Search

The nucleobases, namely the purines adenine and guanine and the pyrimidines cytosine, thymine, and uracil, are the key monomers of the information polymers DNA and RNA. All the nucleobases were recently detected in the analysis of certain meteorites known as carbonaceous chondrites. The concentration of the nucleobases found in meteorites is smaller than the concentration of amino acids. However, the nucleobases were successfully synthesized abiotically by ultraviolet irradiation of interstellar ice analogues at 10 K. Consequently, it is possible that the purines and pyrimidines may be present in the interstellar medium or in other space environments and may be detectable by the new orbiting telescopes that indeed are able to cover not only the mid-infrared spectral range but also the far-infrared. This work supplies the reference spectra of the five nucleobases used by the terrestrial biochemistry in the mid-infrared and in the far-infrared with the purpose to facilitate the search and identification of these astrobiological and astrochemical relevant molecules in space. The mid-infrared spectra of all nucleobases were recorded at three different temperatures from −180 °C to nearly ambient temperature and at +250 °C. Furthermore, the molar extinction coefficients (ε) of all mid- and far-infrared bands were determined, as well as the integrated molar absorptivities (ψ). With the reported infrared spectra together with the ε and ψ values, it will be possible to identify qualitatively the nucleobases and estimate their relative abundance in space.

Geospatial data are fundamental in most global-change and sustainability-related domains. However, readily accessible information on data quality and provenance is often missing or hardly accessible for users due to technical or perceptual barriers, for example, due to unstructured metadata information or missing references. Within an interdisciplinary process encompassing perspectives of data users, data producers, and software developers, we identified major needs to facilitate effective fitness-for-use assessments by data users and developed approaches to address these. We provided a stylized analysis of large-scale land use data to showcase selected approaches. To support data users, interoperable quality and provenance information need to be meaningfully represented. Data producers need efficient workflows and tools supporting them in creating high-quality, structured and detailed quality and provenance information. Our newly developed approaches to increase the availability of structured metadata synthesize new and existing tools to extract metadata or to generate provenance data during processing. Within our approaches to improve interoperability and accessibility we present novel tools to support (i) the creation of curated and linked registers of data quality indicators and thematic terms, and (ii) linked visualization of data quality and provenance information. Following our approaches increases transparency, facilitates fitness-for-use assessments, and ultimately improves research quality.

We present Spitzer 10-34 {\mu}m spectroscopic observations of the diffuse gas in the inner region of the star-forming region IC 348 of the Perseus Molecular Cloud. We find evidence for the strongest mid-IR bands of common molecules as H\textsubscript{2}, OH, H\textsubscript{2}O,CO\textsubscript{2} and NH\textsubscript{3} and of several carbonaceous molecules which may play an important role in the production of more complex hydrocarbons: HCN, C\textsubscript{2}H\textsubscript{2}, C\textsubscript{4}H\textsubscript{2}, HC\textsubscript{3}N, HC\textsubscript{5}N, C\textsubscript{2}H\textsubscript{6}, C\textsubscript{6}H\textsubscript{2}, C\textsubscript{6}H\textsubscript{6}. The excitation diagram of H\textsubscript{2} reveals the presence of warm gas (270 +- 30 K) at the observed locations. Assuming this temperature, the derived abundances of CO\textsubscript{2} and NH\textsubscript{3} relative to H\textsubscript{2} are 10\textsuperscript{-8} and 10\textsuperscript{-7}, respectively. From the water lines we obtain an abundance of order 10\textsuperscript{-6} and higher gas temperatures. The abundances derived for HCN and C\textsubscript{2}H\textsubscript{2}, key molecules in the development of prebiotic building blocks, are of order 10\textsuperscript{-7} and 10\textsuperscript{-9}, respectively. More complex molecules such as PAHs and the fullerenes C\textsubscript{60} and C\textsubscript{70} are also present. IC 348 appears to be very rich and diverse in molecular content. The JWST spectroscopic capabilities may provide details on the spatial distribution of all these molecules and extend the present search to more complex hydrocarbons., Comment: 33 pages, 24 figures, 4 tables, ACCEPTED in MNRAS

BACKGROUND: The reported infection rates, and the burden of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in low- and middle-income countries, including sub-Saharan Africa, are relatively low compared to Europe and America, partly due to limited testing capabilities. Unlike many countries, in Tanzania, neither mass screening nor restrictive measures such as lockdowns have been implemented to date. The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in rural mainland Tanzania is largely unknown.METHODS: Between April and October 2021, we conducted a cross-sectional study to assess anti-SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among mother-child pairs ( n=634 children, n=518 mothers) in a rural setting of north-eastern Tanzania. FINDINGS: We found a very high prevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody titres with seroprevalence rates ranging from 29% among mothers and 40% among children, with a dynamic peak in seropositivity incidence at the end of July/early in August being revealed. Significant differences in age, socioeconomic status and body composition were associated with seropositivity in mothers and children. No significant associations were observed between seropositivity and comorbidities, including anaemia, diabetes, malaria, and HIV.INTERPRETATIONS: The SARS-CoV-2 transmission in a rural region of Tanzania during 2021 was high, indicating a much higher infection rate in rural Tanzania compared to that reported in the UK and USA during the same period. Ongoing immune surveillance may be vital to monitoring the burden of viral infection in rural settings without access to molecular genotyping where a load of communicable diseases may mask COVID-19. Surveillance could be implemented in tandem with the intensification of vaccination strategies.

