High Performance Group Research Articles

Action research in the physics classroom: the impact of authentic, inquiry based learning or instruction on the learning of thermal physics

Students experience thermal physics phenomena from a very young age, but in Singapore their formal science instruction occurs in Primary 3 or 4 (aged 9 or 10) and again in secondary school (aged 13 to 16). Hence, students often form alternative or incomplete scientific conceptions related to thermal physics well before they begin learning it in the science classroom. The team of teachers involved in this study, therefore, believed that traditional instruction would be largely ineffective because it does not take into account students’ existing beliefs about thermal physics. An action research process was undertaken to investigate if a more interactive and engaging pedagogical approach, such as authentic, inquiry based learning, could make students’ thinking more explicit through discussions and other social interactions. Three intact classes of Secondary-3 students were selected: a high-performing control group and a low-performing control group using Traditional Physics Instruction (TPI) and an experimental group using Authentic Inquiry-Based Instruction (AIBI). Students in the experimental group demonstrated significant gains in conceptual understanding and student self-efficacy, although students in the high-performing control group continued to outscore students in the experimental group. Further analysis of the data revealed a correlation between students’ achievement on a standardised test and conceptual understanding of the subject matter in the AIBI classroom. Traditional forms of instruction are inadequate because they do little to develop students’ self-efficacy and interest in the subject matter. More emphasis should be placed on embedding authentic and formative assessment tasks within the curriculum, rather than end-of-unit standardised tests.

A (des)igualdade de conhecimento no ciclo de alfabetização

<p>Este trabalho busca contribuir para o debate acerca do tema das desigualdades educacionais, por meio da investigação da (re)produção da desigualdade de conhecimento. Com base nos dados da avaliação longitudinal da alfabetização do Espírito Santo, das edições de 2012, 2013 e 2014, o estudo analisou a variação do percentual de acerto entre turmas de alto e baixo desempenho nos testes de Leitura do 1º e 3º ano do ensino fundamental. O principal resultado aponta que a aquisição das habilidades é mais heterogênea no 1º ano, o que permite supor que, ao longo do ciclo de alfabetização, os alunos podem ter passado por processos de reorganização intraescolar que tornaram seus resultados mais homogêneos, ou seja, menos desiguais. A despeito disso, há determinadas habilidades que não estão consolidadas até o fim do 3º ano, o que evidencia a ineficácia das políticas atuais para fazer com que os alunos adquiram habilidades imprescindíveis ao processo de alfabetização.</p><p><strong>Palavras-chave:</strong> Alfabetização; Avaliação da Educação; Conhecimentos; Desigualdades Educacionais.</p><p> </p><p><strong><em>La (des)igualdad de conocimiento en el ciclo de alfabetización</em></strong></p><p><em>Este trabajo intenta contribuir con el debate acerca del tema de las desigualdades educacionales, por medio de la investigación de la (re)producción de la desigualdad de conocimiento. En base a los datos de la evaluación longitudinal de la alfabetización del estado de Espírito Santo en las ediciones de 2012, 2013 y 2014, el estudio analizó la variación del porcentual de acierto entre grupos de alto y bajo desempeño en las pruebas de Lectura del 1er y 3er año de la educación básica. El principal resultado señala que la adquisición de las habilidades es más heterogénea en el 1er año, lo que permite suponer que, a lo largo del ciclo de alfabetización, los alumnos pueden haber pasado por procesos de reorganización intraescolar que hicieron que sus resultados fueran más homogéneos, es decir, menos desiguales. A pesar de ello, hay determinadas habilidades que no se consolidan hasta fines del 3er año, lo que pone de manifiesto la ineficacia de las actuales políticas para que los alumnos aprendan habilidades imprescindibles al proceso de alfabetización.</em></p><p><strong><em>Palabras clave:</em></strong><em> Alfabetización; Evaluación de la Educación; Conocimientos; Desigualdades Educacionales.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> </em><strong><em>The (in)equality of knowledge in the literacy cycle</em></strong></p><p><em>The present study seeks to contribute to the debate about educational inequalities, using the study of the (re)production of the inequality of knowledge. Based on data from the longitudinal evaluation of literacy in Espírito Santo, from the 2012, 2013 and 2014 publications, this study has analyzed the percentage of variation between the high and low performance groups in the Reading Tests of the 1st and 3rd years of high school. The main results point out that the acquisition of skills is more heterogenous in the 1st year, which supports the hypothesis that, during the literacy cycle, students may have gone through intrascholastic reorganization processes which make their results more homogeneous. That is, less unequal. Despite this, there are certain skills that are not consolidated by the end of the 3rd year, which provides evidence of the ineffectiveness of the current policies for students to learn essential skills throughout the literacy process.</em></p><p><strong><em>Keywords:</em></strong><em> Literacy; Educational Evaluation; Knowledge; Educational Inequalities.</em></p>

