Caligus mulli n. sp. (Copepoda: Caligidae) parasitic on two Mullid fishes from the eastern Mediterranean and adjacent Atlantic waters.

A new species of caligid copepod, Caligus mulli n. sp., is described based on specimens collected from surmullet Mullus surmuletus Linnaeus from Atlantic waters off the Azores, Portugal, and from red mullet Mullus barbatus barbatus (Linnaeus) caught in the Mediterranean Sea, off the south-eastern coast of Turkey. Sixteen specimens (both sexes) were collected from the gill cavity of M. surmuletus, and one female was collected from the gill cavity of M. barbatus barbatus. The new species is described from both fish hosts. Detailed comparisons are presented with two closely related species, C. ocyurus Cressey, 1991 and C. biaculeatus Brian, 1914: the former can be distinguished by differences in shape of the dorsal cephalothoracic shield and postantennal process, while the latter differs in relative size of the distal spines on leg 4 and in the shape of the sternal furca. The new species can easily be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of the following additional characteristics: (1) the corpus of the female maxilliped bears a prominent projection proximally and the myxal area is ornamented with a hyaline flange and two sensillae, and (2) the male maxilliped has a conical proximal projection on the corpus and a bifid myxal process opposing the claw.

Real-World Evidence of the Long-Term Effectiveness of 0.2 µg/Day Fluocinolone Acetonide Implant in Persistent and Recurrent Diabetic Macular Edema - A Single Center Study.

Purpose: To report the long-term functional, anatomical and safety outcomes of 0.2 µg/day fluocinolone acetonide 0.19mg in patients with persistent or recurrent diabetic macular edema (DME). Methods: Retrospective, observational, single-center study of patients with recurrent or persistent DME. All patients received 0.2 µg/day of fluocinolone acetonide 0.19mg, and data were collected at baseline and months 1, 3, 6, 12, 24 and 36 after implantation. Outcomes measured included best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central macular thickness (CMT), intraocular pressure (IOP), and safety outcomes. Results: A total of 28 eyes from 28 patients were included. The mean age was 66.5 years (95% CI 62.8-70.2) with a mean duration of DME of 8.8 years (95% CI 7.7-10.0). Only two eyes were phakic. Mean follow-up was 25.4 months (95% CI 21.2-29.6). Mean BCVA at baseline was 48.6 ETDRS letters (95% CI 41.3-55.8) and improved as early as month 1 of follow-up with a mean gain in BCVA of 7.8 (95% CI 4.3-11.3) ETDRS letters (p<0.001). Statistically significant improvements in BCVA were also observed at months 6, 12 and 24. At baseline, patients had a mean CMT of 530.5µm (95% CI 463.0-598.0), and a decrease in CMT was observed, starting at the first month of follow-up (mean CMT reduction of -170.5µm, 95% CI -223.8- -117.1; p<0.001). Statistically significant decreases in CMT were also observed at months 6, 12, 24, and 36, with the maximum decrease observed at month 12 (p<0.001). Mean IOP at baseline was 16.4mmHg (95% CI 15.3-17.5) and nine eyes (32.1%) had an IOP ≥21mmHg during follow-up. Conclusion: Our results support the effectiveness and safety profile of fluocinolone acetonide. Although additional long-term real-world evidence is required, fluocinolone acetonide may represent a safe strategy for daily, low-dose, sustained and localized release to the posterior segment of the eye, providing both functional and anatomical benefits in DME.

Impaired Cardiac Sympathetic Activity Is Associated With Myocardial Remodeling and Established Biomarkers of Heart Failure.

