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Background: Spatial acuity concerns the ability to localize and discriminate sensory input and is often tested using the two‐point discrimination threshold (2PDT). Sensitization of the pain system can affect the spatial acuity, but it is unclear how 2PDTs of different testing modalities are affected. The aim was to investigate if the 2PDTs for mechanical and heat stimulation at different intensities were modulated by topical capsaicin sensitization. Methods: 30 healthy subjects were divided into either a capsaicin or a placebo group. The 2PDT was tested using two different modalities, mechanical and thermal (laser) delivered at innocuous and noxious intensities. The 2PDT were determined at baseline and re‐assessed 48 h later. In the follow‐up session, the subjects either had a capsaicin patch (8%) or placebo patch placed in the testing area for 30 min before re‐testing the 2PDT. Results: The 2PDT was highly dependent on stimulation modality and intensity. The lowest 2PDT was found for innocuous mechanical stimuli (40.0 mm, 95% CI 38.1–41.9 mm), and the highest 2PDT was found for innocuous thermal stimuli (81.7 mm, 95% CI 73.9–89.5 mm). Topical capsaicin generally increased the 2PDT, but this was only significant for innocuous mechanical stimuli. The perceived intensity of the stimuli was increased following capsaicin and was generally higher for noxious stimuli than for innocuous stimuli (ANOVA, p < 0.001). Conclusions: This study showed that capsaicin provoked pain sensitization increased the 2PDT. The 2PDT tested using innocuous mechanical stimuli showed less variable results indicating that this test is most suitable to detect this aspect of spatial acuity. Significance Statement: This study investigated how the two‐point discrimination threshold (2PDT) can be modulated by topical capsaicin. The 2PDT was assessed for two different modalities (thermal and mechanical) and for two different intensities (innocuous and noxious) before and after capsaicin. The results showed that the 2PDT was generally impaired following capsaicin, but this was only significant for mechanical innocuous stimuli. Furthermore, it was shown that mechanical innocuous stimuli assessed the 2PDT with lower variability than other combinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Commonly used models for eliciting muscle pain involve the injection of algesic substances or the induction of delayed onset muscle soreness. The former require invasive procedures, and the time frame for pain induction and subsidence in the latter can be inconvenient. This study presents a detailed spatiotemporal characterization of a new experimental model of muscle pain based on short‐wave diathermy (SWD), developed to overcome the limitations of existing models. Methods: The shoulder was selected as target site and the effects of the model were tested in two sessions to assess its reliability. Pain intensity profiles were recorded during the application of SWD, and changes in pressure pain threshold (PPT) in the infraspinatus muscle, together with pain intensity, duration, and quality were assessed 30 min after induction. Results: SWD‐induced pain intensity scores averaged 4 points on a visual analogue scale, whereas PPT showed a consistent decrease of about 25% relative to baseline values. Pain was localized in the shoulder area, and was described as continuous, dull, well‐delimited, heavy, and bearable. Pain lasted for an average of 145 min without requiring reinduction and was reliably elicited in both experimental sessions. Conclusion: SWD can be used to elicit experimental muscle pain in a non‐invasive, long‐lasting, and reliable way and allows for repeated within‐ and between‐session testing in the shoulder. Significance Statement: SWD produces deep heating in muscles by converting electromagnetic energy to thermal energy. It was previously shown that it can be used to elicit experimental pain in the forearm muscles, and the present study demonstrates that this can be reliably generalized to other body sites, such as the shoulder. Furthermore, SWD application is non‐invasive and presents a convenient time frame for pain induction and subsidence, thus overcoming limitations associated with traditional muscle pain models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate shallow-water depth information for island areas is crucial for maritime safety, resource exploration, ecological conservation, and offshore economic activity. Traditional approaches like shipborne sounding and airborne bathymetric light detection and ranging (LiDAR) surveys are expensive, time-consuming, and are limited in politically sensitive regions. Moreover, satellite altimetry-predicted depths exhibit large errors over shallow waters. In contrast, satellite-derived bathymetry (SDB), estimated from multispectral imagery, provides a rapid, open source, and cost-effective technique to fully characterize the bathymetry of a region. Given the scarcity of in-situ water-depth data for the South China Sea (SCS), a shallow-water depth model, HHU24SWDSCS, was developed by integrating 1298 Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat-2) tracks with 70 Sentinel-2 multispectral images. The model covers >120 islands and reefs in the SCS, with a resolution of 10 m. Validation against independent ICESat-2 depth data produced a root mean square error for the model of 0.81–1.35 m (<5 % of the maximum depth), with an average coefficient of determination of 0.91. Validation against independent airborne LiDAR bathymetry data revealed an accuracy of 1.01 m for the Lingyang Reef. Further comparisons with existing bathymetry models revealed the superior performance of the model. While the existing bathymetry models exhibit errors up to tens of meters or larger for island regions, and should therefore be used with caution, the HHU24SWDSCS model exhibited good accuracy in shallow waters across the SCS. This model thus provides a reference for mapping shallow-water depth close to islands and provides fundamental support for research in oceanography, geodesy, and other disciplines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbohydrates are critical for high‐intensity exercise performance. However, the effects of carbohydrate supplementation on muscle metabolism and performance during short‐duration high‐intensity intermittent exercise remain inadequately explored. Our aim was to address this aspect in a randomized, counterbalanced, double‐blinded crossover design. Eleven moderately‐to‐well‐trained males performed high‐intensity intermittent cycling receiving carbohydrate (CHO, ~55 g/h) or placebo (PLA) fluid supplementation. Three exercise periods (EX1‐EX3) were completed comprising 10 × 45 s at ~105% Wmax interspersed with 135 s rest between bouts and ~20 min between periods. Repeated sprint ability (5 × 6 s sprints with 24 s recovery) was assessed at baseline and after each period. Thigh muscle biopsies were obtained at baseline and before and after EX3 to determine whole‐muscle and fiber‐type‐specific glycogen depletion. No differences were found in muscle glycogen degradation at the whole‐muscle (p = 0.683) or fiber‐type‐specific level (p = 0.763–0.854) with similar post‐exercise whole‐muscle glycogen concentrations (146 ± 20 and 122 ± 15 mmol·kg−1 dw in CHO and PLA, respectively). Repeated sprint ability declined by ~9% after EX3 with no between‐condition differences (p = 0.971) and no overall differences in ratings of perceived exertion (p = 0.550). This was despite distinctions in blood glucose concentrations throughout exercise, reaching post‐exercise levels of 5.3 ± 0.2 and 4.1 ± 0.2 mmol·L−1 (p < 0.001) in CHO and PLA, respectively, accompanied by fivefold higher plasma insulin levels in CHO (p < 0.001). In conclusion, we observed no effects of carbohydrate ingestion on net muscle glycogen breakdown or sprint performance during short‐duration high‐intensity intermittent exercise despite elevated blood glucose and insulin levels. These results therefore question the efficacy of carbohydrate supplementation strategies in high‐intensity intermittent sports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cutaneous laser stimulation has commonly been employed to investigate the thermal properties of the nociceptive system. The aim of this study was to investigate how a temperature‐controlled laser system improves the assessment of directional discrimination in the nociceptive system. Methods: In total, twenty healthy volunteers participated in this study. To determine the directional discrimination threshold (stimulation length 50% correct, expressed in mm), thermal stimuli were delivered using a diode laser and the laser beam was perpendicularly displaced across the skin to give a linear stimulation in four different directions (distal, proximal, lateral and medial) and displacement lengths (3 for lateral‐medial and 5 for distal‐proximal). Two temperature control