International audience; Objectives: To describe the impact of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) on treatment patterns and survival outcomes in patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (aNSCLC) in France and Germany. Materials and Methods: Patients with aNSCLC without known ALK or EGFR mutations receiving first-line (1L) therapy were included from (i) the retrospective Epidemiological-Strategy and Medical Economics Advanced and Metastatic Lung Cancer cohort (ESME-AMLC, France; 2015–2018) and (ii) the prospective Clinical Research platform Into molecular testing, treatment and outcome of non-Small cell lung carcinoma Patients platform (CRISP, Germany; 2016–2018). Analyses were stratified according to histology. Survival outcomes were estimated using Kaplan–Meier methodology and stratified by year of 1L therapy. Data sources were analysed separately. Results: In ESME-AMLC and CRISP, 8,046 and 2,359 patients were included in the study, respectively. In both countries, approximately 20 % of all patients received pembrolizumab monotherapy as 1L treatment in 2018. In ESME-AMLC, the proportion receiving an ICI over the course of treatment (any line) increased from 42.2 % (2015) to 56.1 % (2018) in patients with squamous histology, and 28.9 % to 51.9 % with non-squamous/other; in CRISP, it increased from 50.6 % (2016) to 65.2 % (2018) with squamous histology, and 40.8 % to 62.7 % with non-squamous/other. Two-year overall survival from 1L initiation was 36.8 % and 25.6 % in the squamous cohorts and 36.5 % and 30.8 % in the non-squamous/other cohorts in ESME-AMLC and CRISP, respectively. No significant change in overall survival was observed over time; however, the follow-up time available was limited in the later years of the analysis. Conclusion: The results of this joint research from two large clinical databases in France and Germany demonstrate the growing use of ICIs in the management of aNSCLC. Future analyses will allow for the evaluation of the impact of ICIs on long-term survival of patients with aNSCLC.

Linker H1 histones play an important role in animal and human pathogenesis, but their function in plant immunity is poorly understood. Here, we analyzed mutants of the three canonical variants of Arabidopsis H1 histones, namely H1.1, H1.2 and H1.3. We observed that double h1.1h1.2 and triple h1.1h1.2h1.3 (3h1) mutants were resistant to Pseudomonas syringae and Botrytis cinerea infections. Transcriptome analysis of 3h1 mutant plants showed H1s play a key role in regulating the expression of early and late defense genes upon pathogen challenge. Moreover, 3h1 mutant plants showed enhanced production of reactive oxygen species and activation of mitogen activated protein kinases upon pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) treatment. However, 3h1 mutant plants were insensitive to priming with flg22, a well-known bacterial PAMP which induces enhanced resistance in WT plants. The defective defense response in 3h1 upon priming was correlated with altered DNA methylation and reduced global H3K56ac levels. Our data place H1 as a molecular gatekeeper in governing dynamic changes in the chromatin landscape of defense genes during plant pathogen interaction.

Im Zuge der Veränderungen gesellschaftlicher Lebensformen infolge der Digitalisierung stehen Kindertageseinrichtungen vor der Herausforderung, sich mit der digitalen Durchdringung der familialen Lebenswelt junger Kinder auseinanderzusetzen. Zusätzlich werden ihnen, aufgrund ihres Bildungsauftrags und ihrer gewachsenen Bedeutung als Teil der Normalbiografie des Kindes, Erwartungen im Hinblick auf den frühzeitigen Ausgleich von Bildungsungleichheit gestellt. Vor diesem Hintergrund diskutiert der Beitrag das Potenzial einer organisationstheoretischen Betrachtung des Umgangs mit dem Digitalen in der Kindertageseinrichtung. Unter Rückgriff auf ein Konzept von «Organisationskultur» wird anhand eines empirischen Beispiels mithilfe von Videodaten und Interviewmaterial dargestellt, wie organisationskulturelle Rahmungen und der alltägliche Umgang mit digitalen Bilderbüchern miteinander verschränkt sind. Vor allem im institutionellen Alltag der Kinder schlagen sich die im Team ausgehandelten Orientierungen und Haltungen zum Thema digitale Medien nieder und beeinflussen ihre Möglichkeiten zur Partizipation. Die Ergebnisse zeigen darüber hinaus, wie die Kinder an der Herstellung und Aufrechterhaltung (organisations-)kultureller Rahmungen beteiligt sind und diese durch Integration in ihre Peerkultur modifizieren. Daher plädiert der Beitrag für eine höhere Sensitivität gegenüber den Beiträgen junger Kinder zur digital geprägten Kultur. Zudem zeigt sich der organisationskulturelle Zugang als gewinnbringend für die Auseinandersetzung mit theoretischen und praktischen Verknüpfungen von Digitalität und Nachhaltigkeit.

Knowledge graphs are widely used in industry and studied within the academic community. However, the models applied in the development of knowledge graphs vary. Analysing and providing a synthesis of the commonly used approaches to knowledge graph development would provide researchers and practitioners a better understanding of the overall process and methods involved. Hence, this article aims at defining the overall process of knowledge graph development and its key constituent steps. For this purpose, a systematic review and a conceptual analysis of the literature was conducted. The resulting process was compared to case studies to evaluate its applicability. The proposed process suggests a unified approach and provides guidance for both researchers and practitioners when constructing and managing knowledge graphs.

