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Aging; Arteriosclerosis; Hemodynamics Envelliment; Arteriosclerosi; Hemodinàmica Envejecimiento; Arteriosclerosis; Hemodinámica Arterial pulse waves (PWs) such as blood pressure and photoplethysmogram (PPG) signals contain a wealth of information on the cardiovascular (CV) system that can be exploited to assess vascular age and identify individuals at elevated CV risk. We review the possibilities, limitations, complementarity, and differences of reduced-order, biophysical models of arterial PW propagation, as well as theoretical and empirical methods for analyzing PW signals and extracting clinically relevant information for vascular age assessment. We provide detailed mathematical derivations of these models and theoretical methods, showing how they are related to each other. Finally, we outline directions for future research to realize the potential of modeling and analysis of PW signals for accurate assessment of vascular age in both the clinic and in daily life. This article is based upon work from COST Action “Network for Research in Vascular Ageing” (VascAgeNet, CA18216), supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology, www.cost.eu). This work was supported by British Heart Foundation Grants PG/15/104/31913 (to J.A. and P.H.C.), FS/20/20/34626 (to P.H.C.), and AA/18/6/34223, PG/17/90/33415, SPG 2822621, and SP/F/21/150020 (to A.D.H.); Kaunas University of Technology Grant INP2022/16 (to B.P.); European Research Executive Agency, Marie-Sklodowska Curie Actions Individual Fellowship Grant 101038096 (to S.P.); Istinye University, BAP Project Grant 2019B1 (to S.P.); “la Caixa” Foundation Grant LCF/BQ/PR22/11920008 (to A.G.); and National Institute for Health and Care Research Grant AI AWARD02499 and EU Horizon 2020 Grant H2020 848109 (to A.D.H.).

Eyewitness identification procedures rely heavily on explicit identification from lineups. Lineups have been criticized because they have a considerable error rate. We tested the potential of implicit identifications in a Concealed Information Test (CIT) as an alternative. Previous experiments have suggested that implicit identification procedures might be suited when viewing conditions were favorable. In two experiments, mock eyewitnesses (Ns = 94, 509) witnessed a videotaped mock theft with longer or shorter observation time. We derived eyewitness identifications either implicitly from CIT reaction times or explicitly from simultaneous photo lineups. In Experiment 2, we also manipulated perpetrator presence. In both experiments, the perpetrator-present CIT showed capacity to diagnose face recognition, with large effect sizes (dE1 = 0.85 [0.51; 1.18]; dE2 = 0.74 [0.52; 0.96]), as expected. Unexpectedly, no moderation by observation time was found. In line with our hypothesis, no CIT effect emerged in the perpetrator-absent condition, indicating the absence of recognition (dE2 = 0.02 [− 0.17; 0.20]). We found no compelling evidence that one method would outperform the other. This work adds to accumulating evidence that suggests that, under favorable viewing conditions and replication provided, the RT-CIT might be diagnostic of facial recognition, for example when witnesses are hesitant of making an explicit identification. Future work might investigate conditions that affect performance in one, but not the other identification method.

To systematically compare coronary artery calcium (CAC) quantification between conventional computed tomography (CT) and photon-counting CT (PCCT) at different virtual monoenergetic (monoE) levels for different heart rates. A dynamic (heart rates of 0, 75 bpm) anthropomorphic phantom with three calcification densities was scanned using routine clinical CAC protocols with CT and PCCT. In addition to the standard clinical protocol of 70 keV, PCCT images were reconstructed at monoE levels of 72, 74, and 76 keV. CAC was quantified using Agatston, volume, and mass scores. Agatston scores 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated and compared between PCCT and CT. Volume and mass scores were compared with physical quantities. For all CAC densities, routine clinical protocol Agatston scores of static CAC were higher for PCCT compared to CT. At

The usage of EEG to uncover the influence of psychosocial stressors (PSSs) on neural activity has gained significant attention throughout recent years, but the results are often troubled by confounding stressor types. To investigate the effect of PSSs alone on neural activity, we employed a paradigm where participants are exposed to negative peer comparison as PSS, while other possible stressors are kept constant, and compared this with a condition where participants received neutral feedback. We analyzed commonly used sensor level EEG indices (frontal theta, alpha, and beta power) and further investigated whether source level power and functional connectivity (i.e., the temporal dependence between spatially seperated brain regions) measures, which have to our knowledge not yet been used, are more sensitive to PSSs than sensor level-derived EEG measures. Our results show that on sensor level, no significant frontal power changes are present (all p’s > 0.16), indicating that sensor level frontal power measures are not sensitive enough to be affected by only PSSs. On source level, we find increased alpha power (indicative of decreased cortical activity) in the left- and right precuneus and right posterior cingulate cortex (all p’s p

