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Purpose: To study the effect of decreased estimated fetal weight (EFW) percentiles in appropriate for gestational age fetuses. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included women who had second and third trimester ultrasound examinations. Delivery and neonatal outcomes of pregnancies with decreased EFW of ≥ 30 percentiles in EFW between ultrasound examinations (decreased growth group) and those without such a decrease (control group) were compared. Deliveries with EFW or birthweight below the 10th percentile were excluded. Results: Among 1610 deliveries, 57 were in the decreased growth group and 1553 in the control group. Maternal characteristics did not differ between the groups except for higher rate of nulliparity in the decreased growth group. We found similar rates of Category II/III monitoring, cesarean deliveries due to non-reassuring fetal heart rate and adverse neonatal outcomes. Neonatal birthweight was lower in the decreased growth group as compared to controls. Conclusions: This study did not find association between the group of appropriate for gestational age fetuses with decreased growth, with adverse outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Upper and lower percentiles of Flow Duration Curves (FDCs) of daily streamflow data were investigated to develop frequency curves. Upper percentiles with exceedance probability of 1, 5 and 10% (Q1, Q5, Q10) were used for high flows, and lower percentiles with non-exceedance probability of 10, 5 and 1% (Q90, Q95, Q99) for low flows. Median value (Q50) was covered to represent the average conditions of streamflow. A mixed frequency analysis based on the total probability theorem taking zero values into account was applied for the lower percentiles of FDC. Case studies were performed for three intermittent Streamflow Gauging Stations (SGSs) from Kucuk Menderes River Basin in western Turkey. An overall assessment of results shows that the best-fit probability distribution function does not change from one SGS to another considerably for low flows while each SGS has its own probability distribution function for high flows. Upper and lower percentiles, and median value were calculated at various return periods by using the identified probability distribution functions. The calculated values were plotted in the form of frequency curves of high flow percentiles and low flow percentiles. The frequency curves have a practically significant potential use in hydrological analysis, water resources management and hydraulic design under high and low flow conditions. They are yet open to further development for regionalization and their applicability can be extended to ungauged sites in river basins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Retos: Nuevas Perspectivas de Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación is the property of Federacion Espanola de Asociaciones de Docentes de Educacion Fisica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Determination of abnormal blood pressure (BP) in children is dependent on comparison with normal percentile values. The commonly used National Institute of Health (NIH) standard is generated from children outside of Africa. Objective: To develop BP percentile values for Nigerian children based on BP cuff width 40% to 50% of arm circumference. Methods: Subjects were pupils from nine primary schools in Midwestern Nigeria recruited using a multi-stage sampling technique. Their BP was measured using a cuff width of 40 to 50% of arm circumference and cuff length of at least 80% of arm circumference respectively. The mean of two BP readings were taken. Hypertension was defined as systolic and or diastolic BP >95th percentile of the study population. Results: There were 1549 subjects, aged 5 to 15 years, of which 757 (48.9%) were males. Prevalence of hypertension was 2.6%. Only age and weight were independent predictors of both elevated systolic and diastolic BP. The 5th, 10th, 50th, 90th and 95th percentiles of Systolic and diastolic BP were generated for both males and females pupils. Conclusion: BP Percentiles have been generated using BP cuff width 40 to 50% of the arm circumference for Nigerian children.

Background: Elevated oxidized low-density lipoprotein (Ox-LDL) was significantly associated with the atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease as well as retinal vascular diseases but there were no studies to show the reference range of Ox-LDL levels in any Indian population. Aims and Objectives: The aim of this study was to formulate the reference intervals of Ox-LDL cholesterol in a population of West Bengal. Materials and Methods: Ox-LDL levels of 434 apparently healthy individuals were estimated based on the history, clinical examination, and laboratory investigations. Statistical analysis was performed using the statistical package for the social sciences software. Results: The reference range of Ox-LDL levels for all ages was 34.1±4.9 mol/L in healthy male and 34.5±4.5 mol/L in healthy female. The 2.5th and 97.5th percentile values of Ox-LDL level in the reference population were 27 (0.90 CI = 26.4–27.6) and 42 (0.90 CI = 41.4–42.6), respectively. Conclusions: Reference intervals for Ox-LDL may help clinicians to predict the future risk for coronary heart disease and retinal vascular disease by taking medical decision limits and also open up the scope for further research for other laboratories to formulate their own reference interval of Ox-LDL.

