Search Results (35,989)

Background: Echo intensity (EI) derived from ultrasound imaging is widely used to assess muscle quality and has been proposed as a potential indicator of neuromuscular performance. Recently, EI band analysis has been suggested as an alternative approach to provide additional information beyond mean EI. However, evidence linking EI bands to functional outcomes remains limited. Methods: Forty-eight male soccer players (26.2 ± 3.6 years) underwent ultrasound assessment of the vastus lateralis (VL) and rectus femoris (RF) muscles. EI was analyzed as mean values and as pixel distribution across five bands (0–50, 51–100, 101–150, 151–200, and 201–255 A.U.), with correction for subcutaneous adipose thickness. Knee extensor peak concentric torque and total work were assessed using isokinetic dynamometry at 60°/s. Generalized linear regression models were used to examine associations between EI variables and mechanical outcomes. Results: No significant differences were observed between limbs for EI mean or EI band distribution in either muscle. The 0–50 A.U. band exhibited the highest pixel percentage for both VL and RF. Mean EI of the RF was negatively associated with peak torque (β = −4.10; 95% CI: −7.35 to −0.86) and total work (β = −3.89; 95% CI: −6.34 to −1.45) of the right knee extensors. No significant associations were found for EI bands or for any EI variables of the VL muscle. In male soccer players, mean EI of the rectus femoris, but not EI band distribution, is associated with knee extensor torque and work output. Conclusions: These findings suggest that mean EI remains a more informative indicator of muscle quality related to strength performance than band-based EI analysis in this athletic population. Full article

From the early Middle Ages to the Modern Period, most documented polemics between Christians and Jews took the form of fierce disputes about the tenets of both religions, with the two sides almost never engaging in dialogue. The emergence of Protestantism brought about a new phenomenon in anti-Judaic debates: a dialogue between Protestants and representatives of the Karaites’ Talmudless version of Judaism. The Protestants’ interest in Karaism stemmed from their perception of the Karaite movement as rejecting the “distortions” of the Oral Torah. They perceived Karaism as similar to Protestantism, which repudiated the “distorted” Catholic tradition in favor of Scripture, the sole legitimate source of authority for both Protestantism and Karaism. The Protestants therefore formed a positive and even idealized image of Karaism and initiated dialogue with Karaite sages. One of the most illustrative examples of such dialogue was the interaction in the late 1790s between Jacobus Trigland, a Protestant Hebraist and professor at Leiden University, and Mordecai ben Nisan, a prominent Eastern European Karaite sage. This study considers the interaction not merely as a dialogue between representatives of two religious movements, but also as an instrument of interreligious and interconfessional polemics expressed by Protestantism and Karaism against both mainstream, Rabbanite Talmudic Judaism and Catholicism. Full article

Elite swimmers are exposed to sustained high training loads, early-morning sessions, and restricted recovery opportunities, all of which may increase psychological strain and compromise sleep. This study examined the effects of an 8-week Mindfulness–Acceptance–Insight–Commitment (MAIC) program, embedded within routine high-load training, on athlete-specific psychological stress, subjective sleep quality, and mindfulness in elite swimmers. A randomized controlled mixed-methods design was used. Thirty elite swimmers from a provincial high-performance program in China were randomly assigned to an MAIC group or a usual-practice control group (n = 15 per group). Quantitative outcomes were assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and three-month follow-up using the Athlete Psychological Strain Questionnaire, salivary cortisol, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and the Athlete Mindfulness Questionnaire. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with all athletes in the MAIC group after the intervention. Mixed-design ANOVAs revealed significant Group × Time interactions for athlete-specific psychological stress, salivary cortisol, sleep quality, and mindfulness. Compared with the control group, the MAIC group showed lower psychological strain and cortisol, better subjective sleep quality, and higher mindfulness at post-intervention. At follow-up, improvements in psychological stress and mindfulness remained evident relative to baseline, whereas lower salivary cortisol and more favorable self-reported sleep quality remained evident relative to the control group. Qualitative findings further showed that MAIC was experienced as feasible, low-burden, and readily integrated into the training context. Athletes described attentional resets, acceptance-based responses to discomfort, and brief post-session or pre-sleep practices as helpful for regulating cognitive reactivity and arousal. Overall, MAIC appears to be a culturally grounded and practically viable adjunct strategy for supporting psychological regulation and self-reported sleep quality in elite swimmers during demanding training periods. Full article

