Different Degrees Of Association Research Articles

Variability of major soil properties of a fallow-acidic-level upland with high and multiple spatial resolutions

Variation of the soil attributes of a land in an area is dependent on topography, time, climate, parent material, land use land cover, land management, distance and scale. This variation affects the representation of soil of a land in an area. The study aimed to assess the variations in the representation of major soil properties of a unique fallow-acidic-undisturbed-level upland in different spatial resolutions of soil sampling. A fallow and level upland of 1500 m2 as separately gridded with the spacing of 5mx5m, 10mx10m and 15mx15m and geo-referenced surface (0-20 cm) soil samples were collected from the corner of each grid. The collected soil samples were analyzed for texture (Tx), organic carbon (OC), pH, total N (TN), available P (AP), exchangeable K (exch K), available S (AS), available Fe (AFe), available Zn (AZn) and available Mn (AMn) in soil. Statistical and geospatial analyses of the dataset were done with the relevant softwares. For the nutrients TN, AP, AZn and AFe, coefficients of variation (CV) showed a trend of increment across high-medium-low spatial resolutions, and their variability ranked as AZn (mean CV=104.03%, great variation)>AFe (mean CV=41.67%, moderate variation)>AP (mean CV=20.32%, moderate variation)>TN (mean CV=4.92%, low variation) based on average CV of three spatial resolutions of sampling. In case of other soil attributes, no particular trend of increment or decrement was observed across the resolutions and their variability was moderate except for pH which had low variability. Their variability ordered as exch K (mean CV=35.17%)>AS (mean CV=34.98%)>SOC (mean CV=31.71%)>Tx (mean CV=31.17%)>AMn (mean CV=30.10%)>Soil pH (mean CV=6.96%). Rationale correlations were observed between some soil attributes (pH vs AZ, AFe, OC; Tx vs TN, AP; Exch K vs AZn vs AFe; OC vs Exch K, AZn, AFe) with different degrees of associations (r), and increased trend in r value was found across the resolutions of high-medium-low except for pH and Tx. Different spatially gradient structures of the ordinary krigged interpolated maps were observed for different soil properties and for different spatial resolutions. Quantitatively, calculated (from semivariograms) nugget effects of 0-100% indicated that spatial dependency of studied soil properties could be very strong to very weak. The heterogeneity of soil in the upland as revealed by our results would assist scientists or farm managers to use or compare scale-dependent soil data wisely and precisely.

Neural Processing of Odors with Different Well-Being Associations-Findings from Two Consecutive Neuroimaging Studies.

Much is known about the effect of odors on mood, cognition and behavior, but little is known about the relationship between odors and well-being. We investigated the neural processing of odors with different degrees of association with well-being (WB) through two large independent datasets. The study encompassed pre-testing and fMRI. During pre-testing, 100 and 80 (studies 1 and 2) young, healthy subjects participated, rating intensity, valence, and WB association for 14 (study 1) and 8 (study 2) different odors. Pre-testing resulted in the selection of two odors with high WB association (WB-associated) and two odors with lower WB association (neutral odors) for each study. Odors were delivered intranasally to the subjects who underwent fMRI scanning (44 and 41 subjects, respectively, for studies 1 and 2). We assessed brain activity for subjects when they experienced WB-associated versus neutral odors. In study 1, WB-associated odors showed increased activation in the right angular gyrus whereas in study 2, increased activity in the left angular gyrus existed, together with increased activity in the anterior cingulate cortex and posterior orbitofrontal cortex. The increased activity of higher-order cognitive and emotional regions during the processing of WB-associated odors in the two independent studies suggests a role of odors in influencing individual well-being. Moreover, the consistent activation of the angular gyrus might suggest its key role in shifting attention toward relevant emotional stimuli.