Purpose Microscopic ophthalmic surgery requires an understanding of three-dimensional (3D) spaces within the eye. Recently, there has been an increase in 3D video training tools in health care. Studies have evaluated the efficacy of 3D tutorials in general surgery, but little has been published within ophthalmology. We present a randomized study evaluating differences in surgically naïve trainees after watching either a 2D or 3D phacoemulsification tutorial. Design This was a double-blind, randomized study. A group of third and fourth year medical students at our institution were randomized with stratified randomization based on prior surgical courses to control for differences in baseline surgical skill. The two study arms were watching 2D or 3D instructional videos on phacoemulsification (Richard Mackool). Methods Participants received a preliminary survey and participated in an hour-long microscopic surgery session. During the session, participants performed tasks evaluating baseline microscopic spatial awareness and surgical skill. The students were then instructed to watch either a 2D or 3D video on phacoemulsification based on their randomized study arm. During the postintervention session, participants performed the biplanar incision and capsulorhexis steps of cataract surgery discussed in the video on model eyes. Students were evaluated on speed and overall capsulorhexis quality. Results Thirty-one students qualified for the study and completed the microscopic surgery session. Students in both groups had similar baseline speed and quality of preintervention microscopic tasks (p > 0.05 for all tasks). Postintervention, students randomized to the 3D video performed significantly faster than the 2D group for biplanar incision (11.1 ± 5.5 s vs. 20.7 ± 10.5 s, p = 0.001). There were no statistically significant differences found between the groups in capsulorhexis timing (p = 0.12) or quality score (p = 0.60). Conclusions 3D video surgical training tutorials may improve speed of certain steps of cataract surgery for surgically naïve ophthalmology trainees. Given the limited sample size of this study, further investigation of their effectiveness is warranted.

Background Previous studies have shown that Tourette syndrome (TS) has an impact on academic achievements. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the severity of tics and comorbidities and educational outcomes. Methods From 2005 to 2007, 395 participants were included in a large cohort (314 with TS and 81 controls) and the mean age was 12.60 ± 2.64 years. The cohort was re-examined after 4 to 8 years (median 5.6) where n = 276 participants (223 with TS and 53 controls) were included with a mean age of 18.52 ± 2.73 years. At both time points, severity of tics and the presence and severity of psychiatric comorbidity were assessed. Educational achievements were assessed through structured interviews. Results Children with TS had a lower passing rate at lower secondary and high school compared to healthy controls. More severe vocal tics were associated with fewer passing lower secondary school at a prospective level. At a cross-sectional level, more severe motor tics were associated with fewer passing high school. Tic severity only influenced children with TS without comorbidity. The severity of comorbidity was found to be associated with the educational level at a longitudinal view, but not cross-sectional. Conclusion Overall, children with TS had a lower passing rate at lower secondary school and high school compared to healthy controls. We found that this difference was more likely driven by the severity of comorbidities than tic severity. It is important to be aware of academic achievement in children with TS in order to give them the right support and thereby optimize educational opportunities.

A disponibilidade e eficiência dos sistemas de tratamento de esgoto têm grande importância frente à segurança e garantia dos recursos hídricos. Historicamente, os sistemas de tratamento de esgotos foram concebidos segundo um sistema de economia linear, onde o objetivo principal é produzir um efluente tratado e que atenda critérios de legislações vigentes. A inserção de estratégias voltadas a economia circular requer uma mudança no entendimento do próprio termo “esgoto”, passando a considerá-lo como um recurso regenerativo de água doce, energia e nutrientes. As ETE’s, além do papel fundamental de tratamento do efluente, podem ser concebidas e/ou operadas com um viés sustentável, promovendo um sistema produtivo circular. A adoção de novas tecnologias, a exemplo das câmaras de vácuo em processos aeróbios e anaeróbios, auxiliam no processo de otimização e eficiência das ETE’s através de um olhar sustentável de menor geração de resíduos e recuperação de recursos. Os resultados iniciais de uma pesquisa em andamento no Brasil, mostraram que a utilização de uma câmera de vácuo pode se tornar uma etapa dos sistemas de tratamento das ETE’s, para fins de remoção da carga nitrogenada, levando a melhora da saúde humana e aquática. A Polônia, China e Finlândia já possuem sistemas de desgaseificação a vácuo com foco na melhoria do assentamento e na redução da volumetria do lodo ativado. Um projeto em escala piloto, realizado em parceria entre o Brasil e a Alemanha, mostrou que o uso de câmeras a vácuo pode chegar a uma eficiência de 80% na recuperação do metano dissolvido em efluentes domésticos e industriais. Iniciativas como essas são necessárias para o avanço e a gestão sustentável das águas, energia e recursos, buscando atender os objetivos de desenvolvimento sustentável e a melhora da qualidade da água, reduzindo a poluição e aumentando o reuso seguro da água proveniente do esgoto tratado.

