Application of Open-Hardware-Based Solutions for Rapid Transition From Stationary to the Remote Teaching Model During Pandemic.

Contribution: While research indicates usefulness of remote laboratories in teaching of digital hardware systems, their main application is to complement stationary classes. This work presents a low-cost, scalable architecture that supports rapid transformation of teaching to a model based solely on remote access mechanisms. Background: Adaptation of online laboratory solutions from the literature to en-masse teaching of digital circuits is time-consuming and expensive. Solutions that permit cheap and rapid conversion of courses to remote environments seem to be of high value, especially when social distancing renders direct teaching impossible. Intended Outcomes: Demonstration of a flexible and cheap architecture that permits rapid transformation of digital circuits laboratories to the remote environment. Validation of system's performance and usefulness on a large group of students. Application Design: Remote digital circuits laboratories from the literature are designed to complement stationary classes. For successful teaching during pandemic, a low-cost, flexible, and efficient solution to online laboratory based on commonly available technologies is required. Findings: The proposed remote laboratory architecture enables rapid conversion of on-site teaching to online model, while supporting in-situupgrades and functionality enhancements. The presented solution proved to be a convenient substitute for conventional laboratories during pandemic.

Factors influencing inguinal hernia symptoms and preoperative evaluation of symptoms by patients: results of a prospective study including 1647 patients.

BACKGROUND: Current recommendations for hernia treatment suggest applying techniques aimed at reducing postoperative pain in patients experiencing intense preoperative pain. However, there is still no reliable stratification method of preoperative pain, its circumstances, intensity and frequency, and the current assessments of hernia symptoms are performed by means of a subjective evaluation. The aim of this work is to discuss preoperative pain before hernia repair and determine its nature depending on the type and length of hernia persistence and the patient's age. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The data from 1647 patients before inguinal hernia repairs (2010-2017) were registered prospectively in the National Hernia Repair Register (demographic data, pain score and influence on everyday activities). RESULTS: The most common symptom upon admission was pain (949 patients at rest; 57.6% and 1561 at physical activity; 94.8%). A significant influence of hernia persistence on the pain occurrence and intensity was not observed between patients with hernia < 12-months (60.8%;VAS5.0) and > 5-years (58.3%;VAS5.4) (p = 0.068). The occurrence and intensity of pain was significantly higher patients < 40-years (63.7%;VAS5.4) than patients > 60-years (54.3%;VAS4.8) (p = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: While pain at rest is not a significant problem, undertaking physical activities may intensify pain and increase the number of patients suffering from it. Preoperative assessment of pain may help determine the group of younger patients who could benefit the most from inguinal hernia repair. New indications for prompter admission for treatment should be planned in future studies of patients showing pain at rest for possible prevention of postoperative neuropathy.

The influence of different sterilization types on mosquito net mesh characteristics in groin hernia repair.

BACKGROUND: In low-resource countries, a suture repair is still in common use due to the limited access to commercial mesh implants. The search for less expensive alternatives to the synthetic meshes has led to using mosquito nets. Sterilized mosquito net appears to be a low-cost and commonly available product that closely resembles commercially available meshes. However, the extent to which sterilization alters the structure of mosquito nets is still unknown. The aim of this research was to assess the effects of different sterilization types on physico-mechanical properties of mosquito nets. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nine different polymers were analyzed (six mosquito nets from low-resource countries, one European net, and two commercial meshes). The analyzed parameters included: polymer type, net surface area, fiber diameter, net thickness, mesh weight, pore size, tensile strength, and tear force. The measurements were taken before sterilization, after sterilization at 121 and at 134 °C. RESULTS: Sterilization altered net surface and pore size, but did not significantly alter the single fiber diameter, weave of filaments, or net thickness. Steam sterilization did not affect the tensile strength or tear force. CONCLUSIONS: The reduction of the mosquito net surface area by more than 40% due to sterilization at 121 °C, results in a loss of macroporous structure, turning the mesh into hard, shrunken, non-pliable masses. Sterilization at 134 °C causes some mosquito nets to melt and completely destroys their porous structure. Maximum pressure in the abdominal cavity is higher than the tensile strength and tear force of some locally available mosquito nets; therefore, these nets should not be used.

Relationship between temperament and fatness in 11-year-old children and 17-year-old adolescents from Wroclaw, Poland.

