Search Results (30)

The Adaptability Selection Index (ISA) previously proposed for breeding cows in Paraguayan wetlands provided a framework for integrating physiological biomarkers, but its binary reference-range factor and elements of its predictive workflow limited continuity and out-of-sample interpretation. We developed ISA2 as a corrected continuous extension and compared three integration strategies: ISA2-A, a weighted linear combination; ISA2-B, the complement of weighted distance to a joint ideal; and ISA2-C, a principal-component formulation. The study used 320 seasonal records from 80 cows of five cattle populations, namely Criollo Ñeembucú, Criollo Pilcomayo, Brangus, Nelore and Brahman, with 16 cows each. All analyses were carried out in R 4.6.0 with H2O 3.44.0.3 and a fixed random seed. Live weight and body condition score were modelled separately using an animal-level training-test split and cross-validation grouped by animal. Gradient boosting was retained on cross-validation error. Biomarker weights were estimated by cross-fitted permutation importance exclusively within the training animals, leaving the testing subset untouched until final performance assessment. The corrected rerun retained the reported biomarker weights and rankings. Cross-validated R² values were 0.361 for live weight and 0.303 for body condition, decreasing to 0.265 and 0.123 on cows withheld in their entirety, the decline reflecting the removal of all within-cow dependence from the held-out estimate rather than model failure. The two biomarker profiles correlated moderately (r = 0.555) but had low upper-quintile overlap (Jaccard = 0.231). ISA2-A and ISA2-C were highly concordant with ISA2-B (Spearman = 0.997 and 0.996; upper-quintile Jaccard = 0.882 for both). PC1 explained 77.7% of standardized two-profile variation and, because PCA involved only two standardized positively correlated profiles, its equal loadings represent a symmetric unsupervised integration rather than learned differential weights. Relative to the archived antecedent ISA, Spearman correlations ranged from −0.319 to −0.335 and only one of 16 upper-quintile cows overlapped (Jaccard = 0.032). ISA2-B averaged 57.52 ± 10.50; upper-quintile retention was 0.868 under 5% simulated biomarker noise and 0.691 at 20%. ISA2 provides a transparent phenotypic ranking architecture, but external validation against reproductive, productive, health and economic outcomes is required before operational use. Throughout this article ISA2 denotes a phenotypic, within-cohort ranking tool; it is not a genetic breeding-value index and confers no information on transmissible merit. Full article

We study prediction intervals for the semi-functional partial linear model (SFPLM) under stationary, geometrically $\beta$-mixing dependence. We analyze a split conformal procedure based on a three way data partition with buffer gaps, a functional principal component projection semi-metric on the functional covariate, profiled least squares estimation of the parametric component, kernel estimation of the nonparametric component and of the conditional standard deviation, and a studentized absolute residual score. Marginal validity of split conformal prediction with a trained score under $\beta$-mixing is available from generic results of Oliveira et al. and of Barber and Pananjady, without any buffer and without accuracy requirements on the fitted estimators. Our main result is complementary to those guarantees: a finite sample marginal lower coverage bound whose theoretical finite-sample coverage penalty decomposes additively into seven interpretable components expressed in the structural primitives of the SFPLM, quantifying the price of replacing the ideal SFPLM score by the estimated score inside the proof. The penalty plays no role in the computation of the interval, involves unknown structural constants, and is not an operational correction. The bound requires no parametric error model, but it is not assumption free; it holds under explicit structural conditions, including geometric $\beta$-mixing, conditionally centered sub-Gaussian errors, a fractal small ball regime for the projected functional covariate, and local regularity of the score distribution. Simulations under a protocol frozen before outcome computation, spanning mild and strong dependence, a misspecification stress test, and a dependent-score design with exactly quantified score autocorrelation, show near nominal coverage for all methods, with the gapped and contiguous variants statistically indistinguishable in coverage. Studentization showed no systematic coverage advantage, while interval-length differences were systematic. The value of the analysis lies in the explicit model-specific estimation layer of the coverage decomposition, not in a numerical gain over naive split conformal. Full article

