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Antibiotic resistance (AR) is a growing health concern worldwide and the Arctic represents an understudied region in terms of AR. This study aimed to quantify AR genes (ARGs) from effluent released from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada, thus creating a baseline reference for future evaluations. Water, sediment, and truncate softshell clam (Mya truncata) tissue samples were compared from the wastewater, the receiving environment of Frobisher Bay, and nearby undisturbed freshwaters. The pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) atenolol, carbamazepine, metoprolol, naproxen, sulfapyridine, and trimethoprim were found in the wastewater, but the PPCPs were undetectable in the receiving environment. However, the relative abundances of ARGs were significantly higher in wastewater than in the receiving environment or reference sites. Abundances did not significantly differ in Frobisher Bay compared to undisturbed reference sites. ARGs in clams near the WWTP had similar relative abundances as those from pristine areas. The lack of ARG detection is likely due to Frobisher Bay tides flushing inputs to levels below detection. These data suggest that the WWTP infrastructure does not influence the receiving environment based on the measured parameters; more importantly, further research must elucidate the impact and fate of AR and PPCPs in Arctic communities.

Vietnamese cassava varieties constitute the fundamental and pivotal element in the sustainable development programme for cassava. This article aims to encapsulate the advancements made over nearly five decades in breeding and enhancing Vietnamese cassava varieties. It delineates the suitable cassava variety structures for each period and ecological region. The selection of cassava varieties exhibiting high starch yield and disease resistance, coupled with the establishment of a suitable and efficient cassava cultivation model, exemplified by 10T for Vietnamese cassava varieties KM568, KM539, KM537, KM569, and KM94, stands as a cornerstone for sustaining cassava development over the years. Presently, we advocate for farmers to cultivate promising cassava varieties such as KM568 or KM539 (an enhanced version of the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) cassava variety C39, refined through multiple breeding cycles from 2004 onwards), KM537, KM569, or HN1 (originally known as TMEB419), alongside popular cassava varieties: KM440, KM419, KM94, KM7, STB1, KM414, KM98-7, KM140, KM98-5, KM98-1. We have conducted Distinctness, Uniformity, and Stability (DUS) and Value for Cultivation and Use (VCU) tests, showcasing outstanding cassava varieties in large-scale farming, thereby providing compelling evidence for the prudent conservation and sustainable development of cassava. Vietnamese cassava progression (1975 to date) has traversed six stages, with five waves of restructuring cassava varieties, aligning with target orientations, farming conditions, and market demands, culminating in 16 popular cassava varieties and four promising cassava varieties KM568, KM539, KM537, and KM569.

Ribo-T is a tethered ribosome complex capable of orthogonal ribosome-mRNA functionality, but has low activity. Here the authors evolve new tether designs that support faster growth and increased protein expression.

Introduction Biased language influences health care providers' perceptions of patients, impacts their clinical care, and prevents vulnerable populations from seeking treatment. Training clinicians to systematically replace biased verbal and written language is an essential step to providing equitable care. Methods We designed and implemented an interactive workshop to teach health care professionals a framework to identify and replace stigmatizing language in clinical practice. The workshop included a reflective exercise, role-play, brief didactic session, and case-based discussion. We developed the program for a broad target audience of providers and initially delivered it at three academic conferences. We used descriptive statistics to analyze Likert-style items on course evaluations and identified themes in open-text responses. Results A total of 66 participants completed course evaluations; most believed the workshop met its objectives (4.8 out of 5.0) and strongly agreed that they would apply skills learned (4.8). Participants planned to incorporate reflection into their verbal and written language. Potential barriers to applying course content included perceived difficulty in changing entrenched practice habits, burnout, and fatigue. Suggestions for improvement included more time for group discussions and strategies to teach skills to colleagues. Discussion Participants found the course material highly engaging and relevant to their clinical practice. Learners left the workshop feeling motivated to engage in more mindful word choice and to share key concepts with their colleagues.

