Measuring Balance Abilities of Transtibial Amputees Using Multiattribute Utility Theory

Background. Berg Balance Scale (BBS) can be considered the standard for assessment of functional balance but has a noted ceiling effect in active transtibial amputees (TTAs). Development of ceiling-free measures based on quantitative measurement techniques that is suitable for patients in any experience levels, yet sensitive enough to capture improvements in any stage of prosthetic rehabilitation, is needed. Research Question. Does a scoring scheme based on Multiattribute Utility (MAU) theory assess balance abilities of multileveled TTAs comparable to BBS? Methods. A case-control study including 28 participants (8 novice TTAs, 10 experienced TTAs, and 10 healthy controls) was conducted. Guided by MAU theory, a novel balance model was developed and initially validated by Spearman correlation between index-generated scores and expert assigned scores, providing preliminary evidence of validity. Floor/ceiling effects were tested, and between-group comparisons of static/dynamic balance were conducted by paired t -test or Wilcoxon signed-rank test depending on data distribution normality. Results. BBS score was correlated with computed balance index ( r = 0.847 , p < 0.001 ). The BBS score of novice/experienced TTAs was 39/54, and the computed balance index was 38/75. A ceiling effect of BBS (30%) was observed in the experienced TTA group, whereas no ceiling effects were found for the computed index in any combination of TTA groups. Group differences between novice and experienced TTAs were observed in center of pressure (COP) ellipse shift area, COP path length, COP average velocity, gait speed, and cadence (all p < 0.05 ). Significance. Evidence from first stage validation of the proposed MAU balance model indicated that the model performed well. This proposed method can monitor the progress of balance for varied experience-leveled TTAs and provide clinicians with useful information for assessing the rehabilitation training.

Comparative Evaluation of Simplified Surface Energy Balance Index-Based Actual ET against Lysimeter Data in a Tropical River Basin

In the past decades, multispectral and multitemporal remote sensing has been popularly used for estimating actual evapotranspiration (ETc) across the globe. It has been proven to be a cost-effective tool for understanding agricultural practices in a region. Today, because of the availability of different onboard sensors on an increasing number of different satellites, land surface activity can be captured at fine spatial and time scales. In the present study, three multi-date satellite imageries were used for the evaluation of remote sensing-based estimation of actual evapotranspiration in paddy in the command area of the tropical Kangsabati river basin. A surface energy balance model, the Simplified-Surface Energy Balance Index (S-SEBI), was applied for all three dates of the Rabi season (2014–2015) for the estimation of actual evapotranspiration. The crop coefficient was calculated using the exhaustive survey data collected from the command area and adjusted to local conditions. The ETc estimated using the S-SEBI-based model was compared with the Food and Agriculture Organization Penman–Monteith (FAO-56 PM) method multiplied by the adjusted local crop coefficient and lysimeter data in the command area. The coefficient of determination (r2) was applied to examine the accuracy of the S-SEBI model with respect to lysimeter data and the FAO-56 PM-based ETc. The results showed that the S-SEBI model performed well with the lysimeter (r2 = 0.90) in comparison with FAO-56 PM, with an r2 of 0.65. In addition to this, the S-SEBI-based ET estimates correlated well with the FAO-56 PM, with r and RMSE values of 0.06 and 1.13 mm/day (initial stage), 0.85 and 0.48 mm/day (development stage), and 0.77 and 0.52 (maturity stage) for paddy, respectively. The S-SEBI-based ETc estimate varied with different stages of crop growth and successfully captured the spatial heterogeneity within the command area. In general, this study showed that the S-SEBI method has the potential to calculate spatial evapotranspiration and provide useful information for efficient water management. The results revealed the applicability and accuracy of remote sensing-based ET for managing water resources in a command area with scarce data.