Background All behaviour requires energy, and measuring energy expenditure in standard units (joules) is key to linking behaviour to ecological processes. Animal-borne accelerometers are commonly used to infer proxies of energy expenditure, termed 'dynamic body acceleration' (DBA). However, converting acceleration proxies (m/s(2)) to standard units (watts) involves costly in-lab respirometry measurements, and there is a lack of viable substitutes for empirical calibration relationships when these are unavailable., Methods We used past allometric work quantifying energy expenditure during resting and locomotion as a function of body mass to calibrate DBA. We used the resulting 'power calibration equation' to estimate daily energy expenditure (DEE) using two models: (1) locomotion data-based linear calibration applied to the waking period, and Kleiber's law applied to the sleeping period (ACTIWAKE), and (2) locomotion and resting data-based linear calibration applied to the 24-h period (ACTIREST24). Since both models require locomotion speed information, we developed an algorithm to estimate speed from accelerometer, gyroscope, and behavioural annotation data. We applied these methods to estimate DEE in free-ranging meerkats (Suricata suricatta), and compared model estimates with published DEE measurements made using doubly labelled water (DLW) on the same meerkat population., Results ACTIWAKE's DEE estimates did not differ significantly from DLW (t(19) = - 1.25; P = 0.22), while ACTIREST24's estimates did (t(19) = - 2.38; P = 0.028). Both models underestimated DEE compared to DLW: ACTIWAKE by 14% and ACTIREST by 26%. The inter-individual spread in model estimates of DEE (s.d. 1-2% of mean) was lower than that in DLW (s.d. 33% of mean)., Conclusions We found that linear locomotion-based calibration applied to the waking period, and a 'flat' resting metabolic rate applied to the sleeping period can provide realistic joule estimates of DEE in terrestrial mammals. The underestimation and lower spread in model estimates compared to DLW likely arise because the accelerometer only captures movement-related energy expenditure, whereas DLW is an integrated measure. Our study offers new tools to incorporate body mass (through allometry), and changes in behavioural time budgets and intra-behaviour changes in intensity (through DBA) in acceleration-based field assessments of daily energy expenditure.

