Recent root items

Elephant trunks: Strength and dexterity from mini-fascicles.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Muscular hydrostats, such as the elephant trunk, can perform precise motor actions. A new study has revealed that the elephant trunk contains a dense network of tiny muscle fascicles, suggesting that muscle miniaturization may be a key toward understanding how soft organs achieve both strength and dexterity.

Collaboration strategies affecting implementation of a cross-systems intervention for child welfare and substance use treatment: a mixed methods analysis.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

BACKGROUND: Collaboration strategies refer to policies and practices used to align operations and services across organizations or systems. These strategies can influence implementation of cross-system interventions focused on improving integration of care, but remain under-specified and under-examined. This study identifies collaboration strategies and the conditions under which they affected implementation of Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Teams (START), an evidence-based intervention focused on integrating child welfare and behavioral health services for families involved with both systems. METHODS: Our study sample included 17 county child welfare agencies that implemented START. Data on collaboration strategies and organizational context were obtained from key informant interviews, frontline worker surveys, and contracts. Contextual data were drawn from secondary data, and fidelity data were drawn from an administrative database. Qualitative and quantitative data were integrated...

Sensor-Acquired Reachable Workspace (RWS) Correlates with Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Function in Stroke as Measured by Functional Independence Measure (FIM) Self-Care.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Optimal upper extremity motor control and range of motion are necessary to achieve even the basic activities of daily living (ADL) function. Stroke, with resulting hemiparesis, can significantly and negatively impact an individuals ADL function. Functional Independence Measure (FIM) self-care score can provide an assessment of what aspects and to what degree ADL functions are impaired. FIM self-care assessment can also track changes in ADL function during stroke recovery and rehabilitation. Recently, the sensor-acquired 3D motion analysis of stroke patients upper extremity has shown promise as a potential alternative to assess ADL function. This observational study evaluates whether the sensor-acquired upper extremity reachable workspace (RWS) measure correlates with clinician-evaluated FIM self-care score in stroke patients. Seventeen patients with stroke were enrolled in the study. FIM self-care, NeuroQoL upper extremity, and reachable workspace outcome measures (relative surface...

A complementary learning systems model of how sleep moderates retrieval practice effects

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

While many theories assume that sleep is critical in stabilizing and strengthening memories, our recent behavioral study (Liu & Ranganath, 2021, Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 28[6], 2035-2044) suggests that sleep does not simply stabilize memories. Instead, it plays a more complex role, integrating information across two temporally distinct learning episodes. In the current study, we simulated the results of Liu and Ranganath (2021) using our biologically plausible computational model, TEACH, developed based on the complementary learning systems (CLS) framework. Our model suggests that when memories are activated during sleep, the reduced influence of temporal context establishes connections across temporally separated events through mutual training between the hippocampus and neocortex. In addition to providing a compelling mechanistic explanation for the selective effect of sleep, this model offers new examples of the diverse ways in which the cortex and hippocampus...

The Impact of Sustained Poor Air Quality Events on Ambulance Calls A Time-Stratified Case-Crossover Study

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

As wildfires and air pollution become more common across the United States, it is increasingly important to understand the burden they place on public health. Previous studies have noted relationships between air quality and use of emergency medical services (EMS), but until now these papers have focused on dayto-day air quality. Our goal is to investigate the effect of sustained periods of poor air quality on EMS call type and volume.

Structure-aware annotation of leucine-rich repeat domains.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Protein domain annotation is typically done by predictive models such as HMMs trained on sequence motifs. However, sequence-based annotation methods are prone to error, particularly in calling domain boundaries and motifs within them. These methods are limited by a lack of structural information accessible to the model. With the advent of deep learning-based protein structure prediction, existing sequenced-based domain annotation methods can be improved by taking into account the geometry of protein structures. We develop dimensionality reduction methods to annotate repeat units of the Leucine Rich Repeat solenoid domain. The methods are able to correct mistakes made by existing machine learning-based annotation tools and enable the automated detection of hairpin loops and structural anomalies in the solenoid. The methods are applied to 127 predicted structures of LRR-containing intracellular innate immune proteins in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and validated against...

Phylloxera and Aphids Show Distinct Features of Genome Evolution Despite Similar Reproductive Modes.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Genomes of aphids (family Aphididae) show several unusual evolutionary patterns. In particular, within the XO sex determination system of aphids, the X chromosome exhibits a lower rate of interchromosomal rearrangements, fewer highly expressed genes, and faster evolution at nonsynonymous sites compared with the autosomes. In contrast, other hemipteran lineages have similar rates of interchromosomal rearrangement for autosomes and X chromosomes. One possible explanation for these differences is the aphids life cycle of cyclical parthenogenesis, where multiple asexual generations alternate with 1 sexual generation. If true, we should see similar features in the genomes of Phylloxeridae, an outgroup of aphids which also undergoes cyclical parthenogenesis. To investigate this, we generated a chromosome-level assembly for the grape phylloxera, an agriculturally important species of Phylloxeridae, and identified its single X chromosome. We then performed synteny analysis using the phylloxerid...

