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Fault detection in charging piles is crucial for the widespread adoption of electric vehicles and the reliability of charging infrastructure. Currently, due to the lack of sufficient fault data for charging piles, achieving stable and accurate fault identification is challenging. Moreover, distinctive fault features are key to accurate fault recognition. To address this, we designed a simulated charging pile system and collected fault data at multiple power levels by manually introducing faults. Furthermore, we proposed a fault identification algorithm based on spatiotemporal feature fusion using machine learning. This algorithm first collects fault data through a sliding window and utilizes Fourier transform to extract frequency domain information to construct temporal features. These features are then fused with spatial current amplitude information to form a distinctive feature set, enabling fault identification based on a machine learning model. Extensive experiments conducted on the constructed dataset show that this method can accurately identify charging pile faults. Compared with random forest and gradient boosted decision tree, the proposed method improves the macro-average score by 2.99% and 7.28%, respectively. We also explored the importance of each feature for fault identification results and the impact of window length on identification outcomes, demonstrating the necessity of the extracted features and the robustness of the proposed method to data resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To explore how postgraduate leadership education is translated into practice and how leadership practices and behaviours are sustained following completion of a leadership program. Design: A qualitative exploratory study using an appreciative inquiry approach. Methods: A single Health District, partnered with a regional university, offering a 12‐month leadership program, the Effective Leadership in Health Program. Four semi‐structured group interviews were undertaken with 11 registered nurses (RNs) and allied health professionals. Data were audio‐recorded and transcribed before being analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Four themes were revealed relating to how the learning was translated and sustained in clinical practice, namely, within (1) self, (2) others, (3) relationships and (4) sustained leadership. All participants agreed that their participation in the leadership program impacted on their subsequent approach to leadership in multiple contexts, relationships and interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semi‐arid ecosystems, common across the Australian continent, strongly influence the inter‐annual variability and trend in the global terrestrial net carbon sink. Here we explore the future Australian terrestrial carbon cycle using the CMIP6 ensemble, and the dynamic global vegetation model LPJ‐GUESS. Uncertainty in Australia's carbon storage in vegetation ranged between 6 and 49 PgC at the end of the century and was strongly linked to biases in the meteorological forcing. Using LPJ‐GUESS with bias‐corrected meteorological forcing reduced uncertainty in the vegetation carbon storage to between 14 and 20 PgC, with the remaining range linked to model sensitivities to rising atmospheric CO2 concentration, temperature, and precipitation variability. Reducing this uncertainty will require improved terrestrial biosphere models, but also major improvements in the simulation of regional precipitation by Global Climate Models. Plain Language Summary: Vegetation on land takes up about one‐third of greenhouse gas emissions associated with human activities and strongly influences the year‐to‐year variability in the atmospheric growth rate of CO2. Semi‐arid areas in the Southern Hemisphere, for example, in Australia, dominate the variability and trend in the net carbon sink. We use both coupled climate‐carbon cycle and uncoupled carbon cycle simulations to study future changes in the Australian carbon cycle and provide the first comprehensive regional analysis of future carbon cycle trends for Australia accounting for Global Climate Model uncertainty. Biases in the simulated climate lead to large uncertainty in the simulated carbon cycle but this uncertainty can be reduced when the biases are corrected. We identify areas of uncertainty in the process representation in the vegetation models, specifically carbon residence time, and a discrepancy in the sensitivity to three forcing variables (atmospheric CO2 concentration, temperature, and precipitation). Our study highlights that reducing precipitation biases in Global Climate Models would lead to a better understanding of future changes to the regional carbon cycle and help inform climate mitigation strategies. Key Points: A key area of future uncertainty in regional terrestrial carbon cycle projections is linked to biases in climate projectionsWe provide a comprehensive regional analysis of future carbon cycle trends for Australia accounting for uncertainty in climate projectionsApplying bias‐correction to the climate projections reduces the uncertainty in projected vegetation carbon from 6 – 49 PgC to 14–20 PgC [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Societal Impact Statement: As cities grow, it is essential to understand how landscape management decisions in urban spaces alter ecosystem function. This study demonstrates that the ubiquitous practice of long‐term leaf litter removal in suburbs, even in relatively small patches of a yard, reduces the soil's ability to cycle nutrients in plant litter and results in lower amounts of carbon stored in the soil. Even two years of retaining leaves where they previously were removed is insufficient to restore decomposition rates or carbon pools. This research is an important step in creating best practices for litter management to maintain essential ecosystem functions, like carbon sequestration, water holding capacity, and soil fertility. Summary: Seasonal senesced leaf litter removal eliminates considerable organic material from suburban soils annually. We test if this disturbance alters decomposition and carbon cycles and depletes soils of organic matter over time, creating persistent legacy effects.We used a factorial experimental design to implement 1–2 years of current leaf litter manipulations (remove or retain fallen leaves) within historically raked and unraked areas in suburban Maryland yards. We then compared total organic soil carbon and decomposition using a standardized substrate decomposition methodology (Tea Bag Index) across treatment plots.Long‐term litter removal in suburban yards reduced decomposition rates by 17% and total soil organic carbon concentration by up to 24% compared to areas where leaf litter was retained in situ. In contrast, short‐term management changes (1–2 years) did not significantly impact decomposition rates or total organic soil carbon concentrations.Our findings suggest that long‐term suburban litter raking creates legacy effects that alter decomposition and carbon storage process trajectories that are not easily reversed. This is important in understanding urban ecosystem function and sustainable management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tau pathology and its spatial propagation in Alzheimer's disease (AD) play crucial roles in the neurodegenerative cascade leading to dementia. However, the underlying mechanisms linking tau spreading to glucose metabolism remain elusive. To address this, we aimed to examine the association between pathologic tau aggregation, functional connectivity, and cascading glucose metabolism and further explore the underlying interplay mechanisms. In this prospective cohort study, we enrolled 79 participants with 18F‐Florzolotau positron emission tomography (PET), 18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose PET, resting‐state functional, and anatomical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images in the hospital‐based Shanghai Memory Study. We employed generalized linear regression and correlation analyses to assess the associations between Florzolotau accumulation, functional connectivity, and glucose metabolism in whole‐brain and network‐specific manners. Causal mediation analysis was used to evaluate whether functional connectivity mediates the association between pathologic tau and cascading glucose metabolism. We examined 22 normal controls and 57 patients with AD. In the AD group, functional connectivity was associated with Florzolotau covariance (β =.837, r = 0.472, p <.001) and glucose covariance (β = 1.01, r = 0.499, p <.001). Brain regions with higher tau accumulation tend to be connected to other regions with high tau accumulation through functional connectivity or metabolic connectivity. Mediation analyses further suggest that functional connectivity partially modulates the influence of tau accumulation on downstream glucose metabolism (mediation proportion: 49.9%). Pathologic tau may affect functionally connected neurons directly, triggering downstream glucose metabolism changes. This study sheds light on the intricate relationship between tau pathology, functional