Background: Elevated oxidized low-density lipoprotein (Ox-LDL) was significantly associated with the atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease as well as retinal vascular diseases but there were no studies to show the reference range of Ox-LDL levels in any Indian population. Aims and Objectives: The aim of this study was to formulate the reference intervals of OxLDL cholesterol in a population of West Bengal. Materials and Methods: Ox-LDL levels of 434 apparently healthy individuals were estimated based on the history, clinical examination, and laboratory investigations. Statistical analysis was performed using the statistical package for the social sciences software. Results: The reference range of Ox-LDL levels for all ages was 34.1±4.9 mol/L in healthy male and 34.5±4.5 mol/L in healthy female. The 2.5th and 97.5th percentile values of Ox-LDL level in the reference population were 27 (0.90 CI = 26.4–27.6) and 42 (0.90 CI = 41.4–42.6), respectively. Conclusions: Reference intervals for Ox-LDL may help clinicians to predict the future risk for coronary heart disease and retinal vascular disease by taking medical decision limits and also open up the scope for further research for other laboratories to formulate their own reference interval of Ox-LDL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of a solar thermal installation is based on the lowest irradiance levels that occur during winter. However, there are consecutive days with irradiance levels well below those used for the design, which are called in this work "critical irradiance levels". To solve this challenge, a statistical analysis is carried out to find a representative percentile of 22 years of consecutive days with "critical irradiance levels". A case study of a cotton-dyeing industrial process requires 18.5 m3 of hot water and operates for 2.75 h at temperatures between 40 and 90 °C. Environmental variables for 22 years were analyzed and validated to design a solar thermal installation (solar collector network and storage system) and a coupled heat pump. The fifth percentile, with three consecutive days and low irradiance levels, was the most repetitive. For this case, a storage system of 46.5 m3 guaranteed heat load at target temperature. The simple payback was 14.1 years, and the energy cost was 0.094 USD/kWh, which was competitive against the energy cost from using fossil fuels, 0.064 USD/kWh. The design based on critical environmental conditions guarantees a continuous supply of energy to the industrial process and defines the minimum availability of solar energy to supply a process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Block bootstrap is widely used in constructing confidence intervals for parameters estimated from stationary time series. Theoretically, the method should provide valid confidence intervals as the length of the time series goes to infinity. In practice, however, it is necessary to know how large of a finite sample is required for block bootstrap confidence intervals to work well. This study aims to answer this question in a simple simulation setting where the data are generated from a first-order autoregressive process. The empirical coverage rates of several commonly used bootstrap confidence intervals for the mean, standard deviation, and the lag-1 autocorrelation coefficient are compared. A quite large sample is found necessary for the intervals to have the right coverage rates even when estimating a simple parameter like the mean. Some block bootstrap methods could fail when estimating the lag-1 autocorrelation. It is surprising that the coverage property even deteriorates as the sample size increases with some commonly used block bootstrap confidence intervals including the percentile intervals and bias-corrected intervals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Birnbaum-Saunders distribution plays a crucial role in statistical analysis, serving as a model for failure time distribution in engineering and the distribution of particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) in environmental sciences. When assessing the health risks linked to PM2.5, it is crucial to give significant weight to percentile values, particularly focusing on lower percentiles, as they offer a more precise depiction of exposure levels and potential health hazards for the population. Mean and variance metrics may not fully encapsulate the comprehensive spectrum of risks connected to PM2.5 exposure. Various approaches, including the generalized confidence interval (GCI) approach, the bootstrap approach, the Bayesian approach, and the highest posterior density (HPD) approach, were employed to establish confidence intervals for the percentile of the Birnbaum-Saunders distribution. To assess the performance of these intervals, Monte Carlo simulations were conducted, evaluating them based on coverage probability and average length. The results demonstrate that the GCI approach is a favorable choice for estimating percentile confidence intervals. In conclusion, this article presents the results of the simulation study and showcases the practical application of these findings in the field of environmental sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: a) to verify whether body composition and physical fitness should be analyzed by chronological age and/or maturity stage in young Brazilian soccer players and b) to propose reference values for the evaluation of body composition and physical fitness by maturity stage in elite soccer players. Methods: A descriptive-correlational study was carried out in 206 young Brazilian soccer players (11-16 years old). The sample selection was non-probabilistic by convenience. Weight and standing height were evaluated. Body composition (BC) was assessed by dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). BC indicators [(percent fat (%F), Fat-free mass (FFM), Fat mass (FM) and Bone mass (BM)] were extracted. For physical fitness (PF), we applied the Flexibility (cm) sit and reach tests, explosive strength tests [Counter Movement Jump CMJ (cm) and horizontal jump HJ (cm)], speed [Speed 10, 20, 30 and 40m (seconds)] and Yo-Yo endurance level I test. Percentiles were constructed for BC and PF using the LMS method [L (Lambda; skewness), M (Mu; median) and S (Sigma; coefficient of variation)]. Results: The explanatory power between chronological age (CA) with BC was: FM (R2 = 0.03%), FFM (R2 = 0.66%) and BM (R2 = 0.62%), while between maturity status (MS) with BC were: FM (R2 = 0.04%), FFM (R2 = 0.71%) and BM (R2 = 0.66). The explanatory power between the CA with the physical fitness tests ranged from: (R2 = 0.22-0.62%). While between MS with physical fitness the values ranged from: (R2 = 0.23-0.64%). Percentiles per MS (P3, P5, P10, P15, P25, P50, P75, P85, P90, P95 and P97) were proposed for both BC and PF. Conclusion: The results of the study have shown that the evaluation of BC and PF of young soccer players should be performed by controlling for MS rather than for CA. The inclusion of a non-invasive method to control MS by means of percentiles during puberty may contribute to the development of retention and exclusion of young soccer players, thus, they may have a better chance of achieving sporting success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying the behavior of precipitation is one of the most important planning principles related to water resources. In this research, an attempt was made to analyze the trend of time changes in extreme rainfall profiles of the country by using the daily rainfall data of 3423 synoptic, climatology, and rain gauge stations for the period from 1970 to 2016 and by performing interpolation using the kriging method. Then, using percentile profiles (percentile less than 10, less than 25, 25 to 75, 75 to 90, and above 90) and regression analysis, changes in the frequency of member days of each of the percentile methods over time were calculated and mapped. The results showed that during the studied period, 86.6% of cells associated with days with the tenth percentile or less in the country had an increasing trend. On the other hand, the pixels associated with days with the 90th percentile and more have shown an increasing trend. Considering that the pixels with the 25th, 25th-75th percentiles (normal), and 75th percentile have shown a decreasing trend in terms of the number of days in their group, it can be concluded that the country's rainfall conditions and the days with rainfall are towards the limit values has moved and the possibility of drought or destructive floods has increased in the country.