modes were used in the stimulation system, open‐loop and closed‐loop control. The subjects had to report the perceived stimulus direction, the degree of certainty regarding the perceived direction and the intensity of the perceived stimulus (0–10 numerical rating scale, 3: pain threshold). Results: During closed‐loop control, the orientation of stimuli was discriminated significantly more accurately than during open‐loop control. During closed‐loop control, the directional discrimination threshold was 31.9 and 26.1 mm for distal‐proximal and lateral‐medial directed stimuli, respectively. A numerical rating scale was significantly higher for the lateral/medial directions. Moreover, the variability of the discrimination threshold is reduced in the closed‐loop control system. Conclusions: The findings show that discrimination ability is better in the lateral‐medial directions compared to the distal‐proximal directions. This study indicates that using a system enabling closed‐loop temperature control, allows more robust probing of the temporo‐spatial mechanisms in the nociceptive system. Significance: This study shows that a newly developed temperature‐controlled laser stimulation system enhances the possibilities to investigate the nociceptive temporo‐spatial integration, as shown by a less variable directional discrimination threshold. The results also show that different orthogonal directions are discriminated differently. This new method allows a better investigation of the combined temporal and spatial mechanisms in the nociceptive system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Salmonella infections are significant causes of foodborne outbreaks in the European Union. This study investigates a sudden increase in gastroenteritis patients in the hospital district of Central Finland in June 2021. The primary aim was to study the outbreak's magnitude and source of the outbreak. Methods and Results: Epidemiological, microbiological, environmental and traceback investigations were conducted. Over 700 persons fell ill during the outbreak caused by Salmonella Typhimurium associated with a daycare lunch. Similar S. Typhimurium was found in the patients and a vegetable mix containing iceberg lettuce, cucumber and peas served during lunch. The traceback investigation revealed that the batch information of vegetables from the wholesaler was not complete. The wholesaler had received quality complaints about the iceberg lettuce from the central kitchen. The manufacturer did not test the suspected batch for Salmonella since the production plant had given a certificate declaring it Salmonella negative. Conclusions: The most suspect ingredient was one batch of iceberg lettuce due to quality complaints. The lettuce had not been served in two daycare centres without cases. We recommend that in order to enable thorough microbiological investigation, institutional kitchens store the food samples separately as part of the internal quality control and that food items should always be tested when Salmonella contamination in an outbreak is suspected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To explore the antimicrobial potential of strontium (Sr)‐functionalized wafers against multiple bacteria associated with per‐implant infections, in both mono‐ and multispecies biofilms. Materials and Methods: The bactericidal and bacteriostatic effect of silicon wafers functionalized with a strontium titanium oxygen coating (Sr‐Ti‐O) or covered only with Ti (controls) against several bacteria, either grown as a mono‐species or multispecies biofilms, was assessed using a bacterial viability assay and a plate counting method. Mono‐species biofilms were assessed after 2 and 24 h, while the antimicrobial effect on multispecies biofilms was assessed at Days 1, 3, and 6. The impact of Sr functionalization on the total percentage of Porphyromonas gingivalis in the multispecies biofilm, using qPCR, and gingipain activity was also assessed. Results: Sr‐functionalized wafers, compared to controls, were associated with statistically significant less viable cells in both mono‐ and multispecies tests. The number of colony forming units (CFUs) within the biofilm was significantly less in Sr‐functionalized wafers, compared to control wafers, for Staphylococcus aureus at all time points of evaluation and for Escherichia coli at Day 1. Gingipain activity was less in Sr‐functionalized wafers, compared to control wafers, and the qPCR showed that P. gingivalis remained below detection levels at Sr‐functionalized wafers, while it consisted of 15% of the total biofilm on control wafers at Day 6. Conclusion: Sr functionalization displayed promising antimicrobial potential, possessing bactericidal and bacteriostatic ability against bacteria associated with peri‐implantitis grown either as mono‐species or mixed in a multispecies consortium with several common oral microorganisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent sea level studies, discrepancies have arisen in ocean mass observations obtained from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment and its successor, GRACE Follow-On, with GRACE estimates consistently appearing lower than density-corrected ocean volume observations since 2015. These disparities have raised concerns about potential systematic biases in sea-level observations, with significant implications for our understanding of this essential climate variable. Here, we reconstruct the global and regional ocean mass change through models of ice and water mass changes on land and find that it closely aligns with both GRACE and density-corrected ocean volume observations after implementing recent adjustments to the wet troposphere correction and halosteric sea level. While natural variability in terrestrial water storage is important on interannual timescales, we find that the net increase in ocean mass over 20 years can be almost entirely attributed to ice wastage and human management of water resources. This study shows that ice loss and human water use models explain global and regional satellite-observed ocean mass changes since 2003 and thereby pinpoint the main cause of sea level rise, with a negligible role coming from natural variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To investigate the impact of a Ti‐Sr‐O technology, applied to either a turned surface or an SLA surface, on the mechanical robustness of osseointegration, benchmarked against the SLActive surface. Material and Methods: Ti discs (6.25‐mm‐diameter and 2‐mm‐thick) with three different surfaces were inserted on the proximal‐anterior part of the tibial plateau of adult Swedish loop rabbits: (I) turned surface modified with Ti‐Sr‐O (turned + Ti‐Sr‐O), (II) SLA surface modified with Ti‐Sr‐O (SLA + Ti‐Sr‐O), and (III) SLActive surface (SLActive). Following a healing period of 2 weeks and 4 weeks, the pull‐out (PO) force needed to detach the discs from the bone was assessed, as a surrogate of osseointegration. Results: The SLActive surface exhibited statistically significant higher median PO forces, compared with the SLA + Ti‐Sr‐O surfaces at both 2‐ and 4 weeks post‐op (p >.05). In this study, no single turned + Ti‐Sr‐O surface disk was integrated. Conclusions: The tested Ti‐Sr‐O technology failed to enhance osseointegration; however, this finding may be related to the inappropriateness of the rabbit tibia plateau model for assessing third‐generation implant surface technologies, due to the limited diffusion and clearance at the disk‐bone interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this technical report is to present two novel experimental implant designs to boost data generation in preclinical in vivo research. Specifically, the report describes the rationale and the components of (1) a two‐piece experimental implant suitable for a small animal platform (e.g., the rabbit femur/tibial epiphysis model), consisting of a threaded apical‐ and a coronal cylindrical piece, which is intended for collecting two types of biomechanical data, and (2) a three‐piece experimental implant suitable for a large animal platform (e.g., the mini‐pig mandible model), consisting of an apical "wound chamber", which allows the collection of histological/histomorphometrical data, and a middle threaded and coronal cylindrical piece, which also allow the collection of two types of biomechanical data. The increased volume of information generated from a single experiment in a small animal platform, using the proposed two‐piece implant design, may assist in a more qualified decision‐making process, on whether it is relevant to proceed to further assessment using a large animal platform. Furthermore, the increased volume of information generated in a single animal experiment either in a small or large animal platform, using the proposed two‐ and three‐piece implants, respectively, likely decreases the number of animals otherwise needed for collecting the same information with standard one‐piece