Childhood obesity is increasing globally, and Poland is no exception. Studies indicate that relationship between obesity and psychological well-being is a complex issue and this needs further research. The objective of the present cross sectional study was to analyze the relationship between some temperament components and fatness among children in two developmental periods, approximately before and after adolescence. Participants included 122 children aged 11 years (57 boys and 65 girls), and 153 adolescents aged 17 years (64 boys and 89 girls) from 6 primary and 4 secondary schools in Wroclaw, Poland. Height, weight, triceps-, subscapular and abdominal skinfold thicknesses were measured. Temperament was assessed by a questionnaire of Buss and Plomin (1984) in two versions: EAS-C for children completed by parents and EAS-D for youth and adults. Physical activity (PAL) was also assessed by a questionnaire. Mean, median and standard deviation (SD) were calculated and Student's t tests were performed to test for significance of differences between groups. Chi squared (χ2) statistic was used to test the significance of differences in frequencies. Analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) were performed to show the effect of the social - psychological factors on fatness. Controlling for socioeconomic status and physical activity level, activity, as a component of temperament had a significant effect on body fatness. The only component of temperament, which significantly influenced level of fatness in girls, was emotionality. These relationships differed according to sex and the two age groups concerned.

Parental smoking during pregnancy shortens offspring's legs.

One of the most severe detrimental environmental factors acting during pregnancy is foetal smoke exposure. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of maternal, paternal and parental smoking during pregnancy on relative leg length in 7- to 10-year-old children. The research conducted in the years 2001-2002 included 978 term-born children, 348 boys and 630 girls, at the age of 7-10 years. Information concerning the birth weight of a child was obtained from the health records of the women. Information about the mother's and the father's smoking habits during pregnancy and about the mothers' education level was obtained from a questionnaire. The influence of parental smoking on relative leg length, controlled for age, sex, birth weight and the mother's education, as a proxy measure of socioeconomic status, and controlled for an interaction between sex and birth weight, was assessed by an analysis of covariance, where relative leg length was the dependent variable, smoking and sex were the independent variables, and birth weight as well as the mother's education were the covariates. Three separate analyses were run for the three models of smoking habits during pregnancy: the mother's smoking, the father's smoking and both parents' smoking. Only both parents' smoking showed a significant effect on relative leg length of offspring. It is probable that foetal hypoxia caused by carbon monoxide contained in smoke decelerated the growth of the long bones of foetuses.

An analysis of the origin of an early medieval group of individuals from Gródek based on the analysis of stable oxygen isotopes.

In the early Middle Ages, the region of the Cherven Towns, which is now located on both sides of the Polish-Ukrainian border, was fiercely contested by Slavs in the process of forming their early states. The main objective of the present study was to investigate the homogeneity of an early medieval population uncovered in that region, in the town of Gródek on the Bug River, by screening for non-local individuals. The origin of the studied skeletons was ascertained using analysis of oxygen isotopes in the phosphates isolated from bone tissue. In this paper, the isotope ratios obtained for samples collected from 62 human skeletons were compared to the background δ(18)O (in precipitation water) from the regions of Kraków (south-eastern Poland), Lviv (western Ukraine), Brest (western Belarus), and Gródek, as well as to the ratios determined for the animals coexisting with the studied population. Proportions of oxygen isotopes obtained for all the studied individuals were found to be similar to those for the precipitation water and animals, which indicates the absence of bone fragments of individuals originating in other regions.

Different effects of living conditions on the variation in BMI and height in children before the onset of puberty.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Biological indicators of children's growth, such as the mean values for both height and weight, are often used as markers of change in living conditions. However, little is known about how the quality of life affects the variation in height and weight. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the variation in height and body mass index (BMI) in Polish children between 1966 and 2012. During this period, Poland underwent vast political and socioeconomic changes. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The study included 5597 boys and 5479 girls aged 7-8 years of age. Socioeconomic status (SES) was defined in three categories: high, medium and low. RESULTS: Between 1966 and 2012, the mean values for height and BMI significantly increased in both sexes (P<0.001). The variation of these two parameters, however, showed a different pattern. Whereas the variation in Z-values for height remained unchanged in both sexes, the variation in BMI increased in boys (P<0.01) but not in girls. SES affected the variation in Z-BMI in 1978 in both sexes (P<0.001), whereas variation in Z-height between SES categories remained unchanged across all years of surveys in boys. Before the political transformation, significant regional differences were observed in the variances of Z-BMI (P<0.05) but not of Z-height. This pattern changed after the political transformation, when regional differences in variances of Z-BMI disappeared. CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that the mean values and the variation of BMI are affected by a changing quality of life, whereas the variation in height is usually independent of living conditions.

