Search Results (7)

Spatial and temporal variability of macrozoobenthic communities were investigated around three offshore gas structures with different architecture (a subsea well-site, a four-leg platform, and a one-leg platform) in the NW Adriatic Sea. Four post-installation surveys (two per year over two years) were conducted by sampling sediments at increasing distances from each structure (approximately 0, 30, 60, 120 and 1000 m from the structure edge). A total of 233, 271 and 260 taxa were recorded around Structures A, B and C, respectively, with polychaetes representing the dominant taxonomic group at all sites. Across all structures, community composition showed significant variability both among surveys and along the distance gradient. Near-structure stations (0–60 m) most frequently accounted for spatial dissimilarities, whereas communities at 120 and 1000 m were generally more similar. Early surveys around the well-site and the four-leg platform were characterised by low diversity and high dominance of the opportunistic polychaete Ditrupa arietina, suggesting a short-term disturbance related to installation. Post-installation trajectories differed among structures: community descriptors stabilized faster around the subsea well-site, while changes near the platforms extended for at least two years. At the one-leg and four-leg platforms, the progressive development of a bivalve mound (specimens of Mytilus galloprovincialis and/or Neopycnodonte cochlear fell from the submerged parts of the platforms) coincided with increased abundance, species richness and occurrence of hard-bottom associated taxa at 0 m stations. Overall, the results indicate that offshore gas structures can locally influence macrozoobenthic assemblages by modifying habitat heterogeneity and promoting site-specific community responses. Although based on post-installation observations only, this study provides site-specific evidence useful for future decommissioning planning in soft-bottom shelf areas. Full article

Background/Objectives: Ultrasound (US) imaging and echotexture analysis are emerging techniques for assessing muscle tissue quality in the post-stroke population. Clinical studies suggest that echovariation (EV) and echointensity (EI) serve as objective indicators of muscle impairment, although methodological limitations hinder their clinical translation. This secondary analysis aimed to refine the assessment of echotexture by using robust statistical techniques. Methods: A total of 130 regions of interest (ROIs) extracted from the gastrocnemius medialis of 22 post-stroke individuals were analyzed. First, inter-examiner reliability between two physiotherapists was assessed by using Cohen’s kappa for muscle impairment classification (low/high) for each echotexture feature. For each examiner, the correlation between the classification of the degree of impairment and the modified Heckmatt scale for each feature was analyzed. The dataset was then reduced to 44 ROIs (one image per leg per patient) and assessed by three physiotherapists to analyze inter-examiner reliability by using Light´s kappa and correlation between both assessment methods globally. Statistical differences in 21 echotexture features were evaluated according to the degree of muscle impairment. A binary logistic regression model was developed by using features with a Cohen’s kappa value greater than 0.9 as predictors. Results: A strong and significant degree of agreement was observed among the three examiners regarding the degree of muscle impairment (Kappa_light = 0.85, p < 0.001), with nine of the 21 features showing excellent inter-examiner reliability. The correlation between muscle impairment classification with the modified Heckmatt scale was very high and significant both globally and for each echotexture feature. Significant differences (<0.05) were found for EV, EI, dissimilarity, energy, contrast, maximum likelihood, skewness, and the modified Heckmatt scale. Logistic regression highlighted dissimilarity, entropy, EV, Gray-Level Uniformity (GLU), and EI as the main predictors of muscle tissue impairment. The EV and EI models showed high explanatory power (Nagelkerke’s pseudo-R² = 0.74 and 0.76) and robust classification performance (AUC = 94.20% and 95.45%). Conclusions: This secondary analysis confirms echotexture analysis as a reliable tool for post-stroke muscle assessment, validating EV and EI as key indicators while identifying dissimilarity, entropy, and GLU as additional relevant features. Full article

Introduction: This study investigates how traumatic injuries alter joint movements in the ankle and foot. We used a brain injury model in rats, focusing on the hippocampus between the CA1 and dentate gyrus. Materials and Methods: We assessed the dissimilarity factor (DF) and vertical displacement (VD) of the ankle and metatarsus joints before and after the hippocampal lesion. We analyzed joint movements in rats after the injury or in rats treated with resveratrol, exercise, or a combination of both. Results: Resveratrol facilitated the recovery of DF in both legs, showing improvements in the ankle and metatarsus joints on the third and seventh days post-injury. The hippocampal lesion affected VD in both legs, observed on the third or seventh day after the injury. Both exercise and resveratrol partially recovered VD in the ankle and metatarsus joints on these days. These effects may be linked to increased hippocampal neurogenesis and reduced neuroinflammation. Conclusions: The study highlights the benefits of resveratrol and exercise in motor recovery following brain injury, suggesting their potential to enhance the quality of life for patients with neurological disorders affecting motor function and locomotion. These findings also suggest that resveratrol could offer a promising or complementary alternative in managing chronic pain and inflammation associated with orthopedic conditions, thus improving overall patient management. Full article

