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Plant diversity is fundamental to maintaining grassland ecosystem function. Rangeland managers use fencing as a strategy to enhance plant diversity in degraded grasslands. However, the effects of this natural management approach on grasslands across a wide range of environmental gradients and its spatial pattern remain unclear. This study investigated 37 pairs of fencing and grazing sites along an 1800 km transect of alpine grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau to evaluate the effects of fencing on plant species, functional, and phylogenetic alpha and beta diversity. Fencing increased plant functional and species alpha-diversity, as well as phylogenetic and functional beta-diversity by 0.20%-26.18%, but decreased species beta-diversity by 0.70%. The sensitivity of functional diversity to fencing was higher in alpine meadows than in alpine steppes and alpine desert steppes. Fencing resulted in spatial heterogeneity in plant alpha and beta diversity in alpine grasslands. The beta-diversity of plant communities in the three dimensions across all the alpine grasslands was dominated by turnover components. The response of plant diversity to fencing increased with longitude but declined with latitude and elevation. Consequently, the effects of fencing on plant diversity in Tibetan alpine grasslands are associated with grassland types and climatic conditions. Notably, fencing did not consistently yield positive outcomes for plant diversity, indicating it should be applied selectively for biodiversity restoration. Given the nonlinear relationship between diversity and ecosystem stability, it is recommended that restoration of degraded grasslands should consider not only species selection but also a balanced composition of species with varied functional and phylogenetic traits., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study aimed to identify attentional foci and coping strategies of elite fencers during competitive matches, explore the co-occurrences between both, and examine their impact on performance. Twenty-two epeeists (11 males and 11 females) from a national team took part in self-confrontation interviews during two simulated tournaments. Data were analysed using inductive and deductive content analyses. Moreover, a quantitative analysis of qualitative data was conducted to examine the impact of attentional foci and coping strategies on objective performance. Three categories of attentional foci were identified: (a) cues, (b) strategies and tactics and (c) extraneous attention. To depict the coping processes of elite fencers, appraisals, coping strategies and emotions were coded. Coping strategies were mainly task-oriented, and often co-occurred with strategic foci. Analysis of the co-occurrences showed that athletes could combine information from their sensations and their environment during a point. They could also use several coping strategies within or between points. Chi-square tests revealed that focusing on environmental cues, particularly spatial-temporal characteristics, was associated with more touches won and fewer touches lost. Focusing on distance/timing of actions could be relevant cues in elite fencing. Focus on internal aspects did not impair performance in the present sample. This study furthered knowledge of attentional foci and coping strategies described by elite athletes in naturalistic settings. Following the present research results, practitioners should seek to develop pre- and post-point routines that pair task-oriented coping strategies with relevant attentional focus., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Overbrowsing by ungulates has degraded understory vegetation in worldwide forests. Understory degradation causes soil erosion and environmental degradation, causing mature tree decline. Although ungulate exclosure fences are installed to protect vegetation, their effectiveness in preventing tree decline associated with soil degradation remains unclear. We aimed to fill this gap on slopes of Mt. Shiraga, Japan, where sika deer have overbrowsed for >20 years. Tree-ring records in 1960-2022 for eight beeches per each of inside and outside fences were analyzed to compare stem basal area increment (BAI, cm -2  yr -1 ) and trend change timings for BAI (i.e., break-point). Soil properties, exposed root height (ERH) as cumulative soil erosion index, and intrinsic water use efficiency (iWUE) as water limitation proxy were also compared. Compared with areas inside fences, areas outside fences had no understory vegetation, higher ERH, and higher soil hardness and moisture. BAI outside fences turned their growth trend from positive to negative since 2004, but not inside fences. Break-point of BAI outside fences matched the understory degradation period in the field. The long-term BAI trend (i.e., regression slope of BAI) after the break-point was negatively related to ERH but not to soil properties (e.g., soil hardness and moisture). Furthermore, BAI outside fences was negatively related to iWUE after the break-point, whereas BAI inside fences was not. These results indicate that the maintenance of understory by fencing prevents overbrowsing-associated mature tree decline through mitigating root exposure and related water limitation, despite the potential of water competition with understory., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Fencing is a unique and increasingly popular sport, but limited data exist regarding related injuries., Purpose: To examine the types of injuries incurred by fencing athletes, and to analyze associations between age, sex, and hand dominance with type and location of injury., Study Design: Cross-sectional., Methods: Retrospective chart reviews were performed to evaluate fencing related injuries in athletes evaluated in the sports medicine and orthopedic clinics of a large teaching hospital., Results: One hundred and eighty-six patients (98 male, 88 female) were included. Average age at time of injury was 14.6 years (range 9 - 32 years). 73% of injuries involved the lower extremity, 16% involved the upper extremity and 10% affected the back. In the lower extremity, the knee (49%), ankle (16%) and hip (11%) were most commonly affected. 80% of injuries were treated with physical therapy. Only 5% required surgical intervention. Injuries of both upper and lower extremities were more commonly seen on the athlete's dominant side, and the majority of injuries (77%) occurred in athletes 13 years or older., Conclusion: The majority of injuries in these fencing athletes affected the lower extremity, most commonly the knee. Extensor mechanism dysfunction, primarily patellofemoral pain, was the most common diagnosis. Hand dominance, patient age, and patient sex did affect different injury characteristics., Level of Evidence: 2b., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (© The Author(s).)

The International Olympic Committee recently introduced a consensus statement on recommendations for outdoor sports in the heat. However, indoor sports such as fencing whereby athletes are required to wear full body protective clothing when competing have received no recommendations. Such scenarios could cause high thermoregulatory demands particularly as competition progresses into latter rounds (direct elimination; DE). Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the thermoregulatory responses of épée fencing across different phases of competition (Poule and DE). Seven well-trained fencers competed in a simulated competition comprising of seven Poule and seven DE fights. Gastrointestinal temperature (T gast ), skin temperature (T skin ), mask temperature (T mask ), heart rate (HR), thermal sensation, differentiated ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), and movement characteristics were collected for all fights. There was a moderate thermoregulatory demand during Poule rounds shown by post-fight T gast (38.1 ± 0.4°C), T skin (34.4 ± 0.7°C), and thermal sensation ratings (6 ± 1). A greater thermoregulatory and perceptual demand observed during DE rounds evidenced by T gast (38.7 ± 0.3°C post fight), T skin (35.1 ± 0.7°C), thermal sensation (7 ± 1), increases in T mask across DE rounds (~1.1°C), and RPE (~15). Furthermore, a significant ( p  < 0.05) reduction in distance covered from DE 1 to DE 7 suggests a thermoregulatory based impact on performance. This is the first study demonstrating the thermoregulatory demands of épée fencing, highlighting the need to develop heat exertion guidelines within fencing., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s)., (© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.)

