Renewable energy diversification: Considerations for farm business resilience.

With a varied landscape, Wales is resource rich in terms of wind and water and a suitable location to develop many different forms of sustainable energy. Whilst farm businesses face increasing challenges in terms of economic stability and traditional production methods, this paper considers the role of renewable energy production as a form of diversification. The study adopts mixed methods as a means of undertaking an in-depth investigation into the role of renewable energy generation in supporting agribusinesses in Wales. Initially a questionnaire obtained 118 responses from farmers in Wales. Subsequently, 15 follow-up semi-structured interviews with farmers were conducted to further investigate the issues from the initial questionnaire. The theoretical contribution of this paper is a segmentation of farmer businesses which allows for distinctions to be made of different attitudes to off-farm income and the adoption of renewable energy sources. Five farm types were identified, varying in relation to farm characteristics, attitudes to diversification, access to renewable energy and resource allocation. These farm types highlight the need for specific policies towards facilitating the increase in renewable energy along with sustaining farming incomes. Furthermore the research provides valuable information to the farming industry on opportunities in renewable energy production, particularly for farmers and farm businesses who are considering diversification strategies.

An Updated Review of Ciguatera Fish Poisoning: Clinical, Epidemiological, Environmental, and Public Health Management.

Ciguatera Fish Poisoning (CFP) is the most frequently reported seafood-toxin illness in the world. It causes substantial human health, social, and economic impacts. The illness produces a complex array of gastrointestinal, neurological and neuropsychological, and cardiovascular symptoms, which may last days, weeks, or months. This paper is a general review of CFP including the human health effects of exposure to ciguatoxins (CTXs), diagnosis, human pathophysiology of CFP, treatment, detection of CTXs in fish, epidemiology of the illness, global dimensions, prevention, future directions, and recommendations for clinicians and patients. It updates and expands upon the previous review of CFP published by Friedman et al. (2008) and addresses new insights and relevant emerging global themes such as climate and environmental change, international market issues, and socioeconomic impacts of CFP. It also provides a proposed universal case definition for CFP designed to account for the variability in symptom presentation across different geographic regions. Information that is important but unchanged since the previous review has been reiterated. This article is intended for a broad audience, including resource and fishery managers, commercial and recreational fishers, public health officials, medical professionals, and other interested parties.

Stromal Vascular Fraction from Lipoaspirate Infranatant: Comparison Between Suction-Assisted Liposuction and Nutational Infrasonic Liposuction.

INTRODUCTION: Lipoaspirate has shown great promise as a source of progenitor cells for use in regenerative medicine. The stromal vascular fraction (SVF) can be isolated from lipoaspirate using enzyme digestion and centrifugation, but this approach may be limited by the labor-intensive nature of the technique as well as ambiguities in current governmental regulations. An alternative approach to obtain SVF from lipoaspirate was studied. METHOD: Paired (collected from contralateral regions) lipoaspirate specimens were acquired from 30 consenting patients (age 24-62; 22 females, 8 males) by suction-assisted liposuction (SAL) and nutational infrasonic liposuction (NIL). The infranatant from 50 ml of adipose tissue (LAF) was centrifuged at 400g × 5 min and the resultant pellet was collected with a pipette. Time = 15-20 min. The respective SVFs cell populations were counted using an optical fluorescent cell counter (Nexcelom A2000) and the fluorescent stains-acridine orange (AO) and propidium iodide (PI). RESULTS: The number of nucleated, live cells from SAL infranatant was 97,345 ± 23,435 per ml of adipose tissue and from NIL infranatant was 335,621 ± 81,274 per ml of adipose tissue. The p value is <0.00001, n = 30. CONCLUSION: Regenerative cells can be isolated from the lipoaspirate infranatant from either SAL or NIL, although in lower quantities than from enzyme digestion. NIL acquisition yielded 3.5× the number of cells over that acquired from SAL. The time, skill, and cost of producing SVF from infranatant is less than using enzyme digestion, which potentially make these regenerative therapies accessible to more physicians and patients. NO LEVEL ASSIGNED: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Developing cartoons for long-term condition self-management information.

