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Context: The best current evidence supports the effectiveness of neuromuscular training in reducing the risk of injury; however, the rate of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries is still high. Neurocognitive training (NT) has successfully improved biomechanical risk factors, but they have been considered in only a few studies. Objective: To review the literature to determine the effect of NT on biomechanical risk factors related to ACL injury in athletes. Evidence Acquisition: We searched PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, Science Direct, and the Physiotherapy Evidence Database from inception to August 2011. We included randomized controlled trials that used motor learning approaches and injury prevention programs to investigate kinematic and kinetic risk factors related to ACL injury. The quality of each clinical trial study was evaluated by the Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale. The eligibility criteria were checked based on the PICOS (population, intervention, comparison, outcome, and study type) framework. Evidence Synthesis: A total of 9 studies were included in the final analysis. Motor learning approaches include internal and external focus of attention, dual tasks, visual motor training, self-control feedback, differential learning, and linear and nonlinear pedagogy, combined with exercise programs. In most of the studies that used NT, a significant decrease in knee valgus; tibial abduction and external rotation; ground reaction force; and an increase in knee-, trunk-, hip-, and knee-flexion moment was observed. Conclusion: In classical NT, deviation from the ideal movement pattern especially emphasizing variability and self-discovery processes is functional in injury prevention and may mitigate biomechanical risk factors of ACL injuries in athletes. Practitioners are advised to use sport-specific cognitive tasks in combination with neuromuscular training to simulate loads of the competitive environment. This may improve ACL injury risk reduction and rehabilitation programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple sclerosis is a neurodegenerative disease that causes balance deficits, even in early stages. Evidence suggests that people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) rely more on vision to maintain balance, and challenging balance with optical flow perturbations may be a practical screening for balance deficits. Whether these perturbations affect standing balance in PwMS is unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine how optical flow perturbations affect standing balance in PwMS. We hypothesized that perturbations would cause higher variability in PwMS compared with matched controls during standing and that standing balance would be more susceptible to anterior–posterior (A–P) perturbations than medial–lateral (M–L) perturbations. Thirteen PwMS and 13 controls stood under 3 conditions: unperturbed, M–L perturbation, and A–P perturbations. A–P perturbations caused significantly higher A–P trunk sway variability in PwMS than controls, although both groups had similar center-of-pressure variability. Both perturbations increased variability in A–P trunk sway and center of pressure. Trunk variability data supported the hypothesis that PwMS were more susceptible to optical flow perturbations than controls. However, the hypothesis that A–P perturbations would affect balance more than M–L perturbations was partially supported. These results suggest potential for optical flow perturbations to identify balance deficits in PwMS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic neuropathic pain can result from nervous system injury and can persist in the absence of external stimuli. Although ongoing pain characterizes the disorder, in many individuals, the intensity of this ongoing pain fluctuates dramatically. Previously, it was identified that functional magnetic resonance imaging signal covariations between the midbrain periaqueductal gray (PAG) matter, rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM), and spinal trigeminal nucleus are associated with moment-to-moment fluctuations in pain intensity in individuals with painful trigeminal neuropathy (PTN). Since this brainstem circuit is modulated by higher brain input, we sought to determine which cortical sites might be influencing this brainstem network during spontaneous fluctuations in pain intensity. Over 12 min, we recorded the ongoing pain intensity in 24 PTN participants and classified them as fluctuating (n = 13) or stable (n = 11). Using a PAG seed, we identified connections between the PAG and emotional-affective sites such as the hippocampal and posterior cingulate cortices, the sensory-discriminative posterior insula, and cognitive-affective sites such as the dorsolateral prefrontal (dlPFC) and subgenual anterior cingulate cortices that were altered dependent on spontaneous high and low pain intensity. Additionally, sliding-window functional connectivity analysis revealed that the dlPFC-PAG connection anticorrelated with perceived pain intensity over the entire 12 min period. These findings reveal cortical systems underlying moment-to-moment changes in perceived pain in PTN, which likely cause dysregulation in the brainstem circuits previously identified, and consequently alter the appraisal of pain across time.

This narrative review seeks to compare the various ways in which motor creativity has been measured and to critically evaluate those methods within the context of our contemporary understanding of motor creativity. Eligible studies included those of any study design, experimental or observational, as long as motor creativity was measured. Three databases (i.e., PubMed, Scopus. and Science-Direct) were searched from the earliest possible start dates to December 2021. No risk of bias assessment was performed as the study outcomes were not the focus of the review. After screening for eligibility. 23 articles were included for review, all having measured motor creativity. Of tlie 23 articles, 16 measured generic motor creativity, while the remaining seven measured task-specific motor creativity. Furthermore, 16 of the studies tested motor creativity with largely static environmental constraints, while the remaining seven were conducted with dynamic environmental constraints. Using a contemporary understanding of motor creativity, most motor creativity tests presently do not possess sufficient task specificity and environmental dynamism, which may not provide an appropriate context for the emergence of creative motor action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrodeposited amorphous hydrated iridium oxide (IrOx) is a promising material for pH sensing due to its high sensitivity and the ease of fabrication. However, durability and variability continue to restrict the sensors effectiveness. Variation in probe films can be seen in both performance and fabrication, but it has been found that performance variation can be controlled with potentiostatic conditioning (PC). To make proper use of this technique, the morphological and chemical changes affecting the conditioning process must be understood. Here, a thorough study of this material, after undergoing PC in a pH-sensing-relevant potential regime, was conducted by voltammetry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Fitting of XPS data was performed, guided by raw trends in survey scans, core orbitals, and valence spectra, both XPS and UPS. The findings indicate that the PC process can repeatably control and conform performance and surface bonding to desired calibrations and distributions, respectively; PC was able to reduce sensitivity and offset ranges to as low as ±0.7 mV/pH and ±0.008 V, respectively, and repeat bonding distributions over ~2 months of sample preparation. Both Ir/O atomic ratios (shifting from 4:1 to over 4.5:1) and fitted components assigned hydroxide or oxide states based on the literature (low-voltage spectra being almost entirely with suggested hydroxide components, and high-voltage spectra almost entirely with suggested oxide components) trend across the polarization range. Self-consistent valence, core orbital, and survey quantitative trends point to a likely mechanism of ligand conversion from hydroxide to oxide, suggesting that the conditioning process enforces specific state mixtures that include both theoretical Ir(III) and Ir(IV) species, and raising the conditioning potential alters the surface species from an assumed mixture of Ir species to more oxidized Ir species.