Background: Improving prognosis of BC patients has drawn the attention of health care professionals on disease related long-term side effects and on the multiple treatments BC patients must undergo. Despite advances in procedures, surgery still has multiple detrimental effects, including pain, edema, and limited mobility. For this reason, fostering adapted physical activity (APA) and healthy lifestyle (including a balanced diet and weight management) should become an everyday purpose of healthcare professionals. Fencing may be a well-suited activity to counteract fatigue, pain, and limited arm mobility., Method and Analysis: The FENICE study is a mono-center, randomized clinical trial targeting women with BC stages I-III within four weeks from BC surgery. Participants in the control arm will receive the usual recommendations based on the good clinical practice guidelines. In the study arm, participants will be treated with the usual clinical and therapeutic recommendations together with APA and correct lifestyle suggestions., Objective: The primary objective of the study is to compare whether implementation of APA and healthy lifestyle in BC patient after surgery will result in an overall improvement of physical and mental status., Conclusion: Fencing and its early application in postoperative period may represent a feasible strategy to be implemented in the rehabilitation journey of BC patients., Ethics and Dissemination: The study protocol FENICE has been approved by an Italian Ethics Committee on May 2023 (R.S 100.23 5 th May 2023)., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision., (Copyright © 2024 Berretta, Garozzo, Foti, Roselli, Materazzo, Vita, Iellamo, Scordari, Di Mauro, Spatari, Ottaiano, Noce, Pellicciaro, Bignucolo, Vanni and Buonomo.)

Background: Grazing exclusion is an efficient practice to restore degraded grassland ecosystems by eliminating external disturbances and improving ecosystems' self-healing capacities, which affects the ecological processes of soil-plant systems. Grassland degradation levels play a critical role in regulating these ecological processes. However, the effects of vegetation and soil states at different degradation stages on grassland ecosystem restoration are not fully understood. To better understand this, desert steppe at three levels of degradation (light, moderate, and heavy degradation) was fenced for 6 years in Inner Mongolia, China. Community characteristics were investigated, and nutrient concentrations of the soil (0-10 cm depth) and dominant plants were measured., Results: We found that grazing exclusion increased shoots' carbon (C) concentrations, C/N, and C/P, but significantly decreased shoots' nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations for Stipa breviflora and Cleistogenes songorica. Interestingly, there were no significant differences in nutrient concentrations of these two species among the three degraded desert steppes after grazing exclusion. After grazing exclusion, annual accumulation rates of aboveground C, N, and P pools in the heavily degraded area were the highest, but the aboveground nutrient pools were the lowest among the three degraded grasslands. Similarly, the annual recovery rates of community height, cover, and aboveground biomass in the heavily degraded desert steppe were the highest among the three degraded steppes after grazing exclusion. These results indicate that grazing exclusion is more effective for vegetation restoration in the heavily degraded desert steppe. The soil total carbon, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, available nitrogen, and available phosphorus concentrations in the moderately and heavily degraded desert steppes were significantly decreased after six years of grazing exclusion, whereas these were no changes in the lightly degraded desert steppe. Structural equation model analysis showed that the grassland degradation level mainly altered the community aboveground biomass and aboveground nutrient pool, driving the decrease in soil nutrient concentrations and accelerating nutrient transfer from soil to plant community, especially in the heavily degraded grassland., Conclusions: Our study emphasizes the importance of grassland degradation level in ecosystem restoration and provides theoretical guidance for scientific formulation of containment policies., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

This study was conducted to compare and analyze whether Pilates exercise and yoga exercise help improve the performance of female fencers and prevent injury, and the dynamic balance test (LQ-YBT) and functional movement screening (FMS) test score of the elite adult female fencers were compared and analyzed as evaluation indicators. Participants were randomly classified into Pilates ( n = 10) and yoga groups ( n = 10), members of which took part in 50 min of exercise (5 min of warm-up, 40 min of main exercise, and 5 min of cool-down) twice weekly for eight weeks. The results obtained from this study were analyzed via independent t -test and 2-way ANOVA. The results were as follows: LQ-YBT measures (reaching distance) increased significantly for both groups, as did FMS scores (deep squat, hurdle step, inline lunge, shoulder mobility, active straight-leg raise, trunk-stability push-up, and rotary stability). These results suggest that Pilates exercise and yoga exercise might be likely effective in improving the performance of adult female fencers and injury prevention by increasing their dynamic balance ability and functional movement.

Background: Adapted physical activity programs have shown promising results in reducing the physical, social and psychological side effects associated with breast cancer, but the extent to which they can be effectively adopted, implemented and maintained is unclear. The aim of this study is to use the framework to guide the planning and evaluation of programs according to the 5 following keys: Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework to evaluate a fencing program under the French acronym RIPOSTE (Reconstruction, Image de soi, Posture, Oncologie, Santé, Thérapie, Escrime) literally in English (Reconstruction, Self-Image, Posture, Oncology, Health, Therapy, Fencing). This program is an innovative intervention focused on improving the quality of life (QoL) of breast cancer surgery patients through fencing., Methods: A convergent mixed methods pilot study was conducted to preliminary evaluate the different RE-AIM dimension of the pilot program. Twenty-four participants who have just undergone surgery for invasive breast cancer were randomly allocated in two groups: one group started immediately after their inclusion (Early RIPOSTE group) and the other started 3 months following their inclusion (Delayed RIPOSTE group). Participants answered a questionnaire at inclusion and at the end of the program on QoL, shoulder functional capacity, fatigue, anxiety-depression and physical activity., Results: RIPOSTE program was able to reach mainly young and dynamic participants, attracted by the originality of fencing and keen to improve their physical condition. Regarding effectiveness, our results suggest a trend to the improvement of QoL, shoulder functional capacity, fatigue and anxiety-depression state, even without any significant differences between the Early RIPOSTE group and the Delayed RIPOSTE group., Discussions: The cooperation, exchanges and cohesion within the group greatly facilitated the adoption of the program, whereas interruptions during school vacations were the main barriers. The intervention was moderately well implemented and adherence to the protocol was suitable., Conclusion: RIPOSTE is an acceptable and effective program for involving breast cancer survivors in physical activity, that needs to be tested at a larger scale to investigate its effectiveness, but has the potential to be transferred and scaled up worldwide., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Hasnaoui, Van Hoye, Soudant, Rotonda, Carvalho de Freitas, Peiffert, Delattre, Raft, Temperelli, Allado, Hily, Chenuel, Hornus-Dragne, Omorou and Poussel.)

The aim of this narrative review is to create a comprehensive, innovative, and pragmatic resource to guide elite fencers and coaches in making strategic nutritional choices to enhance performance and facilitate recovery. The literature review identified only 12 articles specifically addressing the topic of nutrition for fencers. Thus, the recommendations provided in this review derive also from articles dealing with similar sports, such as martial arts, and from investigations with European elite fencers and their coaches. For elite fencers, it is suggested to consume daily 7-11 g/kg of body weight (BW) of carbohydrates and 1.5-2 g/kg of BW of proteins and allocate 25% to 30% of the total energy intake to essential fats, with a specific focus on omega-3 fatty acids. The timing of meals, ideally within one hour after exertion, plays a pivotal role in restoring glycogen reserves and preventing injuries. The intake of leucine, creatine, omega-3, collagen, and vitamins C and D is proposed as a strategy for injury recovery. It is worth acknowledging that even when personalized plans are provided, implementation can be challenging, especially during competitions and training camps.

