Performance in youth track and field is associated with birth quartile. A register-based study among athletes in Norway from 10 years to senior level

Introduction Earlier studies have demonstrated that the oldest in a competition class are more likely to succeed than the youngest, a phenomenon called relative age effect (RAE). Track and field give us an opportunity to investigate the advantage of being born early in the year based upon actual performance, since objective criteria are the performance indicators. Hence, the aim of the present study was to investigate the occurrence of RAE in Norwegian track and field athletes in events where physical capacity is important for success. Methods All individual season best results from the register of The Norwegian Athletics Federation (n = 28 999) obtained in all competition classes from the age of 10 years to senior in both sexes on 60m and 600m from 2011 to 2020 were downloaded. One-way ANOVA and LSD post hoc analyses were used to analyze performance differences according to birth quartiles between athletes. Further, odds ratios (OR) were used to calculate the odds of being among the top-100 for athletes for those born in the first quartile of the year compared to the last. Results The RAE was present in several of the competition classes in sprint compared to middle-distance running, and in more male than female competition classes. Overall, the OR of being among the top-100 in one of the competition classes on 60m sprint when born in first quartile compared to last quartile was 2.88 [2.30–3.62] for males and 1.54 [1.26–1.89] for females. Conclusion Being born early in the year in events with high demand for specific physical capacities is an advantage in both sexes in most of the youngest competition classes. In males, the advantage of being born early in the year lasted longer in sprint than in middle-distance running, indicating that puberty affects performance in sprint and middle-distance running differently.publishedVersio

Pygmy resonance and low-energy enhancement in the γ\gamma-ray strength functions of Pd~isotopes

An unexpected enhancement in the $\gamma$-ray strength function, as compared to the low energy tail of the Giant Dipole Resonance (GDR), has been observed for Sc, Ti, V, Fe and Mo isotopes for $E_\gamma<4$ MeV. This enhancement was not observed in subsequent analyses on Sn isotopes, but a Pygmy Dipole Resonance (PDR) centered at $E_\gamma\approx8$ MeV was however detected. The $\gamma$-ray strength functions measured for Cd isotopes exhibit both features over the range of isotopes, with the low-energy enhancement decreasing- and PDR strength increasing as a function of neutron number. This suggests a transitional region for the onset of low-energy enhancement, and also that the PDR strength depends on the number of neutrons. The $\gamma$-ray strength functions of $^{105-108}$Pd have been measured in order to further explore the proposed transitional region. Experimental data were obtained at the Oslo Cyclotron Laboratory by using the charged particle reactions ($^{3}$He, $^{3}$He$^{\prime}\gamma$) and ($^{3}$He, $\alpha$$\gamma$) on $^{106,108}$Pd target foils. Particle$-\gamma$ coincidence measurements provided information on initial excitation energies and the corresponding $\gamma$-ray spectra, which were used to extract the level densities and $\gamma$-ray strength functions according to the Oslo method. The $\gamma$-ray strength functions indicate a sudden increase in magnitude for $E_{\gamma}>4$ MeV, which is interpreted as a PDR centered at $E_{\gamma}\approx8$ MeV. An enhanced $\gamma$-ray strength at low energies is also observed for $^{105}$Pd, which is the lightest isotope measured in this work. Further, the results correspond and agree very well with the observations from the Cd isotopes, and support the suggested transitional region for the onset of low-energy enhancement with decreasing mass number. The neutron number dependency of the PDR strength is also evident

137,138,139^{137,138,139}La(nn, γ\gamma) cross sections constrained with statistical decay properties of 138,139,140^{138,139,140}La nuclei

The nuclear level densities and $\gamma$-ray strength functions of $^{138,139,140}$La were measured using the $^{139}$La($^{3}$He, $\alpha$), $^{139}$La($^{3}$He, $^{3}$He$^\prime$) and $^{139}$La(d, p) reactions. The particle-$\gamma$ coincidences were recorded with the silicon particle telescope (SiRi) and NaI(Tl) (CACTUS) arrays. In the context of these experimental results, the low-energy enhancement in the A$\sim$140 region is discussed. The $^{137,138,139}$La($n, \gamma)$ cross sections were calculated at $s$- and $p$-process temperatures using the experimentally measured nuclear level densities and $\gamma$-ray strength functions. Good agreement is found between $^{139}$La($n, \gamma)$ calculated cross sections and previous measurements

