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Creativity is considered one aspect of intelligence. Including creativity allows for more room for expression (e.g., participants can respond with movement instead of written or verbal responses) than in standard intelligence assessments. The Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT; Torrance, 1974) are the leading method of assessing creative abilities in school-aged humans and above. To assess creativity in young humans and nonhuman animals, modifications must be made to facilitate nonverbal responses. In the current study, a cross-species comparison was conducted between preschoolers and bottlenose dolphins to examine responses to a modified creativity task in which both species were trained to demonstrate non-repeated behaviors to an “innovate” prompt. The resulting behaviors for the first test session were coded for fluency (number of non-repeated behaviors demonstrated), originality, and flexibility (low, moderate, or high activity level). Children and dolphins produced a similar number of non-repeated behaviors during individual test trials and also had similar originality scores. Related to flexibility, dolphins displayed more low energy activity levels compared to the children. Given the limited understanding of creative abilities in animals and young children, this comparison using a modified version of the TTCT offers exciting possibilities. These results could provide further evidence of similarities in cognitive processes for humans and nonhuman animals.

The RREB1::MRTFB (former RREB1::MKL2) fusion characterizes ectomesenchymal chondromyxoid tumors (EMCMT) of the tongue. Only five molecularly confirmed extra-glossal EMCMT cases have been reported recently; all occurring at head and neck or mediastinal sites. We herein describe five new cases including the first two extracranial/extrathoracic cases. The tumors occurred in three male and two female patients with an age ranging from 18 to 61 years (median, 28). Three tumors were located in the head and neck (jaw, parapharyngeal space, and nasopharyngeal wall) and two in the soft tissue (inguinal and presacral). The tumor size ranged from 3.3 to 20 cm (median, 7). Treatment was surgical without adjuvant treatment in all cases. Two cases were disease-free at 5 and 17 months; other cases were lost to follow-up. Histologically, the soft tissue cases shared a predominant fibromyxoid appearance, but with variable cytoarchitectural pattern (cellular perineurioma-like whorls and storiform pattern in one case and large polygonal granular cells embedded within a chondromyxoid stroma in the other). Two tumors (inguinal and parapharyngeal) showed spindled to ovoid and round cells with a moderately to highly cellular nondescript pattern. One sinonasal tumor closely mimicked nasal chondromesenchymal hamartoma (NCMH). Mitotic activity was low (0-5 mitoses/10 hpfs). Immunohistochemical findings were heterogeneous with variable expression of S100 (2/5), EMA (2/3), CD34 (1/4), desmin (1/4), and GFAP (1/3). Targeted RNA sequencing revealed the same RREB1::MRTFB fusion in all cases, with exon 8 of RREB1 being fused to exon 11 of MRTFB. This study expands the topographic spectrum of RREB1::MRTFB fusion-positive mesenchymal neoplasms, highlighting a significant morphological and phenotypic diversity. Overall, RREB1::MRTFB-rearranged neoplasms seem to fall into two subcategories: tumors with lobulated, chondroid, or myxochondroid epithelioid morphology (Cases 2 and 3) and those with more undifferentiated hypercellular spindle cell phenotype (Cases 1, 4, and 5). Involvement of extracranial/extrathoracic sites and the NCMH-like pattern are novel. The biology of these likely indolent or benign tumors remains to be verified in the future., (© 2022 The Authors. Genes, Chromosomes and Cancer published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

The maximum aerobic metabolic rate can be expressed in multiple metabolically equivalent tasks (MET), i.e., METmax. The purpose was to quantify the error when the conventional (3.5 mL∙kg -1 ∙min -1 ) compared to an individualized 1-MET-value is used for calculating METmax and estimating activity energy expenditure (AEE) in endurance-trained athletes (END) and active healthy controls (CON). The resting metabolic rate (RMR, indirect calorimetry) and aerobic metabolic capacity (spiroergometry) were assessed in 52 END (46% male, 27.9 ± 5.7 years) and 53 CON (45% male, 27.3 ± 4.6 years). METmax was calculated as the ratio of VO₂max over VO₂ during RMR (METmax&#95;ind), and VO₂max over the conventional 1-MET-value (METmax&#95;fix). AEE was estimated by multiplying published MET values with the individual and conventional 1-MET-values. Dependent t -tests were used to compare the different modes for calculating METmax and AEE (α = 0.05). In women and men CON, men END METmax&#95;fix was significantly higher than METmax&#95;ind ( p < 0.01), whereas, in women END, no difference was found ( p > 0.05). The conventional 1-MET-value significantly underestimated AEE in men and women CON, and men END ( p < 0.05), but not in women END ( p > 0.05). The conventional 1-MET-value appears inappropriate for determining the aerobic metabolic capacity and AEE in active and endurance-trained persons.

Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Objective: The Federal Employment Agency and the Statutory Health Insurance (GKV) have put the link between the promotion of employment and of health to the test by making a joint approach aiming to reach unemployed persons with preventive health services and to maintain or improve their employability., Methods: Specialist case workers (Integrationsfachkräfte) of the job centres conducted health consultations, motivating unemployed persons and raising their awareness of their own health as well as enabling them to access health promotion services of health insurance funds on a voluntary basis. Three different approaches were tested: consultations either being offered by specialist case workers of the job centres, by contracted educational institutions or by the federal employment agency's own special services (Fachdienste). The pilot project was implemented locally in the community setting. The steering groups set up in the 6 pilot locations, consisting of representatives of the job centres and the health insurance funds as well as of further local players, were the key element of this project., Results: The offers implemented were a success: The unemployed persons welcomed the consultations offered by job centres; the preventive health services specifically directed at unemployed persons that were provided by health insurance funds have proven successful, especially in terms of reducing stress and maintaining employability., Conclusion: Inclusion of the key points of this approach into the basic recommendations at federal level (Bundesrahmenempfehlungen) of the National Conference on Prevention of 19 February 2016 has created a basis for further advances and dissemination., Competing Interests: Die Autoren geben an, dass kein Interessenkonflikt besteht., (© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

Background: Endurance athletes perform periodized training in order to prepare for main competitions and maximize performance. However, the coupling between alterations of total energy expenditure (TEE), energy intake, and body composition during different seasonal training phases is unclear. So far, no systematic review has assessed fluctuations in TEE, energy intake, and/or body composition in endurance athletes across the training season. The purpose of this study was to (1) systematically analyze TEE, energy intake, and body composition in highly trained athletes of various endurance disciplines and of both sexes and (2) analyze fluctuations in these parameters across the training season., Methods: An electronic database search was conducted on the SPORTDiscus and MEDLINE (January 1990-31 January 2015) databases using a combination of relevant keywords. Two independent reviewers identified potentially relevant studies. Where a consensus was not reached, a third reviewer was consulted. Original research articles that examined TEE, energy intake, and/or body composition in 18-40-year-old endurance athletes and reported the seasonal training phases of data assessment were included in the review. Articles were excluded if body composition was assessed by skinfold measurements, TEE was assessed by questionnaires, or data could not be split between the sexes. Two reviewers assessed the quality of studies independently. Data on subject characteristics, TEE, energy intake, and/or body composition were extracted from the included studies. Subjects were categorized according to their sex and endurance discipline and each study allocated a weight within categories based on the number of subjects assessed. Extracted data were used to calculate weighted means and standard deviations for parameters of TEE, energy intake, and/or body composition., Results: From 3589 citations, 321 articles were identified as potentially relevant, with 82 meeting all of the inclusion criteria. TEE of endurance athletes was significantly higher during the competition phase than during the preparation phase (p < 0.001) and significantly higher than energy intake in both phases (p < 0.001). During the competition phase, both body mass and fat-free mass were significantly higher compared to other seasonal training phases (p < 0.05)., Conclusions: Limitations of the present study included insufficient data being available for all seasonal training phases and thus low explanatory power of single parameters. Additionally, the classification of the different seasonal training phases has to be discussed. Male and female endurance athletes show important training seasonal fluctuations in TEE, energy intake, and body composition. Therefore, dietary intake recommendations should take into consideration other factors including the actual training load, TEE, and body composition goals of the athlete.