implants and, thus, contributes to the reduction/refinement elements of the 3R principle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Listening effort can be defined as a measure of cognitive resources used by listeners to perform a listening task. Various methods have been proposed to measure this effort, yet their reliability remains unestablished, a crucial step before their application in research or clinical settings. This study encompassed 32 participants undertaking speech‐in‐noise tasks across two sessions, approximately a week apart. They listened to sentences and word lists at varying signal‐to‐noise ratios (SNRs) (−9, −6, −3 and 0 dB), then retaining them for roughly 3 s. We evaluated the test–retest reliability of self‐reported effort ratings, theta (4–7 Hz) and alpha (8–13 Hz) oscillatory power, suggested previously as neural markers of listening effort. Additionally, we examined the reliability of correct word percentages. Both relative and absolute reliability were assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Bland–Altman analysis. We also computed the standard error of measurement (SEM) and smallest detectable change (SDC). Our findings indicated heightened frontal midline theta power for word lists compared to sentences during the retention phase under high SNRs (0 dB, −3 dB), likely indicating a greater memory load for word lists. We observed SNR's impact on alpha power in the right central region during the listening phase and frontal theta power during the retention phase in sentences. Overall, the reliability analysis demonstrated satisfactory between‐session variability for correct words and effort ratings. However, neural measures (frontal midline theta power and right central alpha power) displayed substantial variability, even though group‐level outcomes appeared consistent across sessions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the availability of more than 9 years of Cryosat-2, it is possible to revisit polar ocean tides, which have traditionally been difficult to determine from satellite altimetry. The SAMOSA+ physical retracker is a stable retracker developed particularly for Cryosat-2. Being a physical retracker, it enables the determination of the sea state bias. Correcting for the sea state bias enables more reliable sea level estimates compared with traditional empirical retrackers used before. Cryosat-2 data have been analyzed for residual ocean tides to the FES2014 ocean tide model in the Arctic Ocean and Antarctic Ocean using the response formalism. We utilize data from the sub-cycle of Cryosat-2, which follows a repeating pattern of approximately 28.33 days. This sub-repeat period makes it an advantageous alias period for the majority of significant constituents. This allowed for the estimation and mapping of the major tidal constituents in the open ocean and also in floating ice shelves from data extracted from leads in the sea ice. A novel empirical ocean tide model designed specifically for the polar region, DTU22, is introduced. Our findings reveal substantial enhancements in semi-diurnal tides within the Arctic Ocean and improvement in diurnal constituents within the Southern Ocean. In the Southern Ocean, the diurnal constituents are particularly improved using the empirical model by more than a factor of two to around 3 cm for both constituents compared with FES2014b. These outcomes underscore the significance of incorporating the reprocessed and retracted Cryosat-2 data into tidal modeling, highlighting its pivotal role in advancing the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new mean sea surface (MSS) from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) called DTU21MSS for referencing sea-level anomalies from satellite altimetry is introduced in this paper, and a suite of evaluations are performed. One of the reasons for updating the existing mean sea surface is the fact that during the last 6 years, nearly 3 times as many data have been made available by space agencies, resulting in more than 15 years of altimetry from long-repeat orbits (LROs) or geodetic missions. This includes the two interleaved long-repeat cycles of Jason-2 with a systematic cross-track distance as low as 4 km. A new processing chain with updated filtering and editing has been implemented for the DTU21MSS. This way, the DTU21MSS has been computed from 2 Hz altimetry in contrast to the former DTU15MSS and DTU18MSS which were computed from 1 Hz altimetry. The new DTU21MSS is computed over the same 20-year averaging time from 1 January 1993 to 31 December 2012 with a well-specified central time of 1 January 2003 and is available from 10.11583/DTU.19383221.v1 (Andersen, 2022). Cryosat-2 employs synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and SAR interferometric (SARin) modes in a large part of the Arctic Ocean due to the presence of sea ice. For SAR- and SARin-mode data we applied the SAMOSA + physical retracking to make it compatible with the physical retracker used for conventional low-resolution-mode data in other parts of the ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radar satellite altimeters enable the determination of the mean sea surface to centimeter accuracy, which can be degraded in coastal areas because of the lack of valid altimetry observations due to land contamination and the altimeter footprint size. In 2018, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration launched ICESat-2, a laser altimetry mission equipped with the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System, providing measurements every 0.7 m in the along-track direction. Taking into account the complexity of the Norwegian coastline, this study aims to evaluate coastal observations from ICESat-2 in order to use it to update the existing mean sea surface for Norway, NMBU18. We, therefore, determined the mean sea surface using only ICESat-2 observations and compared it with mean sea level observations from 23 permanent tide gauges along the entire coast and 21 temporary tide gauges in Norway's largest and deepest fjord, Sognefjorden. We also included two global mean sea surface models and NMBU18 for comparison. The results have shown that ICESat-2 is indeed able to provide more valid observations in the coastal zone, which can be used to improve the mean sea surface model, especially along the coast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low energy availability (LEA) describes a state where the energy intake is insufficient to cover the energy costs of both exercise energy expenditure and basal physiological body functions. LEA has been associated with various physiological consequences, such as reproductive dysfunction. However, the effect of LEA on skeletal muscle protein synthesis in females performing exercise training is still poorly understood. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to investigate the impact of LEA on daily integrated myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic muscle protein synthesis in trained females. Thirty eumenorrheic females were matched based on training history and randomized to undergo 10 days of LEA (25 kcal · kg fat‐free mass (FFM)−1 · day−1) or optimal energy availability (OEA, 50 kcal · kg FFM−1 · day−1). Before the intervention, both groups underwent a 5‐day 'run‐in' period with OEA. All foods were provided throughout the experimental period with a protein content of 2.2 g kg lean mass−1 · day−1. A standardized, supervised combined resistance and cardiovascular exercise training programme was performed over the experimental period. Daily integrated muscle protein synthesis was measured by deuterium oxide (D2O) consumption along with changes in body composition, resting metabolic rate, blood biomarkers and 24 h nitrogen balance. We found that LEA reduced daily integrated myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic muscle protein synthesis compared with OEA. Concomitant reductions were observed in lean mass, urinary nitrogen balance, free androgen index, thyroid hormone concentrations and resting metabolic rate following LEA. These results highlight that LEA may negatively affect skeletal muscle adaptations in females performing exercise training. Key points: Low energy availability (LEA) with potential health and performance impairments is widespread among female athletes.We investigated the impact of 10 days of LEA on daily integrated myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic muscle protein synthesis in young, trained females.We show that LEA impairs myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic muscle protein synthesis in trained females performing exercise training.These findings suggest that LEA may have negative consequences for skeletal muscle adaptations and highlight the importance of ensuring adequate energy availability in female athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The envelope of a speech signal is tracked by neural activity in the