Phylogenetic Relationships Within and Delimitation of the Cosmopolitan Flowering Plant Genus Stellaria L. (Caryophyllaceae): Core Stars and Fallen Stars

Abstract—Stellaria (Caryophyllaceae, tribe Alsineae) is a cosmopolitan genus of herbaceous plants that heretofore has lacked a stable estimate of total number of species. Here, we attempted to sample all species currently recognized under the name Stellaria to determine which belong to a core Stellaria genus versus which are masquerading under this name and are instead more closely related to one of several outgroup lineages. Phylogenetic relationships inferred with RAD loci were recovered with generally high levels of support, regardless of age of specimens (here up to 98 yr) utilized for molecular work. Analyses resolved a monophyletic, core radiation of Stellaria that is sister to Cerastium and others. Within core Stellaria, of which we sampled ca. 87% of species, we recovered five primary lineages. However, current infrageneric hypotheses are incongruous with phylogenomic data, and most morphology-based infrageneric hypotheses break down in light of these results. Outside of core Stellaria we recovered numerous other species currently ascribed to Stellaria that are in need of revised generic placement. Based on current results, however, we propose several new taxonomic and nomenclatural renovations within core Stellaria and external to this group as contribution towards stabilization of generic boundaries in Alsineae. These modifications include description of a new genus of Caryophyllaceae from eastern Asia, Nubelaria, as well description of a new genus, Rabelera, to accommodate the lineage previously and more widely known as Stellaria holostea. Nine new combinations are proposed in the genera Adenonema, Cerastium, Mesostemma, Nubelaria, Rabelera, and core Stellaria. Additionally, one new status, one new synonymy, and lectotypes for four species are proposed. We estimate core Stellaria to consist of approximately 112 species, a decrease from many other published species counts. Our results lay a robust foundation for future evolutionary, phylogenetic, and morphological comparisons within Stellaria and among relatives.

Impact of Ramadan diurnal intermittent fasting on the metabolic syndrome components in healthy, non-athletic Muslim people aged over 15 years: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Studies on the impact of Ramadan diurnal intermittent fasting (RDIF) on the metabolic syndrome (MetS) components among healthy Muslims observing Ramadan month have yielded contradictory results. This comprehensive meta-analysis aimed to obtain a more stable estimate of the effect size of fasting during Ramadan on the MetS components, examine variability among studies, assess the generalisability of reported results and perform subgroup analyses for associated factors. We searched the CINAHL, Cochrane, EBSCOhost, Google Scholar, ProQuest Medical, PubMed/MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, Scopus and Web of Science databases for relevant studies published from 1950 to March 2019. The MetS components analysed were: waist circumference (WC), systolic blood pressure (SBP), fasting plasma/serum glucose (FG), TAG, and HDL-cholesterol. We identified eighty-five studies (4326 participants in total) that were conducted in twenty-three countries between 1982 and 2019. RDIF-induced effect sizes for the MetS components were: small reductions in WC (no. of studies K = 24, N 1557, Hedges’ g = −0·312, 95 % CI −0·387, −0·236), SBP (K = 22, N 1172, Hedges’ g = −0·239, 95 % CI −0·372, −0·106), FG (K = 51, N 2318, Hedges’ g = −0·101, 95 % CI −0·260, 0·004) and TAG (K = 63, N 2862, Hedges’ g = −0·088, 95 % CI −0·171, −0·004) and a small increase in HDL-cholesterol (K = 57, N 2771, Hedges’ g = 0·150, 95 % CI 0·064, 0·236). We concluded that among healthy people, RDIF shows small improvement in the five MetS components: WC, SBP, TAG, FG and HDL.

Autism at a glance: A pilot study optimizing thin-slice observations

Borrowing from a clinical psychology observational methodology, thin-slice observations were used to assess autism characteristics in toddlers. Thin-slices are short observations taken from a longer behavior stream which are assigned ratings by multiple raters using a 5-point scale. The raters’ observations are averaged together to assign a “thin-slice” value for each observation. In this study, a total of 60 toddlers were selected from a video archive: 20 children with typical development, 20 children with developmental language disorder, and 20 children with autism. In the first part of this study, 20 raters observed small play segments between toddlers and an assessor. Raters assigned scores to each of the 60 toddlers on items related to autism symptomatology. Item analysis and generalizability and decision studies were conducted to determine the factor structure and optimal number of raters to achieve a stable estimate of autism characteristics. In the second part of the study, generalizability and decision studies were conducted to determine the most efficient and optimal combination of raters and naturalistic contexts. This pilot study provides recommendations for optimizing the utility of thin-slice observations for measuring autism symptomatology in young children.

