Number Of Individuals In Group Research Articles

The relationship of electroencephalography (EEG) and neuroenergocarting indicators in vibration disease

Introduction. This article presents the results of a study of the relationship of phenomena characterizing the state of regulation of neurophysiological and energy processes in vibration disease (VD). The study aims to identify the relationships characterizing the state of regulation of neurophysiological and energy processes, according to the parameters of EEG and the level of constant potential (LCP) in patients with vibration disease. Materials and methods. We have examined thirty seven patients with VB caused by the combined effects of local and general vibration, thirty healthy men (comparison group). The researchers used electroencephalography and neurogenetic mapping techniques. Results. In the group of patients with VB, the nature of EEG activity was manifested by a change in the topical organization of the main normal EEG rhythms: the alpha rhythm, when compared with the comparison group, is more represented in the parietal leads (alpha rhythm index 30.7(15.8-53.5) and 45.3(34.9-59.5)% at p=0.010, respectively), beta1-rhythm - in a small, approximately the same amount, in all leads (in the right frontal from 3.7(2.8-5.6) and 6(3.8-8.2)% at p=0.020, in the left central leads up to 5.9(4.8-7.7) and 8.3(5.9-12.1)% at p=0.018, respectively). The delta rhythm index prevailed in the right frontal region 57.3(47.1-74.8) and 17(12-19)% at p=0.013, respectively. We have revealed a negative correlation of the delta rhythm index in the left frontal (Fp1), left central (C3), left parietal (P3), left occipital (O3), left temporal (T3) regions and LCP in the central (Cz) (r=-0.34; -0.32; -0.35; -0.39; -0.44; p=0.036; 0.048; 0.033; 0.016; 0.006, respectively). An increase in the theta rhythm index in the anterior frontal left lead (Fp1) can be associated with an increase in SCP in the occipital lobe of the right hemisphere (Pd-Ps, r=0.50; p=0.001). Limitations. Limitations are presented in the form of a small number of individuals in groups, insufficient depth of study of foreign literature materials on the issue under study. Conclusion. Interdependent disorders of neurofunctional activity in VB are: an increase in the theta rhythm index in the frontal, central regions of the left hemisphere with a right-hemisphere increase in neuroenergy exchange in the frontal, temporal, parietal regions; an increase in the delta rhythm index of the rhythm in the left hemisphere with a decrease in the LCP in the central parietal region. The strengthening of interhemispheric interaction with compensatory activation of the subdominant hemisphere is probably associated with the strain of adaptive potential, mechanisms for maintaining homeostasis, allowing to reduce neurological deficit by neuroplasticity.

Evaluation of the interrelationships of indicators characterizing neurofunctional activity in vibration disease

Introduction. The results of studying the relationship between the bioelectrical activity of the brain, neuroenergetic exchange, the state of extracranial vessels, cognitive functions, in case of vibration disease caused by the effect of combined local and general vibration (CLGV) are presented. Materials and methods. Constant potential levels (CPP), characteristics of somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs), doppler ultrasound (USDG) and electroencephalography (EEG), neuropsychological features were studied in thirty eight patients exposed to CLGV, 32 persons of the comparison group. Results. Under CLGV topical disorganization and inhibition of alpha and beta activity, an increase in pathological delta activity, in the level of constant potential (DC-potential level) in the left frontal, right temporal and posterior parts of the brain, an increase in the latency of the N13, N20 components, the duration of the N18 interval -N20 are associated with an increase in the tone of the main extracranial arteries, a decrease in associative-logical thinking, short-term and long-term memory, dynamic praxis, and reciprocal coordination. Indicators of impaired neurofunctional activity (NFA) are an increase in the linear blood flow velocity (LBFV) in the internal carotid artery (ICA), the circulatory resistance index of the ICA, the DC-potential level of the occipital, central right, and parietal left leads; decrease in indices of theta - rhythm in the anterofrontal and parietal right, occipital left leads, indices of beta1, beta2 - rhythms in the occipital left lead. Limitations. The limitations of the work are presented in the form of a small number of individuals in groups, insufficient depth of the study of foreign literature materials on the issue under study. Conclusion. The interdependence of indicators characterizing the decrease in the tone of the cerebral cortex, cognitive functions, the state of the hypothalamic-stem connections, the increase in the tone of the extracranial arteries, as well as diagnostic signs that make it possible to detect changes in NFA in CLGV.

