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Carbohydrate (CHO) ingestion during exercise lasting less than three hours improves endurance exercise performance but there is still debate about the optimal dose. We utilised stable isotopes and blood metabolite profiles to further examine metabolic responses to CHO (glucose only) ingestion in the 20-64 g·h-1range, and to determine the association with performance outcome. In a double-blind, randomized cross-over design, male cyclists (n= 20, mean ± SD, age 34 ± 10 years, mass 75.8 ± 9 kg, peak power output 394 ± 36 W, VO2max62 ± 9 mL·kg-1·min-1) completed four main experimental trials. Each trial involved a two-hour constant load ride (185 ± 25 W) followed by a time trial, where one of three CHO beverages, or a control (water), were administered every 15 min, providing 0, 20, 39 or 64 g CHO·h-1. Dual glucose tracer techniques, indirect calorimetry and blood analyses were used to determine glucose kinetics, exogenous CHO oxidation (EXO), endogenous CHO and fat oxidation; and metabolite responses. Regression analysis revealed that total exogenous CHO oxidised in the second hour of exercise, and suppression of serum NEFA concentration provided the best prediction model of performance outcome. However, the model could only explain ~19% of the variance in performance outcome. The present data demonstrate that consuming ~40 g·h-1of CHO appears to be the minimum ingestion rate required to induce metabolic effects that are sufficient to impact upon performance outcome. These data highlight a lack of performance benefit and few changes in metabolic outcomes beyond an ingestion rate of 39 g·h-1. Further work is required to explore dose-response effects of CHO feeding and associations between multiple metabolic parameters and subsequent performance outcome.

The deep imaging capability and optical absorption contrast offered by photoacoustic imaging promote the use of this technology in clinical applications. By exploiting the optical absorption properties of endogenous chromophores such as hemoglobin and lipid, molecular information at a depth of a few centimeters can be unveiled. This information shows promise to reveal lesions indicating early stage of various human diseases, such as cancer and atherosclerosis. In addition, the use of exogenous contrast agents can further extend the capability of photoacoustic imaging in clinical diagnosis and treatment. In this review, the current state of the art and applications of photoacoustic molecular probes will be critically reviewed, as well as some spearheading translational efforts that have taken place over the past 5 years. Some of the most critical barriers to clinical translation of this novel technology will be discussed, and some thoughts will be given on future endeavors and pathways.

The possibility that diet-derived miRNAs survive the gastrointestinal tract and exert biological effects in target cells is triggering considerable research in the potential abilities of alimentary preventive and therapeutic approaches. Many validation attempts have been carried out and investigators disagree on several issues. The barriers exogenous RNAs must surpass are harsh and adequate copies must reach target cells for biological actions to be carried out. This prospect opened a window for previously unlikely scenarios concerning exogenous non-coding RNAs, such as a potential role for breast milk microRNAs in infants' development and maturation. This review is focused on the thorny path breast milk miRNAs face towards confirmation as relevant role players in infants' development and maturation, taking into consideration the research carried out so far on the uptake, gastrointestinal barriers and potential biological effects of diet-derived miRNAs. We also discuss the future pharmacological and pharma-nutritional consequences of appropriate miRNAs research.

This article explores the perceptions of Ogoni people about the existence and causes of structural violence in their communities. It relies heavily on qualitative data collected from five oil-rich and three oil-poor Ogoni communities, between February and May 2014, during which 200 open-ended survey questionnaires were administered and 189 were returned. Three focus group discussions and 69 key informant interviews were also conducted. The findings of the article are that structural violence can be found in Ogoniland; it is manifested in both visible and invisible forms; it is blamed by elites on exogenous factors, but by the disadvantaged on both exogenous and endogenous factors; and it will only be eliminated by reducing inequality and increasing democratisation.