cerebral cortex. The cortical tracking occurs mainly in two frequency bands, theta (4–8 Hz) and delta (1–4 Hz). Tracking in the faster theta band has been mostly associated with lower-level acoustic processing, such as the parsing of syllables, whereas the slower tracking in the delta band relates to higher-level linguistic information of words and word sequences. However, much regarding the more specific association between cortical tracking and acoustic as well as linguistic processing remains to be uncovered. Here, we recorded EEG responses to both meaningful sentences and random word lists in different levels of signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) that lead to different levels of speech comprehension as well as listening effort. We then related the neural signals to the acoustic stimuli by computing the phase-locking value (PLV) between the EEG recordings and the speech envelope. We found that the PLV in the delta band increases with increasing SNR for sentences but not for the random word lists, showing that the PLV in this frequency band reflects linguistic information. When attempting to disentangle the effects of SNR, speech comprehension, and listening effort, we observed a trend that the PLV in the delta band might reflect listening effort rather than the other two variables, although the effect was not statistically significant. In summary, our study shows that the PLV in the delta band reflects linguistic information and might be related to listening effort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep neural networks are complex machine learning models that have shown promising results in analyzing high-dimensional data such as those collected from medical examinations. Such models have the potential to provide fast and accurate medical diagnoses. However, the high complexity makes deep neural networks and their predictions difficult to understand. Providing model explanations can be a way of increasing the understanding of "black box" models and building trust. In this work, we applied transfer learning to develop a deep neural network to predict sex from electrocardiograms. Using the visual explanation method Grad-CAM, heat maps were generated from the model in order to understand how it makes predictions. To evaluate the usefulness of the heat maps and determine if the heat maps identified electrocardiogram features that could be recognized to discriminate sex, medical doctors provided feedback. Based on the feedback, we concluded that, in our setting, this mode of explainable artificial intelligence does not provide meaningful information to medical doctors and is not useful in the clinic. Our results indicate that improved explanation techniques that are tailored to medical data should be developed before deep neural networks can be applied in the clinic for diagnostic purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Performance in short‐duration sports is highly dependent on muscle glycogen, but the total degradation is only moderate and considering the water‐binding property of glycogen, unnecessary storing of glycogen may cause an unfavorable increase in body mass. To investigate this, we determined the effect of manipulating dietary carbohydrates (CHO) on muscle glycogen content, body mass, and short‐term exercise performance. In a randomized and counterbalanced cross‐over design, twenty‐two men completed two maximal cycle tests of either 1‐min (n = 10) or 15‐min (n = 12) duration with different pre‐exercise muscle glycogen levels. Glycogen manipulation was initiated three days prior to the tests by exercise‐induced glycogen depletion followed by ingestion of a moderate (M‐CHO) or high (H‐CHO) CHO‐diet. Subjects were weighed before each test, and muscle glycogen content was determined in biopsies from m. vastus lateralis before and after each test. Pre‐exercise muscle glycogen content was lower following M‐CHO than H‐CHO (367 mmol · kg−1 DW vs. 525 mmol · kg−1 DW, p < 0.00001), accompanied by a 0.7 kg lower body mass (p < 0.00001). No differences were observed in performance between diets in neither the 1‐min (p = 0.33) nor the 15‐min (p = 0.99) test. In conclusion, pre‐exercise muscle glycogen content and body mass were lower after ingesting moderate compared with high amounts of CHO, while short‐term exercise performance was unaffected. This demonstrates that adjusting pre‐exercise glycogen levels to the requirements of competition may provide an attractive weight management strategy in weight‐bearing sports, particularly in athletes with high resting glycogen levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To examine factors influencing the primary stability of dental implants when stabilized in over-sized osteotomies using a calcium phosphate-based adhesive cement was the objective. Methods: Using implant removal torque measurements as a surrogate for primary stability, we examined the influence of implant design features (diameter, surface area, and thread design), along with cement gap size and curing time, on the resulting primary implant stability. Results: Removal torque values scaled with implant surface area and increasing implant diameters. Cement gap size did not alter the median removal torque values; however, larger gaps were associated with an increased spread of the measured values. Among the removal torque values measured, all were found to be above 32 Ncm which is an insertion torque threshold value commonly recommended for immediate loading protocols. Conclusion: The adhesive cement show potential for offering primary implant stability for different dental implant designs. In this study, the primary parameters influencing the measured removal torque values were the implant surface area and diameter. As the liquid cement prevents the use of insertion torque, considering the relationship between insertion and removal torque, removal torque can be considered a reliable surrogate for primary implant stability for bench and pre-clinical settings. Clinical relevance: At present, the primary stability of dental implants is linked to the quality of the host bone, the drill protocol, and the specific implant design. The adhesive cement might find applications in future clinical settings for enhancing primary stability of implants under circumstances where this cannot be achieved conventionally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new Mean Sea Surface (MSS) called DTU21MSS for referencing sea level anomalies from satellite altimetry is introduced in this paper and a suite of evaluations are performed. One of the reasons for updating the existing Mean Sea Surface is the fact, that during the last 6 years nearly three times as much data have been made available by the space agencies, resulting in more than 15 years of altimetry from Long Repeat Orbits or Geodetic Missions. This includes the two interleaved long repeat cycles of Jason-2 with a systematic cross-track distance as low as 4 km. A new processing chain with updated filtering and editing has been implemented for DTU21MSS. This way, the DTU21MSS has been computed from 2Hz altimetry in contrast to the former DTU15MSS/DTU18MSS which were computed from 1 Hz altimetry. The new DTU21MSS is computed over the same 20-year averaging time from 1993.01.01 to 2012.12.31 with a well-specified central time of 2003.01.01 and is available from the following site; https://doi.org/10.11583/DTU.19383221.v1, Andersen, 2022) Cryosat-2 employs SAR and SARin modes in a large part of the Arctic Ocean due to the presence of sea ice. For SAR and SARin mode data we applied the SAMOSA+ physical retracking in order to make it compatible with the physical retracker used for conventional Low-Resolution Mode data in other parts of the ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postactivation potentiation refers to an acute enhancement of contractile properties following muscle activity. Previously, the effects of prior muscle activation on eccentric force at tetanic activation frequencies have only been sparsely reported. This paper aimed to study acute activity-induced effects on eccentric force of slow and fast-twitch muscles and characterize them in relation to postactivation potentiation. We elicited eccentric contractions in isolated rat extensor digitorum longus and soleus muscles by actively lengthening muscles at a constant velocity. We assessed contractile properties by measuring force over shortly interspaced, identical eccentric, and isometric contractions. We then analyzed stretch force, isometric peak force, rate of force development, and relaxation times. Finally, we compared the time courses for the development and cessation of changes in stretch force to known features of postactivation potentiation. In extensor digitorum longus, muscles stretch force consistently increased in a contraction-to-contraction manner by up to 49% [95% confidence interval (CI): 35-64%] whereas isometric peak force simultaneously showed minor declines (8%, 95% CI: 5-10%). The development and cessation of eccentric force potentiation coincided with the development of twitch potentiation and increases in rate of force development. In soleus muscles we found no consistent eccentric potentiation. Characterization of the increase in eccentric force revealed that force only increased in the very beginning of an active stretch. Eccentric force at tetanic activation frequencies potentiates substantially in extensor digitorum longus muscles over consecutive contractions with a time course coinciding with postactivation potentiation. Such eccentric potentiation may be important in sport performance. