AGE-RELATED TRAJECTORY AND AGE AT PEAK COMPETITIVE PERFORMANCE IN WHEELCHAIR RUGBY PLAYERS AT THE PARALYMPIC GAMES.

OBJECTIVE: The first objective to examine the age-related trajectory of competitive performance and the age at peak competitive performance in wheelchair rugby (WR) players at the Paralympic Games. Another objective is to verify age correlations with performance over the years for each class. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. RESULTS: Data were collected from the official results books of the Paralympic games. The mean age (standard deviation) of the 267 players and 448 analyzed data from all Paralympic games (from Sidney 2004 to Tokyo 2020) across all classes was 32.8 (6.4) years, and the age at peak competitive performance was 30.6 (7.4) years. Each class had no statistical difference in age at peak competitive performance. Additionally, there was no significant correlation between age and performance within classes or across all Paralympic games. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that WR players' age at peak competitive performance is 30.6 years, which remains consistent across all classes. There is no statistical correlation between age and performance in WR. These findings significantly affect effective talent identification and athlete development programs. This impact ensures that athletes receive the necessary support to reach their maximum potential while avoiding the pitfalls of underestimating or overestimating their stages of development.

Bacillus anthracis Diversity and Geographic Potential across Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad: Further Support of a Novel West African Lineage.

Zoonoses, diseases affecting both humans and animals, can exert tremendous pressures on human and veterinary health systems, particularly in resource limited countries. Anthrax is one such zoonosis of concern and is a disease requiring greater public health attention in Nigeria. Here we describe the genetic diversity of Bacillus anthracis in Nigeria and compare it to Chad, Cameroon and a broader global dataset based on the multiple locus variable number tandem repeat (MLVA-25) genetic typing system. Nigerian B. anthracis isolates had identical MLVA genotypes and could only be resolved by measuring highly mutable single nucleotide repeats (SNRs). The Nigerian MLVA genotype was identical or highly genetically similar to those in the neighboring countries, confirming the strains belong to this unique West African lineage. Interestingly, sequence data from a Nigerian isolate shares the anthrose deficient genotypes previously described for strains in this region, which may be associated with vaccine evasion. Strains in this study were isolated over six decades, indicating a high level of temporal strain stability regionally. Ecological niche models were used to predict the geographic distribution of the pathogen for all three countries. We describe a west-east habitat corridor through northern Nigeria extending into Chad and Cameroon. Ecological niche models and genetic results show B. anthracis to be ecologically established in Nigeria. These findings expand our understanding of the global B. anthracis population structure and can guide regional anthrax surveillance and control planning.

Big Five personality traits, job satisfaction and subjective wellbeing in China.

This paper examines the effect of the Big Five personality traits on job satisfaction and subjective wellbeing (SWB). The paper also examines the mediating role of job satisfaction on the Big Five-SWB relationship. Data were collected from a sample of 818 urban employees from five Chinese cities: Harbin, Changchun, Shenyang, Dalian, and Fushun. All the study variables were measured with well-established multi-item scales that have been validated both in English-speaking populations and in China. The study found only extraversion to have an effect on job satisfaction, suggesting that there could be cultural difference in the relationships between the Big Five and job satisfaction in China and in the West. The study found that three factors in the Big Five--extraversion, conscientiousness, and neuroticism--have an effect on SWB. This finding is similar to findings in the West, suggesting convergence in the relationship between the Big Five and SWB in different cultural contexts. The research found that only the relationship between extraversion and SWB is partially mediated by job satisfaction, implying that the effect of the Big Five on SWB is mainly direct, rather than indirect via job satisfaction. The study also found that extraversion was the strongest predictor of both job satisfaction and SWB. This finding implies that extraversion could be more important than other factors in the Big Five in predicting job satisfaction and SWB in a "high collectivism" and "high power distance" country such as China. The research findings are discussed in the Chinese cultural context. The study also offers suggestions on the directions for future research.

Confirmation of Bacillus anthracis from flesh-eating flies collected during a West Texas anthrax season.

This case study confirms the interaction between necrophilic flies and white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus, during an anthrax outbreak in West Texas (summer 2005). Bacillus anthracis was identified by culture and PCR from one of eight pooled fly collections from deer carcasses on a deer ranch with a well-documented history of anthrax. These results provide the first known isolation of B. anthracis from flesh-eating flies associated with a wildlife anthrax outbreak in North America and are discussed in the context of wildlife ecology and anthrax epizootics.