The prime meridian in Greenwich was chosen as an international prime at the International Meridian Conference in 1884. Since then, all the measurements concerning the economic and financial time series have been performed with orientation to that of Greenwich. Taking into account protocols of the conference proceedings, this paper shows that the subjective selection of the prime meridian location, like any choice of a person or a group of people, its seeming axiomatic and a priori character have made the prime meridian an absolute givenness for econometric models, an undisputable initial condition of time series econometrics. Using the mechanics of exogenous variables lags in the classical Granger test, it is possible to demonstrate that some shifts in the prime meridian location cause shifts in the observation borders of the non-synchronous time series data sets. This fact compels values of certain time series to transfer into the neighboring observations, which leads to forming different data sets where classical econometric models and tests will produce other solutions, different from those of Greenwich’s. The use of non-synchronous data, the models with the exogenous variables lags built on autoregression principles, may lead to multiple solutions dependent on the prime meridian location and the number of participating non-synchronous time series with the unique moments of record within a day, relative to prime meridian time. This proves the necessity to correctly consider the bias associated with the choice of a single prime meridian, at least in econometric calculations of non-synchronous time series. The present paper shows the necessity of comprehensive evaluation of the prime meridian bias, not necessarily the Greenwich one, influencing the econometrics of synchronous and non-synchronous time series; such evaluation may help develop the truly objective models irrespective of the prime meridian location or the starting point of time quanta.

Lung cancer is one of the malignancies causing deaths worldwide. The yet to be developed non-invasive diagnostic techniques, are a challenge for early detection of cancer before it progresses to its later stages. The currently available diagnostic methods are expensive or invasive, and are not fit for general screening purposes. Early identification not only helps in detecting primary cancer, but also in treating its secondaries; which creates a need for easily applicable tests to screen individuals at risk. A detailed review of the various screening methods, including the latest trend of breath analysis using gold nanoparticles, to identify cancer at its early stage, are studied here. The VOC based breath biomarkers are used to analyze the exhaled breath of the patients. These biomarkers are utilized by Chemiresistors coated with gold nanoparticles, which are found to be the most suited technique for early detection of lung cancer. This technique is highly accurate and is relatively easy to operate and was tested on smokers and non-smokers. This review also gives as an outline of the fabrication and working of the device Na-Nose. The Chemiresistors coated with Gold nanoparticles, show a great potential in being an non-invasive and cost-effective diagnostic technique for early detection of lung cancer.

Endophthalmitis is an uncommon diagnosis but can have devastating visual outcomes. Endophthalmitis may be endogenous or exogenous. Exogenous endophthalmitis is caused by introduction of pathogens through mechanisms such as ocular surgery, open-globe trauma, and intravitreal injections. Endogenous endophthalmitis occurs as a result of hematogenous spread of bacteria or fungi into the eye. These categories of endophthalmitis have different risk factors and causative pathogens, and thus require different diagnostic, prevention, and treatment strategies. Novel diagnostic techniques such as real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) have been reported to provide improved diagnostic results over traditional culture techniques and may have a more expanded role in the future. While the role of povidone-iodine in prophylaxis of postoperative endophthalmitis is established, there remains controversy with regard to the effectiveness of other measures, including prophylactic antibiotics. The Endophthalmitis Vitrectomy Study (EVS) has provided us with valuable treatment guidelines. However, these guidelines cannot be directly applied to all categories of endophthalmitis, highlighting the need for continued research into attaining improved treatment outcomes.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is defined by changes in brain function resulting from external forces acting on the brain and is typically characterized by a host of physiological and functional changes such as cognitive deficits including attention problems. In the present study, we focused on the effect of TBI on the ability to allocate attention in vision (i.e., the use of endogenous and exogenous visual cues) by systematically reviewing previous literature on the topic. We conducted quantitative synthesis of 16 selected studies of visual attention following TBI, calculating 80 effect size estimates. The combined effect size was large (g = 0.79, p < 0.0001) with medium heterogeneity (I 2 = 68.39%). Subgroup analyses revealed an increase in deficit with moderate-to-severe and severe TBI as compared to mild TBI [ F (2, 76) = 24.14, p < 0.0001]. Task type was another key source of variability and subgroup analyses indicated that higher order attention processes were severely affected by TBI [ F (2, 77) = 5.66, p = 0.0051). Meta-regression analyses revealed significant improvement in visual attention deficit with time [p(mild) = 0.031, p(moderate-to-severe) = 0.002, p(severe) < 0.0001]. Taken together, these results demonstrate that visual attention is affected by TBI and that regular assessment of visual attention, using a systematic attention allocation task, may provide a useful clinical measure of cognitive impairment and change after TBI., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Walz, Mani, Alnawmasi and Khuu.)