The optimal value of BMI for the lowest risk of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women aged 40-88 years.

The aim of this paper is to establish the optimal values of the body mass index (BMI) which would indicate the most favourable preservation of the bone mineral density in postmenopausal women. The material consists of the data of 369 healthy women aged between 40 and 88 years (mean age 67.84, SD=6.70) inhabitants of Wroclaw, which were followed up between 2001 and 2006. The absolute measure of bone mineral density (BMD) of the femoral neck was assessed using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), expressed in g/(100mm(2)) and was transformed to T-score values. According to the value of BMI, the women were divided into eight groups, the reference group with value between 18.0 and 21.9kg/m(2) and seven other groups beginning with the value 22.0 with a 2-point interval. Postmenopausal status was defined according to the occurrence of menstruation within the last 360 days. The women with osteopenia and osteoporosis were pooled together and comprised the risk group, whereas the other women comprised the normal group (T-score values above -1.0). The adjusted odds ratio showed the highest value for intervals between 24.0 and 25.9 units of BMI, and the lowest value for interval 26.0-27.9 units of BMI. The Youden index showed the lowest value in the 26.0-27.9BMI kg/m(2) interval. For our sample the optimal value of BMI, with the lowest risk of osteopenia and/or osteoporosis was the value of 26.9kg/m(2). A further increase of BMI does not result in a favourable effect on the bones, it rather intensifies negative phenomena in the body resulting in the onset of many diseases.

Adolescent growth: genes, hormones and the peer group. Proceedings of the 20th Aschauer Soiree, held at Glücksburg castle, Germany, 15th to 17th November 2013.

The association between poverty, malnutrition, illness and poor socioeconomic conditions on the one side, and poor growth and short adult stature on the other side, is well recognized. Yet, the simple assumption by implication that poor growth and short stature result from poor living conditions, should be questioned. Recent evidence on the impact of the social network on adolescent growth and adult height further challenges the traditional concept of growth being a mirror of health. Twenty-nine scientists met at Glücksburg castle, Northern Germany, November 15th - 17th 2013, to discuss genetic, endocrine, mathematical and psychological aspects and related issues, of child and adolescent growth and final height.

Self-assessment of attractiveness of persons with body decoration.

Tattoos and body piercing are forms of body decoration that have been known for ages. The use of such ornamentation is becoming more and more common. Researchers attempt to explain the meaning of this phenomenon within the discipline of behavioural ecology, attributing a sexual selection aspect to body decoration, and thus interpreting it in an evolutionary sense. The hypothesis that superior biological quality of individuals is indicated by body modification is becoming more and more popular. In the present study, this hypothesis is tested on the basis of physical attractiveness as an indicator of genotype quality. The total of 64 males and 52 females with tattoos and body piercings were subjected to tests consisting of the self-assessment of the attractiveness of their bodies. The control group comprised 86 subjects (38 males and 48 females) without body decoration. The results confirm that both women and men with body decoration assess the attractiveness of different parts of their bodies higher (regardless whether the decoration is located there or not) than people without tattoos and body piercing. Thus, the hypothesis has been confirmed that body decoration is a signal of superior biological quality of individuals.

Frequency of under- and overweight among children and adolescents during the economic transition in Poland.

The aim of this study is to examine the prevalence of underweight, overweight and obesity, using International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) criteria, in four cohorts of children and adolescents living in Poland in different economic eras: communist economy (1977/1978), crisis of the 1980s (1987/1988), political and economic transformation (1992/1994) and the free market economy (2002/2004). Analysis was conducted on a database including 10,934 records for children of the age 7-18 years. In Poland, in the last 26 years of economic and political transformations, the epidemic of obesity was not noticed but the growing incidence of children and adolescents with body mass deficit was observed (p<0.0001) (20.2% of girls in 2002/2004 vs. 11.0% in 1977/1978 and 12.1% of boys in 2002/2004 vs. 7.2% in 1977/1978). Lower parental education and a higher number of children in a family resulted in a higher prevalence of underweight (odds ratio [OR] fluctuated from 1.26 to 1.63). The social effects of the political transformation in Poland significantly affected families with low socio-economic status (SES), and especially more eco-sensitive boys. This result is opposite to the trends observed in Western countries and makes an important contribution to the current knowledge of the course of further changes in weight-to-height ratio at a global scale.