IntroductionOccupational physical activity (OPA), including occupational lifting (OL), seems to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Knowledge about the association between OL and risk of CVD is sparse, but repeated OL is assumed to result in prolonged raised blood pressure and heart rate (HR) eventually augmenting the risk of CVD. To disentangle parts of the mechanisms behind the raised 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure measurement (24h-ABPM), by exposure to OL, this study aimed to explore the acute differences in 24h-ABPM, relative aerobic workload (RAW) and OPA across workdays with and without OL, and secondary to assess the feasibility and rater agreement of direct field observations of the frequency and load of occupational lifting.MethodsThis controlled cross-over study investigates associations between moderate to high OL and 24h-ABPM, RAW in per cent of heart rate reserve (%HRR) and level of OPA. This included 2x24h monitoring of 24h-ABPM (Spacelabs 90217), PA (Axivity) and HR (Actiheart), comprising a workday containing OL and a workday without. The frequency and burden of OL were directly observed in field. The data were time synchronized and processed in the Acti4 software. Differences across workdays with and without OL in 24h-ABPM, RAW and OPA were evaluated using repeated 2 × 2 mixed-models among 60 blue-collar workers in Denmark.. Exposure to OL was estimated by direct manual field observation, registering burden and frequency of OL. Interrater reliability tests were performed across 15 participants representing 7 occupational groups. Interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) estimates of total burden lifted and frequency of lifts were calculated, based on a mean-rating (k = 2), absolute-agreement, 2 way mixed-effects model, indicating the raters as fixed effects.ResultsOL led to non-significant increases in ABPM during work-time (systolic Δ1.79 mmHg, 95%CI −4.49–8.08, diastolic Δ0.43 mmHg, 95%CI −0.80–1.65), and on 24-hours basis (systolic Δ1.96 mmHg, 95%CI −3.80–7.72, diastolic Δ0.53 mmHg, 95%CI −3.12–4.18), significant increases in RAW during work (Δ7.74 %HRR, 95%CI 3.57–11.91) as well as a raised level of OPA (Δ4156.88 steps, 95%CI 1898.83–6414.93, Δ−0.67 hours of sitting time, 95%CI −1.25–0.10, Δ−0.52 hours of standing time, 95%CI −1.03–0.01, Δ0.48 hours of walking time, 95%CI 0.18–0.78). ICC estimates were 0.998 (95% CI 0.995–0.999) for total burden lifted and 0.992 (95% CI 0.975–0.997) for frequency of lift.DiscussionOL increased both intensity and volume of OPA among blue-collar workers, which supposedly to contributes to an augmented risk of CVD. Although this study finds hazardous acute effects, further investigations are needed to evaluate the long-term effects of OL on ABPM, HR and volume of OPA, also effects of cumulative exposure to OL would be relevant to investigate.ConclusionOL significantly raised the intensity and volume of OPA. Direct field observation of occupational lifting showed an excellent interrater reliability. Introduction Occupational physical activity (OPA), including occupational lifting (OL), seems to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Knowledge about the association between OL and risk of CVD is sparse, but repeated OL is assumed to result in prolonged raised blood pressure and heart rate (HR) eventually augmenting the risk of CVD. To disentangle parts of the mechanisms behind the raised 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure measurement (24h-ABPM), by exposure to OL, this study aimed to explore the acute differences in 24h-ABPM, relative aerobic workload (RAW) and OPA across workdays with and without OL, and secondary to assess the feasibility and rater agreement of direct field observations of the frequency and load of occupational lifting. Methods This controlled cross-over study investigates associations between moderate to high OL and 24h-ABPM, RAW in per cent of heart rate reserve (%HRR) and level of OPA. This included 2x24h monitoring of 24h-ABPM (Spacelabs 90217), PA (Axivity) and HR (Actiheart), comprising a workday containing OL and a workday without. The frequency and burden of OL were directly observed in field. The data were time synchronized and processed in the Acti4 software. Differences across workdays with and without OL in 24h-ABPM, RAW and OPA were evaluated using repeated 2 x 2 mixed-models among 60 blue-collar workers in Denmark.. Exposure to OL was estimated by direct manual field observation, registering burden and frequency of OL. Interrater reliability tests were performed across 15 participants representing 7 occupational groups. Interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) estimates of total burden lifted and frequency of lifts were calculated, based on a mean-rating (k = 2), absolute-agreement, 2 way mixed-effects model, indicating the raters as fixed effects. Results OL led to non-significant increases in ABPM during work-time (systolic Delta 1.79 mmHg, 95%CI -4.49-8.08, diastolic Delta 0.43 mmHg, 95%CI -0.80-1.65), and on 24-hours basis (systolic Delta 1.96 mmHg, 95%CI -3.80-7.72, diastolic Delta 0.53 mmHg, 95%CI -3.12-4.18), significant increases in RAW during work (Delta 7.74 %HRR, 95%CI 3.57-11.91) as well as a raised level of OPA (Delta 4156.88 steps, 95%CI 1898.83-6414.93, Delta-0.67 hours of sitting time, 95%CI -1.25-0.10, Delta-0.52 hours of standing time, 95%CI -1.03-0.01, Delta 0.48 hours of walking time, 95%CI 0.18-0.78). ICC estimates were 0.998 (95% CI 0.995-0.999) for total burden lifted and 0.992 (95% CI 0.975-0.997) for frequency of lift. Discussion OL increased both intensity and volume of OPA among blue-collar workers, which supposedly to contributes to an augmented risk of CVD. Although this study finds hazardous acute effects, further investigations are needed to evaluate the long-term effects of OL on ABPM, HR and volume of OPA, also effects of cumulative exposure to OL would be relevant to investigate. Conclusion OL significantly raised the intensity and volume of OPA. Direct field observation of occupational lifting showed an excellent interrater reliability.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that the correlated color temperature (CCT) of light can affect thermal comfort. Previous literature mostly investigated this effect over a short duration (2 h; 2700 K vs. 5700 K with 500 lux illuminance at the eye) in office -like settings during mild cold exposure (17 degrees C) using a within-subject design (N = 16). The results indicate that CCT did not significantly affect thermal sensation in mild cold, which may be explained by the large interin-dividual variation in the color-temperature association. Interestingly, 5700 K even improved thermal comfort, decreased perceived shivering, and, after 1-h exposure, increased energy expenditure. Moreover, visual comfort was not significantly moderated by CCT, but 5700 K improved comprehensive cognitive performance. Concur-rently, arousal and alertness were higher in 5700 K, potentially indicating greater non-visual effects in 5700 K. Further analysis revealed that thermal comfort significantly correlated with perceived shivering and visual comfort, but not with the color sensation of the light. Together, the results provide no support for the hue-heat hypothesis under mildly cold conditions and suggest that high CCT enhanced thermal comfort, alertness, arousal, and cognitive performance, likely via non-visual mechanisms that built up over longer exposure durations.