Gender difference in the associations between health literacy and problematic mobile phone use in Chinese middle school students

BackgroundProblematic mobile phone use (PMPU) is becoming increasingly popular and has serious harmful effects on physical and mental health among adolescents. Inadequate health literacy (HL) is related to some risky behaviors and mental health problems in adolescents. Nevertheless, few studies have explored the relationship between HL and PMPU and the gender difference in the relationship among Chinese adolescents. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between HL and PMPU and explore gender difference in the associations.MethodsA total of 22,628 junior and senior high school students (10,990 males and 11,638 females) in 6 regions of China participated in this study. HL and PMPU were measured by self-report validated questionnaires. Chi-square tests and logistic regression analysis were conducted in the study.ResultsLogistic regression analysis showed that students with inadequate HL are likely to have PMPU (OR = 2.013, 95% CI: 1.840–2.202), and different degrees of association can be seen in six dimensions. Besides, in both males and females, students with inadequate HL had a higher risk of PMPU (ORmale = 1.607, 95% CI: 1.428–1.807; ORfemale = 2.602, 95% CI: 2.261–2.994). Regarding the gender difference, the results showed that males had more PMPU than females, and the difference was more significant for students with adequate HL than those with inadequate HL (ORinadequate = 1.085, 95% CI: 1.016–1.159; ORadequate = 1.770, 95% CI: 1.490–2.101). Similarly, there were associations in the six dimensions.ConclusionsHL decreases PMPU, and males have a higher risk of PMPU than females. These findings suggest a reasonable strategy to reduce PMPU by improving the HL level of adolescents.

MAGE-A3 regulates tumor stemness in gastric cancer through the PI3K/AKT pathway.

Gastric cancer remains a malignant disease of the digestive tract with high mortality and morbidity worldwide. However, due to its complex pathological mechanisms and lack of effective clinical therapies, the survival rate of patients after receiving treatment is not satisfactory. A increasing number of studies have focused on cancer stem cells and their regulatory properties. In this study, we first constructed a co-expression network based on the WGCNA algorithm to identify modules with different degrees of association with tumor stemness indices. After selecting the most positively correlated modules of the stemness index, we performed a consensus clustering analysis on gastric cancer samples and constructed the co-expression network again. We then selected the modules of interest and applied univariate COX regression analysis to the genes in this module for preliminary screening. The results of the screening were then used in LASSO regression analysis to construct a risk prognostic model and subsequently a sixteen-gene model was obtained. Finally, after verifying the accuracy of the module and screening for risk genes, we identified MAGE-A3 as the final study subject. We then performed in vivo and in vitro experiments to verify its effect on tumor stemness and tumour proliferation. Our data supports that MAGE-A3 is a tumor stemness regulator and a potent prognostic biomarker which can help the prediction and treatment of gastric cancer patients.

Group-Wise Shrinkage Estimation in Penalized Model-Based Clustering

Finite Gaussian mixture models provide a powerful and widely employed probabilistic approach for clustering multivariate continuous data. However, the practical usefulness of these models is jeopardized in high-dimensional spaces, where they tend to be over-parameterized. As a consequence, different solutions have been proposed, often relying on matrix decompositions or variable selection strategies. Recently, a methodological link between Gaussian graphical models and finite mixtures has been established, paving the way for penalized model-based clustering in the presence of large precision matrices. Notwithstanding, current methodologies implicitly assume similar levels of sparsity across the classes, not accounting for different degrees of association between the variables across groups. We overcome this limitation by deriving group-wise penalty factors, which automatically enforce under or over-connectivity in the estimated graphs. The approach is entirely data-driven and does not require additional hyper-parameter specification. Analyses on synthetic and real data showcase the validity of our proposal.

Pollution characteristics of soil heavy metals around two typical copper mining and beneficiation enterprises in Northwest China.

In order to investigate the situation of heavy metal pollution in the heavy metal industry in Gansu Province, a large copper mining province, two large and typical copper mining and beneficiation enterprises with differences in topographic features, climatic conditions, and soil types were selected as the target of this study based on similar ore types and beneficiation processes. Around these two enterprises, geochemical baselines of the six heavy metals were established, while the degree of local soil heavy metal pollution and potential hazards to humans were assessed based on statistical analysis, single-factor and multi-factor index analysis, and health risk evaluation models. In addition, Spearman's correlation analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis were used to explore the intrinsic association between each heavy metal in the two mining industries to reveal the pattern of soil heavy metal pollution in the copper mining and beneficiation industry and to propose targeted measures to improve and prevent soil heavy metal pollution. The results showed that the heavy metal pollution in the soil around Shengxi Mining Co., Ltd. of Subei County (SX enterprise) was higher than that around Yangba Copper Co., Ltd. of Gansu Province (YB enterprise), but the two enterprises had similar patterns of pollution, with an overall medium level of pollution. The carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks for children and adults were within acceptable limits for both enterprises. Besides, the correlation between the different heavy metals to similarity in their sources of contamination and the different degrees of association between the soil heavy metals of the two enterprises due to their environmental characteristics.