connectivity, and downstream glucose metabolism, providing critical insights into AD pathophysiology and potential therapeutic targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tauopathies are neurodegenerative diseases characterized by deposits of abnormal Tau protein in the brain. Conventional tauopathies are often defined by a limited number of Tau epitopes, notably neurofibrillary tangles, but emerging evidence suggests structural heterogeneity among tauopathies. The prolyl isomerase Pin1 isomerizes cis P-tau to inhibit the development of oligomers, tangles and neurodegeneration in multiple neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, traumatic brain injury, vascular contribution to cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID) and preeclampsia (PE). Thus, cis P-tau has emerged as an early etiological driver, blood marker and therapeutic target for multiple neurodegenerative diseases, with clinical trials ongoing. The discovery of cis P-tau and other tau pathologies in VCID and PE calls attention for simplistic classification of tauopathy in neurodegenerative diseases. These recent advances have revealed the exciting novel role of the Pin1-cis P-tau axis in the development and treatment of vascular contribution to cognitive impairment and dementia and preeclampsia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent developments in atomic force microscopy (AFM) image analysis have made three-dimensional (3D) structural reconstruction of individual particles observed on 2D AFM height images a reality. Here, we review the emerging contact point reconstruction AFM (CPR-AFM) methodology and its application in 3D reconstruction of individual helical amyloid filaments in the context of the challenges presented by the structural analysis of highly polymorphous and heterogeneous amyloid protein structures. How individual particle-level structural analysis can contribute to resolving the amyloid polymorph structure–function relationships, the environmental triggers leading to protein misfolding and aggregation into amyloid species, the influences by the conditions or minor fluctuations in the initial monomeric protein structure on the speed of amyloid fibril formation, and the extent of the different types of amyloid species that can be formed, are discussed. Future perspectives in the capabilities of AFM-based 3D structural reconstruction methodology exploiting synergies with other recent AFM technology advances are also discussed to highlight the potential of AFM as an emergent general, accessible and multimodal structural biology tool for the analysis of individual biomolecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Renal failure is an end-stage consequence after persistent hyperglycemia during diabetic nephropathy (DN), and the etiology of DN has been linked to oxidative stress. The purpose of this research was to determine the beneficial synergistic effects of S-Allyl Cysteine (SAC) and Taurine (TAU) on oxidative damage in the kidneys of type 2 diabetic rats induced by hyperglycemia. Design/methodology/approach: Experimental diabetes was developed by administering intraperitoneal single dose of streptozotocin (STZ; 65 mg/kg) with nicotinamide (NA; 230 mg/kg) in adult rats. Diabetic and control rats were treated with SAC (150 mg/kg), TAU (200 mg/kg) or SAC and TAU combination (75 + 100 mg/kg) for four weeks. The estimation of body weight, fasting blood glucose (FBG), oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), oxidative stress markers along with kidney histopathology was done to investigate the antidiabetic potential of SAC/TAU in the NA/STZ diabetic group. Findings: The following results were obtained for the therapeutic efficacy of SAC/TAU: decrease in blood glucose level, decreased level of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and increased levels of GSH, glutathione-s-transferase (GST) and catalase (CAT). SAC/TAU significantly modulated diabetes-induced histological changes in the kidney of rats. Originality/value: SAC/TAU combination therapy modulated the oxidative stress markers in the kidney in diabetic rat model and also prevented oxidative damage as observed through histopathological findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this research is to ascertain the cognitive and metacognitive strategies employed by 7th-grade students who correctly answered four multiple-choice questions pertaining to the "Reproduction, Growth, and Development in Living Things" unit, contrasting with those who answered incorrectly. Employing a multiple holistic case study approach within qualitative research methodology, six students from a public secondary school in Kars, Tukey, participated in the study. These students engaged in solving the aforementioned questions using the think-aloud technique, followed by semi-structured interviews after each question. The entire process, including solving the questions and subsequent interviews, was captured on camera and transcribed for analysis. The transcribed data underwent qualitative analysis using computer-based tools. Results revealed that students who answered correctly employed cognitive strategies such as contextualizing the question, rephrasing it, mental visualization, strategic reading techniques, and increased reading pace, in contrast to those who answered incorrectly. Additionally, those who answered correctly utilized metacognitive strategies including identifying and marking clues, note-taking, option marking, summarization, and option elimination. Notably, students who answered correctly exhibited a broader array of strategies compared to their counterparts who answered incorrectly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tau protein is associated with many neurodegenerative disorders known as tauopathies. Aggregates of tau are thought of as a main contributor to neurodegeneration in these diseases. Increasingly, evidence points to earlier, soluble conformations of abnormally modi- fied monomers and multimeric tau as toxic forms of tau. The biological processes driving tau from physiological species to pathogenic conformations remain poorly understood, but certain avenues are currently under investigation including the functional consequences of various pathological tau changes (e.g. mutations, post-translational modifications (PTMs), and protein--protein interactions). PTMs can regulate several aspects of tau biology such as proteasomal and autophagic clearance, solubility, and aggregation. Moreover, PTMs can contribute to the transition of tau from normal to pathogenic conformations. However, our understating of how PTMs specifically regulate the transition of tau into pathogenic conformations is partly impeded by the relative lack of structured frameworks to assess and quantify these conformations. In this review, we describe a set of approaches that includes several in vitro assays to determine the contribution of PTMs to tau's transition into known pathogenic conformations. The approaches begin with different methods to create recombinant tau proteins carrying specific PTMs followed by validation of the PTMs status. Then, we describe a set of biochemical and biophysical assays that assess the contribution of a given PTM to different tau conformations, including aggregation, oligomerization, exposure of the phosphatase-activating domain, and seeding. Together, these approaches can facilitate the advancement of our understanding of the relationships between PTMs and tau conformations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To provide an overview of the characteristics, variety and outcomes of knowledge translation (KT) strategies used in nursing care involving adult patients and their family members. Background: The gap in providing family nursing practice could be due to a lack of explicit KT frameworks and understanding of ways to translate evidence‐based knowledge into clinical practice. Design: A scoping review conducted according to the Joanna Briggs Institute. Methods: The review is reported according to PRISMA‐ScR. Relevant studies were searched in MEDLINE, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL Complete, ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Premium, PsycINFO, Social Work Abstracts, Social Services Abstracts and Scopus. Grey literature was searched in ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. Search results were imported into the web‐based programme Covidence. Studies describing concepts of KT, strategies of implementation, involvement of families and nurses/family caregivers in adult health care and conducted within the last 15 years were included. Results: Eight studies met the inclusion criteria. Three studies used the KTA Framework to guide the implementation process. The remaining five studies used different frameworks/guidelines to translate a variety of family focused interventions into their clinical practice. Translation strategies were often targeted towards nurse education. Reported outcomes included nurses' attitudes towards and acceptance of involving families in health care. The outcomes were conceptualized and measured differently, showing inconclusive results