Rationale The chronic mild stress (CMS) paradigm was first described almost 40 years ago and has become a widely used model in the search for antidepressant drugs for major depression disorder (MDD). It has resulted in the publication of almost 1700 studies in rats alone. Under the original CMS procedure, the expression of an anhedonic response, a key symptom of depression, was seen as an essential feature of both the model and a depressive state. The prolonged exposure of rodents to unpredictable/uncontrollable mild stressors leads to a reduction in the intake of palatable liquids, behavioral despair, locomotor inhibition, anxiety-like changes, and vegetative (somatic) abnormalities. Many of the CMS studies do not report these patterns of behaviors, and they often fail to include consistent molecular, neuroanatomical, and physiological phenotypes of CMS-exposed animals. Objectives To critically review the CMS studies in rats so that conceptual and methodological flaws can be avoided in future studies. Results Analysis of the literature supports the validity of the CMS model and its impact on the field. However, further improvements could be achieved by (i) the stratification of animals into ‘resilient’ and ‘susceptible’ cohorts within the CMS animals, (ii) the use of more refined protocols in the sucrose test to mitigate physiological and physical artifacts, and (iii) the systematic evaluation of the non-specific effects of CMS and implementation of appropriate adjustments within the behavioral tests. Conclusions We propose methodological revisions and the use of more advanced behavioral tests to refine the rat CMS paradigm, which offers a valuable tool for developing new antidepressant medications.

Rationale The chronic mild stress (CMS) paradigm was first described almost 40 years ago and has become a widely used model in the search for antidepressant drugs for major depression disorder (MDD). It has resulted in the publication of almost 1700 studies in rats alone. Under the original CMS procedure, the expression of an anhedonic response, a key symptom of depression, was seen as an essential feature of both the model and a depressive state. The prolonged exposure of rodents to unpredictable/uncontrollable mild stressors leads to a reduction in the intake of palatable liquids, behavioral despair, locomotor inhibition, anxiety-like changes, and vegetative (somatic) abnormalities. Many of the CMS studies do not report these patterns of behaviors, and they often fail to include consistent molecular, neuroanatomical, and physiological phenotypes of CMS-exposed animals. Objectives To critically review the CMS studies in rats so that conceptual and methodological flaws can be avoided in future studies. Results Analysis of the literature supports the validity of the CMS model and its impact on the field. However, further improvements could be achieved by (i) the stratification of animals into 'resilient' and 'susceptible' cohorts within the CMS animals, (ii) the use of more refined protocols in the sucrose test to mitigate physiological and physical artifacts, and (iii) the systematic evaluation of the non-specific effects of CMS and implementation of appropriate adjustments within the behavioral tests. Conclusions We propose methodological revisions and the use of more advanced behavioral tests to refine the rat CMS paradigm, which offers a valuable tool for developing new antidepressant medications.

