AbstractAnastrephaobliqua, is one of seven species of quarantine importance of its genus and is one of the most economically important fruit fly pests in Colombia. The taxonomic status of this species is a key issue for further implementation of any pest management program. Several molecular studies have shown enough variability within Anastrephaobliqua to suggest its taxonomic status could be revised; however, there are no morphological studies supporting this hypothesis. The aim of this work was to describe the morphological variability of Colombian populations of Anastrephaobliqua, comparing this variability with that of other samples from the Neotropics. Measurements were performed on individuals from 11 populations collected from different geographic Colombian localities and were compared with populations from Mexico (2), Dominica Island (1), Peru (1) and Brazil (2). Linear morphometric analyses were performed using 23 female morphological traits, including seven variables of the aculeus, three of the thorax, and six of the wing; seven ratios among them were also considered. Discriminant function analyses showed significant morphological differentiation among the Colombian populations, separating them into two groups. Furthermore, in the comparisons between Colombian samples with those from other countries, three clusters were observed. The possibility of finding more than one species within the nominal Anastrephaobliqua population is discussed.The West Indian fruit fly, PageBreak Anastrepha Schiner is the most diverse and economically important genus of fruit flies in the Neotropics, with more than 250 described species (Anastrephaobliqua (Macquart), known as the West Indian fruit fly, has quarantine status and is one of the most harmful species within the genus  and Spondias in Mexico  using linear morphometry of the aculeus and the wings and found eight different morphotypes, showing that the use of morphological characters and linear morphometry is a useful tool for the study of cryptic species in the genus Anastrepha, especially in the fraterculus group.The West Indian fruit fly belongs to the  species  from whi species . The taxpresumed . Hernándpresumed , 2015 stAnastrepha, 12 of which were from the fraterculus group. The sample included eight populations of Anastrephaobliqua: five from Brazil, two from Mexico and one from Colombia. The results showed two well-separated groups, the first of which included the Mexican population, the Colombian population and one Brazilian population while the remaining Brazilian populations formed a second group. Therefore, the authors indicated the need to study this species more extensively. Anastrephaobliqua with COI and ND6 genes and concluded that there are six genetic types that require taxonomic revision .Other studies have also suggested variability within the species. Karyotype descriptions of Brazilian and Mexican samples reflect the existence of a constriction at the apical end of the X chromosome , while BAnastrephaobliqua is one of the biggest limiting factors of its production , for the control of the West Indian fruit fly” has been implemented in Mexico, and this fly is one of the priority species for the development of this technique in other regions . StudiesAnastrephaobliqua in Colombia or other areas of the Neotropics is particularly relevant to determine if this nominal species is composed by a cryptic species complex considering the implications this has for fruit international trade. These studies are also important for the implementation of pest management systems in different regions, such as the SIT. The aim of this study was to describe the morphologic variability of Anastrephaobliqua through the use of multivariate morphometric analyzes among Colombian populations distributed throughout the country and through comparisons with populations coming from its distribution range such as Mexico, Peru, Brazil and Dominica Island. The hypotheses of this study is that if there is genetic variation in Anastrephaobliqua suggesting the existence of more than a simple biological entity  and several species of Spondias were collected. The fruits were collected in plastic trays with damp vermiculite and transferred to the laboratory, where they remained for the separation of larvae/pupae and subsequent acquisition of adults. The imagos were kept in cages and fed for at least five days for the fixation of their morphological characteristics. In order to obtain native populations of insects, fruit sampling was conducted in non-commercial areas. Specimens from McPhail traps were collected from only one trap in the same date. Samples from Espinal and Guamo (Colombia) were obtained from a laboratory colony maintained, in artificial diet, since 2005 with periodical introductions of wild flies. In these cases, specimens were obtained three generations after field specimens were introduced in the colony. Samples from Brazil were obtained from specimens stored in alcohol from reared insects at two different times and came from colonies reared in fruits for a few generations.The individuals studied were collected from 11 localities of Colombia along the inter-Andean valleys of the Magdalena River (4) and Cauca River (3) and in the Eastern Plains (2) and the Caribbean Plains (2) ; all measurements were performed by only one observer (MRC).Aculeus: , total length of the aculeusA1; , width at the end of the sclerotized margin on the ventral sideA2; , width at the beginning of the serrated section, measured between the apices of the second pair of teethA3; , length of the basal end of the aculeus A4; , length of the apex of the aculeus (length of the serrated section)A5; , length of the lateral right side from the base of the sclerotized areaA6; , average number of teeth per sideA7; , length of the apex (A4+A5)A8; , proportion of the non-serrated and serrated areas of the apex (A4/A5)A9; , proportion of the length of the tip of the aculeus and total aculeus length (A8/A1)A10; and , proportion of the non-serrated area of the apex and total apex length (A4/A8)A11. Wing: , length of the wing from the basal extreme of the costal margin to the apexW1; , wing width at the apex of the R1 veinW2; , width of the S band from the union of the S band and the R4+5 vein perpendicular to the costaW3; , width of the base of the proximal branch of the V bandW4; 2+3 and R4+5 , S- and V-band connection between RW5; 4+5 and M , V-band anterior connection of proximal and distal arms between RW6. Thorax: , maximum lengthM1; , width at the level of the postsutural supra-alar setaM2; and , diagonal distance from the postsutural-supra-alar seta to the apex of the scutellumM3. In addition, ratios were used, , proportion of the total length of the aculeus and maximum length of the thorax (A1/M1)X1; , proportion of the total aculeus length and wing length from the basal extreme of the costal vein to the apex (A1/W1)X2; and , proportion of the maximum thorax length and maximum wing length (M1/W1)X3.For the study, 23 variables were used  was applied to the set of variables. Measures of the mean distances of the data were derived from the comparison of pairs of centroids, expressed as the Mahalanobis distance (MD). The functions were evaluated by applying a canonical correlation PageBreakanalysis to determine the significance and discrimination power of the model and the specific variables responsible for the segregation of the groups. All statistical analyses were conducted using the software Statistica 12 , Xalapa – Mexico.The samples were grouped according to their geographical origin to discern the degree of variability or possible differentiation between populations. The mean and standard deviation were calculated for each of the variables. A stica 12 . The vouDFA applied to 11 Colombian populations of Anastrephaobliqua showed significant differences among them  = 7.0895, p < 0.0001). The exploratory model included 23 variables assessed, and 15 of them had a significant contribution to the model (P < 0.05): aculeus , wing  and mesonotum (M1 and M2); significant differences in the ratios of X1 and X2 were also observed  represented 63.1% of the model discrimination, CV-2 represented 13.5% and CV-3 represented 7.2% (Table The scatterplot obtained with the first two discriminant functions (Root 1 and Root 2) indicates the formation of two distinct groups. The first group was composed by nine populations distributed along the middle Valley and lower Magdalena River , one sample in the Andean basin of the Cauca River (La Tebaida), and two in the eastern Plains (Villanueva and Puerto Colombia). The second group was composed by two populations located in the Cauca River Valley  Figure . The 3D MD = 45.38–76.04 and MD = 32.89–58.3, respectively); the other nine populations had distances between 5.47 and 23.27 : one included the Zarzal and La Union populations, and the second comprising the remaining nine populations Figure .PageBreakPageBreakW5 and W6 put too far the Brazilian populations and hindered the variability among other groups. Hence, a DFA was applied with 21 morphometric variables (excluding W5 and W6), and a significant differentiation was found among the groups  = 17.300; p < 0.0001). This model was constructed with the 17 variables resulted of significance  included the populations of the Magdalena Valley, the Coast and the eastern Plains, and the second (Colombia-2) included the individuals of La Unión and Zarzal. Discriminant analysis was performed for all 23 variables; however the F 119,172 = 17.300PageBreakwas placed in a group with the Mex-Pacific, Peru-Pacific and Caribbean populations; Colombia-2 formed a group with the Mex-Gulf population, and the Brazilian samples remained separate  and the 3D scatterplot based on the first three canonical roots are shown in Figure The prediction model was able to correctly assign 93.4% of the individuals in their corresponding groups; all of the Brazilian individuals were classified correctly, and the success rates of the other groups were between 89.5 and 97.4% Table . The modThe means and standard deviations for each of the variables studied are shown in Table PageBreakPageBreakPageBreakPageBreakPageBreakAnastrephaobliqua from Colombia resulted in the separation of individuals into two groups. The Zarzal and La Unión populations had the greatest values for ovipositor width at the end of the oviduct ; width at the beginning of the serrated section ; length of the tip of the aculeus ; length of the apex of the aculeus  and the proportion of the length of the tip of the aculeus and total aculeus length . The remaining populations had smaller values: A2, 0.075–0.083 mm; A3, 0.06–0.08 mm; A4, 0.09–0.12 mm; A4+A5, 0.14–0.18 mm and A10, 0.11–0.13 mm. The tip of the aculeus is one of the most important taxonomic characters for species separation within the genus Anastrepha  have no apparent morphological separation, although they form a clade with one