Peripheral Diabetic Neuropathy (PDN) is the major complication of diabetes, and sensory-motor impairments can compromise balance, increasing the risk of falls and consequently can lead to functional ...disability. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the sensory and motor aspects of balance in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus with and without PDN.
This is a cross-sectional study which analyzed balance in 51 individuals, divided into three groups: G1 – individuals with Peripheral Diabetic Neuropathy; G2 - individuals with diabetics and without PDN; and G3 – individuals without Diabetes Mellitus. As for the instruments used to evaluate balance, specific tests based on model system approach were applied: MiniBESTest and the modified Clinical Test of Sensory Integration of Balance (mCTSIB).
It was observed that individuals in G1 showed balance impairment in mCTSIB and MiniBESTest compared to G2 and G3. In individuals with diabetics without PDN (G2) there was a reduction in tandem position time on the unstable surface and worse anticipatory postural adjustments (APA) and reactive postural response (RPR) compared to individuals without diabetes (G3).
PDN showed impairments in both static and dynamic balance, with alterations in sensory orientation, decreased anticipatory and reactive postural response. However, individuals with diabetes and without PDN also present worsening response in tandem position time on the unstable surface, APA and RPR tasks.
School readiness is the ability to perform coordinated motor tasks that are used in the activities of daily living in the context of starting compulsory education. It covers areas such as physical, ...sensorimotor, cognitive, emotional, and social development.
The aim of this study is to evaluate the level of balance in children preparing to start school based on selected clinical observation tests of sensory integration.
The evaluation were conducted on 6-year-old children in 2019. The study included 75 girls and boys. Schilder test, dynamic balance, static balance, and gravitational insecurity tests were used to assess balance. Basic descriptive statistics were used to analyze the collected material.
In tests of walking foot by foot on a marked line (dynamic balance) low levels of dynamic balance were recorded in most 6-year-old participants. Medium to low levels of static balance (standing on one leg with eyes open and closed) were recorded in that group. In the gravitational insecurity test, more than 90% of the respondents showed good and average scores. It was found that girls scored significantly better on balance tests. In the Schilder test, correct postural responses were found in only 32% of the participants. There was a significant positive correlation of the results of the dynamic balance test with the static balance test, and the Schilder test assessing postural mechanism with the static balance test.
The results of the study indicate the need for targeted measures to develop the postural balance of preschool children and compensatory measures to improve postural mechanism control.
The equalizers available are difficult to give consideration to both high balance efficiency and fast balance speed, and their performances are unstable as the number of the series‐connected ...batteries increases, so they are unsuitable for a large‐scale battery system. A multi‐objective parallel layered equalizer based on battery working states for the large‐scale lithium‐ion battery system is presented. The equalizer has two types of balance objects and two corresponding layers, and the first layer and the second layer take the single battery and the battery unit as the balance object, respectively. The multi‐objective parallel layered balance means that multiple balance objects are selected as the balance objectives simultaneously at each layer. The balance speed is fast due to the multi‐objective parallel balance. The balance efficiency is high due to the short energy path and the complementary pulse width modulation (PWM) control in the first layer, and the double voltage value of the balance object in the second layer. Moreover, the performance of the equalizer is stable, even when the number of series‐connected batteries is large. In short, the proposed equalizer features high efficiency, fast speed, and strong scalability. Further, the experimental platform for a battery system with twelve series‐connected lithium‐ion phosphate batteries is built, and then the balance experiments have been completed. Finally, the effectiveness of the equalizer is verified by the corresponding experimental results.
Falls are the leading cause of injuries among older adults. Perturbation-based balance training (PBT) is an innovative approach to fall prevention that aims to improve the reactive balance response ...following perturbations such as slipping and tripping. Many of these PBT studies have targeted reactive balance after slipping or tripping, despite both contributing to a large proportion of older adult falls. The goal of this randomized controlled trial was to evaluate the effects of PBT targeting slipping and tripping on laboratory-induced slips and trips. To build upon prior work, the present study included: 1) a control group; 2) separate training and assessment sessions; 3) PBT methods potentially more amenable for use outside the lab compared to methods employed elsewhere, and 4) individualized training for older adult participants.