Plain Language Summary Negative leadership-also named "destructive" leadership-has very bad effects on followers and organizations. There are not just one, but many forms of destructive leadership and it is important to understand where different sub-types come from (i.e., to understand their antecedents) and which specific effect they have (i.e., to understand their consequences). In this paper, we focus on better understanding two forms of destructive leadership, namely abusive supervision and exploitative leadership. These two forms are similar to the two main forms of aggression. Abusive supervision is similar to reactive aggression, an impulsive "hot blooded" form of aggression. Exploitative leadership is similar to proactive aggression, a premeditated "cold blooded" form of aggression. We explain the parallels between the two forms of aggression and the two forms of leadership and provide a model which allows to predict when one versus the other form of leadership occurs and to which follower behavior they lead. An important factor in this model is the physiological characteristic of the emotional reaction to an event (i.e., arousal). An emotional reaction can be high in arousal; for instance, anger is a high arousal negative emotional reaction. On the contrary, boredom, for instance, is a low arousal negative emotional reaction. Dependent on whether both a leader and a follower react to a negative event (e.g., not getting what they want, being treated badly by others) with high or low arousal, their behavior will be different. We explain how this mechanism works and how it can help us to better predict leaders' and followers' behavior. We also outline how individual characteristics of the leader and follower and characteristics of their environment and context interact with arousal and their behavior.Due to its devastating consequences, research needs to theoretically and empirically disentangle different sub-types of destructive leadership. Based on concepts derived from aggression research distinguishing re- and proactive aggression, we provide a process model differentiating abusive supervision and exploitative leadership. High versus low arousal negative affect is installed as the central mediating factor determining (1) whether perceived goal-blockage (leadership antecedents) leads to abusive supervision versus exploitative leadership and (2) whether a specific leadership behavior leads to active versus passive follower behavior (leadership consequence). Further, theoretical anchoring of individual and contextual moderators onto the model's process paths is provided and exemplary hypotheses for concrete moderation effects are deduced. Based on the provided process model, we highlight four recommendations to facilitate process-based construct differentiation in future research on destructive leadership. To precisely understand the differences and commonalities in different forms of destructive leadership will ultimately enable custom-tailored inter- and prevention. Plain Language Summary Negative leadership-also named "destructive" leadership-has very bad effects on followers and organizations. There are not just one, but many forms of destructive leadership and it is important to understand where different sub-types come from (i.e., to understand their antecedents) and which specific effect they have (i.e., to understand their consequences). In this paper, we focus on better understanding two forms of destructive leadership, namely abusive supervision and exploitative leadership. These two forms are similar to the two main forms of aggression. Abusive supervision is similar to reactive aggression, an impulsive "hot blooded" form of aggression. Exploitative leadership is similar to proactive aggression, a premeditated "cold blooded" form of aggression. We explain the parallels between the two forms of aggression and the two forms of leadership and provide a model which allows to predict when one versus the other form of leadership occurs and to which follower behavior they lead. An important factor in this model is the physiological characteristic of the emotional reaction to an event (i.e., arousal). An emotional reaction can be high in arousal; for instance, anger is a high arousal negative emotional reaction. On the contrary, boredom, for instance, is a low arousal negative emotional reaction. Dependent on whether both a leader and a follower react to a negative event (e.g., not getting what they want, being treated badly by others) with high or low arousal, their behavior will be different. We explain how this mechanism works and how it can help us to better predict leaders' and followers' behavior. We also outline how individual characteristics of the leader and follower and characteristics of their environment and context interact with arousal and their behavior.

This work presents a long-term continuous ambulatory ECG monitor for simultaneous acquisition and storage of leads DI, aVF, and V2, and beat-to-beat R wave detection using wavelet transform for heart rate measurement in real-time. The monitor has as its core the low-power ADS1294 analogue front-end of 4 channels, 24-bit analog-to-digital converters and programmable gain amplifiers, the low-power dual-core ESP32 microcontroller, a 32 GB micro SD memory for data storage and a 1.4 in thin-film transistor liquid crystal display (LCD) variant with a resolution of 128 x 128 pixels. The monitor has sampling rates of 1000 Hz, 500 Hz, and 250 Hz, bandwidth from 0 Hz to half the selected sampling rate, a CMRR of -115 dB, a resolution of 286 nV, a current consumption of 50 mA for an average battery life of 84 h, a lead-off detection and a real-time beat-to-beat heart rate measurement.