Motivation and Mathematics Performance: A Longitudinal Study in Early Educational Stages

This longitudinal study analyses the predictive value of a set of motivational variables on academic performance in the mathematics area. Analyses were performed on a sample of 180 children, with the data evaluated in two stages in formal educational settings (from kindergarten until 2nd year of Primary School). Likewise, differences between three groups (with low, average, and high mathematical performance at the end of second year of Primary School) in motivational and attributional variables assessed initially are also studied. The results show a significant predictive power on later mathematics achievement for self-perceived competence. Also persistence, attitude, and positive attributional dimension of internality have an additional significant contribution. The results also show that high and low performance groups at the end of 2nd year of Primary School showed significant differences at 5 years, both in self-perceived competence and in persistence. There are also differences in persistence between average and low performance groups. These results are discussed in terms of their theoretical and practical implications.

Motivación y rendimiento académico en matemáticas: un estudio longitudinal en las primeras etapas educativas

This longitudinal study analyses the predictive value of a set of motivational variables on academic performance in the mathematics area. Analyses were performed on a sample of 180 children, with the data evaluated in two stages in formal educational settings (from kindergarten until 2nd year of Primary School). Likewise, differences between three groups (with low, average, and high mathematical performance at the end of second year of Primary School) in motivational and attributional variables assessed initially are also studied. The results show a significant predictive power on later mathematics achievement for self-perceived competence. Also persistence, attitude, and positive attributional dimension of internality have an additional significant contribution. The results also show that high and low performance groups at the end of 2nd year of Primary School showed significant differences at 5 years, both in self-perceived competence and in persistence. There are also differences in persistence between average and low performance groups. These results are discussed in terms of their theoretical and practical implications.

Social cognition in bipolar disorder: Focus on emotional intelligence

BackgroundThe present study aims to characterize emotional intelligence (EI) variability in a sample of euthymic bipolar disorder (BD) patients through the Mayer- Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT). MethodA total of 134 euthymic BD outpatients were recruited and divided into three groups according to the total Emotional Intelligence Quotient (EIQ) score of the MSCEIT, following a statistical criterion of scores 1.5SDs above/below the normative group mean, as follows: a low performance (LP) group (EIQ <85), a normal performance (NP) group (85≤EIQ≤115), and a high performance (HP) group (EIQ >115). Afterwards, main sociodemographic, clinical, functional and neurocognitive variables were compared between the groups. ResultsThree groups were identified: 1) LP group (n=16, 12%), 2) NP group (n=93, 69%) and 3) HP group (n=25, 19%). There were significant differences between the groups in premorbid intelligence quotient (IQ) (p=0.010), axis II comorbidity (p=0.008), subthreshold depressive symptoms (p=0.027), general functioning (p=0.013) and in four specific functional domains: autonomy, occupation, interpersonal relations and leisure time. Significant differences in neurocognitive performance were found between groups with the LP group showing the lowest attainments. LimitationsThe cross-sectional design of the study. ConclusionOur results suggest that EI variability among BD patients, assessed through MSCEIT, is lower than expected. EI could be associated with premorbid IQ, subthreshold depressive symptoms, neurocognitive performance and general functioning. The identification of different profiles of SC may help guide specific interventions for distinct patient subgroups aimed at improving social cognition, neurocognitive performance and psychosocial functioning.

Growth of InN Nanowires with Uniform Diameter on Si(111) Substrates: Competition Between Migration and Desorption of In Atoms.

The effects of the growth parameters on the uniformity and the aspect ratio of InN nanowires grown on Si(111) substrates have been studied systematically, and a modified quasi-equilibrium model is proposed. The growth temperature is of great importance for both the nucleation of the nanowires and the migration of In and N atoms, thus affecting the uniformity of the InN nanowires. In order to improve the uniformity of the InN nanowires, both traditional substrate nitridation and pre-In-droplet deposition have been implemented. It is found that the substrate nitridation is favorable for the nucleation of InN nanowires. However, the initial In atoms adhered to the substrate are insufficient to sustain the uniform growth of the InN nanowires. We have found that the initial In droplet on the substrate is not only advantageous for the nucleation of the InN nanowire, but also favorable for the In atom equilibrium between the initial In droplets and the direct In flux. Therefore, InN nanowires with a uniform aspect ratio and optimal diameter can be achieved. The results reported herein provide meaningful insights to understanding the growth kinetics during the InN nanowires growth, and open up great possibilities of developing high-performance group III-nitride-based devices.

