Search

David Stevens,1 Sarah Appleton,1– 3 Andrew D Vincent,4,5 Yohannes Melaku,1 Sean Martin,3,4 Tiffany Gill,4 Catherine Hill,4,6 Andrew Vakulin,1,7 Robert Adams,1,2,8 Gary Wittert2,3,5 1Adelaide Institute for Sleep Health, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia; 2The Health Observatory, Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia; 3Freemason Foundation Centre for Men’s Health, Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia; 4Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia; 5Centre of Nutrition and Gastrointestinal Diseases, Nutrition Theme, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, SA, Australia; 6Rheumatology Unit, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the Royal Adelaide Hospital, Central Adelaide Local Health Network, Adelaide, SA, Australia; 7Sleep and Circadian Research Group, Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; 8Respiratory and Sleep Services, Southern Adelaide Local Health Network, Adelaide, SA, AustraliaCorrespondence: David StevensAdelaide Institute for Sleep Health, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Level 2a, 5 Laffer Drive, Bedford Park, Adelaide, SA 5042, AustraliaTel +61 8 7221 8306Email david.stevens@flinders.edu.auPurpose: Reduced hand grip strength (HGS) is associated with poorer health in chronic conditions, yet there has been little research examining the association with hand grip strength and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Further, these studies have not examined, nor adjusted, for muscle mass. The aim of this study was to determine associations between OSA indices, HGS, muscle mass, and fat mass.Participants and Methods: A total of 613 participants (age range 41– 88, BMI 28.6 ± 4.3) from the population-based Men Androgen Inflammation Lifestyle Environment and Stress Study underwent in-home overnight polysomnography, assessment of dominant and non-dominant HGS, and dual x-ray absorptiometry to determine whole body muscle mass and fat mass. Linear models determined cross-sectional associations of polysomnographic-derived OSA indices with hand grip strength, muscle mass, and fat mass, whilst adjusting for lifestyle information (income, smoking status, diet, self-reported physical activity), blood sample derived testosterone and systemic inflammation (C-reactive protein), cardiometabolic health (cardiovascular disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes), and depression.Results: In adjusted models, reduced dominant HGS was associated with lower oxygen nadir (unstandardised β [B] = 0.19, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.08 to 0.29), greater time spent below 90% oxygen saturation (B = − 0.08, 95% CI − 0.14 to − 0.02), and increased apnea duration (B = − 0.3, 95% CI − 0.23 to − 0.02). By contrast, there were no associations between HGS and both AHI and REM AHI. Fat mass was consistently associated with worsening OSA indices, whereas muscle mass demonstrated no associations with any OSA index.Conclusion: Our findings suggest impairments in HGS may be related to fat infiltration of muscle, hypoxemia-induced reductions in peripheral neural innervation, or even endothelial dysfunction, which is a common outcome of hypoxemia. Longitudinal data are needed to further examine these hypotheses and establish if reduced grip strength in patients with OSA is associated with long-term adverse health outcomes.Keywords: grip strength, muscle mass, intermittent hypoxemia, myosteatosis

The extensive body of research dedicated to optimizing energy consumption and efficiency in the manufacturing sector demonstrates a significant and well-established legacy. Despite a peak of publications in this field over recent years, the subject of reusing residual energy is only infrequently discussed. Where authors target this topic, research is often exclusively directed towards specialized applications or industries. In this article, an initial attempt of approaching residual energy reclamation in industrial manufacturing in a structured and universal manner is made. By employing a systematic literature review and design science research, a universal tool chain for decomposing individual industrial manufacturing systems to successfully reclaim and reintegrate residual energy is developed. A comprehensive overview of technologies available for energy conversion in industrial scenarios and their corresponding efficiency ranges are presented in the form of a table, called the energy conversion overview (ECO) table. The main contribution poses a multistep sequential framework guiding through identifying, assessing, harnessing, reusing, and validating residual energy in manufacturing systems. As a universal tool, the Industrial Recommissioning of Residual Energy (IRRE) framework is empowering its adopters to systematically approach residual energy recovery in their individual context by a universal tool. The application of both tools is showcased in a case study from the large-aircraft carbon fiber manufacturing industry.

Aside from statutory requirements, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) hardly take into consideration reliable accounting systems. Therefore, poor and ineffective bookkeeping has contributed to the collapse of some SMEs. This paper examines the intervening role of owners' accounting skills in the relationship between bookkeeping practices and the performance of SMEs in the Ho Municipal Assembly of Ghana using a sample of 296 SMEs. In a structural equation modelling (SEM) framework, the Smart Partial Least Squares (Smart-PLS) software is employed to analyse the relationships between owners' accounting skills, bookkeeping practices, and the performance of SMEs. We find that bookkeeping practices and owners' accounting skills have significant positive effects on the performance of SMEs. Most importantly, we show the existence of a significant indirect relationship between bookkeeping practices and SME performance such that owners' accounting skills positively intervenes the relationship between bookkeeping practices and SME performance. Thus, in the presence of higher owners’ accounting skills, the relationship between bookkeeping and the performance of SMEs is strengthened further. In a typical emerging economy context, while appropriate regulatory bodies, such as the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI), in the Ghanaian context, and local revenue collection authorities could put forth measures like periodic compliance audits to ensure that registered SMEs are managed by skilled personnel, fostering them to meet basic requirements for keeping records and managing their accounts to improve their performance, it is worth acknowledging that the onus lies on SME managers to recognise the relevance of good recordkeeping and account management practices to ensure sustained business performance.