Aims/hypothesis We hypothesised that the insulin-sensitising effect of physical activity depends on the timing of the activity. Here, we examined cross-sectional associations of breaks in sedentary time and timing of physical activity with liver fat content and insulin resistance in a Dutch cohort. Methods In 775 participants of the Netherlands Epidemiology of Obesity (NEO) study, we assessed sedentary time, breaks in sedentary time and different intensities of physical activity using activity sensors, and liver fat content by magnetic resonance spectroscopy (n=256). Participants were categorised as being most active in the morning (06:00–12:00 hours), afternoon (12:00–18:00 hours) or evening (18:00–00:00 hours) or as engaging in moderate-to-vigorous-physical activity (MVPA) evenly distributed throughout the day. Most active in a certain time block was defined as spending the majority (%) of total daily MVPA in that block. We examined associations between sedentary time, breaks and timing of MVPA with liver fat content and HOMA-IR using linear regression analyses, adjusted for demographic and lifestyle factors including total body fat. Associations of timing of MVPA were additionally adjusted for total MVPA. Results The participants (42% men) had a mean (SD) age of 56 (4) years and a mean (SD) BMI of 26.2 (4.1) kg/m2. Total sedentary time was not associated with liver fat content or insulin resistance, whereas the amount of breaks in sedentary time was associated with higher liver fat content. Total MVPA (−5%/h [95% CI −10%/h, 0%/h]) and timing of MVPA were associated with reduced insulin resistance but not with liver fat content. Compared with participants who had an even distribution of MVPA throughout the day, insulin resistance was similar (−3% [95% CI −25%, 16%]) in those most active in morning, whereas it was reduced in participants who were most active in the afternoon (−18% [95% CI −33%, −2%]) or evening (−25% [95% CI −49%, −4%]). Conclusions/interpretation The number of daily breaks in sedentary time was not associated with lower liver fat content or reduced insulin resistance. Moderate-to-vigorous activity in the afternoon or evening was associated with a reduction of up to 25% in insulin resistance. Further studies should assess whether timing of physical activity is also important for the occurrence of type 2 diabetes. Graphical abstract

International audience; In preterm infants, recurrent episodes of apnea, bradycardia and severe intermittent hypoxia are mainly related to cardiorespiratory immaturity. These episodes are associated with major risks during the first weeks of life. Cardiorespiratory data consisting of a continuous 12 hours recording of transthoracic impedance and ECG signals were acquired in 18 preterm neonates. 106 isolated apnea events (>10 sec) were manually annotated from the database, of which 19 apneas with bradycardia. A system-level physiological model of cardio-respiratory interactions in the newborn is proposed and used to reproduce simulations of mixed apneas with and without bradycardia, by modifying the functional residual capacity. A first qualitative comparison between the simulations and the clinical data shows a close match between the experimental and simulated heart rate series during apnea with bradycardia (RMSE 4.96 bpm) and without (RMSE 2.02 bpm). © 2022 Creative Commons.

PURPOSE: The aim of this brief review was to present an overview of noninvasive markers in trained to professional endurance athletes that can reflect a state of functional overreaching.METHODS: A systematic literature search was conducted in the PubMed, Scopus, and PsycINFO databases. After screening 380 articles, 12 research papers were included for the systematic review.RESULTS: Good consensus was found between the different papers in which noninvasive parameters were able to reflect a state of functional overreaching. Changes in power output (PO), heart rate (HR; [sub]maximal and HR recovery), rating of perceived exertion, and scores in the Daily Analysis of Life Demands for Athletes (DALDA) and/or Profile of Mood States (POMS) were shown to be able to reflect functional overreaching, whereas changes in maximal oxygen uptake and HR-variability parameters were not.CONCLUSION: Functional overreaching within a maximal performance test was characterized by a decrease in peak PO and a lower maximum HR, whereas a lower mean PO and a lower HR were observed during time trials. Changes in parameters during a standardized submaximal test when functionally overreached were characterized by a higher PO at a fixed HR or a lower HR at a fixed intensity, higher rating of perceived exertion, and a faster HR recovery. Although both the DALDA and POMS were able to reflect functional overreaching, the POMS was not able to differentiate this response from acute fatigue, which makes it unsuitable for accurately monitoring functional overreaching.

