Performance of two semi-analytical algorithms in deriving water inherent optical properties in the Southern Ocean.

Remotely sensed inherent optical properties (IOPs) are key proxies for synoptic mapping of primary production and carbon export in the global ocean. However, the IOPs inversion algorithms are scarcely evaluated in the Southern Ocean (SO) because of limited field observations. In this study, the performance of two widely used semi-analytical algorithms (SAAs), i.e., the quasi-analytical algorithm (QAA) and the generalized IOP model (GIOP), were evaluated using a compiled in situ bio-optical dataset in SO, as well as measurements from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). Evaluations with in situ data show that QAA and GIOP have comparable performance in retrieving the total absorption coefficient (a(λ)), absorption coefficients of phytoplankton (aph(λ)), and that of detritus and colored dissolved organic matter (adg(λ)). Overall, it was found that remotely sensed a(λ) and aph(λ) by both SAAs agreed well with field measurements, with the mean absolute percentage difference (MAPD) of derived a(λ) and aph(λ) in the blue-green bands being ∼20% and ∼40%, respectively. However, derived adg(λ) by both SAAs were higher than the measured values at the lower end (adg(443) < ∼0.01 m-1), but lower at the higher end (adg(443) > ∼0.02 m-1), with MAPD of ∼60%. Results of this effort suggest confident products of a(λ) and aph(λ) from VIIRS in SO, but more dedicated efforts on the measurements and evaluation of adg(λ) in SO would be desired.

Adiabatic weak coherent MHz linewidth O-band single-photon carrier for low erroneous phase decoding.

For weak coherent single-photon secure data communication among short-reach metropolitan intra-/inter-city networks at the O-band (1250-1350 nm), the commercially available semiconductor laser sources are emerging but still suffering from high single-mode-fiber (SMF) loss, broad linewidth, and unstable wavelength. To overcome such disadvantages for enabling the efficient phase-coding link with sufficient secure key rate, a specifically designed adiabatic package with active temperature-/current-feedback control is proposed for the paired O-band MHz-linewidth master-to-slave injection-locked DFBLDs and a polarization-maintaining 1-bit-delay interferometer is stabilized with using a passively adiabatic cell to achieve accurate differential phase decoding. Even though, the phonon-induced phase fluctuation still occurs at rising and falling edges of the decoded long-pattern secure data bits delivered from the slave DFBLD, which is mainly attributed to the intra-cavity heating under excessive free-carrier generation via the master DFBLD injection. To stabilize the differential-phase-shift (DPS) keying protocol, the phase-code distortion caused by over-injection-induced Auger heating is effectively suppressed by reducing the overly biased injection with precise master-injection-level control. The rising-/falling-edge damping distortion of the phase-shift-encoded secure bit-stream envelope is suppressed by appropriately decreasing the DC bias current and adjusting the AC encoding amplitude of the master DFBLD. Such operation reduces the incorrect π phase shift in the injection-locked slave DFBLD biased at optimized below-threshold DC offset, thus allowing single-photon DPS-keying data transmission over 15-km SMF with slightly increasing the single-photon bit-error ratio from <3% (0-km) to 6.2% (15-km).

Quantifying Coloring Skills Among Preschoolers.

IMPORTANCE: Coloring is popular with preschool children and reveals their developmental state. However, interpreting coloring performances is challenging because descriptive and subjective evaluations are commonly used with large variations. OBJECTIVE: To develop a scoring method to objectively quantify children's coloring skills. DESIGN: Colored blank train templates were analyzed using four indicators (entropy, complexity, coloring outside the lines, and unexpected blank areas) to form a summed score. SETTING: Kindergarten in a urban city (Tainan, Taiwan). PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred thirty-nine typically developing children ages 3 to 6 yr. OUTCOME AND MEASURES: A newly developed method to assess coloring skill on the basis of a colored picture of a train. RESULTS: The summed score exhibited good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = .80), discriminative validity (p = .04), convergent validity (rs = .66 and .59 with age and visual-motor integration), and acceptable factorial validity (comparative fit index = .99, standardized root-mean-square residual = .04, and root-mean-square error of approximation = .13). Moreover, three coloring patterns (mature, transitional, and immature) were identified. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The new method provides objective, reliable, and valid scores representing coloring skills in typically developing children. In addition, the coloring patterns can be recognized. This method can be used to facilitate comparisons of children's coloring skills with peers and provide valuable insight into children's development. Plain-Language Summary: This study proposes a new method to objectively quantify children's coloring skills with sound reliability and validity in typically developing children. The method can be used to evaluate children's coloring skills and patterns to shed light on their developmental stages.