A self-eliminating allelic-drive reverses insecticide resistance in Drosophila leaving no transgene in the population.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Insecticide resistance (IR) poses a significant global challenge to public health and welfare. Here, we develop a locally-acting unitary self-eliminating allelic-drive system, inserted into the Drosophila melanogaster yellow (y) locus. The drive cassette encodes both Cas9 and a single gRNA to bias inheritance of the favored wild-type (1014 L) allele over the IR (1014 F) variant of the voltage-gated sodium ion channel (vgsc) target locus. When enduring a fitness cost, this transiently-acting drive can increase the frequency of the wild-type allele to 100%, depending on its seeding ratio, before being eliminated from the population. However, in a fitness-neutral hover mode, the drive maintains a constant frequency in the population, completely converting IR alleles to wild-type, even at low initial seeding ratios.

TOMM40 regulates hepatocellular and plasma lipid metabolism via an LXR-dependent pathway

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Objective

The gene encoding TOMM40 (Transporter of Outer Mitochondrial Membrane 40) is adjacent to that encoding APOE, which has a central role in lipid and lipoprotein metabolism. While human genetic variants near APOE and TOMM40 have been shown to be strongly associated with plasma lipid levels, a specific role for TOMM40 in lipid metabolism has not been established, and the present study was aimed at assessing this possibility.

Methods

TOMM40 was knocked down by siRNA in human hepatoma HepG2 cells, and effects on mitochondrial function, lipid phenotypes, and crosstalk between mitochondria, ER, and lipid droplets were examined. Additionally, hepatic and plasma lipid levels were measured in mice following shRNA-induced knockdown of Tomm40 shRNA.

Results

In HepG2 cells, TOMM40 knockdown upregulated expression of APOE and LDLR in part via activation of LXRB (NR1H2) by oxysterols, with consequent increased uptake of VLDL and LDL. This is in part due to disruption...

A third theory: inventive negotiation

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Purpose: This paper aims to offer a new theory of “inventive negotiation” as a useful alternative to the outdated thinking of the past century. Design/methodology/approach: The literature is reviewed, and a series of stories is used to bolster a new understanding. Findings: The paper is a critique of the theory of integrative bargaining, arguing that it often limits the creative processes that produce long-term relationships with customers. This paper introduces a third theory of negotiation, something the author calls inventive negotiation. Originality/value: The primary lesson of negotiation courses in American business and law schools suggests a narrow focus on reaching agreements while paying little attention to implementation and the paramount importance of maintaining ongoing commercial relationships. This paper introduces a third theory of negotiation, something the authors call inventive negotiation. It places emphasis on long-term, trusting commercial relationships as...

Insecticide resistance and its intensity in urban Anopheles arabiensis in Kisumu City, Western Kenya: Implications for malaria control in urban areas.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

BACKGROUND: The rise of insecticide resistance poses a growing challenge to the effectiveness of vector control tools, particularly in rural areas. However, the urban setting has received comparatively less focus despite its significance in attracting rural to urban migration. Unplanned urbanization, often overlooked, exacerbates insecticide resistance as Anopheles mosquitoes adapt to the polluted environments of rapidly expanding cities. This study aimed to assess the insecticide susceptibility status of malaria vectors and identify potential underlying mechanisms across three distinct ecological settings characterized by differing levels of urbanization in Kisumu County, Kenya. METHODS: The study was conducted in 2022-2023 in Kisumu County, western Kenya. Field-derived An. gambiae (s.l.) larvae collected from a long stretch of urban-to-rural continuum were phenotyped as either resistant or susceptible to six different insecticides using the World Health Organization (WHO) susceptibility...

Sex-specific dementia risk in known or suspected obstructive sleep apnea: a 10-year longitudinal population-based study.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To evaluate sex-specific associations between known or suspected obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and dementia risk over 10 years among older women and men. METHODS: This study included 18 815 women and men age 50+ years (dementia-free at baseline) who participated in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a nationally representative cohort of US adults. Presence of OSA was defined by self-reported diagnosis or key HRS items that correspond to elements of a validated OSA screening tool (STOP-Bang). Incident dementia cases were identified using a validated, HRS-based algorithm derived from objective cognitive assessments. Survey-weighted regression models based on pseudo-values were utilized to estimate sex- and age-specific differences in cumulative incidence of dementia by OSA status. RESULTS: Data from 18 815 adults were analyzed, of which 9% of women and 8% of men (weighted proportions) met criteria for incident dementia. Known/suspected OSA was more...

Assessing horizontal gene transfer in the rhizosphere of Brachypodium distachyon using fabricated ecosystems (EcoFABs).