As estratégias usuais para remoção do nitrogênio de esgotos sanitários consistem na sua recuperação para utilização como fertilizante agrícola ou na conversão gás em nitrogênio. Usualmente, a remoção do nitrogênio amoniacal se dá pela combinação de processos denominados nitrificação e desnitrificação. A problemática associada a ambos é os altos custos associados e o impacto ambiental provocado pela produção biomassa e emissão de gases de efeito estufa. Devido ao alto consumo de energia para a realização dos processos de nitrificação e desnitrificação nos sistemas de tratamentos de efluentes sanitários, há um crescente interesse para o desenvolvimento de tecnologias que possibilitem a remoção do nitrogênio de uma maneira mais aprimorada, possibilitando a redução dos níveis de oxigênio dissolvido para o processo de nitrificação parcial. Considerando a evidente necessidade do aprimoramento das técnicas tradicionais – como os processos de nitrificação e desnitrificação – e o desenvolvimento de técnicas inovadoras para a remoção das frações nitrogenadas presentes em esgotos sanitários, tendo em vista a necessidade da redução dos custos envolvidos, a complexidade do processo e a necessidade de maximização da eficiência obtida, a pesquisa objetivou, através do desenvolvimento de um sistema em escala piloto, avaliar a eficiência da utilização do vácuo para o tratamento da carga nitrogenada de esgotos sanitários visando à redução do consumo de energia durante o processo de remoção do nitrogênio. O ciclo de trabalho nos ensaios iniciais foi de 30 minutos. A desgaseificação foi obtida com uma pressão de 80 kPa. Foram analisadas as reduções de nitrogênio amoniacal após o período de desgaseificação. Em todas as situações analisadas, a redução de nitrogênio amoniacal foi entre 6% e 14%.

Predictors of poor outcome associated with variceal bleeding remain suboptimal. In patients with cirrhosis, serum lactate combined with Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD-LA) improved prediction across heterogeneous populations. However, prognostic properties have not yet been assessed in the context of variceal bleeding.We aimed to evaluate the predictive performance of MELD-LA compared to MELD, lactate, and nadir hemoglobin in cirrhosis patients with variceal bleeding.In this multicenter study, we identified 472 patients with variceal bleeding from a German primary cohort (University Hospitals Hamburg/Frankfurt/Cologne), and two independent external validation cohorts [Veterans Affairs (VA), Baylor University]. Discrimination for 30-day mortality was analyzed and scores were compared. MELD-LA was evaluated separately in validation cohorts to ensure consistency of findings.In contrast to nadir hemoglobin, MELD and peak-lactate at time of bleeding were significantly higher in 30-day non-survivors in the primary cohort (p = 0.708; p 0.001). MELD-LA had excellent discrimination for 30-day mortality (AUROC 0.82, 95% CI 0.76-0.88), better than MELD and peak-lactate (AUROC 0.78, 95% CI 0.71-0.84; AUROC 0.73, 95% CI 0.66-0.81). MELD-LA predicted 30-day mortality independently of age, sex, severity of liver disease and vasopressor support (HR 1.29 per 1-point-increase of MELD-LA; 95% CI 1.19-1.41; p 0.001). Similarly, MELD-LA demonstrated excellent discrimination for 30-day mortality in the VA (AUROC = 0.86, 95% CI 0.79-0.93) and Baylor cohort (AUROC = 0.85, 95% CI 0.74-0.95).MELD-LA significantly improves discrimination of short-term mortality associated with variceal bleeding, compared to MELD, peak-lactate and nadir hemoglobin. Thus, MELD-LA might represent a useful and objective marker for risk assessment and therapeutic intervention in patients with variceal bleeding.

Computer-assisted child-focused interventions are expected to improve efficiency and personalization of therapist-led treatments for children and adolescents. However, therapist-led, outpatient interventions using computer assistance are lacking for children with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) or conduct disorder (CD). The present randomized controlled trial examined the efficacy of individualized computer-assisted social skills training for children with aggressive behavior compared to a resource activation intervention.A total of 100 children aged 6-12 years with a diagnosis of ODD/CD and peer-related aggression were randomly (1:1) assigned to either individually delivered computer-assisted social skills training (ScouT) or an individually delivered supportive resource activation treatment (STARK). The primary outcome was parent-rated peer-related aggression, assessed with the respective scale of the Questionnaire for Aggressive Behavior of Children (FAVK) and measured at pre-assessment and after the 16-week intervention (post-assessment). Further parent-, self-, teacher- and/or clinician-rated outcomes included ODD and CD symptoms, a wide range of behavioral and emotional symptoms, callous-unemotional traits, functional impairment, and quality of life.After correcting for multiple testing, analyses of covariance comparing the efficacy of ScouT to the efficacy of STARK yielded small to moderate treatment effects in favor of the ScouT condition regarding parent-rated peer-related aggression (primary outcome; d = -0.64, 95% CI = -1.05, -0.24), parent-rated callous and uncaring traits, and parent-rated quality of life. However, the analyses did not reveal any significant effects for self- or teacher-rated peer-related aggression assessed with the respective scale of the FAVK (self-report: d = -0.21, 95% CI = -0.69, 0.29; teacher rating: d = -0.17, 95% CI = -0.56, 0.22). Moreover, after controlling for multiple comparisons, no significant effects emerged for the following: parent-, self-, and teacher-rated adult-related aggression; parent-, self-, teacher-, and clinician-rated ODD and CD symptoms; parent-, self-, and teacher-rated emotional and behavioral symptoms; and parent-rated functional impairment.According to parent ratings, school-age children with disruptive behavior disorders and peer-related aggression seem to benefit more from individualized, computer-assisted social skills training than from resource activation treatment. However, this conclusion is limited by the missing effects on the clinician-, self-, and teacher-rated measures.Treatment of Children With Peer Related Aggressive Behavior (ScouT); https://clinicaltrials.gov/; NCT02143427.