En s’appuyant sur le corpus théorique des modèles de syndrome hollandais, qui permet d’expliquer la situation économique des pays rentiers, l’auteur montre l’importance de l’effet « mouvement des ressources » et de l’effet « dépense » dans les processus de réallocation des ressources. Les mécanismes de désindustrialisation directe et indirecte qui se mettent en place expliquent une partie de la réalité économique de ces pays. Cependant cette analyse doit être enrichie par l’analyse d’autres facteurs, de nature différente. Cela permet de comprendre l’unicité des processus de croissance selon les pays et de réintroduire la notion de choix dans l’analyse économique. Using the theoretical corpus that gathers models of Dutch disease, a concept that allows one to explain the economic situation of the rentier States, the author highlights the importance of what she calls the « movement of resources » effect and the « spending » effect in the processes of resources reallocations. The establishment of both direct and indirect deindustrialization mechanisms accounts for part of these countries’ economic reality. This analysis must nevertheless be enriched with other factors of different nature to explain the uniqueness of growth processes in each country and reintroduce the idea of choice in the economic analysis.

Koala populations are in serious decline across many areas of mainland Australia, with infectious disease a contributing factor. Koala retrovirus (KoRV) is a gammaretrovirus present in most wild koala populations and captive colonies. Five subtypes of KoRV (A to E) have been identified based on amino acid sequence divergence in a hypervariable region of the receptor binding domain of the envelope protein. However, analysis of viral genetic diversity has been conducted primarily on KoRV in captive koalas housed in zoos in Japan, the United States, and Germany. Wild koalas within Australia have not been comparably assessed. Here we report a detailed analysis of KoRV genetic diversity in samples collected from 18 wild koalas from southeast Queensland. By employing deep sequencing we identified 108 novel KoRV envelope sequences and determined their phylogenetic diversity. Genetic diversity in KoRV was abundant and fell into three major groups; two comprised the previously identified subtypes A and B, while the third contained the remaining hypervariable region subtypes (C, D, and E) as well as four hypervariable region subtypes that we newly define here (F, G, H, and I). In addition to the ubiquitous presence of KoRV-A, which may represent an exclusively endogenous variant, subtypes B, D, and F were found to be at high prevalence, while subtypes G, H, and I were present in a smaller number of animals. IMPORTANCE Koala retrovirus (KoRV) is thought to be a significant contributor to koala disease and population decline across mainland Australia. This study is the first to determine KoRV subtype prevalence among a wild koala population, and it significantly expands the total number of KoRV sequences available, providing a more precise picture of genetic diversity. This understanding of KoRV subtype prevalence and genetic diversity will be important for conservation efforts attempting to limit the spread of KoRV. Furthermore, KoRV is one of the only retroviruses shown to exist in both endogenous (transmitted vertically to offspring in the germ line DNA) and exogenous (horizontally transmitted between infected individuals) forms, a division of fundamental evolutionary importance.

Although essential for artificial insemination (AI) and MOET (multiple ovulation and embryo transfer), oestrus synchronisation and superovulation are associated with increased female reproductive tract mucus production and altered sperm transport. The effects of such breeding practices on the ovine cervicovaginal (CV) mucus proteome have not been detailed. The aim of this study was to qualitatively and quantitatively investigate the Merino CV mucus proteome in naturally cycling (NAT) ewes at oestrus and mid-luteal phase, and quantitatively compare CV oestrus mucus proteomes of NAT, progesterone synchronised (P4) and superovulated (SOV) ewes. Quantitative analysis revealed 60 proteins were more abundant during oestrus and 127 were more abundant during the luteal phase, with 27 oestrus specific and 40 luteal specific proteins identified. The oestrus proteins most disparate in abundance compared to mid-luteal phase were ceruloplasmin (CP), chitinase-3-like protein 1 (CHI3L1), clusterin (CLU), alkaline phosphatase (ALPL) and mucin-16 (MUC16). Exogenous hormones greatly altered the proteome with 51 and 32 proteins more abundant and 98 and 53 proteins less abundant, in P4 and SOV mucus, respectively when compared to NAT mucus. Investigation of the impact of these proteomic changes on sperm motility and longevity within mucus may help improve sperm transport and fertility following cervical AI. Significance This manuscript is the first to detail the proteome of ovine cervicovaginal mucus using qualitative and quantitative proteomic methods over the oestrous cycle in naturally cycling ewes, and also after application of common oestrus synchronisation and superovulation practices. The investigation of the mucus proteome throughout both the follicular and luteal periods of the oestrous cycle, and also after oestrous synchronisation and superovulation provides information about the endocrine control and the effects that exogenous hormones have on protein expression in the female reproductive tract. This information contributes to the field by providing important information on the changes that occur to the cervicovaginal mucus proteome after use of exogenous hormones in controlled breeding programs, which are commonly used on farm and also in a research setting.