Developing an Accumulative Assessment System of Upper Extremity Motor Function in Patients With Stroke Using Deep Learning.

OBJECTIVE: The Fugl-Meyer assessment for upper extremity (FMA-UE) is a measure for assessing upper extremity motor function in patients with stroke. However, the considerable administration time of the assessment decreases its feasibility. This study aimed to develop an accumulative assessment system of upper extremity motor function (AAS-UE) based on the FMA-UE to improve administrative efficiency while retaining sufficient psychometric properties. METHODS: The study used secondary data from 3 previous studies having FMA-UE datasets, including 2 follow-up studies for subacute stroke individuals and 1 test-retest study for individuals with chronic stroke. The AAS-UE adopted deep learning algorithms to use patients' prior information (ie, the FMA-UE scores in previous assessments, time interval of adjacent assessments, and chronicity of stroke) to select a short and personalized item set for the following assessment items and reproduce their FMA-UE scores. RESULTS: Our data included a total of 682 patients after stroke. The AAS-UE administered 10 different items for each patient. The AAS-UE demonstrated good concurrent validity (r = 0.97-0.99 with the FMA-UE), high test-retest reliability (intra-class correlation coefficient = 0.96), low random measurement error (percentage of minimal detectable change = 15.6%), good group-level responsiveness (standardized response mean = 0.65-1.07), and good individual-level responsiveness (30.5%-53.2% of patients showed significant improvement). These psychometric properties were comparable to those of the FMA-UE. CONCLUSION: The AAS-UE uses an innovative assessment method, which makes good use of patients' prior information to achieve administrative efficiency with good psychometric properties. IMPACT: This study demonstrates a new assessment method to improve administrative efficiency while retaining psychometric properties, especially individual-level responsiveness and random measurement error, by making good use of patients' basic information and medical records.

Advancing high-performance visible light communication with long-wavelength InGaN-based micro-LEDs.

This study showcases a method for achieving high-performance yellow and red micro-LEDs through precise control of indium content within quantum wells. By employing a hybrid quantum well structure with our six core technologies, we can accomplish outstanding external quantum efficiency (EQE) and robust stripe bandwidth. The resulting 30 µm × 8 micro-LED arrays exhibit maximum EQE values of 11.56% and 5.47% for yellow and red variants, respectively. Notably, the yellow micro-LED arrays achieve data rates exceeding 1 Gbit/s for non-return-to-zero on-off keying (NRZ-OOK) format and 1.5 Gbit/s for orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) format. These findings underscore the significant potential of long-wavelength InGaN-based micro-LEDs, positioning them as highly promising candidates for both full-color microdisplays and visible light communication applications.

Developing a machine learning-based short form of the positive and negative syndrome scale.

BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS: The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) consists of 30 items and takes up to 50 minutes to administer and score. Therefore, this study aimed to develop and validate a machine learning-based short form of the PANSS (PANSS-MLSF) that reproduces the PANSS scores. Moreover, the PANSS-MLSF estimated the removed-item scores. STUDY DESIGN: The PANSS-MLSF was developed using an artificial neural network, and the removed-item scores were estimated using the eXtreme Gradient Boosting classifier algorithm. The reliability of the PANSS-MLSF was examined using Cronbach's alpha. The concurrent validity was examined by the association (Pearson's r) between the PANSS-MLSF and the PANSS. The convergent validity was examined by the association (Pearson's r) between the PANSS-MLSF and the Clinical Global Impression-Severity, Mini-Mental State Examination, and Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale. The agreement of the estimated removed-item scores with their original scores was examined using Cohen's kappa. STUDY RESULTS: Our analysis included data from 573 patients with moderate severity. The two versions of the PANSS-MLSF comprised 15 items and 9 items were proposed. The PANSS-MLSF scores were similar to the PANSS scores (mean squared error=2.6-24.4 points). The reliability, concurrent validity, and convergent validity of the PANSS-MLSF were good. Moderate to good agreement between the estimated removed-item scores and the original item scores was found in 60% of the removed items. CONCLUSION: The PANSS-MLSF offers a viable way to reduce PANSS administration time, maintain score comparability, uphold reliability and validity, and even estimate scores for the removed items.

Magnetic-free polarization rotation in an atomic vapor cell.