Magdalena River population (Anolaima) that is slightly separated from the Magdalena river populations and the Magdalena (Cienaga) and Guajira (Huacachi) provinces (Euclidean distance≈ 40). These populations are also geographically isolated and should be studied more extensively.PageBreakfrom the smaller valleys that run into the Cauca River. Two of the authors  traveling along the Cauca River Valley found roadside mango markets without any type of sanitary control and whose product came from Tolima crops in the Magdalena Valley. One possible explanation for the similarity found, would be that these markets move infested fruit from the Magdalena valley to the Cauca river valley and some populations established in specific areas such as for La Tebaida population. In contrast the Zarzal and La Union populations were already collected in the Valley plains and may represent the local variability.Populations from the Cauca River Valley presented higher levels of variability. Two of them segregated into one group and La Tebaida population grouped with the other populations from the Magdalena River and the Caribbean and eastern region. This population is at the highest altitude surveyed and is isolated by the mountains By including the six external populations in the discriminant analysis, the predictive model indicated that two Colombian groups remain isolated, reinforcing the result that there may be two groups in Colombia.Anastrephaobliqua indicated that the Colombian and Peruvian populations formed a single genotype, which the authors called the Andean South American type; however, those authors included four Colombian populations, all belonging to the geographical Magdalena River Valley. The morphometric analysis also indicates that all the populations of the Magdalena River Valley are similar; divergent populations were those collected in the Cauca River Valley.Genetic studies conducted by Predictive model showed in addition that the Mex-Pacific and Peru-Pacific populations are close to the Magdalena River populations (Colombia-1), forming a relatively compact group. Also, the Gulf of Mexico population (Mex-Gulf) is grouped with the Colombian populations of the Cauca River (Colombia-2), however, there is one important divergence represented by the high Euclidean distance between them (≈80), suggesting that it may correspond to a different group in accordance with the findings of Anastrephaobliqua studied with COI were combined into two groups; the population of Colombia was included in a group with a population of Brazil (northeast) and a sample of Los Tuxtlas (Gulf of Mexico); the second group included populations of Brazil. This finding was similar to the results of the linear morphometrics. Genetic studies conducted previously indicate the existence of those groups and established some relationship among them. PageBreakBrazil formed a very strong, separate group from the other group that included a northeastern population. Our studies included only two populations of southeastern Brazil that had a morphometric divergence. Morphometric studies of Anastrephaobliqua should be expanded to include a greater number of populations across a wider range of the species distribution.Anastrephaobliqua females indicate that in Colombia there could be two different morphotypes and also that the external samples could be divergent and several groups may exist. Larger studies should be performed to confirm this hypothesis.The morphometric analyses of Traditionally, linear measurements have been valid tools to separate species within the existing diversity; however, the development of modern tools in morphometry, genetics, behavior and ecology has allowed the recognition of a wide variability within the existing nominal species, suggesting the existence of greater diversity in nature and hampering the definition and delimitation of the species . De QueiFollowing the proposal by The results of this work, in conjunction with previous studies, indicate that in Colombia, two groups exist that could be under a divergence process which could lead to speciation. Further, the same seems to be occurring in different Neotropical regions. Larger studies are required to define the taxonomic status of the species, which could be relevant for pest management.


The secondary outcome was to improve the hemodynamic variables in the HS group compared with the NS group.Between April 18, 2013, and January 20, 2015, a total of 102 patients were included in the study and randomly assigned to HS (51 patients) or NS (51 patients) groups.The mean age of the 102 study participants was 59 years ; 71 participants (59.7%) were men. After randomization, 11 patients in the HSS group and 11 patients in the NS group did not complete the follow up because they lack of complete data of blood lactate levels during the study. No significant difference was observed between the two study groups with respect to lactate blood levels (Table 3). No significant differences were observed in other secondary outcomes, there was also no difference in mortality and length of stay in the ICU. (Table 2)Our study failed to demonstrate a higher lactate clearance with the use of one dose of HS, but there was not a higher incidence of side effects in the HS group.


With the rapid increase of 3-dimensional (3D) content, considerable research related to the 3D human factor has been undertaken for quantitatively evaluating visual discomfort, including eye fatigue and dizziness, caused by viewing 3D content. Various modalities such as electroencephalograms (EEGs), biomedical signals, and eye responses have been investigated. However, the majority of the previous research has analyzed each modality separately to measure user eye fatigue. This cannot guarantee the credibility of the resulting eye fatigue evaluations. Therefore, we propose a new method for quantitatively evaluating eye fatigue related to 3D content by combining multimodal measurements. This research is novel for the following four reasons: first, for the evaluation of eye fatigue with high credibility on 3D displays, a fuzzy-based fusion method (FBFM) is proposed based on the multimodalities of EEG signals, eye blinking rate (BR), facial temperature (FT), and subjective evaluation (SE); second, to measure a more accurate variation of eye fatigue (before and after watching a 3D display), we obtain the quality scores of EEG signals, eye BR, FT and SE; third, for combining the values of the four modalities we obtain the optimal weights of the EEG signals BR, FT and SE using a fuzzy system based on quality scores; fourth, the quantitative level of the variation of eye fatigue is finally obtained using the weighted sum of the values measured by the four modalities. Experimental results confirm that the effectiveness of the proposed FBFM is greater than other conventional multimodal measurements. Moreover, the credibility of the variations of the eye fatigue using the FBFM before and after watching the 3D display is proven using a t-test and descriptive statistical analysis using effect size. With the rapid development of the 3-dimensional (3D) industry, significantly more people have access to 3D content from movies, games, home videos, and TV. Parallel to this development, the problem of eye fatigue with 3D displays has been identified, which is induced by the discrepancy between accommodation and convergence, binocular parallax, viewing distance, and viewing position . Therefoet al. proved that the gravity frequency of the power spectrum and power spectral entropy of EEG signals can be used to measure visual fatigue for 2-dimensional (2D) TV and 3D TV [et al. proposed that user electrocardiography (ECG) signals can be used for measuring visual fatigue while watching 3D TV [et al. proposed the method of measuring eye movement using electro-oculography (EOG) signals for evaluating visual fatigue on 2D and 3D displays [The former methods measure eye fatigue using a single modality such as the image obtained with a camera ,3 or usind 3D TV . Park etng 3D TV . In anotng 3D TV . Yu et adisplays . Howeveret al. proposed a method of measuring eye fatigue with 3D displays using EEG, eye blinking rate (BR), facial temperature (FT), and subjective evaluation (SE) [To measure eye fatigue with higher credibility, multiple modality-based methods based on multiple modality sensors have been proposed ,10,11,12Therefore, we propose a new method for quantitatively evaluating the variation of eye fatigue before and after watching 3D displays by combining multimodal measurements. For the evaluation of the variation of eye fatigue with high credibility on 3D displays, a fuzzy-based fusion method (FBFM) is proposed based on the multimodalities of EEG signals, eye BR, FT, and SE. To measure a more accurate variation of eye fatigue, we obtain the quality scores of EEG signals, eye BR, FT, and SE. For combining the values of the four modalities, we obtain the optimal weights of the EEG signals, BR, FT, and SE using a fuzzy system based on the quality scores. Then, the quantitative level of the variation of eye fatigue is finally obtained using the weighted sum of the values measured by the four modalities. In The remainder of this paper is organized as follows: in With the measured values of the variations of SE, BR, EEG, and FT (before and after watching the 3D display), we obtain optimal weight values using a fuzzy algorithm employing the quality measurements for evaluating the confidence level of each modality. We assess the variations of eye fatigue based on the weighted sum of the calculated weight values based on the fuzzy algorithm and the acquired values of each modality.The detailed specifications of the EEG measurement device and explanations of the EEG measurement methods in the proposed system can be found in . To measThe EEG signals are measured based on the micro-voltage levels from 14 nodes excluding two reference nodes (CMS and DRL). The DC levels of the measured EEG signals are adjusted for normalization and then the range of the EEG signals are rearranged from −1 to 1 using min-max scaling. The EEG signals are changed into those of a frequency domain using a Fourier transform with a window length of 128 samples . In our Eye BR has been associated with eye fatigue. Eye BR is known to increase as a user feels elevated eye fatigue ,23. DetaTo measure the BR, an accurate detection of the pupil region is necessary. For the accurate detection of the pupil region, which is robust to the variations of environmental light, we use an NIR illuminator consisting of a high-power 8 × 8 NIR emitter with wavelength of 850 nm as indicated in 0R~8R) as indicated in 0R~8R) is calculated and the sum of the difference values is calculated between the mean of 0R and those of 1~R8R. This procedure is repeated by moving the mask, overlapping one pixel in both the horizontal and vertical direction.The detailed methods of pupil detection and BR measurement can