year-olds’ (n = 81) responses when making similarity judgments, spontaneous gender references, and typicality decisions for female and male targets whose faces were gender typical or atypical. Parental reports confirmed most children had predominant experience with female caregivers. Consistent with predictions, gender typicality of faces differentially influenced children’s similarity and typicality judgments for female, but not male, targets. It did not influence their spontaneous gender references, perhaps due to the task being more cognitively demanding. Results show children more reliably detect the gender typicality of female than male faces, which affects their social groupings and decisions about what constitutes a good example of a face more so for female than male targets. Findings might help explain the origins of women being judged by their facial appearance more so than men. Moreover, high feminine-looking women seem to elicit the female category more than low feminine-looking women do, which could elicit greater gender-role expectations for women with high feminine faces.

Prekid igre kao značajan faktor u postizanju gola na fudbalskoj utakmici

The aim of this review paper is to determine the significance of game interruptions for scoring a goal during a football match by providing a detailed analysis of the relevant literature. The collection of compiled research articles covered the period between 2000 and 2018. The following electronic databases were used to search the relevant literature: PubMed, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, EBSCO, all referring to the period from 2000 to 2018. The search included both male and female players of different age categories. Scientific papers that were excluded from this analysis are the ones written in another language, those presenting results from the training sessions, but not from the competition matches, and the papers which did not analyze game interruptions. The results show statistically significant correlation between game interruptions and scoring a goal. The most goals were scored from free kicks, followed by corner kicks. About 30% of the goals from different competitions and games were achieved after a set play. The factors that have the highest effect on scoring goals after a set play are the number of players in the wall, a distance from the goal and the number of players in the field between the goalkeeper and the position of the free kick. The data showed little or no differences, expressed in percentages, in terms of correlation between male and female players, including both senior and junior categories. Game interruptions have a significant impact on scoring a goal. They are part of the standard game situation and as such they require special attention during analysis.

The Fluidity of Gender and Implications for the Biology of Inclusion for Transgender and Intersex Athletes.

One of the most contentious issues in modern day sport arises when sports are divided into male and female categories. The International Association of Athletics Federations' (IAAF) previous policy regulating intersex athletes was suspended by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), resulting in a new policy. The challenge faced by the governing body of athletics is to formulate a policy that upholds both international law and the Olympic charter that stipulates athletes compete without discrimination of any kind. Implementation of the policy has been delayed until after a verdict, expected no later than March 26, 2019, in the Semenya versus IAAF trial in the Court of Arbitration for Sport. If the policy is enacted, it will restrict athletes from competing in the female athletics category with specific differences of sex development (DSD) in races from 400 m up to the mile in international level competitions unless they lower their natural testosterone (T) levels below 5 nmol·L. To thoroughly assess this new IAAF policy, one needs to appreciate its legal, sociological, and scientific underpinnings but also the history of previous policies attempting to define precisely how athletes should be divided into male and female categories. We previously proposed a system to deal with gender variant athletes that relied on a determination of an "athlete/athletic gender." The concept of "athlete gender" was presented to multiple audiences, and the resulting survey is included. A large majority of participants (71% of 153) who answered the survey agreed with the idea of an athlete gender. This position also was accompanied by the request for more studies (20% of those who agreed) and concern over the process of hormone monitoring (32% of those who agreed) to avoid doping misuse. The primary argument of those participating in the survey that disagreed with the position (23% of 153) was that biological differences between males and females remained even after the transition (47% of opposing comments). Mixed gender/sex competitions provide unique opportunities for athletes to compete against one another outside of the traditional male/female divide and pave the way for a more flexible approach for dealing with gender variant athletes.

Smoking status affects bioimpedance-derived phase angle in men but not in women: The Pró-Saúde Study, Brazil.

