The relationships between some dimensions of social adaptability and participation in sports activities

Six tests for the assessment of some of the social adaptability dimensions and four scales for sports participation assessment were administrated to a sample of 809 male Zagreb high school seniors. Using factor analysis technique, twelve dimensions of social adaptability were isolated (two form the item intercorrelation matrix of each test). It was not possible to interpret these dimensions independently of very well known personality factors, which are basically responsible for the type of individual\u27s behavior in some social field. Statistically significant but not very close relationships between social adaptability dimensions and intensity of sports activity were obtained using regression analysis. These relationships were explained by the influence of different regulative mechanisms. It would appear that among them the greatest importance could be attributed to the control mechanisms, which regulate the degree of excitation and inhibition of the central nervous system functions

Kinematic biomechanical assessment of human articular cartilage transplants in the knee using 3-T MRI: an in vivo reproducibility study

The aims of this study were to examine the clinical feasibility and reproducibility of kinematic MR imaging with respect to changes in T (2) in the femoral condyle articular cartilage. We used a flexible knee coil, which allows acquisition of data in different positions from 40 degrees flexion to full extension during MR examinations. The reproducibility of T (2) measurements was evaluated for inter-rater and inter-individual variability and determined as a coefficient of variation (CV) for each volunteer and rater. Three different volunteers were measured twice and regions of interest (ROIs) were selected by three raters at different time points. To prove the clinical feasibility of this method, 20 subjects (10 patients and 10 age- and sex-matched volunteers) were enrolled in the study. Inter-rater variability ranged from 2 to 9 and from 2 to 10% in the deep and superficial zones, respectively. Mean inter-individual variability was 7% for both zones. Different T (2) values were observed in the superficial cartilage zone of patients compared with volunteers. Since repair tissue showed a different behavior in the contact zone compared with healthy cartilage, a possible marker for improved evaluation of repair tissue quality after matrix-associated autologous chondrocyte transplantation (MACT) may be available and may allow biomechanical assessment of cartilage transplants

Genetic diversity and origin of the feral horses in Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Feral horses in Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP) represent an iconic era of the North Dakota Badlands. Their uncertain history raises management questions regarding origins, genetic diversity, and long-term genetic viability. Hair samples with follicles were collected from 196 horses in the Park and used to sequence the control region of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and to profile 12 autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) markers. Three mtDNA haplotypes found in the TRNP horses belonged to haplogroups L and B. The control region variation was low with haplotype diversity of 0.5271, nucleotide diversity of 0.0077 and mean pairwise difference of 2.93. We sequenced one mitochondrial genome from each haplotype determined by the control region. Two complete mtDNA sequences of haplogroup L were closely related to the mtDNA of American Paint horse. The TRNP haplotype B did not have close matches in GenBank. The phylogenetic test placed this sequence in a group consisting of two horses from China, one from Yakutia, and one from Italy raising a possibility of historical transportation of horses from Siberia and East Asia to North America. Autosomal STR loci were polymorphic and indicated that the TRNP horses were distinctly different from 48 major horse breeds. Heterozygosity, mean number of alleles, and other measures of diversity indicated that TRNP herd diversity was below that observed for most other feral herds and domestic breeds. Both mtDNA and STRs demonstrated that the existing genetic data sets of horses are insufficient to determine the exact origins of the TRNP horses. However, measures of nuclear and mitochondrial diversity have elucidated management needs. It is recommended that new genetic stock be introduced and that adaptive management principles are employed to ensure that unique mitochondrial lineages are preserved and genetic diversity is increased and maintained over time

Long-term results 8 years after autologous osteochondral transplantation: 7 T gagCEST and sodium magnetic resonance imaging with morphological and clinical correlation

SummaryObjectiveTo correlate long-term clinical outcome and the results of morphological as well as advanced biochemical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques [T2-mapping, glycosaminoglycan chemical exchange saturation transfer (gagCEST), sodium-23-imaging] in patients after autologous osteochondral transplantation (AOT) in knee joints.MethodNine AOT patients (two female and seven male; median age, 49) had clinical [International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC), modified Lysholm, visual analog scale (VAS)] and radiological long-term follow-up examinations at a median of 7.9 years (inter-quartile range, 7.7–8.2). Standard morphological MRI and T2-mapping of cartilage were performed on a 3 T MR unit. Biochemical imaging further included sodium-23-imaging and chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) imaging at 7 T. The Magnetic resonance Observation of CArtilage Repair Tissue (MOCART) score was used for quantitative assessment of morphological MRI.ResultsClinical outcome was good with a median modified Lysholm score of 90. Median VAS revealed 1.0 and median MOCART score 75 points. The difference between native and repair cartilage was statistically significant for all three biochemical imaging techniques. The strongest correlation was found between the results of the advanced biochemical imaging methods sodium-23 and CEST [ρ = 0.952, 95% confidence interval (CI): (0.753; 0.992)]. Comparing the results from morphological and biochemical imaging, a correlation was found between MOCART score and CEST ratio [ρ = −0.749, 95% CI: (−0.944; −0.169)]. Comparing the results from clinical scores with MRI, a correlation between modified Lysholm and T2-mapping [ρ = −0.667, 95% CI: (−0.992; −0.005)] was observed.ConclusionLong-term clinical outcome in patients 7.9 years after AOT was good, but did not correlate with morphological and biochemical imaging results except for T2-mapping