Aggressive Behavior of Black-and-White Ruffed (Varecia variegata variegata) and Red Ruffed (Varecia variegata rubra) Lemurs (Primates, Lemuridae)

Aggressive behavior of 155 individuals of black-and-white ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata variegata (Kerr 1792)) and red ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata rubra (Geoffroy 1812)) kept in conditions of domestic and foreign zoological parks was studied. The material was collected in the summer months in 2008–2018. The animals were kept in pairs and groups of up to 14 individuals. The total duration of observations is more than 5600 h. When analyzing aggressive behavior, we took into account the number of individuals in group, the sex and age of animals, close family ties, as well as the area and type of enclosure. It is shown that the aggressive behavior of ruffed lemurs depends on the age of animals: older females are more aggressive than the young ones, whereas males more rarely initiate aggression with age. Significant differences in the frequency of aggressive interactions in groups with different sex composition are revealed. It is found that the frequency of aggressive interactions in groups consisting of males and females decreased with an increase in the area of ​​ enclosure per animal. The aggressive behavior of ruffed lemurs does not depend on the number of individuals in group, the relatedness of the aggressor and the victim, and the type of enclosure (indoor or outdoor). The types of conflict situations depending on the reasons and conditions of occurrence of aggressive interaction as well as the structure of aggressive interactions in different categories of conflict pairs are described.

An agent-based algorithm resembles behaviour of tree-dwelling bats under fission\u2013fusion dynamics

Utilization of computational approach in the study of social behaviour of animals is increasing and we attempted such an approach in our study of tree-dwelling bats. These bats live in highly dynamic fission–fusion societies that share multiple roosts in a common home range. The key behavioural component associated with complex and non-centralized decision-making processes in roost switching is swarming around potential locations in order to recruit members to the new roost. To understand roost switching dynamics of bat groups in their natural environment, we employed a computational model, the SkyBat, which is based on swarm algorithm, to model this process. In a simulated environment of this agent-based model, we replicated natural fission–fusion dynamics of the Leisler’s bat, Nyctalus leisleri, groups according to predefined species and habitat parameters. Spatiotemporal patterns of swarming activity of agents were similar to bats. The number of simulated groups formed prior to sunrise, the mean number of individuals in groups and the roost height did not differ significantly from data on a local population of bats collected in the field. Thus, the swarm algorithm gave a basic framework of roost-switching, suggesting possible applications in the study of bat behaviour in rapidly changing environments as well as in the field of computer science.