Evaluating Injury Risk and Gender Performance on Health- and Skill-Related Fitness Assessments.

Grier, TL, Canham-Chervak, M, Bushman, TT, Anderson, MK, North, WJ, and Jones, BH. Evaluating injury risk and gender performance on health- and skill-related fitness assessments. J Strength Cond Res 31(4): 971-980, 2017-The purpose of this analysis was to investigate the association of injury risk and gender performance on health- and skill-related fitness assessments. A survey was used to collect personal characteristics and Army Physical Fitness Test scores (2-mile run, push-ups, and sit-ups). Within the same day, 9 physical fitness assessments were performed. Percent body fat was estimated using height, weight, age, and sex. All fitness assessment data were categorized into tertiles of high, moderate and low performance. To investigate potential injury risk predicted by fitness assessment performance, injury risk ratios, odds ratios (ORs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using medical record data. A total of 3,264 soldiers completed surveys and physical fitness assessments. Tertiles of fitness performance with men and women combined showed that on an average, 14% of women and 70% of men were in the moderate- and high-performance groups. Among men, higher injury risk was independently associated with low performance on a 2-mile run (ORslow/fast = 1.51, 95% CI 1.18-1.94) and low performance on a weighted 300-yard shuttle run (ORslow/fast = 1.36, 95% CI 1.06-1.74). For women, a higher risk of injury was associated with low performance on the 2-mile run (ORslow/fast = 2.38, 95% CI 1.04-5.74). Therefore, out of the 13 fitness assessments, the 2-mile run and weighted 300-yard shuttle run can also (in addition to measuring performance) be utilized to identify soldiers or athletes who are at a higher risk of experiencing an injury.

Use of Bioimpedianciometer as Predictor of Mountain Marathon Performance.

This study aimed to examine the relation among body composition, training experience and race time during a mountain marathon. Body composition and training pre-race experience analyses were conducted previous to a mountain marathon in 52 male athletes. A significant correlation between race time and mountain marathon with chronological age, body fat mass, percentage of body fat (BF), level of abdominal obesity, sport experience and daily training volume was revealed. In addition, BF and athlete's chronological age were negatively associated with race performance. In contrast, the daily training volume was positively associated with mountain marathon time. A regression analysis showed that race time could be predicted (R2=.948) by the daily training load, sports experience, age, body fat mass, BF and level of abdominal obesity. The comparison between performance groups regarding to body composition and training characteristics showed that the higher performance group was lighter with lower BF, fat mass and level of abdominal obesity, and with more days of training per week compared with the lower performance group (p<.05). Therefore, coaches and fitness trainers working with mountain marathon runners should develop exercise and nutritional strategies to reduce BF and consider increasing mean daily training volume to improve performance.

Social signals as design interventions for enhancing citizen science contributions

ABSTRACTDespite the scientific potential and increasing popularity of web-based citizen science, low contribution from volunteers is often a major hurdle. Studies have shown that individual behavior could be altered through targeted design interventions, but little is known about the specific factors that modulate volunteers’ contributions. A particularly elusive question entails the role of social feedback, in the form of targeted notifications about the contribution of other volunteers. Based on social comparison theory, we hypothesized that (1) volunteers increase contribution when presented with information about a high-performing peer or group, and (2) volunteers conform more strongly to a group rather than to a single peer. To test whether volunteers’ contributions change due to the exposure to the contribution of a peer or group norm, we systematically varied the information presented to participants in an environmental monitoring citizen science project. Volunteers increased their contributions when they were presented with the contribution of a high-performing peer and norm, but they were not influenced by a low-performing peer or norm. Further, we found that volunteers were more likely to match the contributions of a group than that of a peer. However, when volunteers were simultaneously exposed to information about a peer and a group, the effect depended on the respective performance of the peer and group. A theoretical model was developed to explain volunteers’ response and dissect the specific role of social comparison. Our findings offer the possibility of increasing volunteers’ contributions through design interventions.