While shifts in gut microbiota have been studied in diseased states, the temporal variability of the microbiome in cats has not been widely studied. This study investigated the temporal variability of the feline dysbiosis index (DI) and the abundance of core bacterial groups in healthy adult cats. The secondary aim was to evaluate the relationship between the fecal abundance of Clostridium hiranonis and the fecal concentrations of unconjugated bile acids. A total of 142 fecal samples collected from 17 healthy cats were prospectively included: nine cats with weekly collection over 3 weeks (at least four time points), five cats with monthly collection over 2 months (three time points), and three cats with additional collections for up to 10 months. The DI remained stable within the reference intervals over two months for all cats (Friedman test, p > 0.2), and 100% of the DI values (n = 142) collected throughout the study period remained within the RI. While some temporal individual variation was observed for individual taxa, the magnitude was minimal compared to cats with chronic enteropathy and antibiotic exposure. Additionally, the abundance of Clostridium hiranonis was significantly correlated with the percentage of fecal primary bile acids, supporting its role as a bile acid converter in cats.

PURPOSE: To evaluate and compare the effectiveness of nearest neighbor (NN)- and variational autoencoder (VAE)-smoothing algorithms to reduce variability and enhance the performance of glaucoma visual field (VF) progression models. DESIGN: Longitudinal cohort study. SUBJECTS: 7150 eyes (4232 patients), with ≥ 5 years of follow-up and ≥ 6 visits. METHODS: Vsual field thresholds were smoothed with the NN and VAE algorithms. The mean total deviation (mTD) and VF index rates, pointwise linear regression (PLR), permutation of PLR (PoPLR), and the glaucoma rate index were applied to the unsmoothed and smoothed data. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The proportion of progressing eyes and the conversion to progression were compared between the smoothed and unsmoothed data. A simulation series of noiseless VFs with various patterns of glaucoma damage was used to evaluate the specificity of the smoothing models. RESULTS: The mean values of age and follow-up time were 62.8 (standard deviation: 12.6) years and 10.4 (standard deviation: 4.7) years, respectively. The proportion of progression was significantly higher for the NN and VAE smoothed data compared with the unsmoothed data. VF progression occurred significantly earlier with both smoothed data compared with unsmoothed data based on mTD rates, PLR, and PoPLR methods. The ability to detect the progressing eyes was similar for the unsmoothed and smoothed data in the simulation data. CONCLUSIONS: Smoothing VF data with NN and VAE algorithms improves the signal-to-noise ratio for detection of change, results in earlier detection of VF progression, and could help monitor glaucoma progression more effectively in the clinical setting. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES: Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article.

Concussion-recovered athletes have a higher risk of injury following return to sport. This study investigated the effect of history of concussion on the pattern and variability of inter-segmental coordination in athletes during squat jumps and timed squat and hinge tasks. A human pose estimation algorithm was applied to videos of 111 athletes (72 with no history of concussion (NOHX), 9 within 1 year of concussion (CONC1), 30 more than one-year post-concussion (CONC2) performing a series of movement tasks. Continuous relative phase metrics, calculated from phase angles of two contiguous segments, were used to evaluate inter-segmental coordination. Linear models were used to evaluate the causal effect of concussion group on hip, knee, and ankle coordination and repetition duration for each task. CONC1 affected repetition duration and knee and hip coordination and variability, while CONC2 influenced knee coordination. The findings suggest that concussion may have long-term persisting effects on lower-limb inter-segmental coordination in athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Intensive longitudinal biomarker data are increasingly common in scientific studies that seek temporally granular understanding of the role of behavioral and physiological factors in relation to outcomes of interest. Intensive longitudinal biomarker data, such as those obtained from wearable devices, are often obtained at a high frequency typically resulting in several hundred to thousand observations per individual measured over minutes, hours, or days. Often in longitudinal studies, the primary focus is on relating the means of biomarker trajectories to an outcome, and the variances are treated as nuisance parameters, although they may also be informative for the outcomes. In this paper, we propose a Bayesian hierarchical model to jointly model a cross‐sectional outcome and the intensive longitudinal biomarkers. To model the variability of biomarkers and deal with the high intensity of data, we develop subject‐level cubic B‐splines and allow the sharing of information across individuals for both the residual variability and the random effects variability. Then different levels of variability are extracted and incorporated into an outcome submodel for inferential and predictive purposes. We demonstrate the utility of the proposed model via an application involving bio‐monitoring of hertz‐level heart rate information from a study on social stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Snow is particularly impacted by climate change and therefore there is an urgent need to understand the temporal and spatial variability of depth of snowfall (HN) trends. However, the analysis of historical HN observations on large‐scale areas is often impeded by lack of continuous long‐term time series availability. This study investigates HN trends using observed time series spanning the period 1920–2020 from 46 sites in the Alps at different elevations. To discern patterns and variations in HN over the years, our analysis focuses also on key parameters such as precipitation (P), mean air temperature (TMEAN), and large‐scale synoptic descriptors, that is, the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), Arctic Oscillation (AO) and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) indices. Our findings reveal that in the last 100 years and below 2000 m a.s.l., despite a slight increase in winter precipitation, there was a decrease in HN over the Alps, especially for southern and low‐elevation sites. The South‐West and South‐East regions experienced an average loss of 4.9 and 3.8%/decade, respectively. A smaller relative loss was found in the Northern region (2.3%/decade). The negative HN trends can be mainly explained by an increase of TMEAN by 0.15°C/decade. Most of the decrease in HN occurred mainly between 1980 and 2020, as a result of a more pronounced increase in TMEAN. This is also confirmed by the change of the running correlation between HN and TMEAN, NAO, AO over time, which until 1980 were not correlated at all, while the correlation increased in later years. This suggests that in more recent years favourable combinations of temperature, precipitation, and atmospheric pattern have become more crucial for snowfall to occur. On the other hand, no correlation was found with the AMO index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Evidence on associations of remnant cholesterol (RC) and its variability with cognitive function is still lacking. Objective: To explore the association of RC and its variability with cognitive function. Methods: Participants were recruited from a population-based cohort, the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Cognitive function was assessed by a standardized questionnaire from CHARLS, with domains of episodic memory and mental intactness. A linear mixed effects model was used to analyze the association of RC with cognitive function, along with its variability (calculated as standard deviation [SD], coefficient of variation [CV], variability independent of the mean [VIM]), with results expressed as β (95%CI). Potential subgroup differences in the association of RC and its variability with cognitive function were also explored. Results: 4234 participants were eventually included, with mean (SD) age of 57.4 (8.0) years. Each 10 mg/dL increase in RC was associated with 