Innledning Computertomografi (CT) er en hyppig utført undersøkelse i Norge. Både mammae og thyroidea er strålefølsomme organer som eksponeres ved en CT thorax undersøkelse. For å få ned inngangsdosen (ESD) til slike strålefølsomme organer kan man enten benytte seg av en organspesifikk adaptiv dose reduksjons protokoll (X-CARE) eller isteden legge vismut beskyttelse over de strålefølsomme organene ved CT-undersøkelsen. I denne studien sammenligner vi huddosen (ESD) over mamma, samt bildekvalitet, ved bruk av disse to metodene ved en CT thorax lavdose undersøkelse? Material og metode 30 spiral skanninger, hvorav ti standard lavdose, ti med vismut beskyttelse og ti med X-CARE, ble utført på et Alderson fantom, kombinert med Care Dose 4D, på en Siemens SOMATOM Definition Edge 128 CT maskin. ESD ble målt, CTDIvol og Dose-lengde-produkt (DLP) ble hentet ut fra doserapporten. Den objektive bildekvaliteten ble analysert, og vurdert ved hjelp av tre Region Of Interest (ROI), plassert hhv i luft, i lungeparenkymet og i pleura parietale. Signal til støyforhold (SNR) og kontrast til støyforhold (CNR) ble regnet ut ifra ROI verdiene. Resultater ESD til mamma viste dosereduksjon sammenlignet med en standard CT thorax lavdose; hhv 16,5 % dosereduksjon ved bruk av vismut beskyttelse, og 0,44 % ved X-CARE. Det var ingen forskjell i CTDIvol og DLP ved standard lavdose skanningen eller skanningen med vismut beskyttelse. Skanningen med X-CARE ga en økning i CTDIvol og DLP på omtrent 12 %. SNR og CNR i lungeparenkymet og pleura parietale var høyest ved standard lavdose undersøkelsen. Bildestøyen økte 48 % ved vismut og 26,4 % ved X-CARE. Konklusjon ESD ble markant redusert ved CT thorax lavdose undersøkelsen med vismut beskyttelse, men ga samtidig en markant økning i bildestøyen. X-CARE reduserte ESD minimalt sammenlignet med standard lavdose skanningen, men ga økt bildestøy. Den mest effektive måten å oppnå en optimal lavdose undersøkelse på, er ved å utføre en standard CT thorax lavdose protokoll. Abstract Introduction Computed tomography (CT) is a frequent examination conducted in Norway. Mammae and thyroid gland are both dose sensitive body organs, which are being exposed during a thoracic CT examination. Therefore, an optimization of protocols is necessary and X-CARE (organ-based tube current modulation) or bismuth protection may be applied during a CT examination. Will the two methods give a difference in the entrance surface dose (ESD) to mamma and the image quality of a low-dose thoracic CT examination? Materials and methods Thirty spiral CT scans of which ten was standard low-dose, ten with bismuth shielding and ten with X-CARE was performed on an Alderson phantom, combined with CARE Dose 4D and carried out on a Siemens SOMATOM Definition Edge 128. Measures as ESD, CTDIvol and Dose-length-product (DLP) were obtained from the dose report. The image quality was analysed objectively and assessed using three Region of Interest (ROI), placed in air, lung parenchyma and parietal pleura. Signal to noise ratio (SNR) and contrast to noise ratio (CNR) were calculated from the ROI results. Results ESD to the mammary gland demonstrated a dose reduction compared to a standard thoracic CT low dose. Respectively; 16.5 % dose reduction with bismuth shielding and 0.44 % with X-CARE. There was no difference in CTDIvol and DLP between the standard low-dose scans and the scans with bismuth shielding. The CT scans with X-CARE gave an increase in CTDIvol and DLP by approximately 12 %. SNR and CNR in the lung parenchyma and parietal pleura were highest during the standard low-dose scans. Bismuth shielding increased the noise with 48 % and X-CARE with 26,4 %. Conclusion ESD was significantly reduced during the CT thoracic low-dose examination using bismuth shielding, however notably the bismut increased the image noise. X-CARE reduced the ESD minimally compared to the CT low-dose scans, and it also increased the image noise. The most efficient way to achieve an optimal thoracic CT examination is to use a standard low-dose protoco