Conserved QTL and chromosomal inversion affect resistance to columnaris disease in 2 rainbow trout (Oncorhyncus mykiss) populations.

We present a comparative genetic analysis of the quantitative trait loci underlying resistance to warm water columnaris disease in 2 farmed rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) populations. We provide evidence for the conservation of a major quantitative trait loci on Omy03, and the putative role played by a chromosomal rearrangement on Omy05. A total of 3,962 individuals from the 2 populations experienced a natural Flavobacterium columnare outbreak. Data for 25,823 genome-wide SNPs were generated for both cases (fatalities) and controls (survivors). FST and pairwise additive genetic relationships suggest that, despite being currently kept as separate broodstocks, the 2 populations are closely related. Association analyses identified a major quantitative trait loci on chromosome Omy03 and a second smaller quantitative trait loci on Omy05. Quantitative trait loci on Omy03 consistently explained 3–11% of genetic variation in both populations, whereas quantitative trait loci on Omy05 showed different degree of association across populations and sexes. The quantitative trait loci on Omy05 was found within a naturally occurring, 54.84 cM long inversion which is easy to tag due to a strong linkage disequilibrium between the 375 tagging SNPs. The ancestral haplotype on Omy05 was associated with decreased mortality. Genetic correlation between mortality in the 2 populations was estimated at 0.64, implying that the genetic basis of resistance is partly similar in the 2 populations. Our quantitative trait loci validation identifies markers that can be potentially used to complement breeding value evaluations to increase resistance against columnaris disease, and help to mitigate effects of climate change on aquaculture.

Influence of coronal hole morphology on the solar wind speed at Earth

Context.It has long been known that the high-speed stream (HSS) peak velocity at Earth directly depends on the area of the coronal hole (CH) on the Sun. Different degrees of association between the two parameters have been shown by many authors. In this study, we revisit this association in greater detail for a sample of 45 nonpolar CHs during the minimum phase of solar cycle 24. The aim is to understand how CHs of different properties influence the HSS peak speeds observed at Earth and draw from this to improve solar wind modeling.Aims.The CHs were extracted based on the Collection of Analysis Tools for Coronal Holes which employs an intensity threshold technique applied to extreme-ultraviolet filtergrams. We first examined all the correlations between the geometric characteristics of the CHs and the HSS peak speed at Earth for the entire sample. The CHs were then categorized in two different groups based on morphological criteria, such as the aspect ratio and the orientation angle. We also defined the geometric complexity of the CHs, a parameter which is often neglected when the formation of the fast solar wind at Earth is studied. The quantification of complexity was done in two ways. First, we considered the ratio of the maximum inscribed rectangle over the convex hull area of the CH. The maximum inscribed rectangle provides an estimate of the area from which the maximum speed of the stream originates. The convex hull area is an estimate of how irregular the CH boundary is. The second way of quantifying the CH complexity was carried out by calculating the CH’s fractal dimension which characterizes the raggedness of the CH boundary and internal structure.Methods.When treating the entire sample, the best correlations were achieved between the HSS peak speed observed in situ, and the CH longitudinal extent. When the data set was split into different subsets, based on the CH aspect ratio and orientation angle, the correlations between the HSS maximum velocity and the CH geometric characteristics significantly improved in comparison to the ones estimated for the whole sample. By further dividing CHs into subsets based on their fractal dimension, we found that the Pearson’s correlation coefficient in the HSS peak speed – CH area plot decreases when going from the least complex toward the most complex structures. Similar results were obtained when we considered categories of CHs based on the ratio of the maximum inscribed rectangle over the convex hull area of the CH. To verify the robustness of these results, we applied the bootstrapping technique. The method confirmed our findings for the entire CH sample. It also confirmed the improved correlations, compared to the ones found for the whole sample, between the HSS peak speed and the CH geometric characteristics when we divided the CHs into groups based on their aspect ratio and orientation angle. Bootstrapping results for the CH complexity categorizations are, nonetheless, more ambiguous.Results.Our results show that the morphological parameters of CHs such as the aspect ratio, orientation angle, and complexity play a major role in determining the HSS peak speed at 1 AU. Therefore, they need to be taken into consideration for empirical models that aim to forecast the fast solar wind at Earth based on the observed CH solar sources.