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is a major process by which genes are transferred between microbes in the rhizosphere. However, examining HGT remains challenging due to the complexity of mimicking conditions within the rhizosphere. Fabricated ecosystems (EcoFABs) have been used to investigate several complex processes in plant-associated environments. Here we show that EcoFABs are efficient tools to examine and measure HGT frequency in the rhizosphere. We provide the first demonstration of gene transfer via a triparental conjugation system in the Brachypodium distachyon rhizosphere in an EcoFAB using Pseudomonas putida KT2440 as both donor and recipient bacterial strain with the donor containing a mobilizable and non-self-transmissible plasmid. We observed that the frequency of plasmid transfer in the rhizosphere is potentially dependent on the plant developmental stage and the composition and amount of root exudates. The frequency of plasmid transfer also increased with higher...

Technical Advances and Applications of Spatial Transcriptomics.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Transcriptomics is one of the largest areas of research in biological sciences. Aside from RNA expression levels, the significance of RNA spatial context has also been unveiled in the recent decade, playing a critical role in diverse biological processes, from subcellular kinetic regulation to cell communication, from tissue architecture to tumor microenvironment, and more. To systematically unravel the positional patterns of RNA molecules across subcellular, cellular, and tissue levels, spatial transcriptomics techniques have emerged and rapidly became an irreplaceable tool set. Herein, we review and compare current spatial transcriptomics techniques on their methods, advantages, and limitations, as well as applications across a wide range of biological investigations. This review serves as a comprehensive guide to spatial transcriptomics for researchers interested in adopting this powerful suite of technologies.

Polo-like kinase 1 independently controls microtubule-nucleating capacity and size of the centrosome.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Centrosomes are composed of a centriolar core surrounded by a pericentriolar material (PCM) matrix that docks microtubule-nucleating γ-tubulin complexes. During mitotic entry, the PCM matrix increases in size and nucleating capacity in a process called centrosome maturation. Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) is recruited to centrosomes and phosphorylates PCM matrix proteins to drive their self-assembly, which leads to PCM expansion. Here, we show that in addition to controlling PCM expansion, PLK1 independently controls the generation of binding sites for γ-tubulin complexes on the PCM matrix. Selectively preventing the generation of PLK1-dependent γ-tubulin docking sites led to spindle defects and impaired chromosome segregation without affecting PCM expansion, highlighting the importance of phospho-regulated centrosomal γ-tubulin docking sites in spindle assembly. Inhibiting both γ-tubulin docking and PCM expansion by mutating substrate target sites recapitulated the effects of loss...

Mormyroidea-inspired electronic skin for active non-contact three-dimensional tracking and sensing.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The capacity to discern and locate positions in three-dimensional space is crucial for human-machine interfaces and robotic perception. However, current soft electronics can only obtain two-dimensional spatial locations through physical contact. In this study, we report a non-contact position targeting concept enabled by transparent and thin soft electronic skin (E-skin) with three-dimensional sensing capabilities. Inspired by the active electrosensation of mormyroidea fish, this E-skin actively ascertains the 3D positions of targeted objects in a contactless manner and can wirelessly convey the corresponding positions to other devices in real-time. Consequently, this E-skin readily enables interaction with machines, i.e., manipulating virtual objects, controlling robotic arms, and drones in either virtual or actual 3D space. Additionally, it can be integrated with robots to provide them with 3D situational awareness for perceiving their surroundings, avoiding obstacles, or tracking...

Many Pathways for Discovery: Describing Music Resources Using Faceted Vocabularies

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Many Pathways for Discovery: Describing Music Resources Using Faceted Vocabularies

Correction: Catalytic generation of ortho-quinone dimethides via donor/donor rhodium carbenes.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/D3SC00734K.].

Cross-instrument optical coherence tomography-angiography (OCTA)-based prediction of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) disease activity using artificial intelligence

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This study investigates the efficacy of predicting age-related macular degeneration (AMD) activity through deep neural networks (DNN) using a cross-instrument training dataset composed of Optical coherence tomography-angiography (OCTA) images from two different manufacturers. A retrospective cross-sectional study analyzed 2D vascular en-face OCTA images from Heidelberg Spectralis (1478 samples: 1102 training, 276 validation, 100 testing) and Optovue Solix (1003 samples: 754 training, 189 validation, 60 testing). OCTA scans were labeled based on clinical diagnoses and adjacent B-scan OCT fluid information, categorizing activity into normal, dry AMD, active wet AMD, and wet AMD in remission. Experiments explored cross-instrument disease classification using separate and combined datasets for training the DNN. Testing involved 100 Heidelberg and 60 Optovue samples. Training on Heidelberg data alone yielded 73% accuracy on Heidelberg images and 60% on Optovue images. Training on Optovue...

Prior Authorization and Referral Process in Health- care and its Administration Burden

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Prior authorization, a requirement for healthcare providers to obtain insurance approval before delivering services, has become a significant administrative challenge in the U.S. healthcare system. According to an American Physical Therapy Association survey, 75% of patients reported delays in accessing necessary care due to prior authorization. In comparison, 80% of healthcare staff see it as a factor in burnout. This paper examines the implications of preauthorization on healthcare service delivery, focusing on practitioner distribution, patient care accessibility, and financial impacts. The research explores the association between state-level preauthorization restrictions and the availability of healthcare practitioners, particularly in rural areas and specialties. Findings suggest that more restrictive prior authorization processes correlate with reduced practitioner availability, negatively affecting access to care and patient outcomes. Additionally, the paper discusses...