Phase angle (PhA) is determined by bioelectrical impedance (BIA) and it is interpreted as an index of cell membrane integrity. Smokers are susceptible to systemic oxidative stress and often adopt unhealthy habits, which may contribute to cellular damage. This unfavorable conjuncture may result in lower PhA in smokers. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between PhA and smoking status. This cross-sectional study included 247 (48%) adult men. Body composition and PhA were determined using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and BIA, respectively. Blood sampling, food habits, and smoking status information were collected. Statistical analyses were performed for each sex separately. Analysis of covariance controlling for body mass index and age compared PhA values across smoking categories. Multiple linear regression determined whether smoking status was a PhA predictor. PhA was lower in male current smokers (6.6 ± 0.13°) compared with never-smokers (7 ± 0.06°; P = 0.038). The ratio of extracellular to intracellular water was higher in current (P = 0.003) and former male smokers (P = 0.006) compared with never-smokers. Body composition did not differ in male and female smoking categories. Male current smokers ingested more calories, protein, carbohydrates, and alcohol than never and former smokers (P < 0.05). Current female smokers had higher alcohol consumption compared with never smokers (P = 0.019). Male current smokers presented lower than never-smokers (unstandardized β coefficient = -0.202; 95% confidence interval, -0.359 to -0.046). Smoking status was associated with PhA decrease only in men. The results from the present study suggest that being a current smoker results in lower PhA in men, even when controlling for other variables.

Accurate Age Determination for Adolescents Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Hand and Wrist with an Artificial Neural Network-Based Approach.

This study proposes an accurate method in assessing chronological age of the adolescents using a machine learning approach using MRI images. We also examined the value of MRI with Tanner-Whitehouse 3 (TW3) method in assessing skeletal maturity. Seventy-nine 12-17-year-old healthy Hong Kong Chinese adolescents were recruited. The left hand and wrist region were scanned by a dedicated skeletal MRI scanner. T1-weighted three-dimensional coronal view images for the left hand and wrist region were acquired. Independent maturity indicators such as subject body height, body weight, bone marrow composition intensity quantified by MRI, and TW3 skeletal age were included for artificial neural network (ANN) analysis. Our results indicated that the skeletal age was generally underestimated using TW3 method, and significant difference (p < 0.05) was noted for skeletal age with chronological age for female category and at later stage of adolescence (15 to 17years old) in both genders. In our proposed machine learning approach, ages determined by ANN method agreed well with chronological age (p > 0.05).The machine learning approach using ANN method was about 10-fold more accurate than the TW3 method using MRI alone. It offers a more objective and accurate solution for prospective chronological maturity assessment for adolescents.

Linking plasma sex steroid hormone levels to the condition of external genitalia in European badgers (Meles meles): A critical evaluation of traditional field methodology

Field biologists often rely on examination of external genitalia as a proxy for mammalian reproductive condition. In seasonally breeding European badgers, scrotal testes are used as an indicator of spermatogenesis, while a pink and swollen vulva with mucosal secretion is assumed to indicate oestrus. Systematic validation of these assumptions is lacking. Here we analysed sex steroid hormones from plasma samples collected from sexually mature adults during the winter mating season, the spring post-weaning period, the summer minor mating peak, and autumn reproductive quiescence, to compare circulating testosterone levels in males (n = 216), and oestrone (n = 143) and oestradiol (n = 36) levels in females with concurrent external genitalia condition (males: descended, intermediate, ascended testes, as well as testes volume; females: swollen, intermediate, normal vulva). Sex-steroid levels exhibited seasonal patterns, broadly reflecting the seasonal variation in genital condition. Nevertheless, on an individual level, male testosterone levels correlated significantly with testes condition and testes volume only during the mating season in spring, and neither oestrone nor oestradiol differed between female EGM categories. We thus conclude that, in males, EGM is a reliable indicator of reproductive activity during the mating season, but can provide only a tentative indication of physiological reproductive status outside this period, while in females EGM is generally less precise for assessing female reproductive status.

Circulating Testosterone as the Hormonal Basis of Sex Differences in Athletic Performance.