Immunogenicity and safety of high-dose versus standard-dose inactivated influenza vaccine in rheumatoid arthritis patients: a randomised, double-blind, active-comparator trial.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis have increased risk of seasonal influenza and influenza-related complications but have reduced vaccine immunogenicity. It is unknown whether patients with rheumatoid arthritis would benefit from more immunogenic vaccine formulations. This study investigated the immunogenicity and safety of a high-dose trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (HD-TIV) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis compared to a standard-dose quadrivalent influenza vaccine (SD-QIV). This study was a treatment-stratified, randomised, double-blind trial to compare the immunogenicity and safety of SD-QIV (15 μg of haemagglutinin [HA] per strain) versus HD-TIV (60 μg of HA per strain) in adults with rheumatoid arthritis who are positive for rheumatoid factor or anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide, or both, recruited during the 2016-17 and 2017-18 influenza seasons at three hospitals affiliated with McGill University (Montreal, QC, Canada). Participants had received treatment for rheumatoid arthritis with conventional or targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) or biological DMARDs, or combinations of them, were still on treatment at the time of enrolment, and their treatment had not been modified during the 3 months before enrolment. They were stratified into one of three groups according to treatment. Patients who, at enrolment, were taking conventional or targeted synthetic DMARDs (methotrexate, hydroxychloroquine, and sulfasalazine) as monotherapy or in combination were stratified to group 1; those who were taking a biological DMARD (anti-tumour necrosis factor or anti-interleukin 6), with or without methotrexate, hydroxychloroquine, or sulfasalazine (or a combination thereof) were stratified to group 2; and those who were taking abatacept, tofacitinib, or rituximab, with or without methotrexate, hydroxychloroquine, or sulfasalazine (or a combination thereof) were stratified to group 3. Participants were randomly allocated (1:1) to receive the SD-QIV or HD-TIV vaccine. Randomisation was based on a computer-generated allocation sequence, and participants, investigators, and research nurses responsible for safety assessments were masked to vaccine assignment. The primary outcome was the seroconversion rate (as measured by haemagglutination-inhibition assay) per strain at day 28. Analysis was done in the modified intention-to-treat population, which included all randomly assigned participants for whom seroconversion status was available. Safety was assessed throughout the surveillance period (day 0-186). This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02936180. Between Oct 24, 2016, and Dec 6, 2017, 696 patients with rheumatoid arthritis were invited to participate in the study and 279 were randomly assigned and vaccinated (140 [50%] received SD-QIV and 139 [50%] HD-TIV). 136 patients who received SD-QIV and 138 who received HD-TIV were included in the modified intention-to-treat anaysis. Patients who received HD-TIV were more likely to seroconvert than those who received SD-QIV: the odds ratio was 2·99 (95% CI 1·46-6·11) for seroconversion to strain A/H3N2, 1·95 (1·19-3·22) for seroconversion to strain B/Bris, 3·21 (1·57-6·56) for seroconversion to strain A/H1N1 (in 2016-2017), and 2·44 (1·18-5·06) for seroconversion to strain A/H1N1 (in 2017-2018). Similar results were observed in patients from groups 1 and 2; the number of individuals in group 3 was insufficient to draw conclusions. Local and systemic adverse events were similar in both vaccine groups, no serious adverse events were reported between days 0 and 28 in any group, and neither vaccine increased rheumatoid arthritis disease activity. Our data suggest that in patients with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis, HD-TIV is safe and more immunogenic than SD-QIV. These results are the first evidence to support the use of the HD-TIV in these patients. The Arthritis Society-Canada.

English

This study examines local tribal knowledge regarding the ecology of the kori bustard (Ardeotis kori struthiunculus) and assessed threats to this species in Northern Serengeti communities. A picture of an indigenous kori bustard was presented to survey participants in villages in the study area. General knowledge on the kori bustard was tested in relation to the bird’s general habitat, nesting habitat, food and number of individuals in groups. Of the survey respondents, 56.7% knew the name of the kori bustard and were therefore included in further analyses. The Maasai tribe showed the greatest knowledge of the species, with 98% of individuals identifying the species correctly. Additionally, male survey participants were generally more knowledgeable than females. No differences among age groups or individuals with different education levels were found, suggesting that there is a local knowledge transfer of the species to all age groups regardless of educational level of respondents and that education is not an obstacle to the local knowledge. The study concludes that nature of activities e.g. nomadic and social life, gender and tribes were contributing factors to the knowledge of the kori bustard in the northern Serengeti.   Key words: Local knowledge, kori bustards, Serengeti ecosystem.