Thirty-four community-dwelling, healthy older adults (61-75 years) were assigned to PBT or a control intervention using minimization. Using a parallel design, reactive balance (primary outcome) and fall incidence were assessed before and after four sessions of BRT or a control intervention involving general balance exercises. Assessments involved exposing participants to an unexpected laboratory-induced slip or trip. Reactive balance and fall incidence were compared between three mutually-exclusive groups: 1) baseline participants who experienced a slip (or trip) before either intervention, 2) post-control participants who experienced a slip (or trip) after the control intervention, and 3) post-PBT participants who experienced a slip (or trip) after PBT. Neither the participants nor investigators were blinded to group assignment.
All 34 participants completed all four sessions of their assigned intervention, and all 34 participants were analyzed. Regarding slips, several measures of reactive balance were improved among post-PBT participants when compared to baseline participants or post-control participants, and fall incidence among post-PBT participants (18%) was lower than among baseline participants (80%). Regarding trips, neither reactive balance nor fall incidence differed between groups.
PBT targeting slipping and tripping improved reactive balance and fall incidence after laboratory-induced slips. Improvements were not observed after laboratory-induced trips. The disparity in efficacy between slips and trip may have resulted from differences in dosage and specificity between slip and trip training.
Name of Clinical Trial Registry: clinicaltrials.gov Trial Registration number: NCT04308239. Date of Registration: March 13, 2020 (retrospectively registered).
This study investigates the effects of work–life balance (WLB) on several individual outcomes across cultures. Using a sample of 1416 employees from seven distinct populations – Malaysian, Chinese, ...New Zealand Maori, New Zealand European, Spanish, French, and Italian – SEM analysis showed that WLB was positively related to job and life satisfaction and negatively related to anxiety and depression across the seven cultures. Individualism/collectivism and gender egalitarianism moderated these relationships. High levels of WLB were more positively associated with job and life satisfaction for individuals in individualistic cultures, compared with individuals in collectivistic cultures. High levels of WLB were more positively associated with job and life satisfaction and more negatively associated with anxiety for individuals in gender egalitarian cultures. Overall, we find strong support for WLB being beneficial for employees from various cultures and for culture as a moderator of these relationships.
•WLB was positively associated with job and life satisfaction.•WLB was negatively related with anxiety and depression.•Individualism/collectivism and gender egalitarianism moderated these relationships.•WLB was more beneficial on the study's outcomes in individualistic cultures.•WLB was more beneficial on the study's outcomes in gender egalitarian cultures.
Topographic shading, including both shaded relief and cast shadowing, plays a fundamental role in determining direct solar radiation on glacier ice. However, shading has been oversimplified or ...incorrectly incorporated in surface energy balance models in some past studies. In addition, no systematic studies have been conducted to evaluate relationships between shading and other topographic characteristics. Here we develop a topographic solar radiation model to examine the variability in irradiance throughout the glacier melt season due to topographic shading and combined slope and aspect. We apply the model to multiple glaciers in high-mountain Asia (HMA) and test the sensitivity of shading to valley aspect and latitude. Our results show that topographic shading significantly alters the potential direct clear-sky solar radiation received at the surface for valley glaciers in HMA, particularly for north- and south-facing glaciers. Additionally, we find that shading can be extremely impactful in the ablation zone. Cast shadowing is the dominant mechanism in determining total shading for valley glaciers in parts of HMA, especially at lower elevations. Although shading can be predictable, it is overall extremely variable between glacial valleys. Our results suggest that topographic shading not only is an important factor contributing to surface energy balance but could also influence glacier response and mass balance estimates throughout HMA.
The CryoGrid community model is a flexible toolbox for simulating the ground thermal regime and the ice-water balance for permafrost and glaciers, extending a well-established suite of permafrost ...models (CryoGrid 1, 2, and 3). The CryoGrid community model can accommodate a wide variety of application scenarios, which is achieved by fully modular structures through object-oriented programming. Different model components, characterized by their process representations and parameterizations, are realized as classes (i.e., objects) in CryoGrid. Standardized communication protocols between these classes ensure that they can be stacked vertically. For example, the CryoGrid community model features several classes with different complexity for the seasonal snow cover, which can be flexibly combined with a range of classes representing subsurface materials, each with their own set of process representations (e.g., soil with and without water balance, glacier ice).