Eating disorders in the structure of depressive states

IntroductionAnorexia nervosa is a disease that occurs mainly in adolescent and young girls and is expressed in a conscious, extremely persistent and purposeful desire to lose weight, often reaching severe cachexia with a possible fatal outcome.ObjectivesClinical and psychopathological analysis of eating disorders and modeling of clinical and dynamic patterns in terms of their association with depressive disorders, improving the criteria for nosological diagnosis, prognosis and therapy.Methods58 patients aged 15 to 25 years who were on outpatient and inpatient observation of the clinic were studied.ResultsIt was found that eating disorders are divided into 2 types. The first type is an overvalued eating disorder. In this category, the depressive state developed either during the course of the eating disorder or preceded its development. The second type is delusional eating disorder. In this type, the development of the depressive state did not depend on the eating disorder and proceeded independently of it. At each of these levels, three types of dynamics were identified: narrative type of dynamics (44%), implicit type (25%) and type of selective dissociation (22.4%).ConclusionsEating disorders in the structure of depression are heterogeneous and have different degrees of association with depressive symptoms and different variants of the dynamics of their course. The revealed patterns make it possible to formulate a clearer idea of the prognosis of the disease as a whole and to optimize the algorithms for the therapeutic intervention of these conditions.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

Set pair three-way overlapping community discovery algorithm for weighted social internet of things

There are many problems in Social Internet of Things(IoTs), such as complex topology information, different degree of association between nodes and overlapping communities. The idea of set pair information grain computing and clustering is introduced to solve the above problems so as to accurately describe the similarity between nodes and fully explore the multi-community structure. A Set Pair Three-Way Overlapping Community Discovery Algorithm for Weighted Social Internet of Things (WSIoT-SPTOCD) is proposed. In the local network structure, which fully considers the topological information between nodes, the set pair connection degree is used to analyze the identity, difference and reverse of neighbor nodes. The similarity degree of different neighbor nodes is defined from network edge weight and node degree, and the similarity measurement method of set pair between nodes based on the local information structure is proposed. According to the number of nodes' neighbors and the connection degree of adjacent edges, the clustering intensity of nodes is defined, and an improved algorithm for initial value selection of k-means is proposed. The nodes are allocated according to the set pair similarity between nodes and different communities. Three-way community structures composed of a positive domain, boundary domain and negative domain are generated iteratively. Next, the overlapping node set is generated according to the calculation results of community node membership. Finally, experiments are carried out on artificial networks and real networks. The results show that WSIoT-SPTOCD performs well in terms of standardized mutual information, overlapping community modularity and F1.

Controlling the Interaction between Fluorescent Gold Nanoclusters and Biointerfaces for Rapid Discrimination of Fungal Pathogens.

Nondestructive detection and discrimination of fungal pathogens is essential for rapid and precise treatment, which further effectively prevents antifungal resistance from overused drugs. In this work, fluorescent gold nanoclusters served as the basis for discriminating Candida species. Varied on surface ligands, these gold nanoclusters demonstrated different optical properties as a result of the perturbation effects of ligands. The biointerface interaction between the surface ligands of gold nanoclusters and the cell walls of Candida species can be constructed, and their restriction on ligands perturbation effect produced enhanced fluorescence signals. Owing to the variation of the cell wall composition, cells of different Candida species demonstrated different degrees of association with the gold nanoclusters, leading to discriminable amounts of fluorescence enhancements. The reverse signal response from these gold nanoclusters gives rise to a synergistic and effective assay that allows identification of Candida species.