Elite athletic competitions have separate male and female events due to men’s physical advantages in strength, speed, and endurance so that a protected female category with objective entry criteria is required. Prior to puberty, there is no sex difference in circulating testosterone concentrations or athletic performance, but from puberty onward a clear sex difference in athletic performance emerges as circulating testosterone concentrations rise in men because testes produce 30 times more testosterone than before puberty with circulating testosterone exceeding 15-fold that of women at any age. There is a wide sex difference in circulating testosterone concentrations and a reproducible dose-response relationship between circulating testosterone and muscle mass and strength as well as circulating hemoglobin in both men and women. These dichotomies largely account for the sex differences in muscle mass and strength and circulating hemoglobin levels that result in at least an 8% to 12% ergogenic advantage in men. Suppression of elevated circulating testosterone of hyperandrogenic athletes results in negative effects on performance, which are reversed when suppression ceases. Based on the nonoverlapping, bimodal distribution of circulating testosterone concentration (measured by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry)—and making an allowance for women with mild hyperandrogenism, notably women with polycystic ovary syndrome (who are overrepresented in elite athletics)—the appropriate eligibility criterion for female athletic events should be a circulating testosterone of <5.0 nmol/L. This would include all women other than those with untreated hyperandrogenic disorders of sexual development and noncompliant male-to-female transgender as well as testosterone-treated female-to-male transgender or androgen dopers.

Clinical Patterns of Facial Aging among Egyptian Females

Background: the skin displays the most visible manifestations of aging. Research interest in aging process has grown and people are becoming obsessed with looking young. The face has received most of the attention and generated most of the studies related to beauty and aging because it is the most expressive part of human body. Aim of the Work: to assess the different clinical patterns of facial wrinkles and signs of skin aging among different age categories of Egyptian females. Subjects and Methods: this cross-sectional study was carried out in the Dermatology, Venereology and Andrology department of Ain Shams University Hospitals after Institutional Review Board approval. The study included included 100 adult females ranged from 20-60 years old. Results: the mean age was (38.570±11.634) with a range of 20-60 years. Skin phototype was Fitzpatrick Type III in 8 patients (8%), IV in 55 females (55%) and V in 37 females (37%). Glogau classification for severity of skin aging signs was type I in 39 cases (39%), Type II in 20 (20%), Type III in 26 (26%) and type VI in 15 (15%). All patients reported history of excessive sun exposure for extended hours; 32 cases reported sunscreen use but not regular, while 68 cases didn’t use sunscreen. Conclusion: skin Type IV showed more wrinkles indentation index, roughness, melanin concentration, melanin heterogeneity and HGB heterogeneity. There was a significant correlation between the sunscreen use and average melanin concentration, where cases that used sunscreen showed lower average melanin concentration. The relation between sun screen use and severity of wrinkles (Indentation index) was non-significant.

Clinical Patterns of Facial Aging among Egyptian Females

Background: the skin displays the most visible manifestations of aging. Research interest in aging process has grown and people are becoming obsessed with looking young. The face has received most of the attention and generated most of the studies related to beauty and aging because it is the most expressive part of human body. Aim of the Work: to assess the different clinical patterns of facial wrinkles and signs of skin aging among different age categories of Egyptian females. Subjects and Methods: this cross-sectional study was carried out in the Dermatology, Venereology and Andrology department of Ain Shams University Hospitals after Institutional Review Board approval. The study included included 100 adult females ranged from 20-60 years old. Results: the mean age was (38.570±11.634) with a range of 20-60 years. Skin phototype was Fitzpatrick Type III in 8 patients (8%), IV in 55 females (55%) and V in 37 females (37%). Glogau classification for severity of skin aging signs was type I in 39 cases (39%), Type II in 20 (20%), Type III in 26 (26%) and type VI in 15 (15%). All patients reported history of excessive sun exposure for extended hours; 32 cases reported sunscreen use but not regular, while 68 cases didn’t use sunscreen. Conclusion: skin Type IV showed more wrinkles indentation index, roughness, melanin concentration, melanin heterogeneity and HGB heterogeneity. There was a significant correlation between the sunscreen use and average melanin concentration, where cases that used sunscreen showed lower average melanin concentration. The relation between sun screen use and severity of wrinkles (Indentation index) was non-significant.

