title: PeerJ description: Articles published in PeerJ link: https://peerj.com/articles/index.rss3?journal=peerj&page=1054 creator: info@peerj.com PeerJ errorsTo: info@peerj.com PeerJ language: en title: Effect of concurrent training on trainability performance factors in youth elite golf players link: https://peerj.com/articles/9963 last-modified: 2020-09-16 description: BackgroundDue to the early specialization of golf players, examining the within session sequence of training should be considered to enhance performance and prevent injury risk. The present study analyzed the effects of an 18-week concurrent training developed before or after a specific golf session in adolescence elite golfers on several performance factors.MethodsSixteen right-handed male golfers, were randomly divided into two groups: after golf specific training (AG) (n = 8, age: 16.77 ± 0.58 years) and before golf specific training (BG) (n = 8, age: 16.93 ± 0.59 years). AG and BG players followed a concurrent physical conditioning program (CT) after or before the golf specific training, respectively. Body mass, body fat, muscle mass, jumping ability (CMJ), ball speed (Sball), golf movements screens (GMS), power in a golf swing-specific cable woodchop (Wmax) and the perceived training load (TL) in golf specific training (TL-G) and TL in CT (TL-CT) were measured on three separate occasions.ResultsBG demonstrates a lower TL-CT than AG (p < .001, ${\eta }_{p}^{2}=0.90$ηp2=0.90) along the training program without effects on TL-G, achieving significant percentage of change on CMJ (9.38%; p = .165; d = 0.73), GMS (50.52%; p = .41, d = 0.91), Wmax (16.93%; p = .001; d = 2.02) and Sball (1.82%; p = .018; d = 0.92) without interaction effects on anthropometric measures.ConclusionsPerforming CT sessions before the regular golf training can improve specific performance factors with a lower perceived TL than the same training carried out after the regular golf training. creator: Juan Carlos Redondo creator: Ana María de Benito creator: José María Izquierdo uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.9963 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2020 Redondo et al. title: Assessing turbine passage effects on internal fish injury and delayed mortality using X-ray imaging link: https://peerj.com/articles/9977 last-modified: 2020-09-16 description: Knowledge on the extent and mechanisms of fish damage caused by hydropower facilities is important for the conservation of fish populations. Herein, we assessed the effects of hydropower turbine passage on internal fish injuries using X-ray technology. A total of 902 specimens from seven native European fish species were screened for 36 types of internal injuries and 86 external injuries evaluated with a previously published protocol. The applied systematic visual evaluation of X-ray images successfully detected skeletal injuries, swim bladder anomalies, emphysema, free intraperitoneal gas and hemorrhages. Injuries related to handling and to impacts of different parts of the hydropower structure could be clearly distinguished applying multivariate statistics and the data often explained delayed mortality within 96 h after turbine passage. The internal injuries could clearly be assigned to specific physical impacts resulting from turbine passage such as swim bladder rupture due to abrupt pressure change or fractures of skeletal parts due to blade-strike, fluid shear or severe turbulence. Generally, internal injuries were rarely depicted by external evaluation. For example, 29% of individuals with vertebral fractures did not present externally visible signs of severe injury. A combination of the external and internal injury evaluation allows quantifying and comparing fish injuries across sites, and can help to identify the technologies and operational procedures which minimize harm to fish in the context of assessing hydropower-related fish injuries as well as in assessing fish welfare. creator: Melanie Mueller creator: Katharina Sternecker creator: Stefan Milz creator: Juergen Geist uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.9977 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2020 Mueller et al. title: Enrichment in conservative amino acid changes among fixed and standing missense variations in slowly evolving proteins link: https://peerj.com/articles/9983 last-modified: 2020-09-16 description: The process of molecular evolution has many elements that are not yet fully understood. Evolutionary rates are known to vary among protein coding and noncoding DNAs, and most of the observed changes in amino acid or nucleotide sequences are assumed to be non-adaptive by the neutral theory of molecular evolution. However, it remains unclear whether fixed and standing missense changes in slowly evolving proteins are more or less neutral compared to those in fast evolving genes. Here, based on the evolutionary rates as inferred from identity scores between orthologs in human and Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta), we found that the fraction of conservative substitutions between species was significantly higher in their slowly evolving proteins. Similar results were obtained by using four different methods of scoring conservative