ГЕНЕТИЧЕСКАЯ ЭПИДЕМИОЛОГИЯ НАСЛЕДСТВЕННОЙ ПРЕДРАСПОЛОЖЕННОСТИ К КЕРАТОКОНУСУ

The survey of the literature devoted to genetic epidemiology of keratoconus and also principles of genetic markers search showed predisposition to this disease suitable for screening test in the course of genetic certification of the population. It was revealed that hereditary predisposition to keratokonus was caused by gene mutations, encoding cellular cycle and metabolism of the keratocytes regulating the activity of tissue proteolytic enzymes, and also mechanisms of natural detoxification. Genes associated with keratoconus are characterized by allelic variation and multiple mutations taking different degrees of association with clinically apparent diseases. It was discovered that genotypes of people from different geographic regions can differ in terms of signs and markers showing predisposition to the disease.

Alkali Metallosilicates: Synthesis, Structure and Evaluation in the ROP of ϵ‐Caprolactone

AbstractA series of metallosilicate complexes (tBuO)2(RO)SiOM (R=tBu, iPr, Et, Me; M=Li, Na, K) were prepared from tailor‐made silanols. The complexes show different degree of association and feature heterocubane, double‐heterocubane or hexagonal prism framework in solid state while ESI‐MS shows fragmentation of the oligomers. The steric hindrance around the silicon atom has a direct influence over the association of the alkali derivatives, and the size of the alkali metal influences the shape of the MxOx core. These compounds were studied as initiators in the ROP of ϵ‐caprolactone, varying temperature, reaction‐time, monomer/initiator ratio, metal center variation and association degree. The best results were achieved with [{(tBuO)3SiO}4Li4] (1) producing an almost quantitive yield of polycaprolactone (97 %, Mn=35 kg mol−1, Mw/Mn=1.72).

Mental health of Canadian Veterans of the Reserve Force

LAY SUMMARY The objective of this research was to explore the association between demographic and service characteristics and mental health in Canadian Veterans of the Reserve Force. The Reserve Force Class C model showed that marital status, age, chronic pain, depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and type of release were associated with mental health. The Reserve Force Class A/B model showed that age, depression, anxiety, PTSD, and type of release were associated with mental health. These results showed that similar factors were associated with the mental health score, with different degrees of association by reserve class. These results will help to better describe Reserve Force Veterans that may require mental health assistance.

English

In plant breeding, a novel genotype-by-yield trait (GYT) biplot approach was introduced to select superior genotypes based on multiple traits. The present study demonstrated the application of the GYT biplot model to evaluate the superior wheat advanced lines from a panel of 24 genotypes to select the ideotype for end users. Results show that the genotype-by-trait (GT) biplot covered 57% of the total variation of the data to reveal that grain yield was strongly associated with 1000-grain weight and grain width. In contrast, the GYT biplot explained 90.2% of the total variation which was significantly much higher than GT biplot. According to tester vector view of GYT biplot almost all the yield trait combinations were associated with each other at different degree of association; whereas the genotypes present within the acute angles of tester vectors (yield trait combinations) had the trait profile contributed positively towards grain yield. The polygon biplot of GYT had eight sectors, out of which only three had the yield trait combinations. The eight genotypes were the polygon vertex among which the advanced line DF1906 of first sector was designated as the best genotype for spike length, number of spikelets per spike, grain weight per spike and number of grains per spike. Additionally, the DF1912 of second sector was early maturing coupled with high 1000-grain weight while DF1917 of third sector had short stature and gave the highest harvest index. The average tester coordination (ATC) biplot grouped 13 genotypes as superior and nine as inferior genotypes and recommended two advanced lines DF1912 and DF1917 as ideotype based on balanced traits profile. These findings strengthened the argument that the GYT biplot analysis is better than other selection indices and guaranteed the selection of superior genotypes and rejection of inferior ones based on multiple traits yield combinations. © 2021 Friends Science Publishers

Personality Prototypes in People with Type 1 Diabetes and Their Relationship with Adherence.