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Force during eccentric contractions can increase to a magnitude that may have profound consequences for our understanding of skeletal muscle locomotion. This increase in eccentric force occurs over consecutive, shortly interspaced, tetanic contractions in rat extensor digitorum longus muscles--not in rat soleus muscles--and coincides with well-known traits of postactivation potentiation. Eccentric force potentiation may significantly enhance muscle performance in activities involving stretch-shortening cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glycogen particles are situated in key areas of the muscle cell in the vicinity of the main energy‐consumption sites and may be utilised heterogeneously dependent on the nature of the metabolic demands. The present study aimed to investigate the time course of fibre type‐specific utilisation of muscle glycogen in three distinct subcellular fractions (intermyofibrillar, IMF; intramyofibrillar, Intra; and subsarcolemmal, SS) during repeated high‐intensity intermittent exercise. Eighteen moderately to well‐trained male participants performed three periods of 10 × 45 s cycling at ∼105% watt max (EX1–EX3) coupled with 5 × 6 s maximal sprints at baseline and after each period. Muscle biopsies were sampled at baseline and after EX1 and EX3. A higher glycogen breakdown rate in type 2 compared to type 1 fibres was found during EX1 for the Intra (−72 vs. −45%) and IMF (−59 vs. −35%) glycogen fractions (P < 0.001) but with no differences for SS glycogen (−52 vs. −40%). In contrast, no fibre type differences were observed during EX2–EX3, where the utilisation of Intra and IMF glycogen in type 2 fibres was reduced, resulting in depletion of all three subcellular fractions to very low levels post‐exercise within both fibre types. Importantly, large heterogeneity in single‐fibre glycogen utilisation was present with an early depletion of especially Intra glycogen in individual type 2 fibres. In conclusion, there is a clear fibre type‐ and localisation‐specific glycogen utilisation during high‐intensity intermittent exercise, which varies with time course of exercise and is characterised by exacerbated pool‐specific glycogen depletion at the single‐fibre level. Key points: Muscle glycogen is the major fuel during high‐intensity exercise and is stored in distinct subcellular areas of the muscle cell in close vicinity to the main energy consumption sites.In the present study quantitative electron microscopy imaging was used to investigate the utilisation pattern of three distinct subcellular muscle glycogen fractions during repeated high‐intensity intermittent exercise.It is shown that the utilisation differs dependent on fibre type, subcellular localisation and time course of exercise and with large single‐fibre heterogeneity.These findings expand on our understanding of subcellular muscle glycogen metabolism during exercise and may help us explain how reductions in muscle glycogen can attenuate muscle function even at only moderately lowered whole‐muscle glycogen concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several models have been developed to analyse cortical activity in response to salient events constituted by multiple sensory modalities. In particular, additive models compare event‐related potentials (ERPs) in response to stimuli from two or more concomitant sensory modalities with the ERPs evoked by unimodal stimuli, in order to study sensory interactions. In this approach, components that are not specific to a sensory modality are commonly disregarded, although they likely carry information about stimulus expectation and evaluation, attentional orientation and other cognitive processes. In this study, we present an analytical method to assess the contribution of modality‐specific and nonspecific components to the ERP. We developed an experimental setup that recorded ERPs in response to four stimulus types (visual, auditory, and two somatosensory modalities to test for stimulus specificity) in three different conditions (unimodal, bimodal and trimodal stimulation) and recorded the saliency of these stimuli relative to the sensory background. Stimuli were delivered in pairs, in order to study the effects of habituation. To this end, spatiotemporal features (peak amplitudes and latencies at different scalp locations) were analysed using linear mixed models. Results showed that saliency relative to the sensory background increased with the number of concomitant stimuli. We also observed that the spatiotemporal features of modality‐specific components derived from this method likely reflect the amount and type of sensory input. Furthermore, the nonspecific component reflected habituation occurring for the second stimulus in the pair. In conclusion, this method provides an alternative to study neural mechanisms of responses to multisensory stimulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maritime surveillance of the Arctic region is of growing importance as shipping, fishing and tourism are increasing due to the sea ice retreat caused by global warming. Ships that do not identify themselves with a transponder system, so-called dark ships, pose a security risk. They can be detected by SAR satellites, which can monitor the vast Arctic region through clouds, day and night, with the caveat that the abundant icebergs in the Arctic cause false alarms. We collect and analyze 200 Sentinel-1 horizontally polarized SAR scenes from areas with high maritime traffic and from the Arctic region with a high density of icebergs. Ships and icebergs are detected using a continuous wavelet transform, which is optimized by correlating ships to known AIS positions. Globally, we are able to assign 72% of the AIS signals to a SAR ship and 32% of the SAR ships to an AIS signal. The ships are used to construct an annotated dataset of more than 9000 ships and ten times as many icebergs. The dataset is used for training several convolutional neural networks, and we propose a new network which achieves state of the art performance compared to previous ship–iceberg discrimination networks, reaching 93% validation accuracy. Furthermore, we collect a smaller test dataset consisting of 424 ships from 100 Arctic scenes which are correlated to AIS positions. This dataset constitutes an operational Arctic test scenario. We find these ships harder to classify with a lower test accuracy of 83%, because some of the ships sail near icebergs and ice floes, which confuses the classification algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite 2 (ICESat-2) global high-resolution elevation measurements, it is possible to distinguish individual surface ocean waves. With the vast majority of ocean surveying missions using radar satellites, ICESat-2 observations are an important addition to ocean surveys. ICESat-2 can also provide additional observations not possible with radar. In this paper, we consolidate the ICESat-2 ocean observations by comparing the significant wave height (SWH) with coincident CryoSat-2 radar observations during the CRYO2ICE campaign from August 2020 to August 2021. We use 136 orbit segments, constrained to the Pacific and Atlantic oceans as well as the Bering Sea, to compare observations to show the level of agreement between these systems. Three models based on ICESat-2 are used in the comparison: the standard ocean data output (ATL12), a method of modeling the individual surface waves using the geolocated photons and, functioning as a baseline, an approach using the standard deviation of the ocean surface. We find the following correlations between the SWHs from the models and the SWHs from CryoSat-2: 0.97 for ATL12, 0.95 for the observed waves model, and 0.97 for the standard deviation model. In the same comparison, we find mean differences relative to the observed SWHs for each model, as well as errors, which increase as the SWH increases. The SWH observed from ICESat-2 is found to agree with observations from CryoSat-2, with limitations due to changes in the sea state between the satellite observations. Observing the individual surface waves from ICESat-2 can therefore provide additional observed properties of the sea state that can be used alongside other global observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat/capsaicin