Micronutrient requirements do not scale linearly with physical activity-related energy expenditure (AEE). Inactive persons may have insufficient micronutrient intake because of low energy intake (EI). We extracted data from NHANES 2003-2006 on 4015 adults (53 ± 18 years (mean ± SD), 29 ± 6 kg/m², 48% women) with valid physical activity (accelerometry) and food intake (2 × 24 h-dietary recall) measures. Total energy expenditure (TEE) was estimated by summing the basal metabolic rate (BMR, Harris-Benedict), AEE, and 10% of TEE for the thermic effect of food, to calculate the physical activity levels (PAL = TEE/BMR). Energy intake (EI) was scaled to match TEE assuming energy balance. Adjusted food intake was then analyzed for energy and micronutrient content and compared to estimated average requirements. The NHANES population was physically insufficiently active. There were 2440 inactive (PAL < 1.4), 1469 lightly to moderately active (PAL1.4 < 1.7), 94 sufficiently active (PAL1.7 < 2.0), and 12 very active participants (PAL ≥ 2.0). The inactive vs. active had significantly lower intake for all micronutrients apart from vitamin A, B12, C, K, and copper ( p < 0.05). The inactive participants had insufficient intake for 6/19 micronutrients, while the active participants had insufficient intake for 5/19 ( p < 0.05) micronutrients. Multiple linear regression indicated a lower risk for insufficient micronutrient intake for participants with higher PAL and BMI ( p < 0.001). Symmetrical up-scaling of PAL and EI to recommended physical activity levels reduced the frequency of micronutrient insufficiencies. It follows that prevalence of insufficient micronutrient intake from food in NHANES might be partly determined by low energy turnover from insufficient PAL., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Objective: To step-wise evaluate image quality of sinogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction (SAFIRE) in reduced-dose (RD) thoracoabdominal computed tomography (CT) compared to full-dose (FD) and RD filtered back projection (FBP) in a longitudinal study., Materials and Methods: 122 patients were included in this prospective study. 49 patients (14 men: mean age ± SD, 56±0.4 years; 35 women: 58±1.3 years) completed FD, RD1 (80%-dose) and RD2 (60%-dose) thoracoabdominal CT. Each CT dataset was reconstructed with FBP and SAFIRE. For quantitative image analysis image noise was measured in defined tissue regions. Qualitative image evaluation was performed according to the European Guidelines on Quality criteria for CT. Additionally artifacts, lesion conspicuity, and edge sharpness were assessed., Results: Compared to FD-FBP noise in soft tissue increased by 12% in RD1-FBP and 27% in RD2-FBP reconstructions, whereas SAFIRE lead to a decrease of 28% (RD1) and 17% (RD2), respectively (all p <0.001). Visually sharp reproduction, lesion conspicuity, edge sharpness of pathologic findings, and overall image quality did not differ statistically significant between FD-FBP and RD-SAFIRE datasets. Image quality decreased in RD1- and RD2-FBP compared to FD-FBP, reaching statistically significance in RD2 datasets (p <0.001). In RD1- and RD2-FBP (p <0.001) streak artifacts were noted., Conclusion: Using SAFIRE the reference mAs in thoracoabdominal CT can be reduced by at least 30% in clinical routine without loss of image quality or diagnostic information.

Point focusing measurements using pairs of directly bonded crossed multilayer Laue lenses (MLLs) are reported. Several flat and wedged MLLs have been fabricated out of a single deposition and assembled to realise point focusing devices. The wedged lenses have been manufactured by adding a stress layer onto flat lenses. Subsequent bending of the structure changes the relative orientation of the layer interfaces towards the stress-wedged geometry. The characterization at ESRF beamline ID13 at a photon energy of 10.5 keV demonstrated a nearly diffraction-limited focusing to a clean spot of 43 nm × 44 nm without significant side lobes with two wedged crossed MLLs using an illuminated aperture of approximately 17 µm × 17 µm to eliminate aberrations originating from layer placement errors in the full 52.7 µm × 52.7 µm aperture. These MLLs have an average individual diffraction efficiency of 44.5%. Scanning transmission X-ray microscopy measurements with convenient working distances were performed to demonstrate that the lenses are suitable for user experiments. Also discussed are the diffraction and focusing properties of crossed flat lenses made from the same deposition, which have been used as a reference. Here a focal spot size of 28 nm × 33 nm was achieved and significant side lobes were noticed at an illuminated aperture of approximately 23 µm × 23 µm.

In the fields of clinical diagnostics and point-of-care diagnosis as well as food and environmental monitoring there is a high demand for reliable high-throughput, rapid and highly sensitive assays for a simultaneous detection of several analytes in complex and low-volume samples. Sensor platforms based on solution-processable electrolyte-gated carbon nanotube field-effect transistors (CNT-FETs) are a simple and cost-effective alternative for conventional assays. In this work we demonstrate a selective as well as direct detection of the products of an enzyme-substrate interaction, here the for metabolic processes important urea-urease system, with sensors based on spray-coated CNT-FETs. The selective and direct detection is achieved by immobilizing the enzyme urease via certain surface functionalization techniques on the sensor surface and further modifying the active interfaces with polymeric ion-selective membranes as well as pH-sensitive layers. Thereby, we can avoid the generally applied approach for a field-effect based detection of enzyme reactions via detecting changes in the pH value due to an on-going enzymatic reaction and directly detect selectively the products of the enzymatic conversion. Thus, we can realize a buffering-capacity independent monitoring of changes in the substrate concentration., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

"Metabolic Equivalent" (MET) represents a standard amount of oxygen consumed by the body under resting conditions, and is defined as 3.5 mL O₂/kg × min or ~1 kcal/kg × h. It is used to express the energy cost of physical activity in multiples of MET. However, universal application of the 1-MET standard was questioned in previous studies, because it does not apply well to all individuals. Height, weight and resting metabolic rate (RMR, measured by indirect calorimetry) were measured in adolescent males (n = 50) and females (n = 50), women during pregnancy (gestation week 35-41, n = 46), women 24-53 weeks postpartum (n = 27), and active men (n = 30), and were compared to values predicted by the 1-MET standard. The RMR of adolescent males (1.28 kcal/kg × h) was significantly higher than that of adolescent females (1.11 kcal/kg × h), with or without the effects of puberty stage and physical activity levels. The RMR of the pregnant and post-pregnant subjects were not significantly different. The RMR of the active normal weight (0.92 kcal/kg × h) and overweight (0.89 kcal/kg × h) adult males were significantly lower than the 1-MET value. It follows that the 1-MET standard is inadequate for use not only in adult men and women, but also in adolescents and physically active men. It is therefore recommended that practitioners estimate RMR with equations taking into account individual characteristics, such as sex, age and Body Mass Index, and not rely on the 1-MET standard.

