L-band radar quantifies major disturbance of birds by fireworks in an urban area

Fireworks and other pyrotechnics are acknowledged as sources of disturbance to wildlife, with evidence that many species react adversely to their sight and sound at discharge. However, how firework releases impact wildlife within a city landscape is poorly understood. Here, we explore the effect of fireworks on urban birds using an L-band staring radar (90-degree sector out to a 5 km range) to capture bird activity derived from flight tracks (i.e. 3D visualisation of individual flying birds built from radar detections) within the city of Birmingham, UK. Comparing the tracks between baseline periods with no fireworks and periods where fireworks are commonly discharged using a null model indicated that birds flew at higher elevations during firework periods (standardised effect sizes of 17.11, 26.54 and 5.83, for Diwali, Bonfire Night, and New Year's Eve, respectively). Birds also flew in more significant numbers (standardised effect sizes of 23.41, 7.98 and 7.19 for Diwali, Bonfire Night, and New Year's Eve, respectively). Therefore, bird activity was elevated during firework events at a time of night when many would otherwise be roosting. Such disturbance may have implications for avian biology since large public firework events occur at colder times of the year in the UK when birds have elevated thermoregulatory costs.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 secretion in people with versus without type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cross-sectional studies

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS

The aim of this systematic review was to synthesise the study findings on whether GLP-1 secretion in response to a meal tolerance test is affected by the presence of type 2 diabetes (T2D). The influence of putative moderators such as age, sex, meal type, meal form, and assay type were also explored.

METHODS

A literature search identified 32 relevant studies. The sample mean and SD for fasting GLP-1TOTAL and GLP-1TOTAL iAUC were extracted and used to calculate between-group standardised mean differences (SMD), which were meta-analysed using a random-effects model to derive pooled estimates of Hedges' g and 95 % prediction intervals (PI).

RESULTS

Pooled across 18 studies, the overall SMD in GLP-1TOTAL iAUC between individuals with T2D (n = 270, 1047 ± 930 pmol·L-1·min) and individuals without T2D (n = 402, 1204 ± 937 pmol·L-1·min) was very small, not statistically significant and heterogenous across studies (g = -0.15, p = 0.43, PI: -1.53, 1.23). Subgroup analyses demonstrated an effect of assay type whereby Hedges' g for GLP-1 iAUC was greater in individuals with, versus those without T2D when using ELISA or Mesoscale (g = 0.67 [moderate], p = 0.009), but not when using RIA (g = -0.30 [small], p = 0.10). Pooled across 30 studies, the SMD in fasting GLP-1TOTAL between individuals with T2D (n = 580, 16.2 ± 6.9 pmol·L-1) versus individuals without T2D (n = 1363, 12.4 ± 5.7 pmol·L-1) was small and heterogenous between studies (g = 0.24, p = 0.21, PI: -1.55, 2.02).

CONCLUSIONS

Differences in fasting GLP-1TOTAL and GLP-1TOTAL iAUC between individuals with, versus those without T2D were generally small and inconsistent between studies. Factors influencing study heterogeneity such as small sample sizes and poor matching of groups may help to explain the wide prediction intervals observed. Considerations to improve comparisons of GLP-1 secretion in T2D and potential mediating factors more important than T2D diagnosis per se are outlined.

PROSPERO ID

CRD42020195612.

Test-retest reliability of the two-point discrimination test on the sole of the foot in people with multiple sclerosis

BACKGROUND

Two-point discrimination (TPD) is an assessment of tactile acuity. People with multiple sclerosis (MS) can have reduced foot sole tactile acuity, which has been linked to impaired balance.

OBJECTIVE

To quantify the test-retest reliability of TPD on the sole of the foot in people with MS.

APPROACH

41 participants (32 females), with mean (SD) age of 60 (9) years, and Expanded Disability Status Scale of <7.5, had their TPD measured at the head of the first metatarsal and the heel on two occasions, 2-14 d apart. Mean systematic change, within-subjects SD, limits of agreement (LOA), coefficient of variation and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were quantified as point estimates (95% CI).

MAIN RESULTS

Systematic learning effects were evident. The within-subjects SD at the metatarsal and the heel was 6.7 mm (5.5-8.6) and 8.3 mm (6.7-10.8), and the LOAs were 18.6 mm (15.2-24.) and 23.7 mm (18.7-30.1), respectively. ICCs for metatarsal and heel was 0.87 (0.76-0.93) and 0.90 (0.80-0.95), respectively, but these were likely inflated by sample heterogeneity.

SIGNIFICANCE

In people with MS, TPD on the sole of the foot has an adequate test-retest reliability for research purposes, but there is substantial measurement variability for individual patients.

Sustainable sorbitol-derived compounds for gelation of the full range of ethanol-water mixtures

During the development of soft material systems inspired by green chemistry, we show that naturally occurring starting materials can be used to prepare mono- and di-benzylidene sorbitol derivatives. These compounds gelate a range of organic, aqueous (including with mono and divalent metal salt solutions) and ethanolic (ethanol-water) solutions, with the equimolar mixture of two of the gelators gelling all compositions from 100% ethanol to 100% water (something neither of the individual components do). We explored the influence of modifications to the acetal substituents on the formation of the compounds as well as the impact of steric bulk on self-assembly properties of the gelators. The effect of solvent on the self-assembly, morphology, and rheology of the 1,3:2,4-di(4-isopropylbenzylidene)-d-sorbitol (DBS-iPr), 2,4(4-isopropylbenzylidene)-d-sorbitol (MBS-iPr) and the equimolar multicomponent (DBS-MBS-iPr) gels have been investigated. DBS-iPr gelates polar solvents to form smooth flat fibres, whereas in non-polar solvents such as cyclohexane helical fibres grow where the chirality is determined by the stereochemistry of the sugar. Oscillatory rheology revealed that MBS-iPr gels have appreciable strength and elasticity, in comparison to DBS-iPr gels, regardless of the solvent medium employed. Powder X-ray diffraction was used to probe the arrangement of the gelators in the xerogels they form, and two single crystal X-ray structures of related MBS derivatives give the first precise structural information concerning layering and hydrogen bonding in the monobenzylidene compounds. This kind of layering could explain the apparent self-sorting behaviour of the DBS-MBS-iPr multicomponent gels. The combination of sorbitol-derived gelators reported in this work could find potential applications as multicomponent systems, for example, in soft materials for personal care products, polymer nucleation/clarification, and energy technology.