The Poverty of Economic Reasoning about Climate Change

A New Yorker cartoon illustrates the intergenerational aspect of climate change. It shows an Eskimo mother, father, and young child as they wave tearful farewell to an old man, presumably grandparent, whom they have placed on an ice floe. The family itself stands on floating piece of ice. Which generation is responsible for the plight of which? I want to argue that the intergenerational aspect of climate change makes economic reasoning about it more problematic than one might think. Economic analysis depends on the idea of or exchange. It is hard to see, therefore, how it applies to our relations to people in the further future. We cannot bargain with them or they with us. Since they do not yet exist, they cannot have property rights. If ability to pay is prerequisite of willingness to pay (WTP), moreover, then future generations cannot be willing--because they are not able--to pay us anything. We have exhausted all possible benefits of trade with them. I shall argue that the passivity of future generations--their inability to exercise market or political power--makes economic analysis irrelevant not just to justifying the goals of climate policy but also to designing instruments to achieve those goals. Economists often recommend that an international authority cap global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions but allow firms to allowances under that cap. I shall argue that such regime cannot succeed because generations in the further future, who are its principal beneficiaries, are in no position to defend it. Trading in GHG allowances, as I shall argue, is more likely to reflect beliefs about the likelihood of enforcement--bets placed on election returns, for example--than to reveal the marginal cost of production or clean energy technology. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A perfectly efficient or competitive market cannot respond to the need of future generations for stable climate because future generations play no role as market actors. An efficient policy therefore cannot be sustainable policy. This is an argument against efficiency, not against sustainability. That economic theory fails in this way suggests we must rely on other reasons and rationales to justify response to the threat of climate change. Change Is Not Collective Action Problem According to Paul G. Harris, Climate change is collective action problem par excellence. One can see the appeal of this analysis. In 1965, Mancur Olson in The Logic of Collective Action showed that when each individual acts on self-interest, for example, to free-ride on the more socially motivated action of others, public goods will not be produced. Olson defines as a number of individuals with common interest. Olson wrote, Unless the number of individuals in group is quite small, or unless there is coercion or some other special device to make individuals act in their common interest, rational, self-interested individuals will not act to achieve their common or group interests. A little reflection, however, suggests that the tragedy of the or the analysis of collective action problem does not fit the challenge of climate change. In the typical collective action problem, such as managing an open-access commons or preventing defections in prisoner's dilemma game, each person will gain if all cooperate and all will lose if each acts in his or her own individual self-interest. In the case of climate change, however, one group, that is, people alive today and through the next generation, will make significant sacrifices, for example, by forgoing the consumption of inexpensive fossil fuels. A completely different group, whom one might call posterity, will benefit. The coercion necessary to solve collective action problem is justified by the mutual reciprocity of advantage, that is, the idea that each person gains more by the restriction of the freedom of others than he or she loses by accepting that same restriction. …

Usefulness of a New Gastric Cancer Screening Program Using the Combination Assay of Serum Anti-Helicobacter pylori IgG Antibody and the Serum Pepsinogen Levels

Purpose: This study was performed to evaluate a new gastric cancer screening program using this combination assay of the serum Hp and PG test method. Methods: Serum Hp and PG levels were measured in the total number of 48073 asymptomatic individuals (about 16000 per year; majority participants checked every year) at a work place in Tokyo as a primary screening between April 2007 and March 2010 (a ratio of man to woman=3.6, a mean age of 47.4 years). We classified into 1 of 4 groups based on the results of the serum Hp and PG levels; group A [Hp (-) PG (-)] (73.2%), group B [Hp (+) PG (-)] (16.4%), group C [Hp (+) PG (+)] (9.3%), and group D [Hp (-) PG (+)] (1.1%), respectively. Group A, B, C, and D were recommended to undergo endoscopic examination every 5 years, 3 years, 2 years, and every year, respectively, and we examined the detection rate of gastric cancers and details of detected cancers. Simultaneously, we estimated the annual increasing or decreasing ratio of each group, comparing the ratio of each group in 2007, 2008, and 2009. Results: In a total of 48073 participating individuals, 6965 planned to undergo endoscopic examination (4202 in group B, 2346 in group C, and 417 in group D). For the total of planned examination, 3921 individuals underwent endoscopic examination (2244 in group B, 1436 in group C, and 241 in group D). Gastric cancer was detected in 23 patients (12 patients in 2007, 8 patients in 2008, and 3 patients in 2009), and 16 and 7 of them were detected from group B and C, respectively. 18 of them were early gastric cancers and 12 of them could be resected endoscopically. Although 5 advanced cancers were detected in this screening program, it was the first time for all of them to have this program for reasons such as mid-career hiring. Histopathologically, 47.8% of the detected cancers were diffuse type, and the ratio of diffuse type was increasing gradually (25.0% in 2007, 62.5% in 2008, and 100% in 2009). The ratio of group A in 2007, 2008, and 2009 was 70.7%, 72.7%, and 75.8%, and the ratio of group B was 19.4%, 16.7%, and 13.5%, respectively. Consequently, the annual increasing ratio of group A per year was estimated about 3% and the decreasing rate of group B was about 3% per year. Conclusion: A mass screening for gastric cancer using the combination assay of the serum Hp and PG test method was useful to select a high-risk and low-risk population of developing gastric cancers and to detect not only intestinal type but also diffuse type cancers in early stage. The number of individuals in group A will continue to increase at a rate of about 3%, which is expected to contribute to a further reduction in the number of individuals who are advised to undergo a mass screening method for gastric cancer in the future.