Better understanding is needed regarding the effects of exercise alone, without any imposed dietary regimens, as a single tool for body-weight regulation. Thus, we evaluated the effects of an 8-week increase in activity energy expenditure (AEE) on ad libitum energy intake (EI), body mass and composition in healthy participants with baseline physical activity levels (PAL) in line with international recommendations. Forty-six male adults (BMI = 19·7-29·3 kg/m(2)) participated in an intervention group, and ten (BMI = 21·0-28·4 kg/m(2)) in a control group. Anthropometric measures, cardiorespiratory fitness, EI, AEE and exercise intensity were recorded at baseline and during the 1st, 5th and 8th intervention weeks, and movement was recorded throughout. Body composition was measured at the beginning and at the end of the study, and resting energy expenditure was measured after the study. The intervention group increased PAL from 1·74 (se 0·03) to 1·93 (se 0·03) (P < 0·0001) and cardiorespiratory fitness from 41·4 (se 0·9) to 45·7 (se 1·1) ml O2/kg per min (P = 0·001) while decreasing body mass (-1·36 (se 0·2) kg; P = 0·001) through adipose tissue mass loss (ATM) (-1·61 (se 0·2) kg; P = 0·0001) compared with baseline. The control group did not show any significant changes in activity, body mass or ATM. EI was unchanged in both groups. The results indicate that in normal-weight and overweight men, increasing PAL from 1·7 to 1·9 while keeping EI ad libitum over an 8-week period produces a prolonged negative energy balance. Replication using a longer period (and/or more intense increase in PAL) is needed to investigate if and at what body composition the increase in AEE is met by an equivalent increase in EI.

Objective: To determine the factors that influence the reproductive choices of health care professionals, and to assess whether knowledge of ovarian reserve would modify those choices., Method: A cross-sectional survey utilizing anonymous questionnaires that assessed demographics, knowledge, attitudes and choices of female and male health care professionals between the ages of 20-55 (N = 185) who work at an academic medical center, Result(s): Of the 185 respondents, 75% were female, 35% were residents and 35% were married. Among those who were delaying childbearing 39% wanted to complete their education, 25% had no identified partner, 10% were too active professionally and 4% could not afford children at the time. If testing of the individual or individual's partner indicated diminished ovarian reserve, 48% of those responding would try to have a child sooner, 21% would opt for oocyte cryopreservation, 7% would try to find a partner sooner, 7% would pursue adoption, and 3% would select embryo cryopreservation. Only 14% would not actively pursue treatment or make lifestyle changes. These results varied significantly with marital status but did not differ between participants with and without children. Similarly, choices did not vary significantly with religious belief or ethnicity., Conclusion(s): Increased information about a woman's reproductive reserve would lead individuals to modify life choices. Physicians caring for reproductive-age women and men should inquire about their childbearing plans, and educate those who are postponing childbearing regarding the normal pattern of reproductive decline.

Purpose: To determine if day of embryo transfer (ET) affects gestational age (GA) and/or birth weight (BW) at a single university fertility center that primarily performs day 5/6 ET., Methods: Retrospective cohort study of 2392 singleton live births resulting from IVF/ICSI at a single large university fertility center from 2003 to 2012. Patients were stratified by day 3 or day 5/6 ET. Outcome variables included patient age, gravidity, prior miscarriages, prior assisted reproduction technology cycles, number of embryos transferred, number of single ET, infertility diagnosis, neonatal sex, GA at birth, and BW. Subanalyses were performed on subgroups of preterm infants. A comparison was made between the study data and the Society of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (SART) published data., Results: There was no difference in GA at birth (39 ± 2.1 weeks for day 3 ET, 39 ± 1.9 weeks for day 5/6 ET) or BW between ET groups (3308 ± 568 g for day 3 ET, 3268 ± 543 g for day 5/6 ET). There was also no difference in the number of preterm deliveries (8.5 % for day 3 ET vs. 10.8 % for day 5/6 ET). The day 5/6 ET study data had significantly fewer pre-term deliveries than the SART day 5/6 ET data., Conclusion: In contrast to published SART data, GA and BW were not influenced by day of ET. Data may be more uniform at a single institution. Day 5/6 ET continues to offer improved pregnancy rates without compromising birth outcomes.