Magnetic-free nonreciprocal optical devices have attracted great attention in recent years. Here, we investigated the magnetic-free polarization rotation of light in an atom vapor cell. Two mechanisms of magnetic-free nonreciprocity have been realized in ensembles of hot atoms, including electromagnetically induced transparency and optically-induced magnetization. For a linearly polarized input probe light, a rotation angle up to 86.4° has been realized with external control and pump laser powers of 10 mW and is mainly attributed to the optically-induced magnetization effect. Our demonstration offers a new approach to realize nonreciprocal devices, which can be applied to solid-state atom ensembles and may be useful in photonic integrated circuits.

Leisure Participation for Mental Health Promotion in Later Life: A Six-Year Longitudinal Study.

Engaging in leisure activities is essential for mental health in older adults. This longitudinal study (n = 1,101, mean age = 69.20 ± 6.23 years at baseline) examined the associations between leisure participation and mental health over 6 years in three waves: 2016, 2018, and 2020. Pearson's correlation analyses and generalized estimating equations were performed for data analyses. The frequency of participation in physical and social activities was significantly positively associated with happiness, life satisfaction, and self-rated health, and significantly negatively associated with depression. Passive activities were significantly positively associated with happiness, life satisfaction, and self-rated health but not with depression. The time effect had no significant association with any mental health outcomes. These findings highlight the importance of leisure activities in promoting mental health among older adults. Policy makers should encourage older adults to engage in physical and social leisure activities.

Using Artificial Intelligence to Identify the Associations of Children's Performance of Coloring, Origami, and Copying Activities With Visual-Motor Integration.

IMPORTANCE: Performance of coloring, origami, and copying activities reflects children's visual-motor integration (VMI), but the levels of association remain unclear. OBJECTIVE: To use artificial intelligence (AI) to investigate associations of performance of coloring, origami, and copying activities with VMI. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Kindergartens. PARTICIPANTS: A sample of 370 children (182 boys and 188 girls) in the second and third years of kindergarten. OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration, 6th Edition (VMI-6). RESULTS: Data for preschool children from an ongoing project were retrieved. AI models were trained to use photographs of activity products to predict total score on the VMI-6. R2 values were used to identify the variance in VMI-6 standardized scores explained by predicted scores from the activities. That is, R2 values reflected associations between activity performance and VMI. The R2 values for the combination of origami and copying were the largest (.390-.577). These R2 values were larger than those for each individual activity (.340-.473) and similar to those for the combination of all three activities (.400-.550). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Because moderate R2 values were found between performance of the three activity products and VMI, the three activities have high potential for use in identifying children's level of VMI or as teaching materials to facilitate the development of children's VMI. Furthermore, combining origami and copying activities is recommended for teachers and clinicians who need to address VMI. What This Article Adds: A combination of origami and copying activities had the strongest associations with children's VMI. Teachers and clinicians can use these two activities when addressing VMI development among preschool children.

Synthesis of Nano-Structured Ge as Transmissive or Reflective Saturable Absorber for Mode-Locked Fiber Laser.

Amorphous-Ge (α-Ge) or free-standing nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized via hydrogen-free plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) were applied as transmissive or reflective saturable absorbers, respectively, for starting up passively mode-locked erbium-doped fiber lasers (EDFLs). Under a threshold pumping power of 41 mW for mode-locking the EDFL, the transmissive α-Ge film could serve as a saturable absorber with a modulation depth of 52-58%, self-starting EDFL pulsation with a pulsewidth of approximately 700 fs. Under a high power of 155 mW, the pulsewidth of the EDFL mode-locked by the 15 s-grown α-Ge was suppressed to 290 fs, with a corresponding spectral linewidth of 8.95 nm due to the soliton compression induced by intra-cavity self-phase modulation. The Ge-NP-on-Au (Ge-NP/Au) films could also serve as a reflective-type saturable absorber to passively mode-lock the EDFL with a broadened pulsewidth of 3.7-3.9 ps under a high-gain operation with 250 mW pumping power. The reflection-type Ge-NP/Au film was an imperfect mode-locker, owing to their strong surface-scattered deflection in the near-infrared wavelength region. From the abovementioned results, both ultra-thin α-Ge film and free-standing Ge NP exhibit potential as transmissive and reflective saturable absorbers, respectively, for ultrafast fiber lasers.

Study of the adsorption behavior of tetracycline onto suspended sediments in the Yellow River, China: Insights into the transportation and mechanism.