be found in . To loca0R region matches the pupil region, the sum of the difference values is maximized because the pupil region is usually darker than the surrounding regions as illustrated in If the The detailed specification of the thermal camera and methods for measuring FT can be found in . The infTo measure the variation of FT before and after watching 3D content, a thermal camera with a resolution of 320 × 240 pixels of 14-bits is used, as illustrated in x0M, yoM), , ,  and , , , ) are necessary for calculating the eight unknown parameters  in the matrix of the geometric transform. This pair of four ground-truth points is manually obtained from the captured images using a calibration board. The procedure of obtaining the matrix of the geometric transform is performed once, when the two cameras are combined. It is not necessary to repeat this procedure: The coordinates of the two images, web-camera and thermal camera, are set to be coincident based on the geometric transform depicted in Equation (1). A pair of four points  of the face and nose obtained from the web-camera image are applied to the  in the thermal image using the matrix of the geometric transform as indicated in Equation (2). The result is presented in The positions (The adaptive boosting (Adaboost) algorithm  is used To measure a more accurate level of eye fatigue, we perform a quality measurement for four modalities, EEG signals, eye BR, FT, and SE score, based on a fuzzy system. The measured quality values of each modality are used as the weight values for combining the variations of each modality before and after watching 3D displays. Detailed explanations are presented in 1F and 2F) are extracted from the values of each modality as presented in For the quality measurement, two features  of the EEG signal for quality measurement as indicated in 1F and 2F of the EEG signal are minimized. However, if the quality of the measured EEG signal is poor, which is frequently caused by EEG signal noise related to the movement of the head or a facial muscle, the differences among the values from the P7, F7 and P8 nodes are considerable, which makes the influence of the 1F and 2F of the EEG signal significant.As explained in  p-value . We defi1F and 2F) of the eye BR for quality measurement are the score by sub-block based on template matching and the difference of black pixels between the left and right pupil areas as indicated in 1F of the eye BR. As explained in 2F of the eye BR. The lower the 2F of the eye BR, the more accurate the detected area of the pupil is regarded, which represents a better quality of the eye BR.The two features  can perform a more accurate and objective SE. That is because the beginner typically requires time to adapt himself to watching 3D content, even with well-made 3D content, and it is difficult for him to perform objective SE during the adaptation time.For the With the features of each modality from To obtain the optimal weight value of each modality using the fuzzy system presented in 1F and 2F of each modality explained in Based on the characteristics of 1F and 2F of the EEG signal are low (L). If the quality of the measured EEG signal is low (L), the 1F and 2F of the EEG signal become large (H). The higher (H) the 1F of the eye BR, the better the quality of the eye BR (H); the lower (L) the 2F of the eye BR, the better the quality of the eye BR (H). If the quality of the measured FT is high (H), the 1F and 2F of the FT are low (L). If the quality of the measured FT is low (L), the 1F and 2F of the FT become large (H). For the 1F and 2F of the SE, a higher (H) for 1F and 2F represents a superior (H) SE quality.As explained in 1SEF is 0.571429. Three outputs (0.111112 (L), 0.888888 (M), 0 (H)) are obtained indicated in 2SEF is 0.444444. With these outputs, nine combination pairs of output using 1SEF and 2SEF are obtained as presented in In this section, we explain the procedure for obtaining the output value of the input membership function. For example, three outputs (0 (L), 0.857142 (M), 0.142858 (H)) are obtained based on the input membership function displayed in As indicated in With these nine pairs of IVs, the optimal weight values for each modality of 1w) among the weight values  calculated by the maximum IVs (0.78 (L) and 0.78 (M)) is selected as the optimal weight value using the FOM method. The LOM method selects the maximum weight value (3w) among the weight values  calculated by the maximum IVs (0.78 (L) and 0.78 (M)). The MOM method selects the middle value ((1w+3w)/2). The MeOM method selects the mean value ((1w+2w+3w)/3) as the optimal weight value. Finally, the COG method determines 5w ) as the optimal weight value as indicated in We present examples of obtaining the weight values of i,  of Equation (3)) of each modality as indicated in i, ) as indicated in Equation (3): Based on the optimal weight value ) and the variations ) of the input value of each modality (before and after watching 3D display) using Equation (4).Then, we obtain the final value of the variations of eye fatigue  had a 3.07 GHz CPU (Intel (R) Core (TM) i7 CPU 950) and 6 GB RAM. The second desktop computer  had a 2.33 GHz CPU (Intel (R) Core (TM) 2 Quad CPU Q8200) and 4 GB RAM. The laptop computer  had a 2.50 GHz CPU (Intel (R) Core (TM) i5-2520M) and 4 GB RAM. The proposed method for measuring eye fatigue was implemented with a C++ program using the Microsoft Foundation Class (MFC) and OpenCV library (ver. 2.3.1).Summer in Heidelberg” for our experiments. It consists primarily of landscape scenes as illustrated in 2 and the luminance of the room was measured as 321 lux.A detailed description of the participants and sample images for the experiments can be found in . A groupIn previous research , the varBased on FBFM, the sum of the correlation values with other data was calculated as presented in 2, and correlation value between the value of the eye fatigue using the proposed FBFM and each of the EEG, BR, FT, and SE data as presented in 2, which are calculated from the line, represent the measure of steepness of data distribution and the confidence level of the fitted data in the predicted regression line, respectively. In general, the higher the data reliably fits the regression line, the larger the R2 value becomes [For the next experiment, we measured the gradient, R becomes . The ran becomes . −1 and 2, and correlation value of each modality, which were measured in [2 values between the value of eye fatigue using the proposed FBFM and SE are the highest and between the BR and FT are the lowest.In sured in . As illuTo compare the correlation values between each data and the value using FBFM, we obtained the correlation matrix presented in 2, and correlation values obtained using the proposed FBFM and SE are greater than those of the previous method  [vs. FT, BR vs. FT, and SE vs. FT). Similarly, the majority of the gradient, R2, and correlation values obtained using the proposed FBFM and BR and the proposed FBFM and EEG are also greater than those using the previous method. From this, we can confirm that the eye fatigue value obtained using the proposed FBFM is more correlated with each modality, EEG, BR, FT, and SE, compared to that using the previous method using each modality without fusion [As illustrated in  vs. SE) . The valt fusion . This meTo quantitatively assess the correlation values between each data, we added the correlation values excluding the auto-correlation value of 1 . As presented in In the next analysis, we performed an independent two-sample t-test, which has been widely used as a statistical hypothesis test , with thd values of 0.2, 0.5, and 0.8 as small, medium, and large, respectively. Cohen’s d value is calculated based on the difference between two means divided by the standard deviation of the measured data. If the calculated Cohen’s d value is close to 0.2, the measured data is regarded as having small effect size. If the value is close to 0.8, the measured data can be regarded as having large effect size. Experimental results determined that Cohen’s d value was 0.7704, which is closer to 0.8, compared to 0.2 or 0.5, and we can confirm that the variations of the eye fatigue using FBFM before and after watching the 3D display can be regarded as having a large effect size.For the last test, we analyzed the variations of the eye fatigue using the FBFM before and after watching the 3D display using the effect size in descriptive statistics. The effect size is usually accepted as a descriptive statistic and has been widely used to represent the power of a measured phenomenon in statistics . Based o3 (width × height × depth) and whose weight is about 330 g.In addition, we simplified the capturing system of In order to prove that the performance of this simplified capturing system of As the next test for proving that the performance of this simplified capturing system is similar to that of previous system of In our research, we normalized the BR considering the bias in our original experimental results. That is, in order to measure the bias value which represents the change of BR caused by being exposed to the NIR illuminator (excluding the change effect of BR caused by eye fatigue of 3D display), we performed the experiment with two images which are comfortable to user’s eyes. Based on previous research that the green color can be more comfortable to user’s eye , we usedetc.) to that of In detail, before performing the experiments of At first, BR was measured for 1 min. before each people looked at the two images, which corresponds to measuring BR before viewing 3D display of From this experiment with two images of By conclusion, we already reflected this bias value to the measured eye BRs of our original experiments of In this study, we proposed a new FBFM for the assessment of eye fatigue caused by viewing 3D content based on multimodal measurements. To measure a more accurate eye fatigue, based on the quality measurements of EEG signals, BR, FT and SE score, we obtained the optimal weight values of each modality using a fuzzy system. The final weighted sum of each modality was calculated to measure a more accurate level of eye fatigue. Experimental results confirm that the value of eye fatigue using the proposed FBFM is correlated higher with the value of each modality compared to cases when not combining each modality. This indicates that the value of eye fatigue using the proposed FBFM is more credible than that of not combining each modality. Moreover, the credibility of the variations of eye fatigue using FBFM before and after watching the 3D display was verified based on a t-test and descriptive statistics analysis using the effect size. In future work, we will combine additional modalities such as EOG and electromyography (EMG) to measure a more accurate value of eye fatigue. Further, we will adapt the proposed method of eye fatigue measurement to various smart phone and tablet computer displays.