BONE MINERAL DENSITY DIFFERENCES IN FEMALE ATHLETES AND REFERENCE POPULATIONS

1659 Relationships between risk factors for stress injury to bone in females have been established, but are poorly understood. An inverse relationship has been identified between low bone mineral density (BMD) and stress injuries. BMD has been shown to increase with weight bearing activities. It could be expected, therefore, that females who participate in weight bearing activities have higher BMD values than their inactive counterparts. The purpose of this study was to compare the BMD values from athletic females (Group I) and a reference population (Group II). Subjects in Group I (n=81) were NCAA Division I female athletes consisting of 12 basketball players, 9 volleyball players, 28 soccer players, and 13 gymnasts. Group II was composed of an age matched(mean age=19 years) reference female population. A bone density scan was performed on each subject using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA-Lunar DPX-L). Five sites were selected for comparison including total body, spine, Ward's triangle, femoral neck, and greater trochanter. The number of individuals in Group II varied depending on site scanned (spine n=43, femur n=28, total body n=22). Results indicated significant differences (p<.001) between the groups at all five sites. Means (±SD) are listed in the table below.Table

Reliability of a New Method to Census Japanese Macaques Fixed Observers in Quadrats

We devised a census method that uses fixed observers in quadrats to estimate the density of Japanese macaque groups or populations. A research area is divided into 500×500m quadrats. Observers are positioned in each quadrat at a fixed point where they can get a good view over the quadrat. The observers simultaneously search monkey groups both visually and auditorially, and map the movement of the groups. To avoid duplication in counting, the observers communicate with each other by radios. At the end of the census, the number of groups detected was summed. This method can also be used to estimate population density if the number of individuals in groups is counted. Unexperienced students conducted this census in 9.5km2 steep mountain area of Yakushima Island where a line census was impracticable. Individual censuses were conducted over areas of 2 to 4km2 from 7:00 to 17:00. This area included the 3km2 area where 10 or 11 groups were known to inhabit from studies since 1973. This area was used to measure the accuracy of the method. Three different areas were censured two or three times to evaluate the precision of the method. Furthermore, experienced observers moved with monkey groups to record the exact positions of the groups in order to measure the detection efficiency of fixed observes. Monkeys were mostly detected by loud calls, and 75% of groups were found within 3 hours after start of observation at 7:00 A. M, and after 8 hours no new groups were detected. Detection efficiency was measured as the ratio of the number of observers who found the position of groups to the number of all observers tested. The detection efficiency exponentially decreased as the distance between the observer and the group increased. The maximum observer-to-group distance was 720m. In the first day of the observation in an area where the number of groups had been known, unexperienced students detected about 20% of the groups, but in the second day they detected 60-70% in the same area as the first day. Repetition of censuses in the other areas resulted in the same counts of the groups in different censuses in each area. We conclude that this method can be successfully used in steep mountainous areas even by unexperienced field assistants, with sufficient accuracy and precision if a prior survey excercise of one or two days is conducted. If this method is applied in an area with different conditions, evaluation of accuracy is first needed.

THE PREDICTION OF HUNTINGTON'S CHOREA

Twenty-six offspring representative of 9 families with Huntington's chorea in the immediate ancestry were subjected to the following studies: physical, neurological, psychiatric, psychometric, anthropometric, genetic, and electroencephalographic. Of these various procedures, but 2 seemed to offer probable predictive value: namely, the EEG and the blood groupings. Nineteen, (73.1%) of the subjects showed definite electroencephalographic abnormalities, particularly in the motor regions. Bilateral paroxysmal bursts like those observed in epilepsy were found in the resting record of about half (8) of the cases showing abnormal EEGs. According to a composite weight, 12 offspring had the highest electroencephalographic abnormality and were thought likely to develop the disease as this proportion approximated the genetic probability. No definite intra- or inter-family, or parent-offspring, electroencephalographic resemblances were noted. The study of blood groupings was expanded to include all available cases of Huntington's chorea in addition to the offspring study and disclosed a disproportionately large number of individuals in Groups A and O. Longrange follow-ups with repeated EEGs on a larger series of offspring are recommended as well as a much more extensive examination of the blood groupings of Huntington's chorea patients and their offspring in order to establish the statistical validity of the 2 procedures.