0.053 (95%CI: 0.096, 0.009) points, 0.021 (95%CI: 0.042, 0.000) points, 0.032 (95%CI: 0.064, 0.001) points decrease in global cognitive function, episodic memory, and mental intactness scores, respectively. Compared with the first tertile (T1) group of RC variability (calculated as SD, VIM), T3 showed a lower level in global cognition and episodic memory after multivariate adjustment. The potential modification effects of educational level on RC and its variability in relation to cognitive function were also identified. Conclusions: Among Chinese middle-aged and older adults, higher RC level were associated with worse cognitive function. Greater RC variability was also associated with worse cognitive performance, especially in memory function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The standard method to diagnose Loa loa infection and quantify microfilarial density (MFD) is the microscopic examination of calibrated thick blood smears (TBSs). In 1950, it was noticed that successive L. loa MFD samples from a single capillary puncture could exhibit up to 20% variation. Although loiasis treatment allocation is based on MFD to prevent serious adverse events (SAEs), data on this variability are scarce. There are also no guidelines supporting the collection and analysis of one or two TBSs. Methods: We assessed the variability of two successive L. loa MFD samples (MFD1 and MFD2), collected from 255 patients. We analyzed the influence of sex, age, weight, heart rate, arterial pressure, body temperature, and sampling time on MFD variability, as well the impact of MFD variability on MFD thresholds relevant to loiasis treatment protocols. Results: The MFD2 was found to have increased in 63% (1145/1826) of TBS pairs and to have decreased in 37% (681/1826) of TBS pairs. The MFD2 were on average 28% higher than the MFD1. These variations drove a total of 333 (17.4%) changes in MFD classes according to loiasis treatment protocol, including 210 (11.3%) class increases. TBSs generated from blood samples from subjects with lower MFD (1–1000 mf/ml) or lower mean arterial pressure (MAP; 55–80 mmHg), or from blood samples collected at an earlier hour time-point (10:00–10:59 a.m.) were more subject to MFD2 variability in a multivariate analysis. The MFD relative change was not constant over time for a given person. Conclusions: We observed a trend towards an increase in MFD2 with an important variability between samples that may impact loiasis treatment allocation. We suggest that systematically sampling at least two successive TBSs might allow better MFD assessments to prevent post-treatment SAEs. Further studies are needed to verify this variability in larger samples as well as confirm the potential explanatory variables identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Walking speed, a key element of gait analysis, is essential for evaluating the biomechanics of the musculoskeletal system and is typically assessed on flat surfaces, such as walkways or treadmills. While many authors have compared the differences and similarities between treadmill and overground walking, no studies have yet investigated the differences between treadmill gait analysis at self-selected speed (SS) and overground simulated speed (OS). The hypothesis is that accurate kinematic measurements depend on selecting the correct gait speed; however, a mismatch between the perceived comfortable treadmill speed and actual overground speed may affect the accuracy of treadmill gait analyses. This study aimed to assess treadmill gait in healthy young adults by comparing the SS with the OS. The objectives were to determine whether participants could match SS with OS on a treadmill, examine sex differences in gait kinematics and spatiotemporal parameters (KSP) at different speeds, and identify which speed better reflects natural gait kinematics. Methods: A total of 60 healthy men and 70 healthy women, aged 22–35 years, participated in this cross-sectional study to investigate the gait kinematics and spatiotemporal differences between the SS and OS. Student's t-test, Bonferroni adjustment, Cohen's effect size, and quadratic regression were employed to analyse differences across walking speeds and groups. Results: A discrepancy between OS and SS was observed in 66.4% of the participants. Our findings revealed that the adjusted R² values for KSP at SS were consistently greater than those at OS, suggesting that SS offers a more robust and accurate representation of gait kinematics, whereas OS is less reliable. Conclusions: These findings underscore the importance of individualized speed selection in gait analysis, as it significantly impacts the accuracy of kinematic and spatiotemporal measurements. This insight is pivotal for clinicians and researchers to develop more effective rehabilitation strategies and comprehensively understand gait dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saliva is crucial in maintaining oral health; its composition reflects the body's physiological and diseased state. Among salivary components, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) stand out for their broad antimicrobial activities and role in modulating the oral microbiota and innate immune response. Local and systemic diseases can affect the levels of AMPs in saliva, making them attractive biomarkers. However, the large variability in their concentrations hampers their use in diagnostics. Knowledge of the various factors influencing the profile of salivary AMPs is essential for their use as biomarkers. Here, we examine how lifestyle factors such as physical activity, dietary supplementation, tobacco smoking, and psychological stress impact salivary AMP levels. By understanding these sources of variability, we can take a step forward in using AMPs for diagnostics and prognostics and develop new tailored and preventative approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

STUDY QUESTION What is the relative length variance of the luteal phase compared to the follicular phase within healthy, non-smoking, normal-weight, proven normally ovulatory, premenopausal women with normal-length menstrual cycles? SUMMARY ANSWER Prospective 1-year data from 53 premenopausal women with two proven normal-length (21–36 days) and normally ovulatory (≥10 days luteal) menstrual cycles upon enrollment showed that, despite 29% of all cycles having incident ovulatory disturbances, within-woman follicular phase length variances were significantly greater than luteal phase length variances. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Many studies report menstrual cycle variability, yet few describe variability in follicular and luteal phase lengths. Luteal lengths are assumed 'fixed' at 13–14 days. Most studies have described follicular and luteal phase variability between -women. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION This study was a prospective, 1-year, observational cohort study of relative follicular and luteal phase variability both between and within community-dwelling women with two documented normal-length (21–36 days) and normally ovulatory (≥10 days luteal phase) menstrual cycles prior to enrollment. Eighty-one women enrolled in the study and 66 women completed the 1-year study. This study analyzed data from 53 women with complete data for ≥8 cycles (mean 13). PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Participants were healthy, non-smoking, of normal BMI, ages 21–41 with two documented normal-length (21–36 days) and normally ovulatory (≥10 days luteal phase) menstrual cycles prior to enrollment. Participants recorded first morning temperature, exercise durations, and menstrual cycle/life experiences daily in the Menstrual Cycle Diary. We analyzed 694 cycles utilizing a twice-validated least-squares Quantitative Basal Temperature method to determine follicular and luteal phase lengths. Statistical analysis compared relative follicular and luteal phase variance in ovulatory cycles both between-women and within-woman. Normal-length cycles with short luteal phases or anovulation were considered to have subclinical ovulatory disturbances (SOD). MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE The 1-year overall 53-woman, 676 ovulatory cycle variances for menstrual cycle, follicular, and luteal phase lengths were 10.3, 11.2, and 4.3 days, respectively. Median variances within-woman for cycle, follicular, and luteal lengths were 3.1, 5.2, and 3.0 days, respectively. Menstrual cycles were largely of normal lengths (98%) with an important prevalence of SOD: 55% of women experienced >1 short luteal phase (<10 days) and 17% experienced at least one anovulatory cycle. Within-woman follicular phase length variances were greater than luteal phase length variances (P  < 0.001). However, follicular (P  = 0.008) and luteal phase length (P  = 0.001) variances, without differences in cycle lengths, were greater in women experiencing any anovulatory cycles (n = 8) than in women with entirely normally ovulatory cycles (n = 6). LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Limitations of this study include the relatively small cohort, that most women were White, initially had a normal BMI, and the original cohort required two normal-length and normally ovulatory menstrual cycles before enrollment. Thus, this cohort's data underestimated population menstrual cycle phase variances and the prevalence of SOD. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Our results reinforce previous findings that the follicular phase is more variable than the luteal phase in premenopausal women with normal-length and ovulatory menstrual cycles. However, our study adds to the growing body of evidence that the luteal phase is not predictably 13–14 days long. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This medical education project of the University of British Columbia was funded by donations to the Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research. The authors do not have any conflicts of interest to disclose. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The "gold standard" marker for freezing of gait severity is percentage of time spent with freezing observed through video analysis. Objective: This study examined inter- and intra-rater reliability and variability of physiotherapists rating freezing of gait severity through video analysis and explored the effects of experience. Methods: Thirty physiotherapists rated 14 videos of Timed Up and Go performance by people with Parkinson's and gait freezing. Ten videos were unique, while four were repeated. Freezing frequency, total duration, and percentage of time spent with freezing were computed. Reliability and variability were estimated using ICC (2,1) and mean absolute differences. Between-group differences were calculated with the one-way ANOVA. Results: Inter- and intra-rater reliability ranged from moderate to good (ICC: inter-rater frequency = 0.63, duration = 0.78, percentage = 0.50; intra-rater frequency = 0.84, duration = 0.89, percentage = 0.50). Variability for freezing frequency was two episodes. Inter- and intra-rater variability for total freezing duration was 18.8 and 12.3 seconds, respectively. For percentage of time spent with freezing, this was 15.2% and 13.5%. Physiotherapy experience had no effect. Conclusion: Physiotherapists demonstrated sufficient reliability, but variability was large enough to cause changes in severity classifications on existing rating scales. Percentage of time spent with freezing was the least reliable marker, supporting the use of freezing frequency or total duration instead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the impact of salinity and alkalinity on the volumetric deformation of the Opalinus Clay from the lower sandy facies (LSF ) of Mont Terri site was investigated. Series of samples were exposed in parallel to alkaline solutions at four different pHs ( 8.8 , 11.5 , 12.5 and 13.5 ) or to saline solutions at three different osmotic suctions (π = 10 , 15 and 34 MPa ). As a reference, samples were also exposed to synthetic water at pH 7.5 and π = 1 MPa . It was found that the protocol followed above ("parallel testing") was not suitable for the LSF Opalinus Clay due to the high mineralogy variability. Therefore, a new protocol ("gradual testing") consisting of gradually exposing the same sample to different saline or alkaline solutions was adopted. It was found that the volumetric swelling strain increased with alkalinity and decreased with salinity. In the first case, the acid-base attack resulted in a dispersed structure with higher repulsive forces. Also, the precipitation of new compounds composed of the products of the dissolution of clay minerals and the species present in the alkaline solution contributed to the observed increase in swelling strain. For the saline solutions, the decrease of the thickness of diffuse double layer and the osmotically induced consolidation explained the observed decrease of swelling strain. Highlights: Salinity decreases the volumetric swelling strain of Opalinus Clay. Alkalinity increases the volumetric swelling strain of Opalinus Clay. The "parallel testing" protocol is not suitable for the Opalinus Clay. A new protocol ("gradual testing" protocol) is developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to hold objects relies on neural processes underlying grip force control during grasping. Brain activity lateralized to contralateral hemisphere averaged over trials is associated with grip force applied on an object. However, the involvement of neural variability within-trial during grip force control remains unclear. We examined dependence of neural variability over frontal, central, and parietal regions of interest (ROI) on grip force magnitude using noninvasive electroencephalography (EEG). We utilized our existing EEG dataset comprised of healthy young adults performing an isometric force control task, cued to exert 5, 10, or 15% of their maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) across trials and received visual feedback of their grip force. We quantified variability in EEG signal via sample entropy (sequence-dependent) and standard deviation (sequence-independent measure) over ROI. We found lateralized modulation in EEG sample entropy with force magnitude over central electrodes but not over frontal or parietal electrodes. However, modulation was not observed for standard deviation in the EEG activity. These findings highlight lateralized and spatially constrained modulation in sequence-dependent, but not sequence-independent component of EEG variability. We contextualize these findings in applications requiring finer precision (e.g., prosthesis), and propose directions for future studies investigating role of neural entropy in behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HDR syndrome is a rare disease characterized by hypoparathyroidism, deafness, and renal dysplasia. An autosomal dominant disease caused by heterozygous pathogenic GATA3 variants, the penetrance of each associated condition is variable. Literature reviews have provided some answers, but many questions remain, in particular what the relationship is between genotype and phenotype. The current study examines 28 patients with HDR syndrome combined with an exhaustive review of the literature. Some conditions such as hearing loss are almost always present, while others described as rare initially, do not seem to be so rare after all (genital malformations and basal ganglia calcifications). By modeling pathogenic GATA3 variants found in HDR syndrome, we found that missense variations appear to always be located in the same area (close to the two Zinc Finger domain). We describe new pathogenic GATA3 variants, of which some seem to always be associated with certain conditions. Many audiograms were studied to establish a typical audiometric profile associated with a phenotype in HDR. As mentioned in the literature, hearing function should always be assessed as early as possible and follow up of patients with HDR syndrome should include monitoring of parathyroid function and vesicoureteral reflux in order to prevent complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In constructed wetlands (CWs), aquatic plant diversity can enhance system nitrogen (N) removal. However, the impact of aquatic plant diversity with different life forms and benthic animals on the N (NO3−-N, NH4+-N, TIN) removal and its stability has been neglected. This study established 42 simulated CWs, selecting three aquatic plant species with different life forms to establish plant species diversity, with benthic animals (Cipangopaludinas chinensis) added or not added at each diversity level. The results indicated that (1) the presence of the aquatic plant Pistia stratiotes increased the effluent nitrate nitrogen (NO3−-N) concentration. (2) In systems with or without C. chinensis, the plant species richness increased the temporal stability of the effluent NO3−-N concentration; the presence of the