Covert spatial attention is tightly coupled to the eye-movement system, but the precise nature of this coupling remains contentious. Recent research has argued that covert attention and overt eye-movements many share a common biological limit, such that covert exogenous orienting of attention is limited to stimuli that fall within the range of possible eye movements (the effective oculomotor range: EOMR). However, this conclusion is based on a single experimental paradigm: The Posner cueing task. Here, we examine the extent to which covert spatial attention is limited to the EOMR in visual search. Exogenous attention was assessed using a feature search task and endogenous attention assessed using a conjunction search task. The tasks were performed monocularly with the dominant eye in the frontal position or abducted by 40°. In the abducted position stimuli in the temporal hemispace could be seen, but could not become the goal of a saccadic eye-movement (i.e. they were beyond the EOMR). In contrast, stimuli in the nasal hemifield remained within the EOMR. We observed a significant effect of eye-abduction on feature search, such that search was slower when targets appeared beyond the EOMR. In contrast, eye-abduction had no effect on search times during conjunction search. Set size did not interact with target location or eye-position. It is concluded that optimal covert orienting of exogenous attention in visual search is restricted to locations within the effective oculomotor range.

The endogenous metabolites excreted by organisms into their surrounding environment, termed the exometabolome, are important for many processes including chemical communication. In fish biology, such metabolites are also known to be informative markers of physiological status. While metabolomics is increasingly used to investigate the endogenous biochemistry of organisms, no non-targeted studies of the metabolic complexity of fish exometabolomes have been reported to date. In environmental chemistry, Chemcatcher® (Portsmouth, UK) passive samplers have been developed to sample for micro-pollutants in water. Given the importance of the fish exometabolome, we sought to evaluate the capability of Chemcatcher® samplers to capture a broad spectrum of endogenous metabolites excreted by fish and to measure these using non-targeted direct infusion mass spectrometry metabolomics. The capabilities of C18 and styrene divinylbenzene reversed-phase sulfonated (SDB-RPS) Empore™ disks for capturing non-polar and polar metabolites, respectively, were compared. Furthermore, we investigated real, complex metabolite mixtures excreted from two model fish species, rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). In total, 344 biological samples and 28 QC samples were analysed, revealing 646 and 215 m/z peaks from trout and stickleback, respectively. The measured exometabolomes were principally affected by the type of Empore™ (Hemel Hempstead, UK) disk and also by the sampling time. Many peaks were putatively annotated, including several bile acids (e.g., chenodeoxycholate, taurocholate, glycocholate, glycolithocholate, glycochenodeoxycholate, glycodeoxycholate). Collectively these observations show the ability of Chemcatcher® passive samplers to capture endogenous metabolites excreted from fish.