BACKGROUND: 123Iodine-meta-iodobenzylguanidine scintigraphy is useful for assessing cardiac autonomic dysfunction and predict outcomes in heart failure (HF). The relationship of cardiac sympathetic function with myocardial remodeling and diffuse fibrosis remains largely unknown. We aimed to evaluate the cardiac sympathetic function of patients with HF and its relation with myocardial remodeling and exercise capacity. METHODS AND RESULTS: Prospectively enrolled patients with HF (New York Heart Association class II-III) were stratified into HF with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF] ≥45%) and reduced LVEF. Ventricular morphology/function and myocardial extracellular volume (ECV) fraction were quantified by cardiovascular magnetic resonance, global longitudinal strain by echocardiography, cardiac sympathetic function by heart-to-mediastinum ratio from 123iodine-meta-iodobenzylguanidine scintigraphy. All participants underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing. The cohort included 33 patients with HF with preserved LVEF (LVEF, 60±10%; NT-proBNP [N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide], 248 [interquartile range, 79-574] pg/dL), 28 with HF with reduced LVEF (LVEF, 30±9%; NT-proBNP, 743 [interquartile range, 250-2054] pg/dL) and 20 controls (LVEF, 65±5%; NT-proBNP, 40 [interquartile range, 19-50] pg/dL). Delayed (4 hours) 123iodine-meta-iodobenzylguanidine heart-to-mediastinum ratio was lower in HF with preserved LVEF (1.59±0.25) and HF with reduced LVEF (1.45±0.16) versus controls (1.92±0.24; P<0.001), and correlated negatively with diffuse fibrosis assessed by ECV (R=-0.34, P<0.01). ECV in segments without LGE was increased in HF with preserved ejection fraction (0.32±0.05%) and HF with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (0.31±0.04%) versus controls (0.28±0.04, P<0.05) and was associated with the age- and sex-adjusted maximum oxygen consumption (peak oxygen consumption); (R=-0.41, P<0.01). Preliminary analysis indicates that cardiac sympathetic function might potentially act as a mediator in the association between ECV and NT-proBNP levels. CONCLUSIONS: Abnormally low cardiac sympathetic function in patients with HF with reduced and preserved LVEF is associated with extracellular volume expansion and decreased cardiopulmonary functional capacity.

Stride-to-Stride Fluctuations of Human Gait Are Affected By Chronobiology: An Exploratory Study.

Physiological processes present daily oscillations of ≈24 h, called circadian rhythms. Motor performance, for example, reaches its peak in the afternoon, although this can be affected by chronotype. Certain motor activities, for example, walking, can also be affected by circadian rhythms. Healthy walking exhibits stride-to-stride fluctuations with a fractal-like structure that enables adaptability. While pathology and aging are shown to lead to random-like fluctuations; and, therefore, decreased adaptability; the influence of circadian rhythms remains unknown. This study investigates how these fluctuations present in healthy gait are affected by the time of day and chronotype. Eighteen young adults walk for 10 min every 2 h, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Footswitches are used to determine heel-strike and calculate stride time. Then, detrended fluctuation analysis is used to calculate fractal scaling. A mixed-model Analysis of Variance is used and followed by a backward stepwise elimination process. Tukey's tests are used for pairwise comparisons. The statistical model shows the effect of time during the day (12 p.m. exhibits a higher fractal scaling compared to 8 a.m.); and chronotype (evening-types exhibit higher fractal scaling compared to morning-types). This study reveals the influence of chronobiology on stride-to-stride fluctuations. These findings open new perspectives to integrate circadian medicine in biomechanics.

Decomposing virulence to understand bacterial clearance in persistent infections.

Following an infection, hosts cannot always clear the pathogen, instead either dying or surviving with a persistent infection. Such variation is ecologically and evolutionarily important because it can affect infection prevalence and transmission, and virulence evolution. However, the factors causing variation in infection outcomes, and the relationship between clearance and virulence are not well understood. Here we show that sustained persistent infection and clearance are both possible outcomes across bacterial species showing a range of virulence in Drosophila melanogaster. Variation in virulence arises because of differences in the two components of virulence: bacterial infection intensity inside the host (exploitation), and the amount of damage caused per bacterium (per parasite pathogenicity). As early-phase exploitation increased, clearance rates later in the infection decreased, whereas there was no apparent effect of per parasite pathogenicity on clearance rates. Variation in infection outcomes is thereby determined by how virulence - and its components - relate to the rate of pathogen clearance. Taken together we demonstrate that the virulence decomposition framework is broadly applicable and can provide valuable insights into host-pathogen interactions.