Fascia is increasingly recognized as a dynamic functional system. It can actively sense, transmit, and regulate mechanical, sensory, and metabolic signals. Why does fascia play such a critical role in chronic pain and movement disorders? Researchers are now rethinking the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying this role. Previous systematic reviews have typically focused primarily on specific mechanisms or interventions. In contrast, this study takes a holistic view of fascial function. It integrates multiple physiological functions of the fascia: mechanical integration, sensory modulation, cellular and matrix remodeling, as well as metabolic and immune regulation. From the perspective of functional imbalance, we further explore the pathological mechanisms associated with the fascia. Building on this, we then focus on how to assess fascial function from multiple dimensions and on specific targeted interventions. For assessment, we have systematically compiled a set of multi-stage quantitative techniques. These include clinical palpation, ultrasound, and elastography, tissue mechanics testing, microdialysis, omics approaches, electrophysiological testing, and digital modeling. For interventions, we have listed a range of modulating approaches, such as manual therapy, exercise rehabilitation, dry needling and acupuncture, fascial injections, targeted drugs, and biotechnological materials derived from tissue engineering. This review summarizes a clinical decision-making framework guided by the assessment of fascial functional status. It emphasizes a systematic approach and links quantitative diagnosis with precise interventions. Additionally, it provides a literature synthesis for understanding fascial mechanisms and related disorders and offers a reference foundation for the field’s transition from empirical treatment to measurable, reproducible, and individualized practice. Full article

This study investigates the transmission of global risk sentiment and U.S. monetary conditions across emerging equity markets. Using Multiple Wavelet Coherence (MWC) and Quantile-on-Quantile Regression (QQR) over January 2016–December 2025, the analysis examines time–frequency co-movements and asymmetric linkages between emerging market equity indices, the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), and the U.S. Treasury yield spread (T10Y3M). The results reveal substantial heterogeneity across markets. China, Russia, Turkey, Mexico, Egypt, and South Africa exhibit stronger long-run synchronization with external financial conditions. Saudi Arabia and Nigeria display more episodic exposure to external shocks. India, Brazil, Indonesia, and the United Arab Emirates represent intermediate cases characterized by recurrent but less persistent linkages. The findings suggest that global risk sentiment and U.S. monetary conditions affect emerging markets differently across investment horizons and periods of financial stress. The robustness analysis indicates that synchronization patterns became fragmented following the tightening cycle and rising geopolitical tensions after 2022, with less uniform spillover transmission across regions. The analysis highlights the importance of nonlinear and time-varying mechanisms in shaping financial spillovers across emerging equity markets. Full article

Objective: Volleyball athletes require well-developed balance control during spiking, blocking, rapid movement, and landing. Joint range of motion (ROM) may also influence limb extension, support adjustment, and center-of-mass control. Previous studies have usually examined balance ability and joint ROM as separate factors related to volleyball performance. However, the associations between dynamic balance, static balance, and multi-joint ROM in the upper and lower limbs remain insufficiently understood. This study therefore aimed to examine the relationship between balance performance and upper- and lower-limb joint ROM in female college volleyball athletes. Methods: Thirty-five female college volleyball athletes were included. Dynamic balance of the upper and lower limbs was assessed using the Y-Balance Test, and static balance was evaluated under eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions using a static balance platform. Upper- and lower-limb ROM was measured using an electronic goniometer and the knee-to-wall test. Paired-sample t-tests were used to compare bilateral differences and differences between visual conditions. Pearson correlation analysis was performed to examine associations between joint ROM and balance performance, and false discovery rate (FDR) correction was applied to account for multiple comparisons. Results: (1) No significant bilateral difference was observed in upper-limb YBT-UQ performance (p > 0.05); for lower-limb YBT-LQ performance, a significant difference was found only in the anterior direction, with the right side showing higher values than the left side (p < 0.01). (2) Static balance parameters under the eyes-closed condition were significantly poorer than those under the eyes-open condition (p < 0.01); under the same visual condition, only the total sway path length of the right foot was significantly shorter than that of the left foot (p < 0.05). (3) The ranges of motion of right shoulder flexion, shoulder horizontal adduction, shoulder external rotation, elbow flexion, and knee-to-wall distance were significantly greater than that of the left side (all p < 0.05), and right hip internal rotation ROM was also significantly greater than that of the left side (p < 0.01). (4) Dynamic balance was correlated with selected joint ROM measures. Specifically, the anterior reach direction of the right YBT-LQ was positively correlated with hip flexion ROM (r = 0.593, p < 0.01) and knee-to-wall distance (r = 0.653, p < 0.01), and these correlations remained statistically significant after FDR correction. (5) Static balance parameters were correlated with selected lower-limb joint ROM measures in the original correlation analysis; however, these correlations did not remain significant after FDR correction. Conclusions: Female college volleyball athletes demonstrated a certain degree of bilateral asymmetry in dynamic balance and a pronounced dependence on visual input during static balance tasks. After FDR correction, the associations between the anterior reach direction of the right YBT-LQ and both hip flexion ROM and knee-to-wall distance remained stable, suggesting that these ROM measures may be related to anterior dynamic balance performance. These findings may provide a reference for postural control assessment and the development of sport-specific training programs for female volleyball athletes. Full article

