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Using UK data supplied by universities, this paper confirms that women academics earn less than men, even after controlling for a range of covariates. Despite narrowing after 2004/05, the observed (unconditional) pay gap was still −0.089 in 2019/20, while the conditional pay gap was relatively unchanged remaining at around −0.050 in 2019/20. The results are consistent with the literature on why pay gaps might occur, with the key disparity occurring when women face a higher cost of investment and statistical discrimination, linked to bias, to achieve promotion. That is, the results presented here suggest that earnings gaps are significantly reduced when grade-balanced gender sub-groups are compared, suggesting conditional wage differences are more likely due to bias rather than any inherent differences in (research) productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objectives: Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS) is prevalent among physically active individuals, highlighting the need for innovative treatment strategies beyond conventional physiotherapy. This study investigates the effectiveness of integrating flossing band therapy with standard physiotherapy, anticipating improved outcomes in pain reduction, functional ability, and patient satisfaction. Methods: A double-blinded randomized controlled trial involved 50 PFPS-diagnosed participants. They were divided into two groups: Standard Physiotherapy Group (SPG) and Flossing Band and Physiotherapy Group (FBPG), each undergoing an 8-week intervention focusing on resistance training supplemented by respective therapies. Assessment metrics included pain (VAS), strength (Dynamometry), lower limb function (LEFS), and PFPS function (AKPS) measured before and after the intervention. Results: Significant enhancements in all outcome measures were noted for both groups, yet the FBPG exhibited notably superior improvements in pain, knee functionality, muscle strength, and lower extremity function. The FBPG demonstrated statistically significant greater efficacy in pain alleviation and strength enhancement. Conclusions: The addition of flossing band therapy to conventional physiotherapy presents a more effective treatment modality for PFPS, suggesting its potential to redefine therapeutic standards. Future studies should delve into the long-term impacts and mechanistic underpinnings of floss band therapy in PFPS management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: Trainers and athletes have always sought to reduce the failure of muscle function during long endurance events. However, nowadays, it is a topic that is generating much debate in the scientific field. Currently, deep-sea water (DSW) intake seems to be a suitable hydration alternative for this type of endurance event. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine whether DSW consumption during a triathlon event could preserve muscle function after exercise. (2) Methods: Nineteen trained male triathletes (age = 39.0 ± 4.25 years; BMI = 23.67 ± 1.81 kg/m2) randomly performed three triathlons, one of them consuming DSW (Totum SPORT 30 AB, Laboratories Quinton International, S.L., Spain), the other consuming isotonic placebo and the last with tap water-hydration. A vertical jump test with countermovement and an isometric muscle strength test were conducted before and after the triathlon test. (3) Results: There was a significant difference between treatment × time during the isometric muscle strength test. Based on the Tukey post hoc analysis, the peak net force decreased statistically in the placebo (p = 0.045) and control conditions (p = 0.026), but not in the experimental condition (p = 0.121). In addition, all of the conditions studied obtained similar results in the countermovement vertical jump after exercise. (4) Conclusions: As a result, consumption of DSW seems to delay the failure of muscle function specifically in isometric exercises but does not improve performance in sports. Thus, DSW does not alter muscle capacity in a negative way; therefore, its consumption may be recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the distribution of Wedge-tailed Shearwater Ardenna pacifica along the northwest coast of South America. The species is well known in tropical waters distant from the coast, but it also appears to be a regular visitor to shelf-break waters off Colombia and northern Ecuador; there is no evidence indicating a similar presence within the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of Peru, where waters are colder. About 50% of Wedge-tailed Shearwater sightings are associated with dolphins and/or large fish. More than 90% of the nearshore South American records are of pale-phase individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical rehabilitation plays a crucial role in restoring motor function following injuries or surgeries. However, the challenge of overcrowded waiting lists often hampers doctors' ability to monitor patients' recovery progress in person. Deep Learning methods offer a solution by enabling doctors to optimize their time with each patient and distinguish between those requiring specific attention and those making positive progress. Doctors use the flexion angle of limbs as a cue to assess a patient's mobility level during rehabilitation. From a Computer Vision perspective, this task can be framed as automatically estimating the pose of the target body limbs in an image. The objectives of this study can be summarized as follows: (i) evaluating and comparing multiple pose estimation methods; (ii) analyzing how the subject's position and camera viewpoint impact the estimation; and (iii) determining whether 3D estimation methods are necessary or if 2D estimation suffices for this purpose. To conduct this technical study, and due to the limited availability of public datasets related to physical rehabilitation exercises, we introduced a new dataset featuring 27 individuals performing eight diverse physical rehabilitation exercises focusing on various limbs and body positions. Each exercise was recorded using five RGB cameras capturing different viewpoints of the person. An infrared tracking system named OptiTrack was utilized to establish the ground truth positions of the joints in the limbs under study. The results, supported by statistical tests, show that not all state-of-the-art pose estimators perform equally in the presented situations (e.g., patient lying on the stretcher vs. standing). Statistical differences exist between camera viewpoints, with the frontal view being the most convenient. Additionally, the study concludes that 2D pose estimators are adequate for estimating joint angles given the selected camera viewpoints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The disappearance of the bird species involved in the bird-cult of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) was examined. The