Portuguese Football Federation consensus statement 2020: nutrition and performance in football.

Nutrition is an undeniable part of promoting health and performance among football (soccer) players. Nevertheless, nutritional strategies adopted in elite football can vary significantly depending on culture, habit and practical constraints and might not always be supported by scientific evidence. Therefore, a group of 28 Portuguese experts on sports nutrition, sports science and sports medicine sought to discuss current practices in the elite football landscape and review the existing evidence on nutritional strategies to be applied when supporting football players. Starting from understanding football's physical and physiological demands, five different moments were identified: preparing to play, match-day, recovery after matches, between matches and during injury or rehabilitation periods. When applicable, specificities of nutritional support to young athletes and female players were also addressed. The result is a set of practical recommendations that gathered consensus among involved experts, highlighting carbohydrates periodisation, hydration and conscious use of dietary supplements.

The MEE principle in data classification: a perceptron-based analysis.

This letter focuses on the issue of whether risk functionals derived from information-theoretic principles, such as Shannon or Rényi's entropies, are able to cope with the data classification problem in both the sense of attaining the risk functional minimum and implying the minimum probability of error allowed by the family of functions implemented by the classifier, here denoted by min Pe. The analysis of this so-called minimization of error entropy (MEE) principle is carried out in a single perceptron with continuous activation functions, yielding continuous error distributions. In spite of the fact that the analysis is restricted to single perceptrons, it reveals a large spectrum of behaviors that MEE can be expected to exhibit in both theory and practice. In what concerns the theoretical MEE, our study clarifies the role of the parameters controlling the perceptron activation function (of the squashing type) in often reaching the minimum probability of error. Our study also clarifies the role of the kernel density estimator of the error density in achieving the minimum probability of error in practice.

Understanding Needs Satisfaction and Frustration in Young Athletes: Factor Structure and Invariance Analysis.

Sports research has been focused on the assessment of basic needs satisfaction, considering its absence as a representation of needs frustration. However, recent findings have suggested needs satisfaction and frustration as asymmetrical factors leading to differentiated outcomes. An accurate measurement of needs poses itself as a crucial aspect, facilitating coaches' understanding of athlete's motivational processes. This study aimed to examine the psychometric proprieties of the Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction and Frustration Scale (BPNSFS) in a sample of Portuguese athletes. A multigroup analysis was conducted of gender, sport type, age, and years of sports practice. Additionally, needs satisfaction and needs frustration were tested as predictors of behavioral regulations examining the nomological validity of the BPNSFS. Data from 594 Portuguese athletes (38.6% female; Mage = 15.21; SD = 0.97) that represent two different sports (football and swimming) were analyzed. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling procedures were followed to test the factor structure and nomological validity of the scale, respectively. Analyses indicated that the six-factor model provided an adequate fit (Comparative Fit Index = 0.947, Tucker-Lewis Index = 0.936, Standardized Root Mean Square = 0.039, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation = 0.048 (CI 90% = 0.043, 0.054)). Moreover, the multigroup analysis suggested invariance in the observed structure across groups. In addition, findings indicated a strong prediction between needs satisfaction and autonomous forms of motivation, whereas needs frustration predicted significantly controlled forms of motivation. The sport-adapted BPNSFS in a sample of Portuguese athletes seemed to be an adequate measure for the assessment of basic psychological needs satisfaction and frustration. Our findings suggested that this scale may be worth testing in future research in the sport context.

Data classification with multilayer perceptrons using a generalized error function.

The learning process of a multilayer perceptron requires the optimization of an error function E(y,t) comparing the predicted output, y, and the observed target, t. We review some usual error functions, analyze their mathematical properties for data classification purposes, and introduce a new one, E(Exp), inspired by the Z-EDM algorithm that we have recently proposed. An important property of E(Exp) is its ability to emulate the behavior of other error functions by the sole adjustment of a real-valued parameter. In other words, E(Exp) is a sort of generalized error function embodying complementary features of other functions. The experimental results show that the flexibility of the new, generalized, error function allows one to obtain the best results achievable with the other functions with a performance improvement in some cases.

