Maintaining optimal growth of preterm infants after hospital discharge remains a challenge. There has been no data on the long-term growth trajectory of preterm infants in Indonesia. We aimed to describe the growth trajectory of preterm infants up to 24 months of corrected age and its variation among gestational age groups. A longitudinal study was conducted in Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta, from 2018 to 2020. All preterm infants who were discharged during the study period were included. Growth trajectory analysis used weight-for-age, length-for-age and weight-for-length z-score of 3-month time intervals across gestational age groups using repeated measure ANOVA and generalised estimating equation regression. Length trajectory was specifically reported as a stunted proportion. Among 306 preterm infants included, most were moderate preterm (49·67 %) and low birth weight (69·93 %). Overall weight-for-age at 0 months was in the median of the curve, then decreased at 3 months but consistently increased slowly until 24 months. The weight-for-age trends were unique across gestational age groups but statistically similar (P= 0·263). The proportion of stunted gradually decreases to 13·40 % at 24 months, mostly among the moderate preterm group in the first 6 months (P< 0·001), but then becomes similar at 24 months. All subjects were in the normal range for weight-for-length but had variations in trends across gestational age groups (P< 0·001). Growth trajectory differed between weight, length and weight-for-length in the first 24 months and varied among gestational age groups. Close follow-up is crucial to ensure optimal growth after neonatal intensive care unit discharge.

The ocean quahog, Arctica islandica, is a commercially important bivalve in the eastern USA but very little is known about the recruitment frequency and rebuilding capacity of this species. As the longest-living bivalve on Earth, A. islandica can achieve lifespans in excess of 200 y; however, age determinations are difficult to estimate and age variability at size is extreme. Objectives for this study included the creation of an extremely large age-composition dataset to constrain age at length variability, development of reliable age-length keys (ALK), and descriptions of sex-based population dynamics for the quasi-virgin A. islandica population at Georges Bank (GB) within the greater US Mid-Atlantic stock. Sexually dimorphic characteristics are clearly present, as females are larger than males within age classes and males tend to dominate the oldest age classes. A male represented the maximum age of 261 years and is older than the maximum age previously documented for this region. Sex-specific ALKs were robust and reliable but not interchangeable. This population had higher estimated natural mortality rates than presumed for other regions in the Mid-Atlantic, and females have the highest mortality rate. However, recruitment expansion was also occurring which would affect the age-frequency data used to derive mortality estimates and result in higher mortality. Age frequencies at GB suggest effective recruitment to the population each year since 1867 CE. Reduced recruitment periods are documented and likely attributed to fluctuating environmental conditions. Sex-based demographics are clearly divergent in regard to growth rate, maximum size, longevity and mortality rates.

We prove that most permutations of degree $n$ have some power which is a cycle of prime length approximately $\log n$. Explicitly, we show that for $n$ sufficiently large, the proportion of such elements is at least $1-5/\log \log n$ with the prime between $\log n$ and $(\log n)^{\log \log n}$. The proportion of even permutations with this property is at least $1-7/\log \log n$.

Let $\Omega $ be a connected open set in the plane and $\gamma : [0,1] \to \overline {\Omega }$ a path such that $\gamma ((0,1)) \subset \Omega $ . We show that the path $\gamma $ can be “pulled tight” to a unique shortest path which is homotopic to $\gamma $ , via a homotopy h with endpoints fixed whose intermediate paths $h_t$ , for $t \in [0,1)$ , satisfy $h_t((0,1)) \subset \Omega $ . We prove this result even in the case when there is no path of finite Euclidean length homotopic to $\gamma $ under such a homotopy. For this purpose, we offer three other natural, equivalent notions of a “shortest” path. This work generalizes previous results for simply connected domains with simple closed curve boundaries.

Twenty one samples of relatively pure tubular halloysites (HNTs) from localities in Australia, China, New Zealand, Scotland, Turkey and the USA have been investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (IR) and electron microscopy. The halloysites occur in cylindrical tubular forms with circular or elliptical cross sections and curved layers and also as prismatic tubular forms with polygonal cross sections and flat faces. Measurements of particle size indicate a range from 40 to 12,700 nm for tube lengths and from 20 to 600 nm for diameters. Size distributions are positively skewed with mean lengths ranging from 170 to 950 nm and mean diameters from 50 to 160 nm. Cylindrical tubes are systematically smaller than prismatic ones. Features related to order/ disorder in XRD patterns e.g. as measured by a ‘cylindrical/prismatic’ (CP) index and IR spectra as measured by an ‘OH-stretching band ratio’ are related to the proportions of cylindrical vs. prismatic tubes and correlated with other physical measurements such as specific surface area and cation exchange capacity. The relationships of size to geometric form, along with evidence for the existence of the prismatic form in the hydrated state and the same 2M1 stacking sequence irrespective of hydration state (i.e. 10 vs. 7 Å) or form, suggests that prismatic halloysites are the result of continued growth of cylindrical forms.