Type 1 diabetes (Dm1) is a chronic endocrine and metabolic disease that affects the whole person and requires active, decisive treatment. However, personality traits may influence a patient’s adherence to treatment guidelines. The objective of this work is firstly to identify the 3 Asendorpf personality prototypes (resilient, undercontrolled and overcontrolled) in a sample of Dm1 individuals and determine whether there are any differences in comparison with a control sample; and, secondly, to study their association with adherence to self-care guidelines using both physiological indicators (HbA1C) and self-report measures. To achieve these objectives, a descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out. The sample comprised 294 participants, of whom 104 were people with Dm1 and 190 were controls. The participants, aged between 14 and 34 years, were classified by their scores in NEO-FFI-R, according to the personality characteristics inherent to Asendorpf’s prototypes. Asendorpf’s 3 prototypical personality patterns were found both in the group of people with Dm1 and in the control sample. These patterns showed different degrees of association with adherence to self-care guidelines for this disease and with psychological health factors. Importance should therefore be attached to the personality traits and Asendorpf prototypes of people with Dm1 when proposing interventions to address medical, psychological, and behavioral aspects.

Copepods and ostracods associated with bromeliads in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico.

A substantial fraction of the freshwater available in the Neotropical forests is enclosed within the rosettes of bromeliads that form small aquatic islands within a terrestrial landscape. These aquatic oases provide shelter, water, nutrients and resting of aggregation sites for several aquatic organisms, among them crustaceans. However, in comparison with the multitude of studies on open aquatic systems, our knowledge on crustaceans inhabiting semi-terrestrial habitats and phytotelmata is limited and their presence in such environments is poorly understood. The present study was carried out in two natural protected areas of the Yucatán Peninsula aiming to understand the diversity and dispersal strategies of crustaceans living in bromeliads. Sediment and water contained in four species of bromeliads have been collected in order to understand the diversity and dispersal strategies of crustaceans living in such habitats. From a total of 238 bromeliads surveyed, 55% were colonized by crustaceans. Sixteen copepod, three ostracod and one branchiopod species were recorded during this study, however only seven species are considered as true bromeliad inhabitants. Different degrees of association between crustaceans and bromeliad species were assessed with an indicator species analysis, where significant associations were found for all crustaceans. We found significant differences between bromeliad species and reserves and their associated fauna. In order to analyze the genetic diversity of this fauna, we sequenced several individuals of each species with two genetic markers (18S rRNA and COI mtDNA). Bayesian analyses and the Generalized Mixed Yule Coalescent method (GMYC), delimited 7 well supported species. A comparison of the dispersal strategies used by different species, including passive dispersal, phoretic behavior and active dispersal, is included. This study stresses the need of studying meiofauna of phytotelms, which could be used as an indicator of local diversity in Neotropical forests.

Investigating the Influential Factors on Body Weight and Its Impact on Glucoses Using GH-Method: Math-Physical Medicine (No. 327)

The author attempts to identify three major and two secondary influential factors of body weight along with its impact on six different glucose components using Pearson correlation coefficient “R” of statistics to calculate different degree of association between two datasets. This investigation utilized the daily weight and glucose data in conjunction with six lifestyle details, including food, exercise, water, sleep, and weather temperature, during a period of ~6 years from 1/1/2015 to 9/11/2020

Multifractal and joint multifractal analysis of soil micronutrients extracted by two methods along a transect in a coarse textured soil

