Time Epochs Research Articles

Modeling Survey Time Series Data with Flow-Observed CARMA Processes

Published survey data often are delivered as estimates computed over an epoch of time. Customers may desire to obtain survey estimates corresponding to epochs, or time points, that differ from the published estimates. This “change of support” problem can be addressed through the use of continuous-time models of the underlying population process, while taking into account the sampling error that survey data is subject to. The application of a Continuous AutoRegressive Moving Average (CARMA) model is investigated as a tool to provide change of support applications, thereby allowing interpolation for published survey estimates. A simulation study provides comparisons of competing estimation methods, and a synthetically constructed data set is developed in order to elucidate real data applications. The proposed method can be successful for change of support problems, despite modeling challenges with the CARMA framework.

Multiscale assessment of land use efficiency in functional urban areas of Munich and Augsburg

Abstract. This study aims to understand the spatio-temporal variations in land use efficiency (LUE) estimations at different scales of assessment, focusing on the per-capita built-up area within the Functional Urban Areas (FUAs) of Munich and Augsburg, Germany. The analysis is done for the time epochs 1985, 1995, 2005, 2015 and 2020. FUAs are defined as the economic area of influence in each urban area, making the study of land consumption in FUAs crucial for spatial planning and policy analysis. Land use efficiency is computed using built up surface and population data extracted from the Global Human Settlement Layer. This is done at municipal level and 100 m grid level. Furthermore, the effects of using high resolution building footprints for LUE computations are assessed. The analysis shows that urban cores and the adjacent regions are densifying with lower per capita built surface consumption while smaller urban areas utilise more per capita built surface leading to inefficent land use. It is also observed that higher resolution assessments helps in identifying varying intra-regional LUE estimates for a focused urban planning strategy development. Our study concludes that land use efficiency has generally decreased over time in the commuting zones of FUAs while the urban cores have remained efficient.

Comparative analysis of the image of a Chinese migrant in the Chinese mainland media and the media of Chinese emigration

The research presents a comparative analysis of the image of a Chinese migrant in the mainland Chinese media and the media of Chinese emigration. The research is based on the study of the content of publications such as The People's Daily and Xinhua on the one hand, and emigrant media, including The World Journal and The Epoch Times, on the other. The aim of the study is to identify differences and similarities in the representation of Chinese migrants, as well as to assess the influence of the political and cultural context on the formation of their image. In the Chinese mainland media, migrants are often presented as successful and patriotic representatives of the nation, keeping in touch with their homeland, which corresponds to China's "soft power" strategy. The expatriate opposition media is also biased in shaping the image of the Chinese migrant, often labeling migration as political rather than economic. The object of the study is the materials of the Chinese mainland and migrant media on the issues of Chinese emigration in the period 2023-2024. The subject of the study is the image of a Chinese migrant in the Chinese media. The methodology of this study includes content analysis and quantitative analysis of Chinese news media texts. As a result of the conducted research, the main similarities and significant differences in the representation of Chinese migrants in mainland Chinese media and emigrant media were revealed. The image of a migrant in the Chinese mainland media is formed within the framework of state propaganda, with an emphasis on patriotism and the preservation of cultural ties with the Motherland. Migrants are portrayed as successful representatives of the Chinese nation, keeping in touch with China and promoting its interests abroad. This reflects China's state policy of strengthening "soft power" and supporting the diaspora for economic and cultural influence in the international arena. The expatriate opposition media are also biased in shaping the image of the Chinese migrant, often labeling migration as political rather than economic. On the other hand, independent expatriate media such as the World Journal reflect more diverse and often critical points of view, highlighting the problems of migrant integration, discrimination and the complexities of life in another country. Independence from the Chinese authorities allows these media to focus on practical issues, avoiding political bias.

TDCS Cranial Nerve Co-Stimulation: Unveiling Brainstem Pathways Involved in Trigeminal Nerve Direct Current Stimulation in Rats.

The effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) are typically attributed to the polarization of cortical neurons by the weak electric fields it generates in the cortex. However, emerging evidence indicates that certain tDCS effects may be mediated through the co-stimulation of peripheral or cranial nerves, particularly the trigeminal nerve (TN), which projects to critical brainstem nuclei that regulate the release of various neurotransmitters throughout the central nervous system. Despite this, the specific pathways involved remain inadequately characterized. In this study, we examined the effects of acute transcutaneous TN direct current stimulation (TN-DCS) on tonic (i.e. mean spike rate and spike rate over time) and phasic (number of bursts, spike rate per burst, burst duration, and inter-burst interval) activities while simultaneously recording single-neuron activity across three brainstem nuclei in rats: the locus coeruleus (LC), dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN), and median raphe nucleus (MnRN). We found that TN-DCS significantly modulated tonic activity in the LC, with notable interactions between stimulation amplitude, polarity, and time epoch affecting mean spike rates. Similar effects were observed in the DRN regarding tonic activity. Further, phasic activity in the LC was influenced by TN-DCS, with changes in burst number, duration, and inter-burst intervals linked to stimulation parameters. Conversely, MnRN tonic activity following TN-DCS remained unchanged. Importantly, xylocaine administration to block TN abolished the effects on tonic activities in both the LC and DRN. These results suggest that tDCS effects may partially arise from indirect modulation of the TN, leading to altered neuronal activity in DRN and LC. Besides, the differential changes in tonic and phasic LC activities underscore their complementary roles in mediating TN-DCS effects on higher cortical regions. This research bears significant translational implications, providing mechanistic insights that could enhance the efficacy of tDCS applications and deepen our understanding of its neurophysiological effects.

A Universe dominated by dark energy?

Abstract Observations of our Universe have led to a current consensus model which has a number of unexpected and, some would say bizarre characteristics. These include two epochs in time when it exhibits a ‘strange’ behaviour, namely the Big Bang moment of creation itself and the subsequent period of initial inflation. In addition the models now require two unseen and dominant constituents of the Universe to explain its dynamics, which are known as ‘dark matter’ and ‘dark energy’. Having said that, once these four features are included the model is very successful in explaining a vast range of astronomical observations, spanning virtually the whole lifetime of the Universe. This paper focusses on dark energy, starting from an historically much simpler model and then building up to the present day understanding with reference to the key observations which have driven changes in paradigm. Possible suggestions as to the nature of dark energy are considered and finally a section is included concerning how future observations may lead to a better understanding.

Reorganizing public value for city life in the Anthropocene

Public value and city governance are fundamental notions in contemporary settings, but, currently conceived, they are not fit for the challenges presented by the proposed new epoch of geological time—the Anthropocene. Walking through the locked-down streets or calle of Venice, we face the sudden emptiness that starkly reveals the impact of human activity on the city and its waterways. Reflecting on the walk, our starting point is to problematize how a city organizes and manages public value and what actually constitutes public value. In this, we develop a new definition, “New Public Value for the Anthropocene Epoch” (NPVA), which expands the notion of public value through the questions: “who” is it valuable to do things for, beyond humans and economic actors, building on a relational epistemology to incorporate the planet and its biosphere; and “what” is valuable to do, in order to ensure the inclusion of social, environmental, and cultural values alongside economic values. We conclude by arguing that NPVA is organized across scales in a manner that embeds global attentiveness toward local ecosystems solutions to drive the global response to the environmental crisis we all face.

Construction of a mental health risk model for college students with long and short-term memory networks and early warning indicators

Abstract With the increasing social pressure and academic competition, the mental health (for convenience, abbreviated as MH) problems of college students are becoming increasingly prominent, but there are often challenges that are difficult to accurately predict and intervene in a timely manner. The aim of this article is to address the early warning needs of college students’ MH problems and construct a model that can timely identify the MH problems of college students. The experiment collected MH related data from college students in S city, and analyzed and trained these data using the Long short-term memory (LSTM) network model. By changing the number of hidden layers, learning rate, batch size, and epoch times, the most suitable training effect was achieved. By using the time-series characteristics of the LSTM model, the selected parameters from the experiment can better capture the changing trends of college students’ MH status, thereby improving prediction accuracy. Finally, three stage indicators of low, medium, and high were set up for early warning of the predicted results, in order to effectively and timely take measures. The research results indicated that the constructed model achieved a minimum regularization loss of 0.0674 after training. Finally, the adjusted model was used to predict the test set, with an average accuracy of 0.852 and an average accuracy of 0.906. The LSTM-based MH risk model performed well in predicting college students’ MH problems and could identify potential risk factors in a timely manner.