It is well established in social psychology that intergroup contact is beneficial to reduce intergroup bias. Based on this insight, a growing body of work has focused on correlates of people’s motivation to seek or avoid intergroup contact. The present study contributes to this literature by probing motivation for an ecologically valid and ideal form of intergroup contact: intercultural twinnings (structured exchange activities between people of diverse linguistic and ethnocultural backgrounds). We examined three facets of motivation (contact willingness; intrinsic motivation; and contact opt-in as a proxy for behavioral intent) and a range of well-established intergroup contact associates. We also tested the role of cultural congruity with the dominant society, inspired by push–pull theories of migration. Participants included 214 students in Québec, Canada. The results show that motivational profiles differed depending on motivation facets. Intergroup anxiety was negatively related to intrinsic motivation; desire for self-expansion was positively related to all three facets; ethnocentrism was negatively associated with our behavioral proxy. Cultural congruity was associated with all three facets through a suppression effect, such that greater perception of not fitting in Québec society was related to higher motivation indices once avoidance dispositions were taken into account. With prevalent intergroup tensions, better understanding how to “bring the horse to the contact water” is essential. Full article

Background: Precise measurement of resting energy expenditure (REE) is essential in the intensive care unit (ICU), where metabolic requirements evolve throughout the course of critical illness. Predictive equations frequently fail to capture this variability, and limited data describe phase-dependent changes in REE using indirect calorimetry (IC). This study aimed to evaluate phase-related variation in REE and metabolic phenotypes in mechanically ventilated adults and to identify clinical and physiological correlates of both absolute REE and REE normalized by ideal body weight (REE/IBW). Methods: We conducted an observational, retrospective cross-sectional study in two ICUs at different hospitals. A total of 149 mechanically ventilated adults with a valid IC measurement were included and classified by illness phase: acute (0–3 days), intermediate (4–14 days), or chronic (>14 days). Differences in metabolic and gas-exchange variables were assessed using ANOVA or Kruskal–Wallis tests. Two multivariable linear regression models were fitted, one using absolute REE and a second using REE/IBW, incorporating metabolic phenotype categories to account for body-size heterogeneity. Results: Metabolic profiles differed across illness phases. Median REE increased from the acute (1664 kcal/day) to the intermediate (1869 kcal/day) and chronic (2074 kcal/day; p = 0.024) phases. Hypometabolic profiles were more frequent in the acute phase (64%), whereas hypermetabolic profiles were more prevalent in later phases (48%). RQ values were higher in the chronic phase compared with the acute phase (median 0.99 vs. 0.80; p < 0.001). In multivariable analyses, illness severity scores showed weak or inconsistent associations with REE after adjustment for gas-exchange variables. VCO₂ was independently associated with absolute REE (adjusted R² = 0.83). In the REE/IBW model, VCO₂, RQ, BMI, and metabolic phenotype were associated with normalized energy expenditure, with higher adjusted R² (0.87) and lower prediction error metrics. Conclusions: Resting energy expenditure and metabolic phenotypes vary across phases of critical illness. Gas-exchange variables, particularly VCO₂, were more closely associated with measured energy expenditure than severity scores. Normalization of REE by ideal body weight reduced variability and improved model performance, highlighting the analytical value of indirect calorimetry for characterizing phase-dependent metabolic patterns in critically ill adults. Full article

This study presents a theoretical framework for modeling sorption and release kinetics of substances in polymeric materials with planar, cylindrical, and spherical geometries. Fick’s second law was expressed in dimensionless variables and solved numerically using a finite-difference approach to generate universal profiles for mass transfer. These profiles were fitted with double-exponential equations, yielding explicit expressions that allow for straightforward estimation of diffusion coefficients from experimental data. The method was validated using literature data for films, fibers, and microspheres, showing excellent agreement with reported values. Unlike classical analytical solutions, which are limited to planar systems under ideal conditions, the proposed approach is applicable to diverse geometries commonly employed in packaging, biomedical devices, controlled-release formulations, and environmental technologies. Full article