Selecting appropriate management for patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma (EA) is predicated on accurate clinical staging information. Inaccurate information could lead to inappropriate treatment and suboptimal survival. We investigated the relationship between staging accuracy, treatment, and survival.This was a national cohort study of EA patients in the National Cancer Data Base (2006-2015) treated with upfront resection or neoadjuvant therapy (NAT). Clinical and pathological staging information was used to ascertain staging concordance for each patient. For NAT patients, Bayesian analysis was used to account for potential downstaging. We evaluated the association between staging concordance, receipt of NAT, and survival through hierarchical logistic regression and multivariable Cox regression.Among 7635 EA patients treated at 877 hospitals, 3038 had upfront resection and 4597 NAT followed by surgery. Relative to accurately staged patients, understaging was associated with a lower likelihood (odds ratio [OR] 0.04 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.02-0.05) while overstaging was associated with a greater likelihood of receiving NAT (OR 1.98 [1.53-2.56]). Relative to upfront surgery, treatment of cT1N0 patients with NAT was associated with a higher risk of death (HR 3.08 [2.36-4.02]). For accurately or overstaged cT3-T4 patients, NAT was associated with a lower risk of death whether downstaging occurred (ypN0 disease-HR 0.67 [0.49-0.92]; N+ disease-HR 0.55 [0.45-0.66]) or not (ypN + disease-HR 0.78 [95% CI 0.65-0.93]).Clinical understaging is associated with receipt of NAT which in turn may have a stage-specific impact on patients' survival regardless of treatment response. Guidelines should account for the possibility of inaccurate clinical staging.

The Programme on Ecosystem Change and Society (PECS) was established in 2011, and is now one of the major international social-ecological systems (SES) research networks. During this time, SES research has undergone a phase of rapid growth and has grown into an influential branch of sustainability science. In this Perspective, we argue that SES research has also deepened over the past decade, and helped to shed light on key dimensions of SES dynamics (e.g. system feedbacks, aspects of system design, goals and paradigms) that can lead to tangible action for solving the major sustainability challenges of our time. We suggest four ways in which the growth of place-based SES research, fostered by networks such as PECS, has contributed to these developments, namely by: 1) shedding light on transformational change, 2) revealing the social dynamics shaping SES, 3) bringing together diverse types of knowledge, and 4) encouraging reflexive researchers. The Programme on Ecosystem Change and Society (PECS) was established in 2011, and is now one of the major international social-ecological systems (SES) research networks. During this time, SES research has undergone a phase of rapid growth and has grown into an influential branch of sustainability science. In this Perspective, we argue that SES research has also deepened over thepast decade, and helped to shed light on key dimensions of SES dynamics (e.g. system feedbacks, aspects of system design, goals and paradigms) that can lead to tangible action for solving the major sustainability challenges of our time. We suggest four ways in which the growth of place-based SES research, fostered by networks such as PECS, has contributed to these developments, namely by: 1)shedding light on transformational change, 2) revealing the social dynamics shaping SES, 3) bringing together diverse types of knowledge, and 4) encouraging reflexive researchers

The robust thermoresponsive and bioactive surfaces for tissue engineering by combining poly

Motivated by near-identical graphs of two increasing continuous functions—one related to Zaremba’s conjecture and the other due to Salem—we provide an explicit connection between fractals and regular sequences by showing that the graphs of ghost distributions, the distribution functions of measures associated to regular sequences, are sections of self-affine sets. Additionally, we provide a sufficient condition for such measures to be purely singular continuous. As a corollary, and analogous to Salem’s strictly increasing singular continuous function, we show that the ghost distributions of the Zaremba sequences are singular continuous.

Two predoctoral psychology interns share their personal reflections of neurological injuries they experienced during their adolescence and how it has informed and shaped their clinical work. Through their reflections, they provide insights and lessons learned as they have the unique first-hand experience of being a patient and now a rehabilitation psychology trainee and provider. Additionally, they describe how they have applied such knowledge during their clinical work with clients experiencing neurological and chronic health conditions. Issues involving communication with clients, families, and the treatment teams, the benefits and risks of self-disclosure, and the role of hope, meaning in life, and spirituality are discussed. The clinical practice implications of these insights are invaluable for trainees and healthcare specialists at all levels of experience, including the crucial role of supervision during the predoctoral internship year. Recommendations are made for clinical practice including providing developmentally appropriate communication and promoting an environment for growth and recovery. The authors are hopeful that the reflections provided in this article can inspire other trainees to feel comfortable in sharing their personal medical and psychological challenges as appropriate and relevant to help integrate their professional development.