Neurosurgical management of Myelomeningocele in premature infants: a case series

IntroductionMyelomeningocele (MMC) is the most common neural tube defect, but rarely seen in premature infants. Most centers advocate for closure of MMC within 24 h of birth. However, this is not always possible in severely premature infants. Given the rarity of this patient population, we aimed to share our institutional experience and outcomes of severely premature infants with MMC.MethodsWe performed a retrospective, observational review of premature infants (≤ 32 weeks gestational age) identified through our multidisciplinary spina bifida clinic (1995–2021) and surgical logs. Descriptive statistics were compiled about this sample including timing of MMC closure and incidence of adverse events such as sepsis, CSF diversion, meningitis, and death.ResultsEight patients were identified (50% male) with MMC who were born ≤ 32 weeks gestational age. Mean gestational age of the population was 27.3 weeks (SD 3.5). Median time to MMC closure was 1.5 days (IQR = 1—80.8). Five patients were taken for surgery within the recommended 48 h of birth; 2 patients underwent significantly delayed closure (107 and 139 days); and one patient’s defect epithelized without surgical intervention. Six of eight patients required permanent cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) diversion (2 patients were treated with ventriculoperitoneal shunting (VPS), three were treated with endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) with choroid plexus cauterization (CPC) and 1 patient treated with ETV; mean of 3 years after birth, ranging from 1 day to 16 years). Two patients required more than one permanent CSF diversion procedure. Two patients developed sepsis (defined as meeting at least 2/4 SIRS criteria). In both cases of sepsis, patients developed signs and symptoms more than 72 h after birth. Notably, both instances of sepsis occurred unrelated to operative intervention as they occurred before permanent MMC closure. Two patients had intraventricular hemorrhage (both grade III). No patients developed meningitis (defined as positive CSF cultures) prior to MMC closure. Median follow up duration was 9.7 years. During this time epoch, 3 patients died: Two before 2 years of age of causes unrelated to surgical intervention. One of the two patients with grade III IVH died within 24 h of MMC closure.ConclusionsIn our institutional experience with premature infants with MMC, some patients underwent delayed MMC closure. The overall rate of meningitis, sepsis, and mortality for preterm children with MMC was similar to MMC patients born at term.

Effect of Sampling Rate, Filtering, and Torque Onset Detection on Quadriceps Rate of Torque Development and Torque Steadiness.

Quadriceps rate of torque development (RTD) and torque steadiness are valuable metrics for assessing explosive strength and the ability to control force over a sustained period of time, which can inform clinical assessments of knee function. Despite their widespread use, there is a significant gap in standardized methodology for measuring these metrics, which limits their utility in comparing outcomes across different studies and populations. To address these gaps, we evaluated the influence of sampling rates, signal filtering, and torque onset detection on RTD and torque steadiness. Twenty-seven participants with a history of a primary anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (N = 27 (11 male/16 female), age = 23 ± 8 years, body mass index = 26 ± 4 kg/m2) and thirty-two control participants (N = 32 (13 male/19 female), age = 23 ± 7 years, body mass index = 23 ± 3 kg/m2) underwent isometric quadriceps strength testing, with data collected at 2222 Hz on an isokinetic dynamometer. The torque-time signal was downsampled to approximately 100 and 1000 Hz and processed using a low-pass, zero-lag Butterworth filter with a range of cutoff frequencies spanning 10-200 Hz. The thresholds used to detect torque onset were defined as 0.1 Nm, 1 Nm, and 5 Nm. RTD between 0 and 100 ms, 0 and 200 ms, and 40-160 ms was computed, as well as absolute and relative torque steadiness. Relative differences were computed by comparing all outcomes to the "gold standard" values computed, with a sampling rate of 2222 Hz, a cutoff frequency in the low-pass filter of 150 Hz, and torque onset of 1 Nm, and compared utilizing linear mixed models. While all combinations of signal collection and processing parameters reached statistical significance (p < 0.05), these differences were consistent between injured and control limbs. Additionally, clinically relevant differences (+/-10%) were primarily observed through torque onset detection methods and primarily affected RTD between 0 and 100 ms. Although measurements of RTD and torque steadiness were generally robust against diverse signal collection and processing parameters, the selection of torque onset should be carefully considered, especially in early RTD assessments that have shorter time epochs.