Threat Appraisal and Pediatric Anxiety: Proof of Concept of a Latent Variable Approach

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Elevated threat appraisal is a postulated neurodevelopmental mechanism of anxiety disorders. However, laboratory-assessed threat appraisals are task-specific and subject to measurement error. We utilized latent variable analysis to integrate youth's self-reported threat appraisals across different experimental tasks; we next examined associations with pediatric anxiety as well as behavioral and psychophysiological task indices. Ninety-two youth ages 8-17 years (M age=13.07, 65% female), including 51 with a primary anxiety disorder and 41 with no Axis I diagnosis, completed up to eight threat-exposure tasks. Anxiety symptoms were assessed using questionnaires and ecological momentary assessment. Appraisals both prior to and following threat exposures evidenced shared variance across tasks. Derived factor scores for threat appraisal were associated significantly with anxiety symptoms and variably with task indices; findings were comparable to task-specific measures and had...

A review of feature selection strategies utilizing graph data structures and Knowledge Graphs.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Feature selection in Knowledge Graphs (KGs) is increasingly utilized in diverse domains, including biomedical research, Natural Language Processing (NLP), and personalized recommendation systems. This paper delves into the methodologies for feature selection (FS) within KGs, emphasizing their roles in enhancing machine learning (ML) model efficacy, hypothesis generation, and interpretability. Through this comprehensive review, we aim to catalyze further innovation in FS for KGs, paving the way for more insightful, efficient, and interpretable analytical models across various domains. Our exploration reveals the critical importance of scalability, accuracy, and interpretability in FS techniques, advocating for the integration of domain knowledge to refine the selection process. We highlight the burgeoning potential of multi-objective optimization and interdisciplinary collaboration in advancing KG FS, underscoring the transformative impact of such methodologies on precision medicine,...

Diffusion Tensor Imaging in Diagnosing and Evaluating Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review. OBJECTIVE: Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) is a common spinal cord disorder necessitating surgery. We aim to explore how effectively diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) can distinguish DCM from healthy individuals and assess the relationship between DTI metrics and symptom severity. METHODS: We included studies with adult DCM patients who had not undergone decompressive surgery and implemented correlation analyses between DTI parameters and severity, or compared healthy controls and DCM patients. RESULTS: 57 studies were included in our meta-analysis. At the maximal compression (MC) level, fractional anisotropy (FA) exhibited lower values in DCM patients, while apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), mean diffusivity (MD), and radial diffusivity (RD) were notably higher in the DCM group. Moreover, our investigation into the diagnostic utility of DTI parameters disclosed high sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve values for FA (.84,...

Psychosocial Aspects of Diabetes Technologies: Commentary on the Current Status of the Evidence and Suggestions for Future Directions.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Diabetes technologies, including continuous glucose monitors, insulin pumps, and automated insulin delivery systems offer the possibility of improving glycemic outcomes, including reduced hemoglobin A1c, increased time in range, and reduced hypoglycemia. Given the rapid expansion in the use of diabetes technology over the past few years, and touted promise of these devices for improving both clinical and psychosocial outcomes, it is critically important to understand issues in technology adoption, equity in access, maintaining long-term usage, opportunities for expanded device benefit, and limitations of the existing evidence base. We provide a brief overview of the status of the literature-with a focus on psychosocial outcomes-and provide recommendations for future work and considerations in clinical applications. Despite the wealth of the existing literature exploring psychosocial outcomes, there is substantial room to expand our current knowledge base to more comprehensively...

Ocular trauma is a leading cause of blindness in the United States. There have been studies of ocular trauma and penetrating injury, but few examining visual outcomes following gun related trauma to orbital and ocular structures. Furthermore, associations related to this type of trauma and visual outcomes has not been extensively studied.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Ocular trauma is a leading cause of blindness in the United States. There have been studies of ocular trauma and penetrating injury, but few examining visual outcomes following gun related trauma to orbital and ocular structures. Furthermore, associations related to this type of trauma and visual outcomes has not been extensively studied.

A multidisciplinary framework from reactors to repositories for evaluating spent nuclear fuel from advanced reactors.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This study presents a multidisciplinary reactor-to-repository framework to compare different advanced reactors with respect to their spent nuclear fuel (SNF) disposal. The framework consists of (1) OpenMC for simulating neutronics, fuel depletion, and radioactive decays; (2) NWPY for computing the repository footprint given the thermal constraints; and (3) PFLOTRAN for simulating radionuclide transport in the geosphere to quantify the repository performance and environmental impact. We first perform the meta-analysis of past comparative analyses to identify the factors that led previously to their inconsistent conclusions. We then demonstrate the new framework by comparing five reactor types. Our analysis highlights the granularity and the specificities of each reactor and fuel type so that we should avoid making sweeping conclusions about advanced reactor SNF. Significant findings are that (1) the repository footprint is neither linearly related to SNF volume nor to decay heat,...