Infants with Down syndrome present with organic and neurological changes that maylead to a delay in the acquisition of motor skills such as kicking, a fundamentalskill that is a precursor of gait and is influenced by intrinsic and extrinsicfactors. Therefore, this movement should be taken into account in early physicaltherapy interventions in infants.To analyze and to compare the effect of additional weight on the frequency ofkicks in infants with Down syndrome and infants with typical development at 3 and4 months of age.Five infants with Down syndrome and five with typical development at 3 and 4months of age were filmed. The experiment was divided into four experimentalconditions lasting 1 minute each: training, baseline, weight (addition of ankleweight with 1/3 the weight of the lower limb), and post-weight.There were significant differences between groups for all variables (p<0.05),with lower frequencies observed for infants with Down syndrome in all variables.There were significant differences between the experimental conditions baselineand post-weight (p<0.001) for both groups in the frequency of contact andsuccess, with a higher frequency in the post-weight condition.The weight acted as an important stimulus for both groups, directing the kickstoward the target and improving the infants' performance in the task throughrepetition, however, the infants with Down syndrome had lower frequencies ofkicks. This gap in the literature justifies this work, in which the results willprovide a better understanding of the motor development of infants with Down syndromeand support for physical therapy treatment in this population, favoring a more complexpattern of movement and influencing the time of onset of gait. Therefore, this studyaims to analyze and compare the variables frequency of kicks, frequency of foot contactwith the touch pad, and frequency of success in raising the pad with and withoutadditional weight in 3 and 4-month-old infants with Down syndrome and typicalinfants.To this end, the following hypotheses were tested: 1) the variables frequency of kicks,frequency of foot contact with the touch pad, and frequency of success in raising thetouch pad in infants with Down syndrome will be significantly lower when compared totypical infants due to organic changes such as hypotonia and muscle weakness; 2) thevariables frequency of kicks, frequency of foot contact with the touch pad, andfrequency of success in raising the pad will not be significantly different between 3and 4 months of age for the group with Down syndrome due to delayed motor development;3) these variables will be significantly lower at four months of age for the group oftypical infants because it is the acquisition phase of reaching and grasping movementswhen infants prefer to explore the environment with their hands and the frequency ofkicks decreases; 4) the variables frequency of kicks, frequency of foot contact with thetouch pad, and frequency of success in raising the touch pad will be significantly lowerin the weight experimental condition compared to the baseline and post-weightexperimental conditions due to the greater difficulty of the task; and 5) thesevariables will be higher in the post-weight experimental condition when compared to thebaseline experimental condition because it favors learning and a more complex kickpattern.This experimental and longitudinal study was approved by the Human Research EthicsCommittee of Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar), São Carlos, SP, Brazil(Process No. 081/2006). The subjects were selected from two Basic Health Units of SãoCarlos, and the parents signed a consent form agreeing to the participation of theinfants in the study, which included a convenience sample.The study included 5 infants with Down syndrome and 5 infants with typicaldevelopment . The infInfants with orthopedic or sensory changes, hearing loss or cardiac complicationswere excluded. The diagnosis of DS was confirmed by the medical report of cytogeneticanalysis. Subject participation was interrupted if they were absent from any of thetwo assessments, if they showed events that could influence the results or when theirparents did not want to continue.The children were assessed on their 3 and 4 month birthday, considering a range ofapproximately ±5 days. At the Laboratory, the infants were undressed by their motherand the examiner collected the anthropometric measurements  toestimate the mass of each lower limbAfter these procedures, infants were positioned in supine on a table developed forthe study and stabilized by their shoulders by a research assistant. At the lower endof the table, there was a touch pad that when lifted by the infant's feet, activateda mobile set at a height of approximately 30 cm above the infant's face, acting asvisual and auditory stimulus for the performance of kicksThe experiment was divided into four conditions: 1) training (T) - the infant's feetwere placed by the examiner on the touch pad to activate the mobile, being performedthree times with each limb separately and three times with both limbs together; 2)baseline (BL) - infants were free to perform kicks and could raise the touch pad withtheir feet and activate the mobile; 3) weight (W) - identical to the previouscondition, however the infant had an ankle weight corresponding to 1/3 the weight ofthe lower limb; 4) post-weight (PW) - same as BL. In each condition, 1 minute wasallowed for the performance of kicks and a 30-second interval was given betweenconditions 2, 3, and 4 for the placement or removal of the ankle weight. The entiretest lasted about 5 minutes .ThroughTo record the assessments, two JVC digital cameras were used (Model GY DV-300)mounted on tripods positioned anterolaterally to the chair, one on each side, withtwo light sources placed next to the cameras and directed towards the wall. After therecordings, an examiner placed a black bar over the infants' faces to conceal theiridentity. After viewing the infants in the video, another examiner counted thefrequencies of motions according to the variables defined below. This count wasperformed by a single examiner.,,Kicking movement was defined as the movement of one or both lower limbs, startingfrom full flexion of the hip, knee, and ankle to extension and returning to thestarting position, thus indicating a kicking cycleThe Shapiro-Wilk normality test and Levene's test for homogeneity of variance wereperformed. Then, three-way MANOVA  followed by Tukey'spost hoc was performed for each dependent variable .All p-values <0.05 were considered significant. Data were organized and tabulatedusing the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 17).Following the above-mentioned analysis, we performed a power calculation, resultingin a power of 98% for the variable frequency of success in raising the touch pad ininfants with DS when comparing the baseline and post-weight conditions at 3 months(BL - mean 2.2±0.84 and PW - mean 5.0±0.71) and a power of 97.6% at 4 months (BL -mean 2.6±1.14 and PW - mean 7.2±1.48).Significant differences were found when comparing groups for the variables frequency ofkicks , frequency of foot contact with the touch pad, F=6.63, p=0.013]and frequency of success in raising the touch pad , with DS infantsshowing a lower frequency when compared to typical infants , 3 and 4, p=0.013In the latter condition, the frequency of kicks was lower (p<0.001) when comparedwith the post-weight condition in both groups and ages. Additionally, the frequency offoot contact with the touch pad and the frequency of success in raising the touch padwas lower in the weight condition when compared to the baseline (p<0.001) andpost-weight (p<0.001) conditions. Furthermore, the frequency of contact and frequencyof success in raising the touch pad in the baseline condition was lower when compared tothe post-weight condition p<0.001; ,3 and 4The present study analyzed and compared the frequency of kicks with and withoutadditional weight in infants with DS and infants with typical development at 3 and 4months of age. We found that infants with DS showed lower frequencies when compared tothe group of typical infants in the variables frequency of kicks, frequency of footcontact with the touch pad, and frequency of success in raising the touch pad,confirming the first hypothesis. This result can be explained by the high incidence ofmuscle coactivation,,Given these characteristics and their consequences, infants with DS have a delay in theacquisition of motor skills and a slower development of these skills; however, it isnoteworthy that the development of these infants occurs in the same sequence as typicalinfants,For the group of typical infants, significant differences were observed between ages 3and 4 months in the variables frequency of kicks, frequency of foot contact with thetouch pad, and frequency of success in raising the touch pad. It was observed that inthe baseline and post-weight conditions, these variables were lower at 4 months of agebecause between 3 and 6 months of age, infants begin to perform reaching movements,exploring the external environment with their upper limbsComparing the experimental conditions, there was a decrease in the values of allvariables in the weight condition for both groups at 3 and 4 months of age, confirmingthe fourth hypothesis. This variation may have occurred due to the adaptation of theinfants to the ankle weights. Additional weight is an environmental and organismicconstraint in the task context because it makes the task more difficult, forcing theinfant to produce greater muscular force to overcome gravity and hindering theperformance of the kicking movement thus reducing all frequenciesBy comparing the baseline and post-weight experimental conditions for the variablesfrequency of foot contact with the touch pad, and frequency of success in raising thetouch pad, it was found that infants from both groups increased the frequency of thesevariables in the post-weight condition. These results show that the additional weighthad a positive influence on the kicking movement, providing proprioceptive and tactileinformation that acts as sensory cues during the performance of kicks, and after weightremoval, these cues facilitate the movement, leading to an increased frequency ofcontactThe added weight acts as an important stimulus for both groups, especially for infantswith DS, improving the movement pattern by increasing the frequency of contact andsuccess after weight removal. In addition to improving the infant's performance in thetask, the repetition of the kicking movement combined with the ankle weight can lead toan increase in the control of movement and muscular strength and resistance required forthe acquisition of new motor milestones such as gait and can also influence motorlearning, and these aspects are important in clinical practice.The limitations of this study were the reduced number of participants and theconvenience sample, which requires caution in generalizing the results to the entirepopulation of infants with DS. Thus, the results may be considered preliminary findings.Furthermore further studies with a larger number of participants are needed even thoughthe study showed increased power for its main variable.Thus, it could be concluded that infants with DS have delayed development of the kickingmovement when compared with typical infants and that weight acts as an importantstimulus for both groups, especially for infants with DS, improving the movement patternby increasing the frequency of contact and success after weight removal.