INTRODUCTION: We aim to determine the fetal nasal bone length (NBL) percentile values that can be used in the prediction of the fetal anomaly at 11-14 weeks of gestation in a low-risk population. METHODS: Our prospective and cross-sectional study included four hundred and eighty-six singleton pregnancies who applied for the first-trimester aneuploidy screening test at 11-14 weeks of gestation. We excluded pregnant women with fetal structural or chromosomal anomaly, nuchal translucency >3mm, an absent nasal bone, and in utero fetal death. Reference and percentile values of the NBL were calculated separately for 11,12,13,and 14. gestational weeks. RESULTS: Standard NBL measurements were performed in 486 pregnancies according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Median NBL values were computed for each gestational age (GA), for 11,12,13 and 14. weeks of gestation was found 1.6mm (range=1.1-2.5), 1.8mm (range=1.1-3.0), 2.0mm (range=1.4-3.1), and 2.2mm (range=1.7-2.8), respectively. A positive significant correlation was found between NBL and the crown-rump length (CRL) (NBL (mm) = [0.02xCRL(mm)] + 0.73, r=.483; p

Objective: a) to verify whether body composition and physical fitness should be analyzed by chronological age and/or maturity stage in young Brazilian soccer players and b) to propose reference values for the evaluation of body composition and physical fitness by maturity stage in elite soccer players.Methods: A descriptive-correlational study was carried out in 206 young Brazilian soccer players (11–16 years old). The sample selection was non-probabilistic by convenience. Weight and standing height were evaluated. Body composition (BC) was assessed by dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). BC indicators [(percent fat (%F), Fat-free mass (FFM), Fat mass (FM) and Bone mass (BM)] were extracted. For physical fitness (PF), we applied the Flexibility (cm) sit and reach tests, explosive strength tests [Counter Movement Jump CMJ (cm) and horizontal jump HJ (cm)], speed [Speed 10, 20, 30 and 40 m (seconds)] and Yo-Yo endurance level I test. Percentiles were constructed for BC and PF using the LMS method [L (Lambda; skewness), M (Mu; median) and S (Sigma; coefficient of variation)].Results: The explanatory power between chronological age (CA) with BC was: FM (R2 = 0.03%), FFM (R2 = 0.66%) and BM (R2 = 0.62%), while between maturity status (MS) with BC were: FM (R2 = 0.04%), FFM (R2 = 0.71%) and BM (R2 = 0.66). The explanatory power between the CA with the physical fitness tests ranged from: (R2 = 0.22–0.62%). While between MS with physical fitness the values ranged from: (R2 = 0.23–0.64%). Percentiles per MS (P3, P5, P10, P15, P25, P50, P75, P85, P90, P95 and P97) were proposed for both BC and PF.Conclusion: The results of the study have shown that the evaluation of BC and PF of young soccer players should be performed by controlling for MS rather than for CA. The inclusion of a non-invasive method to control MS by means of percentiles during puberty may contribute to the development of retention and exclusion of young soccer players, thus, they may have a better chance of achieving sporting success.