cult was a contest in which the winner gathered the first seabird egg of the year from a near-shore islet, allowing the winner to become the Tangata Manu, or Birdman. This title provided a heightened status, bringing social and economic benefits and a way of being closer to their gods. Three seabird species were involved in the bird-cult: Great Frigatebird Fregata minor, Sooty Tern Onychoprion fuscatus, and the Spectacled Tern Onychoprion lunatus, none of which currently breed in the area. Rock art suggests that frigatebird eggs were initially used in the bird-cult. However, when frigatebirds ceased to nest due to overexploitation of eggs and feathers, there was a switch to more numerous Sooty Tern eggs to satisfy the bird-cult. Spectacled Terns have probably never bred at Rapa Nui, though they do visit, and any relationship to the bird-cult is due to confusion with the Sooty Tern. The bird-cult itself was diminished by a decrease in seabird numbers, but also by two sociological factors: (1) enslavement of the islanders by Peruvian raiders, including the King and the most educated members of society; and (2) by the imposition of a new religion in which there was no need to idolatrize the old gods. The bird species involved in the bird-cult disappeared due to a combination of factors: (1) the restriction (tapu) on the number of eggs and birds that could be collected for feathers and food--which was in place when the ritual was active--was removed as the cult diminished; (2) modernization brought better tools that facilitated gathering of eggs and feathers (e.g., canoes and then outboards motors in a land without trees); and (3) the introduction of a hunter-scavenger hawk, the Chimango Caracara Milvago chimango, put further pressure on seabird species that were already in decline. There is currently an urgent need to eradicate the hawk from the island because it continues to depredate large numbers of nestling seabirds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existing literature has examined the impact of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic on business failure, highlighting firms' internal characteristics. However, information on changes in firms' external environments remains scarce. This study examines whether Covid-19 has also influenced the spatial co-locational patterns of business failure processes. Therefore, the authors apply symbolisation techniques to identify different business failure processes during pre- and post-covid periods. In addition, the authors compute the Q(m) spatial dependence test for categorical variables to identify differences in the colocation patterns before and after covid. The studie find significant differences in the spatial association of business failure processes, which are further understood when the authors examine sectoral differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We found nesting Red-billed and Red-tailed tropicbirds Phaethon aethereus and P. rubricauda in the Islas Desventuradas archipelago, Chile. We visited Islote González on 14-15 December 2020 and on 23 August 2021. During the December visit, we encountered a colony of Red-billed Tropicbirds totaling a minimum of 62 breeding pairs. The nests were in cavities on steep cliffs and slopes located mainly on the northern part of the island, and we were able to access 34, of which 11 had eggs, 11 had nestlings of different ages, and 12 were active but empty. During the August visit, we found four nests with adults attending but no eggs or nestlings, one nest with a chick close to fledging, and one adult attempting to take a nest site from a De Filippi's Petrel Pterodroma defilippiana. We visited San Ambrosio Island on 10-12 December 2019, and we found only the Red-tailed Tropicbird breeding, as evidenced by four active nests: two with eggs, one with a well-grown nestling, and one with a pair of adults but no nest contents. However, we observed several pairs in aerial display and estimated the Red-tailed Tropicbird population to be at least 10-12 breeding pairs, in addition to the five to six pairs at Islote González and about eight pairs at San Félix Island. Our findings represent a new Red-billed Tropicbird population and the largest breeding colony of the species for Chile. Furthermore, Islote González is one of the very few known places where sympatric breeding of Red-billed and Red-tailed tropicbirds occur. The White-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon lepturus is also known to nest at San Félix Island in the Desventuradas archipelago, but we did not visit that island. It appears that all three species of tropicbird nest in this archipelago. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sustained engagement is essential for the success of telerehabilitation programs. However, patients' lack of motivation and adherence could undermine these goals. To overcome this challenge, physical exercises have often been gamified. Building on the advantages of serious games, we propose a citizen science--based approach in which patients perform scientific tasks by using interactive interfaces and help advance scientific causes of their choice. This approach capitalizes on human intellect and benevolence while promoting learning. To further enhance engagement, we propose performing citizen science activities in immersive media, such as virtual reality (VR). Objective: This study aims to present a novel methodology to facilitate the remote identification and classification of human movements for the automatic assessment of motor performance in telerehabilitation. The data-driven approach is presented in the context of a citizen science software dedicated to bimanual training in VR. Specifically, users interact with the interface and make contributions to an environmental citizen science project while moving both arms in concert. Methods: In all, 9 healthy individuals interacted with the citizen science software by using a commercial VR gaming device. The software included a calibration phase to evaluate the users' range of motion along the 3 anatomical planes of motion and to adapt the sensitivity of the software's response to their movements. During calibration, the time series of the users' movements were recorded by the sensors embedded in the device. We performed principal component analysis to identify salient features of movements and then applied a bagged trees ensemble classifier to classify the movements. Results: The classification achieved high performance, reaching 99.9% accuracy. Among the movements, elbow flexion was the most accurately classified movement (99.2%), and horizontal shoulder abduction to the right side of the body was the most misclassified movement (98.8%). Conclusions: Coordinated bimanual movements in VR can be classified with high accuracy. Our findings lay the foundation for the development of motion analysis algorithms in VR-mediated telerehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]