Tropospheric delays are one of the main sources of errors in the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). They are usually corrected by using tropospheric delay models, which makes the accuracy of the models rather critical for accurate positioning. To provide references for suitable models to be chosen for GNSS users in China, we conduct herein a comprehensive study of the performances of the IGGtrop, EGNOS and UNB3m models in China. Firstly, we assess the models using 5 years’ Global Positioning System (GPS) derived Zenith Tropospheric Delay (ZTD) series from 25 stations of the Crustal Movement Observation Network of China (CMONOC). Then we study the effects of the models on satellite positioning by using various Precise Point Positioning (PPP) cases with different tropospheric delay resolutions, the observation data processed in PPP is from 21 base stations of CMONOC for a whole year of 2012. The results show that: (1) the Root Mean Square (RMS) of the IGGtrop model is about 4.4 cm, which improves the accuracy of ZTD estimations by about 24% for EGNOS and 19% for UNB3m; (2) The positioning error in the vertical component of the PPP solution obtained by using the IGGtrop model is about 15.0 cm, which is about 30% and 21% smaller than those of the EGNOS and UNB3m models, respectively. In summary, the IGGtrop model achieves the best performance among the three models in the Chinese region. Tropospheric delays are some of the most significant error sources in the data analysis of the space geodetic observations like satellite navigation. Tropospheric delays consist of hydrostatic (dry) and water vapor (wet) parts. Many mitigation approaches have been developed for various user groups. The dry portion of the ZTD can be accurately modeled with the observed surface pressure, while estimation of the wet portion of ZTD is a standard method in most post high-accuracy geodetic applications for the highly variability of the wet portion . Howeveretc. However, as latitude-only based models, the UNB3m and EGNOS models often cause large biases in some areas where ZTD deviate a lot from the zonal average [The commonly used empirical tropospheric delay models include: the UNB models (UNB1 through UNB4) and the EGNOS model ,7,8,9,10 average ,13,14,15et al. developed the new versions of IGGtrop called IGGtrop_ir  [The IGGtrop model is initially developed to provide tropospheric delay for the users of Chinese BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) and the area augmentation system based on BDS in China. It uses a 3D grid to calculate ZTD to obtain more homogenous performances for different areas of China and it can also be applied to a global scale with relatively good performance . In orde1, 2, 3) . Many works have been done to evaluate the performances of the tropospheric delay models ,22,23,24i.e., the IGGtrop , EGNOS and UNB3m models, under typical Chinese atmospheric conditions. An integrated evaluation scheme consisted of two major steps is designed. In the first step, the accuracies of empirical models are assessed by comparing the model-derived ZTDs with 5 years’ GPS-derived ZTDs at 25 stations of CMONOC covering different latitudinal bands of China. The variations of the models’ errors are analyzed in both spatial and temporal domains. In the second step, we implement the tropospheric delay models in PPP to process a whole year’s GPS data from 21 stations of CMONOC. The accuracies of the PPP solutions would reveal the performances of the IGGtrop, EGNOS and UNB3m models in satellite positioning.In this paper, aiming at providing references for the selection of empirical tropospheric delay models for GNSS users in Chinese region, we comprehensively evaluate three main empirical tropospheric delay models, This paper is arranged as follows: i.e., the Bias, RMS, Standard Deviation (STD) and relative errors The method to assess the tropospheric delay models in this step of evaluation is to compare model-derived ZTDs with GPS-derived ZTDs. The accuracies of the IGGtrop, EGNOS and UNB3m models are assessed using four quantities A uniformly distributed GPS data set (1.1.2009–31.12.2013) collected at 25 stations from CMONOC is used to estimate the GPS-derived ZTDs. The GPS-derived ZTDs with a temporal resolution of 2-h are estimated by ionosphere-free-based PPP algorithm using International GNSS Service (IGS) final orbits and clocks. The distribution of the 25 stations is shown in i.e., BJFS, XIAN, LHAZ, SHAO, WUHN and URUM, over one-week period. The results show that the differences between the GPS-derived ZTDs and IGS final ZTD products vary from −4 mm to 13 mm with the mean value of about 0.5 mm and mean RMS of about 4.9 mm, and this indicates a comparable accuracy with the IGS final ZTD product. Therefore, we believe that the GPS-derived ZTDs calculated by the PPP in this paper can be regarded as references for the valuations of empirical tropospheric delay models.In order to illustrate the accuracy of the GPS-derived ZTDs estimated by the PPP in this paper, we compare the GPS-derived ZTDs with the corresponding IGS final ZTD products. The accuracy of the IGS final ZTD product is specified with 4 mm by the IGS Central Bureau. The GPS data is from six IGS stations in China, i.e., IGGtrop, EGNOS, UNB3m) with Niell mapping function (NMF) [Conventional PPP algorithm is a technique that uses precise orbit, clock and ionosphere-free observations for highly accurate positioning to achieve centimeter or decimeter level accuracy. The zenith tropospheric delay is estimated along with the position and ambiguity parameters in the conventional PPP algorithm ,27,28,29on (NMF)  to correAll PPP solutions here use the IGS final orbits and clocks, 15-degree elevation cutoff angle. The errorsof a daily solution for PPP in vertical and horizontal  GPS data from 21 nationally distributed stations of CMONOC. This set of 21 well-performing stations represents high, middle and low latitudinal regions of China and is considered to be a sufficient data sample for our purpose. In view of the data availability of CMONOC and the negligible frequency dependence of the tropospheric path delay for navigation signal [et al. [We listed the mean bias, STD, RMS and relative errors of the ZTDs calculated by the IGGtrop, EGNOS and UNB3m models at 25 stations in et al. ,5. The rThe EGNOS and UNB3m models have obvious biases in mean values and amplitudes at these stations, particularly at some high altitude locations  implying that the EGNOS and UNB3m models cannot describe the seasonal variations of ZTDs very well at these places. This can be explained by the fact that the ENGOS and UNB3m models use regional meteorological data set (The U.S. Standard Atmosphere Supplements) for their constructions, which are of low spatial resolutions , therefore the accuracies of these two models in some areas of globe, like China, are degraded ,9. In cocf.To show more detailed distribution of the biases for the IGGtrop, EGNOS and UNB3m models, In order to evaluate the performances of the IGGtrop, EGNOS and UNB3m models in different seasons, we calculate the monthly mean bias and RMS of these three models at 25 stations over five years period from January 2009 to December 2013. The significant seasonal variations are found in both bias (amplitude: 2 cm to 8 cm) and RMS series (amplitude: 2 cm to 5 cm), and the amplitudes and cycles of the variations are station-dependent. Here, we show the results of four exemplary stations in From i.e., the STD and relative errors of IGGtrop are generally smaller than those of the EGNOS and UNB3m models in China, we can conclude that the IGGtrop model performs better than the EGNOS and UNB3m models in China, especially at the stations locating at high altitude regions, and these results are consistent with Li et al. [In order to show the performances of the IGGtrop, EGNOS and UNB3m models with respect to station height, we show the RMS and biases of these three models at 25 stations in i et al. ,5 thoughIn this section, we implement the IGGtrop, EGNOS and UNB3m models in PPP, and show the positioning accuracies of the PPP solutions based on these three models. cf.As can be seen from In addition, for the three kinds of model-based PPP solutions, the convergence time in the horizontal component in summer b is longcf.In order to further analyze the effects of the IGGtrop, EGNOS and UNB3m models on PPP with respect to station height, we plot the annual mean positioning errors of the conventional PPP, IGGtrop-based, EGNOS-based and UNB3m-based PPP solutions at 21 stations in To illustrate the effects of the IGGtrop, EGNOS and UNB3m models on PPP in different seasons, et al. [cf.As can be seen from et al.  althoughcf. the model-derived ZTDs in In addition, it can be found that the positioning errors in up components for the IGGtrop-based, EGNOS-based and UNB3m-based PPP are always positive in summer at almost all selected stations. This is attributed to the negative biases for the IGGtrop, EGNOS and UNB3m models in summer ((1)The RMS of the IGGtrop model is 4.4 cm in the Chinese region, which is about 24% and 19% smaller than that of the EGNOS and UNB3m models, respectively.(2)The RMS and biases of the IGGtrop, EGNOS and UNB3m models show obviously seasonal variations. In addition, the biases of the IGGtrop model show semiannual variations at some stations.(3)The mean positioning error of the conventional PPP solutions is about 1.0 cm in horizontal components and is 1.3 cm in vertical components, which is relatively stable throughout the whole year of 2012. The mean vertical positioning error of the PPP solutions based on the IGGtrop model is about 15.0 cm, which is about 30% and 21% smaller than those of the EGNOS and UNB3m models, respectively.(4)Like the errors of the empirical models, the vertical positioning errors of the PPP solutions obtained by using empirical models also show clear seasonal variations, and the degree of the variations are usually larger than those of the empirical models’ errors.In this paper, performances of the 3D grid-based tropospheric delay model IGGtrop and the widely used models EGNOS and UNB3m under typical Chinese atmospheric conditions are assessed using 5 years’ GPS-derived ZTDs from 25 stations of CMONOC. Furthermore the IGGtrop, EGNOS and UNB3m models are implemented in precise point positioning, and the effects of these three models on positioning are evaluated by processing a whole year’s GPS data from 21 stations of CMONOC. From the study, we found the following:From such an assessment and the analysis in this paper, we can provide references for the refinement and applications of the IGGtrop, EGNOS and UNB3m models in China. In future, we would carry on our study by evaluating the IGGtrop, EGNOS and UNB3m models in real-time positioning or airborne experiments and conducting extensive work on the developments of the IGGtrop model.