EEG correlates of working memory performance in females

BackgroundThe study investigates oscillatory brain activity during working memory (WM) tasks. The tasks employed varied in two dimensions. First, they differed in complexity from average to highly demanding. Second, we used two types of tasks, which required either only retention of stimulus set or retention and manipulation of the content. We expected to reveal EEG correlates of temporary storage and central executive components of WM and to assess their contribution to individual differences.ResultsGenerally, as compared with the retention condition, manipulation of stimuli in WM was associated with distributed suppression of alpha1 activity and with the increase of the midline theta activity. Load and task dependent decrement of beta1 power was found during task performance. Beta2 power increased with the increasing WM load and did not significantly depend on the type of the task. At the level of individual differences, we found that the high performance (HP) group was characterized by higher alpha rhythm power. The HP group demonstrated task-related increment of theta power in the left anterior area and a gradual increase of theta power at midline area. In contrast, the low performance (LP) group exhibited a drop of theta power in the most challenging condition. HP group was also characterized by stronger desynchronization of beta1 rhythm over the left posterior area in the manipulation condition. In this condition, beta2 power increased in the HP group over anterior areas, but in the LP group over posterior areas.ConclusionsWM performance is accompanied by changes in EEG in a broad frequency range from theta to higher beta bands. The most pronounced differences in oscillatory activity between individuals with high and low WM performance can be observed in the most challenging WM task.

野球内野手のゴロ捕球におけるステップ調節様式

The purpose of this study was to clarify the types of step adjustment performed by baseball infielders for catching a grounder in relation to skill level. The subjects were 18 amateur baseball infielders, whose fielding motions were videotaped using 2 high-speed video cameras (300 Hz). The 3-dimensional coordinates of both the toes and the ball were obtained using the DLT method. The top 9 subjects who showed small variations in the grounding point of both feet when adopting the catching posture were defined as a high-performance group, and the bottom 9 subjects were defined as an intermediate-performance group. The results obtained were as follows: 1) Baseball infielders modified each grounding point from 4 steps to 1 step before catching in order to acquire the most appropriate catching point, and the final step was highly reproducible. 2) The high-performance group showed a significantly smaller standard deviation in the 1 step before the grounding point than the intermediate-performance group. 3) In the high-performance group, there was a positive correlation between the standard deviation of step length 1 step before and the standard deviation of the grounding point from 5 steps to 2 steps before. These results suggest it is important to reduce variations in the grounding point 1 step before by earlier perception of the error in the front-to-rear direction of the grounding point. These results could provide important insight for coaches or trainers attempting to improve the performance of infielders when catching a grounder.

Identification of the banking business models in the financial development context: The case of the Macedonian banking sector

This study deals with the corporate strategy of the commercial banks in Macedonia and their business models, particularly emphasizing on the bank’s structure and performance. For this purpose cluster analysis of 14 banks is conducted in order to identify the existing matrix of bank business models and to consider the existence and determination of strategic groups in the Macedonian banking system clusters. The results are leading to clear distinction between two bank clusters: high performance group and low performance group of commercial banks. In addition to the analysis the possible strategic adjustments are discussed in the context of the financial development of banking in Macedonia and the financial globalization. The paper may be useful for the corporate management of the banks and other financial institutions, particularly in the field of marketing and risk management.

Incidencia de los factores del contexto en el desempeño en matemáticas de los estudiantes de básica secundaria en Colombia

This article evaluates the incidence of contextual factors on the mathematical perfor­mance of basic high school students classified according to their performance (low or high), pursuant to 2012 PISA Test, controlled by the type of school. Application of hierarchical linear models to mathematical results in 2012 PISA Test allows conclud­ing that school environment and family exercise a high influence on the academic performance of basic high school students in Colombia. Likewise, it has been found that the school environment has a stronger influence at independent private schools in the high-performance group; family environment has a stronger influence in public schools and leased private schools in the low-performance group.

청소년이 지각한 부모의 과보호, 목표추구지향성 및 자기구실 만들기가 학업지연행동에 미치는 영향

The purpose of this study is to examine the relation among adolescents' perception of parental overprotection, goal-seeking orientation, self-handicapping and academic procrastination. Questionnaires were administered to 1200 male and female high school students in Gyeonggi Province. A total of 942 questionnaires were statistically analyzed through mean, standard deviation, frequency analysis, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson's correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis. The major results of the study are as follows: First, adolescents' academic procrastination differed by school grades. Second, for the high-performing group, self-handicapping, goal-seeking orientation and parental overprotection were significant predictors of their academic procrastination. For the mid-level performing group, self-handicapping and goal-seeking orientation were significant predictors of their academic procrastination. For the low-performing group, self-handicapping was the only predictor of their academic procrastination. Third, for the high-performing group, self-handicapping meditated the relation between parental overprotection and academic procrastination. Those results provide useful information regarding proactive support or intervention for adolescents' academic procrastination.