Globalisierung, volatile Märkte und der vermehrte Rückzug der Agrarpolitik aus der Marktregulierung sorgen dafür, dass die Entscheidungsfindungsprozesse auf landwirtschaftlichen Betrieben an Komplexität zunehmen. Applikationen bieten durch ihre Mobilität und individuellen Ausgestaltungsmöglichkeiten Optionen, um den Landwirt bei seiner täglichen Arbeit zu unterstützen. In diesem Kontext nimmt diese Arbeit eine Bestandsaufnahme und Kategorisierung nativer Applikationen mit landwirtschaftlichem Bezug vor. Die Ergebnisse zeigen unter anderem einen Angebotsschwerpunkt im Produktionszweig Pflanzenbau und bei den Funktionen bestimmte häufig auftretende bedarfsbedingte Kombinationen (z. B. Planung und Analyse).

The use of transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block to provide either analgesia or anesthesia to the anterior abdominal wall is well described. The technique yields high analgesic effectiveness and is opioid sparing and potentially of long duration with reported analgesia lasting up to 36 hours. When compared to neuraxial analgesia, TAP blocks are associated with a lower incidence of hypotension and motor blockade. TAP blocks are typically described as providing somatic analgesia only without any effect on visceral pain. There may be, however, certain conditions in which TAP blocks can provide effective analgesia in pain of visceral or mixed somatic and visceral origin. We describe two cases in which TAP blockade provided complete control of pain considered to be of visceral origin.

The association of B7-1/CD28 between antigen presenting cells (APCs) and T-cells provides a second signal to proliferate and activate T-cell immunity at the induction phase. Many reports indicate that tumor cells transfected with B7-1 induced augmented antitumor immunity at the induction phase by mimicking APC function; however, the function of B7-1 on antitumor immunity at the effector phase is unknown. Here, we report direct evidence of enhanced T-cell antitumor immunity at the effector phase by the B7-1 molecule. Our experiments in vivo and in vitro indicated that reactivity of antigen-specific monoclonal and polyclonal T-cell effectors against a Lass5 epitope presented by RMA-S cells is increased when the cells expressed B7-1. Use of either anti-B7-1 or anti-CD28 antibodies to block the B7-1/CD28 association reduced reactivity of the T effectors against B7-1 positive RMA-S cells. Transfection of Lass5 cDNA into or pulse of Lass5 peptide onto B7-1 positive RMA-S cells overcomes the requirement of the B7-1/CD28 signal for T effector response. To our knowledge, the data offers, for the first time, strong evidence that supports the requirement of B7-1/CD28 secondary signal at the effector phase of antitumor T-cell immunity being dependent on the density of an antigenic peptide.

The extensive deposits of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) generated by marine organisms constitute the largest and oldest carbon dioxide (CO2) reservoir. These organisms utilize macromolecules like peptides and proteins to facilitate the nucleation and growth of carbonate minerals, serving as an effective method for CO2 sequestration. However, the precise mechanisms behind this process remain elusive. In this study, we report the use of sequence-defined peptoids, a class of peptidomimetics, to achieve the accelerated calcite step growth kinetics with the molecular level mechanistic understanding. By designing peptoids with hydrophilic and hydrophobic blocks, we systematically investigated the acceleration in step growth rate of calcite crystals using in situ atomic force microscopy (AFM), varying peptoid sequences and concentrations, CaCO3 supersaturations, and the ratio of Ca2+/HCO3-. Mechanistic studies using NMR, three-dimensional fast force mapping (3D FFM), and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) were conducted to reveal the interactions of peptoids with Ca2+ and HCO3- ions in solution, as well as the effect of peptoids on solvation and energetics of calcite crystal surface. Our results indicate the multiple roles of peptoid in facilitating HCO3- deprotonation, Ca2+ desolvation, and the disruption of interfacial hydration layers of the calcite surface, which collectively contribute to a peptoid-induced acceleration of calcite growth. These findings provide guidelines for future design of sequence-specific biomimetic polymers as crystallization promoters, offering potential applications in environmental remediation (such as CO2 sequestration), biomedical engineering, and energy storage where fast crystallization is preferred. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]