The immune plasma algorithm (IP algorithm or IPA) is one of the most recent meta-heuristic techniques and models the fundamental steps of immune or convalescent plasma treatment, attracting researchers' attention once more with the COVID-19 pandemic. The IP algorithm determines the number of donors and the number of receivers when two specific control parameters are initialized and protects their values until the end of termination. However, determining which values are appropriate for the control parameters by adjusting the number of donors and receivers and guessing how they interact with each other are difficult tasks. In this study, we attempted to determine the number of plasma donors and receivers with an improved mechanism that depended on dividing the whole population into two sub-populations using a statistical measure known as the percentile and then a novel variant of the IPA called the percentile IPA (pIPA) was introduced. To investigate the performance of the pIPA, 22 numerical benchmark problems were solved by assigning different values to the control parameters of the algorithm. Moreover, two complex engineering problems, one of which required the filtering of noise from the recorded signal and the other the path planning of an unmanned aerial vehicle, were solved by the pIPA. Experimental studies showed that the percentile-based donor–receiver selection mechanism significantly contributed to the solving capabilities of the pIPA and helped it outperform well-known and state-of-art meta-heuristic algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In times of rankings and performance benchmarks, data on average marks of higher education students are very common internationally and are often used as quality indicators in practice. We discuss the principles behind the distribution of average marks of students. These principles need to be taken into account when calculating the percentile of (the average mark of) a student. An informative percentile is obtained only if the average mark is compared to a distribution of averages that have been calculated based on the same number of credit points obtained by the student. We provide an empirical example from a university in Germany, which shows that percentile information can differ considerably when based upon different samples. Our findings indicate that the approach proposed in this study may not only be the most efficient approach for ranking students to be implemented into university practice, but may also contribute to a much more objective and credible grade reporting system for student performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Mountain Research (10082786) is the property of Mountain Research Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The design of a solar thermal installation is based on the lowest irradiance levels that occur during winter. However, there are consecutive days with irradiance levels well below those used for the design, which are called in this work “critical irradiance levels”. To solve this challenge, a statistical analysis is carried out to find a representative percentile of 22 years of consecutive days with “critical irradiance levels”. A case study of a cotton-dyeing industrial process requires 18.5 m3 of hot water and operates for 2.75 h at temperatures between 40 and 90 °C. Environmental variables for 22 years were analyzed and validated to design a solar thermal installation (solar collector network and storage system) and a coupled heat pump. The fifth percentile, with three consecutive days and low irradiance levels, was the most repetitive. For this case, a storage system of 46.5 m3 guaranteed heat load at target temperature. The simple payback was 14.1 years, and the energy cost was 0.094 USD/kWh, which was competitive against the energy cost from using fossil fuels, 0.064 USD/kWh. The design based on critical environmental conditions guarantees a continuous supply of energy to the industrial process and defines the minimum availability of solar energy to supply a process.

Quantitative diagnostic ultrasound has been proposed as a way to characterize muscle structure, but there is a lack of normative data for children. This study aims to establish age-specific normal ranges for echo-intensity (EI), cross-sectional area (CSA), muscular thickness (MT), and subcutaneous adipose thickness (SAT) values of the rectus femoris muscle in typically developing children. The study recruited 497 children (288 boys and 209 girls) aged 4–10.9 years (mean age 7.39 years), and muscle parameters were measured using 2D B-mode ultrasound. Percentile values and reference curves were calculated using the Lambda, Mu, and Sigma method (LMS). The results showed small variation between measurements for boys compared to girls, with the most significant difference in EI, CSA, and MT values. EI decreased with age, with the most pronounced curve in boys. SAT increased in both sexes, with a slightly higher increase in girls after the age of 9.0 years. This study provides the first age-specific reference norms for the rectus femoris muscle architecture in children, and further research is needed to validate these curves and determine their clinical utility.

Identifying the behavior of precipitation is one of the most important planning principles related to water resources. In this research, an attempt was made to analyze the trend of time changes in extreme rainfall profiles of the country by using the daily rainfall data of 3423 synoptic, climatology, and rain gauge stations for the period from 1970 to 2016 and by performing interpolation using the kriging method. Then, using percentile profiles (percentile less than 10, less than 25, 25 to 75, 75 to 90, and above 90) and regression analysis, changes in the frequency of member days of each of the percentile methods over time were calculated and mapped. The results showed that during the studied period, 86.6% of cells associated with days with the tenth percentile or less in the country had an increasing trend. On the other hand, the pixels associated with days with the 90th percentile and more have shown an increasing trend. Considering that the pixels with the 25th, 25th-75th percentiles (normal), and 75th percentile have shown a decreasing trend in terms of the number of days in their group, it can be concluded that the country's rainfall conditions and the days with rainfall are towards the limit values has moved and the possibility of drought or destructive floods has increased in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Van Tip Dergisi is the property of Yuzuncu Yil University, Faculty of Medicine and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Pulmonary disease is the major cause for morbidity and mortality in cystic fibrosis (CF). In CF, forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) referenced against a healthy population (FEV1%predicted) and body mass index (BMI) do not allow for the comparison of disease severity across age and gender. Objectives: We aimed to determine updated FEV1 and BMI percentiles for patients with CF and to study their dependence on mortality attrition. Methods: Age- and height-adjusted FEV1 and BMI percentiles for CF patients aged 6–50 years were calculated from 4,947 patients of the German CF Registry for the period 2016–2019 utilizing quantile regression and a Generalized Additive Model for Location, Scale and Shape (GAMLSS). Further, survival-adjusted percentiles were estimated. Results: In patients with CF, FEV1 increased throughout childhood until maximal median values at 16 years in females (2.46 L) and 18 years in males (3.27 L). During adulthood, FEV1 decreased substantially. At 17 years of age, the 25th BMI percentile of patients with CF (females 18.50 and males 18.15 kg/m2) was below the 10th BMI percentile of the German reference cohort. From the age of 20 years, survival (96.3%) decreased tremendously. At 50 years of age (survival 15.0%), the 50th CF-specific FEV1 or BMI percentile among the survivors corresponded to the 92.5th percentile among the total CF birth cohort. Conclusions: Continuously updated disease-specific FEV1 and BMI percentiles with correction for survival may serve as age-independent measure of disease severity in CF (accessible via https://cfpercentiles.statup.solutions). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to estimate a single reliability system (R = P, Z > W) with a strength Z subjected to a stress W in a stress-strength model that follows a power Rayleigh distribution. It proposes, generates and examines eight methods and techniques for estimating distribution parameters and reliability functions. These methods are the maximum likelihood estimation(MLE), the exact moment estimation (EMME), the percentile estimation (PE), the least-squares estimation (LSE), the weighted least squares estimation (WLSE) and three shrinkage estimation methods (sh1) (sh2) (sh3). We also use the mean square error (MSE) Bias and the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) to compare the estimation methods. Both theoretical comparison, simulation and real data are used. The results in light of this distribution show the advantage of the proposed methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this review was to assess the effect of active video games among overweight and obese adolescents. Methods A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted using records from the English-language electronic databases MEDLINE, the Web of Science, and PubMed. These databases were searched from January 2010 to December 2020 using the keywords (adolescent*) AND (overweight OR obese *) AND (active video games OR exergaming * OR video game*). Results Five articles met the inclusion criteria. Four studies were conducted in the United States of America and 1 study was conducted in Canada. In addition, all included articles had a randomized controlled trial study design. It was determined that the sample size of the studies was 30–46 participants and there were a total of 195 overweight and obese adolescents across the included studies. Active video gaming was negatively associated with changes in body mass index percentile (mean difference [MD], -1.77; 95% confidence interval [CI], -2.55 to -0.99; P

Increasingly, it is reported that the coastline of the Dakar region is affected by coastal flooding due to extreme water levels during wave events. Here, we quantify the extreme coastal water levels as well as the different factors contributing to coastal flooding during the period 1994–2015. Severe water levels reach values of 1.78 m and increase by 8.4 mm/year. The time spent above this threshold has already increased by 1.7 over the study period and will increase by 2100 to 8 times with 0.4 m mean sea level rise and up to 20 times with 0.8 m in the IPCC low and high greenhouse gas emission scenarios, respectively. Tide is the main contributor to the extremes when combined with large wave runup, due to wave breaking which contributes to 38% of the increase in extreme events while sea level rises to 44%. Our results show that because of its prominent location, Dakar region is affected by waves coming from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres with contrasted evolutions: wave runup events increase faster (7 mm/year) during austral winter due to a maximum of the South Atlantic storm activity, and have a decreasing trend (−3 mm/year) during boreal winter (December, January, February) driven by the evolution of corresponding climate modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Northeast Brazil (NEB) is considered a region that is strongly vulnerable to extreme rainfall events due to climate change. In this context, this study evaluates the performance of 12 general circulation models (GCMs) from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) in representing the number of dry (DD) and heavy rainfall days (HRD) over NEB in the historical period (1981–2005) and their projections for the near (2016–2040) and far future (2076–2100) under three Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP2‐4.5, SSP3‐7.0 and SSP5‐8.5) scenarios. For selection of extreme rainfall days, we used the absolute threshold of less than 1 mm for DD and the 99th percentile for HRD. The results indicate that four (three) models show an overall superior performance in reproducing the dry (heavy rainfall) days, being common in both aspects only the EC‐EARTH3. Thus, the skill of the CMIP6 models for NEB varies according to the extreme rainfall conditions analysed. For the future climate (near and far), results show that dry days are project to increase over the entire NEB territory, especially during DJF and MAM and more pronounce in the east coast, with projections that these conditions will be more severe under the SSP5‐8.5 scenario. The number of dry days may increase up to 15%. For HRD, although the results indicate that the number of days with heavy precipitation will be more frequent in the future (the increase can exceed 140%), the analysis show that under the low (SSP2‐4.5) or intermediate (SSP3‐7.0) forcing scenarios the HRD tends to be higher than in the most pessimistic scenario (SSP5‐8.5). Such result was explained according to the dryness of the atmosphere. Therefore, this study shows that it might either rain too much within a short range of time or the water scarcity will be longer‐lasting in the future in NEB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The immune plasma algorithm (IP algorithm or IPA) is one of the most recent meta-heuristic techniques and models the fundamental steps of immune or convalescent plasma treatment, attracting researchers’ attention once more with the COVID-19 pandemic. The IP algorithm determines the number of donors and the number of receivers when two specific control parameters are initialized and protects their values until the end of termination. However, determining which values are appropriate for the control parameters by adjusting the number of donors and receivers and guessing how they interact with each other are difficult tasks. In this study, we attempted to determine the number of plasma donors and receivers with an improved mechanism that depended on dividing the whole population into two sub-populations using a statistical measure known as the percentile and then a novel variant of the IPA called the percentile IPA (pIPA) was introduced. To investigate the performance of the pIPA, 22 numerical benchmark problems were solved by assigning different values to the control parameters of the algorithm. Moreover, two complex engineering problems, one of which required the filtering of noise from the recorded signal and the other the path planning of an unmanned aerial vehicle, were solved by the pIPA. Experimental studies showed that the percentile-based donor–receiver selection mechanism significantly contributed to the solving capabilities of the pIPA and helped it outperform well-known and state-of-art meta-heuristic algorithms.