The current study aimed to compare the effects of two exercise programs (Strength Training and Hydro Gymnastics) on the functional and cardiorespiratory abilities of Portuguese postmenopausal women. The study population consisted of 38 volunteers . Subjects were randomly divided into two experimental groups and one control group: one group performed 24 weeks of strength training , another performed 24 weeks of hydro gymnastics  and a control group , where the subjects continued with their regular daily activities without involvement in any physical exercise program. Three assessments were performed: before the beginning of the program, 12 weeks after the start of the training program and 24 weeks after the start of the program. To assess the functional ability of the participants, several tests proposed by  The aging process varies widely among people and is influenced by both lifestyle and genetic factors . In thisThe aging process tends to negatively influence physiological and motor functions . SeveralThe recommendation of exercise programs for seniors should seek to improve their neuromuscular fitness, with a focus on the prevention of falls and improvement of balance, posture, and cardiorespiratory fitness. These exercises, when combined with neuromuscular and stretching exercises, can provide elderly individuals with strength and joint mobility, which favors significant effects on health and fitness . BlankevStrength training programs are becoming common in recommendations of physical training for the elderly in order to improve their neuromuscular capacity, functional autonomy and self-esteem . AdditioSimilarly, water-based activities improve the quality of life by reducing psychopathological symptoms , which are common in postmenopausal women. Thus, exercise is of fundamental importance for the elderly in order to maintain active lifestyle and a good quality of life. However, while studying the literature on the subject, some gaps in knowledge were observed about the chronic effects of strength training and hydro aerobics on cardiorespiratory and functional fitness.Therefore, to investigate the benefits developed by different exercise programs aiming at promotion of optimal health for the elderly, the present study attempted to compare the effects of two exercise programs (strength training vs. hydro aerobics) on the functional and cardiorespiratory fitness in postmenopausal women over a period of 6 months.The sample consisted of 38 postmenopausal elderly, Caucasian women  divided into three following groups: 1) a group where a strength training program was applied , 2) a group where a hydro aerobic program was applied  and 3) a control group , where subjects continued with their daily tasks without participation in any type of planned physical exercise. The sample inclusion criteria were as follows: female, older than 55 years of age, and post-menopausal. All subjects completed the Par-Q test and anamnesis that included questions about age, physical activity habits, heart problems, chest pain, lack of balance and the use of medication for blood pressure or heart problems.On the first visit to Foz do Cávado - Esposende Pools, the procedures and the fundamentals of the study were explained to all subjects, and any questions the participants had were answered. After all questions were clarified, the subjects gave their written consent according to the Declaration of Helsinki, 1975, for their participation in this study. Subsequently, we performed the measurements for body height (BH) using a scale stadiometer with an accuracy of 0.1 m , body mass (BM) using a brand balance  and an assessment of elderly functional autonomy using tests proposed by 2sub) and the total duration of the test  were excluded. The systolic and diastolic blood pressure was measured with an aneroid sphygmomanometer OMRON model M6  when the subjects had been seated for 10 minutes. Additional measurements were taken in a quiet and controlled environment with respect to the noise level, visual stimulation and temperature, which was measured with a thermometer-type hygrometer . All dependent variables in this study were observed during three separate assessment times: pre-test (T1), 12 weeks after the pre-test (T2) and 24 weeks after the pre-test (T3).Cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed by a submaximal test using the adjusted Bruce protocol , carpet The GST group performed strength training (ST) 3 days per week for 24 weeks. Before the start of each session, 5 minutes were allowed for the subjects to perform coordinated movements with music and for joint mobility. In the first two weeks, the subjects performed 8 exercises , SPD, extension of the back with a rod held by the hands (EBH) and DBC); in the subsequent 10 weeks, the UD and TE exercises were added.st, 2nd and 3rd sessions per week, respectively, with the exception of the exercises AC and EBH, which were always performed with body weight; 1 min rest periods between sets of exercises were used; 1 min, 30 s and 2 min for each set in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd sessions per week, respectively, except in the DBC and EBH exercises, for which all sessions lasted 1 min.In all sessions, the following routine was followed: three sets of each exercise, with 10 repetitions in the first session, 8 in the second and 12 in the third, except for the exercises AC and VCP, for which subjects always performed 20 repetitions per set of exercises; a load of 75, 80 and 60% of 1RM in the 1In the first two weeks, the goal was to create muscle, joint and tendon adaptation to the ST. The remaining 10 weeks were dedicated to the development of functional autonomy of the elderly, mainly through structural adaptations in the muscle. During these 12 weeks, the training load was increased by 5% of the initial 1RM of 3 in 3 weeks, and training was always supervised by qualified personnel with ST experience. In the following 12 weeks, the program aimed at increasing the functional autonomy of the elderly through the conjugation of ST and exercises that tried to mimic daily situations (DS), namely, squat exercise in conjunction with the stand or sit in a chair, chest press exercise , adduction of legs , front elevation of the upper limbs and then extending from the ankle, placing a weight of 1 kg on a shelf (height of a kitchen cabinet), shrugs with dumbbells induced by the flexion of the R portion of the trapezius muscle group followed by bending the elbows with the simultaneous transport of a few grocery bags (each 3 kg), and abdominal and hip flexion followed by VCP.In the ST that was combined with DS during these 12 weeks, the subjects performed 8 repetitions with a load of 80% of 1RM, with the exception of abdominal exercises with hip flexion and GTE, which were performed with the subjects’ own body weight. The load in these exercises was increased by 5% of 1RM of 3 in 3 weeks. The DS were performed without additional change beyond that which was previously established for 30 seconds. The SF and DS were performed sequentially in each series. The subjects performed 3 sets of each block of exercises, with a 2–3 minute rest between sets.The GH group performed hydro aerobic training that was divided into segments during the first two weeks: 10 minutes of general activation in which the subjects performed displacement exercises, stationary floating and movement in different directions, and the intensity varied between 120 and 140 beats per minute (bpm); during the most important part of the class, which lasted 30 minutes, the emphasis was on the cardiopulmonary component, which used exercises focused on the lower limbs (LL) and upper limbs (UL), ranging in amplitude for the abdominal muscle group. At this stage, the depth of the water in the pool ranged from no impact (floating) to 1.40 m. The cool-down lasted 5 minutes; the subjects performed stretching exercises individually and in pairs. After the initial two weeks, the general activation increased between the 3rd and 4th week to 15 minutes and consisted of the same exercise, increasing only the impact. Subjects could return to a rested state to stretch on the edge of the pool, where the depth ranged from 1.10 to 1.40 m.The heart rate was maintained between 120 and 140 bpm. In the 5th and 6th week, general activation lasted 20 and 15 minutes, respectively, and remained high-impact, except for the second day of training of the 6th week; at this time, there was interval training, and the heart rate was maintained between 100–140 bpm. The exercises of the main portion of the class were the same, with the inclusion of interval training; the depth of the water was 1.10–1.40 m. From the 7th to the 24th week, resistance gloves were added; the exercises remained the same with the inclusion of hydro power for both upper and lower limbs.The impact was always high. Effort was monitored through the use of a heart rate monitor (Polar System) and through the adapted Borg scale that was placed in a location visible to all participants. During the main part of the session, the subjects were asked to adjust their exertion to a level of 4–5  to achieve approximately 70–85% of the theoretical maximum heart rate. Subjects were asked to follow the rhythm of the music; the perception of effort was coincident with the request of the professional who guided the classes. The classes were always instructed and observed by the same experienced personnel.We used a third model  X 3 (pre-test and post-test 1 and post-test 2) of analysis of variance for repeated measures (ANOVA) using an analysis of groups and different times. The post hoc Tukey’s test was also used to identify the differences between groups and moments. We tested the normality, homogeneity and sphericity of all variances and co-variances. No violation of assumptions with the use of this type of statistical method was observed. The level of significance was set at p <0.05.With respect to the variables of body mass (BM) and body mass index (BMI), significant differences were observed (μ = 0.184) in BM between the GST and GH groups and in the BMI  between the GST and GH groups .totaltest. Between T2 and T3, positive and significant changes were observed in the SS tests  between the GH and GST groups, between the GST and CG groups, and between the CG and GH groups. SR  between the GH and GST groups and between the GST and CG groups was also significantly different. GUW, FF, Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP) and Ttotaltest in the GST group and AM tests, SR, GUW, and DBP Ttotaltest in the GH group were not significantly different.When we analyzed the values for functional autonomy and cardiorespiratory fitness between T1 and T2, we observed significant positive changes in the GH group with regard to SS and GUW tests and in the GST group with regard to SS, GUW, and FF Ttotaltest.There were only positive and significant changes from T1 to T2 and from T2 to T3 in the GUW test in the GH group and the tests SS, GUW, FF, DBC  