Effects of Dental Occlusion on Body Sway, Upper Body Muscle Activity and Shooting Performance in Pistol Shooters.

Occlusal splints, to some extent, have been related to reduced body sway in a static position and increased muscle activity in the upper limbs. However, how dental occlusion status affects sports performance remains unclear. Here, we investigated whether occlusal splints that reposition the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) influenced body posture, muscle activity, and performance in 10-meter pistol shooters. Thirteen national-level male shooters (age = 38.8 ± 10.9 yrs) were recruited for this study, and cleared of any cervical pathology. An occlusal splint (OS) and a placebo splint (PS) were fabricated for each of the subjects, with the mandibular and maxillary position verified by an expert dentist, with the aid of an adjustable articulator. Surface electromyography (EMG) was assessed in the upper limb that holds the pistol while the subjects were standing on a force platform. Subjects performed two series of 10 shots for each of the three experimental conditions (OS, PS, N (no splint)) in randomized order, with the mandible in a rest position. Results revealed similar centre of pressure (COP) parameters in all conditions, despite a reduction in the average oscillation area caused by the OS. There were also no significant differences in EMG activity between conditions in the five upper limb muscles monitored. Consistent with this, shooting performance was similar in all conditions, despite a reduction in shot dispersion in subjects using OS. Thus, changes in dental occlusion status induced by OS do not affect body posture, upper limb EMG muscle activity, or shot performance in healthy male pistol shooters.

Optimization of the Ion Source-Mass Spectrometry Parameters in Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory and Analgesic Pharmaceuticals Analysis by a Design of Experiments Approach.

The flow rates of drying and nebulizing gas, heat block and desolvation line temperatures and interface voltage are potential electrospray ionization parameters as they may enhance sensitivity of the mass spectrometer. The conditions that give higher sensitivity of 13 pharmaceuticals were explored. First, Plackett-Burman design was implemented to screen significant factors, and it was concluded that interface voltage and nebulizing gas flow were the only factors that influence the intensity signal for all pharmaceuticals. This fractionated factorial design was projected to set a full 2(2) factorial design with center points. The lack-of-fit test proved to be significant. Then, a central composite face-centered design was conducted. Finally, a stepwise multiple linear regression and subsequently an optimization problem solving were carried out. Two main drug clusters were found concerning the signal intensities of all runs of the augmented factorial design. p-Aminophenol, salicylic acid, and nimesulide constitute one cluster as a result of showing much higher sensitivity than the remaining drugs. The other cluster is more homogeneous with some sub-clusters comprising one pharmaceutical and its respective metabolite. It was observed that instrumental signal increased when both significant factors increased with maximum signal occurring when both codified factors are set at level +1. It was also found that, for most of the pharmaceuticals, interface voltage influences the intensity of the instrument more than the nebulizing gas flowrate. The only exceptions refer to nimesulide where the relative importance of the factors is reversed and still salicylic acid where both factors equally influence the instrumental signal. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

High-Content Analysis of Breast Cancer Using Single-Cell Deep Transfer Learning.

High-content analysis has revolutionized cancer drug discovery by identifying substances that alter the phenotype of a cell, which prevents tumor growth and metastasis. The high-resolution biofluorescence images from assays allow precise quantitative measures enabling the distinction of small molecules of a host cell from a tumor. In this work, we are particularly interested in the application of deep neural networks (DNNs), a cutting-edge machine learning method, to the classification of compounds in chemical mechanisms of action (MOAs). Compound classification has been performed using image-based profiling methods sometimes combined with feature reduction methods such as principal component analysis or factor analysis. In this article, we map the input features of each cell to a particular MOA class without using any treatment-level profiles or feature reduction methods. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first application of DNN in this domain, leveraging single-cell information. Furthermore, we use deep transfer learning (DTL) to alleviate the intensive and computational demanding effort of searching the huge parameter's space of a DNN. Results show that using this approach, we obtain a 30% speedup and a 2% accuracy improvement.