Bariatric surgery is associated with elevated risks for adverse birth outcomes, such as small-for-gestational-age infants (SGA). Maternal mental health is a critical regulator of fetal growth, but it is largely overlooked in pregnant women post-surgery. This study aimed to examine the associations between maternal mental health and birth outcomes in pregnant women post-bariatric surgery.This was a retrospective analysis of medical records of women who had a singleton delivery following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy. Mental health measures included depression/anxiety and substance use (cigarettes, alcohol, opioids, and marijuana). Birth outcomes were fetal growth restriction, SGA, low birthweight, and preterm birth. Logistic regressions were used to assess the associations between maternal mental health and each of the birth outcomes. A post hoc logistic regression was conducted to assess factors that influenced maternal marijuana use.Participants (N = 179) were mostly white (64.6%), non-Hispanic (84.5%), with a mean age of 32.7 ± 4.6 years, and mean body mass index of 37.2 ± 8.4 kg/mThis analysis identified marijuana and cigarette use as risk factors for adverse birth outcomes post-bariatric surgery. Future studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm study findings.

To evaluate bacterial contamination of conjunctiva and aqueous humor in dogs undergoing phacoemulsification following asepsis with 0.5% povidone iodine and determine the influence of intravenous antibiotics on outcome of contamination.Client-owned dogs were prospectively enrolled and randomly assigned to a control group, receiving 22 mg/kg intravenous cefazolin at induction prior to sampling, or experimental group receiving no antibiotic prior to sampling, masked to the surgeon. Dogs receiving antimicrobials in the pre-operative period were excluded. Asepsis was performed on all operated eyes using 0.5% iodine with minimum 3 min contact time at induction of anesthesia and repeated before surgery. A conjunctival swab and aqueous humor sample were collected prior to incision and following incision closure, respectively. Samples were submitted for aerobic and anaerobic bacterial culture and susceptibility.Seventy-one eyes of 42 dogs were included. Median age was 9 years. Thirty-nine and 32/71 eyes received intravenous cefazolin and no antibiotic, respectively. Median procedure time was 40 min per eye. Conjunctival cultures were positive in 6 eyes (8.5%): Serratia marcescens (5 eyes) and Cutibacterium acnes (1 eye). Aqueous humor cultures were positive in 5 eyes (7.0%): S. marcescens (2 eyes), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (2 eyes), Staphylococcus pseudointermedius (1 eye). Prevalence of positive culture did not differ between groups (p = .74), order of eyes for bilateral procedures (p = .74) and diabetic status (p = 1).Bacterial contamination of the conjunctiva and aqueous humor was present in 8.5% and 7.0% of dogs undergoing phacoemulsification after asepsis. Lack of IV cefazolin was not significantly associated with positive culture.

Successfully replacing damaged cartilage with tissue-engineered constructs requires integration with the host tissue and could benefit from leveraging the native tissue's intrinsic healing capacity; however, efforts are limited by a poor understanding of how cartilage repairs minor defects. Here, we investigated the conditions that foster natural cartilage tissue repair to identify strategies that might be exploited to enhance the integration of engineered/grafted cartilage with host tissue. We damaged porcine articular cartilage explants and using a combination of pulsed SILAC-based proteomics, ultrastructural imaging, and catabolic enzyme blocking strategies reveal that integration of damaged cartilage surfaces is not driven by neo-matrix synthesis, but rather local depletion of proteoglycans. ADAMTS4 expression and activity are upregulated in injured cartilage explants, but integration could be reduced by inhibiting metalloproteinase activity with TIMP3. These observations suggest that catabolic enzyme-mediated proteoglycan depletion likely allows existing collagen fibrils to undergo cross-linking, fibrillogenesis, or entanglement, driving integration. Catabolic enzymes are often considered pathophysiological markers of osteoarthritis. Our findings suggest that damage-induced upregulation of metalloproteinase activity may be a part of a healing response that tips towards tissue destruction under pathological conditions and in osteoarthritis, but could also be harnessed in tissue engineering strategies to mediate repair. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Cartilage tissue engineering strategies require graft integration with the surrounding tissue; however, how the native tissue repairs minor injuries is poorly understood. We applied pulsed SILAC-based proteomics, ultrastructural imaging, and catabolic enzyme blocking strategies to a porcine cartilage explant model and found that integration of damaged cartilage surfaces is driven by catabolic enzyme-mediated local depletion of proteoglycans. Although catabolic enzymes have been implicated in cartilage destruction in osteoarthritis, our findings suggest that damage-induced upregulation of metalloproteinase activity may be a part of a healing response that tips towards tissue destruction under pathological conditions. They also suggest that this natural cartilage tissue repair process could be harnessed in tissue engineering strategies to enhance the integration of engineered cartilage with host tissue.

This Special Issue presents a selection of contributions that seek to extend the idea of what craft practice and research can be. They stem from the conference presentations in the 1st Biennial International Conference for the Craft Sciences (BICCS), held online during 4–6 May 2021. This conference was initiated by the Craft Laboratory in Mariestad city, which is affiliated with the Department of Conservation, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. What counts as craft, and what does not, has been discussed with the general consensus that craft often evades definitions and instead thrives as an adhesive between other domains. In this editorial we claim that craft practice is ubiquitous, since acts of ‘crafting’ are infiltrated in most aspects of society, from the industrial workplace to the home. In addition to being a professional domain, craftmanship is also an attitude and a way of life. Craft making further facilitates shared reflective platforms which can carry and sustain cultural associations, or even social resistance, over time. We hope to invite readers to extend the notions of what crafts can be, by discussing issues related to such various topics as plant propagation, crystal growing, neuroscientific activity tracking, multimodal presentations of craft research and hybrid forms of digital and handmade craft processes. We also present an overview of educational contexts of crafts and discuss the role of the craft practitioner in heritage studies such as traditional boat building or industrial lace making.