Changing environmental conditions owing to increasing resource degradation and urbanization in the Bosomtwe district of Ghana make the land cover and change detection analysis an extremely important consideration for Sustainable Environmental Management. The district, where lies the only natural occurring Lake in Ghana, Lake Bosomtwe, is a highly populated urban district that is threatened by rapid vegetation losses, subsequently destroying important biodiversity within the watershed of the UNESCO biosphere reserve. This research investigates the significance of transitions among the major land use/land cover categories in the Bosomtwe district using GIS and remote sensing technologies. Support Vector classification algorithm was adopted for classifying satellite imageries of the years 2002, 2008, 2016, and 2022 while the analysis of the dynamics of change was conducted using the land use change intensity analysis. The study results provide evidence of the prominence of LULC changes within the 20 years interval of assessment. Significant changes in the structure and arrangement of the LULC within the Bosomtwe area were observed for 20 year period. The period between 2016 and 2022 experienced rapid changes and the land use transformation accelerated over the whole period as compared to the 2002-2008- and 2008-2016- year intervals. The study concludes that the major changes are Built-up and Agricultural activities which have claimed forest lands around the Lake's catchment and has intensified in recent years (2016 – 2022). Based on the findings, the study recommends that spatial planning of the spaces in the district be strictly implemented to protect the remnant forest from anthropogenic activities. Afforestation projects should be carried out within the district to reclaim the lost biodiversity. Implementation of such projects are critical in conserving the Lake's biosphere and ecosystem to ensure its sustainability.

The study examined the antecedents of aggressive tax behaviour among listed non-financial firms in Ghana. With firm-level data for 19 non-financial firms covering the period 2010–2019, we employed the system GMM approach. Our findings underscore the significance of political connection and financial constraint as primary drivers of tax aggressiveness among listed non-financial firms in Ghana. The relationship between capital structure and tax aggressive behaviours is mixed. Our findings establish the ability of corporate governance measures – such as board size, board gender diversity and independent directors – to increase tax aggressive behaviours of listed non-financial corporations in Ghana. Policymakers could examine and evaluate the operability or enforcement of internal corporate governance practices among listed non-financial firms to limit the extent of tax aggressiveness which would, in turn, ensure high tax revenue mobilisation for the government. External governance measures such as institutional ownership and ownership structure policies could be evaluated to further ensure less tax aggressive behaviours from firms.

A binocular vision-based approach for the restoration of images captured in a scattering medium is presented. The scene depth is computed by triangulation using stereo matching. Next, the atmospheric parameters of the medium are determined with an introduced estimator based on the Monte Carlo method. Finally, image restoration is performed using an atmospheric optics model. The proposed approach effectively suppresses optical scattering effects without introducing noticeable artifacts in processed images. The accuracy of the proposed approach in the estimation of atmospheric parameters and image restoration is evaluated using synthetic hazy images constructed from a well-known database. The practical viability of our approach is also confirmed through a real experiment for depth estimation, atmospheric parameter estimation, and image restoration in a scattering medium. The results highlight the applicability of our approach in computer vision applications in challenging atmospheric conditions.

The insurance industry is a contributor to gross domestic product (GDP) in the Ghanaian economy and, thus, effort at improving its financial soundness through tax planning (TP) could enhance its level of GDP contribution. Previous studies on TP have been conducted mainly among the non-financial firms, with few on banks. This study turns the attention of TP towards the insurance industry, which has been a good source of fund mobilization in the country. Within the systems panel dynamic generalized method of moments (GMM) framework, the study examined the moderating impact of corporate governance (CG) on the relationship between TP and the performance of insurance companies in Ghana. The study employs the causal design to examine the extent and nature of the cause-and-effect relationship between the quantitative variables used. The data comprised of 117 observations from 35 Ghanaian Insurance firms over the 2012–2017 period. The study found evidence of a non-linear relationship between tax planning measured by effective tax rate (ETR) and the performance of insurance companies measured by return on equity (ROE) and return on asset (ROA). Moreover, the study found that CG moderated the relationship between TP and the performance of insurance companies. The study recommends that managers of insurance companies intensify the CG measures to help mitigate the agency conflict and associated costs between management and shareholders.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a metabolic disorder characterized by elevated blood glucose levels and is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. It is treated with various classes of oral antidiabetic drugs, however, response to treatment is highly variable with patients failing to achieve adequate glycemic control. Treatment response variability has been associated with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) which influence the pharma-cokinetics and pharmacodynamics of drug(s). The aim of this study was to evaluate the genetic association of 17 SNPs and the response to metformin therapy in patients diagnosed with diabetes from the indigenous Nguni population of South Africa. One hundred and forty indigenous African patients diagnosed with T2DM were recruited and genotyped using the MassARRAY® system. Therapeutic response of patients was ascertained by a change in Hb A1c. Two SNPs (rs1801282 and rs6265) were monomorphic. All other variants were within the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE). The T allele of the SLC variant rs316009 [odds ratio (OR) = 0.25, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 0.01-0.09, p value = 0.044] and the CT genotype of the PCK1 variant rs4810083 (OR = 2.80, 95% CI = 1.01-7.79, p value = 0.049) were associated with an improved response to treatment after adjustment. No association was observed with post Bonferroni correction. Moreover, this study provides important additional data regarding possible associations between genetic variants and metformin therapy outcomes. In addition, this is one of the first studies providing genetic data from the understudied indigenous sub-Saharan African populations.