on effectiveness on family focused care and family health. Conclusion and Implications for Clinical Practice: The application of KT frameworks to implement evidence‐based family nursing into clinical practice is limited. The process of KT mainly targets at nurses' adoption of family focused interventions with limited information about short‐, intermediate‐ and long‐term efficacy on family health. Clinical leaders should consider time and resources needed to implement family focused care KT strategies before putting it into practice. Patient or Public Contribution: No Patient or Public Contribution. Data were obtained from other's literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the surge for empathy training in service literature and its increasing demand in service industries, this study systematically reviews empirical papers implementing and testing empathy training programs in various service domains. A mixed-methods systematic review was performed to identify and describe empathy training programs and discuss their effectiveness in service quality, service employees' well-being, and service users' satisfaction. Included papers met those eligibility criteria: qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods study; one training in empathy is identifiable; described training(s) developed for or tested with service employees dealing with service users. We searched health, business, education, and psychology databases, such as CINAHL, Medline ABI/Inform Global, Business Source Premier, PsycINFO, and ERIC. We used the Mixed-Method Assessment Tool to appraise the quality of included papers. A data-based convergent synthesis design allowed for the analysis of the data. A total of 44 studies published between 2009 to 2022 were included. The narrative presentation of findings was regrouped into these six dimensions of empathy training programs: 1) why, 2) who, 3) what, 4) how, 5) where, and 6) when and how much. Close to 50% of studies did not include a definition of empathy. Four main empathic competencies developed through the training programs were identified: communication, relationship building, emotional resilience, and counseling skills. Face-to-face and group-setting interventions are widespread. Our systematic review shows that the 44 papers identified come only from health services with a predominant population of physicians and nurses. However, we show that the four empathic skills identified could be trained and developed in other sectors, such as business. This is the first mixed-methods, multi-disciplinary systematic review of empathy training programs in service research. The review integrates insights from health services, identifies research limitations and gaps in existing empirical research, and outlines a research agenda for future research and implications for service research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is now well established that the blood-clotting protein fibrinogen can polymerise into an anomalous form of fibrin that is amyloid in character; the resultant clots and microclots entrap many other molecules, stain with fluorogenic amyloid stains, are rather resistant to fibrinolysis, can block up microcapillaries, are implicated in a variety of diseases including Long COVID, and have been referred to as fibrinaloids. A necessary corollary of this anomalous polymerisation is the generation of novel epitopes in proteins that would normally be seen as ‘self’, and otherwise immunologically silent. The precise conformation of the resulting fibrinaloid clots (that, as with prions and classical amyloid proteins, can adopt multiple, stable conformations) must depend on the existing small molecules and metal ions that the fibrinogen may (and is some cases is known to) have bound before polymerisation. Any such novel epitopes, however, are likely to lead to the generation of autoantibodies. A convergent phenomenology, including distinct conformations and seeding of the anomalous form for initiation and propagation, is emerging to link knowledge in prions, prionoids, amyloids and now fibrinaloids. We here summarise the evidence for the above reasoning, which has substantial implications for our understanding of the genesis of autoimmunity (and the possible prevention thereof) based on the primary process of fibrinaloid formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green infrastructure (GI) refers to trees, rain gardens, rain barrels, and other features that address stormwater management, climate change and other challenges facing many cities. GI is often not equitably distributed across urban landscapes, making its benefits unevenly experienced. Cities have multiple initiatives focused on different types of GI in residential areas, including underserved neighborhoods, although there is potential for GI programs to serve more privileged neighborhoods. The goal of this study was to examine GI program participants and non-participants to better understand who participates in different types of residential GI programs and why. We surveyed residents who had previously participated in Philadelphia's GI programs as well as those who had not, comparing socio-demographics, knowledge-levels, environmental concerns, outdoor space preferences, motivations and barriers. We found that the GI program participants are on average younger, wealthier, more highly educated, and more likely to be White than our sample of residents who have not participated. Participants in tree programs have different socio-demographics and motivations as compared to those who installed green stormwater infrastructure. Future research should examine strategies to reach neighborhoods with different socioeconomic conditions and built environment characteristics, such as offering features appropriate for small properties with limited plantable space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The strength of materials depends on the rate at which they are tested, as defects, for example dislocations, that move in response to applied strains have intrinsic kinetic limitations 1-4 . As the deformation strain rate increases, more strengthening mechanisms become active and increase the strength 4-7 . However, the regime in which this transition happens has been difficult to access with traditional micromechanical strength measurements. Here, with microballistic impact testing at strain rates greater than 10 6  s -1 , and without shock conflation, we show that the strength of copper increases by about 30% for a 157 °C increase in temperature, an effect also observed in pure titanium and gold. This effect is counterintuitive, as almost all materials soften when heated under normal conditions. This anomalous thermal strengthening across several pure metals is the result of a change in the controlling deformation mechanism from thermally activated strengthening to ballistic transport of dislocations, which experience drag through phonon interactions 1,8-10 . These results point to a pathway to better model and predict materials properties under various extreme strain rate conditions, from high-speed manufacturing operations 11 to hypersonic transport 12 ., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Uni‐compartmental knee replacement (UKR) is an alternative to total knee replacement for patients who have isolated compartment osteoarthritis. Studies have demonstrated that UKR can be safely performed as a day‐case procedure without a negative impact on complication rates. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes between day‐case and inpatient UKRs. Methods: A single surgeon prospective case‐controlled study was performed, comparing data between day‐case UKRs and inpatient UKRs. This included longitudinal analysis of patient reported outcome measures (PROMs); including the Oxford Knee Score, Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score, Short Form 12‐item Health Survey, EQ‐5D‐5L and the Self‐administered Comorbidity Questionnaire. Post‐operative pain scores (visual analogue scale), unplanned post‐operative hospital reattendance rates and complications were also analysed. Results: Overall, 100% of day‐case patients were successfully discharged on the same day. Both inpatient (n = 23) and day‐case (n = 23) UKRs demonstrated a significant within group longitudinal improvement of PROM scores (p < 0.05) following surgery. However, the post‐operative PROM scores were significantly higher in the day‐case group as compared to the inpatient group (p < 0.05). Both groups had comparable post‐operative pain scores, but the day‐case group demonstrated fewer unplanned reattendances and post‐operative complications. Conclusion: The clinical outcomes of day‐case UKR are superior to inpatient UKR. Careful patient selection and a robust multidisciplinary patient pathway are the key components to success of day‐case joint replacement surgery. Level of evidence: Prospective Case‐Control Study, level III. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to obtain the lowest surface roughness (Ra) and drill bit adhesion values (AV) depending on the change in control factors (cutting speed-Vc, feed rate-f and drill bit-D) during drilling of the Al 5083 H116 alloy. Low roughness values increase the fatigue strength of the final part and affect tribological properties such as lubrication and friction. In the machining of ductile materials, the AV increases the Ra value and negatively affects the tool life. Design/methodology/approach: Drilling tests were conducted using Taguchi L16 orthogonal array. The experimental measurement findings for Ra and AV were adjusted utilizing the Grey Relational Analysis (GRA), the Response Surface Method (RSM) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) to generate prediction values. SEM detected drill-tip adhesions and chip morphology and they were analyzed by EDX. Findings: Ra and AV increased as the f increased. Vc affects AV; 86.04% f on Ra and 54.71% Vc on AV were the most effective control parameters. After optimizing Ra and AV using GRA, the f is the most effective control factor. Vc: 120 m/min, f: 0.025 mm/rev and D2 were optimal. ANN predicted with Ra 99.6% and AV 99.8% accurately. Mathematical models are obtained with RSM. The increase in f increased AV, which had a negative effect on Ra, whereas the increase in Vc decreased the adhesion tendency. With the D1 drill bit with the highest flute length, a relatively lower Ra was measured, as it facilitates chip evacuation. In addition, the high correlations of the mathematical models obtained indicate that the models can be used safely. Originality/value: The novelty of this study is to determine the optimum drilling parameters with GRA and ANN for drilling the necessary holes for the assembly of ammunition wing propulsion systems, especially those produced with Al 5083 H116 alloy, with rivets and bolts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main aim of this study was to survey the relationships between intent to leave and its strongest antecedents in the accounting and finance industry in Asia-Pacific countries. Novel to the literature, we also aim to test the moderating effects of continent to compare the results in Asia to the ones in Oceania and to test the moderating effect of industry to make a cross-industrial comparison. This study used meta-analysis technique and reviewed the studies in Scopus, Web of Science, GoogleScholar, and ProQuest to bring together 217 suitable studies. Twenty-four of these studies providing 32 correlation values are in the accounting and finance industry and 192 studies providing 309 correlation values are in other industries. Job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and burnout are chosen as the strongest antecedents of intent to leave and 217 studıes were used. The meta-analysis results showed that all the data sets regarding the surveyed relationships were heterogeneous and none of them included publication bias. The effect size of the relationship between job satisfaction and organizational commitment was the highest in the accounting and finance industry (r = 0.631). The effect sizes of job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and burnout on intent to leave were medium in the accounting and finance industry. The moderator analysis results suggested that region as a moderator for the relationship between burnout and intent to leave and industry is a significant moderator to explore the relationships between job satisfaction and intent to leave and for the relationships between organizational commitment and intent to leave. This meta-analysis compares the accounting and finance sector to other sectors in Asia-Pacific countries and it is the only study that could make such a comparison in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To describe the clinical presentation, diagnostic findings, surgical treatment and outcome of dogs diagnosed with parotid duct ectasia., Materials and Methods: Medical records of dogs diagnosed with parotid duct ectasia between 2010 and 2023 at six small animal referral hospitals were retrospectively reviewed. Outcome was assessed by contacting the owners or referring veterinarians., Results: Fourteen dogs were included. Lateral facial swelling was the most common clinical presentation. CT revealed a tortuous cavitary tubular fluid-filled structure consistent with a dilated parotid duct in all dogs. Surgical treatment included marsupialisation of the parotid duct papilla, surgical exploration of the duct alone, parotid duct marsupialisation with surgical exploration of the duct, parotidectomy or en-bloc parotid duct resection. The aetiology of parotid duct ectasia was not established in 13 of 14 dogs. In one case, a foreign body was retrieved from the duct. No recurrence of clinical signs was noted during the follow-up period (range 21 to 2900 days)., Clinical Significance: Parotid duct ectasia should be considered for dogs with a lateralised fluctuant non-painful tubular facial swelling. Surgical management was associated with a favourable prognosis without evidence of recurrence in all cases reported in the case series., (© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Small Animal Practice published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Small Animal Veterinary Association.)

There is a lack of knowledge about the successful implementation of family nursing practices. This scoping review maps current knowledge about the implementation of evidence-informed family nursing practices across settings and populations. A systematic search (CINAHL, PubMed, Medline) identified 24 publications, published between 2010 and 2020. We found nurses' implementation experience to be one of disruption, learning, and moving to new ways of practicing. The implementation resulted in benefits to families and self but was marked by fluctuation and partial integration of evidence-informed family nursing practices into care delivery. Uptake was shaped by various contextual determinants, with barriers mainly at the team and organizational levels. We identified low-quality, tentative evidence that capacity-building strategies coupled with dissemination-educational strategies may enable family nursing practice skills and increase the quality of family care. More rigorous research is needed to build further knowledge about effective implementation. Future implementation endeavors should utilize the evolving knowledge base in family nursing and tailor implementation strategies to contextual barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tau aggregates are present in multiple neurodegenerative diseases known as "tauopathies," including Alzheimer's disease, Pick's disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, and corticobasal degeneration. Such misfolded tau aggregates are therefore potential sources for selective detection and biomarker discovery. Six human tau isoforms present in brain tissues and both 3R and 4R isoforms have been observed in the neuronal inclusions. To develop selective markers for AD and related rare tauopathies, we first used an engineered tau protein fragment 4RCF as the substrate for ultrasensitive real-time quaking-induced conversion analyses (RT-QuIC). We showed that misfolded tau from diseased AD and other tauopathy brains were able to seed recombinant 4RCF substrate. We further expanded to use six individual recombinant tau isoforms as substrates to amplify misfolded tau seeds from AD brains. We demonstrated, for the first time to our knowledge, that misfolded tau from the postmortem AD brain tissues was able to specifically seed all six full-length human tau isoforms. Our results demonstrated that RT-QuIC analysis can discriminate AD and other tauopathies from non-AD normal controls. We further uncovered that 3R-tau isoforms displayed significantly faster aggregation kinetics than their 4R-tau counterparts under conditions of both no seeding and seeding with AD brain homogenates. In summary, our work offers potential new avenues of misfolded tau detection as potential biomarkers for diagnosis of AD and related tauopathies and provides new insights into isoform-specific human tau aggregation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Productive discourse regarding the role of racism and colonialism in conservation is growing but still limited. Inadequate recognition of these powerful forces has significantly impeded socially just conservation efforts. This paper integrates multiple disciplinary perspectives to discuss historical conservation practices in the United States and abroad to reveal challenges with moving beyond traditional approaches to conservation that perpetuate systemic racism and colonialism. Using urban greening (e.g., tree planting) in the United States as an example, we show how these challenges manifest as White ideals of nature, power disparities, and displacement and exclusion. We then put forth an agenda for antiracist, anticolonial urban conservation and urban greening. This agenda uses the tripartite environmental justice framework (i.e., distributional, recognition, and procedural justice) as a starting point, integrating and adapting more critical views of contemporary environmental justice to highlight specific policies and practices that can be applied to many conservation problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Widely distributed species