Quality control of cervical cytology using a 3-type HPV mRNA test increases screening program sensitivity of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2+ in young Norwegian women-A cohort study

Within 2021, Norway intends to complete implementation of HPV DNA-based primary screening for cervical cancer for women 34–69 years, while continue cytology-based screening for women 25–33 years. Over the recent years, the incidence of cervical cancer has increased by 30% among women younger than 40 years. In this subset of women, nearly 30% were diagnosed with a normal smear, as most recent smear, prior the cancer diagnosis. This observation demands quality control of normal smears. The aim of this study was to assess increase in program sensitivity of CIN2+ after follow-up of women with false negative Pap-smears testing positive for a 3-type (-16, -18, -45) HPV mRNA test in a cohort design over one screening interval. 521 women, aged 23–39 years, and no prior history of CIN1+ or HSIL, with an ASC-US or worse smear (ASC-US+) and 1444 women with normal screening cytology comprised the study cohorts. The positivity rate for the 3-type HPV mRNA was 1.9% (28/1444). Rescreening revealed 23 women with ASC-US, two women with LSIL, two women with ASC-H, and one woman with AGUS. If the HPV mRNA-positivity rate and histology findings from samples rescreened were applied to all women with normal cytology, an estimated increase in screening sensitivity of 16.4% (95% CI:15.3–17.5) for CIN2+ and 17.3% (95% CI:16.2–18.4) for CIN3+ were achieved. By rescreening less than 2% of women with normal cytology positive for a 3-type HPV mRNA test, we achieved a significant increase in screening program sensitivity

5-type HPV mRNA versus 14-type HPV DNA test: test performance, over-diagnosis and overtreatment in triage of women with minor cervical lesions

Publisher's version, source: http://doi.org/10.1186/s12907-016-0032-x

Systematic review of implementation quality of non-pharmacological stuttering intervention trials for children and adolescents

Purpose This narrative systematic review in line with PRISMA guidelines aims to investigate the implementation quality of previously published group comparison clinical trials of stuttering interventions for children and adolescents (under age 18 years). Methods We searched for publications in the databases Eric, PsychInfo, PubMed and Web of Science using the search terms ‘stutt*’ or ‘stamm*’and ‘intervention’, ‘trial’ or ‘treatment’. We reviewed the implementation elements reported in studies and how these elements were used to report intervention outcomes. Results 3,017 references published between 1974–2019 were identified. All references were screened for eligibility using predefined selection criteria resulting in 21 included studies. The implementation quality details reported varied between studies. Existing studies most commonly lacked details about the support system provided to SLPs administering the interventions and monitoring of treatment fidelity both in the clinical setting and in the home environment. Support systems for participant’s parents and treatment dosage were generally well reported. Dosage was the most common implementation quality element considered in analyses of treatment effect and within discussions of findings. Conclusion Findings highlight the need for future clinical trials of stuttering interventions to closely adhere to systematic guidelines for reporting implementation quality to ensure reliability of trial outcomes. A checklist for reporting clinical trials of non-pharmacological stuttering interventions is proposed

Systematic review of implementation quality of non-pharmacological stuttering intervention trials for children and adolescents

Purpose: This narrative systematic review in line with PRISMA guidelines aims to investigate the implementation quality of previously published group comparison clinical trials of stuttering interventions for children and adolescents (under age 18 years). Methods: We searched for publications in the databases Eric, PsychInfo, PubMed and Web of Science using the search terms ‘stutt*’ or ‘stamm*’and ‘intervention’, ‘trial’ or ‘treatment’. We reviewed the implementation elements reported in studies and how these elements were used to report intervention outcomes. Results: 3,017 references published between 1974–2019 were identified. All references were screened for eligibility using predefined selection criteria resulting in 21 included studies. The implementation quality details reported varied between studies. Existing studies most commonly lacked details about the support system provided to SLPs administering the interventions and monitoring of treatment fidelity both in the clinical setting and in the home environment. Support systems for participant’s parents and treatment dosage were generally well reported. Dosage was the most common implementation quality element considered in analyses of treatment effect and within discussions of findings. Conclusion: Findings highlight the need for future clinical trials of stuttering interventions to closely adhere to systematic guidelines for reporting implementation quality to ensure reliability of trial outcomes. A checklist for reporting clinical trials of non-pharmacological stuttering in-terventions is proposed