This study was conducted to systematically compile and sythesize the studies about taper training in literature and in the most current form, to reveal the physiological changes caused by taper trainings. Qualitative research methods were used for in-depth study and interpretation of the studies on taper applications published between 1985-2020. Document analysis was used as data collection method and the obtained data were analyzed by content analysis method. Taper training is a complex training method that facilitates the systematic reduction of the training load and the attainment of the physiological harmony. Before the major competitions the reductions in load, density, volume or frequency of the training in order to achieve optimal performance are made which is called the taper. The aim of taper training is to reduce fatigue and increase physiological adaptation and performance in athletes through intensive training. Since each sport branch has different physiological demands, taper trainings are applied differently in individual and team sports. The effects of these practices may vary in athletes in different branches. In the literature studies, some increases were found in the blood volume and red blood cells values, muscular glycogen deposits, some enzymes, blood lactate and VO2 max. values and the movement economies of athletes. However, in some studies, some decreases were found in the levels of the respiratory threshold, creatine kinase in the blood and the values of the submaximal ventilation, the diastolic and systolic blood pressures of the athletes. Keywords: Taper training, athlete, performance improvement, physiological changes

Objective Coronary artery calcium (CAC) score is a strong predictor for future adverse cardiovascular events. Anthropomorphic phantoms are often used for CAC studies on computed tomography (CT) to allow for evaluation or variation of scanning or reconstruction parameters within or across scanners against a reference standard. This often results in large number of datasets. Manual assessment of these large datasets is time consuming and cumbersome. Therefore, this study aimed to develop and validate a fully automated, open-source quantification method (FQM) for coronary calcium in a standardized phantom.Materials and Methods A standard, commercially available anthropomorphic thorax phantom was used with an insert containing nine calcifications with different sizes and densities. To simulate two different patient sizes, an extension ring was used. Image data were acquired with four state-of-the-art CT systems using routine CAC scoring acquisition protocols. For interscan variability, each acquisition was repeated five times with small translations and/or rotations. Vendor-specific CAC scores (Agatston, volume, and mass) were calculated as reference scores using vendor-specific software. Both the international standard CAC quantification methods as well as vendor-specific adjustments were implemented in FQM. Reference and FQM scores were compared using Bland-Altman analysis, intraclass correlation coefficients, risk reclassifications, and Cohen's kappa. Also, robustness of FQM was assessed using varied acquisitions and reconstruction settings and validation on a dynamic phantom. Further, image quality metrics were implemented: noise power spectrum, task transfer function, and contrast- and signal-to-noise ratio among others. Results were validated using imQuest software.Results Three parameters in CAC scoring methods varied among the different vendor-specific software packages: the Hounsfield unit (HU) threshold, the minimum area used to designate a group of voxels as calcium, and the usage of isotropic voxels for the volume score. The FQM was in high agreement with vendor-specific scores and ICC's (median [95% CI]) were excellent (1.000 [0.999-1.000] to 1.000 [1.000-1.000]). An excellent interplatform reliability of kappa = 0.969 and kappa = 0.973 was found. TTF results gave a maximum deviation of 3.8% and NPS results were comparable to imQuest.Conclusions We developed a fully automated, open-source, robust method to quantify CAC on CT scans in a commercially available phantom. Also, the automated algorithm contains image quality assessment for fast comparison of differences in acquisition and reconstruction parameters.

Refereed/Peer-reviewed In this poster, we present a live 360° panoramic-video based empathic Mixed Reality (MR) collaboration system that shares various Near-Gaze non-verbal communication cues including gaze, hand pointing, gesturing, and heart rate visualisations in real-time. The preliminary results indicate that the interface with the partner's communication cues visualised close to the gaze point allows users to focus without dividing attention to the collaborator's physical body movements yet still effectively communicate. Shared gaze visualisations coupled with deictic languages are primarily used to affirm joint attention and mutual understanding, while hand pointing and gesturing are used as secondary. Our approach provides a new way to help enable effective remote collaboration through varied empathic communication visualisations and modalities which covers different task properties and spatial setups.

International audience; Despite advances in prenatal health care, neonatal sepsis remains a major cause of neonatal mortality. Early diagnosis and adequate treatment are essential to reduce morbidity and mortality related to this disease. In this paper, we propose a new method to detect neonatal sepsis based on heart rate (HR) complexity measures (entropy and compression indices) that takes into consideration neonatal gestational age. First, the percentile curves were computed for all the complexity indices using data from 118 control neonates. Eight indices were computed: the sample entropy (SampEn) and three indices to quantify the multiscale entropy (MSE) curve - the sum, the slope, and the product of the previous two - and the compression ratio (CR), using the bzip2 compressor, as well as the same three indices but related to the multiscale compression (MSC) curve. Then, the corresponding percentile was estimated for 23 sepsis neonates. Results show a significant decrease in the entropy indices SampEn and MSEsum and in the MSCslope a day before the detection of sepsis by the clinicians. The indices CR and MSCsum increased before the antibiotic take. These results imply that sepsis causes a random, uncorrelated pattern on the HR signal. Future studies should include a bigger data set to calculate a compound index comprising information of other physiological signals. Clinical Relevance - Prompt and accurate diagnosis of neona-tal sepsis is essential for the successful clinical management of neonates and significantly reduce morbidity and mortality. Complexity measures applied to the HR time series appear to detect sepsis in neonates starting one day before the clinical detection © 2022 IEEE.