are often locally adapted to climate gradients across their ranges. But little is known about the patterns of intraspecific adaptation in desert shrubs.We examined the questions of local adaptation in multiple populations of two common shrub species of the winter‐wet Mojave Desert in North America in a multiple common garden experiment. Plants were raised in the greenhouse and transplanted at the age of 1 year. Ambrosia dumosa is a drought‐deciduous low shrub and Larrea tridentata is an exceptionally long‐lived evergreen. Over 4 years, we monitored growth, survivorship, leaf and reproductive cover and once measured leaf N content, δ13C and SLA. We hypothesized that populations of both species would be differentiated along a growth–survivorship trade‐off according to homesite aridity.Both species exhibited previously undocumented population differences along gradients of winter precipitation and temperature. In general, populations from more winter‐mesic regions had faster growth in more mesic gardens and lower survivorship in the most arid garden. Homesites with more variable summer precipitation had greater growth for A. dumosa populations, but lower growth for L. tridentata. Among L. tridentata populations, leaf cover correlated positively with growth and negatively with survival time. For A. dumosa populations, growth and survival could not be attributed to specific traits across gardens. However, larger transplants had generally lower growth rates and higher survival rates across gardens, except in the driest garden, where the population averages of intrinsic water use efficiency (iWUE) and stem growth rate were positively correlated.Synthesis. Two dominant species of the Mojave Desert adapted locally to variation in winter and summer precipitation and temperature. They did so in different ways, suggesting that L. tridentata mitigated the risk of hydraulic failure, while A. dumosa optimized carbon assimilation for growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examines how changes in higher education systems — caused mostly by neoliberal ideologies and the knowledge revolution — affect non-faculty professionals such as academic librarians, and how they cope with these changes. Specifically, relying on Bourdieu's theory of distinction, we show how Israeli academic librarians adopt three types of distinctions — cultural, aesthetic, and professional — and construct occupational capital that bestows on them power and renewed legitimacy in the face of threats to their professional identity and to their role in academic studies. The study in based on interviews with librarians working in the leading universities in Israel, and it examines the librarians' experiences and attempts to adjust their professional identities to the emergence of neoliberal 'new public management' (NPM) culture within academia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we aimed to determine metacognition strategies that science teachers use in science lessons and activities they can perform within the scope of these strategies. We used an instrumental qualitative case study design. Research data were collected from science teachers working in public schools during the 2018-2019 academic year. The findings revealed that science teachers' definitions of the metacognition concept are developed and compatible with the definitions in the literature. We also found that science teachers use most of the metacognition-enhancing strategies proposed in the literature. The results showed that science teachers generally do plan before the lesson, encourage their students to ask original questions and think for themselves, motivate their students to evaluate their learning experiences based on multiple criteria, encourage their students to empathize and be motivated, help their students to cope with the difficulties, create environments where students can reflect their ideas, try to make students aware of their behaviors, ask their students to explain their statements, perform role-playing and drama activities, and try to be a role model for their students. However, science teachers use journal-keeping strategies less than other strategies. We believe that the research can make a significant contribution to the literature and serve as a substantial resource especially for young teachers to gain a solid background in metacognition and how it can be incorporated into one's teaching practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Age‐related neurodegeneration characteristic of late‐onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) begins in middle age, well before symptoms. Translational models to identify modifiable risk factors are needed to understand etiology and identify therapeutic targets. Here, we outline the evidence supporting the vervet monkey (Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus) as a model of aging‐related AD‐like neuropathology and associated phenotypes including cognitive function, physical function, glucose handling, intestinal physiology, and CSF, blood, and neuroimaging biomarkers. This review provides the most comprehensive multisystem description of aging in vervets to date. This review synthesizes a large body of evidence that suggests that aging vervets exhibit a coordinated suite of traits consistent with early AD and provide a powerful, naturally occurring model for LOAD. Notably, relationships are identified between AD‐like neuropathology and modifiable risk factors. Gaps in knowledge and key limitations are provided to shape future studies to illuminate mechanisms underlying divergent neurocognitive aging trajectories and to develop interventions that increase resilience to aging‐associated chronic disease, particularly, LOAD. Research Highlights: Aging vervets exhibit a suite of traits consistent with early Alzheimer's disease (AD) and provide a powerful, naturally occurring model for AD.This comprehensive characterization of vervet monkeys provides the foundation for future studies of modifiable factors that increase risk or resilience to AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence shows that applying family nursing theory to practice benefits the patient, the family, and nursing professionals, yet the implementation of family nursing in clinical practice settings is inconsistent and limited. One of the contributing factors may be related to insufficient or inadequate educational programs focused on family nursing. This article presents a systematic review of the research that has examined the effectiveness of family nursing educational programs aimed at promoting clinical competence in family nursing. Six databases were systematically searched and 14 studies met the inclusion criteria, generating three themes: general study characteristics, educational program components, and outcome measures. These educational programs reported effectiveness in developing family nursing knowledge, skills, and attitudes, but did not evaluate the nurses' actual acquisition and implementation of family nursing clinical competencies. This review offers relevant implications for research and for family nursing education, especially when designing and evaluating future educational programs. Future research must more closely address the process and outcomes of best educational practices in family nursing education and how these are applied and evaluated in actual practice settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Termites play a major role in a variety of ecological processes in tropical and subtropical biomes worldwide, such as decomposition, soil formation and aeration, and nutrient cycling. These important ecosystem services were achieved through their highly complex societies and remarkable adaptations, including the evolution of reproductive division of labour, the acquisition of endosymbionts and the capacity for extensive environmental engineering, yet the causes and consequences of their ecological success are still poorly understood. The goals of our study were (a) to provide the first complete, species‐level phylogeny of all currently recognized termite species by integrating the available genetic and taxonomic data, as well as methods of phylogenetic imputation and divergence time estimation; and (b) to explore variation in speciation rates among termite lineages. We provide the inferred relationships as a set of 1,000 pseudo‐posterior trees, which can be used in future comparative analyses. We demonstrate that speciation rates have been relatively constant throughout the history of termites, with two positive shifts in speciation rates: one at their origin of Euisoptera and the other concordant with evolution of Termitidae. On the other hand, there was no obvious trend towards deceleration in speciation rates for termites as a whole, nor within the most species‐rich families. The provided trees might represent a valuable resource for termite comparative studies by summarizing the available phylogenetic information, while accounting for uncertainty in the inferred topologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of the American Breeds of beef cattle began in the 1920s as breeders and U. S. Experiment Station researchers