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Sexual assault is an irrefutable trauma; an insult to the autonomy of the person forced into sexual acts. Sexual assault sequelae range from physical injury and acute traumatic stress, to pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV post-exposure prophylaxis (HIV PEP) following sexual assault may decrease the likelihood of HIV transmission. Many patients seeking healthcare post-sexual assault either do not initiate HIV PEP or do not complete the 28-day medication regimen. In this qualitative interpretive description, we interviewed sexual assault patients (N=11) about HIV PEP discussions/reactions, attitudes and understanding related to HIV and PEP, and barriers and facilitators of HIV PEP acceptance and adherence. Participants described a process of losing and reclaiming control throughout post-assault care and follow-up; and how this affected HIV PEP-related decision-making. Most HIV PEP decisions were described as a process of reclaiming control over one outcome while simultaneously losing control of another.

This study assessed saturated mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOSH) and aromatic mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOAH) levels in grower–finisher feeds for pigs supplemented with 5% crude palm oil (CP), crude olive pomace oil (COP), olive pomace acid oil (OPA), or a blend of CP and OPA (50:50, w/w); the contribution of the lipid source to that contamination; and the ability of pigs to accumulate MOH in back fat and loin tissues after 60 days of trial. MOSH and MOAH were analyzed with liquid chromatography (LC)–gas chromatography (GC)–flame ionization detection (FID) after sample preparation. Among the lipid sources, CP had the lowest MOH levels, but CP feeds showed the highest contamination. This, along with the different MOSH profiles, indicated the presence of more significant contamination sources in the feeds than the lipid source. The higher MOH contamination in CP feeds was reflected in the highest MOSH levels in pig back fat, whereas MOAH were not detected in animal tissues. Also, MOSH bioaccumulation in pig tissues was influenced by the carbon chain length. In conclusion, feed manufacturing processes can determine the MOSH contamination present in animal adipose tissues that can be included in human diets.

Electrochromic glazing alters its optical properties in the absence/presence of an electrical charge, varying from clear to dark to control daylighting and solar heat gains. This study aims to evaluate the impact of an electrochromic glazing, with indoor glare or temperature control, on the energy performance and thermal and visual comfort of an office room under three European climates, using a calibrated simulation model. The novelty of the paper lies in its combined performance assessment, using different standards and metrics. The results showed reduced climatization energy requirements with temperature control, but significantly increased artificial lighting energy use. Glare control achieved useful illuminance levels during 74–80% of working hours. Concerning temperature control, working hours within thermal comfort increased (21–43%) under a free-float regime. Moreover, the performance of this glazing was compared to that of a clear glazing with/without a reflective film and a thermochromic glazing for different solar orientations. The electrochromic glazing with glare control showed the highest energy savings (14–36%) for a western orientation, and the lowest negative impact on daylighting for a northern orientation. The best glare reduction was achieved with the reflective film. Considering the free-float regime, the electrochromic glazing, with temperature control, showed the highest increase in working hours within thermal comfort (6–9%) for a western orientation.

The purpose of this study was to examine undergraduate students' perceptions of the benefits of a college reading and study skills course. Researchers have found that even with increased emphasis on college readiness, many students continue to enter college unprepared for the rigorous academic expectations they may face. With this in mind, this study was designed to examine the perceptions of students entering college and being enrolled in a "support" course based on their SAT scores. Findings revealed that participants valued learning study skills and strategies that supported their understanding of course material before, during, and after the reading process. In addition, participants valued strategies that would transfer across courses in the university setting. This action research study provides the opportunity to consider how instructors can support students' experiences in support courses through resources and strategies to support student success in college and beyond.

Can contemporary cognitive science explain clinical expertise? We argue that the answer could be “no.” In support of this, we provide an analysis of two of the most essential expressions of clinical expertise in nursing and medicine, the ability to run a code blue and the ability to diagnose congestive heart failure. We show how it makes sense to treat both as examples of what we call inference to the best action, and we then argue that two of the standard explanatory paradigms of cognitive science — the Humean and Bayesian paradigms — are unable to provide a plausible analysis of inference to the best action.