BACKGROUND: Advocating the need to adopt more self-management policies has brought with it an increasing demand for information about living with and making decisions about long-term conditions, with a significant potential for using cartoons. However, the purposeful use of cartoons is notably absent in many areas of health care as is evidence of their acceptability to patients and lay others. This paper outlines the process used to develop and evaluate cartoons and their acceptability for a series of self-management guidebooks for people with inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic kidney disease (CKD). METHODS: Principles for a process to develop information and cartoons were developed. Cartoon topics were created using qualitative research methods to obtain lay views and experiences. The CKD guidebook was used to provide a detailed exemplar of the process. Focus group and trial participants were recruited from primary care CKD registers. The book was part of a trial intervention; selected participants evaluated the cartoons during in-depth interviews which incorporated think-aloud methods. RESULTS: In general, the cartoons developed by this process depict patient experiences, common situations, daily management dilemmas, making decisions and choices and the uncertainties associated with conditions. CKD cartoons were developed following two focus groups around the themes of getting a diagnosis; understanding the problem; feeling that facts were being withheld; and setting priorities. Think-aloud interviews with 27 trial participants found the CKD cartoons invoked amusement, recognition and reflection but were sometimes difficult to interpret. CONCLUSION: Humour is frequently utilised by people with long-term conditions to help adjustment and coping. Cartoons can help provide clarity and understanding and could address concerns related to health literacy. Using cartoons to engage and motivate people is a consideration untapped by conventional theories with the potential to improve information to support self-management.

Aligning everyday life priorities with people's self-management support networks: an exploration of the work and implementation of a needs-led telephone support system.

BACKGROUND: Recent initiatives to target the personal, social and clinical needs of people with long-term health conditions have had limited impact within primary care. Evidence of the importance of social networks to support people with long-term conditions points to the need for self-management approaches which align personal circumstances with valued activities. The Patient-Led Assessment for Network Support (PLANS) intervention is a needs-led assessment for patients to prioritise their health and social needs and provide access to local community services and activities. Exploring the work and practices of patients and telephone workers are important for understanding and evaluating the workability and implementation of new interventions. METHODS: Qualitative methods (interviews, focus group, observations) were used to explore the experience of PLANS from the perspectives of participants and the telephone support workers who delivered it (as part of an RCT) and the reasons why the intervention worked or not. Normalisation Process Theory (NPT) was used as a sensitising tool to evaluate: the relevance of PLANS to patients (coherence); the processes of engagement (cognitive participation); the work done for PLANS to happen (collective action); the perceived benefits and costs of PLANS (reflexive monitoring). 20 patients in the intervention arm of a clinical trial were interviewed and their telephone support calls were recorded and a focus group with 3 telephone support workers was conducted. RESULTS: Analysis of the interviews, support calls and focus group identified three themes in relation to the delivery and experience of PLANS. These are: formulation of 'health' in the context of everyday life; trajectories and tipping points: disrupting everyday routines; precarious trust in networks. The relevance of these themes are considered using NPT constructs in terms of the work that is entailed in engaging with PLANS, taking action, and who is implicated this process. CONCLUSIONS: PLANS gives scope to align long-term condition management to everyday life priorities and valued aspects of life. This approach can improve engagement with health-relevant practices by situating them within everyday contexts. This has potential to increase utilisation of local resources with potential cost-saving benefits for the NHS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN45433299.

Use of either transcranial or whole-body photobiomodulation treatments improves COVID-19 brain fog.

There is increasing recognition of post-COVID-19 sequelae involving chronic fatigue and brain fog, for which photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy has been utilized. This open-label, pilot, human clinical study examined the efficacy of two PBM devices, for example, a helmet (1070 nm) for transcranial (tPBM) and a light bed (660 and 850 nm) for whole body (wbPBM), over a 4-week period, with 12 treatments for two separate groups (n = 7 per group). Subjects were evaluated with a neuropsychological test battery, including the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), the digit symbol substitution test (DSST), the trail-making tests A and B, the physical reaction time (PRT), and a quantitative electroencephalography system (WAVi), both pre- and post- the treatment series. Each device for PBM delivery was associated with significant improvements in cognitive tests (p < 0.05 and beyond). Changes in WAVi supported the findings. This study outlines the benefits of utilizing PBM therapy (transcranial or whole-body) to help treat long-COVID brain fog.