The aims of this study were to develop and validate a prediction equation of fat-free mass (FFM) based on bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and anthropometry using air-displacement plethysmography (ADP) as a reference in Asian neonates and to test the applicability of the prediction equations in an independent Western cohort. A total of 173 neonates at birth and 140 at two weeks of age were included. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to develop the prediction equations in a two-third randomly selected subset and validated on the remaining one-third subset at each time point and in an independent Queensland cohort. FFM measured by ADP was the dependent variable, and anthropometric measures, sex and impedance quotient (L2/R50) were independent variables in the model. Accuracy of prediction equations was assessed using intra-class correlation and Bland–Altman analyses. L2/R50 was the significant predictor of FFM at week two but not at birth. Compared with the model using weight, sex and length, including L2/R50 slightly improved the prediction with a bias of 0·01 kg with 2 sd limits of agreement (LOA) (0·18, −0·20). Prediction explained 88·9 % of variation but not beyond that of anthropometry. Applying these equations to the Queensland cohort provided similar performance at the appropriate age. However, when the Queensland equations were applied to our cohort, the bias increased slightly but with similar LOA. BIA appears to have limited use in predicting FFM in the first few weeks of life compared with simple anthropometry in Asian populations. There is a need for population- and age-appropriate FFM prediction equations.

The independent and the combined influence of word length, word frequency, and contextual predictability on eye movements in reading was examined across processing stages under two priming-context conditions. Length, frequency, and predictability were used as predictors in multiple regression analyses, with parafoveal, early, late, and spillover eye movement measures as the dependent variables. There were specific effects of: (a) length, both on where to look (how likely a word was fixated and in which location) and how long to fixate, across all processing stages; (b) frequency, on how long to fixate a word, but not on where to look, at an early processing stage; and (c) predictability, both on how likely a word was fixated and for how long, in late processing stages. The source of influence for predictability was related to global rather than to local contextual priming. The contribution of word length was independent of contextual source. These results are relevant to determine both the time course of the influence of visual, lexical, and contextual factors on eye movements in reading, and which main component of eye movements, that is, location or duration, is affected.

Studies of the capillary bed characterized by its length or length density are relevant in many biomedical studies. A reliable assessment of capillary length from two-dimensional (2D), thin histological sections is a rather difficult task as it requires physical cutting of such sections in randomized directions. This is often technically demanding, inefficient, or outright impossible. However, if 3D image data of the microscopic structure under investigation are available, methods of length estimation that do not require randomized physical cutting of sections may be applied. Two different rat brain regions were optically sliced by confocal microscopy and resulting 3D images processed by three types of capillary length estimation methods: (1) stereological methods based on a computer generation of isotropic uniform random virtual test probes in 3D, either in the form of spatial grids of virtual “slicer” planes or spherical probes; (2) automatic method employing a digital version of the Crofton relations using the Euler characteristic of planar sections of the binary image; and (3) interactive “tracer” method for length measurement based on a manual delineation in 3D of the axes of capillary segments. The presented methods were compared in terms of their practical applicability, efficiency, and precision.

Two Achirus mazatlanus with record lengths of 218 and 230 mm total length were observed, a 12 and 24 mm increase over the previous mark for this species.

We analyzed the characteristics associated with the growth in length and height of Japanese triplets from birth to 6 years of age and present the growth charts for them. The study included 354 mothers and their 1,061 triplet children, who were born between 1978 and 2006. Data were collected through a mailed questionnaire sent to the mothers asking for information recorded in medical records. For these births, data on triplets' length and height growth, gestational age, sex, parity, and maternal age at delivery were obtained from records in the Maternal and Child Health Handbooks, which is provided by the authorities after a report of pregnancy. Birth length showed the strongest contribution to height of triplets from 1 to 6 years of age. In addition, birthweight was also a significant contributing factor to height from 1 to 3 years of age. Compared to the 50th percentile of the growth standard for the general population of Japan, the length and height deficit of the triplets was approximately 15% at birth (male, –7.0 cm; female, –7.0 cm), decreased within the first year of age, and fluctuated between 2 and 5% until 6 years of age (male, –3.7 cm; female, –3.3 cm). In conclusion, triplets have lower birth length and subsequent height than singletons. In spite of the catch-up growth during the first year of life, they are behind singletons even in mid-childhood. This study provides height growth curves for triplets.

Plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) are the most abundant juvenile flatfish present on west of Ireland nursery grounds. 0-group plaice were collected from eleven sandy beach nursery areas along the west coast of Ireland by beach seining (2000–2007). In the majority of years examined, certain beaches were found to support a higher abundance of juvenile plaice, or individuals that were larger in size and exhibited good condition, suggesting that differences in habitat quality exist between beaches. Monthly mean densities of plaice ranged from 2.4 (± 2.4) to 100 (± 1.3) individuals 1000 m−2. Mean lengths of plaice ranged between 6.0 (± 1.0) and 10.1 (± 0.5) cm. No evidence of density dependent growth was detected over the eight years of the study. The length and condition of juvenile plaice also differed between hauls, indicating the existence of microhabitat effects and emphasizing the importance of selecting an appropriate spatial resolution to adequately assess an area. Similar to other locations in Europe, juvenile plaice abundances on nursery grounds were inversely related to mean spring seawater temperatures during the pelagic stage. Abundances of 0-group plaice were not related to the number of either 1- or 2-group individuals collected during bottom-trawl surveys off the Irish west coast, demonstrating the difficulties associated with developing a recruitment index for plaice.