Oligodendroglial tumors in older adult patients in California: clinical characteristics and geographic distribution

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Oligodendrogliomas most commonly occur in younger patients aged 20-54. Diagnosis of oligodendrogliomas in older adults is rare, with little known about the risk factors and clinical characteristics of oligodendrogliomas in older adults.

A corpus of GA4GH phenopackets: Case-level phenotyping for genomic diagnostics and discovery.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH) Phenopacket Schema was released in 2022 and approved by ISO as a standard for sharing clinical and genomic information about an individual, including phenotypic descriptions, numerical measurements, genetic information, diagnoses, and treatments. A phenopacket can be used as an input file for software that supports phenotype-driven genomic diagnostics and for algorithms that facilitate patient classification and stratification for identifying new diseases and treatments. There has been a great need for a collection of phenopackets to test software pipelines and algorithms. Here, we present Phenopacket Store. Phenopacket Store v.0.1.19 includes 6,668 phenopackets representing 475 Mendelian and chromosomal diseases associated with 423 genes and 3,834 unique pathogenic alleles curated from 959 different publications. This represents the first large-scale collection of case-level, standardized phenotypic information derived from...

COVID-19 Response and the Unhoused Communities in Sacramento: A Mixed Methods Study

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

• People experiencing homelessness (PEH) are a vulnerable population during the COVID-19 pandemic due to preexistingcomorbidities, transience, and distrust of the medical system.• Prior work has demonstrated that The Housing First (HF) model has led to more stable housing, increased outpatienttreatment and primary care physician (PCP) visits, and fewer emergency room visits and hospitalizations.• During the COVID-19 emergency response, hotel rooms across California were re-purposed to house PEH.• The Encampment Med Team, a group of volunteer medical students sworn in as Disaster Service Workers, employed agrassroots approach through routine site visits to encampment and street sites in Sacramento.

N 2-Alkyl-dG lesions elicit R-loop accumulation in the genome.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Humans are exposed to DNA alkylating agents through endogenous metabolism, environmental exposure and cancer chemotherapy. The resulting alkylated DNA adducts may elicit genome instability by perturbing DNA replication and transcription. R-loops regulate various cellular processes, including transcription, DNA repair, and telomere maintenance. However, unscheduled R-loops are also recognized as potential sources of DNA damage and genome instability. In this study, by employing fluorescence microscopy and R-loop sequencing approaches, we uncovered, for the first time, that minor-groove N2-alkyl-dG lesions elicit elevated R-loop accumulation in chromatin and in plasmid DNA in cells. We also demonstrated that the N2-alkyl-dG-induced R-loops impede transcription elongation and compromise genome integrity. Moreover, genetic depletion of DDX23, a R-loop helicase, renders cells more sensitive toward benzo[a]pyrene diolepoxide, a carcinogen that induces mainly the minor-groove N2-dG adduct....

Mathematical Modeling Unveils Optimization Strategies for Targeted Radionuclide Therapy of Blood Cancers.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Mathematical modeling yields general principles for optimization of TRT in mouse models of multiple myeloma that can be extrapolated to other cancer models and clinical settings.

Statistical non-independence of brain metabolite concentrations whether normalized to creatine or water.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

1H-MRS investigators studying brain metabolite concentrations often attribute biological significance to correlations between calculated metabolite values within the same voxel. A recent report in this journal provides a valuable perspective on how statistical non-independence of such values can undermine biological interpretations of their correlations. However, careful examination of this issue suggests their critical analysis does not go far enough. Hong et al. claim that appropriate water normalization, unlike creatine normalization, eliminates the problem of spurious correlation. Both logical and empirical considerations show this is not the case. Correlations between water-normalized metabolite values are also prone to substantial spurious correlations.

In vivo bioluminescence imaging of labile iron in xenograft models and liver using FeAL-1, an iron-activatable form of D-luciferin.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Dysregulated iron homeostasis underlies diverse pathologies, from ischemia-reperfusion injury to epithelial-mesenchymal transition and drug-tolerant persister cancer cell states. Here, we introduce ferrous iron-activatable luciferin-1 (FeAL-1), a small-molecule probe for bioluminescent imaging of the labile iron pool (LIP) in luciferase-expressing cells and animals. We find that FeAL-1 detects LIP fluctuations in cells after iron supplementation, depletion, or treatment with hepcidin, the master regulator of systemic iron in mammalian physiology. Utilizing FeAL-1 and a dual-luciferase reporter system, we quantify LIP in mouse liver and three different orthotopic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma tumors. We observed up to a 10-fold increase in FeAL-1 bioluminescent signal in xenograft tumors as compared to healthy liver, the major organ of iron storage in mammals. Treating mice with hepcidin further elevated hepatic LIP, as predicted. These studies reveal a therapeutic index between...