Bone fracture healing is a complicated physiological regenerative process initiated in response to injury and is similar to bone development. To demonstrate whether an exogenous supply of parathyroid hormone–related protein (PTHrP) helps in bone fracture healing, closed mid-diaphyseal femur fractures were created and stabilized with intramedullary pins in eight-week-old wild-type (WT) PTHrP+/+ and PTHrP+/− mice. After administering PTHrP for two weeks, callus tissue properties were analyzed at one, two, and four weeks post-fracture (PF) by various methods. Bone formation–related genes and protein expression levels were evaluated by real-time reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction and Western blots. At two weeks PF, mineral density of callus, bony callus areas, mRNA levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), type I collagen, Runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx-2), and protein levels of Runx-2 and insulin-like growth factor-1 decreased in PTHrP+/− mice compared with WT mice. At four weeks PF, total collagen-positive bony callus areas, osteoblast number, ALP-positive areas, and type I collagen-positive areas all decreased in PTHrP+/− mice. At both two and four weeks PF, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase–positive osteoclast number and surface decreased a little in PTHrP+/− mice. The study indicates that exogenous PTHrP provided by subcutaneous injection could redress impaired bone fracture healing, leading to mutation of activated PTHrP by influencing callus areas, endochondral bone formation, osteoblastic bone formation, and bone turnover.

Existing research has found that spatial attention alters how various stimulus properties are perceived (e.g., luminance, saturation), but few have explored whether it improves the accuracy of perception. To address this question, we performed two experiments using modified Posner cueing tasks, wherein participants made speeded detection responses to peripheral colour targets and then indicated their perceived colours on a colour wheel. In E1, cues were central and endogenous (i.e., prompted voluntary attention) and the interval between cues and targets (stimulus onset asynchrony, or SOA) was always 800 ms. In E2, cues were peripheral and exogenous (i.e., captured attention involuntarily) and the SOA varied between short (100 ms) and long (800 ms). A Bayesian mixed-model analysis was used to isolate the effects of attention on the probability and the fidelity of colour encoding. Both endogenous and short-SOA exogenous spatial cueing improved the probability of encoding the colour of targets. Improved fidelity of encoding was observed in the endogenous but not in the exogenous cueing paradigm. With exogenous cues, inhibition of return (IOR) was observed in both RT and probability at the long SOA. Overall, our findings reinforce the utility of continuous response variables in the research of attention.

EgeUn###, Enhanced exergy analysis is built up as a novel modality to specify the origins of irreversibilities and to concentrate substantial improvement potential of components. The scope of this paper is to apply the enhanced exergy analysis to an olive oil refinery plant operated in Izmir, Turkey, that is conducted for the first time to agree the first level (endogenous/exogenous) and the second level (combination of the endogenous/exogenous and unavoidable/avoidable parts studied before) of destructions for exposing substantial efficiencies. Results showed that the components in the plant mostly have endogenous exergy destructions. Besides, the distillation unit has the highest endogenous exergy destruction value of 150.9 kW as the avoidable and unavoidable endogenous sections are 76.85 and 74.08 kW, respectively. Furthermore, the shell and tube economiser has the highest modified (enhanced) exergetic efficiency of 99.9% while the modified performances of plate-heat exchanger and pump (VII) are calculated as 73% and 71.24%, respectively., TARIS Olive Oil Company in Izmir, Turkey, The authors would like to thank TARIS Olive Oil Company in Izmir, Turkey for supporting the research and providing actual operational data for analysis. They are also very grateful to the reviewers for their constructive and valuable suggestions.

This paper investigates the effects of systematic (or rules-based) and non-systematic (exogenous) fiscal policy changes on output growth in Greece, focusing also on the composition of fiscal policy. Exogenous fiscal policy changes are associated with Keynesian responses (with the exception of net transfers and VAT). Systematic government spending cuts aiming at improving fiscal performance although they tend to have a Keynesian effect on output growth in the short term, they ultimately result in a non-Keynesian response, raising output growth. Systematic direct tax hikes, aiming at correcting fiscal imbalances, can have positive medium to long term growth effects.

Human endogenous retrovirus (HERVs) integrated in the human genome millions of years ago and became astable part of the inherited genetic material. Most of these HERVs are dysfunctional due to numerous mutations andthus making it impossible to generate a full, infectious retrovirus particle from a single genetic locus. However, manyHERVs are still exceptionally well preserved and maintain Open Reading Frames encoding functional viral proteins.The permanence of HERV ́s genes along evolution suggests that these elements have proven beneficial to humansurvival. In this regard, the expression of certain HERV proteins is implicated in important physiological functions,such as placental development. Nevertheless, reactivation of HERVs has frequently been observed in a variety ofhuman tumors suggesting their potential to contribute to malignant progression. Considering the role of HERVs inthe carcinogenesis process, the purpose of this mini review is to deepen into HERVs expression and its possibleimplication in hemato-oncologic disease development.