Due to the rise in cost and detrimental health and environmental consequences that accompany the use of nematicides, there is a need for a more eco-friendly and less expensive alternative to control root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita). Nematode infestation reduces the quality and quantity of Celosia argentea Linn. A pot experiment was conducted in a greenhouse to determine the biocontrol efficacy of Trichoderma asperellum against M. incognita in C. argentea. The treatments consisted M. incognita infected C. argentea inoculated with 0, 2.2 × 107, 4.4 × 107, or 6.6 × 107 cfu/pot of T. asperellum. All doses of T. asperellum reduced the root-knot nematode population and root gall index. Growth and development of C. argentea were improved, indicating that T. asperellum has the potential to be used as a biocontrol agent in C. argentea production. The biocontrol activity of T. asperellum in C. argantea increased as the week went by until the plants attained full maturity. Hence, the control of M. incognita by T. asperellum depends on the developmental stage of the plant root system.

We examine the co-movement between exchange rate (EXR) returns and stock (STK) returns in Africa amid COVID-19 in a time and frequency domain. Therefore, we employ the bi- and partial wavelet and the wavelet multiple correlation techniques using daily data from 13 February 2013 to 6 May 2021. Our findings divulge that COVID-19’s effect does not increase the intensity of the relationship between EXR and STK returns in Africa but causes a significant difference in the lead-lag relationship between the two assets. We find a strong likelihood for a high market integration between African markets in the long run, regardless of market conditions. Under general market conditions, South African (Namibian) equities have the lead/lag potential in the short and long run (intermediate term). Namibian stocks are the first to respond to shocks before all other remaining variables in the intermediate term, while in the long term, the South African EXR market is the last variable to experience shocks. Owing to the recently intensified alliances between African markets, investors should be wary of the specific African equities they include in their portfolios in the periods ahead. Policymakers are required to have an in-depth understanding of the nature of the co-movement between the variables to ensure timely and operative policy responses are rolled out to minimise adverse fluctuations in stocks and the local currencies.

This article deals with the control of chaos on the convective motion in a ferrofluid filled in a rotating porous medium and under the helical force effect. We performed a truncated expansion of Galerkin and found the Lorenz-type model which described the system. The dynamical system is characterized using appropriate and subsequent criteria. We noticed that the system presents regular and chaotic behaviors according to the parameters at present. A considerable reduction of the chaotic domain is noticed with the increase of the intensity of the helical force and of the Darcy number, thus making it possible to delay the heat transfer in the system. The increase in the viscosity ratio and the Taylor number widen the chaotic domain leading to an acceleration of the heat transfer in the system.

Abstract Background In 2014, the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) set out a treatment target with the objective to help end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. This was supported by the UNAIDS ’90-90-90’ target that by 2020, 90% of all people living with HIV (PLHIV) will know their HIV status; 90% of all those diagnosed with HIV will be on sustained antiretroviral therapy; and 90% of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy will have viral suppression. The concept of offering differentiated care services using community-based models is evidence-based and is suggested as a means to bring this target into reality. This study sought to explore the possible predictors and acceptability of Community-based health service provision among PLHIV accessing ART services at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH) in Ghana. Methods A qualitative study, using 5 focus group discussions (FGD) of 8 participants per group, was conducted at the HIV Clinic in CCTH, in the Central Region of Ghana. Facilitators administered open-ended topic-guided questions. Answers were audio recorded, later transcribed and combined with notes taken during the discussions. Themes around Facility-based and Community-based service delivery and sub-themes developed from the codes, were verified and analyzed by the authors, with the group as the unit for analysis. Results Participants expressed preference for facility–based service provision with the construct that, it ensures comprehensive health checks before provision of necessary medications. PLHIV in this study wished that the facility-based visits be more streamlined so “stable clients” could visit twice in a year to reduce the associated time and financial cost. The main barrier to community-based service delivery was concerns about stigmatization and abandonment in the community upon inadvertent disclosure of status. Conclusions Although existing evidence suggests that facility-based care was relatively more expensive and time consuming, PLHIV preferred facility-based individualized differentiated model to a community-based model. The fear of stigma and discrimination was very strong and is the main barrier to community-based model among PLHIV in this study and this needs to be explored further and managed.

Background. Soil has variability inherent to how its formation factors interact within the landscape. Objective. This study was carried out to describe the variability of some selected physical and chemical soil properties in a 50 years intensively cultivated field. Methodology. Eighty soil samples from a 100m × 180m plot were collected at 0 - 25 and 25 – 50cm depths and subjected to physical and chemical analysis. Semivariogram was calculated for each variable to ascertain the degree of spatial variability between neighboring observations. Results. Soil pH was moderately acidic with a mean of 5.64 and CV 6.91 % at 0- 25cm while at 25- 50cm it was strongly acidic with mean value of 5.54 and CV 7.04 %. Mean value of OC in the experimental field was higher at the top soil than sub soil with values 5.96 g/kg and 4.54 g/kg respectively with CV 38.26% and 50.44%. At 0 – 25cm, % silt had a significant negative correlation with % sand (-0.790) at 0.01%. % clay and % silt was negatively correlated (-0.428), however CEC was positively correlated with % clay (0.460) at 0.01% probability while OC concentration was positively correlated with TN (r = 0.833) at 0.01. Semivariograms indicated the existence of moderate to strong spatial dependence of soil variables at both depths. Implications. The study was used in determining the degradation status of the soils in the area, the findings of this study also showed that spatial structure exist in the soil properties at the field scale in the study site. Conclusion. These results support the importance of collecting information in experimental fields to know how a site –specific system should be undertaken.