Widespread Gene Editing in the Brain via In Utero Delivery of mRNA Using Acid-Degradable Lipid Nanoparticles

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In utero gene editing with mRNA-based therapeutics has the potential to revolutionize the treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders. However, a critical bottleneck in clinical application has been the lack of mRNA delivery vehicles that can efficiently transfect cells in the brain. In this report, we demonstrate that in utero intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of densely PEGylated lipid nanoparticles (ADP-LNPs) containing an acid-degradable PEG-lipid can safely and effectively deliver mRNA for gene editing enzymes to the fetal mouse brain, resulting in successful transfection and editing of brain cells. ADP-LNPs containing Cre mRNA transfected 30% of the fetal brain cells in Ai9 mice and had no detectable adverse effects on fetal development and postnatal growth. In addition, ADP-LNPs efficiently transfected neural stem and progenitor cells in Ai9 mice with Cre mRNA, which subsequently proliferated and caused over 40% of the cortical neurons and 60% of the hippocampal neurons...

The Rise of the Publics: American Democracy, the Public University Ideal, and the University of California

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The Rise of the Publics: American Democracy, the Public University Ideal, and the University of California

Reframing the Language Classroom through Discovery-Based Frameworks

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The past four years have seen radical upheaval in language pedagogy due to restrictions imposed by the outbreak of COVID-19 and the advent of generative AI. Increasing evidence that remote learning options can be just as effective as in-person ones has additionally forced educators to re-evaluate and re-articulate the methods and purpose of in-person classroom instruction. This report suggests that a discovery-based framework can help transform classrooms into spaces in which students go beyond simple skill acquisition to become a community of learners through an increased focus on first-hand experiences. These experiences furthermore promote curiosity and ownership over projects in the target language, extending learning beyond the confines of the classroom. With discussion of a successful example conducted in Korean language classes, the article explores how discovery-based frameworks reinforce acquisition of the target language as a tool for cultivating students’ relationships...

I? Як вибудовувати відносини за допомогою винахідливих переговорів / (AND?: How to Build Relationships through Inventive Negotiation - Ukrainian)

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Стів Джобс використав цей підхід, щоб укласти вигіднішу угоду з Disney. Джордж Мітчелл і Мері Робінсон застосували його, щоб допомогти покласти край багаторічній війні в Північній Ірландії. А ви зможете використовувати його у своєму житті та роботі, щоб досягати кращих результатів протягом багатьох років. І що ж це? Книга «Винахідливі переговори» пропонує чіткий набір кроків, які допоможуть будувати довгострокові відносини замість затяжної ворожнечі. Щедро ілюстрована реальними історіями з усього світу, а також заснована на останніх досягненнях нейробіології та поведінкової економіки, ця книга покаже вам, як отримати не просто більшу частину пирога, а й інструменти для створення цілої фабрики пирогів. Дізнайтеся, що спільного між переговорниками із заручниками та клоунами. Як підліток зумів перемогти телефонну компанію. Що потрібно, щоб потрапити до в’язниці в Болівії або вибратися з табору терористів у Колумбії. Чому в Кореї важливо обережно поводитися зі стільцями. Кожен приклад...

South Korea's Higher Education System Through California Eyes

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

South Korea's Higher Education System Through California Eyes

Cell growth and nutrient availability control the mitotic exit signaling network in budding yeast.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Cell growth is required for cell cycle progression. The amount of growth required for cell cycle progression is reduced in poor nutrients, which leads to a reduction in cell size. In budding yeast, nutrients can influence cell size by modulating the extent of bud growth, which occurs predominantly in mitosis. However, the mechanisms are unknown. Here, we used mass spectrometry to identify proteins that modulate bud growth in response to nutrient availability. This led to the discovery that nutrients regulate numerous components of the mitotic exit network (MEN), which controls exit from mitosis. A key component of the MEN undergoes gradual multisite phosphorylation during bud growth that is dependent upon bud growth and correlated with the extent of growth. Furthermore, activation of the MEN is sufficient to override a growth requirement for mitotic exit. The data suggest a model in which the MEN ensures that mitotic exit occurs only when an appropriate amount of bud growth has...

MRI Targeted Biopsies: The Value of Obtaining On and Off-Target Biopsy Cores for the Detection of Prostate Cancer

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Prostate cancer affects up to 11% of men over their lifetime. PSA screening has poor specificity and sensitivity. Standard technique for prostate bx: transrectal ultrasonography and either a transrectal or transperineal needle approach + 12-core sampling. Prostate MRI can visualize aggressive prostate cancer, help decide the need for prostate biopsy. MRI can also assist performing a more efficient targeted biopsy.