Grassland management affects soil respiration (Rs, consists of heterotrophic respiration and autotrophic respiration) through soil micro-ecological processes, such as hydrothermal, plant root, organic carbon decomposition and microbial activity. Flooding, an irregular phenomenon in grasslands, may strongly regulate the response of soil respiration and its components to grassland management, but the regulatory mechanism remains unclear. We conducted a 3-year experiment by grassland management (fencing and grazing) and flooding conditions (no flooding (NF), short-term flooding (STF) and long-term flooding (LTF)) to study their effects on Rs and its components in a meadow steppe in the Hui River basin of Hulunbuir. We found differences in the patterns of Rs and its components under grassland management and flooding conditions. In 2021-2023, the temporal trends of Rs, heterotrophic respiration (Rh) and autotrophic respiration (Ra) were generally consistent, with peaks occurring on days 190-220, and the peaks of grazing were higher than that of fencing. In NF, Rs of grazed grassland was significantly higher than that of fenced grassland in 2021-2022 ( p < 0.05). In STF and LTF, there was no significant difference in Rs between fenced and grazed grassland ( p > 0.05). The dependence of Rs on soil temperature (ST) decreased with increasing flooding duration, and the dependence of Rs on ST of grazed grassland was higher than fenced grassland under NF and STF, but there was no difference between fenced grassland and grazed grassland under LTF. In addition, Rh was more sensitive to ST than Ra. This may be due to the different pathways of ST effects on Rs under grazing in different flooding conditions. Our study indicates that the effect of flooding on Rs is the key to the rational use of grassland under future climate change. To reduce regional carbon emissions, we recommend grazing on flooding grassland and fencing on no-flooding grassland.

This study investigates the visual activity of fencers in conditions resembling official competitions. Previous research in experimental conditions has shown that experts focus on specific areas of the torso and the armed arm to control movement initiation. Eight right-handed fencers (epee: two males, one female; foil: one male; sabre: two males, two females) participated in a simulated competition, wearing an eye tracker during one bout. The findings showed that the main fixation in foil and sabre is the upper torso, while in epee, it is the lower torso. In epee and sabre, the upper torso is viewed about 50% of the time, with three other areas also observed, while in foil, the fixation is totally directed to the upper torso. Additionally, two new areas of interest were identified: the score machine and an area involving fixations other than the opponent. The study found no direct link between visual activity and performance. The visual search strategy varies among weapons, with foil using a gaze anchor or foveal spot and epee and sabre utilizing a visual pivot due to the discipline's inherent rules. The study also emphasizes that competition-like conditions can disrupt visual activity with external stimuli, possibly affecting performance.

Fencing is an essential measure for the rehabilitation and conservation of grasslands on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. However, its construction could change the distribution and migration of wildlife, thus affecting the integrity of the ecological networks for local wild animal movement. It is of great significance to quantify the potential impact of fencing on ecological network connectivity associated with land-use changes at regional scale. In this study, taking the northern Tibetan Plateau as the study area, we explored the ecological network change using circuit theory approach under different scenarios at county scale. Among them, this study set up four different scenarios according to the economic growth rate, population growth rate and the sustainable development of society and environment. The results showed that: 1) with increased grazing intensity and enhanced human activities from 1990 to 2015, the grasslands of the northern Tibetan Plateau were greatly degraded, most of which was converted into the barren land, and the conversion proportion was as high as 90.84%, which lead to a decreasing trend of the current density of ecological network in most counties and deterioration of ecological connectivity; 2) fencing construction has reduced regional current density, while fencing intensity is positively correlated with current density loss at county scale. Among them, the counties with serious current density loss were distributed in the northwest and southeast regions. The maximum loss ratio is 39.23%; 3) under four different future land use scenarios, coordinated economic, social and environmental development will have a positive effect on the ecological network. The results of the study have important ecological significance for developing reasonable conservation measures for grassland restoration, protecting wildlife, and maintaining regional ecological balance., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Zhao, Liu, Dong, Wang, Liu and Liu.)

Reaction time is important to determine the performance of fencing. The purpose of this study was to investigate the reaction time and muscle activity and compare the movement among genders during Marche-fente. Fifteen Korean national Fleuret fencing athletes participated and were instructed to perform Marche-fente. Reaction time was measured with Plug & Play equipment and muscle activation was obtained by electromyography. The male athletes (0.94 ± 0.08 s) were faster than female athletes, who a performance of 1.03 ± 0.05 s. As the knee extensors activation was increased, the movement and response time was shorter (rectus femoris (RF); r = −0.526, p < 0.05, vastus lateralis oblique (VLO); r = −0.628, p < 0.05). In phase 1, men activated more knee extensors in the dominant leg, whereas the activation of knee flexors was increased to maintain a stable posture in women. Additionally, women used other muscles instead of large muscles such as RF and VLO in phase 2. In conclusion, female athletes activated knee flexors rather than knee extensors when moving the center of mass or generating a greater force. Less use of knee extensors is associated with knee injuries; therefore, exercise which activates knee extensors is required for females., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

To reduce the risk of zoonoses, it is necessary to understand the infection process, including the ecology of animals and vectors (i.e., the 'One Health' approach). In temperate climates, ticks are the major vectors of zoonoses, so factors determining their abundance, such as host mammal abundance and microhabitat conditions, should be clarified. Sika deer (Cervus nippon) are a major tick host and are rapidly expanding their distribution in Japan. We established 12 plots along a gradient of sika deer abundance in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. We monitored the occurrence of mammal species with camera traps and sampled questing ticks on a monthly basis by flagging along three transects (center of a trail, forest edge, and forest interior) at each site from April to November 2018. The camera traps recorded 12 mammal species, predominantly sika deer. Five Haemaphysalis species and three Ixodes species were sampled. The numbers of ticks sampled were explained by the photographic frequency of sika deer, and partly by that of other mammal species, depending on tick species and their developmental stages. The numbers of sampled adult and nymphal ticks were the highest at the forest edge, where vegetation cover was greatest. Thus, vegetation management in tick habitats and the control of sika deer populations may reduce tick abundance., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

The ergogenic effects of caffeine are well documented, yet despite the potential benefits of supplementation, there is a lack of understanding of caffeine habits and supplementation within fencing. British fencers ( n = 136) completed a Web-based questionnaire, exploring self-reported caffeine consumption, reasons for use and education. Fencers (94.1%) habitually consumed caffeine, primarily due to the taste of the products (93.8%). Respondents ingested 183.4 ± 137.5 mg of caffeine daily, with a significant difference between age groups ( p < 0.05). Many respondents (30.1%) consumed caffeine 60 mins prior/during fencing training and/or competition with the main reason highlighted as cognitive performance enhancement. Respondents ingested 140.8 ± 104.6 mg of caffeine during training/competition, mainly as energy drinks, bars, and powders. Education on caffeine supplementation was low (25.7%), with significant associations between age groups ( p < 0.05). Evidence implies caffeine toxicity has been experienced by 35% of fencers, highlighting the need for education on caffeine consumption. To conclude there is evidence of caffeine supplementation in fencing, primarily to magnify cognitive performance. However, there is a requirement for targeted education on caffeine supplementation to fencers, so that negative side effects and potential anti-doping infringements can be avoided., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Morris, Manders and Hulton.)