The increasing usage of household drugs has contributed to the widespread distribution of antibiotic pollutants in the aquatic environment. Although previous studies have proven that sediments could act as an important transport vector of antibiotic pollutants, the crucial impact of suspended sediments (SS) on the migration and fate of antibiotics in water bodies remains unclear. This study systematically investigated the performance and potential mechanism of adsorption of tetracycline (TC) on SS in the Yellow River. The results show that physisorption (pore filling, hydrogen bonding) and chemisorption (π-π interaction, surface complexation, and electrostatic interaction) activities contributed to the adsorption of TC onto SS. The mineral components (SiO2, Fe2O3, and Al2O3) of SS were found to be the main active sites for TC adsorption. The contribution of SiO2, Fe2O3, and Al2O3 to the overall TC adsorption could reach up to 5.6 %, 0.4 %, and 73.3 %, respectively. Interestingly, the DFT results suggesting that SiO2 tends to form intermolecular hydrogen bonds with TC, while Fe-O and Al-O play predominant roles in TC adsorption on SS. The MIKE simulations showed that river temperature, initial pH, and SS concentration would significantly affect the concentration of dissolved TC during SS transport. In addition, the presence of humic acid and more acidic environments favored the adsorption of TC on SS. Conversely, the introduction of inorganic cations inhibited the adsorption of TC on SS. This study provides new insights into the adsorption mechanism and migration of antibiotics in rivers with high SS content.

Effect of radiative and nonradiative energy transfer processes of light-emitting diodes combined with quantum dots for visible light communication.

Though light-emitting diodes (LEDs) combined with various color conversion techniques have been widely explored for VLC (visible light communication), E-O (electro-optical) frequency responses of devices with quantum dots (QDs) embedded within the nanoholes have rarely been addressed. Here we propose LEDs with embedded photonic crystal (PhC) nanohole patterns and green light QDs for studying small-signal E-O frequency bandwidths and large signal on-off keying E-O responses. We observe that the E-O modulation quality of PhC LEDs with QDs is better than a conventional LED with QDs when the overall blue mixed with green light output signal is considered. However, the optical response of only QD converted green light shows a contradictory result. The slower E-O conversion response is attributed to multi-path green light generation from both radiative and nonradiative energy transfer processes for QDs coated on the PhC LEDs.

Development of a 13-item Short Form for Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Upper Extremity Scale Using a Machine Learning Approach.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate a short form of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Upper Extremity Scale (FMA-UE) using a machine learning approach (FMA-UE-ML). In addition, scores of items not included in the FMA-UE-ML were predicted. DESIGN: Secondary data from a previous study, which assessed individuals post-stroke using the FMA-UE at 4 time points: 5-30 days post-stroke screen, 2-month post-stroke baseline assessment, 6-month post-stroke assessment, and 12-month post-stroke assessment. SETTING: Rehabilitation units in hospitals. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 408 individuals post-stroke (N=408). INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The 30-item FMA-UE. RESULTS: We established 29 candidate versions of the FMA-UE-ML with different numbers of items, from 1 to 29, and examined their concurrent validity and responsiveness. We found that the responsiveness of the candidate versions obviously declined when the number of items was less than 13. Thus, the 13-item version was selected as the FMA-UE-ML. The concurrent validity was good (intra-class correlation coefficients ≥0.99). The standardized response means of the FMA-UE-ML and FMA-UE were 0.54-0.88 and 0.52-0.91, respectively. The Pearson's rs between the change scores of the FMA-UE-ML and those of the FMA-UE were 0.96-0.98. The predicted item scores had acceptable to good accuracy (Kappa=0.50-0.92). CONCLUSIONS: The FMA-UE-ML seems a promising short form to improve administrative efficiency while retaining good concurrent validity and responsiveness. In addition, the FAM-UE-ML can provide all item scores of the FMA-UE for users.

Machine learning-based brief version of the Caregiver-Teacher Report Form for preschoolers.

BACKGROUND: The Caregiver-Teacher Report Form of the Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 1½-5 (C-TRF) is a widely used checklist to identify emotional and behavioral problems in preschoolers. However, the 100-item C-TRF restricts its utility. AIMS: This study aimed to develop a machine learning-based short-form of the C-TRF (C-TRF-ML). METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Three steps were executed. First, we split the data into three datasets in a ratio of 3:1:1 for training, validation, and cross-validation, respectively. Second, we selected a shortened item set and trained a scoring algorithm using joint learning for classification and regression using the training dataset. Then, we evaluated the similarity of scores between the C-TRF-ML and the C-TRF by r-squared and weighted kappa values using the validation dataset. Third, we cross-validated the C-TRF-ML by calculating the r-squared and weighted kappa values using the cross-validation dataset. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Data of 363 children were analyzed. Thirty-six items of the C-TRF were retained. The r-squared values of C-TRF-ML scores were 0.86-0.96 in the cross-validation dataset. Weighted kappa values of the syndrome/problem grading were 0.72-0.94 in the cross-validation dataset. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The C-TRF-ML had about 60 % fewer items than the C-TRF but yielded comparable scores with the C-TRF.