An organisational analysis of the implementation of telecare and telehealth: the whole systems demonstrator.

BACKGROUND: To investigate organisational factors influencing the implementation challenges of redesigning services for people with long term conditions in three locations in England, using remote care (telehealth and telecare). METHODS: Case-studies of three sites forming the UK Department of Health's Whole Systems Demonstrator (WSD) Programme. Qualitative research techniques were used to obtain data from various sources, including semi-structured interviews, observation of meetings over the course programme and prior to its launch, and document review. Participants were managers and practitioners involved in the implementation of remote care services. RESULTS: The implementation of remote care was nested within a large pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial (RCT), which formed a core element of the WSD programme. To produce robust benefits evidence, many aspect of the trial design could not be easily adapted to local circumstances. While remote care was successfully rolled-out, wider implementation lessons and levels of organisational learning across the sites were hindered by the requirements of the RCT. CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of a complex innovation such as remote care requires it to organically evolve, be responsive and adaptable to the local health and social care system, driven by support from front-line staff and management. This need for evolution was not always aligned with the imperative to gather robust benefits evidence. This tension needs to be resolved if government ambitions for the evidence-based scaling-up of remote care are to be realised.

Exploring barriers to participation and adoption of telehealth and telecare within the Whole System Demonstrator trial: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Telehealth (TH) and telecare (TC) interventions are increasingly valued for supporting self-care in ageing populations; however, evaluation studies often report high rates of non-participation that are not well understood. This paper reports from a qualitative study nested within a large randomised controlled trial in the UK: the Whole System Demonstrator (WSD) project. It explores barriers to participation and adoption of TH and TC from the perspective of people who declined to participate or withdrew from the trial. METHODS: Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 people who declined to participate in the trial following explanations of the intervention (n = 19), or who withdrew from the intervention arm (n = 3). Participants were recruited from the four trial groups (with diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure, or social care needs); and all came from the three trial areas (Cornwall, Kent, east London). Observations of home visits where the trial and interventions were first explained were also conducted by shadowing 8 members of health and social care staff visiting 23 people at home. Field notes were made of observational visits and explored alongside interview transcripts to elicit key themes. RESULTS: Barriers to adoption of TH and TC associated with non-participation and withdrawal from the trial were identified within the following themes: requirements for technical competence and operation of equipment; threats to identity, independence and self-care; expectations and experiences of disruption to services. Respondents held concerns that special skills were needed to operate equipment but these were often based on misunderstandings. Respondents' views were often explained in terms of potential threats to identity associated with positive ageing and self-reliance, and views that interventions could undermine self-care and coping. Finally, participants were reluctant to risk potentially disruptive changes to existing services that were often highly valued. CONCLUSIONS: These findings regarding perceptions of potential disruption of interventions to identity and services go beyond more common expectations that concerns about privacy and dislike of technology deter uptake. These insights have implications for health and social care staff indicating that more detailed information and time for discussion could be valuable especially on introduction. It seems especially important for potential recipients to have the opportunity to discuss their expectations and such views might usefully feed back into design and implementation.

The environmental impacts of different mask options for healthcare settings in the UK.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, different strategies emerged to combat shortages of certified face masks used in the healthcare sector. These strategies included increasing production from the original manufacturing sites, commissioning new production facilities locally, exploring and allowing the reuse of single-use face masks via various decontamination methods, and developing reusable mask alternatives that meet the health and safety requirements set out in European Standards. In this article, we quantify and evaluate the life-cycle environmental impacts of selected mask options available for use by healthcare workers in the UK, with the objective of supporting decision- and policy-making. We investigate alternatives to traditional single-use face masks like surgical masks and respirators (or FFP3 masks), including cloth masks decontaminated in washing machines; FFP3 masks decontaminated via vapour hydrogen peroxide, and rigid half masks cleaned with antibacterial wipes. Our analysis demonstrates that: (1) the reuse options analysed are environmentally preferential to the traditional "use then dispose" of masks; (2) the environmental benefits increase with the number of reuses; and (3) the manufacturing location and the material composition of the masks have great influence over the life-cycle environmental impacts of each mask use option, in particular for single-use options.

Heart rate and core temperature responses of elite pit crews during automobile races.