Image Segmentation Of Ornamental Plants Typical Of South Kalimantan Using The Convolutional Neural Network Method

One of the very important processes in the recognition of visually presented objects. Image segmentation is one of the important topics in computer science, especially in the field of digital image processing. The research method used is image segmentation using the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) method; the results obtained in this study are accurate to the image of plants selected as the sample of this study. The dataset in this study used pictures or objects of ornamental plants, namely Black Orchids, Betel Lurih, and Aglonema Tri-Color. As for the samples used in this study, namely for these three types of objects, 50 pictures were taken for each object used. By using epochs of 15, researchers have determined to reduce system performance time and by epoch times of 17s, 18s, and 24s. The number of epochs that will be used also affects the time that will be taken by modeling training. Due to the increasing number of epochs, the time that will be required for training will be longer. Then, the accuracy value of the data trained is 0.7667 with a loss value of 0.4039, and the val_loss value is 0.4611 with a val_accuracy of 0.7333. The segmentation results obtained using the convolutional neural network model have a fairly good accuracy level of 0.7667 and a validation accuracy of 0.7333.

A NEW APPROACH TO CREATE SUSTAINED PONZI-LIKE SYSTEMS BY INCORPORATING PERPETUAL LIQUIDITY AND TIME EPOCHS

This paper leverages the transformative capabilities of blockchain technology to introduce a new approach to developing Ponzi-like systems by integrating perpetual liquidity and time epochs within immutable smart contracts. Blockchain’s transparent nature establishes a foundation for trust in the ecosystem. Departing from the unsustainable nature and inevitable collapse associated with traditional Ponzi schemes, the proposed framework ensures continuous token availability, mitigating supply depletion and thus minimizing system failure risk. The introduction of time epochs is a key feature that enhances the sustainability of our system. It enables continuous rebalancing, predictability, and transparency within the system. Through predetermined intervals, users can claim a percentage of tokens from previous epochs, ensuring a fair distribution mechanism and preventing stagnation. This predictable cycle fosters the user’s confidence in the longevity of the protocol. The mechanics of the proposed system are designed to incentivize rational behaviour and trust among participants. Users are motivated to contribute to the ecosystem, knowing that their efforts will be reciprocated with proportional rewards. We design, implement and present the new model as a paradigm shift in Ponzi-like structures. Through a multidisciplinary lens encompassing economics, game theory, and sustainable development, this research aims towards fostering long-term viability and ethical financial practices.

The Scale-Invariant Vacuum Paradigm: Main Results and Current Progress Review (Part II)

This is a summary of the main results within the Scale-Invariant Vacuum (SIV) paradigm based on Weyl integrable geometry. We also review the mathematical framework and utilize alternative derivations of the key equations based on the reparametrization invariance as well. The main results discussed are related to the early universe; that is, applications to inflation, Big Bang Nucleosynthesis, and the growth of the density fluctuations within the SIV. Some of the key SIV results for the early universe are a natural exit from inflation within the SIV in a later time texit with value related to the parameters of the inflationary potential along with the possibility for the density fluctuations to grow sufficiently fast within the SIV without the need for dark matter to seed the growth of structure in the universe. In the late-time universe, the applications of the SIV paradigm are related to scale-invariant dynamics of galaxies, MOND, dark matter, and dwarf spheroidals, where one can find MOND to be a peculiar case of the SIV theory. Finally, within the recent time epoch, we highlight that some of the change in the length-of-the-day (LOD), about 0.92 cm/yr, can be accounted for by SIV effects in the Earth–Moon system.