Effect of internet/ reality alienation on depression in medical college students: mediating effect of irrational beliefs / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective:To explore the relationship among internet / reality alienation, irrational beliefs and depression in medical college students.Methods:In October 2021, a total of 501 students from five medical colleges in Shandong were selected by the convenient sampling method.All the participants were assessed by the internet alienation scale, general alienation scale, irrational beliefs scale and self rating depression scale.SPSS 24.0 software was used for descriptive analysis, correlation analysis, and AMOS 21.0 software was used to conduct structural equation modeling and Bootstrap mediated effect test.Results:The scores of internet/reality alienation, irrational beliefs and depression were 3.12±1.35, 2.04±0.57, 2.72±0.72, 2.07±0.42, respectively.There was a statistically significant positive correlation among internet/reality alienation, irrational beliefs and depression( r=0.56-0.64, P<0.01). Structural equation modeling showed that the mediating effect of irrational beliefs between internet alienation and depression was 0.05(95% CI=0.01-0.11). The mediating effect of irrational beliefs between reality alienation and depression was 0.16(95% CI=0.06-0.30). Conclusion:Internet/ reality alienation can indirectly effect depression of medical college students through the mediation of irrational beliefs.

Development of a Short-Form Stroke Impact Scale Using a Machine Learning Algorithm for Patients at the Subacute Stage.

IMPORTANCE: Several short forms of the Stroke Impact Scale Version 3.0 (SIS 3.0) have been proposed in order to decrease its administration time of about 20 min. However, none of the short-form scores are comparable to those of the original measure. OBJECTIVE: To develop a short-form SIS 3.0 using a machine learning algorithm (ML-SIS). DESIGN: We developed the ML-SIS in three stages. First, we calculated the frequencies of items having the highest contribution to predicting the original domain scores across 50 deep neural networks. Second, we iteratively selected the items showing the highest frequency until the coefficient of determination (R2) of each domain was ≥.90. Third, we examined the comparability and concurrent and convergent validity of the ML-SIS. SETTING: Hospitals. PARTICIPANTS: We extracted complete data for 1,010 patients from an existing data set. RESULTS: Twenty-eight items were selected for the ML-SIS. High average R2s (.90-.96) and small average residuals (mean absolute errors and root-mean-square errors = 0.49-2.84) indicate good comparability. High correlations (rs = .95-.98) between the eight domain scores of the ML-SIS and the SIS 3.0 indicate sufficient concurrent validity. Similar interdomain correlations between the two measures indicate satisfactory convergent validity. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The ML-SIS uses about half of the items in the SIS 3.0, has an estimated administration time of 10 min, and provides valid scores comparable to those of the original measure. Thus, the ML-SIS may be an efficient alternative to the SIS 3.0. What This Article Adds: The ML-SIS, a short form of the SIS 3.0 developed using a machine learning algorithm, shows good potential to be an efficient and informative measure for clinical settings, providing scores that are valid and comparable to those of the original measure.

On the measurement of remote sensing reflectance by a traditional above-water approach in small water bodies.

Small water bodies are an important part of the Earth's freshwater system, protecting biodiversity and providing ecosystem services. Because of various surrounding features, it is unknown to what extent we can obtain accurate remote-sensing reflectance (Rrs) of such an environment by the conventional above-water approach (AWA). In this study, we used both AWA and the skylight-blocked approach (SBA) side-by-side to measure Rrs in a typical small water body. It was found that the variation of Rrs in the UV-blue domain from AWA is around 50% and is inconsistent with the variation of the total absorption coefficient (at) obtained from water samples; on the contrary, the variation of Rrs obtained from SBA is highly consistent, with a coefficient of variation under ∼5%. These results highlight the large uncertainties in the measured Rrs from AWA due to the complexity of such an environment and further echo the robustness of SBA to measure Rrs in the field, even in such challenge environments.

Coupling angle tolerance of the 850-nm single-mode VCSEL output collimated by lensed OM4-MMF or GI-SMF for a NRZ-OOK link.