There is limited information regarding the physiological and psychological demands of the racing environment, and the subsequent effect on the performance of pit crew athletes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate heart rates (HRs) and core body temperatures (CTs) of pit crew athletes in the race environment. The HR and CT of pit crew athletes (n = 7) and control subjects were measured during 6 National Association for Stock Car Automobile Racing Sprint Cup races using ingestible sensors (HQ Inc, Palmetto, FL, USA). The HR and CT were measured before each race, at 15-minute intervals during the race, and upon completion of each pit stop. Compared to the control subject at each race, the pit crew athletes had significantly (p = 0.014) lower core temperatures (CTs). The pit crew athletes displayed higher HRs on the asphalt tracks than on concrete tracks (p = 0.011), and HR responses of the crew members were significantly (p = 0.012) different between pit crew positions, with the tire changers and jackman exhibiting higher HRs than the tire carriers. Unexpectedly, the CTs of the pit crew athletes were not elevated in the race environment, despite high ambient temperatures and the extensive fire-protection equipment (e.g., helmet, suit, gloves) each pit crew athlete wore. The lack of CT change is possibly the result of the increased HR more efficiently shunting blood to the skin and dissipating heat as a consequence of the athletes' extensive training regimen and ensuing heat acclimation. Additionally, it is possible that psychological stress unique to several of the tracks provided an additive effect resulting in increased heart rates.

A novel approach to ablative fractional treatment of mature thermal burn scars.

This report details the use of a fractionated ablative Er:YAG laser in treating two cases of thermal burn injuries using a novel approach which matches the energy required to the depth of the burn scar. This method is termed "selective objective fractional technique (SOFT)".

Statistics of heart failure and mechanical circulatory support in 2020.

Heart failure is increasing in prevalence, with approximately 26 million patients affected worldwide. This represents a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Statistics regarding heart failure patient age, hospitalization likelihood, and mortality differ significantly by country. Heart failure patients are typically classified by ejection fraction, with distinct phenotypes associated with reduced ejection fraction (rEF) or preserved ejection fraction (pEF). Heart failure has a significant financial impact related to hospitalization, medication, and procedural expenses. The costs of heart failure also extend to the reduced quality of life conferred by heart failure symptoms. Management of heart failure includes a variety of interventions, including mechanical circulatory support (MCS). MCS, including left ventricular assist devices (LVADs), right ventricular assist devices (RVADs) and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), has been a means of managing end stage heart failure. Given the relative scarcity of transplant organs, the utilization of MCS, particularly as a bridge to transplantation (BTT) has grown significantly. In this review, we discuss statistics related to heart failure and MCS. We evaluate how patients are classified and examine global trends and regional differences. We then address MCS therapies, the costs associated with heart failure, the impact of heart failure on patient quality of life, and data regarding morbidity and mortality.

The effect of downhill running on Notch signaling in regenerating skeletal muscle.

Notch signaling expression in regenerating muscle following injurious downhill running (DHR) was characterized in male C57BL/J6 mice (3 mo). Hindlimb muscles were harvested from control mice or at 24, 48, 72, 96 or 120 h post-DHR. Muscle injury was observed at 96 h (3.3-fold) and 120 h (3.7-fold) post-DHR (P < 0.01) and elevated MCadherin expression at 72 h (2.7-fold), 96 h (2.4-fold) post-DHR (P < 0.05) and 120 h (3.3-fold) post-DHR (P < 0.01). Desmin increased at 72 h (2.2-fold), 96 h (3-fold) and 120 h (1.8-fold) post-DHR (P < 0.05). Delta1 +/MCadherin + cells increased approximately 2-fold at 72, 96 (P < 0.01) and 120 h post-DHR (P < 0.05). Isolated muscle-associated cells increased Delta1 (2.6-fold) (P < 0.05) and Notch1 (fourfold) (P < 0.01) expression at 120 h post-DHR. The results of this novel study indicate that DHR up-regulates Notch components within myoblasts and regenerating muscle.

Effects of varying doses of estrogen and caudal pressure on wheel running in orchidectomized male mice.