A novel use of infra-red spectroscopy (NIRS and ATR-FTIR) coupled with variable selection algorithms for the identification of insect species (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) of medico-legal relevance

Unequivocal identification of fly specimens is an essential requirement in forensic entomology. Herein, a simple, non-destructive and rapid method based on two vibrational spectroscopy techniques [Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) and attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy] coupled with variable selection techniques such as genetic algorithm-linear discriminant analysis (GA-LDA) and successive projection algorithm-linear discriminant analysis (SPA-LDA) were applied for identifying and discriminating six species of flesh flies (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) native to Neotropical regions. This novel approach is based on the unique spectral “fingerprints” of their biochemical composition. One hundred sixty (160) NIRS and FT-IR specimens (120 male, 40 female) were acquired; different pre-processing methods such as baseline correction, derivative and Savitzky-Golay smoothing were also performed. In addition, the multivariate classification accuracy results were tested based on sensitivity, specificity, positive (or precision) and negative predictive values, Youden index, positive and negative likelihood ratios. Principal components analysis (PCA) was employed for male vs. female category using NIRS, strongly showing the separation between the classes with only three principal components and 99% explained variance. Differentiation between the genera Oxysarcodexia, Peckia and Ravinia was efficiently confirmed by both techniques. In comparison with other biological methods, this approach represents an effective choice for fast and non-destructive identification in forensic entomology.

Gender differences in anthropometric parameters and technical performance of youth soccer players

Considering that the popularity and professionalism of females soccer has increased markedly, the aims of this study were to evaluate the eventual (1) technical differences between the young male and female soccer players, and (2) relationship among anthropometrics characteristic (weight, height and Body Mass Index), soccer experiences, and soccer performances (juggling, speed dribbling, long and short passing, shooting from dead ball and from a pass; heading) in 16 female and 32 male soccer players (n: 48; age: 16 ± 1 years; BMI 20.8 ± 2.0 kg/m2). Unpaired student t test was applied to assess differences between groups (male vs female) to variables with normal distribution (age, height, weight, BMI, speed dribbling without ball, short pass), while Mann–Whitney U test was applied to the other non-parametric variables. Spearman Rho correlation was used to analyse relationships among variables considering all subjects, male, and female categories. Results showed differences (p < 0.05) between groups for height (p < 0.0001), weight (p = 0.0002), juggling foot–chest–head (p = 0.03), speed dribbling with (p = 0.01), and without (p < 0.05) ball. Correlations between variables were found in all subjects, female and male groups. Female soccer players showed better values than males in juggling test but worse in speed dribbling with ball and in shooting. Considering gender differences in soccer performance, cut-off used for male cannot apply to female because utilization of the same exercise and/or application of the same training volume might cause poor training effects.

Polar coordinate analysis in the study of positional attacks in beach handball

The aim of this study was to identify the relationships between the various behaviours of the positional attack of beach handball in male and female categories. With a sample of 150 international players (men, n = 90), HOISAN software package was used to analyse 24 observations of matches played at the European Beach Handball Championship. We used observational methodology, specifically a nomothetic/point/multidimensional study design. The data obtained were subjected to a polar coordinate analysis from the perspective of genuine retrospectivity. Seven focal behaviours – related to how the attack ends and the player who finishes it – were chosen. The results revealed differences by gender. In the women’s category, positional attacks tended to focus on inflight shots; the plays were elaborate and relied on the player in the role of “specialist” for successful execution. In the men’s category, in contrast, attacks tended to end with a spin shot when the observed team was trailing in the score and when the opposing team used an open defence; the men’s teams also relied more on the pivot to create open spaces. The differences shown suggest intervening in each category with a specific orientation to lead to improvements in the performance of each of them.