By collimating the single-mode (SM) vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) at 850 nm with either the OM4 multi-mode fiber (OM4-MMF) or the graded-index single-mode fiber (GI-SMF) with lensed end-face, the directly encoded non-return-to-zero on-off keying (NRZ-OOK) data transmission performance is characterized when tilting the coupling angle with respect to the surface normal of the SM-VCSEL. In comparison with the lensed OM4-MMF and lensed SMF coupling, the lensed OM4-MMF collimator shows a large coupling angle tolerance with the coupling efficiency only degraded by 5% when enlarging the tilted angle from 0° to 10°. In contrast, the lensed GI-SMF collimator attenuates the coupled SM-VCSEL output by more than 50% when tilting the coupling angle up to 10°. For the lensed OM4-MMF coupling, the receivable NRZ-OOK data rate in BtB and after 100-m OM4-MMF cases can achieve 50 Gbit/s with its corresponding BER degraded from 6.5 × 10-10 to 8.8 × 10-10 when enlarging its tilting angle ranged from 0° to 10°. By changing the collimator to the lensed SMF, the decoded BER significantly degrades from 5.8 × 10-5 to 1.2 × 10-1 when coupling and transmitting the NRZ-OOK data at 50 Gbit/s. Owing to the low coupling efficiency via the lensed SMF collimator, the error-free NRZ-OOK data rate under the lensed SMF coupling somewhat decreases to 35 Gbit/s in the BtB link and to 32 Gbit/s after the 100-m GI-SMF link with allowable coupling angle tilted from 0° to 4°. This work confirms the applicability of the lensed MMF or SMF collimator for coupling the SM-VCSEL output with a relatively large tolerance on the tilting angle with respect to the surface normal of the SM-VCSEL.

Digestive Tract Morphology and Gut Microbiota Jointly Determine an Efficient Digestive Strategy in Subterranean Rodents: Plateau Zokor.

Rodents' lifestyles vary in different environments, and to adapt to various lifestyles specific digestion strategies have been developed. Among these strategies, the morphology of the digestive tracts and the gut microbiota are considered to play the most important roles in such adaptations. However, how subterranean rodents adapt to extreme environments through regulating gut microbial diversity and morphology of the digestive tract has yet to be fully studied. Here, we conducted the comparisons of the gastrointestinal morphology, food intake, food assimilation, food digestibility and gut microbiota of plateau zokor Eospalax baileyi in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and laboratory rats Rattus norvegicus to further understand the survival strategy in a typical subterranean rodent species endemic to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Our results revealed that plateau zokor evolved an efficient foraging strategy with low food intake, high food digestibility, and ultimately achieved a similar amount of food assimilation to laboratory rats. The length and weight of the digestive tract of the plateau zokor was significantly higher than the laboratory rat. Particularly, the weight and length of the large intestine and cecum in plateau zokor is three times greater than that of the laboratory rat. Microbiome analysis showed that genus (i.e., Prevotella, Oscillospira, CF231, Ruminococcus and Bacteroides), which are usually associated with cellulose degradation, were significantly enriched in laboratory rats, compared to plateau zokor. However, prediction of metagenomic function revealed that both plateau zokor and laboratory rats shared the same functions in carbohydrate metabolism and energy metabolism. The higher digestibility of crude fiber in plateau zokor was mainly driven by the sizes of cecum and cecum tract, as well as those gut microbiota which associated with cellulose degradation. Altogether, our results highlight that both gut microbiota and the morphology of the digestive tract are vital to the digestion in wild rodents.

High levels of screen time were associated with increased probabilities of lagged development in 3-year-old children.

AIM: This study determined whether higher screen time was associated with the development of 3-year-old children in Taiwan. It also examined whether differences would be found between television and other screen-based media in the probability of lagged development. METHODS: We examined 2139 children aged 3 years and their parents. The association between daily screen time was assessed using multiple logistic regression analysis. All the odds ratios (ORs) were calculated using the rates of lagged developmental achievement, with the group who used screens for less than 1 h a day as the reference category. Screen time comprised television and other screen-based media, such as smartphones, touch screens, computers and laptops. RESULTS: Children who used screens for more than 3 h per day had the lowest developmental scores and highest probabilities of lagged development. The children who used other screen-based media for more than 1 h per day had greater probabilities of lagged developmental achievements (ORs 1.85-4.98, all p < 0.05) than those who watched television for the same amount of time (OR 1.41-2.77, all p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Increased screen time was associated with higher probabilities of lagged developmental achievement in multiple development domains in 3-year-old children, particularly other screen-based media.