CLIMATIC CONDITIONS ON THE ISLANDS OF CRES AND LOŠINJ WITHIN THE GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGES

Most climate models anticipate a surface air temperature rise of several degrees Celsius during the next century supposing carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration in the atmosphere is going to double. As a consequence of the Earth\u27s surface warming, a sea level rise of several tens of centimeters can be expected in the same period. These changes will not have the same intensity during the whole year, they will depend on the season and the different parts of the world. In this paper, the influence of these changes on the islands of Cres and Lošinj is considered. A higher increase in annual temperature could be expected (up to 5°C) at the end of the 21th century. A significant change in annual precipitation is not very probable. However, a decrease in precipitation during summer and autumn and an increase during winter and spring has been established. A change in other climatic elements can also be expected

Y-Chromosomal Insights into Breeding History and Sire Line Genealogies of Arabian Horses

The Y chromosome is a valuable genetic marker for studying the origin and influence of paternal lineages in populations. In this study, we conducted Y-chromosomal lineage-tracing in Arabian horses. First, we resolved a Y haplotype phylogeny based on the next generation sequencing data of 157 males from several breeds. Y-chromosomal haplotypes specific for Arabian horses were inferred by genotyping a collection of 145 males representing most Arabian sire lines that are active around the globe. These lines formed three discrete haplogroups, and the same haplogroups were detected in Arabian populations native to the Middle East. The Arabian haplotypes were clearly distinct from the ones detected in Akhal Tekes, Turkoman horses, and the progeny of two Thoroughbred foundation sires. However, a haplotype introduced into the English Thoroughbred by the stallion Byerley Turk (1680), was shared among Arabians, Turkomans, and Akhal Tekes, which opens a discussion about the historic connections between Oriental horse types. Furthermore, we genetically traced Arabian sire line breeding in the Western World over the past 200 years. This confirmed a strong selection for relatively few male lineages and uncovered incongruences to written pedigree records. Overall, we demonstrate how fine-scaled Y-analysis contributes to a better understanding of the historical development of horse breeds.Peer Reviewe

Refining the evolutionary tree of the horse Y chromosome

The Y chromosome carries information about the demography of paternal lineages, and thus, can prove invaluable for retracing both the evolutionary trajectory of wild animals and the breeding history of domesticates. In horses, the Y chromosome shows a limited, but highly informative, sequence diversity, supporting the increasing breeding influence of Oriental lineages during the last 1500 years. Here, we augment the primary horse Y-phylogeny, which is currently mainly based on modern horse breeds of economic interest, with haplotypes (HT) segregating in remote horse populations around the world. We analyze target enriched sequencing data of 5 Mb of the Y chromosome from 76 domestic males, together with 89 whole genome sequenced domestic males and five Przewalski's horses from previous studies. The resulting phylogeny comprises 153 HTs defined by 2966 variants and offers unprecedented resolution into the history of horse paternal lineages. It reveals the presence of a remarkable number of previously unknown haplogroups in Mongolian horses and insular populations. Phylogenetic placement of HTs retrieved from 163 archaeological specimens further indicates that most of the present-day Y-chromosomal variation evolved after the domestication process that started around 4200 years ago in the Western Eurasian steppes. Our comprehensive phylogeny significantly reduces ascertainment bias and constitutes a robust evolutionary framework for analyzing horse population dynamics and diversity

The Relationship Between Parenting and Delinquency: A Meta-analysis

This meta-analysis of 161 published and unpublished manuscripts was conducted to determine whether the association between parenting and delinquency exists and what the magnitude of this linkage is. The strongest links were found for parental monitoring, psychological control, and negative aspects of support such as rejection and hostility, accounting for up to 11% of the variance in delinquency. Several effect sizes were moderated by parent and child gender, child age, informant on parenting, and delinquency type, indicating that some parenting behaviors are more important for particular contexts or subsamples. Although both dimensions of warmth and support seem to be important, surprisingly very few studies focused on parenting styles. Furthermore, fewer than 20% of the studies focused on parenting behavior of fathers, despite the fact that the effect of poor support by fathers was larger than poor maternal support, particularly for sons. Implications for theory and parenting are discussed