To describe the effects of gabapentin on ocular and behavioral parameters following oral administration in healthy cats.Masked, placebo-controlled, randomized crossover-design study. Ten young, healthy cats were scheduled for two veterinary visits 7 days apart and randomly assigned to receive a compounded capsule containing 100 mg of gabapentin or placebo (100 mg lactose powder) at the first visit and the opposite treatment at the second visit. Respiratory rate, heart rate, stress score, sedation score, compliance score, horizontal pupil diameter, intraocular pressure, and Schirmer tear test-1 were measured prior to and 1.5, 3, and 6 h following capsule administration. Stress score, sedation score, and compliance score were assigned based on established behavioral scales. Results of the two treatments were statistically compared with a p-value0.05 considered significant.Respiratory rate was significantly reduced at 1.5 (p = 0.049) and 3 (p = 0.03) hours following gabapentin administration. Stress score was significantly reduced at 1.5 (p = 0.01) hours following gabapentin administration. Sedation score was significantly increased at 1.5 (p = 0.015) and 3 (p = 0.03) hours following gabapentin administration. Gabapentin had no significant effect on heart rate, compliance score, or ocular values measured in this study.Gabapentin reduces stress and increases sedation at 1.5 h after treatment, with no significant effect on horizontal pupil diameter, intraocular pressure or Schirmer tear test-1 results.

Let $G$ be the first Grigorchuk group. We show that the commutator width of $G$ is $2$: every element $g\in [G,G]$ is a product of two commutators, and also of six conjugates of $a$. Furthermore, we show that every finitely generated subgroup $H\leq G$ has finite commutator width, which however can be arbitrarily large, and that $G$ contains a subgroup of infinite commutator width. The proofs were assisted by the computer algebra system GAP., Wrt v1: improved presentation

Leaves from the ornamental plant Chaenostoma cordatum (Thunb.) Benth. expressing virus-like symptoms were collected for pathogen testing. A virus with features consistent with those of members of the genus Potexvirus was identified by high-throughput sequencing. The genome sequence was confirmed and completed using RT-PCR, cloning, rapid amplification of cDNA ends kits, and Sanger sequencing, revealing a complete viral genome of 6,071 nucleotides, excluding the poly-A tail. Phylogenetic analysis of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase sequence from the viral genome indicated that its closest relative is Plantago asiatica mosaic virus. Further analysis of the nucleotide and amino acid sequences revealed that it had diverged enough from other potexviruses to be considered a member of a new species.

The potential for work to be a risk factor for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was recognized early in the pandemic based on the likelihood of work-related differences in exposures to COVID-19 in different occupations. Due to intense demands of the pandemic, implementation of recommendations to collect information on occupation in relation to COVID-19 has been uneven across the United States. The objective of this study was to investigate COVID-19 test positivity by occupation.We analyzed data collected from September 8 to November 30, 2020, by the Delphi Group at Carnegie Mellon University US COVID-19 Trends and Impact Survey, offered daily to a random sample of US-based Facebook users aged 18 years or older, who were invited via a banner in their news feed. Our focus was ever testing positive for COVID-19 in respondents working outside the home for pay in the past 4 weeks.The major occupational groups of "Production", "Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance," "Construction and extraction," "Healthcare support," and "Food preparation and serving" had the five highest test positivity percentages (16.7%-14.4%). Highest detailed occupational categories (28.6%-19.1%) were "Massage therapist," "Food processing worker," "Bailiff, correctional officer, or jailer," "Funeral service worker," "First-line supervisor of production and operating workers," and "Nursing assistant or psychiatric aide." Differences in test positivity by occupation remained after adjustment for age, gender, and pre-existing medical conditions.Information on differences in test positivity by occupation can aid targeting of messaging for vaccination and testing and mitigation strategies for the current and future respiratory infection epidemics and pandemics. These results, obtained before availability of COVID-19 vaccines, can form a basis for comparison to evaluate impacts of vaccination and subsequent emergence of viral variants.

The multiprotein Fab1p/PIKfyve-complex regulating the abundance of the phospholipid phosphatidylinositol 3,5-bisphosphate (PtdIns(3,5)P2) is highly conserved among eukaryotes. In yeast/mammals, it is composed of the phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate 5-kinase Fab1p/PIKfyve, the PtdIns(3,5)P2 phosphatase Fig4p/Sac3 and the scaffolding subunit Vac14p/ArPIKfyve. The complex is located to vacuolar membranes in yeast and to endosomal membranes in mammals, where it controls the synthesis and turnover of PtdIns(3,5)P2. In this study, we analyzed the role and function of the Fab1p/PIKfyve-complex scaffold protein SmVAC14 in the filamentous ascomycete Sordaria macrospora (Sm). We generated the Smvac14 deletion strain ∆vac14 and performed phenotypic analysis of the mutant. Furthermore, we conducted fluorescence microscopic localization studies of fluorescently labeled SmVAC14 with vacuolar and late endosomal marker proteins. Our results revealed that SmVAC14 is important for maintaining vacuolar size and appearance as well as proper sexual development in S. macrospora. In addition, SmVAC14 plays an important role in starvation stress response. Accordingly, our results propose that the turnover of PtdIns(3,5)P2 is of great significance for developmental processes in filamentous fungi.