Omphalocele, gastroschisis, and umbilical hernia are abdominal wall defects well-characterized by their clinical presentation, umbilical cord position, treatment options, and clinical course. Differentiating omphalocele from umbilical cord hernia can be challenging. To our knowledge this is the first case of an incarcerated umbilical hernia with a fistula that may have originated in-utero.

Perception can be swayed by prior context. Here the authors report an auditory illusion in which sounds with ambiguous pitch shifts are perceived as shifting upward or downward based on the preceding contextual sounds, explore the neural correlates, and propose a probabilistic model based on temporal binding.

In this paper, we draw on a recent ethnographic study in a rural primary school to illustrate the ways that vestiges of colonialism remain deeply imbricated in contemporary schooling in Ghana. In reference to the history of education, we use evidence from this study to argue that colonial constructions of the African child are reproduced within schooling. We highlight the significance of schooling for the production of learner subjectivities and point to the ways that the institution of schooling and its everyday life continue to echo and re-instantiate colonial constructions of the African child. Drawing on the voices and experiences of students and teachers we illustrate the ways that formal schooling continues to work to devalue indigenous knowledge, to regulate and discipline African children and produce their inferiorisation through their education. We specifically highlight the gender inflections in the institutional routines of schooling. Following a brief introduction to the historical context of education in Ghana, we outline the research study and then the theoretical position upon which our analysis is based. We develop the analysis along three major discursive themes starting with the formal institutional structures of the school, highlighting the ways its disciplinary boundaries structure age and gender relations. We then turn to the curriculum and pedagogic practices that shape student understandings of what constitutes legitimate knowledge and the processes of learning. In the final theme, we examine the language of instruction and the ways that this produces exclusions and vilifies indigenous languages and the cultures that are expressed through it. In the conclusion, we draw the key points together to reflect on the extent to which contemporary schooling in Ghana sustains the production of the African child framed in the colonial era. Finally, we suggest that the educational experience of students offers an important starting point for efforts in decolonizing the school and curriculum.

The ESPGHAN/ESPEN/ESPR-Guidelines on pediatric parenteral nutrition (PPN) recommend the administration of the semiessential amino acid (AA) cysteine to preterm neonates due to their biochemical immaturity resulting in an inability to sufficiently synthetize endogenous cysteine. The soluble precursor N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is easily converted into bioavailable cysteine. Its dimer N,N-diacetylcystine (DAC) is almost unconvertable to cysteine when given intravenously resulting in a diminished bioavailability of cysteine. This study aims to understand the triggers and oxidation process of NAC to DAC to evaluate possibilities of reducing DAC formation in standardized PPN. Therefore, different air volumes (21% O2) were injected into the AA compartment of a standardized dual-chamber PPN. O2 concentrations were measured in the AA solution and the headspaces of the primary and secondary packaging. NAC and DAC concentrations were analyzed simultaneously. The analysis showed that O2 is principally delivered from the primary headspace. NAC oxidation exclusively delivers DAC, depending on the O2 amount in the solution and the headspaces. The reaction of NAC to DAC being containable by limiting the O2 concentration, the primary headspace must be minimized during manufacturing, and oxygen absorbers must be added into the secondary packaging for a long-term storage of semipermeable containers.

Tetraspanins are important conserved integral membrane proteins expressed in many organisms. Although there is limited knowledge about the full repertoire, evolution and structural characteristics of individual members in various organisms, data obtained so far show that tetraspanins play major roles in membrane biology, visual processing, memory, olfactory signal processing, and mechanosensory antennal inputs. Thus, these proteins are potential targets for control of insect pests. Here, we report that the genome of the tsetse fly, Glossina morsitans (Diptera: Glossinidae) encodes at least seventeen tetraspanins (GmTsps), all containing the signature features found in the tetraspanin superfamily members. Whereas six of the GmTsps have been previously reported, eleven could be classified as novel because their amino acid sequences do not map to characterized tetraspanins in the available protein data bases. We present a model of the GmTsps by using GmTsp42Ed, whose presence and expression has been recently detected by transcriptomics and proteomics analyses of G. morsitans. Phylogenetically, the identified GmTsps segregate into three major clusters. Structurally, the GmTsps are largely similar to vertebrate tetraspanins. In view of the exploitation of tetraspanins by organisms for survival, these proteins could be targeted using specific antibodies, recombinant large extracellular loop (LEL) domains, small-molecule mimetics and siRNAs as potential novel and efficacious putative targets to combat African trypanosomiasis by killing the tsetse fly vector.