Physical inactivity is a leading cause of hypokinetic diseases - obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancers. Increased city walkability, better access to fitness facilities, and remediation of socioeconomic barriers prove successful for limited populations within the confines of stringently controlled environments; however, these strategies fail to reverse the ever-increasing physical inactivity epidemic on a global scale indicating the existence of other unidentified factors. These purported biological factors remain critical targets to understand the regulation of this complex phenotype. An estrogenic mechanism that incompletely or slowly adjusts physical activity levels following reintroduction of estrogenic compounds to surgically gonadectomized mice has been postulated to exist. Currently, this mechanism remains scrutinized due to concerns that elevated estrogen levels induce urinary bladder distension. The distension of the urinary bladder may mechanically disrupt physical activity, masking any physiological effects estrogen has on physical activity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of estrogen on physical activity levels while employing dose-related strategies to alleviate distension in mice. Wheel running data were collected under normal physiological conditions, following removal of endogenous sex steroids via orchidectomy, and during estrogen replacement at various doses (0%, 10%, 50% or 100% estrogen-containing implants) to induce varying degrees of urinary bladder distension. Wheel running distance (P = 0.005) and duration (P = 0.006) decreased after orchidectomy, but slowly increased following estrogen replacement. During the study, wheel running did not return to the levels observed in physiologically intact mice. Significant distension was not observed between estrogen treatment groups indicating that a slow-responding estrogen effect exists in male mice that prevents wheel running from returning to normal levels immediately following steroid reintroduction. The limited increase in wheel running during estrogen treatment following orchidectomy is not an artifact of induced urinary bladder distension.

Prolonged Effects of Elevated 17ß-Estradiol on Physical Activity after Orchidectomy.

The biological mechanisms regulating physical activity patterns appear to be linked to the sex hormones. Elucidation of these regulatory mechanisms may enhance individual physical activity patterns producing positive gains in health. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prolonged effects of estrogen on wheel running distance, duration, and speed in orchidectomized mice. METHODS: The physical activity patterns of 9-wk-old C57BL/6j male mice (n = 28) were observed. Wheel running distance, duration, and speed were assessed under physiological conditions for 7 d. Next, physical activity patterns were evaluated after bilateral orchidectomy (n = 14) or sham orchidectomy (n = 14) for an additional 7 d. Orchidectomized mice were provided estrogen containing capsules for three additional weeks; control mice were provided estrogen-free capsules. Wheel running distance, duration, and speed were analyzed by three two-way (treatment group-phase of study) analysis of variance tests. RESULTS: Wheel running speed was unaffected by sex hormone status. Distance (mean ± SD = 6.74 ± 2.13 km at baseline) decreased significantly after orchidectomy (2.27 ± 1.55 km) and remained low after initial estrogen treatment (3.04 ± 1.05 km). Prolonged estrogen exposure sustained a significant elevation of daily distance (4.47 ± 1.87 km). Prolonged estrogen exposure recovered and significantly sustained wheel running duration (baseline, 248 ± 60 min; postorchidectomy, 102 ± 53 min; prolonged exposure, 170 ± 63 min). CONCLUSIONS: Wheel running behavior was reduced significantly after orchidectomy and remained low after initial treatment with estrogens, but recovered to near control levels after 2 wk of exposure to estrogens. The estrogenic mechanism regulating wheel running behavior in male mice appears to induce an extensive but slow acting biological mechanism. Understanding the biological drive behind this mechanism may aid in developing useful therapeutic strategies to combat health issues related to physical inactivity.

Pituitary apoplexy: do histological features influence the clinical presentation and outcome?

OBJECT: A retrospective analysis of a contemporary series of patients with pituitary apoplexy was performed to ascertain whether the histopathological features influence the clinical presentation or the outcome. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed in 59 patients treated for pituitary apoplexy at the University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, Virginia, or Groote Schuur Hospital, University of Cape Town, South Africa. The patients were divided into two groups according to the histological features of their disease: one group with infarction alone, comprising 22 patients; and the other with hemorrhagic infarction and/or frank hemorrhage, comprising 37 patients. The presenting symptoms, clinical features, endocrinological status, and outcome were compared between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The patients who presented with histological features of pituitary tumor infarction alone had less severe clinical features on presentation, a longer course prior to presentation, and a better outcome than those presenting with hemorrhagic infarction or frank hemorrhage. The endocrine replacement requirements were similar in both groups.