substitutions, including three that remove the impact of substitution probability, where conservative changes require fewer mutations. We also examined the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) by using the 1000 Genomes Project data and found that missense SNPs in slowly evolving proteins also had a higher fraction of conservative changes, especially for common SNPs, consistent with more non-conservative substitutions and hence stronger natural selection for SNPs, particularly rare ones, in fast evolving proteins. These results suggest that fixed and standing missense variants in slowly evolving proteins are more likely to be neutral. creator: Mingrui Wang creator: Dapeng Wang creator: Jun Yu creator: Shi Huang uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.9983 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2020 Wang et al. title: Interdependency of regulatory effects of iron and riboflavin in the foodborne pathogen Shigella flexneri determined by integral transcriptomics link: https://peerj.com/articles/9553 last-modified: 2020-09-15 description: Shigella flexneri is the causative agent of dysentery. For pathogens, iron is a critical micronutrient as its bioavailability is usually low in bacterial niches. This metal is involved in critical physiological processes mainly as a component of important metabolic molecules involved in redox reactions. Usually bacteria respond to fluctuations in iron availability to regulate iron acquisition and other iron-related functions. Recently the close metabolic feedback between iron and riboflavin, another pivotal biological redox agent, began to draw attention in bacteria. This is a widespread biological phenomenon, partly characterized by the coordination of regulatory responses to iron and riboflavin, probably owed to the involvement of these cofactors in common processes. Nonetheless, no systematic analyses to determine the extent of this regulatory effect have been performed in any species. Here, the transcriptomics responses to iron, riboflavin, iron in the presence of riboflavin and riboflavin in the presence of iron were assessed and compared in S. flexneri. The riboflavin regulon had a 43% overlap with the iron regulon. Notably, the presence of riboflavin highly increased the number of iron-responsive genes. Reciprocally, iron drastically changed the pool of riboflavin-responsive genes. Gene ontology (GO) functional terms enrichment analysis showed that biological processes were distinctively enriched for each subgroup of responsive genes. Among the biological processes regulated by iron and riboflavin were iron uptake, amino acids metabolism and electron transfer for ATP synthesis. Thus, iron and riboflavin highly affect the transcriptomics responses induced by each other in S. flexneri. GO terms analysis suggests that iron and riboflavin coordinately regulate specific physiological functions involving redox metabolism. creator: Luis Fernando Lozano Aguirre creator: Juan Carlos Salazar creator: José Ignacio Vásquez creator: Víctor Antonio García-Angulo uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.9553 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2020 Lozano Aguirre et al. title: Differences in the support needs of children with developmental disabilities among groups of medical and behavioral needs link: https://peerj.com/articles/9557 last-modified: 2020-09-15 description: Background/AimsMedical and behavioral needs are relevant in organizing and providing support strategies that improve the quality of life for children, along with their families. The present study aims to examine the impact of medical and behavioral needs on the need for support of children with disabilities.MethodsHealth and education professionals were interviewed using the Supports Intensity Scale-Children’s version to estimate the support needs of 911 children and adolescents (5–16 years) with an intellectual disability, including 55.32% with an additional disability. For data analysis, a model for measuring support needs was specified, consisting of seven support needs factors and three method factors. In estimating the model, four groups of medical and behavioral needs were considered. The factor scores’ means of the groups were compared through t-tests.ResultsMedical and behavioral needs had an impact on overall support needs. Differences were found in all support domains for medical needs. The greatest influence of behavioral needs was found in the Social and School participation areas but was indistinguishable between the mild and moderate levels of needs.ConclusionsMedical and behavioral needs greatly affect the need for support in a child’s daily life, so they need to be considered a priority for support services. The importance of standardized assessments is emphasized to help develop support strategies. creator: Victor B. Arias creator: Virginia Aguayo creator: Miguel A. Verdugo creator: Antonio M. Amor uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.9557 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2020 Arias et al. title: A prognostic long non-coding RNA-associated competing endogenous RNA network in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma link: https://peerj.com/articles/9701 