between the GH group and the GST group; also significant were the differences between the GST and CG groups, and between the CG, GH and GST groups with respect to Ttotaltest  between the CG and GST groups. When the same moment of measurement was compared between the GH and CG groups, we observed higher performance values for the SS and GUW tests.When variables related to functional autonomy and cardiorespiratory fitness were compared between groups in the 3 evaluation times, it was observed that in T1, the differences were statistically significant between the GST and CG groups with respect to the SR and GUW tests  and between the CG/GST groups and the CG/GH groups with respect to FF; the GST group presented more positive test performances than the CG group. At an even earlier time, a comparison of the GH and CG groups showed significant differences between the SR and FF tests, and the GH gave higher performance values compared with the values given by the CG group. In T1, between the GST and GH groups, for each of the variables, we observed statistically significant differences. In T2, the GST group presented significant and higher performance values in the SS, GUW, and FF tests and in the SR and FF tests in relation to the CG and GH groups, respectively. However, in the GH group, we observed significantly higher values than in the CG group for the SS and GUW tests. Finally, at T3, the GST group presented higher and more significant performance values in relation to the GH and CG groups with respect to the SS and FF tests. Significant differences were also observed in the tests for SS, GUW, and FF T2sub in the GST group showed significant changes (p <0.05).Based on the results of this study, we observed a positive effect at the end of 24 weeks in the groups that performed physical activity (GH and GST), with respect to most indicators of functional autonomy and duration for the adapted Bruce Test. Regarding the indicators of cardiac and vascular capacity in these two groups, only DBP in the GH group and in the GST group and VOIn contrast, we did not observe any significant changes in the CG group in any of the variables in this study. Additionally, after 24 weeks, we found a significant and positive difference in the tests of functional autonomy related to physical strength, particularly in the SS and GUW tests and in the duration of the adapted Bruce test in the GH group relative to the CG group, and also the FF in the GST group.However, because the tests were related to physical strength capacity and because FF in the GH group did not show significant improvements, we can presume that this result may be related to a smaller likelihood that hydro aerobic activity can promote significant increases in physical strength in the exercises where use of the biceps brachii muscle group can be noted, which was also observed in the study of In this sense, These data show that a shorter intervention time is required to observe positive changes in the functional tests related to motor force and cardiorespiratory endurance. In tests where flexibility was predominant, only in the flexibility test of the posterior muscles of the thigh (SR) there was a significant improvement in the GH and GST groups at the end of the 24-week intervention. These results are in agreement with those of However, in the SR test where flexibility of the upper limbs prevailed, significant positive differences between T2 and T3 were only observed in the GH group, although no significant differences between experimental groups were observed. This may be due to the elderly subjects themselves who participated in this study, especially the subjects in the GST group, as many suffered from joint problems, a common problem in this age group. Moreover, scapulohumeral joint problems were not a basis for inclusion/rejection from this study.Reinforcing the earlier idea, when we observed the reference values for the SR test presented by Relatively, for cardiorespiratory fitness measured over the Bruce test time duration, the GST group obtained significant improvements compared to the CG group. This result may be related to an increased motor skills performance and lower limb strength, observed indirectly through SS. The GST performance values were consistent with the study of Toraman et al. (2004), which demonstrated that a group of 42 elderly women aged between 60 and 86 years significantly improved aerobic endurance and lower limb strength after nine weeks of training that consisted of three weekly sessions of walking, strength training and flexibility. In addition, Ali et al. (2005) confirmed that an experimental elderly group, after an aerobic intervention of six months, significantly improved their cardiorespiratory capacity and quality of life. Schuch et al. (2013) presented similar results with regard to the improvement of the quality of life through water-based exercises.2max. They justify these results as peripheral adaptations arising from ST, in particular, the relative capillarization and an increase in enzymatic activity.Likewise, these data may indicate an improvement in efficiency and economy of cardiorespiratory fitness . These rAt the beginning of the program, the values for systolic and diastolic blood pressure in the GH and GST groups were normal values for that age range. No significant differences in the improvements in DBP and Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP) were observed in either group (GH and GST) at the end of 24 weeks of intervention. These results disagree with those of The importance of implementing exercise programs for postmenopausal women is evident from the results obtained in this work, especially when we consider the results of the control group. Thus, we consider the implementation of public policies aimed at the modification of the habits of younger individuals and the implementation of physical exercise for senior citizens, in terms of increasing their functional autonomy and quality of life, as important.totaltest in T3, while the effect of activities of the GST was significantly different with respect to the dependent variables: SS at T2 and T3; SR at T3; GUW at T2 and T3; FF and DBP at T2 and T3; VO2sub at T3; and Ttotaltest at T2 and T3, supporting the idea that physical exercise programs promote improvements in some indicators of fitness, namely, functional and cardiorespiratory fitness of postmenopausal women in Portugal.In conclusion, there is a positive effect of the practice of hydro aerobics and strength training on the cardiorespiratory and functional autonomy of post-menopausal women. Thus, a reinforcement of the efficacy of these two forms of exercise within this age group would be beneficial. There were significant differences between the strength training group and the hydro aerobic group with respect to the dependent variables: BC at T1, T2 and T3; BMI at T1, T2 and T3; SS at T3; SR and FF at T2 and moments in T2 and T3; leading us to believe that, overall, strength training was more effective than hydro aerobic training. The effect of activities in the GH showed significant difference in the dependent variables: SS at T2 and T3; SR at T3; GUW at T2 and T3; and DBP T


The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of subclasses to IgG anti-D on the intensity of hemolytic disease of fetus and newborn (HDFN) at 45 fetuses/newborns with symptoms of mild and severe HDFN in Republic of Macedonia.In retrospective and prospective studies, in a period of 10 years, from 2004 to 2014, there have been immunohemathology tests performed on 22 009 samples on serums of pregnant women.At 37.78% of the total number of tested patients, IgG1 and IgG3 was the reason for severe HDFN. At 17.77% of the total number of tested patients, which had only IgG1detected, was the reason for serious intensity of HDFN. The correlation of the titer to anti-D antibodies in the mother’s serum and the intensity of HDFN were researched in 48 newborns. The titers between 1:8 and 1:32 resulted in 3 cases of HDFN with symptoms of severe disease and in 4 cases there were no signs of HDFN. At 12 women that had a titre between 1:32 and 1:512, five of the newborns developed severe HDFN, and seven had symptoms of mild and weak intensity form. In 3 cases the titer was higher than 512, and out of them one newborn had weak symptoms of HDFN, one developed severe HDFN and one ended with foetal death. Only in one case the titer reached a value higher than 1000, and it ended with a fetal death.The titers of the pregnant women serum those are lower than 32 and those higher than 1000 can well predict HDFN. The titers of anti-D antibodies between 64 and 512 have no exact predictive value. IgG1 and IgG3 subclasses of anti-D have no predictive value by themselves, and cannot foresee the outcome of HDFN. The research study results suggest that IgG1 and IgG3 should be included in a multi – parameter protocol for evaluation of the HDFN intensity. They can give a real assessment of the expected HDFN intensity in combination with the titer hight and the significance of the antibodies. The Rh blood group system contains more than 40 antigens with extreme antigenicity. According to its importance regarding immune hematology it stands right next to the ABO system. It belongs to the group of trans-membrane proteins.o or the D antigen, which can be present or not, denoting Rh positive (D+), or Rh negative (D- or d) phenotype.Basically, three Rh epitopes are defined within it, the RhRHD и RHCE [RHD and RHCE, while D-negative individuals inherit one RHCE gen from each parent. The deployment of the RHCE gene is used in general sense in order to mark the Rh gen which does not succeed to produce an antigen D.The Rh locus is assigned to the chromosome 1 (1p34.3-p36.13), it has two genes nearby the Rh locus that are responsible for the Rh protein, RHCE, RHCe, RHcE, and RHce. Besides the Rh gens, another gen which relates to RHAG (Rh – associated glycoprotein) is located in the chromosome 6 (6p11-p21.1), and it is connected to the Rh protein on the level of the red blood cell membrane [Four common genes produce different combinations out of C, E, c and e:  6 6p11-p1.1, and The Rh genes act as autosomous co dominant alleles. The genetic material that codes C/c and E/e is tightly linked to one that controls D, that’s why the RH locus is considered as a unique gen complex during calculation of gen frequency.Taking into consideration the available Rh antiserums , the Rh phenotype of the tested red blood cells can be serologically defined. Accordingly, based on the phenotype and gen frequency regarding the tested population, the most probable Rh genotype can be estimated.Still, family research is the best way of establishing the right phenotype.Exposure of D-negative individuals to D-positive red blood cells through transfusion or pregnancy, most probably will provoke an immune response. Transfusion of approximately 250 ml of D-positive red blood cells causes production of anti-D at about 80% of accidental