began to create Bos taurus taurus × Bos taurus indicus hybrids using Brahman as the B. t. indicus source. By 1954, U.S. Breed Associations had been formed for Brangus (5/8 Angus × 3/8 Brahman), Beefmaster (½ Brahman × ¼ Shorthorn × ¼ Hereford), and Santa Gertrudis (5/8 Shorthorn × 3/8 Brahman). While these breeds were developed using mating designs expected to create base generation animals with the required genome contributions from progenitor breeds, each association has now registered advanced generation animals in which selection or drift may have caused the realized genome compositions to differ from initial expected proportions. The availability of high-density SNP genotypes for 9,161 Brangus, 3,762 Beefmaster, and 1,942 Santa Gertrudis animals allowed us to compare the realized genomic architectures of breed members to the base generation expectations. We used RFMix to estimate local ancestry and identify genomic regions in which the proportion of Brahman ancestry differed significantly from a priori expectations. For all three breeds, lower than expected levels of Brahman composition were found genome-wide, particularly in early-generation animals where we demonstrate that selection on beef production traits was likely responsible for the taurine enrichment. Using a proxy for generation number, we also contrasted the genomes of early- and advanced-generation animals and found that the indicine composition of the genome has increased with generation number likely due to selection on adaptive traits. Many of the most-highly differentiated genomic regions were breed specific, suggesting that differences in breeding objectives and selection intensities exist between the breeds. Global ancestry estimation is commonly performed in admixed animals to control for stratification in association studies. However, local ancestry estimation provides the opportunity to investigate the evolution of specific chromosomal segments and estimate haplotype effects on trait variation in admixed individuals. Investigating the genomic architecture of the American Breeds not only allows the estimation of indicine and taurine genome proportions genome-wide, but also the locations within the genome where either taurine or indicine alleles confer a selective advantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cancer tumour consists of thousands of genetic mutations. Even after advancement in technology, the task of distinguishing genetic mutations, which act as driver for the growth of tumour with passengers (Neutral Genetic Mutations), is still being done manually. This is a time-consuming process where pathologists interpret every genetic mutation from the clinical evidence manually. These clinical shreds of evidence belong to a total of nine classes, but the criterion of classification is still unknown. The main aim of this research is to propose a multiclass classifier to classify the genetic mutations based on clinical evidence (i.e., the text description of these genetic mutations) using Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques. The dataset for this research is taken from Kaggle and is provided by the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). The world-class researchers and oncologists contribute the dataset. Three text transformation models, namely, CountVectorizer, TfidfVectorizer, and Word2Vec, are utilized for the conversion of text to a matrix of token counts. Three machine learning classification models, namely, Logistic Regression (LR), Random Forest (RF), and XGBoost (XGB), along with the Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) model of deep learning, are applied to the sparse matrix (keywords count representation) of text descriptions. The accuracy score of all the proposed classifiers is evaluated by using the confusion matrix. Finally, the empirical results show that the RNN model of deep learning has performed better than other proposed classifiers with the highest accuracy of 70%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases. Pathologically, it is characterized by the aberrant aggregation of α-synuclein (α-syn) in neurons. Clinical evidence shows that patients with hypercholesterolemia are more likely to get PD, while lovastatin users have a lower risk of suffering from it. In this study, we investigated the effects of lovastatin on the aggregation and phosphorylation of α-syn in vitro. Our results demonstrate that α-syn preformed fibrils induce the phosphorylation and aggregation of α-syn in HEK293 cells stably transfected with α-syn-GFP and SH-SY5Y cells as well, which could be attenuated by in a concentration-dependent manner. Besides, lovastatin inhibited oxidative stress, histone acetylation, and the activation of casein kinase 2 (CK2). Collectively, lovastatin alleviates α-syn aggregation and phosphorylation in cellular models of synucleinopathy, indicating its potential value of being adopted in the management of PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to explore the genetic causes of probands who were diagnosed with Waardenburg syndrome (WS) or congenital sensorineural hearing loss. Methods: A detailed physical and audiological examinations were carried out to make an accurate diagnosis of 14 patients from seven unrelated families. We performed whole-exome sequencing in probands to detect the potential genetic causes and further validated them by Sanger sequencing in the probands and their family members. Results: The genetic causes for all 14 patients with WS or congenital sensorineural hearing loss were identified. A total of seven heterozygous variants including c.1459C > T, c.123del, and c.959-409_1173+3402del of PAX3 gene (NM_181459.4), c.198_262del and c.529_556del of SOX10 gene (NM_006941.4), and c.731G > A and c.970dup of MITF gene (NM_000248.3) were found for the first time. Of these mutations, we had confirmed two (c.1459C > T and c.970dup) are de novo by Sanger sequencing of variants in the probands and their parents. Conclusion: We revealed a total of seven novel mutations in PAX3 , SOX10 , and MITF , which underlie the pathogenesis of WS. The clinical and genetic characterization of these families with WS elucidated high heterogeneity in Chinese patients with WS. This study expands the database of PAX3 , SOX10 , and MITF mutations and improves our understanding of the causes of WS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neural complexity and brain entropy (BEN) have gained greater interest in recent years. The dynamics of neural signals and their relations with information processing continue to be investigated through different measures in a variety of noteworthy studies. The BEN of spontaneous neural activity decreases during states of reduced consciousness. This evidence has been showed in primary consciousness states, such as psychedelic states, under the name of "the entropic brain hypothesis." In this manuscript we propose an extension of this hypothesis to physiological and pathological aging. We review this particular facet of the complexity of the brain, mentioning studies that have investigated BEN in primary consciousness states, and extending this view to the field of neuroaging with a focus on resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. We first introduce historic and conceptual ideas about entropy and neural complexity, treating the mindbrain as a complex nonlinear dynamic adaptive system, in light of the free energy principle. Then, we review the studies in this field, analyzing the idea that the aim of the neurocognitive system is to maintain a dynamic state of balance between order and chaos, both in terms of dynamics of neural signals and functional connectivity. In our exploration we will review studies both on acute psychedelic states and more chronic psychotic states and traits, such as those in schizophrenia, in order to show the increase of entropy in those states. Then we extend our exploration to physiological and pathological aging, where BEN is reduced. Finally, we propose an interpretation of these results, defining a general trend of BEN in primary states and cognitive aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Faculty at Minnesota State University, Mankato (USA) developed a family-focused baccalaureate curriculum to address gaps between evidence and practice with families that have been linked to undergraduate nursing education. The purpose of this study was to understand the perceptions of new graduate nurses in providing family-focused nursing care in practice settings. A descriptive design focused on narrative data was used to identify the nurses' perceived benefits and challenges of caring for families in their current nursing practice. Data were collected from three cohorts of new graduate nurses who were currently employed in health care settings (N = 109) through a five-contact procedure and examined using a content analysis method. Nine perceived benefit categories, subcategories, and summary statements were identified. Seven challenge categories were identified. The early career graduate nurses' ability to translate family-focused knowledge to their practice was a significant finding. The benefits and value of