The recent advancement of 3D-printed drugs is an emerging technology that has the potential for effective and safe oral delivery of personalized treatment regimens to patients, replacing the current “one size fits all” philosophy. The objective of this literature review is to highlight the importance of 3D-printing technology in the development of personalized treatments, focusing on Levetiracetam, the first FDA-approved 3D-printed drug, for the treatment of epilepsy. Levetiracetam serves as an ideal paradigm for exploring how precision medicine and 3D printing can be applied to improve treatment outcomes for other complex diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. 3D printing enables precise dosage and time-release profiles by modifying factors such as shape and size, and the combination of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and excipients, ensuring consistent therapeutic levels over the treatment period. Design of oral tablets with multiple compartments allows for simultaneous treatment with multiple APIs, each one with a different release profile, minimizing drug–drug interactions and side effects. This technology also supports on-demand production, making it particularly beneficial in resource-limited or urgent situations, and offers the flexibility to customize dosage forms. Additive manufacturing could be an important tool for developing personalized treatments to address the diverse medical needs of patients with complex diseases. Therefore, there is a need for more 3D-printed FDA-approved drugs in the biopharmaceutical industry to enable personalized treatment, improved patient compliance, and precise drug release control. Full article

A harmonic drive (HD) is a precision reduction device widely utilized in the core joints of high-end equipment such as spacecraft and robots. The design of an excellent tooth profile is the core challenge related to the performance of HD. This investigation aims to propose a design method of a fully conjugated cycloid tooth profile (CTP) for HD. Firstly, the rationality of CTP use for HD is analyzed, and the cycloidal characteristics of the tooth trajectory are studied by use of canonical warping distance. Then, initial CTP equations are constructed, adopting the trajectory mapping results. Presetting the addendum CTP of circular spline, the conjugate CTP of flexspline is then designed using the envelope method. Subsequently, the envelope of the designed flexspline addendum is used to reverse-design the circular spline dedendum. The backlash is calculated to evaluate the CTPs designed with different radial displacement coefficients. Research shows that the tooth trajectory has cycloidal characteristics; therefore, the HDs that use CTP can realize a fully conjugate engagement. Moreover, the variable control parameters enable the proposed CTP expression to have excellent fitting characteristics, resulting in small and uniform mesh backlash distribution. The CTP is expected to become one of the ideal tooth profiles of HD. Full article

Pregnancy is followed by complex and intense physiological changes in the maternal body, whose goal is to provide all the needs of the mother and the growing fetus. The endocrine system and thermoregulation integrate physiologic responses and play an important role in maintaining homeostatic conditions during exercise in pregnancy. Changes and adaptations during exercise in pregnancy are conditioned by the influence of numerous metabolic and biochemical events, which act on the target tissues through physiological mechanisms. Many hormones are released during exercise and a variety of cells are responsible for a number of different responses. Pregnancy involves changes in thermoregulation that lead to an increase in heat production and its preservation. Physiological mechanisms that enable the release of excess body temperature in order for the body to maintain an ideal temperature during exercise are increased, such as sweating and vasodilation of blood vessels. The reaction of a mother to exercise training depends on the exercise duration and intensity of training, the nutrient profile, and the level of fitness. Exercise has many improving effects on functional aspects of tissues and organs, resulting in improved health and/or performance. Full article

The federally threatened eastern indigo snake (EIS; Drymarchon couperi) is an active ophiophagous snake once found throughout the southeastern US that is now restricted to southeastern Georgia and peninsular Florida. There are concerns regarding the potential impact of overconditioning or nutrient imbalances on the reproductive fitness of breeding programs due to the occurrence of dystocia in nulliparous dams and the differing nutritional profiles of domestic and free-range prey species. We examined the blood cell counts, plasma biochemistry, and circulating plasma levels of nutrients in snakes consuming standard or experimental diets over a one-year period. Treatments included mixed whole laboratory animal prey (rodents, birds), whole prey ground into sausage, or a sausage with similar nutrient profiles measured in prey found in free-ranging EIS stomach contents. Plasma concentrations of vitamin E (maximum = 0.80 mg/mL) and selenium (maximum = 371 ng/mL) were within range of and exceeded values reported in free-ranging EIS (0.0365 mg/mL and 107.45 ng/mL), while plasma vitamin D₃ concentrations (maximum = 64.1 ng/mL) were typically below minimum values observed in free-ranging EIS (46 ng/mL). Additional dietary studies initiated on juvenile subjects throughout reproductive maturity would provide an ideal experimental design for studying the linkage between reproductive health and nutrition. Full article

Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (ExCR) programs are essential for patients diagnosed with cardiac diseases. Studies have shown that they aid in the rehabilitation process and may even facilitate a return to previous cardiorespiratory fitness. Also, patients who enroll and follow such programs have shown a lower rate of complications and mortality in the long run. The results vary depending on the type of program followed and the degree of debilitation the disease has caused. Therefore, in order to obtain optimal results, it is ideal to tailor each ExCR program to the individual profile of each patient. At the moment, the two most studied and employed training types are medium-intensity continuous training (MICT) and high-intensity interval training (HIIT). For most of the time, MICT was the first-choice program for patients with cardiovascular disease. In recent years, however, more and more studies have pointed towards the benefits of HIIT and how it better aids patients in recovering their cardiovascular fitness. Generally, MICT is more suited for patients with a severe degradation in functional capacity and who require a higher degree of safety (e.g., elderly, with a high number of comorbidities). On the other hand, while HIIT is more demanding, it appears to offer better outcomes. Therefore, this review aimed to summarize information from different publications on both types of training regimens in ExCR and assess their utility in current clinical practice. Full article

Chilo sacchariphagus (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) is an economically important sugarcane pest. Although numerous studies were conducted on the physiological responses in C. sacchariphagus, little is known regarding the genes regulating these physiological processes. Gene expression analysis by qRT-PCR can offer a significant indication for functional gene studies. To our knowledge, the reference genes of C. sacchariphagus have not been screened or evaluated, which hinders the functional gene study. In the present study, the stability of seven reference genes (β-ACT, GAPDH, BTF3, 28S, RPL7, EF1α, and SDHA) was evaluated in C. sacchariphagus under different experimental conditions, including tissues (antenna, head, thorax, abdomen, leg, and wing), temperatures (4 °C, 25 °C, and 37 °C) and sexes (male and female), through RefFinder, which integrates four algorithms (Normfinder, BestKeeper, ΔCt method, and geNorm). The findings suggested that the combination of β-ACT and RPL7 is ideal to analyze gene expressions in different tissues and at distinct temperatures, and EF1α and SDHA were suitable reference genes for comparing gene expressions between sexes. Finally, the expression profiles of CsacPBP1 gene were evaluated, and the outcomes further confirm the importance of selecting fitting reference genes for normalization of qRT-PCR data. This study represents the first kind in screening out suitable reference genes for gene expression analysis in C. sacchariphagus. Information from this study is poised to galvanize future inquiry into the gene expression of C. sacchariphagus, an economically important pest of sugarcane. Full article

In this study, we analyzed the C, N, and P contents and stoichiometric characteristics of forage leaves of five species (Elymus breviaristatus cv. Tongde, Poa crymophila cv. Qinghai, Puccinellia tenuiflora cv. Qinghai, Festuca sinensis cv. Qinghai, and Poa pratensis cv. Qinghai) in “fertilizer-reconstructed soil” through integrative soil amendment with parched sheep manure and granular organic fertilizer in an alpine mining area. A model is fitted in order to screen out the best forage species suitable for vegetation restoration in the alpine mining area and the most favorable fertilizer dosage to improve the nutrient content of forage leaves. The results showed that (1) increasing the dosages of granular organic fertilizer and sheep manure had little effect on the C content of the five types of forage grasses, but they could significantly increase the N and P contents and N/P of the manually restored grassland in the alpine mining area (p < 0.05). (2) The productivity and stability of the five species were ranked as follows: Elymus breviaristatus cv. Tongde > Puccinellia tenuiflora cv. Qinghai > Festuca sinensis cv. Qinghai > Poa pratensis cv. Qinghai > Poa crymophila cv. Qinghai. (3) According to the fitted least squares model and the willingness to maximize the C, N, and P contents of the leaves, the ranking of the five forage grasses was described by the Prediction Profiler as follows: Elymus breviaristatus cv. Tongde > Puccinellia tenuiflora cv. Qinghai > Festuca sinensis cv. Qinghai > Poa crymophila cv. Qinghai > Poa pratensis cv. Qinghai. (4) The predictive model suggested that the optimal contents of C, N, and P in Elymus breviaristatus cv. Tongde, Festuca sinensis cv. Qinghai, and Poa pratensis cv. Qinghai leaves could be achieved with the application of 3.6 kg/m² of granular organic fertilizer and 45.0 kg/m² of sheep manure. For Poa crymophila cv. Qinghai leaves, the ideal content was attained by applying 0 kg/m² of granular organic fertilizer and 45.0 kg/m² of sheep manure. Lastly, the optimal C, N, and P contents in Puccinellia tenuiflora cv. Qinghai leaves could be obtained through the application of 3.6 kg/m² of granular organic fertilizer combined with 0 kg/m² of sheep manure. In conclusion, the study’s results highlight the significant practical value of the fertilizer-reconstructed soil for vegetation restoration in alpine mining regions. Full article