Use of mid-upper arm circumference in determining undernutrition and illness in rural adult Oraon men of Gumla District, Jharkhand, India.

INTRODUCTION: Body mass index (BMI) is widely accepted as one of the best indicators of nutritional status in adults. Mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) is another anthropometric measure that has also been used to evaluate adult nutritional status. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of MUAC as a simpler and reliable alternative to BMI. A suitable cut-off value was also proposed for identification of chronic energy deficiency (CED) in relation to self-reported illness among the adult Oraon males of Jharkhand state in India. METHODS: The study was based on a cross-sectional survey involving 205 rural adult men belonging to the Oraon tribal group of Jharkand State in India. Height and weight were measured for each participant. The BMI was calculated as kg/m2. The internationally accepted cut-off points of BMI and MUAC were utilised to determine nutritional status. An episode of illness was recorded for each subject if any working day was lost. Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses were undertaken to discover the most suitable values of MUAC both for CED and illness. RESULTS: The MUAC values of 243 and 239 mm were identified as the best cut offs to identify CED (BMI<18.5) and illness, respectively. There were marked increases in both CED and illness prevalence rates at a MUAC level lower than 240 mm. Therefore, a MUAC value of close to 240 mm seemed appropriate as a simple and efficient cut-off point for the determination of undernutrition and higher rates of illness and loss of working days in adult Oraon males. CONCLUSION: Because MUAC is a much simpler measure than BMI, the use of MUAC 240 mm as a cut-off point is predicted to have considerable public health implications, especially with respect to primary health care related to CED and morbidity.

Association of birth weight and length with air temperature, sunlight, humidity and rainfall in the city of Warsaw, Poland.

Several studies have shown the month of birth effect on birth weight and height of children. The mechanism of this phenomenon is not fully explained. Using data from Warsaw hospitals, the influence of four climatic factors (temperature, sunlight, humidity and rainfall) on birth outcomes was studied. The sample consisted of 10,631 neonates (5450 boys and 5181 girls) born between May 2004 and April 2005. Individual values for birth weight and length were standardised on the overall mean and standard deviation for all subjects, separately for each sex. Differences in means of Z-score birth outcomes between months, seasons and semi-annual periods of birth were assessed by one-way analysis of variance, separately for each sex. The relation between average values of four atmospheric factors and average neonatal outcomes for each month of birth was assessed by a weighted Spearman rank correlation. The results revealed significant differences in average Z-scores of neonate weight and length between months of birth for boys and girls. Significant seasonal variation in Z-scores means was only found for birth length in boys. The correlation between four atmospheric factors during pregnancy and birth length was the highest for boys and occurred in the second trimester. Second trimester of fetal growth is the period most sensitive to influences of climatic factors.

Changes in the BMI of Polish conscripts between 1965 and 2001: secular and socio-occupational variation.

OBJECTIVE: To describe changes in the body mass index (BMI) of nationally representative samples of young adult Polish males between 1965 and 2001, and to investigate variation in the incidence of underweight, overweight and obesity between 1965 and 2001 in the young adult males in the context of the socio-political transformation that occurred in Poland since 1989. SUBJECTS: Four 10% nationwide random samples of 29-year-old Polish conscripts examined in 1965, 1986, 1995 and 2001. The conscripts were divided into four socio-occupational groups based on paternal education, occupation and degree of urbanization. MEASUREMENTS: Height, weight and BMI (weight (kg)/height (m2)). RESULTS: The proportion of overweight and underweight young adult males in the population increased between 1965 and 2001. The fraction of underweight decreased only among sons of farmers and entrepreneurs between 1986 and 1995 and then increased in all socio-occupational groups between 1995 and 2001. On the other hand, the proportion of overweight young adults gradually increased in all groups between 1965 and 2001. CONCLUSION: Socio-occupational position of the family is an important factor influencing underweight and overweight in young adult males. This factor apparently operates through a differential distribution of income, which influences components of lifestyle most likely associated with level of habitual physical activity and/or diet.