developing interactions with families were evident in a number of categories. Education and practice systems can implement educational innovations and partner to support new career graduates' ability to offer skilled family nursing practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microphthalmia‐associated transcription factor (MITF) is at the core of melanocyte and melanoma fate specification. The related factors TFEB and TFE3 have been shown to be instrumental for transcriptional regulation of genes involved in lysosome biogenesis and autophagy, cellular processes important for mediating nutrition signals and recycling of cellular materials, in many cell types. The MITF, TFEB, TFE3, and TFEC proteins are highly related. They share many structural and functional features and are targeted by the same signaling pathways. However, the existence of several isoforms of each factor and the increasing number of residues shown to be post‐translationally modified by various signaling pathways poses a difficulty in indexing amino acid residues in different isoforms across the different proteins. Here, we provide a resource manual to cross‐reference amino acids and post‐translational modifications in all isoforms of the MiT‐TFE family in humans, mice, and zebrafish and summarize the protein accession numbers for each isoform of these factors in the different genomic databases. This will facilitate future studies on the signaling pathways that regulate different isoforms of the MiT‐TFE transcription factor family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Municipal members widely recognize that community school management participation promotes a sense of ownership in student learning in Ghanaian schools. This paper is a literature review on community participation in the management of Ghanaian schools. This paper's scope identifies the importance of community participation in school management, the context of school management in Ghana, and the challenges of community participation. It is recommended that Ghanaian parents and other stakeholders be encouraged to participate fully in schools' management to promote development in the education sector (at all levels) and in the entire community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a genetic disease of the heart and the most common cause of sudden cardiac death in the young. HCM is considered a disease of the sarcomere owing to the large number of mutations in genes encoding sarcomeric proteins. The riddle lies in discovering how these mutations lead to disease. As a result, treatments to prevent and/or treat HCM are limited to invasive surgical myectomies or ablations. The A31P variant of cardiac myosin binding protein-C, encoded by MYBPC3 , was found to be more prevalent in a cohort of Maine Coon cats with HCM. However, other mutations in MYBPC3 and MYH7 have also been associated with HCM in cats of other breeds. In this study, we expand the spectrum of genes associated with HCM in cats. Results: Next Generation Whole Genome sequencing was performed using DNA isolated from peripheral blood of a Maine Coon with cardiomyopathy that tested negative for the MYBPC3 A31P variant. Through risk stratification of variants, we identified a novel, homozygous intronic variant in cardiac troponin T (TNNT2). In silico analysis of the variant suggested that it may affect normal splicing of exon 3 of TNNT2. Both parents tested heterozygous for the mutation, but were unaffected by the disease. Echocardiography analyses revealed that the proband had shown early onset congestive heart failure, which is managed with a treatment regime including ACE and aldosterone inhibitors. Conclusion: In summary, we are the first to demonstrate the association between TNNT2 mutations and HCM in felines, suggesting that this gene should be included in the testing panel of genes when performing genetic testing for HCM in cats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functional group interconversions are essential chemical processes enabling synthesis. In this report, we describe a strategy to convert alkylidenemalononitriles into primary alcohols in one step. The reaction relies on a choreographed redox process involving alkylidene reduction, malononitrile oxidation, and acylcyanide reduction where molecular oxygen and NaBH4 work cooperatively. The method was applied to a variety of carbon skeletons and was utilized to synthesize complex terpenoid architectures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South‐East Australia has recently been subjected to two of the worst droughts in the historical record (Millennium Drought, 2000–2009 and Big Dry, 2017–2019). Unfortunately, a lack of forest monitoring has made it difficult to determine whether widespread tree mortality has resulted from these droughts. Anecdotal observations suggest the Big Dry may have led to more significant tree mortality than the Millennium drought. Critically, to be able to robustly project future expected climate change effects on Australian vegetation, we need to assess the vulnerability of Australian trees to drought. Here we implemented a model of plant hydraulics into the Community Atmosphere Biosphere Land Exchange (CABLE) land surface model. We parameterized the drought response behaviour of five broad vegetation types, based on a common garden dry‐down experiment with species originating across a rainfall gradient (188–1,125 mm/year) across South‐East Australia. The new hydraulics model significantly improved (~35%–45% reduction in root mean square error) CABLE's previous predictions of latent heat fluxes during periods of water stress at two eddy covariance sites in Australia. Landscape‐scale predictions of the greatest percentage loss of hydraulic conductivity (PLC) of about 40%–60%, were broadly consistent with satellite estimates of regions of the greatest change in both droughts. In neither drought did CABLE predict that trees would have reached critical PLC in widespread areas (i.e. it projected a low mortality risk), although the model highlighted critical levels near the desert regions of South‐East Australia where few trees live. Overall, our experimentally constrained model results imply significant resilience to drought conferred by hydraulic function, but also highlight critical data and scientific gaps. Our approach presents a promising avenue to integrate experimental data and make regional‐scale predictions of potential drought‐induced hydraulic failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Besides pathogen evading, Acute Lung Injury (ALI), featuring the systematic inflammation and severe epithelial damages, is widely believed to be the central non-infectious factor controlling the progression of infectious diseases. ALI is partly caused by host immune responses. Under the inspiration of unsuccessful treatment in COVID-19, recent insights into pathogen–host interactions are leading to identification and development of a wide range of host-directed therapies with different mechanisms of action. The interaction unit consisting of macrophages and the alveolar epithelial cells has recently revealed as the therapeutic basis targeting ALI. Lian Hua Qing Wen capsule is the most effective and commonly-used clinical formula in treating respiratory infection for thousands of years in China. However, little is known about its relevance with ALI, especially its protective role against ALI-induced alveolar tissue damages. Aiming to evaluate its contribution in antibiotics-integrating therapies, this study pharmacologically verified whether LHQW could alleviate lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI and explore its potential mechanisms in maintaining the physiology of macrophage-epithelial unit. In ALI mouse model, the pathological parameters, including the anal temperature, inflammation condition, lung edema, histopathological structures, have all been systematically analyzed. Results consistently supported the effectiveness of the combined strategy for LHQW and low-dose antibiotics. Furthermore, we established the macrophages-alveolar epithelial cells co-culture model and firstly proved that LHQW inhibited LPS-induced ER stress and TRAIL secretion in macrophages, thereby efficiently protected epithelial cells against TRAIL-induced apoptosis. Mechanistically, results showed that LHQW significantly deactivated NF-κB and reversed the SOCS3 expression in inflammatory macrophages. Furthermore, we proved that the therapeutic effects of LHQW were highly dependent on JNK-AP1 regulation. In conclusion, our data proved that LHQW is an epithelial protector in ALI, implying its promising potential in antibiotic alternative therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The progressive accumulation and spread of misfolded tau protein in the nervous system is the hallmark of tauopathies, progressive neurodegenerative diseases with only symptomatic treatments available. A growing body of evidence suggests that spreading of tau pathology can occur via cell-to-cell transfer involving secretion and internalization of pathological forms of tau protein followed by templated misfolding of normal tau in recipient cells. Several studies have