Effective thoracic surgery requires timely, predictable operative lung collapse. During one-lung ventilation (OLV), lung collapse is not merely a mechanical consequence of nonventilated lumen opening but a phase-dependent physiological process. Rapid phase I collapse is driven by elastic recoil and passive gas venting, whereas slower phase II collapse depends on residual alveolar gas absorption. Communication between the operative-side airway and the atmosphere before pleural opening may permit tidal gas movement, ambient air entrainment, and nitrogen re-entry during the closed-chest period, delaying subsequent absorption collapse. This narrative review reorganizes lung collapse strategies, including denitrogenation, operative-side airway occlusion, preemptive OLV, disconnection, bronchial suction, and the open-clamp airway technique, according to timing and physiological target. Before pleural opening, alveolar nitrogen should be reduced and ambient air entrainment prevented. Around the pleural opening, airway patency and brief suspension of positive-pressure ventilation may preserve elastic recoil venting. During OLV maintenance, re-clamping or limiting atmospheric communication may support residual gas absorption. This phase-based framework interprets recent clinical findings as interventions acting before, during, and after pleural opening. This may help clinicians select strategies according to the lung isolation device, oxygenation reserve, and surgical environment, although standardized endpoints and component-level validation remain necessary. Full article

Pedestrian accessibility is a key determinant of spatial experience, cultural heritage visibility, and urban integration in historical cities. This study analyzes pedestrian accessibility in Mudurnu—a UNESCO Tentative List site and Cittaslow—using a multi-scale, integrated space syntax approach. By combining axial and segment analyses, statistical validations, and Kernel Density Estimation (KDE), the research examines the relationship between urban morphology and pedestrian movement potential. Spatial data developed through open-access maps and field validations were analyzed via depthmapX 0.8 and QGIS 3.40.11 software. Syntactic indicators—integration, connectivity, choice, and intelligibility—were calculated at global and local scales, alongside synergy and points of interest (POI) correlations. The results indicate that mobility is concentrated along the north–south Bolu–Yıldırım Beyazıt–Ankara axis, while secondary networks in traditional residential areas remain poorly integrated. Low intelligibility (R² = 0.06) indicates local spatial configurations provide insufficient cognitive guidance, and moderate synergy (R² = 0.33) suggests partial harmony between scales. Segment and KDE results highlight concentrated mobility, with secondary networks emerging after logarithmic transformation. Consequently, Mudurnu exhibits fragmented accessibility and low legibility. These findings demonstrate that multi-scale space syntax analysis is an effective decision-support tool for pedestrian-oriented planning and sustainable urban design in historical cities. Full article