La présence des didascalies dans l’œuvre dramatique ne relève pas d’une fantaisie de la part des auteurs. Ces derniers en usent de manière modérée ou par saturation pour accompagner les formes dialogiques à travers les circonstances qui les singularisent ou pour accéder à la psychologie du héros et des autres personnages. Comprendre la plupart des œuvres dramatiques impose au critique d’identifier les didascalies en les déclinant en catégories introductives et intégrées, en définissant un mode de décryptage qui procède par sous catégorie afin d’établir leur fonction. Il ressort de cet article que quelle que soit sa nature, toute didascalie participe du sens. Elle revêt des fonctions d’anticipation, de rythmisation et de ponctuation dissimulées dans les discours et les situations. The presence of didascalies in plays is not a matter of fantasy on the part of the authors. The latter use them in a moderated way or by saturation to go with the dialogic forms through the circumstances that singularize them or to access to the psychology of the hero and the other characters. Understanding most of the dramatic works requires the critic to identify the didascalies by organizing them into introductive and integrated categories, by defining a mode of decodage that proceed by sub-categories in order to establish their function. It emerges from this paper that whatever its nature, any didascalie participates to the meaning. It plays the functions of anticipation, rythmisation and punctuation dissimulated in the discourse and the situations.

This work is in line with an on-going effort tending toward a computational (quantitative and refutable) understanding of human neuro-cognitive processes. Many sophisticated models for behavioural and neurobiological data have flourished during the past decade. Most of these models are partly unspecified (i.e. they have unknown parameters) and nonlinear. This makes them difficult to peer with a formal statistical data analysis framework. In turn, this compromises the reproducibility of model-based empirical studies. This work exposes a software toolbox that provides generic, efficient and robust probabilistic solutions to the three problems of model-based analysis of empirical data: (i) data simulation, (ii) parameter estimation/model selection, and (iii) experimental design optimization.

Background: Birth preparedness and complication readiness (BPACR) has been advocated as a strategy to overcome costly delays in decision making to seek skilled attendance at delivery, which in turn contribute significantly to maternal mortality from obstetric causes.Objective: This study assessed the determinants of BPACR among pregnant women in a rural community in Edo State, Nigeria.Method: A descriptive cross-sectional study was done in Anegbette, a rural community in Etsako Central Local Government Area of Edo State. A house-to-house survey was carried out to identify pregnant women and all eligible women in the study area were included in the study. Results: A total of 277 pregnant women participated in the study. The mean age of respondents was 28.7±5.8 years. Less than half, 134 (48.4%) of the respondents were well prepared while 143 (51.6%) were poorly prepared. After adjustment for the effect of confounding using binary logistic regression analysis, educational level (OR = 0.653, 95% CI = 0.330 – 0.956), occupation (OR = 0.384, 95% CI = 0,148 – 0.990) and utilization of antenatal care (OR = 3.407, 95% CI = 1.830 – 5.074) were significant predictors of BPACR.Conclusion: Birth preparedness and complication readiness was poor among women in the rural community. In order to improve maternal health among rural women in Nigeria, government and donor agency funding for safe motherhood programmes should focus on female empowerment and encourage community participation towards promotion of maternal health.

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is a promising biodegradable polymer based on renewable resources. This paper describes scale-up studies to synthesize high molecular weight PLA (>100'000 g/mol) in five steps from commercial lactic acid. The first four steps of this process consist of synthesizing a highly pure precursor, lactide, which can be converted into a high molecular PLA by ring opening polymerization (ROP). We produced PLA with a molecular weight of 109'000 g/mol using this strategy.

Dithienylethene-phenanthroline ligands as new photochromic systems are described. The photochemical and photophysical properties are strongly influenced by the substituents on the thiophene moiety. The photochromic properties are lost, if one or two methyl groups in position 2 and/or 2' of the target molecules (2o, 3o, 4o) are replaced by isopropyl groups. Replacement of a methyl group by a phenyl group in position 5 and/or 5' shifts the absorption maxima from 514 nm to 575 nm for the free ligand (1c, 2c) and from 530 nm to 613 nm for the corresponding ruthenium complex (Ru(1c), Ru(2c)) in its closed form. Unfortunately, the photochromic unit in its closed form can be reopened by a back reaction in the dark at room temperature. Complex Ru(2o) shows an emission with a maximum at 608 nm. The emission is quenched if the metal complex is in its closed form (Ru(2c)). Fatigue resistance is better for complex Ru(2o) than for the free ligand (2o).

The synthesis and the characterization of a novel dithienylethene-based molecular switch bearing metal complexes are described.

Abstract Background Familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP) is a peripheral neuropathy caused by the extracellular accumulation and deposition of insoluble transthyretin (TTR) aggregates. However the molecular mechanism that underlies TTR toxicity in peripheral nerves is unclear. Previous studies have suggested that amyloidogenic proteins can aggregate into oligomers which disrupt intracellular calcium homeostasis by increasing the permeability of the plasma membrane to extracellular calcium. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of TTR on calcium influx in dorsal root ganglion neurons. Results Levels of intracellular cytosolic calcium were monitored in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons isolated from embryonic rats using the calcium-sensitive fluorescent indicator Fluo4. An amyloidogenic mutant form of TTR, L55P, induced calcium influx into the growth cones of DRG neurons, whereas wild-type TTR had no significant effect. Atomic force microscopy and dynamic light scattering studies confirmed that the L55P TTR contained oligomeric species of TTR. The effect of L55P TTR was decreased by blockers of voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCC), as well as by blockers of Nav1.8 voltage-gated sodium channels and transient receptor potential M8 (TRPM8) channels. siRNA knockdown of TRPM8 channels using three different TRPM8 siRNAs strongly inhibited calcium influx in DRG growth cones. Conclusions These data suggest that activation of TRPM8 channels triggers the activation of Nav1.8 channels which leads to calcium influx through VGCC. We suggest that TTR-induced calcium influx into DRG neurons may contribute to the pathophysiology of FAP. Furthermore, we speculate that similar mechanisms may mediate the toxic effects of other amyloidogenic proteins such as the β-amyloid protein of Alzheimer's disease.