Virility and sexual pleasure have long been associated with penile size and this, in turn, has typically been linked to some anthropometric measurements, such as foot size or height, leading to various misconceptions from both men and women. Our intention is to estimate penile size parameters in Argentina and evaluate the correlation between penile size and certain anthropometric measurements. This is a cross-sectional, descriptive, multicenter, and observational study. Male patients who underwent a urological procedure were included in four hospitals located in different regions of the country. Different anthropometric measurements were obtained: height, weight, penile circumference, flaccid and stretched length, and foot length. A total of 800 patients were evaluated. Mean left foot was 26.4 cm. Mean flaccid penile length was 11.4 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 8–14) cm, and mean penile circumference was 10.1 (95% CI: 8–12) cm. Finally, mean stretched penis was 15.2 (95% CI: 11–18.5) cm. We can confirm that estimates of the average penile measurements in Argentina are flaccid penis length of 11.4 cm, penile circumference of 10.1 cm, and stretching the penis to the maximum in flaccidity of 15.2 cm. Correlations between flaccid penis length, stretched out, penile circumference, height, weight, and length of the left foot were evaluated, finding low or no correlation between those mentioned, except for flaccid and stretched length.

With improved living conditions, the demand for wearable products has increased, particularly for headwear. Traditionally, the dimensions of headwear products are designed according to 1D anthropometric data, such as head length, width, and eye width. However, this design method, applied to fit the 3D human head, results in differences in adaptability, which affect the wearing comfort of the user. Hence, this study aimed to develop an aided design platform based on a three-dimensional standard head shape to evaluate the virtual wearing of headwear products and adaptability testing. Specifically, a WebGL-based service, named the Chinese Headwear Adaptability Testing (CHAT) platform, was established. Validation and user studies were then conducted using an eye massager device. After the product was redesigned according to evaluation by the proposed system, the results show that the comfort and adaptability of the redesigned eye massager were significantly improved. The findings suggest that using the CHAT platform to design headwear products can help achieve a better wearing fit for the products.

The introduction of improved rice milling machines in rice producing areas in Mali is expected to minimize losses during processing. This study compares the profitability and technical efficiency of rice farms using traditional and improved rice milling machines in the Segou region of Mali. It used cross sectional data collected from 396 rice farms from N'Debougou, M'Bewani and Niono agro-ecological zones of Segou region of Mali. Descriptive statistics, benefit cost ratio, stochastic frontier production function and Kendall's coefficient of concordance were the methods of analysis employed. We find that whereas access to improved rice milling machines (IRMMs) was high for farms employing the technology, it was low for users of traditional rice milling machines. The transaction cost of a bag of milled rice, the profit for a one-hectare rice farm and the returns on a CFA invested by farms using improved rice milling machine were 818 CFA, 7014 CFA and 0.78 compared with 711 CFA, 5113 CFA and 0.56 estimated for users of traditional rice milling machines, respectively. The mean technical efficiencies (TE) for farms using improved rice milling machines and the traditional rice milling machines were 86% and 81%, respectively. Generally, whereas milled rice output was influenced by labour, capital and farm size, technical efficiency was influenced by educational level and monthly income of managers of rice farms. The main constraint that farms faced using the improved rice milling machines was low returns to bran followed by high transportation cost. Given that farms using IRMMs were more profitable, rice farms are encouraged to consider using IRMMs to help them improve the quality of their products so that they can be more competitive in the world market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The standard eruption of the permanent dentition in growing patients is influenced by multiple environmental factors. The objective of this research was to study the relationship between height and weight percentiles and the eruption of the permanent dentition. The design of the study was transversal based on the review of the clinical history, visual dental inspection, weight and height indicators, and their respective percentiles in patients in the mixed and definitive dentition stage. The descriptive and comparative analysis of the data was carried out with the statistical software R version 4.1.1. The sample size was 725 participants. The mean age of eruption of the first tooth was 8.0. The eruption sequence in the upper arch was first molar, central and lateral incisor, first premolar, canine, second premolar, and second molar. In the lower arch, the eruption sequence was: central incisor, first molar, lateral incisor, canine, first and second premolar, and second molar. The most frequent weight percentile was P50-97 (50.34%) and height P3-50 (53.38%). Weight (0.0129; 0.0426; 0.0495; 0.000166) and height (0.00768; 0.00473; 0.00927; 10−5) variables significantly influenced dental eruption. The factor that most influences the eruption of the permanent dentition is the height percentile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite clinical suspicion, most non-invasive ischemia tests for