Organized youth sport has considerable potential to promote young people’s physical health, well-being, and personal and social development. However, these positive outcomes are not guaranteed. When sport environments are poorly structured, excessively performance-oriented, or inadequately supervised, participation may also lead to exclusion, excessive pressure, and other harmful experiences. Creating genuinely youth-centered sport environments is therefore essential, both to foster positive developmental outcomes and to prevent transgressive behavior. Despite growing attention to these issues, the field of youth sport lacks an overarching framework for the development of pedagogically sound, development-oriented, and socially safe sport environments. This study aimed to develop an overarching framework that integrates the developmental, motivational, and safeguarding dimensions of youth sport into one coherent model for creating optimal learning environments. Through an iterative process, a practice-based framework was developed, theoretically grounded, and initially operationalized. Early versions of the framework were subsequently examined for conceptual alignment through expert opinions, focus groups, and group discussions with existing European youth sport initiatives. This process resulted in the development of the Youth Sport Compass (YSC), a coherent conceptual and practical framework designed to support youth-centered and socially safe sport environments. Experts from different countries and disciplines considered the framework highly relevant, conceptually robust, and broadly applicable in practice. The YSC provides a strong conceptual and practical foundation for coaches, sport organizations, and policymakers seeking to create pedagogically sound, youth-centered, and socially safe sport environments. Although the YSC is firmly grounded in theory and practice, it has yet to be empirically validated. Further research is needed to assess its validity and practical effectiveness. Full article

The eco-revetment structure serves as a link for material, information, and energy exchange between rivers, bank slopes, and organisms, providing a guarantee for the stability of river ecosystems. This study designed a new type of eco-revetment structure based on its characteristics. The internal structure is designed as a cavity, with openings on the top and side walls and curved surfaces connecting the upper and lower components to ensure smooth water flow and stable bank slopes, providing living space for aquatic organisms. By establishing a three-dimensional numerical model and using large-eddy simulation as the main research method, the distribution law of hydraulic characteristics near the revetment structure is observed, and the mechanism of water flow movement is studied. This study indicates that the internal and external water flow conditions of the new ecological revetment structure are complex and exhibit significant spatial heterogeneity. When there are no plants, the flow directions inside and outside the structure are opposite, with hairpin vortices dominating the interior. The presence of plants significantly enhances turbulence intensity and Reynolds stress, resulting in smaller and more diverse vortex structures, and the formation of Karman vortex streets on the leeward side of plants. The movement characteristics of the revetment structure vary in different regions: in region C, when there are no plants, the value of (|Q2| + |Q4|)/(|Q1| + |Q3|) is greater than 1.5, and it increases to 3 when plants are present. The ratio for region B is 0.83 and 0.8, while for region A it is 1.02 and 1.17. When there are no plants, the Reynolds stress contribution in region A is uniform, region B shows a “hyperbolic” distribution, and the proportion of S2 and S4 at the top of region C increases sharply. Plants increase the contribution of the top of the region C to three to five times that of no plants. The complex water flow environment significantly changes the mechanism of water flow movement. The Reynolds stress contribution and turbulent kinetic energy fit well. The presence of plants leads to a Reynolds stress contribution and turbulent kinetic energy value that are about three times higher than without plants. When there are no plants, the turbulent structure within the structure is mainly influenced by S1 and S3, while when there are plants, S2 and S4 dominate the turbulence. This article provides a solid theoretical foundation and quantitative experimental basis for the study of nearshore water flow mechanisms in ecological revetment structures. Full article

Addressing the challenge that, in real-world dynamic multi-objective optimization problems (DMOPs), the severity of changes between pareto optimal set (PS) varies at different times and exhibits nonlinear characteristics rather than simple translations or rotations—making them difficult for traditional prediction strategies to track accurately—this paper proposes a dynamic multi-objective optimization algorithm via trend-cycle decoupling and hybrid time-series prediction. The algorithm first applies the Hodrick-Prescott (HP) filter to decompose the time-series of historical PS centers into a smooth trend component and a fluctuating cycle component to cope with uncertainty in the severity of changes. Then, an AR(p) model is used to fit the trend sequence and infer the long-term linear direction of PS movement; a long short-term memory (LSTM) network learns the cycle sequence to capture nonlinear variation patterns. By fusing the two prediction results, the center of the PS in the new environment is located, and an initial population is constructed using a manifold-based population generation strategy. Comparative experiments on 13 standard dynamic test functions show that the proposed algorithm achieves an effective trade-off between prediction accuracy and computational cost and demonstrates strong robustness to complex time-varying environments. In particular, in scenarios where the pareto optimal front (PF) undergoes rotation, discontinuity, or time-varying shape (convexity/concavity) due to complex mappings in the decision space, the algorithm maintains notable tracking accuracy and population diversity by precisely capturing the PS evolution trajectory. Full article