Comparison between specific and nonspecific tests for evaluating the physical fitness of show jumping horses

Show jumping is a century-old Olympic sport performed worldwide. However, despite the prominence of this sport, there is currently no satisfactory evaluation of the physical fitness of its horses. Our study compared two standardised exercise tests (specific and nonspecific for show jumpers) to determine the importance of a show jumping specific evaluation test. Sixteen horses were divided into two performance groups (high and low performance), and all horses performed standardised exercise tests without jumps (SET1) and with jumps (SET2). Heart rate, blood lactate, glucose, blood gas, haematological parameters, and plasma ions were measured before and after the tests, and performance indices were calculated. Both exercise tests (SET1 and SET2) resulted in changes in nearly all measured variables that were expected, based on other studies, for the duration and nature of the exercise performed. Differences between the two performance groups were observed for lactate and glucose, as well as some blood gas variables and performance indicators. These differences might have been the result of better cardiovascular and metabolic adaptation of the high performance group to the show jumping exercises. For the SET1, differences between groups were mainly noted for variables related to aerobic capacity, which suggests that this measurement is important for the evaluation of equine performance in show jumping. The SET2 was capable of detecting different horse performance levels that could not be detected by the SET1, which indicates that a specific test for show jumping (that includes jumping movements) could provide important information for the evaluation of show jumpers. Based on our findings, we recommend that the SET2 be included in future protocols for evaluating jumping horses.

The information value of early career productivity in mathematics: a ROC analysis of prediction errors in bibliometricly informed decision making.

The aim of this study was to provide a framework to evaluate bibliometric indicators as decision support tools from a decision making perspective and to examine the information value of early career publication rate as a predictor of future productivity. We used ROC analysis to evaluate a bibliometric indicator as a tool for binary decision making. The dataset consisted of 451 early career researchers in the mathematical sub-field of number theory. We investigated the effect of three different definitions of top performance groups—top 10, top 25, and top 50 %; the consequences of using different thresholds in the prediction models; and the added prediction value of information on early career research collaboration and publications in prestige journals. We conclude that early career performance productivity has an information value in all tested decision scenarios, but future performance is more predictable if the definition of a high performance group is more exclusive. Estimated optimal decision thresholds using the Youden index indicated that the top 10 % decision scenario should use 7 articles, the top 25 % scenario should use 7 articles, and the top 50 % should use 5 articles to minimize prediction errors. A comparative analysis between the decision thresholds provided by the Youden index which take consequences into consideration and a method commonly used in evaluative bibliometrics which do not take consequences into consideration when determining decision thresholds, indicated that differences are trivial for the top 25 and the 50 % groups. However, a statistically significant difference between the methods was found for the top 10 % group. Information on early career collaboration and publication strategies did not add any prediction value to the bibliometric indicator publication rate in any of the models. The key contributions of this research is the focus on consequences in terms of prediction errors and the notion of transforming uncertainty into risk when we are choosing decision thresholds in bibliometricly informed decision making. The significance of our results are discussed from the point of view of a science policy and management.

Multi-Hierarchical Pattern Recognition of Athlete’s Relative Performance as A Criterion for Predicting Potential Athletes

: Objective: This study investigates the relative performance quality pattern of athletes that trains under Terengganu sports development program based on physical fitness and psychological components. Methods: Relative performance data (223×7) were obtained from various types of sport, and its main tributaries were evaluated for physical fitness and TEOSQ instrument. Multivariate methods of hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis (HACA), discriminant analysis (DA), principal component analysis (PCA), and principal factor analysis (PFA), were used to study the relative performance variations of the most significant performance quality variables and to determine the origin of relative performance components. Results: Three clusters of performance were shaped in view of HACA. Forward and backward stepwise DA discriminates six and five performance quality variables from the first seven variables. PCA and FA were used to identify the origin of each quality performance variables based on three clustered groups. Three PCs were obtained with 67% total variation for the highperformance group (HPG) region, three PCs with 72% and 64% total variances were obtained for the moderate-performance group (MPG) and low-performance group (LPG) regions, respectively. The general performance sources for the three groups are from cardiovascular and ego orientation sources. The differences between groups are from flexibility for LPG, task orientation, muscle strength and endurance for MPG and for HPG is flexibility, strength and task orientation. Conclusion: Multivariate methods reveal meaningful information on the relative performance variability of a large and complex athlete’s performance quality data and can be used to determine the significant source and predict potential athletes.Key words: Cluster analysis, Discriminant analysis, Goal orientation, Principal component analysis, Physical fitness, Relative performance.