Changing patterns of social variation in stature in Poland: effects of transition from a command economy to the free-market system?

The aim of this analysis was to examine the effects on stature in two nationally representative samples of Polish 19-year-old conscripts of maternal and paternal education level, and of degree of urbanization, before and after the economic transition of 1990. Data were from two national surveys of 19-year-old Polish conscripts: 27,236 in 1986 and 28,151 in 2001. In addition to taking height measurements, each subject was asked about the socioeconomic background of their families, including paternal and maternal education, and the name of the locality of residence. The net effect of each of these social factors on stature was determined using four-factor analysis of variance. The secular trend towards increased stature of Polish conscripts has slowed down from a rate 2.1 cm per decade across the period 1965-1986 to 1.5 cm per decade between 1986 and 2001. In both cohorts, mean statures increase with increasing size of locality of residence, paternal education and maternal education. The effect of each of these three social factors on conscript height is highly significant in both cohorts. However, the effect of maternal education has increased substantially while that of size of locality of residence and paternal education diminished between 1986 and 2001. These results imply that the influence of parental education on child growth cannot be due solely to a relationship between education and income, but is also perhaps a reflection of household financial management which benefits child health and growth by better educated parents, regardless of level of income. In addition they suggest that, irrespective of whether there are one or two breadwinners in the family, it is the mother, more so than the father, who is principally responsible for the extent to which such management best favours child health and growth. The asymmetry between the importance of maternal as against paternal education for child growth, clearly seen in the 1986 cohort, became more accentuated in 2001, after the abrupt transition from a command to a free-market economy in the early 1990s.

Secular change in height, sitting height and leg length in rural Oaxaca, southern Mexico: 1968-2000.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate secular changes in height, sitting height and estimated leg length between 1968 and 2000 in residents in a rural Zapotec-speaking community in Oaxaca, southern Mexico. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Height and sitting height were measured in school children 6-13 years (1968; 1978, 2000), in adolescents 13-17 years (1978, 2002) and adults 19-29 years (1978, 2000). Leg length was estimated as height minus sitting height. The sitting height/ height ratio was calculated. Subjects were grouped by sex into four age categories: 6-9, 10-13, 13-17 and 19-29 years for analysis. The Preece-Baines Model I growth curve was fitted to cross-sectional means for 1978 and 2000. RESULTS: There were no differences between children 6-9 and 10-13 years in 1968 and 1978 with the exception of the sitting height ratio in girls 6-9 years. Children of both sexes 6-13 years and adolescent boys 13-17 years were significantly larger in the three dimensions in 2000 compared to 1978; adolescent girls differed only in height and sitting height. Adult males in 2000 were significantly taller with longer legs than those in 1978, but the samples did not differ in sitting height and the ratio. Adult females in 1978 and 2000 did not differ significantly in the three dimensions. Rates of secular change in height and sitting height between 1978 and 2000 were reasonably similar in the three age groups of male children and adolescents, but the rate for estimated leg length was highest in 10-13-year-old boys. Secular gains were smaller in adult males, but were proportionally greater in estimated leg length. Girls 6-9 and 10-13 years experienced greater secular gains in height, sitting height and estimated leg length than adolescent and young adult females, while secular gains and rates decreased from adolescent girls to young adult women. Ages of peak velocity for height, sitting height and estimated leg length declined in boys, while only ages of peak velocity for height and estimated leg length declined in girls. CONCLUSIONS: There are major secular increases in height, sitting height and estimated leg length of children and adolescents of both sexes since 1978. Secular gains in height are of similar magnitude in boys and girls 6-13 years, but are greater in adolescent and young adult males than females. The secular increase in height of young adults of both sexes is smaller than that among adolescents. Estimated leg length accounts for about 60% of the secular increase in height in children of both sexes. Estimated leg length and sitting height contribute equally to the secular increase in height in adolescent boys, whereas estimated leg length accounts for about 70% of the secular increase in height in young adult males. Sitting height contributes about two-thirds of the secular increase in height in adolescent and young adult females.

Effect of low versus normal birthweight on menarche in 14-year-old Polish girls.