coronary artery disease (CAD) reveal unremarkable results. Patients with a coronary artery calcium score (CACS) of zero rarely have an abnormal positron emission tomography (PET) and could be deferred from further testing. However, most patients have some extent of coronary calcification., Objectives: CACS percentiles could be useful to exclude abnormal perfusion in patients with CACS >0, but data from patients with 82 Rb PET are lacking. The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic utility of CACS percentiles in comparison to zero calcium and absolute CACS classes., Methods: Consecutive patients with suspected CAD ( n  = 1,792) referred for 82 Rb PET were included and analyzed for abnormal PET (SSS ≥4) and relevant ischemia (>10% myocardium). Test characteristics were calculated., Results: The mean age was 65 ± 11 years, 43% were female, and typical angina was reported in 21%. Abnormal PET/relevant ischemia (>10%) were observed in 19.8%/9.3%. Overall, the sensitivity/negative predictive value (NPV) of a <25th percentile CACS to rule out abnormal PET and relevant ischemia were 93.0%/95.7% and 98.2%/99.5%, respectively. The sensitivity/NPV of CACS 1-9 to rule out abnormal PET and relevant ischemia were 96.0%/91.8% and 97.6%/97.6%, respectively. Except for patients <50 years old, sensitivity for abnormal PET was >90.9% in all age groups., Conclusion: In patients >50 years, the <25th percentile and CACS 1-9 had good test characteristics to rule out abnormal PET and relevant ischemia (>10%). They could be used to extend the scope of application of CACS 0 by 8%-10% to 32%-34% overall of patients who could be deferred from further testing., Competing Interests: CM has received research support from the Swiss National Science Foundation, the Swiss Heart Foundation, the KTI, the University Hospital Basel, the University of Basel, Abbott, Astra Zeneca, Beckman Coulter, Idorsia, Novartis, Ortho Diagnostics, Quidel, Roche, Siemens, Singulex, SpinChip, and Sphingotec, as well as speaker honoraria/consulting honoraria from Amgen, Astra Zeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, BMS, Idorsia, Novartis, Osler, Roche, Sanofi, and SpinChip. MZ is in the Advisory Board, Exploris AG, Switzerland. The remaining 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., (© 2024 Frey, Huré, Leibfarth, Thommen, Amrein, Rumora, Schäfer, Caobelli, Wild, Haaf, Mueller and Zellweger.)

The first hypothesis of this study is to dissect the factors that impact consumers' preference toward a specific corporate social responsibility (CSR) project via the framework of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). The second hypothesis is to evaluate a monetary value for CSR among consumers through their WTP. The willingness to pay (WTP) in relation to those influential factors is used to represent the monetary value of CSR for the tea tree growing project implemented by corporates among indigenous tribal farmers in Taiwan. The components of CSR covered in this study are product safety, economic security for contractual farmers, the protection of the environment, and the conservation of ecology. Such efforts encompass the economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic responsibilities of CSR. The corresponding highest and lowest monetary values of CSR per hectare of tea trees are USD 92,232 and USD 141,762, respectively. The overall average monetary value of CSR per hectare is USD 118,035. These values represent the specific amounts that a corporation can potentially contribute to society when it contracts tea production to aboriginal farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To effectively manage drought in the Niger River Basin known for its high interannual rainfall variability and continuous adverse drought impacts and challenges, decision-makers need to distinguish dry spells from drought. Operational drought triggers also needed to activate water resource management measures and determine the level of intervention, which are presently lacking. With 36 years of precipitation reanalysis records from 60 locations, the study attempts to establish index- and percentiles-based thresholds for defining dry spell and drought through baseline assessment analysis of the historic 1980s regional drought-induced famine, using percentile rank approach. Results indicate 1980s drought-induced famine occurred within thresholds of 20th, 10th, 5th, and 2nd percentiles, while the drought precursors, the dry spells occur within 35th, 20th, 10th, and 5th percentiles. The corresponding objective index thresholds based on SPI-2 month ranges from − 0.22 to − 0.45, − 0.45 to − 0.93, − 0.93 to − 1.20, − 1.66 to − 1.83 defining dry spell, abnormal dry spell, critical/extreme dry spell, and drought conditions; and SPI-6 month thresholds of range − 0.38 to − 1.07, − 0.59 to − 1.58, − 0.64 to − 1.79 and − 0.67 to − 2.21 defining drought of moderate, severe, extreme, and exceptional intensities respectively depending on location. The thresholds vary from month to month, reflecting seasonality, and detect drought onset much earlier because of its lower values relative to the higher, subjective, and arbitrary fixed SPI thresholds of − 1.0 to − 1.49 for defining moderate drought conditions that could be misleading. The threshold validation results show a success rate of 50 to 70 percent. Results operationally useful for early drought detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent surge in the diagnoses of congenital hypothyroidism (CH) has necessitated the measurement of newborn TSH levels and understanding of the way various antenatal and perinatal factors influence its dynamicity. It is a cross-sectional study on newborns delivered or admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences Raipur (AIIMS Raipur), Chhattisgarh, India. Methods: Dried blood spot analysis of newborn thyroid-stimulating hormone (nTSH) was carried out on 1,216 newborns after ethical clearance. The TSH levels were presented in percentage to determine the distribution in the study population. The mean values were compared within the groups categorized under each variable. The newborns' variables in this study included birth weight, Ponderal index, and neonatal complications. The studied maternal variables included antenatal visits, maternal age, gestational age, anemia, and mode of delivery. Results: The mean (standard error of the mean) for nTSH was obtained at 3.37 (0.12) mIU/L and 97% of newborns were below 8 mIU/L. Mean nTSH was significantly high in mothers older than 30 years (P=0.019) and those with anemia during the antenatal period (p