D-negative recipients . A signiMost Rh antibodies are IgG, and usually IgG1, IgG3, or a combination of these two subclasses. The production of Rh antibodies is most often caused by transfusion or pregnancy.The Rh antibodies are clinically significant and cause post-transfusion reactions and HDFN. The Rh antibodies, since they are primarily IgG1 and IgG3, cross through the placenta and can cause HDFN of various intensity. HDFN is directly dependant on the development of the red blood cell antigens on the surface of the fetal red blood cells. The D antigen can be detected in fetal red blood cells in the 5 to 6 gestation week , 5. The HDFN is a clinical syndrome in which the basic pathophysiology disorder is the haemolytic anaemia of the fetus/newborn. HDFN starts during intrauterine life, and the reason for the disease is appearance of IgG antibodies that occur as a result of the mother’s alloimmunisation towards red blood cell antigens of the foetus that are inherited from the father, and are not present in the mother .The application of RhD immune globulin prophylaxis up till 72 hours after giving birth, decreases the percentage of RhD sensibilisation to 1.5% or 2%, and the application of antenatal prophylaxis even lowered this percentage from 0.5% to 0.1% [The present situation of application of antenatal, even postnatal prophylaxis in Republic of Macedonia is partial and incomplete. It does not comprise all pregnant women that are at risk of RhD sensibilisation. Unofficial data display that the prevalence of RhD sensibilisation in Republic of Macedonia is twice higher compared to the rest of the countries in Europe and the world, and it moves from 0,1% to maximum 2% -10.The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of subclasses to IgG anti-D on the intensity of HDFN at 45 fetuses/newborns with symptoms of mild and severe HDFN in Republic of Macedonia.th ed., American Association of Blood Banks [In retrospective and prospective studies, in a period of 10 years, from 2004 to 2014, there have been immune hematology tests performed on 22,009 samples on serums of pregnant women: ABO, Rh blood group phenotypization; screening of anti red blood cell alloantibodies during pregnancy and after delivery with indirect antiglobuline test with five panels of red blood cell antigens, enzyme test with two panels of red blood cell antigens; direct antiglobuline test and elution of antibodies of the newborn red blood cells; identification of anti red blood cell antibodies with IAT and enzyme panel; quantification of antibodies with the titer method; blood group phenotypization of adequate antigens towards which antibodies were detected, regarding the mother, biological father and the newborn. All methods were performed according the producers recommendation and the Technical Manual, 14od Banks .Anti red blood cell antibodies were detected towards the antigens of the Rh system at 205 pregnant women, by identification of a total of 237 anti red blood cell antibodies. Out of them, only 169 had identified sensibilisation only towards the RhD antigen, and 36 of them had a presence of multiply antibodies.The study researched the influence of subclasses to IgG anti-D on the intensity of HDFN at 45 fetuses/newborns with symptoms of mild and severe HDFN.In order to determine the degree of risk to hemolytic, which depends on the number of IgG1 and/or IgG3 molecules on the surface of red blood cells, as well as/or the presence of a complement, the test was performed by ID-cards DAT IgG1/IgG3. The gel contained two added dilutions of anti IgG1 and IgG3. The positive reaction with the first dilution matches coated red blood cells of 1000 IgG1 molecules, i.e. 125 IgG3 molecules per red blood cell. The positive results with the second dilution points out to high concentration of IgG1 and/or IgG3 antibodies.IgG1 antibodies were detected in 15 samples of serums of sensibilised pregnant women towards the D antigen. Out of them, 7 had high concentration of IgG1, dilution 1:100. The tests performed on newborns came up with adequate results, i.e. symptoms of severe hemolytic disease. The rest of the 8 newborns demonstrated symptoms of mild HDFN or weak symptoms that needed no therapy. They have displayed low concentration of IgG1 that matches the dilution 1:1.IgG1 together with IgG3 was detected at 25 pregnant women. At 10 of them the concentration to at least one of the subclasses was high, and at 6 of them there was a high concentration to both subclasses, received dilution 1:100. At all 16 newborns the performed tests from the umbilical cord showed adequate high concentration as in their mothers, with symptoms of severe HDFN. At 9 women both subclasses showed low concentration, and the newborns developed mild HDFN.In 3 cases where only IgG3 anti-D antibody was detected, the newborns developed clinical picture of HDFN with a weak or mild intensity. There was not even one case of severe HDFN.In two cases the pregnancy ended with a dead fetus. The first one in the 21 gestation week and it had IgG1 and IgG3 detected in merely high concentration, and the second case ended in the 25 gestation week with also very high concentrations.At all 205 sensibilised pregnant women we have performed titer tests to antibodies during the whole pregnancy, within intervals of 2 to 4 weeks depending on the significance of the antibody received from the results.The correlation of the titer to anti-D antibodies in the mother’s serum and the intensity of HDFN were researched in 48 newborns.The titers between 1:8 and 1:32 resulted in most cases with weak and mild form of HDFN. Only in 3 cases there was HDFN with symptoms of severe disease. In 4 cases there were no signs of HDFN.At 12 women that had a titer between 1:32 and 1:512, five of the newborns developed severe HDFN, and seven had symptoms of mild and weak intensity form.In 3 cases the titer was higher than 512, and out of them one newborn had weak symptoms of HDFN, one developed severe HDFN and one ended with fetal death. Only in one case the titer reached a value higher than 1000, and it ended with a fetal death.At titers lower than 32, the test was repeated every 4 weeks till the 24 gestation week, and after that every 2 weeks, with recommendation of obstetrics monitoring.At titers higher than 32, the patients were immediately sent to intensive obstetrics monitoring. Depending on the results the titer was performed every 2 to 3 weeks, or immediately after performed invasive obstetrics procedure.If the mother’s alloimmunisation is diagnosed, and the biological father of the fetus is well known, phenotypisation of the father is necessary for detection of antigen presence towards which the mother’s antibodies are focused.If the father is antigen negative there is no possibility of the fetus to be antigen positive, and that’s why there is no risk of HDFN that could be caused by the mother’s alloantibodies.When the father is heterozygote antigen positive, it is possible nowadays, in cases of D, C, c, E and K antibodies, to determine the antigen status of the foetus by a DNA test through the mother’s plasma. In cases when the mother is sensibilised, and the result of the foetal genotypisation is negative, we avoid all further analysis and multiple monitoring procedures during pregnancy.If the result of the fetal genotypisation is positive, there is a necessity of immunohematology tests on every 2-4 weeks, by determining the type and amount of subclasses, and quantification of antibodies in general, as well as more detailed obstetrics tests related to risky pregnancy.There are several classes of antibodies. Regarding allosensibilisation during pregnancy only two classes are of interest, IgM and IgG. If the antibody is identified as IgM, it means that it cannot find the placenta, thus cannot cause HDFN.IgG is immunoglobulin that is most plentiful in the human serum. The subclasses differ in the constant region, especially in the structure of the upper CH2 domain. These regions are included in the bonding of the two receptors IgG-Fc (FcyR) I C1q. As a result, the subclasses have different effective functions in the sense of a trigger to FcyR – expessing cells, which produce phagocytosis or antibody – dependant cell cytotoxicity, and activation of the complement. There is an epytope on the Fc - receptor for neonatal Fc – receptor (FcRn), responsible for prolongation of the half life, placenta transport and IgG transport both ways through the mucosa surface .IgG3 reacts more efficiently with the Fc – receptors on the macrophagys than the IgG1, but there is not enough data on in vivo destruction of red blood cells by IgG1 compared to IgG3 antibody . IgG4 anAccording research data, IgG1 as a separate unit has a significantly wider specter of intensity compared to the IgG3, which is associated with a weak or mild HDFN, in concordance with scientific literature. IgG1 was detected in all three categories of HDFN, its distribution was significantly higher in cases of severe HDFN (p < 0.01).At 37.78% of the total number of tested patients, and at 65.38% of the samples which had two antibodies detected, IgG1 and IgG3 was the reason for severe HDFN. At 17.77% of the total number of tested patients, and at 50% of the samples which had only IgG1detected, was the reason for serious intensity of HDFN.Not a single patient with IgG3 had symptoms of severe HDFN. When both subclasses are present IgG1 and IgG3, HDFN has a serious intensity compared to the presence of only IgG1 or IgG3 alone. IgG3 is more associated to mild and weak form of HDFN.The quantification of antibodies is usually performed by the titer method. The titer of the mother’s antibodies is the first step in evaluating RhD sensibilisation. A critical titer is defined as a titer associated to a significant risk of fetal hydrops .The scientific literature gives different critical titers, from 8 to 32 for anti-D antibodies. The serum is recommended to be frozen and reestablished with the next sample by the same method.The trend of subsequent levels of antibodies together with the previous obstetrics anamnesis is considered to be more important than any isolated result in prediction of the disease’ intensity -17. In tIn conclusion, the titers of the pregnant women serum that is lower than 32 and those higher than 1000 can well predict HDFN. In the first example there is a rare occurrence of severe HDFN, and they are quite often manifested with no or very insignificant symptomatology. In the second case, over 1000, the occurrence of severe HDFN is inevitable. The titers of anti-D antibodies between 64 and 512 have no exact predictive value. IgG1 and IgG3 subclasses of anti-D have no predictive value by themselves, and cannot foresee the outcome of HDFN. The research study results suggest that IgG1 and IgG3 should be included in a multi – parameter protocol for evaluation of the HDFN intensity. They can give a real assessment of the expected HDFN intensity in combination with the titer hight and the significance of the antibodies.