Regional brain activity that determines successful and unsuccessful working memory formation.

Using EEG source reconstruction with Multiple Sparse Priors (MSP), we investigated the regional brain activity that determines successful memory encoding in two participant groups of high and low accuracy rates. Eighteen healthy young adults performed a sequential fashion of visual Sternberg memory task. The 32-channel EEG was continuously measured during participants performed two 70 trials of memory task. The regional brain activity corresponding to the oscillatory EEG activity in the alpha band (8-13 Hz) during encoding period was analyzed by MSP implemented in SPM8. We divided the data of all participants into 2 groups (low- and highperformance group) and analyzed differences in regional brain activity between trials in which participants answered correctly and incorrectly within each of the group. Participants in low-performance group showed significant activity increase in the visual cortices in their successful trials compared to unsuccessful ones. On the other hand, those in high-performance group showed a significant activity increase in widely distributed cortical regions in the frontal, temporal, and parietal areas including those suggested as Baddeley's working memory model. Further comparison of activated cortical volumes and mean current source intensities within the cortical regions of Baddeley's model during memory encoding demonstrated that participants in high-performance group showed enhanced activity in the right premotor cortex, which plays an important role in maintaining visuospatial attention, compared to those in low performance group. Our results suggest that better ability in memory encoding is associated with distributed and stronger regional brain activities including the premotor cortex, possibly indicating efficient allocation of cognitive load and maintenance of attention.

Improvement of attention with amphetamine in low- and high-performing rats.

Attentional deficits occur in a range of neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Psychostimulants are one of the main treatments for attentional deficits, yet there are limited reports of procognitive effects of amphetamine in preclinical studies. Therefore, task development may be needed to improve predictive validity when measuring attention in rodents. This study aimed to use a modified signal detection task (SDT) to determine if and at what doses amphetamine could improve attention in rats. Sprague-Dawley rats were trained on the SDT prior to amphetamine challenge (0.1, 0.25, 0.75 and 1.25mg/kg). This dose range was predicted to enhance and disrupt cognition with the effect differing between individuals depending on baseline performance. Acute low dose amphetamine (0.1 and 0.25mg/kg) improved accuracy, while the highest dose (1.25mg/kg) significantly disrupted performance. The effects differed for low- and high-performing groups across these doses. The effect of amphetamine on accuracy was found to significantly correlate with baseline performance in rats. This study demonstrates that improvement in attentional performance with systemic amphetamine is dependent on baseline accuracy in rats. Indicative of the inverted U-shaped relationship between dopamine and cognition, there was a baseline-dependent shift in performance with increasing doses of amphetamine. The SDT may be a useful tool for investigating individual differences in attention and response to psychostimulants in rodents.

Polymorphisms in MCT1, CD147, PDK4, and DMRT3 genes in Arabian and Quarter Horses

Monocarboxylate transporter isoform 1 (MCT1) and its ancillary protein, CD147 function to transport H+ and lactate ions, retarding systemic acidosis and fatigue. The PDK4 gene is involved in the adenosine triphosphate production, and the DMRT3 gene is involved in the locomotor system. This study investigated polymorphisms of MCT1, CD147, PDK4, and DMRT3 in Arabian and Quarter Horses to associate polymorphisms with performance. Arabian Horses were divided into high performance and untrained horses groups based on success in endurance competition, whereas Quarter Horses were separated by a speed index. Polymorphisms were analyzed by sequencing (MCT1 and CD147), ARMS-PCR (PDK4), and PCR-RFLP (DMRT3). To compare the frequencies of SNPs, the Fisher's exact test was performed in the software R at 5% of significance. The A alleles from the polymorphisms Lys457Gln:1573A>C of MCT1 and Ile51Val:168A>G of CD147 were essentially fixed in both breeds. Only two Arabian from the high performance and one from the untrained horses group appeared AC in MCT1. For the DMRT3 polymorphism (g.22999655C>A:ECA23), all the animals were CC, except one Arabian in the high and two Quarter Horses in the low performance group that were AC. For the PDK4 polymorphism (g.38973231A>G:ECA4), Arabian showed a significantly greater frequency of the G allele than Quarter Horses (P < .01). Considering the kind of exercise practiced by each breed, it is likely that the PDK4 polymorphism influences the pathway to energy production.