Plain language summary of the FOENIX-CCA2 study: futibatinib for people with advanced bile duct cancer.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

WHAT IS THIS SUMMARY ABOUT?: This summary describes the results from a phase 2 study called FOENIXCCA2. The study evaluated treatment with futibatinib in people with a rare form of advanced bile duct cancer called intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (or iCCA), where the tumors have changes in the structure of a gene called FGFR2. These changes include FGFR2 gene fusions. Bile duct cancer often returns after surgery or cannot be treated by surgery because the tumor has spread, so it requires treatment with chemotherapy. People live for a median of 1 year after their first chemotherapy treatment and 6 months after their second treatment. This study included people whose cancer had grown/spread after one or more chemotherapy treatments. The aims of the study were to see if futibatinib could shrink the size of tumors and stop the cancer from growing/spreading and to see how long people lived when treated with futibatinib. Clinicians also looked at side effects from taking futibatinib...

Association of self-reported and objective measures of physical exercise with leg muscle mitochondrial oxidative capacity in CKD

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with skeletal muscle dysfunction leading to decreased physical functioning. Reduced kidney function leads to impaired muscle mitochondrial oxidative capacity underlying poor physical performance. The link between muscle mitochondrial oxidative capacity and patient-reported vs. objective measures of physical activity (PA) remains unclear. Objective: Determine the association between in-vivo leg muscle mitochondrial capacity and self-reported PA and objective PA.

Missing microbial eukaryotes and misleading meta-omic conclusions.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Meta-omics is commonly used for large-scale analyses of microbial eukaryotes, including species or taxonomic group distribution mapping, gene catalog construction, and inference on the functional roles and activities of microbial eukaryotes in situ. Here, we explore the potential pitfalls of common approaches to taxonomic annotation of protistan meta-omic datasets. We re-analyze three environmental datasets at three levels of taxonomic hierarchy in order to illustrate the crucial importance of database completeness and curation in enabling accurate environmental interpretation. We show that taxonomic membership of sequence clusters estimates community composition more accurately than returning exact sequence labels, and overlap between clusters can address database shortcomings. Clustering approaches can be applied to diverse environments while continuing to exploit the wealth of annotation data collated in databases, and selecting and evaluating these databases is a critical...

和？如何通过创造性谈判建立关系 / (AND?: How to Build Relationships through Inventive Negotiation - Chinese)

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

史蒂夫·乔布斯利用它与迪士尼达成了更好的交易，乔治·米切尔和玛丽·罗宾逊利用它帮助结束了北爱尔兰长达数十年的战争，而你也可以在生活和工作中使用它，让未来的岁月收获更多精彩。《和？如何通过创造性谈判建立关系》（）提供了一整套的具体步骤，帮助人们建立长期关系，摒弃持久的对立。本书以丰富的真实案例为支撑，这些故事来自世界各地，并结合了最新的神经科学和行为经济学理论。这本书不仅教会你如何分得更多蛋糕，还赋予你建造“蛋糕工厂”的工具。想知道解救人质谈判专家和小丑之间的共同点，或者一个青少年如何抗争一家电话公司，或者有人如何慧心巧舌进入玻利维亚的监狱或从哥伦比亚的恐怖分子营地脱身，再或者想知道为什么在韩国需要小心处置你的椅子？每个案例都演示了作者在从石油管道到国际和平的多年服务经验中精心提炼的谈判原则。一旦你学会了“创造性谈判”的艺术与科学，你将再也无法满足于传统的交易式或整合式谈判了。/ Steve Jobs used it to cut a better deal with Disney. George Mitchell and Mary Robinson used it to help end a decades-long war in Northern Ireland. And you can use it in your life and work to get better outcomes for years to come. AND? Inventive Negotiation provides a concrete set of steps that can help build long-term relationships instead of lasting enmity. Lavishly illustrated with real life stories from around the world, plus the latest neuroscience and behavioral economics, this book will show you how to get more than your share of the pie - it gives you the tools to build a pie factory....

Cross-cultural Interaction: The International Comparison Fallacy?

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

International management studies have been based primarily on the comparison of managerial behavior in countries around the world. Often, these studies have implied that business-people behave similarly with their domestic colleagues as with their foreign counterparts. In questioning that assumption, this study tests whether intra-cultural behavior accurately predicts cross-cultural behavior. Using a negotiation simulation and a sample of 462 Japanese, American, and Canadian businesspeople, behaviors in cross-cultural negotiations were found to differ in some important ways from those in intra-cultural negotiations.

Consent for Research Involving Spanish- and English-Speaking Latinx Adults With Schizophrenia.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

BACKGROUND: Latinxs are vastly underrepresented in mental health research; one of many contributing factors may be complexities in the research consent process, including language preferences. We examined determinants of comprehension of research consent procedures and tested the effects of a preconsent research schema condition among 180 adults with schizophrenia (60 Latinx-English and 60 Latinx-Spanish preference, and 60 non-Latinx White). STUDY DESIGN: Participants were randomly assigned (equal allocation) to an educational session regarding clinical research concepts and processes (schema condition) or to an attention control. Following a subsequent simulated consent procedure for a hypothetical drug trail, comprehension of consent disclosures was measured with 2 standard measures. STUDY RESULTS: One-way ANOVAs showed significant medium effect size differences between ethnicity/language groups on both measures of comprehension (η2s = 0.066-0.070). The Latinx-Spanish group...