Background Observational studies have shown that women with an early menopause are at higher risk of stroke compared with women with a later menopause. However, associations with stroke subtypes are inconsistent, and the causality is unclear. Methods and Results We analyzed data of the UK Biobank and EPIC‐CVD (European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and Nutrition‐Cardiovascular Diseases) study. A total of 204 244 postmenopausal women without a history of stroke at baseline were included (7883 from EPIC‐CVD [5292 from the subcohort], 196 361 from the UK Biobank). Pooled mean baseline age was 58.9 years (SD, 5.8), and pooled mean age at menopause was 47.8 years (SD, 6.2). Over a median follow‐up of 12.6 years (interquartile range, 11.8–13.3), 6770 women experienced a stroke (5155 ischemic strokes, 1615 hemorrhagic strokes, 976 intracerebral hemorrhages, and 639 subarachnoid hemorrhages). In multivariable adjusted observational Cox regression analyses, the pooled hazard ratios per 5 years younger age at menopause were 1.09 (95% CI, 1.07–1.12) for stroke, 1.09 (95% CI, 1.06–1.13) for ischemic stroke, 1.10 (95% CI, 1.04–1.16) for hemorrhagic stroke, 1.14 (95% CI, 1.08–1.20) for intracerebral hemorrhage, and 1.00 (95% CI, 0.84–1.20) for subarachnoid hemorrhage. When using 2‐sample Mendelian randomization analysis, we found no statistically significant association between genetically proxied age at menopause and risk of any type of stroke. Conclusions In our study, earlier age at menopause was related to a higher risk of stroke. We found no statistically significant association between genetically proxied age at menopause and risk of stroke, suggesting no causal relationship.

Female entertainment and sex workers (FESW) are vulnerable to violence, which impedes safer sex behaviors and increases risk of HIV. FESW are also disproportionately affected by co-occurring psychosocial health conditions, including substance use, depression, and economic insecurity, which increased risk of exposure to violence. We used a syndemic framework to examine the effects of co-occurring psychosocial conditions on the risk of client-perpetrated physical and sexual violence against FESW. Data were collected among 1198 Cambodian FESW on recent client-perpetrated physical and sexual violence, and psychosocial conditions (psychological distress, alcohol consumption, amphetamine-type stimulant (ATS) use, debts, housing, and food insecurity). Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were conducted. Prevalence of physical and sexual violence from clients was 4.8% and 6.9%, respectively. Client-perpetrated physical violence was associated with housing insecurity, ATS use, and psychological distress. All psychosocial conditions, except ATS, were associated with exposure to sexual violence. In multivariable models, odds of client-perpetrated physical violence were twice higher among women with ≥ 4 compared to ≤ 3 psychosocial conditions. Risk of sexual violence increased with the number of psychosocial conditions. Compared to those with ≤ 1 condition, FESW with two psychosocial conditions had twice the odds (AOR = 2.08; 95% CI 1.00-4.31) and women with 5-6 psychosocial conditions had eightfold higher odds (AOR = 8.10; 95% CI 3.4-19.31) of sexual violence from clients. Our findings support a syndemic model of co-occurring psychosocial conditions among FESW that are associated with increased risk of violence. Violence prevention interventions targeting FESW should adopt comprehensive approaches that address co-occurring psychosocial conditions.

Many different equations ranging from simple empirical to semi-analytical solutions of the Richards equation have been proposed for quantitative description of water infiltration into variably saturated soils. The sorptivity, S, and the saturated hydraulic conductivity, Ks, in these equations are typically unknown and have to be estimated from measured data. In this paper, we use so-called characteristic time (tchar) to design a new method, referred to as the characteristic time method (CTM) that estimates S, and Ks, from one-dimensional (1D) cumulative infiltration data. We demonstrate the usefulness and power of the CTM by comparing it with a suite of existing methods using synthetic cumulative infiltration data simulated by HYDRUS-1D for 12 synthetic soils reflecting different USDA textural classes, as well as experimental data selected from the Soil Water Infiltration Global (SWIG) database. Results demonstrate that the inferred values of S and Ks are in excellent agreement with their theoretical values used in the synthetically simulated infiltration experiments with Nash–Sutcliffe criterion close to unity and RMSE values of 0.04 cm h−1/2 and 0.05 cm h−1, respectively. The CTM also showed very high accuracy when applied on synthetic data with added measurement noise, as well as robustness when applied to experimental data. Unlike previously published methods, the CTM does not require knowledge of the time validity of the applied semi-analytical solution for infiltration and, therefore, is applicable to infiltrations with durations from 5 min to several days. A script written in Python of the CTM method is provided in the supplemental material.

Sorptivity is one of the most important parameters for the quantification of water infiltration into soils. Parlange (1975) proposed a specific formulation to derive sorptivity as a function of the soil water retention and hydraulic conductivity functions, as well as initial and final soil water contents. However, this formulation requires the integration of a function involving hydraulic diffusivity, which may be undefined or present numerical difficulties that cause numerical misestimations. In this study, we propose a mixed formulation that scales sorptivity and splits the integrals into two parts: the first term involves the scaled degree of saturation, while the second involves the scaled water pressure head. The new mixed formulation is shown to be robust and well-suited to any type of hydraulic function – even with infinite hydraulic diffusivity or positive air-entry water pressure heads – and any boundary condition, including infinite initial water pressure head, h→-∞. Lastly, we show the benefits of using the proposed formulation for modeling water into soil with analytical models that use sorptivity.