Net-wire fencing built to confine livestock is common on rangelands in the Southwestern USA, yet the impacts of livestock fencing on wildlife are largely unknown. Many wildlife species cross beneath fences at defined crossing locations because they prefer to crawl underneath rather than jump over fences. Animals occasionally become entangled jumping or climbing over fences, leading to injury or death. More commonly, repeated crossings under net-wire fencing by large animals lead to fence damage, though the damage is often tolerated by landowners until the openings affect the ability to enclose livestock. The usage, placement, characteristics, and passage rates of fence crossings beneath net-wire fencing are poorly understood. We monitored 20 randomly selected fence crossings on net-wire livestock fencing across two study sites on rangelands in South Texas, USA, from April 2018 to March 2019. We assessed the characteristics of fence-crossing locations (openings beneath the fence created by animals to aid in crossing) and quantified crossing rates and the probability of crossing by all species of animals via trail cameras. We documented 10,889 attempted crossing events, with 58% ( n  = 6271) successful. Overall, 15 species of medium- and large-size mammals and turkey ( Meleagris gallopavo ) contributed to crossing events. Crossing locations received 3-4 crossing attempts per day on average, but the number of attempts and probability of successful crossing varied by location and fence condition. The probability of crossing attempts was most consistently influenced by the opening size of the crossing and season; as crossing size (opening) increased, the probability of successful crossing significantly increased for all species. Peaks in crossing activity corresponded with species' daily and seasonal movements and activity. The density and size of fence-crossing locations were dependent on fence maintenance and not associated with vegetation communities or habitat variables. However, crossing locations were often re-established in the same locations after fence repairs. This is one of the few studies to monitor how all animal species present interacted with net-wire livestock fencing in rangelands. Our results will help land managers understand the impact of net-wire livestock fencing on animal movement., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest., (© 2022 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate physiological responses and energetic contributions during simulated epée matches in elite fencers., Methods: Ten elite male fencers participated in simulated epée (direct elimination) matches. Simulated epée matches included 3 bouts of 3 minutes each with 1-minute rests between bouts. During these sessions, physiological variables such as mean and peak heart rate, peak and mean oxygen uptake (VO2peak and VO2mean), metabolic equivalents of task in VO2peak and VO2mean, and blood lactate concentrations (peak lactate concentration and delta blood lactate concentration) were measured. Furthermore, energetic contributions (oxidative [WOxi], glycolytic, and phosphagen) and time-motion variables were estimated., Results: Values of peak heart rate, mean heart rate, and WOxi (in percentages) were significantly higher in the second and third bouts compared with the first. VO2peak and metabolic equivalents of task in VO2peak were significantly higher in the first bout compared with the third bout. Values of delta blood lactate concentration and glycolytic contribution (in kilojoules and percentages) were significantly lower in the second and third bouts compared with the first. VO2mean and metabolic equivalents of task in VO2mean were significantly higher in the second bout compared with the third bout. Furthermore, WOxi (in kilojoules and percentage) was significantly higher in all bouts compared with phosphagen and glycolytic contributions. Low positive and negative correlations were seen between WOxi, VO2mean, sum of attacks and defense times, and the sum of time without attacks and defenses., Conclusions: Direct-elimination epée matches consist of high-intensity intermittent exercise, and the oxidative contribution is 80% to 90%. Improving aerobic conditioning may support high-intensity intermittent actions during entire epée matches in elite fencers.

Introduction: Even if indications for mastectomy have been progressively reduced in loco-regional breast cancer (BC) treatment, the harmful effects of surgery are still numerous and can impact physical and psychological wellbeing of women. The RIPOSTE (Reconstruction, self-Image, Posture, Oncology, "Santé"-Health, Therapy, "Escrime"-Fencing) program aimed to propose adapted fencing to patients with BC. This study aims to investigate the effect and conditions of effectiveness of the RIPOSTE program., Methods and Analysis: This is a prospective randomized controlled trial including 24 patients with invasive BC who have just undergone surgery. The study will be proposed to the patient and if interested, the patient will be referred to a sports physician for a medico-sportive evaluation. At the end the evaluation, if the patient meets the inclusion criteria, she will be randomly assigned to one of the 2 groups based on a 1:1 principle: Early RIPOSTE group (receive one fencing session per week for 3 months immediately after their inclusion), Delayed RIPOSTE group (receive one fencing session per week for 3 months but within the 3 months following their inclusion). Patients will be included for 6 months with 3 follow-up times (0, 3, and 6 months) by a sport physician. The primary outcome is the evolution of quality of life score. Secondary outcomes are disability score, fatigue, anxiety-depression, cost-effectiveness and process evaluation., Ethics and Dissemination: The study protocol has been approved by a French ethics committee (CPP Sud Méditerranée IV, N°ID-RCB: 2020-A01916-33). Results will be submitted for publication, at scientific conferences and through press releases., Trial Registration: NCT04627714., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Omorou, Peiffert, Rotonda, Van Hoye, Allado, Hily, Temperelli, Chenuel, Hornus-Dragne and Poussel.)

Background: Few studies have quantified dynamic balance in fencers despite previous suggestions that balance training may be beneficial for these athletes. Generally, asymmetry in dynamic balance performance between the left and right legs can be an indicator of lower extremity injury risk and used to monitor rehabilitation progress. Fencing is recognized as an asymmetric sport, therefore, differences in dynamic balance may exist among uninjured athletes., Hypothesis/purpose: The primary objective of this investigation was to evaluate whether asymmetry of dynamic balance is present in uninjured national-level fencers. It was hypothesized that elite uninjured fencers would demonstrate superior dynamic balance on the lead-leg of their fencing stance. A secondary objective was to compare dynamic balance performance of elite fencers to previously published data from high-level athletes participating in other sports., Study Design: Descriptive Laboratory Study., Methods: Fourteen uninjured elite competitive fencers were recruited. Subjects self-reported the lead leg of their fencing stance. Each participant performed the Y-Balance test (YBT), which represented a measurement of dynamic balance control, on both legs. Reach distances were recorded directly from a commercially available YBT apparatus. Four reach distances were recorded: anterior, posteromedial, posterolateral, and a composite measure was calculated. Distances were leg length-normalized and expressed as a percentage. Sample averages and standard deviations were derived for the four YBT measurements., Results: There were no significant differences in reaching distance between the lead and trail legs in any of the four YBT measures (p ≥ 0.65). Fencers appeared to demonstrate larger normalized reach distances in the posterolateral and posteromedial directions than other athletes., Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that dynamic balance is not significantly different between the lead and trail legs in elite fencers, despite the asymmetrical nature of their sport. The apparent symmetry of dynamic balance control in uninjured fencers means that the YBT could be used in this population for monitoring progress during training and rehabilitation., Level of Evidence: 2b., Competing Interests: None to declare.

African Swine Fever (ASF) was detected in South Korean pig farms in September 2019. Currently, ASF occurs mostly in wild boar (Sus scrofa). We describe the ASF dynamics in wild boar in South Korea from October 2019 to October 2020 and use case studies to evidence the advantages and limitations of the control measures applied. During 2019, ASF remained confined in fenced areas of three counties. Since January 2020 however, the ASF management policy changed from fencing with limited disturbance to culling (with more disturbance), and ASF spread east and south. Until 31 October 2020, a total of 775 wild boar ASF cases have been confirmed, affecting 9 counties. Interventions for ASF control in wild boar included silent (trapping) and non-silent (shooting) population control, local and large-scale fencing, and carcass destruction. Pre-ASF wild boar densities were closed to 10 per km 2 . Biosafety risks arose from the movements of people and vehicles, swill feeding of wild boar, destroying pig herds, handling wild boar during trapping and hunting, and searching for and disposing of carcasses. Despite training efforts, biosafety regulations were sometimes ignored. We observed differences between counties regarding disease control. While interventions apparently succeeded in controlling ASF in one site where geographical features and fast decision making facilitated an early and efficient fencing, and culling was performed silently, biosafety problems and habitat- and management-related delays hindered ASF control in other situations. Given that carcass, destruction faces specific limitations in South Korea, fencing and trapping (under appropriate biosafety conditions) might represent the most effective intervention option., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Trigger digits in children are rare and the vast majority of cases are primary and involve the thumb. Although there are isolated reports of trigger digits in children after trauma, we were unable to find any report of a trigger digit in a child caused by repetitive forceful gripping. We report a 14-year-old fencer who developed a trigger of his middle finger to highlight this unusual association. This was initially managed with a splint and analgesics and eventually required two intrathecal steroid injections for resolution of symptoms.