Background: Time restricted eating (TRE) is a dietary strategy that may improve metabolic health. However, no studies have compared TRE with current practice (CP) in dietetics., Hypothesis: TRE will not be inferior to CP to improve glycaemic control in individuals at risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D)., Methods: This parallel group, randomised, non-inferiority, controlled trial randomised 247 participants by site and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) into TRE or CP (1:1) for 12 months. Participants were aged 35-70 years, with a body mass index (BMI) >25 but <45 kg/m 2 , and score ≥15 on the Australian type 2 diabetes risk (AUSDRISK) assessment, without a diagnosis of T2D. Study visits were balanced between groups and all participants received five consultations at 0, 0.5, 1, 2 and 3 months. TRE followed a self-selected 9 h eating window (≥0600 and ≤1900), whereas CP followed Australian dietary guidelines., Outcomes: The primary endpoint is the estimate of group mean difference (TRE vs CP) of HbA1c at 4 months in a covariate linear regression adjusting for stratification factors and sex. Secondary efficacy outcomes at 4 and 12 months are changes in fasting glucose, fasting insulin, HOMA-IR and nocturnal glucose by continuous glucose monitor incremental area under the curve and change in HbA1c at 12 months. Other endpoints are exploratory and will not be adjusted for multiplicity., Conclusions: We will determine whether TRE is an alternate strategy to current practice in dietetics to improve glucose control., Trial Registration: NCT04762251; 21 Feb 2021., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objective: This review will determine whether various health interventions designed to reduce weight (lifestyle change, bariatric surgery, pharmacotherapy) in men with obesity are associated with improved fertility markers. The review will also establish whether the degree of weight loss achieved through these methods is associated with improvement., Introduction: Current preconception guidelines provide limited information for men with obesity. Small studies implementing lifestyle changes in men are associated with improvement in sperm quality, whereas bariatric surgery has not been associated with improvements in sperm quality. Determining the benefit of different interventions and the relationship to weight lost is necessary to optimize male fertility., Inclusion Criteria: The population will be men younger than 50 years with overweight (BMI >25 kg/m 2 ) or obesity (BMI >30 kg/m 2 ). The exposure of interest will be an intervention undertaken to improve health or reduce weight, categorized as lifestyle change, bariatric surgery, or pharmacotherapy. Outcomes will include time to conception, fecundity rate, assisted reproduction outcomes, and semen quality measures. Secondary analysis will determine whether degree of weight loss achieved is associated with degree of improvement., Methods: This review will follow the JBI methodology for systematic reviews of etiology and risk. Databases to be searched will include PubMed, Embase (Ovid), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science Core Collection, and Scopus. Articles not published or translated into English will be excluded. Methodological quality will be assessed using the JBI critical appraisal tools. Data will be extracted using a tool developed by the reviewers. Statistical meta-analysis will be performed where possible to synthesize outcomes of similar methods., Review Registration: PROSPERO CRD42022349665., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on Behalf of JBI.)

Food intake and activity adapt during pregnancy to meet the increased energy demands. In comparison to non-pregnant females, pregnant mice consume more food, eating larger meals during the light phase, and reduce physical activity. How pregnancy changes the circadian timing of behaviour was less clear. We therefore randomised female C57BL/6J mice to mating for study until early (n = 10), mid- (n = 10) or late pregnancy (n = 11) or as age-matched, non-pregnant controls (n = 12). Mice were housed individually in Promethion cages with a 12 h light-12 h dark cycle [lights on at 07.00 h, Zeitgeber (ZT)0] for behavioural analysis. Food intake between ZT10 and ZT11 was greater in pregnant than non-pregnant mice on days 6.5-12.5 and 12.5-17.5. In mice that exhibited a peak in the last 4 h of the light phase (ZT8-ZT12), peaks were delayed by 1.6 h in the pregnant compared with the non-pregnant group. Food intake immediately after dark-phase onset (ZT13-ZT14) was greater in the pregnant than non-pregnant group during days 12.5-17.5. Water intake patterns corresponded to food intake. From days 0.5-6.5 onwards, the pregnant group moved less during the dark phase, with decreased probability of being awake, in comparison to the non-pregnant group. The onset of dark-phase activity, peaks in activity, and wakefulness were all delayed during pregnancy. In conclusion, increased food intake during pregnancy reflects increased amplitude of eating behaviour, without longer duration. Decreases in activity also contribute to positive energy balance in pregnancy, with delays to all measured behaviours evident from mid-pregnancy onwards. KEY POINTS: Circadian rhythms synchronise daily behaviours including eating, drinking and sleep, but how these change in pregnancy is unclear. Food intake increased, with delays in peaks of food intake behaviour late in the light phase from days 6.5 to 12.5 of pregnancy, in comparison to the non-pregnant group. The onset of activity after lights off (dark phase) was delayed in pregnant compared with non-pregnant mice. Activity decreased by ∼70% in the pregnant group, particularly in the dark (active) phase, with delays in peaks of wakefulness evident from days 0.5-6.5 of pregnancy onwards. These behavioural changes contribute to positive energy balance during pregnancy. Delays in circadian behaviours during mouse pregnancy were time period and pregnancy stage specific, implying different regulatory mechanisms., (© 2024 The Authors. The Journal of Physiology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The Physiological Society.)