addressed the cell biological mechanisms of tau secretion. It now appears that instead of a single mechanism, cells can secrete tau via three coexisting pathways: (1) translocation through the plasma membrane; (2) membranous organelles-based secretion; and (3) ectosomal shedding. The relative importance of these pathways in the secretion of normal and pathological tau is still elusive, though. Moreover, glial cells contribute to tau propagation, and the involvement of different cell types, as well as different secretion pathways, complicates the understanding of prion-like propagation of tauopathy. One of the important regulators of tau secretion in neuronal activity, but its mechanistic connection to tau secretion remains unclear and may involve all three secretion pathways of tau. This review article summarizes recent advancements in the field of tau secretion with an emphasis on cell biological aspects of the secretion process and discusses the role of neuronal activity and glial cells in the spread of pathological forms of tau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is pathologically defined by extracellular accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides generated by the cleavage of amyloid precursor protein (APP), strings of hyperphosphorylated Tau proteins accumulating inside neurons known as neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and neuronal loss. The association between the two hallmarks and cognitive decline has been known since the beginning of the 20th century when the first description of the disease was carried out by Alois Alzheimer. Today, more than 40 million people worldwide are affected by AD that represents the most common cause of dementia and there is still no effective treatment available to cure the disease. In general, the aggregation of Aβ is considered an essential trigger in AD pathogenesis that gives rise to NFTs, neuronal dysfunction and dementia. During the process leading to AD, tau and Aβ first misfold and form aggregates in one brain region, from where they spread to interconnected areas of the brain thereby inducing its gradual morphological and functional deterioration. In this mini-review article, we present an overview of the current literature on the spreading mechanisms of Aβ and tau pathology in AD since a more profound understanding is necessary to design therapeutic approaches aimed at preventing or halting disease progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The theory of nurse-promoted engagement with families in the intensive care unit (ICU) was developed to describe the dynamic and complex interplay between factors that support or impair nurses' efforts to promote family engagement. Theory construction involved theory derivation and theory synthesis. Concepts and relationships from ecological theory, the Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Adjustment and Adaptation, moral distress theory, and the healthy work environment framework informed the initial formation of the emerging theory. The synthesis of findings from the literature further expanded the scope of the relationships and propositions proposed in the theory. This middle-range theory can set direction for theory-informed focused nursing research that can advance the science of family nursing and guide ICU clinicians in overcoming challenges in family nursing practice. Recommendations are provided for applying this new theoretical lens to guide family nursing curriculum development, practice improvements, and policy changes to support nurses in promoting family engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This project describes implementation of an educational intervention designed to initiate practice changes that support families and nurses during acute illness. An academic–practice partnership and digital storytelling methodology provided a foundation. A quasi-experimental research design included quantitative and qualitative measurement before and after the educational intervention. Themes identified in digital stories of nurse experiences caring for families provided direction for the educational intervention including the digital stories, empirical evidence, and proposed changes in nursing practice focused on families. Nurse participants (n = 160) in the educational intervention reported positive responses on a qualitative questionnaire. Comparing pretest and posttest results of the Family Nurse Practice Scale reflected positive, though not significant change. Family members (n = 49) reported significantly improved perceptions of support on 7 of the 14 items on the Iceland Perceived Family Support Questionnaire. This project highlighted digital storytelling's power to promote family interventions and move family nursing knowledge into practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concussion or mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in athletes can cause persistent symptoms, known as post-concussion syndrome (PCS), and repeated injuries may increase the long-term risk for an athlete to develop neurodegenerative diseases such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), and Alzheimer's disease (AD). The Center for Disease Control estimates that up to 3.8 million sport-related mTBI are reported each year in the United States. Despite the magnitude of the phenomenon, there is a current lack of comprehensive prognostic indicators and research has shown that available monitoring tools are moderately sensitive to short-term concussion effects but less sensitive to long-term consequences. The overall aim of this review is to discuss novel, quantitative, and objective measurements that can predict long-term outcomes following repeated sports-related mTBIs. The specific objectives were (1) to provide an overview of the current clinical and biomechanical tools available to health practitioners to ensure recovery after mTBIs, (2) to synthesize potential biological mechanisms in animal models underlying the long-term adverse consequences of mTBIs, (3) to discuss the possible link between repeated mTBI and neurodegenerative diseases, and (4) to discuss the current knowledge about fluid biomarkers for mTBIs with a focus on novel exosomal biomarkers. The conclusions from this review are that current post-concussion clinical tests are not sufficiently sensitive to injury and do not accurately quantify post-concussion alterations associated with repeated mTBIs. In the current review, it is proposed that current practices should be amended to include a repeated symptom inventory, a cognitive assessment of executive function and impulse control, an instrumented assessment of balance, vestibulo-ocular assessments, and an improved panel of blood or exosome biomarkers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Argyrophilic grain disease (AGD) is a common 4R-tauopathy, causing or contributing to cognitive impairment in the elderly. AGD is characterized neuropathologically by pre-tangles in neurons, dendritic swellings called grains, threads, thorn-shaped astrocytes, and coiled bodies in oligodendrocytes in the limbic system. AGD has a characteristic pattern progressively involving the entorhinal cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, dentate gyrus, presubiculum, subiculum, hypothalamic nuclei, temporal cortex, and neocortex and brainstem, thus suggesting that argyrophilic grain pathology is a natural model of tau propagation. One series of WT mice was unilaterally inoculated in the hippocampus with sarkosyl-insoluble and sarkosyl-soluble fractions from "pure" AGD at the age of 3 or 7/12 months and killed 3 or 7 months later. Abnormal hyper-phosphorylated tau deposits were found in ipsilateral hippocampal neurons, grains (dots) in the hippocampus, and threads, dots and coiled bodies in the fimbria, as well as the ipsilateral and contralateral corpus callosum. The extension of lesions was wider in animals surviving 7 months compared with those surviving 3 months. Astrocytic inclusions were not observed at any time. Tau deposits were mainly composed of 4Rtau, but also 3Rtau. For comparative purposes, another series of WT mice was inoculated with sarkosyl-insoluble fractions from primary age-related tauopathy (PART), a pure neuronal neurofibrillary tangle 3Rtau + 4Rtau tauopathy involving the deep temporal cortex and limbic system. Abnormal hyper-phosphorylated tau deposits were found in neurons in the ipsilateral hippocampus, coiled bodies and threads in the fimbria, and the ipsilateral and contralateral corpus callosum, which extended with time along the anterior-posterior axis and distant regions such as hypothalamic nuclei and nuclei of the septum when comparing mice surviving 7 months with mice surviving 3 months. Astrocytic inclusions were not observed. Tau deposits were mainly composed of 4Rtau and 3Rtau. These results show the capacity for seeding and spreading of AGD tau and PART tau in the brain of WT mouse, and suggest that characteristics of host tau, in addition to those of inoculated tau, are key to identifying commonalities and differences between human tauopathies and corresponding murine models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]