Analysis of peak locomotor demands in women's football-the influence of different epoch lengths.

The quantification of peak locomotor demands has been gathering researchers' attention in the past years. Regardless of the different methodological approaches used, the most selected epochs are between 1-, 3-, 5- and 15-minutes time windows. However, the selection of these time frames is frequently arbitrary. The aim of this study was to analyse the peak locomotor demands of short time epochs (15, 30, 45, and 60 seconds) in women's football, with special emphasis over the high-speed metrics. During two seasons, the match physical performance of 100 female football players was collected with Global Positioning System units (STATSports Apex). Peak locomotor demands for the selected variables were calculated by using a 1-second moving average approach. For statistical procedures, linear mixed modelling was used, with total distance, high-speed running distance (>16 km∙h-1), sprint distance (>20 km∙h-1), and acceleration and deceleration distance (±2.26 m∙s-2) considered as the dependent variables and the epoch lengths (15, 30, 45, and 60 seconds) considered as the independent variables. A novel finding was the high ratio observed in the 15 seconds epochs of high-speed running distance and sprint distance (77.6% and 91.3%, respectively). The results show that most peak high-speed demands within 60 seconds are completed within just 15 seconds. Thus, intensity-related variables, such as high-speed metrics, would be better contextualised and adapted into training practices if analysed in shorter epoch lengths (15-30 seconds), while longer periods might be used for volume-related metrics (i.e., total distance), depending on the purpose of the analysis.

Influences of sudden stratospheric warmings on the ionosphere above Okinawa

Abstract. We analyzed the ionosonde observations from Okinawa (26.7° N, 128.1° E; magnetic latitude: 17.0° N) for the years from 1972 to 2023. Okinawa is in the northern low-latitude ionosphere, where the influences of sudden stratospheric warmings (SSWs) on the ionosphere are expected to be stronger than in the mid- and high-latitude ionospheres. We divided the dataset into winters with major SSWs in the Northern Hemisphere (SSW years) and winters without major SSWs (no-SSW years). During the SSW years, the daily cycle of the F2-region electron density maximum (NmF2) is stronger than in the no-SSW years. The relative NmF2 amplitudes of solar and lunar tidal components (S2, O1, M2, MK3) are stronger by 3 % to 8 % in the SSW years than in the no-SSW years. The semidiurnal amplitude, averaged across 29 SSW events, has a significant peak at the central date of the SSW (epoch time 0 of the composite analysis). The SSW influence is not strong: the semidiurnal amplitude is about 38.2 % in the SSW years and about 34.0 % in the no-SSW years (relative to the NmF2 of the background ionosphere). However, there is a sharp decrease in the amplitude of about 10 % after the SSW peak is reached. The amplitude of the diurnal component does not show a single peak at the central date of the SSW. We present the maximal semidiurnal amplitudes of the SSWs since 1972. The SSW of 31 December 1984 has the strongest amplitude (162 %) in the ionosphere above Okinawa (with a high geomagnetic activity, Ap, of 37 nT). The most surprising finding of the study is the strong lunar tides with relative amplitudes of about 10 % and the discovery of a terdiurnal lunar tide (5 %) in the NmF2 during the SSW years. The periods of the ionospheric lunar tides align with the periods of ocean tides and lunisolar variations in the atmosphere.

Changes in the investigation and management of suspected myocardial infarction and injury during COVID-19: a multi-centre study using routinely collected healthcare data.