Purpose: The main aim of the research was to analyse aggression dimensions among athletes practising martial arts and combat sports. Material and Methods: There were 219 respondents. The Buss and Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ) in the Polish adaptation by Siekierka was applied. Results: Martial arts apprentices turned out to present a statistically significantly lower level of hostility ( p < 0.001) and of the general aggression index ( p = 0.04) than combat sports athletes. It turned out that lower level of aggression was noted in female participants (physical aggression ( p < 0.001), verbal aggression ( p = 0.004), hostility ( p < 0.001), and the general aggression index ( p < 0.001). Analysis revealed that the training experience and the training rank did not differentiated the level of the respondents' particular aggression dimensions. Conclusions: It would be advisable to perform parallel analyses in other areas of Poland and take into account the respondents' education and place of residence., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Kostorz and Sas-Nowosielski.)

Background: The aim of this study was to analyze the consumption of sports supplements (SS) in competitive level fencers and compare differences based on sex and competitive level (international and national)., Methods: A total of 49 fencers (18 men and 31 women) of national (n = 16) and international (n = 33) level completed a questionnaire with questions about SS consumption and the possible repercussions on health and / or sports performance. The results were analyzed based on the different categorizations established by the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), as well as by sex and level of competence to which the participants belonged to., Results: 46.9% of fencers have consumed SS with the main motivation being performance improvement (34.2%). Medical doctors were the individuals who were more likely to advise men to consume SS (50.0% vs 5.6%; OR = 3.29 [1.50-7.20]). Friends were most likely to advise women (38.9% vs 8.3%; OR = 1.75 [1.05-2.93]). The most consumed SS were sport drinks (44.9%), vitamin C (43.4%), sport bars (38.8%), and caffeine (28.6%). In regards to the SS categories, it was observed differences in the interaction level·sex in medical supplements (p = 0.017). In addition, there was a higher prevalence of whey protein consumption in women (25.8% vs 0%; p = 0.020) and iron consumption in men (33% vs 6.5%; p = 0.039)., Conclusions: The prevalence of SS use in fencers is within the values previously reported in athletes of the same competitive level. There were no differences by sex and competitive level in the total consumption of SS, nor in each of the groups of level of evidence, being sport drinks, bars and caffeine the most consumed SS.

This study aims to investigate effects of three factors from the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB)-attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control-on 233 fencing club members' intention to continue participation, while considering fencing's low popularity as a sport in Korea. This study analyzed data from members of fencing clubs in Seoul, Gyeonggi, Daegu, and Busan, using frequency analysis, exploratory factor analysis, reliability analysis, correlational analysis, and multiple regression with SPSS Windows 25.0 software. Results indicate that selected TPB model factors-specifically attitude and subjective norms-positively affected intention to continue participating. Moreover, significant influences of attitude and subjective norms were found in both men and women. Attitude significantly influenced intention in participants in their twenties, thirties, and forties or over; subjective norms significantly influenced intention in participants in their twenties and forties or over; and perceived behavioral control significantly influenced intention in participants in their thirties. Lastly, attitude and subjective norms significantly influenced intention when subjects participated once a week or twice a week and at least three times a week, and perceived behavioral control significantly influenced intention only when they participated at least three times a week. This suggests that members perceived their participation in fencing favorably and that the people around them encouraged them to continue participation in fencing and viewed it as a positive activity. The findings may be useful for understanding how to further popularize fencing in Korea and encourage current club members to maintain or increase their participation levels.

An ongoing, continually spreading, outbreak of African swine fever (ASF), following its identification in Georgia in 2007, has resulted in 17 European and 12 Asian countries reporting cases by April 2020, with cases occurring in both wild boar and domestic pigs. Curtailing further spread of ASF requires understanding of the transmission pathways of the disease. ASF is self-sustaining in the wild boar population, and they have been implicated as one of the main drivers of transmission within Europe. We developed a spatially explicit model to estimate the risk of infection with ASF in wild boar and pigs due to natural movement of wild boar that is applicable across the whole of Europe. We demonstrate the model by using it to predict the probability that early cases of ASF in Poland were caused by wild boar dispersion. The risk of infection in 2015 is computed due to wild boar cases in Poland in 2014, compared against reported cases in 2015, and then the procedure is repeated for 2015-2016. We find that long- and medium-distance spread of ASF (i.e. >30 km) is unlikely to have occurred due to wild boar dispersal, due in part to the generally short distances wild boar will travel (<20 km on average). We also predict the relative success of different control strategies in 2015, if they were implemented in 2014. Results suggest that hunting of wild boar reduces the number of new cases, but a larger region is at risk of ASF compared with no control measure. Alternatively, introducing wild boar-proof fencing reduces the size of the region at risk in 2015, but not the total number of cases. Overall, our model suggests wild boar movement is only responsible for local transmission of disease; thus, other pathways are more dominant in medium- and long-distance spread of the disease., (© 2020 Crown copyright. Transboundary and Emerging Diseases © 2020 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.)

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of 6-weeks accentuated eccentric training, using a rotary inertial device, on range of motion, assessed with Inter Malleolar Distance test, anthropometry, lower limb explosive and reactive strength, assessed with Squat Jump, Countermovement Jump and 7-Repeated Hop tests, in young elite fencers. Moreover, the effects on hamstring eccentric strength and two technical fencing movements, lunge and advance-advance lunge, were evaluated with motion analysis. The second aim was to evaluate the duration of the accentuated eccentric training residual effects, 6 weeks after the end of the training. Fifty-four male fencers were randomly assigned either to the Inertial Group (IG; n = 26; aged 17.3 ± 1.9 years) such as experimental group, or to the Plyometric Group (PG; n = 28; aged 17.6 ± 2.7 years) such as control group. IG carried out four exercises using the rotary inertial device attached to their waist by a rope. PG carried out several plyometric exercises at the same time in which the IG performed the accentuated eccentric training. MANOVA showed significant improvements in the vertical jumps height post training, with no differences between IG and PG. Significant improvements for technical movements, lunge distance (p = 0.006) and advance-advance lunge distance (p = 0.00005), were found within-group and between-groups (p = 0.00001), with higher improvements in IG than in PG. The univariate analysis showed a significant improvement in lower limb range of motion with higher increase in IG than in PG. The main findings were the significant improvement in lunge and advance-advance lunge distance, maintaining with the same execution time. These results suggested that it is important to apply accentuated eccentric load on specific sport movements., (© Journal of Sports Science and Medicine.)

South Korea is the only Asian country where African swine fever (ASF) is spreading in wild boar (Sus scrofa) populations. This rapid communication describes the situation of ASF in South Korea since its first detection on 17 September 2019 with special attention to ASF dynamics and management in wild boar. Since the first case in a wild boar was detected on 2 October 2019, a total of 86 wild boar have been confirmed as infected by PCR until 18 January 2020, and the monthly number of cases has been growing from October 2019 to January 2020. Interventions to limit ASF spread among wild boar in South Korea consist in fencing, population control and carcass search and disposal. The confirmed ASF-infected sites are immediately fenced, and a three-layer fencing system has been deployed to avoid southward spread of ASF. Hunting and trapping allowed culling 2,623 wild boar on 2,414 km 2 (1.08/km 2 ), and a total of 889 wild boar carcasses were detected and destroyed. Unfortunately, mine fields impose constraints to effective carcass search, impeding effective quantification of cases and carcass destruction in parts of the infected zone and generating a unique epidemiological setting., (© 2020 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.)