Contains fulltext : 287839.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) In computed tomography, coronary artery calcium (CAC) scores are influenced by image reconstruction. The effect of a newly introduced deep learning-based reconstruction (DLR) on CAC scoring in relation to other algorithms is unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of four generations of image reconstruction techniques (filtered back projection (FBP), hybrid iterative reconstruction (HIR), model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR), and DLR) on CAC detectability, quantification, and risk classification. First, CAC detectability was assessed with a dedicated static phantom containing 100 small calcifications varying in size and density. Second, CAC quantification was assessed with a dynamic coronary phantom with velocities equivalent to heart rates of 60–75 bpm. Both phantoms were scanned and reconstructed with four techniques. Last, scans of fifty patients were included and the Agatston calcium score was calculated for all four reconstruction techniques. FBP was used as a reference. In the phantom studies, all reconstruction techniques resulted in less detected small calcifications, up to 22%. No clinically relevant quantification changes occurred with different reconstruction techniques (less than 10%). In the patient study, the cardiovascular risk classification resulted, for all reconstruction techniques, in excellent agreement with the reference (κ = 0.96–0.97). However, MBIR resulted in significantly higher Agatston scores (61 (5.5–435.0) vs. 81.5 (9.25–435.0); p

Background. Females\" golf course lengths have been reduced due to their strength characteristics, leading to shorter shot distances than men. Although the golf game requires different physical conditions for females and males, the physiological demands of both genders are unknown. Objectives. This study aimed to investigate the physiological responses of female and male golfers during 18 holes golf games. Methods. Twenty-nine elite golf players (females:11, males:14) with 1-10 handicaps participated in the study (age: 17.76 +/- 2.05 years and handicaps: 5.4 +/- 2.9). The players\" physiological responses were assessed using BioHarness 3 Zephry wireless supported heart rate monitor. Perceived exertion rates of the players were enrolled using Borg Scale. Results. Female golf players had significantly higher heart rate values and energy expenditures than male golf players during 18 holes golf games (P0.05). Conclusion. Although the golf game is facilitated by changing the course length for female golf players, it has been investigated that they encountered greater physiological demands than males. However, the perceived exertion rates of females were similar to those of males during the golf course play. This study provides a comprehensive insight into the physiological demands of female and male golf players during 18 holes golf games. It can be suggested that female players should not compete in the same category as male players, despite the game being simplified by changing the course length.

Physical activity (PA) guidelines for the general population are designed to mitigate the rise of chronic and debilitating diseases brought by inactivity and sedentariness. Although essential, they are insufficient as rates of cardiovascular, pulmonary, renal, metabolic and other devastating and life-long diseases remain on the rise. This systemic failure supports the need for an improved exercise prescription approach that targets the individual. Significant interindividual variability of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) responses to exercise are partly explained by biological and methodological factors, and the modulation of exercise volume and intensity seem to be key in improving prescription guidelines. The use of physiological thresholds, such as lactate, ventilation, as well as critical power, have demonstrated excellent results to improve CRF in those struggling to respond to the current homogenous prescription of exercise. However, assessing physiological thresholds requires laboratory resources and expertise and is incompatible for a general population approach. A case must be made that balances the effectiveness of an exercise programme to improve CRF and accessibility of resources. A population-wide approach of exercise prescription guidelines should include free and accessible self-assessed threshold tools, such as rate of perceived exertion, where the homeostatic perturbation induced by exercise reflects physiological thresholds. The present critical review outlines factors for individuals exercise prescription and proposes a new theoretical hierarchal framework to help shape PA guidelines based on accessibility and effectiveness as part of a personalised exercise prescription that targets the individual.