Weight loss interventions for adults with overweight/obesity and chronic musculoskeletal pain: a mixed methods systematic review

Worldwide prevalence of adult overweight and obesity is a growing public health issue. Adults with overweight/obesity often have chronic musculoskeletal pain. Using a mixed-methods review, we aimed to quantify the effectiveness and explore the appropriateness of weight loss interventions for this population. Electronic databases were searched for studies published between 01/01/90 and 01/07/16. The review included 14 randomized controlled trials that reported weight and pain outcomes and three qualitative studies that explored perceptions of adults with co-existing overweight/obesity and chronic musculoskeletal pain. The random-effects pooled mean weight loss was 4.9 kg (95%CI:2.9,6.8) greater for intervention vs control. The pooled mean reduction in pain was 7.3/100 units (95%CI:4.1,10.5) greater for intervention vs control. Study heterogeneity was substantial for weight loss (I²  = 95%, tau = ±3.5 kg) and pain change (I²  = 67%, tau = ±4.1%). Meta-regression slopes for the predictors of study quality, mean age and baseline mean weight on mean study weight reduction were shallow and not statistically significant (P > 0.05). The meta-regression slope between mean pain reduction and mean weight lost was shallow, and not statistically significant, -0.09 kg per unit pain score change (95%CI:-0.21,0.40, P = 0.54). Meta-synthesis of qualitative findings resulted in two synthesized findings; the importance of healthcare professionals understanding the effects of pain on ability to control weight and developing management/education programmes that address comorbidity.

Inter-individual differences in weight change following exercise interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Previous reports of substantial inter-individual differences in weight change following an exercise intervention are often based solely on the observed responses in the intervention group. Therefore, we aimed to quantify the magnitude of inter-individual differences in exercise-mediated weight change. We synthesized randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of structured, supervised exercise interventions. Fourteen electronic databases were searched for relevant studies published up to March 2017. Search terms focused on structured training, RCTs and body weight. We then sifted these results for those RCTs (n = 12, 1500 participants) that included relevant comparator group data. Standard deviations (SDs) of weight change were extracted, thereby allowing the SD for true inter-individual differences in weight loss to be calculated for each study. Using a random effects meta-analysis, the pooled SD (95% CI) for true individual responses was 0.8 (-0.9 to 1.4) kg. The 95% prediction interval (based on 2SDs) for true inter-individual responses was -2.8 to 3.6 kg. The probability (% chance) that the true individual response variability would be clinically meaningful (>2.5 kg) in a future study in similar settings was 23% ('unlikely'). Therefore, we conclude that evidence is limited for the notion that there are clinically important individual differences in exercise-mediated weight change.

Light-induced dynamic structural color by intracellular 3D photonic crystals in brown algae

Natural photonic crystals are responsible for strong reflectance at selective wavelengths in different natural systems. We demonstrate that intracellular opal-like photonic crystals formed from lipids within photosynthetic cells produce vivid structural color in the alga Cystoseira tamariscifolia. The reflectance of the opaline vesicles is dynamically responsive to environmental illumination. The structural color is present in low light-adapted samples, whereas higher light levels produce a slow disappearance of the structural color such that it eventually vanishes completely. Once returned to low-light conditions, the color re-emerges. Our results suggest that these complex intracellular natural photonic crystals are responsive to environmental conditions, changing their packing structure reversibly, and have the potential to manipulate light for roles beyond visual signaling.

Unusual and Tunable Negative Linear Compressibility in the Metal-Organic Framework MFM-133(M) (M = Zr, Hf)

High-pressure single-crystal X-ray structural analyses of isostructural MFM-133(M) (M = Zr, Hf) of flu topology and incorporating the tetracarboxylate ligand TCHB^4- [H₄TCHB = 3,3',5,5'-tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)-2,2',4,4',6,6'-hexamethyl-1,1'-biphenyl] and {M₆(μ₃-OH)₈(OH)₈(COO)₈} clusters confirm negative linear compressibility (NLC) behavior along the c axis. This occurs via a three-dimensional wine-rack NLC mechanism leading to distortion of the octahedral cage toward a more elongated polyhedron under static compression. Despite the isomorphous nature of these two structures, MFM-133(Hf) shows a higher degree of NLC than the Zr(IV) analogue. Thus, for the first time, we demonstrate here that the NLC property can be effectively tuned in a framework material by simply varying the inorganic component of the frameworks without changing the network topology and structure.

Career Personality Types and Learning Styles

The use of personality types and learning styles has become more frequent in career development. Present data for 169 college freshmen suggest relations between Holland's personality types and Kolb's learning styles.

Isokinetic Strength and Standing Broad Jump Performance

For 26 men anthropometric measures were not significantly correlated with broad jump performance. Broad jump performance, however, was correlated .56 with peak torque during fast isokinetic action but not at all with slow action.

Kolb's Learning Style Inventory—1985: Test-Retest Déjà VU

Kolb revised the Learning Style Inventory to improve psychometric properties such as test-retest reliability. The data from this study suggest the new instrument has no better stability coefficients than its predecessor.