last-modified: 2020-09-15 description: BackgroundThis study aimed to develop multi-RNA-based models using a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory network to provide survival risk prediction in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).MethodsAll long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), microRNA (miRNA), and mRNA expression data and clinicopathological features related to HNSCC were derived from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Differentially expressed RNAs were calculated using R. Prognostic factors were identified using univariate Cox regression analysis. Functional analysis was performed using GO, KEGG pathways, and PPI network. Based on the results, we derived a risk signature and compared high- and low-risk subgroups using LASSO regression analysis. Survival analysis and the relationship between risk signature and clinicopathological features were performed using log-rank tests and Cox regression analysis. A ceRNA regulatory network was constructed, and prognostic lncRNAs and miRNA expression levels were validated in vitro and in vivo.ResultsA list of 207 lncRNAs, 18 miRNAs and 362 mRNAs related to overall survival was established. Five lncRNAs (HOTTIP, LINC00460, RMST, SFTA1P, and TM4SF19-AS1), one miRNA (hsa-miR-206), and one mRNA (STC2) were used to construct the ceRNA network. Three prognostic models contained 13 lncRNAs, eight miRNAs, and 17 mRNAs, which correlated with the patient status, disease-free survival (DFS), stage, grade, T stage, N stage, TP53 mutation status, angiolymphatic invasion, HPV status, and extracapsular spread. KEGG pathway analysis revealed significant enrichment of “Transcriptional misregulation in cancer” and “Neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction.” In addition, HOTTIP, LINC00460, miR-206 and STC2 were validated in GTEx data, GEO microarrays and six HNSCC cell lines.ConclusionsOur findings clarify the interaction of ceRNA regulatory networks and crucial clinicopathological features. These results show that prognostic biomarkers can be identified by constructing multi-RNA-based prognostic models, which can be used for survival risk prediction in patients with HNSCC. creator: Chengyao Zhang creator: Wei Cao creator: Jiawu Wang creator: Jiannan Liu creator: Jialiang Liu creator: Hao Wu creator: Siyi Li creator: Chenping Zhang uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.9701 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2020 Zhang et al. title: Changes in muscle activity during the flexion and extension phases of arm cycling as an effect of power output are muscle-specific link: https://peerj.com/articles/9759 last-modified: 2020-09-15 description: Arm cycling is commonly used in rehabilitation settings for individuals with motor impairments in an attempt to facilitate neural plasticity, potentially leading to enhanced motor function in the affected limb(s). Studies examining the neural control of arm cycling, however, typically cycle using a set cadence and power output. Given the importance of motor output intensity, typically represented by the amplitude of electromyographic (EMG) activity, on neural excitability, surprisingly little is known about how arm muscle activity is modulated using relative workloads. Thus, the objective of this study was to characterize arm muscle activity during arm cycling at different relative workloads. Participants (n = 11) first completed a 10-second maximal arm ergometry sprint to determine peak power output (PPO) followed by 11 randomized trials of 20-second arm cycling bouts ranging from 5–50% of PPO (5% increments) and a standard 25 W workload. All submaximal trials were completed at 60 rpm. Integrated EMG amplitude (iEMG) was assessed from the biceps brachii, brachioradialis, triceps brachii, flexor carpi radialis, extensor carpi radialis and anterior deltoid of the dominant arm. Arm cycling was separated into two phases, flexion and extension, relative to the elbow joint for all comparisons. As expected, iEMG amplitude increased during both phases of cycling for all muscles examined. With the exception of the triceps brachii and extensor carpi radialis, iEMG amplitudes differed between the flexion and extension phases. Finally, there was a linear relationship between iEMG amplitude and the %PPO for all muscles during both elbow flexion and extension. creator: Carla P. Chaytor creator: Davis Forman creator: Jeannette Byrne creator: Angela Loucks-Atkinson creator: Kevin E. Power uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.9759 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2020 Chaytor et al. title: Osteohistology and growth dynamics of the Brazilian noasaurid Vespersaurus paranaensis Langer et al., 2019 (Theropoda: Abelisauroidea) link: https://peerj.com/articles/9771 last-modified: 2020-09-15 description: Although the knowledge of bone histology of non-avian theropods has advanced considerably in recent decades, data about the bone tissue patterns, growth dynamics and ontogeny of some taxa such as abelisauroids are still limited. Here we describe the bone microstructure and growth dynamics of the Brazilian noasaurine Vespersaurus paranaensis using five femora and six tibiae and quantify