Olympic and Paralympic Games Rio 2016

The purpose of this study was to compare the athletes’ scores, penalties and efficiency between the Olympic and Paralympic Games Rio 2016, and identify which variable determined the winner of the matches. A total of 608 matches in the Olympic and Paralympic Games were analysed. Total relative scores (ippon, waza ari and yuko), penalties (shido per match) and efficiency were identified in the male and female categories, Olympic and Paralympic Games, and medallists and non-medallists. The main results showed that waza ari was higher in the Olympic Games (p=.05) than in the Paralympic Games (male team); ippon was higher in the Paralympic Games (p=.05) and shido was higher in the Olympic Games (p=.05) (female team). The male Olympic medallists were more efficient (p=.01), while the female Paralympic medallists were less penalised (p=.01). Ippon was the key variable that determined winning in both the Olympic and Paralympic matches (p&amp;lt;.001). We concluded that the male Olympic judo athletes showed greater efficiency and scores than Paralympians, while the female team presented more scores and fewer penalties. Ippon was the key point that determined victory in most of the matches.

Intensified use of TAI and sexed semen on commercial farms.

The livestock sector has achieved many technological advances, which have resulted in continued improvements in animal production systems and in the reproductive efficiency of herds. The associated use of reproductive biotechnology and genetic improvements combined with adequate sanitary and nutritional management are essential conditions for sustainable intensified animal production and financial autonomy within farms. Timed artificial insemination (TAI) represents one of the strategies with the greatest impact of expansion in providing genetic improvements and increased reproductive efficiency at a decreased cost. Despite the high proportion of cows receiving TAI, this market still exhibits considerable potential for expansion. After a TAI procedure, approximately 40 to 60% of females become pregnant. This result can vary depending on such factors as the hormonal protocol employed, female category, body condition score, ovarian status, farm management and aspects related to bulls and semen. The fertility and genetic quality of the bull plays an important role in the herd because a single bull can influence the entire production system. Another important strategy is the use of sex-sorted semen associated with TAI, primarily when associated with management practices to improve the pregnancy rate. This paper presents a review of the intensification of TAI, supplying practical information regarding the implementation of TAI commercial programs.

Physiological consequences of biologic state and habitat dynamics on the critically endangered Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis ssp. asiaeorientalis) dwelling in the wild and semi-natural environment.

The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of habitat and biological state on the physiology of critically endangered wild and semi-natural Yangtze Finless Porpoises (YFPs; Neophocaena asiaeorientalis ssp. asiaeorientalis) by measuring and comparing serum biochemical parameters. A total of 168 YFPs were sampled, 68 living in the semi-natural (Tian-E-Zhou Oxbow) and 98 living in the wild (Poyang Lake, PL) environment. The YFPs in the Tian-E-Zhou Oxbow were sampled from 2002 to 2015 and in the PL from 2009 to 2017. Each population was divided into Juvenile Male, Juvenile Female, Adult Male, Pregnant and Lactating Female life history categories. Overall, with location, 19/33 of the analytes and with season 18/33 of the analytes were significantly different. Similarly, within each location, 15/33 of the analytes changed with time in PL while only 8/33 changed with time in Tian-E-Zhou Oxbow, respectively. Finally, 15/33 of the analytes demonstrated significant differences between the different age and sex groups of animals. In our study, a significant variation, as well as an increasing and decreasing pattern of several parameters in both populations, suggest a worsening ecological environment of both habitats. This study will help in health assessment, improving conservation and management practices, a crucial requisite for biodiversity conservation.