The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a reduction in the incidence of myocardial infarction (MI) diagnosis, in part because patients were less likely to present to hospital. Whether changes in clinical decision making with respect to the investigation and management of patients with suspected MI also contributed to this phenomenon is unknown. Multicentre retrospective cohort study in three UK centres contributing data to the National Institute for Health Research Health Informatics Collaborative. Patients presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) of these centres between 1st January 2020 and 1st September 2020 were included. Three time epochs within this period were defined based on the course of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: pre-pandemic (epoch 1), lockdown (epoch 2), post-lockdown (epoch 3). During the study period, 10,670 unique patients attended the ED with chest pain or dyspnoea, of whom 6,928 were admitted. Despite fewer total ED attendances in epoch 2, patient presentations with dyspnoea were increased (p < 0.001), with greater likelihood of troponin testing in both chest pain (p = 0.001) and dyspnoea (p < 0.001). There was a dramatic reduction in elective and emergency cardiac procedures (both p < 0.001), and greater overall mortality of patients (p < 0.001), compared to the pre-pandemic period. Positive COVID-19 and/or troponin test results were associated with increased mortality (p < 0.001), though the temporal risk profile differed. The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with significant changes not just in presentation, but also the investigation, management, and outcomes of patients presenting with suspected myocardial injury or MI.

Sinus rhythm activation signature indicates reentrant ventricular tachycardia inducibility and approximate isthmus location

BackgroundSinus rhythm activation time is useful to assess infarct border zone substrate. ObjectiveWe sought to further investigate sinus activation in ventricular tachycardia (VT). MethodsCanine postinfarction data were analyzed retrospectively. In each experiment, an infarct was created in the left ventricular wall by left anterior descending coronary artery ligation. At 3 to 5 days after ligation, 196–312 bipolar electrograms were recorded from the anterior left ventricular epicardium overlapping the infarct border zone. Sustained monomorphic VT was induced by premature electrical stimulation in 50 experiments and was noninducible in 43 experiments. Acquired sinus rhythm and VT electrograms were marked for electrical activation time, and activation maps of representative sinus rhythm and VT cycles were constructed. The sinus rhythm activation signature was defined as the cumulative number of multielectrode recording sites that had activated per time epoch, and its derivative was used to predict VT inducibility and to define the sinus rhythm slow/late activation sequence. ResultsPlotting mean activation signature derivative, a best cutoff value was useful to separate experiments with reentrant VT inducibility (sensitivity, 42/50) vs noninducibility (specificity, 39/43), with an accuracy of 81 of 93. For the 50 experiments with inducible VT, recording sites overlying a segment of isochrone encompassing the sinus rhythm slow/late activation sequence spanned the VT isthmus location in 32 cases (64%), partially spanned it in 15 cases (30%), but did not span it in 3 cases (6%). ConclusionThe sinus rhythm activation signature derivative is assistive to differentiate substrate supporting reentrant VT inducibility vs noninducibility and to identify slow/late activation for targeting isthmus location.

Scalable gradients enable Hamiltonian Monte Carlo sampling for phylodynamic inference under episodic birth-death-sampling models.

Birth-death models play a key role in phylodynamic analysis for their interpretation in terms of key epidemiological parameters. In particular, models with piecewise-constant rates varying at different epochs in time, to which we refer as episodic birth-death-sampling (EBDS) models, are valuable for their reflection of changing transmission dynamics over time. A challenge, however, that persists with current time-varying model inference procedures is their lack of computational efficiency. This limitation hinders the full utilization of these models in large-scale phylodynamic analyses, especially when dealing with high-dimensional parameter vectors that exhibit strong correlations. We present here a linear-time algorithm to compute the gradient of the birth-death model sampling density with respect to all time-varying parameters, and we implement this algorithm within a gradient-based Hamiltonian Monte Carlo (HMC) sampler to alleviate the computational burden of conducting inference under a wide variety of structures of, as well as priors for, EBDS processes. We assess this approach using three different real world data examples, including the HIV epidemic in Odesa, Ukraine, seasonal influenza A/H3N2 virus dynamics in New York state, America, and Ebola outbreak in West Africa. HMC sampling exhibits a substantial efficiency boost, delivering a 10- to 200-fold increase in minimum effective sample size per unit-time, in comparison to a Metropolis-Hastings-based approach. Additionally, we show the robustness of our implementation in both allowing for flexible prior choices and in modeling the transmission dynamics of various pathogens by accurately capturing the changing trend of viral effective reproductive number.

Depth of SCUBA Diving Affects Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System.