aquatic plant Vallisneria natans increased the temporal stability of the effluent total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) concentration in systems without C. chinensis and the temporal stability of the effluent NO3−-N concentration in systems with C. chinensis. (3) Adding C. chinensis significantly reduced the temporal stability of the effluent TIN concentration in the monoculture of V. natans. The rational establishment of aquatic plant diversity with benthic animals can improve the effluent's water quality while ensuring the water quality's temporal stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Scientists typically run experiments many times to find general patterns over multiple specific runs. The results of those runs vary, and the variance is often simply referred to as “noise”. We claim that it is highly important to separate the components that contribute to noise and to recognize to which degree they contribute to it. Consideration of the relative contributions of R (randomness), U (uncontrolled variables), and M (measurement error) helps to interpret data and can help to improve experimental designs. We explain this using a hypothetical example and point out that assumptions of what causes variability in the results of experiments are often made implicitly. Further, we demonstrate our point by showing how it can change the interpretation of real data. Because of a lack of explicit discussion of underlying assumptions, it is possible that sources of noise are misidentified to be either existent or non-existent. This can happen if, for example, measurement error is assumed when there is none, an assumption that would mask a real effect that could deserve further study. Despite these factors, the contribution of different factors to the overall noise is rarely considered, hampering scientific progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functional data analysis (FDA) is a contemporary area of statistics designed for analysis of functions or curves. FDA has grown in human movement applications over the last three decades, with it being applied across a range of sport applications including rowing, weightlifting, diving, race-walking, jumping and running. Functional principal components analysis (fPCA) has been the most commonly used technique in sports biomechanics, often being applied to better understand characteristics of variability present in curves from biomechanical variables sampled from sporting movements. Given that FDA is an area of statistics with specific techniques for processing and analysing data, it provides one valuable platform for biomechanists to understand and think about their data more holistically. Further, the visual interpretability that FDA techniques provide, there is great potential for FDA to be used beyond research contexts, as a suite of practical tools to assist practical sports biomechanists in making decisions in sport. This review aims to demonstrate some methods yet to be applied in sports biomechanics, with simple sports biomechanics data applications taken from rowing. This article aims to showcase the value that FDA may have in assisting practitioners as they make decisions with athletes regarding their movement characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim Materials and methods Results Conclusions Intraindividual body weight variability (BWV), that is, the degree of weight fluctuations over time, is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in multiple settings. The impact of BWV on cardiovascular risk in type 1 diabetes (T1D) remains unclear, despite the issues relative to weight management in individuals with this condition.Using data from the Swedish National Diabetes Register, we identified individuals with T1D and without CVD at baseline with at least three measurements of body weight taken over three consecutive years. We estimated BWV as quartiles of the standard deviation of weight measures and explored its longitudinal association with the incidence of CVD during a 12.7 ± 4.6 year follow‐up through adjusted Cox regression models. The primary endpoint was the composite of nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke and all‐cause mortality. We modelled the function of risk in relation to the magnitude of BWV, testing also whether weight trends, that is, increasing, stable or decreasing, age, sex and glycaemic control modified the association between BWV and the outcome.Among the 36 333 individuals with T1D in the register, we identified 19 373 individuals with at least three measures of body weight and without CVD at baseline. Participants with the highest BWV had a 42% increased risk of reaching the primary endpoint compared to those with the lowest BWV (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.42, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.24–1.62). In addition, high BWV was significantly associated with a 51% increased risk of all‐cause mortality (HR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.28–1.78), a 37% increased risk of peripheral artery disease (HR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.06–1.77) and a 55% increased risk of hospitalization for heart failure (HR = 1.55, 95% CI: 1.20–2.01). BWV showed a quasi‐linear association with the primary endpoint. No interaction was observed when comparing subgroups for weight trends, sex or degree of glycaemic control. In the subgroup of elderly individuals, the association of BWV with the primary endpoint was no longer significant.High BWV is associated with an increased risk of CVD and all‐cause mortality in individuals with T1D, independently of canonical risk factors. Weight trends, sex and glycaemic control do not modify such association while older age attenuates it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most reliable features of natural systems is that they change through time. Theory predicts that temporally fluctuating conditions shape community composition, species distribution patterns, and life history variation, yet features of temporal variability are rarely incorporated into studies of species–environment associations. In this study, we evaluated how two components of temporal environmental variation—variability and predictability—impact plant community composition and species distribution patterns in the alpine tundra of the Southern Rocky Mountains in Colorado (USA). Using the Sensor Network Array at the Niwot Ridge Long‐Term Ecological Research site, we used in situ, high‐resolution temporal measurements of soil moisture and temperature from 13 locations (“nodes”) distributed throughout an alpine catchment to characterize the annual mean, variability, and predictability in these variables in each of four consecutive years. We combined these data with annual vegetation surveys at each node to evaluate whether variability over short (within‐day) and seasonal (2‐ to 4‐month) timescales could predict patterns in plant community composition, species distributions, and species abundances better than models that considered average annual conditions alone. We found that metrics for variability and predictability in soil moisture and soil temperature, at both daily and seasonal timescales, improved our ability to explain spatial variation in alpine plant community composition. Daily variability in soil moisture and temperature, along with seasonal predictability in soil moisture, was particularly important in predicting community composition and species occurrences. These results indicate that the magnitude and patterns of fluctuations in soil moisture and temperature are important predictors of community composition and plant distribution patterns in alpine plant communities. More broadly, these results highlight that components of temporal change provide important niche axes that can partition species with different growth and life history strategies along environmental gradients in heterogeneous landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) and sample entropy (SE) measure the long-term correlations and regularity of gait patterns, respectively, having previously been used to identify participants at risk of falling, previous history of injury, or patients with motor diseases. Since these measures are more sensitive to gait impairment than linear measures (e.g., the standard deviation [SD] of stride time), they can be potentially used in military medicine to identify soldiers at risk of injury. However, clinometric properties are yet to be