This study aimed (I) to investigate the impact of the number of stimulus-responses alternatives on reaction time (RT) under quasi-realistic fencing situations, and (II) to elucidate whether the regression slope based on the RT and the number of stimulus-responses alternatives could distinguish between beginners and experienced fencers. Ten beginners (7 men) and 10 experienced (6 men) fencers participated in the study. A video-based method was used to present four typical fencing movement techniques (i.e. "stimulus") after which the participants had to perform an offensive (high or low attack) or defensive (high or low defence) action (i.e. "response"). The simple-RT (specific stimulus known in advance), 2Choice-RT (only defensive or offensive stimuli), and 4Choice-RT (all possible stimuli) were evaluated. The increase in the number of stimulus-responses alternatives was associated with higher RT (4Choice-RT > 2Choice-RT > Simple-RT; p  < 0.05). Beginners always presented higher RT compared to fencers (range: 25.5-34.8%; p  < 0.05) and also showed a steeper slope of the relationship between RT and the number of stimulus-responses alternatives (range: 35.2-55.2%; p  < 0.05). These results suggest that the capability to quickly respond to specific fencing stimuli increases with training experience, being the differences accentuated with increasing number of stimulus-responses alternatives.

Human perception of risks related to economic damages caused by nearby wildlife can be transmitted through social networks. Understanding how sharing risk information within a human community alters the spatial dynamics of human-wildlife interactions has important implications for the design and implementation of effective conservation actions. We developed an agent-based model that simulates farmer livelihood decisions and activities in an agricultural landscape shared with a population of a generic wildlife species (wildlife-human interactions in shared landscapes [WHISL]). In the model, based on risk perception and economic information, farmers decide how much labor to allocate to farming and whether and where to exclude wildlife from their farms (e.g., through fencing, trenches, or vegetation thinning). In scenarios where the risk perception of farmers was strongly influenced by other farmers, exclusion of wildlife was widespread, resulting in decreased quality of wildlife habitat and frequency of wildlife damages across the landscape. When economic losses from encounters with wildlife were high, perception of risk increased and led to highly synchronous behaviors by farmers in space and time. Interactions between wildlife and farmers sometimes led to a spillover effect of wildlife damage displaced from socially and spatially connected communities to less connected neighboring farms. The WHISL model is a useful conservation-planning tool because it provides a test bed for theories and predictions about human-wildlife dynamics across a range of different agricultural landscapes., (© 2020 Society for Conservation Biology.)

Previous studies showed that motor asymmetries are reduced in left-handers and after a long-term fencing training in right-handers. Interestingly, left-handed athletes are substantially over-represented in elite fencing. These findings have been speculatively explained by imbalance in experience of fighting opposite handedness opponents resulted from skewed distribution of handedness, i.e. lefties encounter more righties than righties encounter lefties. Whereas these assumptions could be accurate, the underlying mechanisms remain ambiguous. In this study, we investigated effects of fencing training on motor performance and asymmetry with respect to handedness. We compared fencing performance of left- and right-handed fencers in both training and combat conditions. In the combat condition, left-handers won seven out of twelve matches consisted of twelve bouts each. They also showed a significantly longer hit detection time, a measure indicating better quality of fencing attack. In the training condition, left-handed fencers completed fencing board tests significantly faster than right-handers. These findings provide additional factor of superior motor performance to be considered when interpreting over-representation of lefties in elite fencing. Furthermore, our left-handers were less lateralized, which could explain that superior motor performance. This idea is consistent with previous findings of reduced asymmetry in right-handed fencers when comparing to non-athletes.

Animal-vehicle collisions (AVCs) are a growing problem in the United States, resulting in countless loss of animal life and considerable human injury and death every year, especially to motorcyclists. Due to underreporting, collision data generally provide a very low (highly biased) estimate of actual AVC counts and often lack key details, such as the species of animals involved. However, AVC reports cover entire states and nations, and can illuminate differences in wild versus domestic animal-vehicle collisions through statistical and spatial analysis. 51,522 animal-related crashes were reported to Texas police from 2010 through 2016, at a total cost over $1.3 billion annually to Texas motorists - not including the value of lost animal lives. AVC reports jump twice a day: between 5 and 8 AM and between 5 and 10 PM. Motorists are also significantly more likely to collide with a wild animal during the months of October, November, and December. Wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVC) are 64% of total reports, events involving domestic animals (like dogs and cattle) are 31%, and the remaining 5% of reports are unspecified. Most AVCs in the state occur at night in unlit locations, usually on rural roads with very low traffic volumes. Using ordinary least-squares (OLS) regression analysis across Texas' n = 254 counties, this work finds that less densely populated counties, marked as rural, and those with fewer vehicle-miles traveled (VMT) per capita but more lane-miles per capita, tend to experience the greatest number of AVCs per VMT, after controlling for county average rainfall, share of VMT onsystem roadways, job densities, and vehicle ownership (vehicles per capita). Intervention options for the mitigation of animal-vehicle collisions are numerous and diverse. For wildlife collisions specifically, this work finds that large crossing structures (underpasses and overpasses) at the highway link level return benefit-to-cost ratios near 3.0, while their lower-cost counterparts (wildlife fencing and animal detection systems) deliver ratios up to 30., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Objectives: The study aimed to determine the risk of time-loss injuries in international fencing and to characterise their type, location, severity and mechanism. Variations in risk associated with sex and discipline categories are also examined., Methods: Data on participation and withdrawal due to injury from 809 competitions comprising the major events of the 2010-2014 seasons (inclusive) for the Fédération Internationale d'Escrime were compiled from official results. Athletes who withdrew due to injury sustained in each competition were contacted individually to obtain follow-up information including time lost from fencing participation (practice/competition) and sequelae., Results: A total of 176 injuries were recorded from 637 776 athlete exposures (AEs) in 85 686 participants (men=47 869; women=37 817) over the study period, for an overall incidence of 0.28/1000 AEs (95% CI 0.24 to 0.32). Men had significantly greater risk than women (RR=1.42, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.94); épée had a significantly lower risk than foil or sabre (RR=0.52, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.76; RR=0.47, 95% CI 0.32 to 0.69, respectively). The majority of injuries were sprains (40.8%) and strains (20.1%), which occurred in the lower extremities (72.4%); ankle sprains were the most common specific injury (25.3%). Intrinsic effort of the fencer (non-contact injury) was the most common mechanism related to a time-loss injury (47.1% of cases). The overall median time loss was 4 weeks; 32.1% of the injuries involved 2 weeks or less away from fencing participation., Conclusion: The data indicate that the risk of time-loss injury in international fencing is very low and primarily involves sprains and strains in the lower extremity., Competing Interests: Competing interests: PAH was a member of the Medical Commission of the FIE during the conduct of this study., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Grazing is one of the major anthropogenic driving factors influencing community structure and ecological function of grasslands. Fencing has been proved to be one of the main measures for rehabilitating degraded grasslands in northwestern China. However, data from combined empirical studies on the effects of different management regimes in desert grasslands are lacking. So we selected long-term fencing (fenced since 1991), mid-term fencing and seasonal fencing (fenced since 2002), and adjacent free-grazing grasslands to investigate vegetation and soil properties on southwest Mu Us desert. Our results showed that fencing increased plant cover, height, aboveground biomass (AGB) of different plant life-form groups, Shannon-Wiener diversity index, Evenness index, Simpson index, total soil nitrogen, total soil phosphorus, and soil organic matter, but decreased plant density, species richness, Richness index, soil bulk density, water content, and pH. However, 22-24 years of long-term complete fencing might cause redegradation of vegetation and soil nutrients, characterized by the reduction of some vegetation properties, biodiversity, total AGB, and some soil properties. Seasonal fencing with 11-13 year was more beneficial to vegetation restoration than that with completely fencing measures. Our study suggests that appropriate artificial disturbances, such as seasonal fencing (winter grazing and summer fencing), should be used after long-term fencing in order to maintain grassland productivity and biodiversity. These findings will help to provide theoretical support for vegetation restoration and sustainable management in grassland under grazing prohibition at Mu Us desert., Competing Interests: None declared.