sensitization and electrical high-frequency stimulation (HFS) are well-known models of secondary hyperalgesia, a phenomenon related to chronic pain conditions. This study investigated whether priming with heat/capsaicin would facilitate hyperalgesia to HFS in healthy subjects. Heat/capsaicin priming consisted of a 45°C heat stimulation for 5 min followed by a topical capsaicin patch (4 x 4 cm) for 30 min on the volar forearm of 20 subjects. HFS (100 Hz, 5 times 1 s, minimum 1.5 mA) was subsequently delivered through a transcutaneous pin electrode approximately 1.5 cm proximal to the heat/capsaicin application. Two sessions were applied in a crossover design; traditional HFS (HFS) and heat/capsaicin sensitization followed by HFS (HFS + HEAT/CAPS). Heat pain threshold (HPT), mechanical pain sensitivity (MPS), and superficial blood perfusion were assessed at baseline, after capsaicin removal, and up to 40 min after HFS. MPS was assessed with pin-prick stimulation (128 mN and 256 mN) in the area adjacent to both HFS and heat/capsaicin, distal but adjacent to heat/capsaicin and in a distal control area. HPT was assessed in the area of heat/capsaicin. Higher sensitivity to 128 mN pin-prick stimulation (difference from baseline and control area) was observed in the HFS + HEAT/CAPS session than in the HFS session 20 and 30 min after HFS. Furthermore, sensitivity was increased after HFS + HEAT/CAPS compared with after heat/capsaicin in the area adjacent to both paradigms, but not in the area distal to heat/capsaicin. Results indicate that heat/capsaicin causes priming of the central and peripheral nervous system, which facilitates secondary mechanical hyperalgesia to HFS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper elaborates on the contingency of leadership, referring to specific circumstances that require deliberate interventions, while challenging efforts to implement concerted action. This applies particularly when issues are at stake. The paper suggests that the notion of trajectory, which lies at the heart of the pragmatist Anselm Strauss' interactionist theory of action, merits further consideration. Empirically, the paper draws on experiences from a case study of an innovative project consisting of the building of premises for a library and a concert hall, called 'Stormen', in Bodø municipality, located in Northern Norway. Several controversial issues bore on the process. Although the municipal leadership managed to bring the project to a successful conclusion, trajectory management was rather demanding. The paper should consequently serve the analytical purpose well of discussing how and why contingencies, anticipated as well as unanticipated, challenge the performance of leadership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Arctic Ocean is at the frontier of the fast-changing climate in the northern latitudes, and sea level trends are a bulk measure of ongoing processes related to climate change. Observations of sea level in the Arctic Ocean are nonetheless difficult to validate with independent measurements, and this is globally the region where the sea level trend (SLT) is most uncertain. The aim of this study is to create a satellite-independent reconstruction of Arctic SLT, as it is observed by altimetry and tide gauges (TGs). Previous studies use Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) observations to estimate the manometric (mass component of) SLT. GRACE estimates, however, are challenged by large mass changes on land, which are difficult to separate from much smaller ocean mass changes. Furthermore, GRACE is not available before 2003, which significantly limits the period and makes the trend more vulnerable to short-term changes. As an alternative approach, this study estimates the climate-change-driven Arctic manometric SLT from the Arctic sea level fingerprints of glaciers, Greenland, Antarctica and glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) with the addition of the long-term inverse barometer (IB) effect. The halosteric and thermosteric components complete the reconstructed Arctic SLT and are estimated by interpolating 300 000 temperature (T) and salinity (S) in situ observations. The SLT from 1995–2015 is compared to the observed SLT from altimetry and 12 selected tide gauges (TGs) corrected for vertical land movement (VLM). The reconstructed estimate manifests the salinity-driven halosteric component as dominating the spatial SLT pattern with variations between - 7 and 10 mmyr-1. The manometric SLT in comparison is estimated to be 1–2 mmyr-1 for most of the Arctic Ocean. The reconstructed SLT shows a larger sea level rise in the Beaufort Sea compared to altimetry, an issue that is also identified by previous studies. There is a TG-observed sea level rise in the Siberian Arctic in contrast to the sea level fall from the reconstructed and altimetric estimate. From 1995–2015 the reconstructed SLT agrees within the 68 % confidence interval with the SLT from observed altimetry in 87 % of the Arctic between 65 ∘ N and 82 ∘ N (R=0.50) and with 5 of 12 TG-derived (VLM-corrected) SLT estimates. The residuals are seemingly smaller than results from previous studies using GRACE estimates and modeled T – S data. The spatial correlation of the reconstructed SLT to altimetric SLT during the GRACE period (2003–2015) is R=0.38 and R=0.34/R=0.37 if GRACE estimates are used instead of the constructed manometric component. Thus, the reconstructed manometric component is suggested as a legitimate alternative to GRACE that can be projected into the past and future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the existence of seasonal or perennial sea ice cover, the determination of the Arctic sea surface is more difficult than that of mid-low latitudinal oceans. Focusing on the sea surface height in the ice-covered region, this paper constructs a new Arctic mean sea surface (MSS) model, named SUST22, by combining the measurements from ICESat and Cryosat-2 missions. The lead detection methods of ICESat and Cryosat-2 are first studied and modified to acquire sea surface measurements with better accuracy. The results have shown that the standard deviation of Cryosat-2-derived Arctic sea surface height is about 3–4 cm in 10-km resolution grids, while the value of ICESat is 5–6 cm. Then the MSS construction procedure is discussed and the SUST22 MSS model is constructed. The new model is compared with the other four Arctic MSS models. The best agreement is found between SUST22 and DTU21 with an average difference of −4.0 ± 5.2 cm. These models are also validated by ICESat-2 samples. The average difference between ICESat-2 and SUST22 is 15.8 ± 7.4 cm, which shows that the new model SUST22 presents better consistency with the ICESat-2 than any of the other models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The determination of high‐quality mean dynamic topography (MDT) over island areas faces multiple challenges, due to the error in a global geopotential model (GGM) as well as the contaminated waveforms of satellite altimetry data and scarcity of surveyed gravimetric observations. We study the potential to enhance regional quasi‐geoid/MDT over island areas by using recently released satellite altimetric gravity data and airborne gravimetric observations. Numerical experiments over the Paracel Islands in the northwestern South China Sea show that the combination of airborne gravity data enhances the local gravity field, and reduces the errors in the associated quasi‐geoid, in comparison to the result directly derived from a GGM. The results demonstrate that the direct application of a GGM may cause significant oscillations in MDT determination over island areas, by a magnitude exceeding 6 cm. The incorporation of altimetric gravity data slightly reduces these errors; however, the bubble‐like errors are prominent, suggesting that altimetry data alone may be insufficient for high‐accuracy MDT recovery. In contrast, combining airborne gravity data dramatically reduces these oscillations, by a magnitude of several centimeters, indicating that airborne gravimetric surveys may be necessary for MDT determination with centimeter‐level accuracy over coastal/island areas. Further comparison with independent ocean data shows that the geostrophic velocities computed by merging a high‐degree GGM and local airborne gravity data can reconstruct real surface ocean circulation; and the GOCE‐based (Gravity Field and Steady‐State Ocean Circulation Explorer) GGMs may be preferable as the reference models in MDT determination. Plain Language Summary: The information of mean dynamic topography (MDT) is crucial for studying sea level change as well as understanding ocean circulation and its role in the global climate system. The determination of MDT requires accurate knowledge of mean sea surface and quasi‐geoid/geoid models. Unfortunately, these models are usually of low quality over coastal and island