Assessing the supply for a basic urban service demand-with a focus on water-energy management in Addis Ababa city

The demand for water-energy (WE) should be addressed with their sustainable supply in the long-term planning. The total energy demand was estimated to be around 14,000000 and 53,000000 MWh for 2030 and 2050 years respectively. These years’ predicted water demand was 0.4 and 0.7 billion-cubic-meter. Based on the estimated energy and water demand, sustainable supply through WE management were determined. In 2030 and 2050 the water supply-demand balance index is around 1, showed water demand will be met for respective years, whereas the energy supply-balance after the intervention become around 0.9 and 0.7. The study results clearly predicted future WE demand of Addis Ababa city and have been put their quantified supply suggestion.

System Balance Index as an Indicator of the Russian Gas Industry’s Sustainable Growth

The paper examines an approach to developing a strategy for the Russian gas industry’s sustainable growth based on the system economic theory’s methodology. The aim of the study is to evaluate the current state of the industry by calculating sustainable growth indices. Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) reveals a deep relationship between sustainable growth indices and Return on equity ( ROE ), Lambert Energy Index ( LEI ), Return on environmental investments (ROEenv ), and Return on social investments (ROEsr ). The system balance index ( SBI ) is calculated, which expresses the intensity of links between the financial, energy, environmental and social subsystems of the gas industry. The results show that the Russian gas industry companies are characterized by a low level of ROEenv or ROEsr , negatively affecting the SBI value. The authors conclude the importance of environmental protection and social responsibility for achieving sustainable industry growth should not be underestimated. This circumstance should be taken into account when setting strategic goals for companies in the gas industry. According to the authors, applying system economic theory to achieve sustainable growth goals has huge potential to overcome economic phenomena and improve company management practices.

Major QTLs and Potential Candidate Genes for Heat Stress Tolerance Identified in Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

In the context of climate change, heat stress during the reproductive stages of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) leads to significant yield losses. In order to identify the genomic regions responsible for heat stress tolerance, a recombinant inbred line population derived from DCP 92-3 (heat sensitive) and ICCV 92944 (heat tolerant) was genotyped using the genotyping-by-sequencing approach and evaluated for two consecutive years (2017 and 2018) under normal and late sown or heat stress environments. A high-density genetic map comprising 788 single-nucleotide polymorphism markers spanning 1,125 cM was constructed. Using composite interval mapping, a total of 77 QTLs (37 major and 40 minor) were identified for 12 of 13 traits. A genomic region on CaLG07 harbors quantitative trait loci (QTLs) explaining &gt;30% phenotypic variation for days to pod initiation, 100 seed weight, and for nitrogen balance index explaining &gt;10% PVE. In addition, we also reported for the first time major QTLs for proxy traits (physiological traits such as chlorophyll content, nitrogen balance index, normalized difference vegetative index, and cell membrane stability). Furthermore, 32 candidate genes in the QTL regions that encode the heat shock protein genes, heat shock transcription factors, are involved in flowering time regulation as well as pollen-specific genes. The major QTLs reported in this study, after validation, may be useful in molecular breeding for developing heat-tolerant superior lines or varieties.

Decomposition Analysis of Global Water Supply-Demand Balances Focusing on Food Production and Consumption

Food production and consumption require large amounts of freshwater. There is no literature on the decomposition analysis of the intensities of water supply-demand balances (water balance intensities) for each country worldwide. The aim of this study is to evaluate the water balance intensities and elucidate the promoting factors and offset factors of water balance intensities for each country worldwide, focusing on food supply-demand balances and considering food trade balances on a global scale. The modified Laspeyres index method is applied to both a production-based water balance index (WBIPB) and a consumption-based water balance index (WBICB). The major promoting factor for the WBIPB is the renewable freshwater resources, whereas the major offset factor is the produced item preference. The major promoting factor for the WBICB is the consumed item preference, whereas the major offset factor is the producing area preference. Improving irrigation efficiencies of rice and cereals is effective because rice requires the largest blue water footprint intensities, considering irrigation efficiency on a calorie content basis in all of the items, whereas cereals are the largest share of calorie-based production quantities in all of the items worldwide. This study provides the foundation for decreasing water balance intensities regarding food production and consumption.