The negative effects of invasive alien species (IAS) are increasingly invoked to justify widespread and usually top-down approaches for their management or eradication. However, very little of the research or discourse is based on investigating local perceptions, uses and struggles with IAS, and how their presence influences and changes local livelihoods. The objective of this study was to assess the perceptions and livelihood uses of Acacia dealbata by local communities at three localities in the montane grasslands of the Eastern Cape, South Africa, using a combination of random household interviews, focus group discussions and participatory tools. We calculated direct-use values for each product and household (based on quantity used and local prices) and disaggregated these by gender of the household head and wealth quartiles. The results revealed the dualistic role of A. dealbata in local livelihoods. On the one hand, A. dealbata was widely used for firewood (100% of households), tools (77%) and construction timber (73%), with limited use for traditional medicines and forage. The cumulative value of approximately ZAR 2870 (±US$224) per household per year (across all households) represents considerable cash saving to households, most of whom are quite poor by national and international measures. On the other hand, the increasing extent of A. dealbata (93% said it was increasing) exacerbates local household vulnerability though reported reductions in cultivated areas, crop yields and forage production, and allegedly higher risks of crime. This quandary is well encapsulated by the considerable majority of respondents (84%) not wanting higher extents and densities of A. dealbata, but an equally high majority not wanting its total removal from local landscapes. Most respondents disliked A. dealbata in fields, close to homesteads or along primary access routes, and were more tolerant of it away from such sites. Institutional and use dynamics have varied over several decades in response to the changing extent and densities of A. dealbata and the broader political and socio-economic contexts. These results indicate that greater efforts are required to understand perceptions and uses of IAS by the people who live with them, and to direct such understanding into more spatially and temporally contextualised response strategies where required., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Wildlife fencing has become more prevalent throughout Africa, although it has come with a price of increased habitat fragmentation and loss of habitat connectivity. In an effort to increase connectivity, managers of fenced conservancies can place strategic gaps along the fences to allow wildlife access to outside habitat, permitting exploration, dispersal and seasonal migration. Wildlife can become accustomed to certain movement pathways and can show fidelity to these routes over many years, even at the path level. Our study site has three dedicated wildlife crossings (fence-gaps) in its 142 km perimeter fence, and we continuously monitor these fence-gaps with camera-traps. We monitored one fence-gap before and after a 1.49 km fence section was completely removed and 6.8 km was reconfigured to leave only a two-strand electric fence meant to exclude elephant and giraffe, all other species being able to cross under the exclusionary fence. The removal and reconfiguration of the fence effectively rendered this fence-gap (which was left in place structurally) as a "ghost" fence-gap, as wildlife now had many options along the 8.29 km shared border to cross into the neighboring habitat. Although we documented some decline in the number of crossing events at the ghost-gap, surprisingly, 19 months after the total removal of the fence, we continued to document the usage of this crossing location by wildlife including by species that had not been previously detected at this location. We discuss potential drivers of this persistent and counterintuitive behavior as well as management implications., Competing Interests: Dr. Zeke Davidson was employed by Marwell Wildlife and was an Visiting Researcher at Southampton University. Timothy Kaaria and Mary Mwololo were employed by the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in the Conservation Research Department.

Plant stoichiometry, the relative concentration of elements, is a key regulator of ecosystem functioning and is also being altered by human activities. In this paper we sought to understand the global drivers of plant stoichiometry and compare the relative contribution of climatic vs. anthropogenic effects. We addressed this goal by measuring plant elemental (C, N, P and K) responses to eutrophication and vertebrate herbivore exclusion at eighteen sites on six continents. Across sites, climate and atmospheric N deposition emerged as strong predictors of plot-level tissue nutrients, mediated by biomass and plant chemistry. Within sites, fertilization increased total plant nutrient pools, but results were contingent on soil fertility and the proportion of grass biomass relative to other functional types. Total plant nutrient pools diverged strongly in response to herbivore exclusion when fertilized; responses were largest in ungrazed plots at low rainfall, whereas herbivore grazing dampened the plant community nutrient responses to fertilization. Our study highlights (1) the importance of climate in determining plant nutrient concentrations mediated through effects on plant biomass, (2) that eutrophication affects grassland nutrient pools via both soil and atmospheric pathways and (3) that interactions among soils, herbivores and eutrophication drive plant nutrient responses at small scales, especially at water-limited sites., (© 2018 by the Ecological Society of America.)

We examined proactive (early restraint in preparation for stopping) and reactive (late correction to stop ongoing action) motor response inhibition in two groups of participants: professional athletes ( n = 28) and nonathletes ( n = 25). We recruited the elite athletes from Belgian national taekwondo and fencing teams. We estimated proactive and reactive inhibition with a modified version of the stop-signal task (SST) in which participants inhibited categorizing left/right arrows. The probability of the stop signal was manipulated across blocks of trials by providing probability cues from the background computer screen color (green = 0%, yellow =17%, orange = 25%, red = 33%). Participants performed two sessions of the SST, where proactive inhibition was operationalized with increased go-signal reaction time as a function of increased stop-signal probability and reactive inhibition was indicated by stop-signal reaction time latency. Athletes exhibited higher reactive inhibition performance than nonathletes. In addition, athletes exhibited higher proactive inhibition than nonathletes in Session 1 (but not Session 2) of the SST. As top-level athletes exhibited heightened reactive inhibition and were faster to reach and maintain consistent proactive motor response inhibition, these results confirm an evaluative process that can discriminate elite athleticism through a fine-grained analysis of inhibitory control.

Physical activity is recommended after breast cancer surgery. Fencing is a sport that is well suited to combatting fatigue, pain and reduced arm mobility. A healthcare executive, herself a fencer, puts the benefits of this sport into perspective, both physically and psychologically., (Copyright © 2017. Publié par Elsevier Masson SAS.)

Changes to animal movement in response to human-induced changes to the environment are of growing concern in conservation. Most research on this problem has focused on terrestrial endotherms, but changes to herpetofaunal movement are also of concern given their limited dispersal abilities and specialized thermophysiological requirements. Animals in the desert region of the southwestern United States are faced with environmental alterations driven by development (e.g., solar energy facilities) and climate change. Here, we study the movement ecology of a desert species of conservation concern, the Mojave desert tortoise ( Gopherus agassizii ). We collected weekly encounter locations of marked desert tortoises during the active (nonhibernation) seasons in 2013-2015, and used those data to discriminate movements among activity centers from those within them. We then modeled the probability of movement among activity centers using a suite of covariates describing characteristics of tortoises, natural and anthropogenic landscape features, vegetation, and weather. Multimodel inference indicated greatest support for a model that included individual tortoise characteristics, landscape features, and weather. After controlling for season, date, age, and sex, we found that desert tortoises were more likely to move among activity centers when they were further from minor roads and in the vicinity of barrier fencing; we also found that movement between activity centers was more common during periods of greater rainfall and during periods where cooler temperatures coincided with lower rainfall. Our findings indicate that landscape alterations and climate change both have the potential to impact movements by desert tortoises during the active season. This study provides an important baseline against which we can detect future changes in tortoise movement behavior.