established. What is the repeatability of DFA, SE, and traditional linear measures of stride time variability (SD and coefficient of variation [CV]) under various load and speed constraints? Fourteen Australian Army trainee soldiers (age: 25.6 ± 5.9 y, height: 1.74 ± 0.08 m, body mass: 77.2 ± 15.1 kg, service: 1.5 ± 1.8 y) attended three sessions over two weeks, completing four 12-minute walking trials on an instrumented treadmill in each session. Participants walked with a combination of 0 kg or 23 kg loads at a self-selected or 5.5 km/h speed. Heel contacts from the right foot were identified using treadmill-embedded force plates. From 512 stride time intervals, linear (SD and CV), and non-linear (DFA and SE) measures were obtained. To assess the between-session repeatability, intraclass correlations (ICC 2,1) were employed. There was poor-to-moderate repeatability for the SD (ICC: 0.357–0.545) and CV (ICC: 0.371–0.529). DFA showed poor-to-moderate repeatability (ICC: 0.013–0.504), while SE had poor repeatability (ICC: 0.133–0.226). Previous studies have shown that differences of > 0.19 in DFA and > 0.66 in SE can differentiate between healthy and pathological gait. These values are greater than this study's reported standard error of measurement, indicating that clinically meaningful changes may still be detectable despite low repeatability. • The repeatability of stride time measures during loaded marching were established • Linear and non-linear measures demonstrated poor-to-moderate repeatability • Non-linear measures had a variation of less than 10 % between sessions • Meaningful changes in stride time measures can be detected during marching [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low back pain affects 619 million people worldwide and is commonly provoked by sitting. Current assessment methods constrain task variability, removing real-world, task-switching behaviors. This study utilized accelerometers to provide an original validated method of in vivo real-world assessment of lumbar sitting behavior throughout a full day. A three-stage study design was used, which involved (1) blinded verification of our sitting detection algorithm, (2) full-day data collection from participants with low back discomfort, quantifying lumbar angles, and end-user acceptability explored, (3) case study application to two clinical low back pain (LBP) patients, incorporating measurement of provocative sitting. Focus group discussions demonstrated that data collection methods were acceptable. Sitting 'windows' were created and analyzed using novel histograms, amplitude probability distribution functions, and variability, demonstrating that sitting behavior was unique and varied across individuals. One LBP patient demonstrated two frequent lumbar postures (<15% flexion and ~75% flexion), with pain provocation at 62% lumbar flexion. The second patient demonstrated a single dominant posture (~90% flexion), with pain provoked at 86% lumbar flexion. Our in vivo approach offers an acceptable method to gain new insights into provocative sitting behavior in individuals with LBP, allowing individualized unconstrained data for full-day postures and pain provocation behaviors to be quantified, which are otherwise unattainable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The East African March–April–May (MAM, "long rains") precipitation decline in recent decades remains a puzzle marked by various proposed large‐scale drivers. Here, the interannual variability of the long rains and their recent drying trend are examined using global model simulations and observations. Comparison of a control simulation and re‐initialized simulations in which land‐surface feedback is suppressed shows that much of the long rains deficit experienced between 1980 and 2014 is synchronized with the warming of the Northwestern Eurasian landmass. In agreement with the modeling results, multiple observational data sets reveal a strong negative correlation between MAM mean East African rainfall amount and the surface temperature over Northwestern Eurasia. Idealized simulations further indicate that warming in Northwestern Eurasia weakens the regional Hadley Cell and diverts the monsoonal transport of moisture away from Eastern Africa toward Europe and southern Africa, highlighting the role of remote land surface warming on the observed precipitation decline. Plain Language Summary: In this article the inter‐annual variability and the observed long‐term decline of Boreal spring rainfall over Eastern Africa are examined. Previous research on the causes of these droughts focused on sea surface temperature variability over tropical oceans. In this work through extensive analysis of observations and global modeling we show that land‐surface feedbacks over Northwestern Eurasia are the primary culprit. More broadly the work highlights the importance of teleconnections between regional climates through remote impacts of land surface feedbacks. Key Points: We demonstrate a co‐variability of East African March–April–May rainfall (long rains) and surface temperature over Northwestern EurasiaAnalysis of model simulations show warming Northwestern Eurasia weakens the local Hadley cell and introduces subsidence over East AfricaThe observed decline in East African March–April–May rainfall observed during 1980–2014 can be explained by this warming [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experiment was carried out during rabi (September, 2018-January, 2019) season under water deficit experimental fields at Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu, India to evaluate the performance of maize inbreds under water deficient conditions and to identify potential diverse inbreds for hybridization programme. Ten quantitative characters were studied for variability studies, whereas genetic diversity was observed at both molecular and phenotypic levels. The genotype, G34 showed the highest mean for single plant yield (SPY) (135.6 g), this was followed by G11, G32, G38 and G48. While the genotypes G20 and G50 showed early days to 50% tasseling (DT) and silking (<55 days). High heritability and genetic advance as per cent of mean was observed for the traits leaf area, number of kernels cob-1 and SPY, showing the action of additive gene action. Path analysis showed that SPY had positive direct effects from days to DT, plant height, leaf area, cob length, number of kernels and test weight. Cluster analysis based on Mahalanobis (D2) diversity analysis partitioned the 52 genotypes into 5 clusters, whereas mean Euclidean distance based molecular clustering using the six markers partitioned the selected fourteen genotypes into six clusters. Overall based on both these diversity analyses the genotypes G34, G20, G16, G48, G50, G40 and G34 can be selected and used as parents in future hybridization programme to get superior high yielding hybrids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The present investigation was effectuated to study mungbean germplasms with an objective to estimate the genetic variability parameterssuch as coefficient of variation, heritability andgenetic advance for yield and its contributing traits. Methods: The experimental material comprises of forty mungbean genotypes evaluated during Kharif-2017. An experimental study was conducted with emphasis on the selection of superior along with highly variable genotypes thatwere analyzed in randomized block design (RBD) with three replications. Result: The results of the analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that the genotypic variations were significant for all of the traits and magnitude of variation was found high for clusters per plant followed by harvest index and seed yield per plant. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance was recorded for clusters per plant (96.00%, 65.48%), seed yield per plant (96.00%, 45.78%), pods per plant (93.00%, 44.81%), harvest index (86.00%, 44.42%). Thus, the present findings could be beneficial to develop superior genotypes through selection in mungbean breeding program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Approximately 75% of the world's and California's shores are rocky. Rocky shores are of biological interest owing to their diverse and productive species assemblages, where waves and currents play a critical role in larval dispersal and recruitment. Surface variability for nearshore (5⪅depth⪅60m) $(5\lessapprox \mathrm{d}\mathrm{e}\mathrm{p}\mathrm{t}\mathrm{h}\lessapprox 60\hspace*{.5em}\mathrm{m})$ rocky bottoms at intermediate wave scale 1/750