Background: Non-contact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is common and disabling, often requiring reconstruction and predisposing individuals to early post-traumatic osteoarthritis, making scalable, exercise-based prevention a clinical and public health priority. Excessive peak vertical ground reaction force (vGRF) during landing is a modifiable biomechanical risk marker for ACL injury, although whether reducing it lowers injury incidence is unproven. We evaluated the effect of movement retraining on peak vGRF during landing in pivot-sport athletes and general athletic populations. Methods: MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched from inception through to 25 May 2026. Two reviewers independently screened records and extracted data. Random-effects meta-analyses (DerSimonian–Laird) used Hedges’ g; risk of bias was assessed with RoB 2 and certainty with GRADE. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42025116119). Results: Nine comparisons from eight randomised controlled trials (292 participants) were included. Movement retraining significantly reduced peak vGRF (Hedges’ g = −0.94, 95% CI −1.34 to −0.54; I² = 63%), with larger effects in general athletic populations (g = −1.50) than in pivot-sport athletes (g = −0.66; subgroup difference p = 0.005). Knee flexion angle at initial contact showed a non-significant increasing trend (g = 0.48; p = 0.18). Certainty of evidence (GRADE) was low. Conclusions: Movement retraining was associated with a reduction in peak vGRF during landing, a surrogate biomechanical marker for ACL injury, on the basis of low-certainty evidence with substantial heterogeneity (I² = 63%). A subgroup difference favouring general over pivot-sport athletes was observed but is exploratory, resting on only three general-athletic comparisons. Because no included trial measured injury incidence, whether these biomechanical changes reduce ACL injury is unknown, and the findings should be regarded as hypothesis-generating. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed the way we work and live. For people with disabilities, the pandemic has differentially affected their healthcare experiences in several ways. Although existing studies have investigated health-related experiences during COVID-19 with individuals with disabilities, fewer research studies have explored the specific impact of the pandemic on individuals with disabilities in Taiwan. In Taiwan, the government implemented unique COVID-19 policies and measures, such as contact tracing. For individuals with disabilities, many of whom were influenced by the Independent Living Movement and in the process of exploring the possibilities of living on their own with support from others, the impact of the pandemic on their daily lives remained mostly unknown. Therefore, this study explored the perspectives of individuals with physical disabilities regarding COVID-19 control measures and how the pandemic affected their daily experiences, particularly their health-related experiences. We conducted semi-structured one-on-one interviews with 10 participants from Taiwan. After analyzing the participants’ experiences during the pandemic, three themes emerged: (1) concerns about COVID-19 policies; (2) emotional responses to the pandemic; (3) healthcare experiences during COVID-19. These themes guided our discussion of practice and policy implications. Full article

Accurate estrus detection is essential for optimizing artificial insemination timing, but visual detection is limited by labor demands, intermittent observation, short estrus duration, and variable behavioral expression. Although inertial measurement unit (IMU) systems capture dynamic acceleration and rotational movement, phase-specific IMU-derived activity and posture-related changes during natural estrus remain insufficiently characterized. Therefore, this study evaluated these variables across an ovulation-anchored six-phase framework using video-derived behavioral observations and ultrasound-confirmed ovulation as biological reference standards. In this observational study, five dairy cows contributing eleven natural estrus cycles were monitored, yielding 285,337 time-aligned 10 s sensor observations that were summarized for phase-level analysis. Cow movement was recorded at 10 s intervals using neck-mounted tri-axial accelerometers and gyroscopes, while posture states, estrus-related behaviors, and ovulation timing were determined from continuous video recordings and 6 h transrectal ultrasonography. Extracted variables included signal vector magnitude, VeDBA, Gyro_mag, baseline-adjusted activity features, exploratory Combined Activity Index, posture proportions, and lying bout characteristics. VeDBA was highest during standing estrus, whereas Gyro_mag and the Combined Activity Index increased during pre-estrus and standing estrus. Standing estrus involved less lying, more standing and walking, and shorter lying bout duration. These findings identify candidate IMU-derived and posture-related variables for future standing-estrus differentiation models and potential insemination-timing support, pending validation in larger independent populations. Full article