Stable 2D magnetotelluric strikes and impedances via the phase tensor and the quadratic equation

A combination of the magnetotelluric phase tensor and the quadratic algorithm provides a fast and simple solution to the problem of a 2D impedance tensor distorted by 3D electrogalvanic effects. The strike direction is provided by the phase tensor, which is known to provide unstable estimates for noisy data. We obtain stable directions in three steps. First, we use bootstrapping to find the most stable estimate among the different periods. Second, this value is used as the seed to select the neighbor strikes assuming continuity over periods. This second step is repeated several times to compute variances. The third step, which we call prerotating, consists of rotating the original impedance tensor to a most favorable angle for optimal stability and then rotating it back for compensation. The procedure is developed as a progressing algorithm through its application to the gradually more difficult data sets COPROD2S1, COPROD2, far-hi, and BC87, all available for testing new ideas. Alternately, using the Groom-Bailey terminology, the quadratic algorithm provides the amplitudes and phases independently of the strike direction and twist. The amplitudes and phases still need to be tuned up by the correct shear. The correct shear is obtained by contrasting the phases from the phase tensor and from the quadratic equation until they match for all available periods. The results are the undistorted impedances. Uncertainties are computed using formulas derived for the quadratic equation. We use the same data sets as for the strike to illustrate the recovery of impedances and their uncertainties.

On one Approach for Stable Estimate of Technical System Efficiency

<p class="R-AbstractKeywords"><span lang="EN-US">In present paper the problem of efficiency evaluation of technical system by measurable structural design parameters is investigated. To accomplish the purpose of considered problem it is constructed the mathematical model in the form of a finite-dimensional operator equation, where desired elements are both influence weights of the calculated structural design parameters and technical effectiveness indicator of the system. First, the constructed model is reduced to the normal system, and then the apparatus of the ill-posed inverse problem theory is used for the reduced problem: a regularizing operator is constructed and an algorithm for finding the regularization parameter is developed</span><span lang="EN-US">. </span></p>

Acquiring a Stable Estimate of Physical Activity in Adults With Visual Impairment

As a first step toward the development of adapted physical activity (PA) programs for adults with visual impairment (VI), the purpose of this study was to determine the time frame needed to reliably estimate weekly PA in adults with VI. Thirty-three adults with VI completed 7 days of pedometer-based PA assessment. Generalizability theory analyses were conducted to quantify sources of variance within the PA estimate and determine the appropriate number of days of PA monitoring needed for the total sample and for participants with mild-to-moderate and severe VI. A single-facet, crossed design was employed including participants and days. Participants and days correspondingly accounted for 33–55% and 0–3% of the total variance in PA. While a reliable account of PA was obtained for the total sample over a 6-day period, shorter (4-day) and longer (9-day) periods were required for persons with mild-to-moderate and severe VI, respectively.

Measuring meals: structure of prandial food and water intake of rats

Attempts to understand ingestion have sought to understand the control of meals. The present study evaluated a meal definition that included prandial drinking (drinking-explicit meals). The spontaneous nocturnal intake of male Wistar rats was studied. The meal breakpoint was defined as the interval between feeding or drinking events providing the most stable estimate of meal structure. Alternative breakpoints derived from prevailing methodology, log-survivorship, or frequency histogram analysis of interfeeding intervals without respect to drinking were compared (drinking-naive meals). Threshold interfeeding intervals that accounted for drinking indirectly were evaluated as surrogate breakpoints (drinking-implicit meals). Definitions were compared by determining which criterion better conformed to predictions of satiety. Microstructural differences resulting from the definitions were also studied. Under the drinking-explicit definition, rats averaged nine or ten 13-min meals/night, during which they consumed food and water equally in duration (5–6 min) and quantity (2.3 g). Individual differences were observed in microstructure measures. Meals defined by drinking-informed, but not drinking-naive, methods were followed by the behavioral satiety sequence and by an initially low likelihood of resuming feeding that monotonically increased with time. The drinking-explicit definition uniquely revealed preprandial and postprandial correlations of similar magnitude. Under drinking-informed definitions, food restriction increased meal size, whereas drinking-naive definitions increased meal frequency. Drinking-implicit definitions provided workable approximations of meal frequency and size but inferior estimates of feeding duration, eating rate, and the preprandial correlation. Thus log-survivorship analysis is not appropriate for identifying meal breakpoints, and the consideration of drinking in meal definitions can provide a better estimate of meal structure.

Auditory Frequency Selectivity in Normal and Presbycusic Subjects

Auditory frequency selectivity was inferred from measurements of the detectability of tonal signals as a function of the cutoff frequency of a low-pass computer-generated noise masker. In Experiment I the effect of small changes in signal-to-noise ratio on inferred auditory frequency selectivity was studied. In Experiment II, frequency selectivity was determined for five normal-hearing subjects and four subjects with sensorineural hearing loss due to presbycusis. Critical ratios (signal-to-noise ratio at masked threshold) also were determined in Experiment II. The results of Experiment I indicate that the low-pass masking experiment provides a stable estimate of the width, but not the position, of the critical masking band. Experiment II revealed elevated critical ratios for three of the four presbycusic subjects. Some hearing-impaired subjects appeared to have normal frequency selectivity despite elevated critical ratios. Other presbycusic subjects demonstrated impaired auditory frequency selectivity. The results suggest that critical ratio and critical masking band data are free to vary independently in hearing-impaired subjects.