Generative Deep Learning holds promise for mining the unexplored “chemical universe” for new drugs. Here, the authors demonstrate the de novo design of phosphoinositide 3-kinase gamma (PI3Kγ) inhibitors for the PI3K/Akt pathway in human tumor cells.

The present paper reviews the self-aggregation, gel-forming and adsorption properties of xyloglucan (XG), and its main applications as a medical device for wound dressings, mucosal protection and ocular lubrication, as well as its uses as an excipient. XG is a branched polysaccharide composed of a central backbone of D-glucose units linked by β(1→4)-glycosidic bonds, decorated with D-xylose units through α(1→6) glycosidic bonds, and with some D-galactose units anchored to these D-xylose units via β(1→2) bonds. XG forms self-aggregates with a hierarchically ordered morphology in aqueous solutions, leading to the formation of nanofibers. Consequently, XG is a hydrogel-forming polymer able to retain large amounts of water. Inside the human digestive tract, XG is enzymatically degalactosylated, but the backbone with xylose side chains remains stable until excretion. Degalactosylated XG undergoes a fully reversible sol–gel transition, forming hydrogels between upper and lower critical temperatures. XG adsorbs on intestinal mucosa and creates a diffusion barrier that reduces permeability and also prevents bacterial infections by reducing their infiltration. Therefore, orally administered XG is considered a mucosa protectant.

Abstract Diastolic dysfunction of the left ventricle (LVDD) is equally common in elderly women and men. LVDD is a condition that can remain latent for a long time but is also held responsible for elevated left ventricular filling pressures and high pulmonary pressures that may result in (exercise-induced) shortness of breath. This symptom is the hallmark of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) which is predominantly found in women as compared to men within the HF spectrum. Given the mechanistic role of LVDD in the development of HFpEF, we review risk factors and mechanisms that may be responsible for this sex-specific progression of LVDD towards HFpEF from an epidemiological point-of-view and propose future research directions.

Abstract Cognitive decline is part of the normal aging process. However, some people experience a more rapid decline than others due to environmental and genetic factors. Numerous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been linked to cognitive function, but only a few to cognitive decline. To understand whether cognitive function and cognitive decline are driven by the same mechanisms, we investigated whether 433 SNPs previously linked to cognitive function and 2 SNPs previously linked to cognitive decline are associated with both general cognitive functioning at baseline and general cognitive decline up to 20-years follow-up in the Doetinchem Cohort Study (DCS). The DCS is a longitudinal population-based study that enrolled men and women aged 20–59 years between 1987–1991, with follow-up examinations every 5 years. We used data of rounds 2–6 (1993–2017, n = 2559). General cognitive function was assessed using four cognition tests measuring memory, speed, fluency and flexibility. With these test scores, standardized residuals (adjusted for sex, age and examination round) were calculated for each cognition test at each round and subsequently combined into one general cognitive function measure using principal component analyses. None of the 435 previously identified variants were associated with baseline general cognitive function in the DCS. But rs429358-C, a coding apolipoprotein E (APOE) SNP and one of the variants previously associated with cognitive decline, was associated with general cognitive decline in our study as well (p-value = 1 × 10−5, Beta = −0.013). These findings suggest that decline of general cognitive function is influenced by other mechanisms than those that are involved in the regulation of general cognitive function.

Abstract In the theory of ageing, it has been assumed that ageing is associated with a decline in somatic defences, including the immune system, as a consequence of a trade-off with reproduction. While overall immunity suffers from age-related deterioration (immune senescence), the different components of the immune response appear to age differently. It is also likely that investment among the many arms of the immune system and reproduction with age is finely adjusted to the organisms' reproductive strategy. We investigated this possibility in females of Tenebrio molitor, a species of long-lived insect with reproductive strategies similar to those of long-lived mammals. We specifically tested the effects of immunological challenges imposed early or late in adult life on immune pathway activation as well as fertility early and late in life. We found complex patterns of changes in immune defences with age and age-specific immune challenges with contrasted relationships with female reproduction. While cellular and enzymatic defences showed signs of ageing, they did not trade-off with reproduction. By contrast, the induced antibacterial immune response was found to be unaffected by age and to be highly connected to female fecundity. These findings suggest that these immunological pathways have different functions with regard to female ageing in this insect species.