ABO₃ structures commonly known as perovskite are of high importance in advanced material science due to their interesting optical properties. Applications range from tunable band gaps, high absorption coefficients, and versatile electronic properties, making them ideal for solar cells to light-emitting diodes and even photodetectors. In this work, we present, for the first time, a nonlinear phenomenological bond model analysis of second harmonic generation (SHG) in tetragonal ABO₃ with arbitrary input light polarization. We study the material symmetry and explore the strength of the nonlinear generalized third-rank tensorial elements, which can be exploited to produce a high SHG response if the incoming light polarization is correctly selected. We found that the calculated SHG intensity profile aligns well with existing experimental data. Additionally, as the incoming light polarization varies, we observed a smooth shift in the SHG intensity peak along with changes in the number of peaks. These observations confirm the results from existing rotational anisotropy SHG experiments. In addition, we show how spatial dispersion can contribute to the total SHG intensity. Our work highlights the possibility of studying relatively complex structures, such as ABO₃, with minimal fitting parameters due to the power of the effective bond vector structure, enabling the introduction of an effective SHG hyperpolarizability rather than a full evaluation of the irreducible SHG tensor by group theoretical analysis. Such a simplification may well lead to a better understanding of the nonlinear properties in these classes of material and, in turn, can improve our understanding of the photovoltaic performance in ABO₃ structures. Full article

The water infiltration rules of five different homogeneously or heterogeneously-constructed soil samples were determined to select the best soil construction module for refuse dump reclamation in the opencast mines of the Shanxi-Shaanxi-Inner Mongolia energy circle. Five treatments, including three homogeneous soil samples consisting of sandy soil, Montmorillonite-enriched sandstone, and sand-Montmorillonite-enriched sandstone mixture, together with two heterogeneous soil samples composed of sandy soil + Montmorillonite-enriched sandstone + sandy soil and sandy soil + sandy − Montmorillonite-enriched sandstone mixture (7:3) + sandy soil. Three replicates of each treatment were prepared in the indoor pillars to measure the infiltration process by auto-recording geometry, to investigate the infiltration features of various soil configurations by testing their infiltration rate, cumulative infiltration capacity, wetting front migration, and profile soil content, and to evaluate the infiltration of newly constructed soil in the natural conditions of the research area. The experiment demonstrated that the addition of Montmorillonite-enriched sandstone into sandy soil significantly slowed down soil water infiltration, especially in the heterogeneous soils. Traditional models perfectly simulated the soil water infiltration in the three homogeneous soils in which soil infiltration capacity could be segmentally fitted by Kostiakov model and linear model, and wetting front could be fitted by a power function. Compared with the homogeneous soil samples, heterogeneous soil could reduce the direct surface runoff and deep percolation, and is an idealized structure for soil reconstruction in opencast coal mine dump. Full article

Numerous studies have demonstrated the tourism industry to be especially sensitive to weather and climate variability. Snow-related tourism, being largely dependent on climatic resources, is particularly affected by climate change. Our study provides a new index to reflect the climatic suitability of a given destination for snow-related tourism activities, focusing on resorts with usually limited snowfall. The proposed Skiing Utility Index (SUI) is based purely on the weather preferences of skiers, extracted by questionnaires distributed at the Parnassos ski center (Greece). The index incorporates four different weather variables considered to be the most influential for this type of tourism. The ideal temperature for skiing was found to be close to 0 °C, the ideal wind speed between 0–3.3 m/s, the ideal cloud cover between 0–25% and the snowfall duration between 1–2 h, with the latter found to be the most important variable for skiing. For each climatic variable, a mean utility score profile was developed from all respondents. Following, a utility function was fitted via linear regression to the above-mentioned utility score. All four utility functions were aggregated into one total SUI score. When combined with climate projections, the SUI can support the assessment of climate change risks for snow-related tourism destinations. Full article