the annual growth marks through retrocalculation of missing ones to estimate ontogenetic ages. The femoral series comprises four femoral histological classes (FHC I-IV), varying from two annuli or LAGs to seven LAGs. Femora show that sexual maturity was achieved around the seventh to tenth year of life, whereas the tibiae suggest it was earlier (around three to five years old). Tibiae represent three histological classes (THC I-III) displaying from three to nine LAGs. Two tibiae (THC III) exhibit an external fundamental system indicating that these specimens reached full skeletal size. The heterogeneous maturity observed in Vespersaurus hind limb bones could result from differential allometry scaling between femora and tibiae length with the body length. The predominant parallel-fibered bone matrix suggests that Vespersaurus grew more slowly than most theropods, including other abelisauroids, in a pattern shared with the noasaurines Masiakasaurus knopfleri from Madagascar and CPPLIP 1490 from Brazil. This deviation from the typical theropod growth pattern may be mainly correlated with small body size, but also may related to resource limitation imposed by the arid climate prevailing in southwestern Gondwana during Cretaceous. Moreover, given the ecological and phylogenetic similarities among these taxa, such features would probably be apomorphic within Noasauridae. creator: Geovane Alves de Souza creator: Marina Bento Soares creator: Arthur Souza Brum creator: Maria Zucolotto creator: Juliana M. Sayão creator: Luiz Carlos Weinschütz creator: Alexander W.A. Kellner uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.9771 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2020 Souza et al. title: Effect of shooting experience on executive function: differences between experts and novices link: https://peerj.com/articles/9802 last-modified: 2020-09-15 description: BackgroundExecutive function (EF) plays an important role in controlling human actions. Shooting is a closed motor skill, characterized by high anti-interference ability and high mental intensity. However, the beneficial effects of closed exercises such as shooting on EF remain unclear.MethodsWe utilized an expert-novice paradigm and the Flanker task to examine the EF of shooting athletes. Participants were assigned into the novice group, expert group, or control group, based on the level of training and competition experience. Reaction time (RT) and accuracy of performance across the three groups were compared.ResultsFor the simple task, the control group showed a longer RT than the novice group, for all three inter-stimulus interval (ISI) conditions. Significant differences between the control and the expert groups were observed only at 300-ms and 400-ms ISIs. For the complex task, the control group exhibited a higher RT than the novice and expert groups at the 300- and 400-ms ISIs.ConclusionsThe self-control during performing closed motor skills in the environment determines that shooters have proficient anti-interference ability. This ability is uncorrelated with task type, but most likely is affected by reserved task response time. creator: Mingming Shao creator: Yinghui Lai creator: AnMin Gong creator: Yuan Yang creator: Tingting Chen creator: Changhao Jiang uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.9802 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2020 Shao et al. title: Ground beetles (Coleoptera; Carabidae) as an indicator of ongoing changes in forest habitats due to increased water retention link: https://peerj.com/articles/9815 last-modified: 2020-09-15 description: This study, concerning the epigeic fauna of carabid beetles (Coleoptera; Carabidae), was conducted in the north-east of Poland, in an area which is part of the Dąbrówka Forest Subdistrict and has been included in the “Small water retention program for the Province of Warmia and Mazury in 2006–2015”. The purpose of the study was to assess the impact of the water retention implemented within the framework of the above program on assemblages of ground beetles. These insects are highly sensitive to any anthropogenically induced transformations. This analysis was based on the interactions among the analyzed insects caused by changes occurring in their habitat. During the 3-year study, 5,807 specimens representing 84 species were captured. The water storage had a significant influence on the structure of the Carabidae assemblages. Before the earthworks were constructed for the project, the beetle assemblages had comprised a large group of xerophilous species, whereas after the small retention reservoirs had been created, an increase in the contribution of hygrophilous species was noticed. The results indicate that the retention works cause alterations in the water and environmental conditions of the habitats, and thereby effect changes in the composition of Carabidae assemblages. Moreover, modification in water relations within a habitat causes long-term changes in the structural and functional diversity of the beetles. creator: Emilia Ludwiczak creator: Mariusz Nietupski creator: Agnieszka Kosewska uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.9815 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2020 Ludwiczak et al.