AbstractUnderstanding the spatial behaviour of soil nutrients is essential for fertilizer management. Traditionally, comparison of soil testing methods has been performed using simple correlation analysis. The aims of this work were: (a) to characterize patterns of spatial variability of micronutrient concentrations obtained by two different soil testing methods, using single multifractal spectra, and (b) to compare the scale‐dependent relationship between the two datasets by joint multifractal analysis. The soil study site was located in Pernambuco state, Brazil. A 384‐m transect was marked every 3 m on an Orthic Podzol, cropped to sugar cane, in Pernambuco state, Brazil. Both, Mehlich‐3 and DTPA‐extracted micronutrients were measured in each of the 132 collected soil samples. The spatial distributions of available Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn could be fitted with multifractal models, regardless of the soil testing method. The generalized dimension, Dq versus q, and singularity spectra, f(α) versus α, showed a multifractal nature. Except for Fe, the scaling heterogeneity of the spatial distributions was higher for the Mehlich‐3 than for the DTPA datasets. Moreover, Zn exhibited the highest multifractality in both cases. Joint multifractal analysis demonstrated strong positive correlations between the scaling indices of the studied micronutrients extracted by the two methods. There were, however, different degrees of association between the scaling indices of these micronutrients, which ranked as: Zn > Cu > Fe > Mn. Except for Mn, Pearson product moment correlations between concentrations of available micronutrients extracted by the two solutions at the single or point measurement scale were weaker than those of the respective scaling indices at multiple scales. Therefore, single multifractal analysis captured a great complexity in the spatial distribution of available Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn. Knowledge of the scaling behaviour of these available nutrients could be useful for transferring information about variability from one scale to another for soil fertility management. This study suggests that correlation analysis at the single or point measurement scale may not be sufficient to fully characterize the concentrations of microelements extracted by two different methods, whereas joint multifractal analysis showed potential to improve calibration of soil micronutrient testing.Highlights Mehlich‐3 and DTPA‐extracted micronutrients showed high statistical variability across a transect. All the spatial distributions of Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn displayed a well‐defined multifractal structure. Joint correlations of extracted micronutrients were stronger than single statistical correlations. Our approach fully characterized complex spatial distributions arising from nonlinear processes.

Characterization of occupational, demographic and health determinants in Canadian reservists veterans and the relationship with poor self-rated health

BackgroundSelf-rated health is an useful indicator of the general health in specific populations and used to propose interventions after service in the military context. However, there is scarce literature about self- rated health (SRH) in the Canadian Veterans of the Reserve Force and its relationship with demographic, health and occupational characteristics of this specific group. The aims of this research were to determine the SRH in Canadian Reserve Force Veterans and to explore the relationship between demographic, military service and health factors by reserve class.MethodsData from the individuals was collected from the Life After Service (LASS) 2013 survey, including Veterans with Reserve Class C (n = 922) and Class A/B (n = 476). Bivariate and multivariate analysis using logistic regression models, were used to assess the association between the demographic characteristics, physical health, mental health, and military service characteristics and the self-rate health by both reserve classes.ResultsThe overall prevalence of poor SRH in Reserve Class C Veterans was 13.1% (CI:11.08–15.4) and for Reserve Class A/B was 6.9% (CI:5.0–9.1). Different degrees of associations were observed during the bivariate analysis and two different models were produced for each reserve class. Veterans of Reserve Class C showed that being single was (OR = 2.76, CI: 1.47–5.16), being 50–59 years old (OR = 4.6, CI: 1.28–17.11), reporting arthritis (OR = 2.49, CI: 1.33–4.67), back problems (OR = 3.02, CI:1.76–5.16), being obese (OR = 1.96, CI: 1.13–3.38), depression (OR = 2.34, CI: 1.28–4.20), anxiety (OR = 4.11, CI: 2.00–8.42), PTSD (OR = 2.1 CI: 0.98–4.47), and being medically released (OR = 4.48, CI: 2.43–8.24) were all associated with higher odds of poor SRH. The Reserve Class A/B model showed that completing high school (OR = 4.30, CI: 1.37–13.81), reporting arthritis (OR = 6.60, CI: 2.15–20.23), diabetes (OR = 11.19, CI: 2.72–46.0), being obese (OR = 3.37, CI: 1.37–8.27), daily smoking (OR = 2.98, CI: 1.05–8.38), having anxiety (OR = 9.8, CI: 3.70–25.75) were associated with higher odds of poor SRH.ConclusionsThese results suggested that the relationship of poor SRH with demographic, health and military occupation domains varied depending on the class on the Reserve Force Service. Different strengths of association showed different risk compositions for both populations. This can be used to better understand the health and well-being of Veterans of the Reserve Force.