Carbohydrate (CHO) ingestion during exercise lasting less than three hours improves endurance exercise performance but there is still debate about the optimal dose. We utilised stable isotopes and blood metabolite profiles to further examine metabolic responses to CHO (glucose only) ingestion in the 20–64 g·h−1 range, and to determine the association with performance outcome. In a double-blind, randomized cross-over design, male cyclists (n = 20, mean ± SD, age 34 ± 10 years, mass 75.8 ± 9 kg, peak power output 394 ± 36 W, VO2max 62 ± 9 mL·kg−1·min−1) completed four main experimental trials. Each trial involved a two-hour constant load ride (185 ± 25 W) followed by a time trial, where one of three CHO beverages, or a control (water), were administered every 15 min, providing 0, 20, 39 or 64 g CHO·h−1. Dual glucose tracer techniques, indirect calorimetry and blood analyses were used to determine glucose kinetics, exogenous CHO oxidation (EXO), endogenous CHO and fat oxidation; and metabolite responses. Regression analysis revealed that total exogenous CHO oxidised in the second hour of exercise, and suppression of serum NEFA concentration provided the best prediction model of performance outcome. However, the model could only explain ~19% of the variance in performance outcome. The present data demonstrate that consuming ~40 g·h−1 of CHO appears to be the minimum ingestion rate required to induce metabolic effects that are sufficient to impact upon performance outcome. These data highlight a lack of performance benefit and few changes in metabolic outcomes beyond an ingestion rate of 39 g·h−1. Further work is required to explore dose-response effects of CHO feeding and associations between multiple metabolic parameters and subsequent performance outcome.

Barber′s syndrome is a plenoidal sinus that occurs in the interdigital space resulting in penetration from the epidermis by exogenous hairs. As an occupational disease, it is named so because of its prevalence in barbers. The penetration of short and hard hairs into the epidermis and the subsequent accumulation in the interdigital space triggers infection and leads to the classic plenoidal sinus pattern. However, unlike the classical plenoidal sinus, this pattern is formed in the interdigital space free of hair follicles and with exogenous, nonpatient hairs. Here, we present the case of a 31-year-old male patient who had plenoidal sinus in the second interdigital space for 1½ years. We would like to emphasize that it is a rare occupational disease which occurs in barbers with exogenous hairs and wanted to show the diagnostic and treatment modalities of this rare syndrome.

Ochronosis is a rare disease characterized by speckled and diffuse pigmentation symmetrically over the face, neck, and photo-exposed areas. It can present in exogenous or endogenous form. Endogenous ochronosis or alkaptonuria is an autosomal recessive disease caused by a deficiency of homogentisic acid (HGA) oxidase, which results in the accumulation of HGA, a hydroquinone (HQ) metabolite of tyrosine. Some evidence suggests that it is not HGA itself but a by-product of its oxidation, a benzoquinone acetic acid, that can polymerize to a melanin-like pigment by unknown mechanisms and accumulates both inter and intracellularly in connective tissue, most commonly the joints, cardiovascular system, kidney, skin, and glands, a pathological condition known as ochronosis (Development of an in vitro model to investigate joint ochronosis in alkaptonuria. Tinti L, Taylor AM et al. Rheumatology 2010; Oct 15: 1-7. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keq246). Exogenous ochronosis (EO) is a rare, cosmetically disfiguring condition, resulting from the long-term use of topical HQ in the treatment of melasma. It manifests as grey-brown or blue-black macules in HQ-exposed regions, characterized histologically by banana-shaped ocher-colored deposits in the dermis. HQ the topical bleaching agent of choice is widely prescribed by physicians and often used by patients without a prescription. The principal adverse effects of its chronic use are confetti-like depigmentation and rarely EO. EO is an avoidable dermatosis that needs to be recognized early with immediate discontinuation of HQ as treatment is difficult. Sun exposure facilitates the formation of EO and must be strictly avoided. We report case of a 65-year-old man who had chronic kidney disease but developed EO while using topical HQ.