Regulatory T Cells and Tumor-Associated Macrophages in the Tumor Microenvironment in Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer Treated with Intravesical Bacille Calmette-Guérin: A Long-Term Follow-Up Study of a Japanese Cohort

The clinical significance of regulatory T cells (Treg) and tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) in the tumor microenvironment of human bladder cancer remains unclear. The aim of this study is to explore their relevance to oncological features in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). We carried out immunohistochemical analysis of forkhead box P3 (FOXP3, Treg maker), CD204 (TAM marker), and interleukin-6 (IL6) using surgical specimens obtained from 154 NMIBC patients. The Treg and TAM counts surrounding the cancer lesion and IL6-positive cancer cell counts were evaluated against clinicopathological variables. We focused on the ability of the Treg and TAM counts around the cancer lesion to predict outcomes after adjuvant intravesical Bacille Calmette–Guérin (BCG) treatment. High Treg counts were associated with female patients, older age, T1 category, and high tumor grade. TAM count was significantly correlated with Treg count and with IL6-positive cancer cell count. In our analysis of 71 patients treated with BCG, high counts of Treg and TAM were associated with shorter recurrence-free survival, and the former was an independent predictor of recurrence. Poor response to intravesical BCG was associated with Treg and TAM in the tumor microenvironment. Disrupting the immune network can be a supplementary therapeutic approach for NMIBC patients receiving intravesical BCG.

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF SOCIO ECONOMIC AND HEALTH STATUS OF SENIOR CITIZENS OF HIMACHAL PRADESH AND UTTAR PRADESH STATE

The main objective of the study was to compare the Socio Economic and Health Status of Senior Citizens of Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh State. 2000 sample were selected on the bases of simple random method viz: 1000 of each State. 500 male and 500 female gender wise categories were selected of each state. V. Kuupuswami scale (SES) and Barry TL Standardized Health Status Questionnaire (HSQ 12) was used for data collection. The percentage and contingency chi square method (x²) were used for analysis of the data. The statistical analysis was found the significant difference in between socio-economic and health status of Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh State.

Prevalence of overweight and obesity among secondary school students in Ilorin Metropolis Kwara State, Nigeria

Obesity became recognized in the classification of diseases 79 years ago (1948-2017). Since then, it has risen exponentially to become a global treat to health affecting different populations. The estimation of obesity prevalence cannot be overstressed. Therefore, this study investigated the prevalence of overweight and obesity among secondary school students in Ilorin Metropolis, Nigeria. A cross-sectional design was adopted for this study; the population for this study comprised all the secondary school students in the metropolis. Multistage sampling method comprising stratified; proportionate and simple random was used to select 1,569 participants for this study. Four research questions and hypotheses were answered and tested for this study. Frequency counts and percentage was used to answer the questions and independent sample t-test was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 significance level. Anthropometric measures of Body Mass Index. (BMI) and Waist-Hip Ratio (WHR) conducted for classifications into overweight and obesity using percentile ranking. The standardized instruments for data collection were weight scale (BF9015B model) and inelastic tape rule that provides 100g tension. All the measurements for this study were ISAK compliant. The four hypotheses were rejected and the percentage analysis of the data indicated that; 28.1% of the male students in the private schools were obese, 20.1% were obese in the public schools. In the female category, 23.0% were obese in the private schools while 21.8% were obese in the Public schools. The mean WHR for female in the private and public schools were 0.87 and 0.80 respectively. It was concluded that; overweight and obesity was prevalent in the schools but higher prevalent was recorded in the private schools. Regular participation in physical activity and routine assessment of overweight and obesity status of the students using BMI and WHR methods for monitoring and timely interventions were part of the recommendations.

Between Tradition and Innovation

The article focuses on the identity construction and recognition strategies adopted by young second-generation Muslim women living in Italy. The research was conducted by collecting life stories with the goal of investigating the processes of identity building in the private and in the public sphere. Moving from two key concepts, agency and intersectionality, the study explores those challenges and tensions which arise from the multi-membership (intra-ethnic and inter-ethnic; intra-generational and inter-generational) and from the interconnection of different social categories (gender, religious beliefs, age and ethnic origins) of young Muslim females. At the end of the study, the biographies are analysed inductively in order to identify different ideal-types of profiles of subjectification which vehiculate different gender and religious identity patterns.