areas, leading to the difficulty for MDT determination over these regions. To alleviate this problem, we introduce high‐resolution airborne gravimetric survey and data derived from the recent satellite altimetry missions to refine local MDT. We study a case over the Paracel Islands in the northwestern South China Sea, and we show that the use of altimetry data alone is insufficient for high‐accuracy MDT recovery over costal/island areas. We also show that the combination of airborne data significantly improves the local MDT. Our findings highlight the necessity of using airborne surveys for MDT determination with centimeter‐level accuracy over coastal/island areas. Key Points: The direct application of a high‐degree global geopotential model (GGM) may cause errors exceeding 6 cm in MDT determinationAltimetry data alone is insufficient for high‐accuracy mean dynamic topography (MDT) recovery over island areasAirborne surveys may be necessary for MDT recovery with centimeter‐level accuracy over coastal/island areas [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial information of nociceptive stimuli applied in the skin of healthy humans is integrated in the spinal cord to determine the appropriate withdrawal reflex response. Double-simultaneous stimulus applied in different skin sites are integrated, eliciting a larger reflex response. The temporal characteristics of the stimuli also modulate the reflex, e.g., by temporal summation. The primary aim of this study was to investigate how the combined tempo-spatial aspects of two stimuli are integrated in the nociceptive system. This was investigated by delivering single- and double-simultaneous stimulation and sequential stimulation with different interstimulus intervals (ISIs ranging 30-500 ms) to the sole of the foot of 15 healthy subjects. The primary outcome measure was the size of the nociceptive withdrawal reflex (NWR) recorded from the tibialis anterior (TA) and biceps femoris (BF) muscles. Pain intensity was measured using a numerical rating scale (NRS) scale. Results showed spatial summation in both TA and BF when delivering simultaneous stimulation. Simultaneous stimulation provoked larger reflexes than sequential stimulation in TA, but not in BF. Larger ISIs elicited significantly larger reflexes in TA, whereas the opposite pattern occurred in BF. This differential modulation between proximal and distal muscles suggests the presence of spinal circuits eliciting a functional reflex response based on the specific tempo-spatial characteristics of a noxious stimulus. No modulation was observed in pain intensity ratings across ISIs. Absence of modulation in the pain intensity ratings argues for an integrative mechanism located within the spinal cord governed by a need for efficient withdrawal from a potentially harmful stimulus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is little knowledge about rest-activity cycles (RAC) in patients with severe-acquired brain injury (sABI) during early in-hospital rehabilitation. This study aimed to investigate if patients with sABI displayed unconsolidated RACs at the beginning of in-hospital rehabilitation, and how these changed over time. This study was a prospective observational study. All patients consecutively admitted to one ward were screened for eligibility. We recorded accelerometric activity for 20 days. The Daytime Activity Ratio (DAR) of activity between daytime (7–22) and the total activity during the entire day was calculated and used to estimate consolidation. Fifty-five patients were screened and 20 patients were included. Complete day 1 & 2 data was obtained on 18 patients. Fifty-six percentage of these had a consolidated RAC at the beginning of rehabilitation. On day 19 & 20, complete data could be obtained from 15 patients, 80% of these had consolidation of RAC. When comparing these a significant mean increase of 5.8% 95%CI(0.52; 11.01) in DAR was found p <.05, and the model of all data also showed a significant increase in median DAR over time p <.01. RAC consolidation improves over time in patients admitted for in-hospital early neurorehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are two dominating approaches of modeling the marine gravity field based on satellite altimetry observations. In this study, the marine gravity field is determined in four selected areas (Northwestern Atlantic, Hawaii ocean area, Mariana Trench area, and Aegean Sea) by using exact same input datasets but different methods which are based on sea surface height (SSH) and sea surface slope (SSS), respectively. The impact of the methodology is evaluated by conducting validations with shipborne gravity observation. The CryoSat-2, Jason-1/2, and SARAL/Altika geodetic mission data (similarly 3-year-long time series) are firstly retracked by the two-pass retracker. After that, the obtained SSHs are used for the derivation of geoid undulations and vertical deflections, and then for the resulting marine gravity field separately. The validation results indicate that the SSH-based method has advantages in robustly estimating marine gravity anomalies near the coastal zone. The SSS-based method has advantages over regions with intermedium ocean depths (2000–4000 m) where seamounts and ridges are found, but obvious disadvantages when the ocean currents flow along the north–south direction (e.g., western boundary currents) or the topography features north–south directional trenches. In the deep ocean where the seafloor topography is plain and smooth, the two methods have similar accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pain arises from the integration of sensory and cognitive processes in the brain, resulting in specific patterns of neural oscillations that can be characterized by measuring electrical brain activity. Current source density (CSD) estimation from low‐resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) and its standardized (sLORETA) and exact (eLORETA) variants, is a common approach to identify the spatiotemporal dynamics of the brain sources in physiological and pathological pain‐related conditions. However, there is no consensus on the magnitude and variability of clinically or experimentally relevant effects for CSD estimations. Here, we systematically examined reports of sample size calculations and effect size estimations in all studies that included the keywords pain, and LORETA, sLORETA, or eLORETA in Scopus and PubMed. We also assessed the reliability of LORETA CSD estimations during non‐painful and painful conditions to estimate hypothetical sample sizes for future experiments using CSD estimations. We found that none of the studies included in the systematic review reported sample size calculations, and less than 20% reported measures of central tendency and dispersion, which are necessary to estimate effect sizes. Based on these data and our experimental results, we determined that sample sizes commonly used in pain studies using CSD estimations are suitable to detect medium and large effect sizes in crossover designs and only large effects in parallel designs. These results provide a comprehensive summary of the effect sizes observed using LORETA in pain research, and this information can be used by clinicians and researchers to improve settings and designs of future pain studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Assessing conditioning pain modulation (CPM) with spinal reflex measures may produce more objective and stable CPM effects than using psychophysical measures. The aim of the study was to compare the CPM effect and test-retest reliability between a psychophysical protocol with thermal test-stimulus and a spinal reflex protocol with electrical test-stimulus.Methods: Twenty-five healthy volunteers participated in two identical experiments separated by minimum 1 week. The thermal test-stimulus was a constant heat stimulation of 120 s on the subjects' forearm with continuous ratings of pain intensity on a 10 cm visual analogue scale. The electrical test-stimulus was repeated electrical stimulation on the arch of the foot for 120 s, which elicited a nociceptive withdrawal reflex recorded from the anterior tibial muscle. Conditioning stimulus was a 7°C water bath. Differences in the magnitude and test-retest reliability were investigated with repeated-measures analysis of variance and by relative and absolute reliability indices.Results: The CPM effect was -46% and 4.5% during the thermal and electrical test-stimulus (p < 0.001) respectively. Intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.5 and 0.4 was found with the electrical and thermal test-stimulus respectively. Wide limits of agreement were found for both the electrical (-3.4 to 3.8 mA) and the thermal test-stimulus (-3.2 to 3.6 cm).Conclusions: More pronounced CPM effect was demonstrated when using a psychophysical protocol with thermal test-stimulus compared to a spinal reflex protocol with electrical test-stimulus. Fair relative reliability