Chain of custody as an organizing framework in seafood risk reduction.

Changes in the terms and direction of international trade in seafood, an increased understanding of and concern for the public health risk imposed by seafood products, and advances in information management technology combine to open opportunities to manage more effectively seafood-borne risk. Present regulatory mandates and programs lack sufficient integration for effective risk mitigation and do not adequately reflect the trans-national nature of seafood trade or the increased complexity of seafood production. This paper argues that the concept of a "chain of custody" - from the ocean to the final consumer - provides a useful integrating framework for understanding and refining efforts to reduce public health concerns surrounding the consumption of seafood.

Rapid Assessment of Marine Pollution (RAMP).

RAMP embraces the integrated use of methods for the rapid measurement, assessment and access to information on the nature, sources and influences of coastal environmental change. It embraces approaches held in the literature, research and programs of RAMP (Rapid Assessment of Marine Pollution) and the emerging work described as RASE (Rapid Assessment of Socio-Economic Indicators). To protect coastal ecosystems and the health of communities effectively, management infrastructure requires the tools and resources necessary to detect damage to coastal ecosystems and their components, identify causative agents, impose remedial action, and demonstrate that measures have been effective. Pragmatic monitoring and prediction capabilities must also be built to provide further confidence that human impacts are being minimized and that threats to human health have been contained. For most of the world, however, the ability to build such capability is a technical challenge and often cost prohibitive. These constraints point to the need to develop and expand the integrated use of simple, robust, cost-effective environmental assessment procedures. This paper suggests that a system built around the Rapid Assessment of Marine Pollution (RAMP) and the Rapid Assessment of Socio-Economic Indicators (RASE) can, should and in some cases already has been effective in meeting such informational and management needs.

Stabilization of the wheel running phenotype in mice.

PURPOSE: Increased physical activity is well known to improve health and wellness by modifying the risks for many chronic diseases. Rodent wheel running behavior is a beneficial surrogate model to evaluate the biology of daily physical activity in humans. Upon initial exposure to a running wheel, individual mice differentially respond to the experience, which confounds the normal activity patterns exhibited in this otherwise repeatable phenotype. To promote phenotypic stability, a minimum seven-day (or greater) acclimation period is utilized. Although phenotypic stabilization is achieved during this 7-day period, data to support acclimation periods of this length are not currently available in the literature. The purpose of this project is to evaluate the wheel running response in C57BL/6j mice immediately following exposure to a running wheel. METHODS: Twenty-eight male and thirty female C57BL/6j mice (Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME) were acquired at eight weeks of age and were housed individually with free access to running wheels. Wheel running distance (km), duration (min), and speed (m∙min(-1)) were measured daily for fourteen days following initial housing. One-way ANOVAs were used to evaluate day-to-day differences in each wheel running character. Limits of agreement and mean difference statistics were calculated between days 1-13 (acclimating) and day 14 (acclimated) to assess day-to-day agreement between each parameter. RESULTS: Wheel running distance (males: F=5.653, p=2.14 × 10(-9); females: F=8.217, p=1.20 × 10(-14)), duration (males: F=2.613, p=0.001; females: F=4.529, p=3.28 × 10(-7)), and speed (males: F=7.803, p=1.22 × 10(-13); females: F=13.140, p=2.00 × 10(-16)) exhibited day-to-day differences. Tukey's HSD post-hoc testing indicated differences between early (males: days 1-3; females: days 1-6) and later (males: days >3; females: days >6) wheel running periods in distance and speed. Duration only exhibited an anomalous difference between wheel running on day 13 and wheel running on days 1 through 4 in males. In females, duration exhibited anomalous differences due to abnormally depressed wheel running on day 6 and abnormally elevated wheel running on day 14. Limits of agreement and mean difference statistics indicated stable phenotypic variability with an up-trending daily mean for distance and speed that stabilized within the first three days in males and within eight days in females. Duration exhibited stable variability after nine days in males and after seven days in females. CONCLUSION: Although it is common practice to allow a prolonged (≥ seven day) acclimation period prior to recording wheel running data, the current study suggests that phenotypic stabilization of all three indices is achieved at different times with distance and speed exhibiting stability by day three in males and day eight in females. Duration exhibits stability by day nine in males and day seven in females.