OBJECTIVE: The relationship between intrauterine growth retardation and sexual maturation has not been completely established. The aim of the present study was to compare menarche in 14-year-old Polish girls of low and normal birthweight, along with an evaluation of the impact of socio-economic status and body mass index (BMI). METHODS: We studied 1060 girls (177 pre- and 883 post-menarche) aged 13.5-14.5 years. These girls attended the 7th grade of randomly selected primary schools in Wroclaw, Poland. The BMI was used as a measurement of general adiposity. The cut-off value of the 10th percentile of birthweight for gestational age was used to differentiate between girls born small for gestational age (SGA) and girls with a birthweight appropriate to gestational age (AGA). Parental education level and other measures were used to assess socio-economic status (SES). RESULTS: Birthweight (OR = 2.54; 95% CI 1.22-5.28) and BMI at the age of 14 years (OR = 7.93; 95%CI 4.67-13.48) were factors affecting the onset of menarche among the 14-year-old girls. CONCLUSION: Polish girls born small for gestational age are more likely to have experienced menarche by the age of 14 years, compared with their peers of normal weight at birth. These findings seem to be consistent with the hypothesis that the age of menarche is, to some extent, set by patterns of gonadotropin release, established prior to birth. Additionally, the age of menarche varies depending on levels of fat accumulation during childhood and adolescence.

Birthweight and stature, body mass index and fat distribution of 14-year-old Polish adolescents.

OBJECTIVES: The relationships between intra-uterine growth retardation and stature, relative weight and fat distribution at adolescence have not been comprehensively established. The aim of this report is to assess the effect of low birthweight on stature, relative weight and fat distribution in 14-year-old boys and girls from Wroclaw, Poland. METHODOLOGY: Cross-sectional measurements of 1197 boys and 819 post-menarcheal girls aged 13.50-14.49 years were performed during medical examinations in 1997. Stature, body mass index (BMI; kg/m2), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and waist-to-thigh ratio (WTR) were used in the present study. A cut-off value of the 10th percentile of birthweight for particular gestational weeks was used in order to define subjects born small for gestational age (SGA) or appropriate for gestational age (AGA). Two-way ANOVA was used to evaluate the effect of birthweight on anthropometric variables of 14-year-old adolescents, allowing for socioeconomic status (determined by the level of the mother's education). RESULTS: Birthweight affected stature in boys and girls (P < 0.001), BMI in boys (P < 0.05) and WHR and WTR in girls (P < 0.001 and P < 0.05, respectively). At the age of 14 years, both SGA boys and girls were shorter than their AGA peers. The SGA boys had lower BMI, whereas SGA girls accumulated more centralized fat compared with their AGA counterparts. CONCLUSION: Fetal growth retardation has a long-lasting adverse effect on later physical growth. Polish SGA children do not catch up with their peers in terms of stature by adolescence. Moreover, central fat distribution, as observed among SGA girls, constitutes a significant risk for several adult degenerative diseases.

Relationships among tempo of maturation, midparent height, and growth in height of adolescent boys and girls.

The influence of rate of skeletal maturation and midparent height on growth in height during adolescence was analyzed on longitudinal data for 184 boys and 166 girls from the Wroclaw Growth Study. Seven biological parameters describing the shape of the growth curve in stature were derived from the Preece-Baines model 1 applied to individual serial data. Rate of skeletal maturation inferred from the difference between chronological and skeletal ages at 12 years in girls and 14 in boys. Principal components analysis of the biological parameters extracted three factors for boys and four for girls. The factors explained 90% and 97% of the total variance in boys and girls, respectively. The factors reflected attained size and the timing and intensity of the adolescent spurt in height. Multiple regression showed a high relationship between skeletal maturation rate, midparent height, and principal component scores. Three aspects of adolescent growth: size, timing, and intensity show an apparent sex difference. The timing and intensity of the spurt are highly affected by tempo of maturation in girls, but less so than in boys. It might suggest in girls a less efficient compensatory effect for reduced length of overall growth period in early maturers that increases height gain. Midparent height influences the size component during the spurt, thus adjusting the height parameters. The dependency between attained stature (height at take-off, PHV, and adult stature), timing, and initial intensity of the growth spurt of daughters and midparent height is greater than in sons.