and poor absolute reliability (due to high intraindividual variability) was found in both protocols.Significance: The large difference in CPM effect between the two protocols suggests that the CPM effect relates to pain perception rather than nociception on the spinal level. Due to poor absolute intrarater reliability, we recommend caution and further research before using any of the investigated CPM protocols in clinical decision making on an individual level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Musculoskeletal pain is a clinical condition that is characterized by ongoing pain and discomfort in the deep tissues such as muscle, bones, ligaments, nerves, and tendons. In the last decades, it was subject to extensive research due to its high prevalence. Still, a quantitative description of the electrical brain activity during musculoskeletal pain is lacking. This study aimed to characterize intracranial current source density (CSD) estimations during sustained deep-tissue experimental pain. Twenty-three healthy volunteers received three types of tonic stimuli for three minutes each: computer-controlled cuff pressure (1) below pain threshold (sustained deep-tissue no-pain, SDTnP), (2) above pain threshold (sustained deep-tissue pain, SDTP) and (3) vibrotactile stimulation (VT). The CSD in response to these stimuli was calculated in seven regions of interest (ROIs) likely involved in pain processing: contralateral anterior cingulate cortex, contralateral primary somatosensory cortex, bilateral anterior insula, contralateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, posterior parietal cortex and contralateral premotor cortex. Results showed that participants exhibited an overall increase in spectral power during SDTP in all seven ROIs compared to both SDTnP and VT, likely reflecting the differences in the salience of these stimuli. Moreover, we observed a difference is CSD due to the type of stimulus, likely reflecting somatosensory discrimination of stimulus intensity. These results describe the different contributions of neural oscillations within these brain regions in the processing of sustained deep-tissue pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tibetan lakes are an effective indicator of climate change as they are highly sensitive to and directly affected by climate change. The past decade has seen the seven warmest years on record globally. Such observations have prompted questions about lake changes over the Tibetan Plateau. The dense coverage of the CryoSat‐2 altimeter reveals large‐scale patterns in this climate change signal. We investigate lake level variations of more than 200 lakes using altimetry observations from CryoSat‐2 during the period 2010 to 2019. Combined with GRACE/GRACE‐FO, we evaluate the water storage change of lakes and terrestrial water storage (TWS). We find that most studied lakes generally went through three phases of change, that is, rising‐hiatus/decline‐rising, albeit lakes in the north Tibetan Plateau, show higher rising rates. Results also show that lake levels are widely affected by the 2015/16 El Niño event across the entire Inner Plateau via reduced precipitation. Above normal precipitation during 2016–2018, resulted in a sharp rise of ~1.22 m on average, accounting for 56% of the decadal lake level rise (mean/median: 2.19/1.85 m). TWS in the Inner Tibetan Plateau accumulated a net gain of 70.5 km3, which is dominated by the net gain of lake water storage (ca. 63.3 km3). The interannual TWS variation is found to be associated mainly with precipitation. In particular, extreme conditions such as the 2015/16 El Niño, had a profound negative impact on the TWS. The findings in this study shed new light on the response of Tibetan lakes to recent decadal environmental changes. Key Points: More than 200 lakes have been monitored by CryoSat‐2 over the last decade (2010–2019)CryoSat‐2 reveals three phases (rising‐hiatus/decline‐rising) of lake level change; hiatus/decline is widely observed during 2015/16 El NiñoMean change of lake level over the last decade is 2.19 m, of which 56% occurs in the three most recent years [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Telerehabilitation programs can be employed to establish communication between patients and healthcare professionals and empower patients performing their training remotely. This study aimed to identify patients' requirements after a total knee replacement following a self-training rehabilitation program, leading to the design and development of a telerehabilitation program that can meet the stakeholders' actual needs. System design, development, and testing were conducted in five iterations based on a participatory design approach. Data collection was performed using interviews, observations, prototyping, and questionnaires. It was found that the main barriers facing the existing rehabilitation program were a lack of clear communication, lack of relevant information, and healthcare professional's feedback. The participants emphasized the main themes of communication, information, training, and motivation in the process of design and development. In using the telerehabilitation program, the patients reported a high level of user-friendliness, flexibility, and a sense of security. This study has identified obstacles in the current rehabilitation program and revealed the potential effectiveness of using asynchronous communication and sensor-based technologies by employing participatory design and development. A higher level of portability and flexibility were observed. However, future studies and development are required to investigate the overall usability and reliability of the telerehabilitation program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animal studies have previously shown that deep dorsal horn neurons play a role in the processing of spatial characteristics of nociceptive information in mammals. Human studies have supported the role of the spinal neurons; however, the mechanisms involved, and its significance, remain to be clarified. The aim of this study was to investigate spatial aspects of the spinal integration of concurrent nociceptive electrical stimuli in healthy humans using the Nociceptive Withdrawal Reflex (NWR) as an objective indication of spinal nociceptive processing. Fifteen healthy volunteers participated in the study. Electrical stimuli were delivered, using five electrodes located across the sole of the foot in a mediolateral disposition, as a single or double simultaneous stimuli with varying Inter‐Electrode Distances (IEDs). The stimulation intensity was set at 1.5× NWR threshold (TA muscle). The size of the NWR was quantified in the 60–180 ms poststimulus window as a primary outcome measure. Psychophysical measures were secondary outcomes. Single stimulation elicited significantly smaller NWRs and perceived intensity than double stimulation (p <.01), suggesting the presence of spatial summation occurring within the spinal processing. During double stimulation, increasing the inter‐electrode distance produced significantly smaller NWR sizes (p <.05) but larger pain intensity ratings (p <.05). By the NWR, spatial summation was shown to affect the nociceptive processing within the spinal cord. The inhibited motor response obtained when simultaneously stimulating the medial and lateral side of the sole of the foot suggests the presence of an inhibitory mechanism with a functional, behaviorally oriented function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Arctic Ocean is at the frontier of the fast changing climate in the northern latitudes. As the first study, we assess the different mass and steric components of the observed sea level trend from both absolute sea level (ASL) from altimetry and tide gauges, without using gravimetric observations from GRACE. This approach permits a longer time series and avoids problems with errors from leakage effects in GRACE-products. ASL is equal to mass-driven sea level added with steric sea level, while tide gauge based sea level are also corrected with novel estimates of vertical land movement. Calculations of the mass component from present-day deglaciation, shows that deglaciation rises Arctic sea level with more than 1 mm y-1, while the steric contribution is between -5 and 15 mm y-1 with large spatial variability, with the halosteric signal dominating the pattern. A dynamic mass contribution is derived from the Estimating Circulation and Climate of the Oceans (ECCO)-model (version 4 release 4), which varies between -1 and 2 mm y-1. The combined mass and steric product agrees (within uncertainty) with ASL-trends observed from altimetry in 99% of the Arctic, although large uncertainties originate from poor data coverage in the steric data and large variability in the dynamic product. A comparison with ASL trends observed at tide gauges agrees with mass+steric at 11 of 12 tide gauge sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]