The regional variability in tundra and boreal carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes can be high, complicating efforts to quantify sink‐source patterns across the entire region. Statistical models are ...increasingly used to predict (i.e., upscale) CO2 fluxes across large spatial domains, but the reliability of different modeling techniques, each with different specifications and assumptions, has not been assessed in detail. Here, we compile eddy covariance and chamber measurements of annual and growing season CO2 fluxes of gross primary productivity (GPP), ecosystem respiration (ER), and net ecosystem exchange (NEE) during 1990–2015 from 148 terrestrial high‐latitude (i.e., tundra and boreal) sites to analyze the spatial patterns and drivers of CO2 fluxes and test the accuracy and uncertainty of different statistical models. CO2 fluxes were upscaled at relatively high spatial resolution (1 km2) across the high‐latitude region using five commonly used statistical models and their ensemble, that is, the median of all five models, using climatic, vegetation, and soil predictors. We found the performance of machine learning and ensemble predictions to outperform traditional regression methods. We also found the predictive performance of NEE‐focused models to be low, relative to models predicting GPP and ER. Our data compilation and ensemble predictions showed that CO2 sink strength was larger in the boreal biome (observed and predicted average annual NEE −46 and −29 g C m−2 yr−1, respectively) compared to tundra (average annual NEE +10 and −2 g C m−2 yr−1). This pattern was associated with large spatial variability, reflecting local heterogeneity in soil organic carbon stocks, climate, and vegetation productivity. The terrestrial ecosystem CO2 budget, estimated using the annual NEE ensemble prediction, suggests the high‐latitude region was on average an annual CO2 sink during 1990–2015, although uncertainty remains high.
We synthesized eddy covariance and chamber measurements of annual and growing season carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes from 148 terrestrial high‐latitude (i.e., tundra and boreal) sites. We used statistical models to predict terrestrial ecosystem CO2 fluxes across the region over 1990–2015. Average annual net ecosystem CO2 sink strength was generally strong in the boreal biome but decreased with increasing latitude towards the tundra which was nearly neutral. Uncertainties remained high, but our results suggest that the high‐latitude region was on average an annual terrestrial ecosystem CO2 sink.
The temporal variation of glacier mass balance during recent years remains poorly known for the mountain glaciers in the inner Tibetan Plateau (ITP), due to the lack of field measurements. In this ...study, we retrieved the annual glacier mass balance of the Puruogangri ice field, which is the largest modern ice mass in the ITP, by differencing multi-temporal digital elevation models (DEMs) generated with five pairs of TanDEM-X bistatic interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) images acquired between April 2011 and January 2016. We compared the TanDEM-X DEMs in January and April 2012 to estimate the X-band radar penetration depth difference (0.61 ± 0.06 m), which enabled systematic bias correction in the estimation of annual glacier mass balance. The observed mass balance reveals a glacier mass gain of 0.44 ± 0.10 m w.e. yr−1 in 2011–12, which was followed by accelerated glacier mass loss in 2012–16. Glacier mass balances of −0.13 ± 0.03, −0.34 ± 0.06, and − 0.52 ± 0.10 m w.e. yr−1 were estimated for the periods of 2012–13, 2013–14, and 2014–16, respectively. This accelerating trend of glacier mass loss is likely caused by the continuous decrease in annual precipitation, according to the climate data recorded by adjacent meteorological stations. This study demonstrates that repeated bistatic InSAR measurement is a promising method for monitoring glacier elevation change and mass balance at regular intervals.
•We show the potential of regularly monitoring glacier mass balance with InSAR data.•We estimate annual glacier mass balances with TanDEM-X bistatic InSAR measurements.•We detect an acceleration of annual glacier mass loss on the PIF in recent years.•This accelerating mass loss is likely caused by the reduction of precipitation.•We find a considerable X-band radar penetration depth of 0.61 ± 0.06 m in winter.
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