Background: Hydroxyurea (HU), also known as hydroxycarbamide, is an oral ribonucleotide reductase inhibitor. In 1999, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved HU for the treatment of sickle cell disease (SCD). Since then, it has become the cornerstone in the management of SCD patients, helping to reduce vaso-occlusive crises, acute chest syndrome, the need for blood transfusions, hospitalizations and mortality. There is considerable variability among individuals in HU pharmacokinetic (Pk) parameters that can influence treatment efficacy and toxicity. The objective of this work is part of a clinical study aimed at investigating HU Pk and determining the optimal sampling time to estimate the Area Under the Curve (AUC) in SCD patients. Methods: HU plasma concentration in 80 patients at various time points (2, 4, 6, 24 h) following a 48-h drug washout was quantified using High-Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) coupled with an ultraviolet (UV) detection method previously described in the literature and adapted to new conditions with partial modifications. Results: The mean HU administered dose was 19.5 ± 5.1 mg/kg (range: 7.7–37.5 mg/kg). The median AUC quantified in plasma patients was 101.3 mg/L/h (Interquartile Range (IQR): 72.5–355.9) and it was not influenced by the weight-based dose. However, there was a strong positive correlation between AUC and Body Mass Index (BMI) as well as dose per Body Surface Area (BSA). Along with a three-point approach for AUC determination present in the literature, we show results obtained from a four-point sampling strategy, which is more useful and effective for better optimizing dose escalation to the maximum tolerated dose (MTD). Moreover, we observed that most patients achieved the maximum HU plasma concentration two hours after drug administration, regardless of age differences. Conclusions: HU treatment, which represents a milestone in the treatment of SCD due to its ability to reduce disease complications and improve patients' quality of life, requires careful monitoring to optimize the individual dose for saving potential side effects and/or adverse events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variability is underemphasized in domains such as engineering. Statistics and data science education research offers a variety of frameworks for understanding variability, but new frameworks for domain applications are necessary. This study investigated the professional practices of working engineers to develop such a framework. The Neglected, Acknowledged, or Targeted (NAT) Taxonomy describes whether one's data analysis choices engage with variability, and whether those choices target the potential consequences of variability, within a given domain. A targeted analysis is the most beneficial rung for engineering applications and is therefore a useful concept for instruction. This study describes the qualitative methods used to develop the NAT Taxonomy and describes how the taxonomy can be used in statistics and data science education, particularly in support of other domain applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Suicidal ambivalence is increasingly understood as the result of the interplay of two conflicting motivational orientations, the wish to die (WTD) and wish to live (WTL). However, research is scarce regarding the nature of their relationship, their temporal structure, and their relevance in predicting suicidal desire. Methods: Fifty psychosomatic/psychiatric inpatients (17 reporting suicide attempts) took part in an intensive longitudinal design with 10 signal‐contingent prompts per day over 10 days; assessing WTD, WTL, and suicidal desire. We calculated mean values and variability of WTD, WTL, suicidal ambivalence, and suicidal desire and tested mixed‐effects models of suicidal desire. Results: The mean number of answered prompts was 40.98 (SD = 21.68). Repeated‐measures correlation of WTD and WTL was r = −0.60. Patients with a history of suicide attempts reported higher WTD, lower WTL, more suicidal ambivalence, stronger suicidal desire, and showed higher variability in all constructs. At the same assessment, WTD was the strongest statistical predictor of suicidal desire. Only WTL and the interaction of WTD and WTL predicted suicidal desire prospectively. Conclusion: Wish to die and WTL are likely two distinct (although correlated) constructs that should not be reduced to a single ambivalence score. A stronger focus on WTL holds potential for suicide research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is accepted that highly skilled golfers are more consistent in their clubhead presentation and shot outcomes than their lesser skilled counterparts. However, the relationships between movement variability, outcome variability and skill in golf are not particularly well understood. This study examined the ground reaction force variability of one-hundred and four amateur golfers for shots with drivers and 5-irons. Principal component analysis was used as a data reduction technique and allowed all three components of ground reaction force to be considered together. There were statistically significant trends for the higher skilled golfers to display lower variability in two of the five principal components (driver) and four of the five principal components (5-iron). A similar trend was also observed in the other principal components, but these trends were not statistically significant. Intra-individual variability was much lower than inter-individual variability across all golfers; the golfers were each relatively consistent in maintaining their own ground reaction force patterns. Lower variability in ground reaction forces may partly explain how highly skilled golfers maintain lower variability in shot outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ivermectin has been used since the 1980s as an anthelmintic and antiectoparasite agent worldwide. Currently, the only available oral formulation is tablets designed for adult patients. A patient‐friendly orodispersible tablet formulation designed for pediatric use (CHILD‐IVITAB) has been developed and is entering early phase clinical trials. To inform the pediatric program of CHILD‐IVITAB, 16 healthy adults were enrolled in a phase I, single‐center, open‐label, randomized, 2‐period, crossover, single‐dose trial which aimed to compare palatability, tolerability, and bioavailability and pharmacokinetics of CHILD‐IVITAB and their variability against the marketed ivermectin tablets (STROMECTOL) at a single dose of 12 mg in a fasting state. Palatability with CHILD‐IVITAB was considerably enhanced as compared to STROMECTOL. Both ivermectin formulations were well tolerated and safe. Relative bioavailability of CHILD‐IVITAB compared to STROMECTOL was estimated as the ratios of geometric means for Cmax, AUC 0‐∞, and AUC0‐last, which were 1.52 [90% CI: 1.13‐2.04], 1.27 [0.99‐1.62], and 1.29 [1.00‐1.66], respectively. Maximum drug concentrations occurred earlier with the CHILD‐IVITAB formulation, with a median Tmax at 3.0 h [range 2.0‐4.0 h] versus 4.0 h [range 2.0‐5.0 h] with STROMECTOL (P =.004). With CHILD‐IVITAB, variability in exposure was cut in half (coefficient of variation: 37% vs 70%) compared to STROMECTOL. Consistent with a more controlled absorption process, CHILD‐IVITAB was associated with reduced variability in drug exposure as compared to STROMECTOL. Together with a favorable palatability and tolerability profile, these findings motivate for further clinical studies to evaluate benefits of such a patient‐friendly ODT formulation in pediatric patients with a parasitic disease, including infants and young children <15 kg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Odor hedonic perception (pleasant/unpleasant character) is considered to be the first and one of the most important dimensions in olfaction and is known to be highly variable and dependent on several factors related to the stimulus, individual characteristics, and context. Although numerous experimental studies have been published on this topic, there is no comprehensive general review on the variability in odor hedonic perception. Therefore, the aim of this article was to describe and detail all the factors involved in the variability in odor hedonic perception. Stimulus properties-related variability includes the concentration/intensity and the physicochemical properties. Individual-related variability includes