Developing sustainable use patterns for alpine grassland in Tibet is the primary challenge related to conserving these vulnerable ecosystems of the 'world's third pole' and guaranteeing the well-being of local inhabitants. This challenge requires researchers to think beyond the methods of most current studies that are limited to a single aspect of conservation or productivity, and focus on balancing various needs. An analysis of trade-offs involving ecosystem services provides a framework that can be used to quantify the type of balancing needed. In this study, we measured variations in four types of ecosystem services under five types of grassland management including grazing exclusion, sowing, combined plowing and grazing exclusion, combined plowing and sowing, and natural grassland, from 2013 to 2015. In addition, we accessed the existence and changing patterns of ecosystem service trade-offs using Spearman coefficients and a trade-off index. The results revealed the existence of trade-offs among provisioning and regulating services. Plowing and sowing could convert the trade-off relationships into synergies immediately. Grazing exclusion reduced the level of trade-offs gradually over time. Thus, the combined plowing and sowing treatment promoted the total supply of multiple ecosystem services when compared with natural grassland. We argue that the variations in dry matter allocation to above- and belowground serve as one cause of the variation in trade-off relationships. Another cause for variation in trade-offs is the varied species competition between selection effects and niche complementarity. Our study provides empirical evidence that the effects of trade-offs among ecosystem services could be reduced and even converted into synergies by optimizing management techniques., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: We aimed to assess the risk of injury associated with training activities in a population of elite Korean fencers training for the Olympic games., Methods: We analysed the incidence of sports injuries, based on data prospectively collected over an 8-year period (January 2008 to December 2015) at the National Training Center in Seoul, Korea. The population of elite fencing athletes was stratified according to fencing category (sabre, epee and foil), sex, injury location (body region and site) and injury severity (mild or level I injury, requiring treatment for 1-3 days; moderate or level II injury, requiring treatment for 4-7 days; and severe or level III injury, requiring treatment for ≥8 days)., Results: A total of 1176 injuries were recorded during the study period, with an average of 3.3 injuries per athlete annually. Of these, over half (52.6%) were mild injuries, with most injuries occurring in the lower extremity (47.2%), followed by injuries to the upper extremity (26.4%), trunk (21.4%), and head and neck area (5.0%). For all weapon categories, there was a significant difference between male and female athletes in terms of injury location and severity (p≤0.005)., Conclusions: We hope that our data describing injury location and severity according to weapon category and sex can help one understand the circumstances that lead to injuries in elite Korean fencers and can be used in the development of programmes to reduce the incidence of sports injuries and enhance athletic performance., (Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.)

n/a., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

The two-fold purpose of this study was to analyze the time required by a fencer to initiate a defensive action in response to a direct attack, which involves identifying when the defending fencer detects the just-noticeable difference, and, secondly, to assess the effect that an attacker's rapid armed hand movement (feint attack) has on the time required to initiate a defensive move. Twenty-four elite fencers and a fencing master were included in the study. Four adapted force plates were installed on a scaffold used as a fencing piste. A 3D video analysis system recorded the location of 2 markers installed on the fencing master's shoulder and sword. The results confirm that the defending fencer has a mean movement time of 0.353 ± 0.028 s to perform the defensive action, which provides an advantage over the attacking fencer. The velocity of movement in the peripheral visual field has no influence on the time required by elite fencers to initiate a defensive action. This confirms the crucial role that response inhibition processes play when nonrelevant actions are perceived. Kinematic analysis of markers suggests that the eye movements of elite fencers are not the only source of information used while observing an attack.

Grazing and fencing are two important factors that influence productivity and biomass allocation in alpine grasslands. The relationship between root (R) and shoot (S) biomass and the root:shoot ratio (R/S) are critical parameters for estimating the terrestrial carbon stocks and biomass allocation mechanism responses to human activities. Previous studies have often used the belowground:aboveground biomass ratio (M b/M a) to replace the R/S in alpine ecosystems. However, these studies may have neglected the leaf meristem biomass, which belongs to the shoot but occurs below the soil surface, leading to a significant overestimation of the R/S ratio. We conducted a comparative study to explore the differences between the R/S and M b/M a at both the species (Stipa purpurea, Carex moorcroftii, and Artemisia nanschanica) and community levels on a Tibetan alpine grassland with grazing and fencing management blocks. The results revealed that the use of the M b/M a to express the R/S appeared to overestimate the actual value of the R/S, both at species and community levels. For S. purpurea, the M b/M a was three times higher than the R/S. The M b/M a was approximately two times higher than the R/S for the species of C. moorcroftii and A. nanschanica and at the community level. The relationships between the R-S and M b-M a exhibited different slopes for the alpine plants across all the management practices. Compared to the fenced grasslands, the plants in the grazing blocks not only allocated more biomass to the roots but also to the leaf meristems. The present study highlights the contribution of leaf meristems to the accurate assessment of shoot and belowground biomasses. The R/S and M b/M a should be cautiously used in combination in the future research. The understanding of the distinction between the R-S and M b-M a may help to improve the biomass allocation mechanism response to human disturbances in an alpine area.

The use of fences to segregate wildlife can change predator and prey behaviour. Predators can learn to incorporate fencing into their hunting strategies and prey can learn to avoid foraging near fences. A twelve-strand electric predator-proof fence surrounds our study site. There are also porous one-strand electric fences used to create exclosures where elephant (and giraffe) cannot enter in order to protect blocs of browse vegetation for two critically endangered species, the black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) and the Grevy's zebra (Equus grevyi). The denser vegetation in these exclosures attracts both browsing prey and ambush predators. In this study we examined if lion predation patterns differed near the perimeter fencing and inside the elephant exclosures by mapping the location of kills. We used a spatial analysis to compare the predation patterns near the perimeter fencing and inside the exclosures to predation in the rest of the conservancy. Predation was not over-represented near the perimeter fence but the pattern of predation near the fence suggests that fences may be a contributing factor to predation success. Overall, we found that predation was over-represented inside and within 50 m of the exclosures. However, by examining individual exclosures in greater detail using a hot spot analysis, we found that only a few exclosures contained lion predation hot spots. Although some exclosures provide good hunting grounds for lions, we concluded that exclosures did not necessarily create prey-traps per se and that managers could continue to use this type of exclusionary fencing to protect stands of dense vegetation.

The aim of this study was to analyse the effect of stimulus change timing on reaction response time parameters, horizontal velocity of the centre of mass (CM) and precision during offensive actions in fencing. Twelve fencers from the Spanish National Foil Team were included in the study. Two 500 Hz force plates were used to register the horizontal component of the reaction force while a 3D video camera set at 250 Hz recorded the spatial position of 11 body markers and a projector connected to a programmed stopwatch projected a moving target (stimulus) on a screen. When the circle (target) appeared in the centre of the plastron, fencers had to execute a step-forward-lunge as fast as possible, trying to touch the circle with the tip of the foil. During the lunge, the position of the target could randomly shift or not to three different positions. The stimulus change was performed randomly at four different times with a progressive delay. The results show that target changes did not have any effect when they occurred at the beginning of the movement sequence. However, when the target change was delayed, reaction and movement times increased and the technical execution of the lunge changed, leading to more errors.