The present study investigated the influence of SCUBA dives with compressed air at depths of 10 and 20 m on ECG-derived HRV parameters in apparently healthy individuals. We hypothesized that cardiac sympathetic activity (measured by HRV parameters) adapts proportionally to diving depth, and that both time- and frequency-domain parameters are sensitive enough to track changes in cardiac ANS function during diving activities and subsequently during the recovery period. Eleven healthy middle-aged recreational divers (nine men and two women, age 43 ± 8, all nonsmokers) volunteered to participate in the present study. The participants (all open-circuit divers) were equipped with dry suits and ECG Holter devices and were later randomly assigned to dive pairs and depths (10 m vs. 20 m), and each participant served as his or her own control. No interaction effects (diving depth x time epoch) were found for the most commonly used HRV markers. More precisely, in response to two different diving protocols, a significant post hoc effect of time was observed for HR and SDNN, as these parameters transiently decreased during the dives and returned to baseline after ascent (p < 0.001). The ULF, VLF (p < 0.003), TP, and LF parameters decreased significantly during the dives, while HF significantly increased (p < 0.003). SCUBA diving apparently challenges the cardiac ANS, even in healthy individuals. The observed changes reveal possible underwater methods of influencing the parasympathetic activity of the heart depending on the depth of the dive. These results identify autonomic nervous system markers to track the cardiovascular risk related to diving and point to the possibility of tracking cardiovascular system benefits during underwater activities in selected patients.

Chemogenetic activation of astrocytic Gi signaling promotes spinogenesis and motor functional recovery after stroke.

Ischemic stroke is the leading cause of adult disability. The rewiring of surviving neurons is the fundamental process for functional recovery. Accumulating evidence implicates astrocytes in synapses and neural circuits formation, but few studies have further studied how to enhance the effects of astrocytes on synapse and circuits after stroke and its impacts on post-stroke functional recovery. In this study, we made use of chemogenetics to specifically activate astrocytic Gi signaling in the peri-infarcted sensorimotor cortex at different time epochs in a mouse model of photothrombotic stroke. We found that early activation of astrocytic hM4Di after stroke by CNO modulates astrocyte activity and upregulates synaptogenic molecules including thrombospondin-1 (TSP1) as revealed by bulk RNA-sequencing, but no significant improvement was observed in dendritic spine density and behavioral performance in grid walking test. Interestingly, when the manipulation was initiated at the subacute phase of stroke, the recovery of spine density and motor function could be effectively promoted, accompanied by increased TSP1 expression. Our data highlight the important role of astrocytes in synapse remodeling during the repair phase of stroke and suggest astrocytic Gi signaling activation as a potential strategy for synapse regeneration, circuit rewiring, and functional recovery.

Future Trade-Off for Water Resource Allocation: The Role of Land Cover/Land Use Change

Global croplands, pastures, and human settlements have expanded in recent decades. This is accompanied by large increases in energy, water, and fertilizer consumption, along with considerable losses of biodiversity. In sub-Saharan Africa, policies are implemented without critical consideration; e.g., agricultural expansions impair ecosystem services. We studied land use/cover and the associated rate of change for four time epochs, i.e., 1991, 2001, 2011, and 2021. This employed remote sensing and GIS techniques for analysis, while future projections were modeled using cellular automata and the Markov chain. The kappa coefficient statistics were used to assess the accuracy of the final classified image, while reference images for accuracy assessment were developed based on ground truthing. Overall change between 1991 and 2021 showed that major percentage losses were experienced by water, forest, woodland, and wetland, which decreased by 8222 Ha (44.11%), 426,161 Ha (35.72%), 399,584 Ha (35.01%), and 105,186 Ha (34.82%), respectively. On the other hand, a percentage increase during the same period was experienced in cultivated land, built-up areas, and grasslands, which increased by 659,346 Ha (205.28%), 11,894 Ha (159.93%), and 33,547 Ha (98.47%), respectively. However, this expansion of thirsty sectors has not reversed the increasing amount of water discharged out of the Kilombero River catchment. We recommend the promotion of agroforests along with participatory law enforcement and capacity building of local communities’ institutions.