Background: In 2020, a research group published five linear longitudinal models, predict Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite-26 (EPIC-26) scores post-treatment for radical prostatectomy, external beam radiotherapy and active surveillance collectively in US patients with localized prostate cancer., Methods: Our study externally validates the five prediction models for patient reported outcomes post-surgery for localised prostate cancer. The models' calibration, fit, variance explained and discrimination (concordance-indices) were assessed. Two Australian validation cohorts 1 and 2 years post-prostatectomy were constructed, consisting of 669 and 439 subjects, respectively (750 in total). Patient reported function in five domains post-prostatectomy: sexual, bowel, hormonal, urinary incontinence and other urinary dysfunction (irritation/obstruction). Domain function was assessed using the EPIC-26 questionnaire., Results: 1 year post-surgery, R 2 was highest for the sexual domain (35%, SD = 0.02), lower for the bowel (21%, SD = 0.03) and hormone (15%, SD = 0.03) domains, and close to zero for urinary incontinence (1%, SD = 0.01) and irritation/obstruction (- 5%, SD = 0.04). Calibration slopes for these five models were 1.04 (SD = 0.04), 0.84 (SD = 0.06), 0.85 (SD = 0.06), 1.16 (SD = 0.13) and 0.45 (SD = 0.04), respectively. Calibration-in-the-large values were - 2.2 (SD = 0.6), 2.1 (SD = 0.01), 5.1 (SD = 0.1), 9.6 (SD = 0.9) and 4.0 (SD = 0.2), respectively. Concordance-indices were 0.73, 0.70, 0.70, 0.58 and 0.62, respectively (all had SD = 0.01). Mean absolute error and root mean square error were similar across the validation and development cohorts. The validation measures were largely similar at 2 years post-surgery., Conclusions: The sexual, bowel and hormone domain models validated well and show promise for accurately predicting patient reported outcomes in a non-US surgical population. The urinary domain models validated poorly and may require recalibration or revision., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Perinatal exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) has been shown to disrupt the development of serotonergic signaling pathways in the brain and enteric nervous system. Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) signaling is critical for gastrointestinal homeostasis; changes in 5-HT expression and regulation have been associated with gastrointestinal diseases of motility and inflammation. We tested the hypothesis that perinatal exposure to the SSRI fluoxetine can influence the development of the gastrointestinal tract in exposed offspring. Female nulliparous Wistar rats were given fluoxetine (10 mg/kg) or vehicle control from 2 wk before mating until weaning; small and large intestines of female and male offspring were collected at postnatal days 1, 21 (P1, P21, respectively), and 6 mo of age. In histological preparations, the proportion of serotonergic neurons significantly increased in the colons of both female and male fluoxetine-exposed compared with control offspring at P21, a time point that signifies maximal exposure to fluoxetine. At 6 mo of age, male but not female fluoxetine-exposed offspring had a significant increase in circulating 5-HT, with a significant decrease in transcripts encoding the 5-HT 2A receptor and monoamine oxidase as compared with control offspring. Measurement of spatiotemporal mapping of contractile activity of the small and large intestine at 6 mo of age revealed no changes in motility in the small bowel of fluoxetine-exposed offspring but revealed a significant increase in the frequency of colonic contractions in the female fluoxetine-exposed compared with control animals. Susceptibility to inflammation was examined at 6 mo using the dextran sulfate sodium model of acute colitis. In utero exposure to fluoxetine was not found to exacerbate colitis severity. These findings suggest that fluoxetine exposure during fetal and early postnatal development can lead to changes in serotonergic neurons at the peak of exposure with sex-specific changes in 5-HT signaling and colonic motility in adulthood. NEW & NOTEWORTHY There is increasing recognition of the relevance of in utero and early postnatal exposures in the developmental programming of the gastrointestinal tract. Perinatal exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and antidepressant medications is of particular relevance as they are commonly prescribed during pregnancy, and serotonergic pathways play key roles during gastrointestinal development and in postnatal homeostasis. Here, we provide a comprehensive evaluation of clinically relevant outcomes of gastrointestinal motility and susceptibility to colitis in fluoxetine-exposed offspring and highlight changes in colonic serotonergic neurons at the peak of perinatal fluoxetine exposure with sex-dependent changes in serotonin signaling and colonic motility in adulthood.