sex, age, and physiological state characteristics, while context-related variability involves factors associated with the stimulation context, such as stimulation pathway, exposure frequency, verbal influences, cross-modal associations, hedonic contrast, and cultural background. Subsequently, a section is devoted to the brain processing of odor hedonicity, although its role in odor hedonic variability is largely unknown. Finally, the article discusses the relationship between the hedonic qualities of odors and the resulting behavioral responses in both animals and humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying superior genotypes of soft winter wheat with high ecological plasticity to soil and climatic conditions, combined with tolerance to common diseases caused by fungal pathogens, including snow mould, is becoming increasingly important for both production and breeding. This is driven by the global demand for environmentally safe products. The preliminary selection of the most valuable initial material with high-stress resistance to periodic climate changes and deteriorating phytosanitary conditions is essential for the success of the breeding process in addressing current challenges. This study aimed to determine the level of ecological plasticity in soft winter wheat varieties, differentiated by their resistance to the snow mould pathogen, through the analysis of genotype effect ranks and yield regression coefficients. Additionally, high-yielding sources were identified for use in breeding for adaptability. The research was conducted according to commonly accepted methodologies for evaluating materials based on disease resistance and adaptive traits, ensuring a highly objective interpretation of the results obtained. It was determined that the highest ecological plasticity among the studied material was differentiated by resistance to Microdochium nivale (Fr.) Samuels & I.C. Hallett, was exhibited by five varieties (16.7%) that achieved yields ranging from 118% to 129% of the standard. These include the varieties Muza Bilotserkivska, Askaniiska Berehynia, Hetmanska, Malovanka (UKR), and Nordika (CZE), as evidenced by the lowest sum of ranks (sum of ranks 2) for the genotypic effect (ei) and regression coefficient (Ri). New sources of high and stable resistance in soft winter wheat to the snow mould pathogen were identified, specifically: Sanzhara, Malovanka, Svitiaz, Muza Bilotserkivska (UKR); Smuga (POL), and Nordika (CZE). It was found that, in soft winter wheat varieties, resistance to Microdochium nivale (Fr.) Samuels & I.C. Hallett significantly negatively correlates with the sum of ranks for genotypic effect and yield plasticity, with r =-0.69, P < 0.01. The systematisation of the results obtained and the identification of varieties with the highest ecological plasticity under variable weather conditions within the agroecological zone allows for the identification of the best gene pool for adaptive breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

qdOne of the most important limitations of cultivation in the Sistan plain is soil salinity. To investigate the salinity status using remote sensing in Sistan Plain, Landsat 8 (LC08- LOI/TIRS) satellite images were used in April, August and November of 2017 and April 2018. To convert radiance data, the initial correction related to voltage change to digital number (DN) to convert radiance data was done by sensor calibration file as well as data radiometric correction using flat area method in ENVI 5.1 software. To determine the soil sampling points, first draw a 2x2 km grid and then by referring to the area and checking the sampling location, 312 soil samples were taken and the values of Electrical Conductivity (EC), Sodium Adsorption ratio (SAR) and texture in them were measured. By secondary processing, extracting the spectral features of satellite images and using several algorithms and indices, a salinity map was prepared for the surface soils of the region in four periods. The results of the remote sensing investigation showed that surface soil salinity in the region is a dynamic phenomenon and has significant changes with the changes of season, rainfall, irrigation and land management. The results obtained from the interpretation of satellite images showed that time, rainfall events of the planting season and water and soil management have a significant effect on soil salinity and the areas of lands with different salinity. The extent of soils with high salinity increased in the summer season, but in April 2018 (MBE=0.98, NRMSE=17.56%, R²=0.69) which coincided with the sampling due to the occurrence of rains and floods in these areas, this extent decreased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To continuously and dynamically monitor the sleep status of patients in the acute phase of cerebral infarction, and to investigate the characteristics of acute cerebral infarction(ACI)associated with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), variations in sleep structure, and changes in sleep circadian rhythms. Methods: Patients with ACI within 48 h of onset who were admitted to the Department of Neurology at Kailuan General Hospital from November 2020 to December 2022 were selected. Detailed baseline information such as age, gender, smoking history, drinking history, were recorded for the selected participants. From the beginning of their hospitalization, the selected participants were monitored for their sleep status continuously for 5 days using the Intelligent Mattress-based Sleep Monitoring Platform System(IMSMPS). Based on the heart rate data obtained from the monitoring, the interdaily stability (IS) and intradaily variability (IV) of the sleep circadian rhythm were calculated. Results: 1,367 patients with ACI were selected. Monitoring results over 5 days indicated 147 cases (10.75%) without SDB, and 1,220 cases (89.25%) with SDB. Among the group with SDB, there were 248 cases (18.14%) with continuous mild SDB, 395 cases (28.90%) with moderate SDB, 295 cases (21.58%) with severe SDB, and 282 cases (20.63%) that fluctuated between different severity levels. Within this fluctuating group, 152 cases (53.90%) fluctuated between two severity levels, 120 cases (42.55%) between three levels, and 10 cases (3.55%) among all four levels. There were statistically significant differences (P < 0.05) in the sleep latency, sleep efficiency, non-rapid eye movement stages 1–2, rapid eye movement, proportion of non-rapid eye movement, proportion of rapid eye movement, wake after sleep onset, time out of bed, number of awakenings, respiratory variability index, and heart rate variability index among patients with ACI monitored from day 1 to 5. However, other monitored sleep structure parameters did not show statistically significant differences (P > 0.05). The coefficient of variation for all sleep monitoring parameters ranged between 14.54 and 36.57%. The IV in the SDB group was higher than in the group without SDB (P < 0.05), and the IS was lower than in the group without SDB (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Patients in the acute phase of cerebral infarction have a high probability of accompanying SDB. The sleep structure of these patients shows significant variability based on the onset time of the stroke, and some patients experience fluctuations among different severity levels of SDB. ACI accompanied by SDB can further reduce the IS of a patient's sleep circadian rhythm and increase its IV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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On 21 February 2024, 12 neonate spurdogs (Squaliformes: Squalidae) were captured with a bottom trawl towed over a sandy-muddy bottom at depths of 121–126 m in the eastern sector of the Marmara Sea. Eleven out of 12 spurdogs were identified as Squalus blainville (Risso, 1827), but one of the spurdogs, specimen MD6-24-SquaSp, exhibited several characteristics of both S. blainville and S. megalops. The results of this study suggest two possibilities: (1) either S. blainville shows a significant degree of intraspecific variability, and therefore, there is a highly differentiated variety of S. blainville that may occur in the Marmara Sea, or (2) there is a yet undescribed species belonging to the S. megalops clade that occurs in the region. This uncertainty supports the need for a genetically based taxonomic revision of the species of the genus Squalus in the Marmara Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]