Mass spectrometry parameters optimization for the 46 multiclass pesticides determination in strawberries with gas chromatography ion-trap tandem mass spectrometry.

Multiclass analysis method was optimized in order to analyze pesticides traces by gas chromatography with ion-trap and tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). The influence of some analytical parameters on pesticide signal response was explored. Five ion trap mass spectrometry (IT-MS) operating parameters, including isolation time (IT), excitation voltage (EV), excitation time (ET), maximum excitation energy or "q" value (q), and isolation mass window (IMW) were numerically tested in order to maximize the instrument analytical signal response. For this, multiple linear regression was used in data analysis to evaluate the influence of the five parameters on the analytical response in the ion trap mass spectrometer and to predict its response. The assessment of the five parameters based on the regression equations substantially increased the sensitivity of IT-MS/MS in the MS/MS mode. The results obtained show that for most of the pesticides, these parameters have a strong influence on both signal response and detection limit. Using the optimized method, a multiclass pesticide analysis was performed for 46 pesticides in a strawberry matrix. Levels higher than the limit established for strawberries by the European Union were found in some samples.

Error entropy in classification problems: a univariate data analysis.

Entropy-based cost functions are enjoying a growing attractiveness in unsupervised and supervised classification tasks. Better performances in terms both of error rate and speed of convergence have been reported. In this letter, we study the principle of error entropy minimization (EEM) from a theoretical point of view. We use Shannon's entropy and study univariate data splitting in two-class problems. In this setting, the error variable is a discrete random variable, leading to a not too complicated mathematical analysis of the error entropy. We start by showing that for uniformly distributed data, there is equivalence between the EEM split and the optimal classifier. In a more general setting, we prove the necessary conditions for this equivalence and show the existence of class configurations where the optimal classifier corresponds to maximum error entropy. The presented theoretical results provide practical guidelines that are illustrated with a set of experiments with both real and simulated data sets, where the effectiveness of EEM is compared with the usual mean square error minimization.

Panorama general de la producción académica en la psicología colombiana indexada en Psicoredalyc, 2005-2007 / General overview of academic production in Colombian psychology indexed by Psicoredalyc, 2005-2007 / Visão geral da produção acadêmica na psicologia colombiana indexada no Psicoredalyc, 2005-2007

que redundan en la visibilidad y calidad del conocimiento producido en la región. Para estudiar estas prácticas se presenta un análisis de los artículos publicados por autores en instituciones colombianas entre 2005 y 2007 con base en los datos entregados por el sistema Redalyc-Psicología, previa estandarización de la información de los mismos. Se destaca el crecimiento de la publicación en psicología en Colombia, y el establecimiento de redes de cooperación, tanto a nivel nacional como internacional. Se sugieren nuevas direcciones de investigación para caracterizar con más profundidad la producción y aumentar la visibilidad y el impacto de la investigación en el país.

The importance of scientific communication in Latin America is linked to research, collaboration, and publishing practices that enhance the visibility and the quality of the knowledge created in this region. In order to study these practices, an analysis of academic production in Colombia between 2005 and 2007 is presented, based on standardized article information delivered by the Redalyc - Psychology system. These results point out the growth of Psychological publications in Colombia and the creation of new national and international collaboration networks. New research directions are suggested in order to gain deeper insights on production and to increase visibility and impact of research in the country.

A importância da comunicação científica na América Latina está associada a práticas de pesquisa, colaboração e publicação que resultam em visibilidade e qualidade do conhecimento produzido na região. Para estudar essas práticas é apresentada uma análise de artigos publicados por autores em instituições colombianas, entre 2005 e 2007, com base em dados fornecidos pelo sistema Redalyc-Psicologia, após a normalização da informação deles. Se destaca o aumento da publicação em psicologia na Colômbia e a criação de redes de cooperação nacionais e internacionais. Se sugere novas direções de pesquisa para caracterizar melhor a produção e aumentar a visibilidade e o impacto da pesquisa no país.