Objective: Positive surgical margins (PSMs) after radical prostatectomy (RP) indicate failure of surgery to completely clear cancer. PSMs confer an increased risk of biochemical recurrence (BCR), but how more robust outcomes are affected is unclear. This study investigated factors associated with PSMs following RP and determined their impact on clinical outcomes (BCR, second treatment [radiotherapy and/or androgen deprivation therapy], and prostate cancer-specific mortality [PCSM])., Methods: The study cohort included men diagnosed with prostate cancer (pT2-3b/N0/M0) between January 1998 and June 2016 who underwent RP from the South Australian Prostate Cancer Clinical Outcomes Collaborative database. Factors associated with risk of PSMs were identified using Poisson regression. The impact of PSMs on clinical outcomes (BCR, second treatment, and PCSM) was assessed using competing risk regression., Results: Of the 2827 eligible participants, 28% had PSMs-10% apical, 6% bladder neck, 17% posterolateral, and 5% at multiple locations. Median follow-up was 9.6 years with 81 deaths from prostate cancer recorded. Likelihood of PSM increased with higher pathological grade and pathological tumor stage, and greater tumour volume, but decreased with increasing surgeon volume (odds ratio [OR]: 0.93; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.88-0.98, per 100 previous prostatectomies). PSMs were associated with increased risk of BCR (adjusted sub-distribution hazard ratio [sHR] 2.5; 95% CI 2.1-3.1) and second treatment (sHR 2.9; 95% CI 2.4-3.5). Risk of BCR was increased similarly for each PSM location, but was higher for multiple margin sites. We found no association between PSMs and PCSM., Conclusion: Our findings support previous research suggesting that PSMs are not independently associated with PCSM despite strong association with BCR. Reducing PSM rates remains an important objective, given the higher likelihood of secondary treatment with associated comorbidities., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2023 Editorial Office of Asian Journal of Urology. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.)

Aim: To determine whether a digital nudge soon after dinner reduces after-dinner snacking events as measured objectively by continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D)., Methods: This is a single-site micro-randomized trial (MRT). People with T2D, aged 18-75 years, managed with diet or a stable dose of oral antidiabetic medications for at least 3 months, and who habitual snack after dinner at least 3 nights per week, will be recruited. Picto-graphic nudges were designed by mixed research methods. After a 2-week lead-in phase to determine eligibility and snacking behaviours by a CGM detection algorithm developed by the investigators, participants will be micro-randomized daily (1:1) to a second 2-week period to either a picto-graphic nudge delivered-in-time (Intui Research) or no nudge. During lead-in and MRT phases, 24-hour glucose will be measured by CGM, sleep will be tracked by an under-mattress sleep sensor, and dinner timing will be captured daily by photographing the evening meal., Results: The primary outcome is the difference in the incremental area under the CGM curve between nudging and non-nudging days during the period from 90 minutes after dinner until 04:00 AM. Secondary outcomes include the effect of baseline characteristics on treatment, and comparisons of glucose peaks and time-in-range between nudging and non-nudging days. The feasibility of 'just-in-time' messaging and nudge acceptability will be evaluated, along with the analysis of sleep quality measures and their night-to-night variability., Conclusions: This study will provide preliminary evidence of the impact of appropriately timed digital nudges on 24 -hour intertitial glucose levels resulting from altered after-dinner snacking in people with T2D. An exploratory sleep substudy will provide evidence of a bidirectional relationship between after-dinner snacking behaviour, glycaemia and sleep. Ultimately, this study will allow for the design of a future confirmatory study of the potential for digital nudging to improve health related behaviours and health outcomes., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objectives: Farmers are faced with many stressors, along with numerous barriers to accessing traditional forms of mental health support. The ifarmwell online intervention was co-designed with farmers and is informed by Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to equip farmers with transferable coping strategies, particularly to help them cope with circumstances beyond their control. We aimed to evaluate the effect of ifarmwell on farmers' short- and long-term distress and mental wellbeing., Methods: Australian farmers (21-73 years) who registered on www.ifarmwell.com.au completed measures at the commencement of module 1 (N = 228), the end of the intervention (N = 77) and 6-months post-intervention (N = 61). Primary outcomes included distress (Kessler Psychological Distress Scale) and mental wellbeing (Mental Health Continuum - Short Form). We also examined the relationship between distress, mental wellbeing, neuroticism (Quickscales-R) and ACT-based psychological mechanisms; psychological inflexibility (Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II), cognitive fusion (Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire), believability of automatic thoughts (Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire-B), coping via acceptance (4 items from the situational COPE) and mindfulness (Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire-Short Form). Secondary outcomes of acceptability (Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8) and usability (System Usability Scale) were also explored., Results: Pre- to post-intervention, farmers' distress decreased and mental wellbeing increased. These effects were maintained at 6-month follow-up. Changes in these outcomes were greatest for participants who entered the intervention with high baseline distress ( β ˆ = -0.59, 95%CI =[-0.70, -0.47]) and low mental wellbeing ( β ˆ = -0.33, 95%CI = [-0.47, -0.19]). Decreases in distress and increases in mental wellbeing were associated with decreases in psychological inflexibility, cognitive fusion, and believability of thoughts, and increases in coping via acceptance and mindfulness. Levels of satisfaction (M = 26.92/32) and usability (M = 84.70/100) were high, and 94.6% of participants said they would recommend ifarmwell to a friend in need of similar advice and tools., Conclusions: ifarmwell is an effective and usable intervention that is likely to help farmers reduce their levels of distress and improve their mental wellbeing, by improving their psychological flexibility, ability to focus on the present and accept things beyond their control, as well as by reducing the extent to which they believe unhelpful thoughts.