L-shaped concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) columns represent a valuable structural element with an L-shaped cross-section, primarily employed in the corner columns of framed structures. These columns offer several advantages, including space efficiency by avoiding column protrusion, robust mechanical properties, high load-bearing capacity, ductility, and efficient utilization of internal building space. This article presents the outcomes of an experimental investigation into the seismic behavior of L-shaped CFST columns. The experimental study investigated the seismic performance of nine L-shaped CFST columns while considering different cross-sectional dimensions, their combinations, and varying levels of confinement. The results obtained from this study indicate that L-shaped CFST columns possess favorable seismic performance characteristics. However, there exists the potential for significant improvement by modifying certain parameters. Enhancements in seismic performance were observed when increasing the cross-sectional dimensions of the column and the length of its legs. The use of steel tubes and the provision of adequate confinement also demonstrated notable benefits. Moreover, the better arrangement of steel tubes within the column positively influenced seismic performance. These findings can potentially inform and enhance the design of L-shaped CFST columns, rendering them more resilient to seismic forces. Full article

This paper aims to investigate the differences in standing balance control ability between freestyle skiing aerials athletes and ordinary graduate students by means of wavelet transform (WT) and the overall stability index (OSI) and to discover the characteristics of the postural control ability of dissimilar subjects and appropriate methods to assess the postural control ability of the human body. Research Methods: In all, 16 subjects were tested, including 8 from the Chinese national team who had won the world championships of freestyle skiing aerials, with 10+ years of training (age: 23 ± 23.1 years, Height: 176 ± 2.1 cm, and weight: 69 ± 3.5 kg), and 8 ordinary graduate students of Shenyang Institute of Physical Education (age: 22.6 ± 4.6 years, Height: 179 ± 3.3 cm, and weight: 73 ± 4.1 kg). When performing the tasks, the research subjects were required to stand on the steady support surface (with eyes closed and legs closed) for 30 s in each testing. The displacement data of the anteroposterior (AP) direction and the mediolateral (ML) direction of their centre of pressure (COP) were recorded. Then, WT and OSI were calculated. Two dissimilar methods were compared to analyse the characteristics of balance ability. Results: (1) The athletes’ WT values in the AP direction and the ML direction were concentrated in the interval of 22~30 s and 0–8 s, respectively, while the ordinary graduate students’ WT values in the AP direction and the ML direction were concentrated in the interval of 10~25 s and 0–7 s, respectively; (2) the WT values of the regular graduate students in the AP direction and the ML direction were higher than those of the athletes (p < 0.01); and (3) the OSI value in the AP direction of the athletes was higher than of the ordinary graduate students, while the OSI value in the ML direction of the athletes was lower than that of regular graduate students. Conclusion: Compared to the OSI, WT can analyse the characteristics of balance control ability more effectively. The COP displacement frequencies of the athletes and ordinary graduate students were concentrated in the low-frequency bands. The athletes had superior adjustment ability in an imbalanced state and could adjust to the best position without effort. In addition, the athletes had a stronger adaptive ability. In comparison, the ordinary graduate students had comparatively poor adaptive ability and weak adjustment ability in the imbalanced state, so it was difficult for them to attain the best angle after adjustment. Full article

Postural control, which is a fundamental functional skill, reflects integration and coordination of sensory information. Damaged anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) may alter neural activation patterns in the brain, despite patients’ surgical reconstruction (ACLR). However, it is unknown whether ACLR patients with normal postural control have persistent neural adaptation in the brain. Therefore, we explored theta (4–8 Hz) and alpha-2 (10–12 Hz) oscillation bands at the prefrontal, premotor/supplementary motor, primary motor, somatosensory, and primary visual cortices, in which electrocortical activation is highly associated with goal-directed decision-making, preparation of movement, motor output, sensory input, and visual processing, respectively, during first 3 s of a single-leg stance at two different task complexities (stable/unstable) between ACLR patients and healthy controls. We observed that ACLR patients showed similar postural control ability to healthy controls, but dissimilar neural activation patterns in the brain. To conclude, we demonstrated that ACLR patients may rely on more neural sources on movement preparation in conjunction with sensory feedback during the early single-leg stance period relative to healthy controls to maintain postural control. This may be a compensatory protective mechanism to accommodate for the altered sensory inputs from the reconstructed knee and task complexity. Our study elucidates the strategically different brain activity utilized by ACLR patients to sustain postural control. Full article

Berlengas archipelago is a UNESCO world heritage site and the only location where Armeria berlengensis is found. This species faces various threats, namely, human disturbance, the presence of Carpobrotus edulis, yellow-legged gull, common-rabbit, and black-rat populations. Thus, exclusion areas were installed, which blocked the access of most Gulls, aiming to promote the recovery of A. berlengensis. Additionally, rabbits and rats were removed from the island. After six years of surveys, there has been an increase in the number of individuals of A. berlengensis in the exclusion areas, and a clear shift in the size structure of the A. berlengensis population. Significant changes in the height and diameter of the individuals were also noted. These findings indicate that the population of A. berlengensis is changing and becoming a healthier population. Principal component analysis results show a straightforward dissimilarity between the areas with A. berlengensis and those without the species and allowed the clustering of two groups: the rupicolous species and the nitrophilous species. A. berlengensis produces few seeds (seed set 3.4%), which raises concern regarding the long-term survival of the species. Thus, further conservation efforts must be implemented, such as the control of invasive species, gulls, and ruderals, to allow for the recovery of A. berlengensis. Full article