Objective: Validation of the Visia Camera System in terms of providing data on various skin aspects via the establishment of the correlations among the obtained measurements – the percentile, feature count and absolute score. Method: A large data cloud was analysed statistically following a clinical study. In the study, facial images of nineteen women were obtained at two different time points, before and three months after following a skin care routine. Objective analysis was provided by the Visia Camera System, which provided measurements firstly as percentiles, secondly as feature counts and thirdly as absolute scores on eight different skin aspects. The eight skin criteria were spots, wrinkles, skin texture, pores, UV spots, brown spots, red marks and porphyrins. Data on the facial skin were gathered from three different perspectives, namely the left, front and right views. The correlations between pairs of the three obtained measurements, i.e., the percentile, the feature count and the absolute score, were calculated. Further, the correlation coefficients for the three capture perspectives, from the left, front and right, were calculated. Data from the two time points, i.e., before and after application of the skin care cosmetic line were analysed. The statistical analyses were conducted using R (R Core Team 2016).Results: There was a high level of correlation among the three offered measurement methods. From 144 calculations of the correlations 128 (88.9%) were statistically significant (p

Objectives: To provide normative data and establish percentile curves for long-course (50 m pool length) swimming events and to compare progression of race times longitudinally for the various swimming strokes and race distances.Design: Descriptive approach with longitudinal tracking of performance data.Methods: A total of 2,884,783 race results were collected from which 169,194 annual best times from early junior to elite age were extracted. To account for drop-outs during adolescence, only swimmers still competing at age of peak performance (21-26 years) were included and analyzed retrospectively. Percentiles were established with z-scores around the median and the Lambda-Mu-Sigma (LMS) method applied to account for potential skewness. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measure and between-subject factor was applied to compare race times across the various events and age groups.Results: Percentile curves were established based on longitudinal tracking of race times specific to sex, swimming stroke, and race distance. Comparing performance progression, race times of freestyle sprint events showed an early plateau with no further significant improvement (p > 0.05) after late junior age (15-17 years). However, the longer the race distance, the later the race times plateaued (p < 0.05). Female swimmers generally showed an earlier performance plateau than males. Backstroke and freestyle showed an earlier performance plateau compared to the other swimming strokes (p < 0.05).Conclusions: Performance progression varied between sex, swimming strokes, and race distances. Percentile curves based on longitudinal tracking may allow an objective assessment of swimming performance, help discover individual potentials, and facilitate realistic goal setting for talent development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Upper levels of normal for alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT) generally take sex into account, but not age. This simplification may lead to misclassification and burden the patient and health system unnecessarily. Consecutive blood samples were analyzed from a German laboratory. Subcohorts included samples from a prescribed routine check-up and a healthy cohort, defined as patients without increased GGT, triglyceride, cholesterol, glycated hemoglobin, or glucose levels, and without known hepatitis B. A total of 1,369,180 blood samples were analyzed from 601,779 participants (50.8% female; mean age, 58.5 y; SD, 18.0 y). There is an extreme age dependence in ALT values for men: increased values were seen in 20.0% (95% CI, 19.5%–20.4%) of patients in the age group of 25 to 34 years, but only 6.7% (95% CI, 6.4%–7.0%) for the ages of 65 to 74 years. The 95th percentile reaches values greater than 80 U/L instead of 50 U/L at the age of 35, and decrease to less than 50 U/L by the age of 75. Similar qualitative results were found in the healthy and prescribed routine check-up subcohorts. The age dependence is much weaker for ALT in women. The proportion of women with an increased AST level increases from approximately 6% to 12% at approximately age 50. The 95th percentile for GGT increases up to the age of 60 in men, and throughout life in women. Current guidelines and reference values for ALT imply that subsequent diagnostics are needed for a large proportion of young men. Our data strongly suggest that age adaptation should be considered. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]