Recruiting and promoting women and racial/ethnic minorities could help enhance diversity and inclusion in the academic cardiothoracic (CT) surgery workforce. However, the demographics of trainees and faculty at US training programs have not yet been studied.Traditional, integrated (I-6), and fast-track (4+3) programs listed in the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) public database were analyzed. Demographics of trainees and surgeons, including gender, race/ethnicity, subspecialty, and academic appointment (if applicable), were obtained from ACGME Data Resource Books, institutional websites, and public profiles. Chi-square and Cochran-Armitage trend tests were performed.In July 2020, 78 institutions had at least 1 CT surgery training program; 40 (51%) had only a traditional program, 20 (26%) traditional and I-6, 6 (8%) all 3 types of program, and 4 (5%) only I-6. The proportion of female trainees increased significantly from 2011 to 2019 (19% vs 24%, P.001), with female I-6 trainees outnumbering female traditional trainees since 2018. Significant increases by race/ethnicity were observed overall and by program type, notably for Asian and Hispanic individuals in I-6 programs and Black individuals in traditional programs. Finally, of the 1175 CT surgeons identified, 633 (54%) were adult cardiac surgeons, 360 (37%) assistant professors, 116 (10%) women, and 33 (3%) Black.The demographic landscape of CT surgery trainees and faculty across multiple training pathways reflects increasing representation by gender and race/ethnicity. However, we must continue to work toward equitable representation in the workforce to benefit the diverse patients we treat.

The short-lived African killifishNothobranchius furzerilives in seasonal freshwater ponds and has evolved remarkable traits to survive in this limited environment. One of those traits is a genetic XX/XY sex-determination system, which ensures an equal distribution of both sexes. Comparisons of female and male genomic sequences identified the Y-chromosomal copy of the TGF-β family membergdf6as the candidate male sex-determining (SD) gene, which was namedgdf6Yin contrast to the X-chromosomal allelegdf6X. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated inactivation ofgdf6YinN. furzeriled to a complete male-to-female sex reversal in XY animals. The homozygous inactivation ofgdf6Xon the other hand led to a detrimental phenotype post-hatching. This phenotype was compensated bygdf6Y, revealing that the latter became the SD gene while retaining at least some of its originalgdf6function.Gdf6Yis expressed in testicular somatic cells already prior to hatching, where it represses the germ cell-intrinsic feminizing genefoxl2l. We have identified components of the TGF-β signaling pathway, especially the inhibitor of DNA binding genesid1/2/3, and the mRNA decay activatorzfp36l2, as Gdf6Y targets. We conclude that Gdf6Y exerts its function as the male sex-determining gene by suppressing female-specific genes in the developing gonad of maleN. furzeri.

Modern computer systems can use different types of hardware acceleration to achieve massive performance improvements. Some accelerators like FPGA and dedicated GPU (dGPU) need optimized data structures for the best performance and often use dedicated memory. In contrast, APUs, which are a combination of a CPU and an integrated GPU (iGPU), support shared memory and allow the iGPU to work together with the CPU on pointer-based data structures. First, we develop an approach for dGPU to accelerate queries in libcuckoo and robin-map and when looking at accelerating insert, updates and erase operations in the original libcuckoo using OneAPI on an APU. We evaluate the dGPU against the CPU variants and our dGPU approach adapted for the CPU and also in a hybrid context by using longer keys on the CPU and shorter keys on the dGPU. In comparison with the original libcuckoo algorithm, our dGPU approach achieves a speed-up of 2.1, and in comparison with the robin-map a speed-up of 1.5. For hybrid workloads, our approach is efficient if long keys are processed on the CPU and short keys are processed on the dGPU. By processing a mixture of 20% long keys on the CPU and 80% short keys on dGPU, our hybrid approach has a 40% higher throughput than the CPU only approach. In addition, we develop a hybrid APU approach for insert, update and erase operations in the original libcuckoo structure focusing on shared memory with iGPU accelerated look-ups of the positions for insert, update and erase operations.

Sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) is a severe and frequent complication of sepsis causing delirium, coma, and long-term cognitive dysfunction. We identified microglia and C1q complement activation in hippocampal autopsy tissue of patients with sepsis and increased C1q-mediated synaptic pruning in a murine polymicrobial sepsis model. Unbiased transcriptomics of hippocampal tissue and isolated microglia derived from septic mice revealed an involvement of the innate immune system, complement activation, and up-regulation of lysosomal pathways during SAE in parallel to neuronal and synaptic damage. Microglial engulfment of C1q-tagged synapses could be prevented by stereotactic intrahippocampal injection of a specific C1q-blocking antibody. Pharmacologically targeting microglia by PLX5622, a CSF1-R inhibitor, reduced C1q levels and the number of C1q-tagged synapses, protected from neuronal damage and synapse loss, and improved neurocognitive outcome. Thus, we identified complement-dependent synaptic pruning by microglia as a crucial pathomechanism for the development of neuronal defects during SAE.