The effects of bathymetry on the long-term carbon cycle and CCD.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The shape of the ocean floor (bathymetry) and the overlaying sediments provide the largest carbon sink throughout Earths history, supporting ~one to two orders of magnitude more carbon storage than the oceans and atmosphere combined. While accumulation and erosion of these sediments are bathymetry dependent (e.g., due to pressure, temperature, salinity, ion concentration, and available productivity), no systemic study has quantified how global and basin scale bathymetry, controlled by the evolution of tectonics and mantle convection, affects the long-term carbon cycle. We reconstruct bathymetry spanning the last 80 Myr to describe steady-state changes in ocean chemistry within the Earth system model LOSCAR. We find that both bathymetry reconstructions and representative synthetic tests show that ocean alkalinity, calcite saturation state, and the carbonate compensation depth (CCD) are strongly dependent on changes in shallow bathymetry (ocean floor ≤600 m) and on the distribution...

A novel genetic strategy to enable rapid detection of rare non-native alleles.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Established invasive species represent one of the most harmful and challenging threats to native biodiversity, necessitating methods for Early Detection and Rapid Response. Cryptic invasions are particularly challenging and often require expensive and time-consuming molecular surveys which limits their usefulness for management. We present a novel application of the Fluidigm SNP-Type Assay to identify rare non-native alleles that significantly reduces the cost and time to generate diagnostic results. We demonstrate the efficacy of this method using experimental Fluidigm pools (99% accuracy) and sequence data (96% accuracy). We apply our novel methodology to an endangered population of California tiger salamanders in Sonoma County where two individual non-native tiger salamander hybrids have previously been detected since 2008. We screened 5805 larvae in 387 sample-pools containing 15 larvae each. We did not detect any non-native hybrids in the population, a result that was verified...

Functional and Histologic Analysis of a Novel Elastic Biodegradable Patch for CDH Repair

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

CDH is a congenital defect in the diaphragm causing herniation of abdominal contents and impaired lung growth. PTFE is a synthetic polymer that is the current standard of care for patch repair of CDH. Limitations: stiff, not biodegradable, no growth with the child leading to reherniation and repeated intervention. Polyurethane (PU) is a novel material that is elastic, biodegradable, and biocompatible, allowing for optimized lung mechanics and tissue integration.

Nonspecific vs. specific DNA binding free energetics of a transcription factor domain protein

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Transcription factor (TF) proteins regulate gene expression by binding to specific sites on the genome. In the facilitated diffusion model, an optimized search process is achieved by the TF alternating between 3D diffusion in the bulk and 1D diffusion along DNA. While undergoing 1D diffusion, the protein can switch from a search mode for fast diffusion along nonspecific DNA to a recognition mode for stable binding to specific DNA. It was recently noticed that, for a small TF domain protein, reorientations on DNA happen between the nonspecific and specific DNA binding. We here conducted all-atom molecular dynamics simulations with steering forces to reveal the protein-DNA binding free energetics, confirming that the search and recognition modes are distinguished primarily by protein orientations on the DNA. As the binding free energy difference between the specific and nonspecific DNA system slightly deviates from that being estimated directly from dissociation constants on 15-bp...

Preclinical Evaluation of Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase Inhibitor AMHDU against Neuropathic Pain

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Inhibition of soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) is a promising therapeutic strategy for treating neuropathic pain. These inhibitors effectively reduce diabetic neuropathic pain and inflammation induced by Freund's adjuvant which makes them a suitable alternative to traditional opioids. This study showcased the notable analgesic effects of compound AMHDU (1,1'-(hexane-1,6-diyl)bis(3-((adamantan-1-yl)methyl)urea)) in both inflammatory and diabetic neuropathy models. While lacking anti-inflammatory properties in a paw edema model, AMHDU is comparable to celecoxib as an analgesic in 30 mg/kg dose administrated by intraperitoneal injection. In a diabetic tactile allodynia model, AMHDU showed a prominent analgesic activity in 10 mg/kg intraperitoneal dose (p < 0.05). The effect is comparable to that of gabapentin, but without the risk of dependence due to a different mechanism of action. Low acute oral toxicity (>2000 mg/kg) and a high therapeutic index...

Exploring Funding Options for the University of California

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Exploring Funding Options for the University of California

Evaluating the Chemical Reactivity of DFT-Simulated Liquid Water with Hydrated Electrons via the Dual Descriptor.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Modeling the various properties of liquid water, particularly its reactivity, has been a longstanding challenge for simulation methods. Recently, ab initio simulations based on density functional theory (DFT) have come to the fore as tenable methods for calculating the properties and reactivity of water, with varying degrees of success for different exchange-correlation functionals. In particular, hybrid-GGA and meta-GGA functionals have been shown to reproduce many of the structural, dynamical, and energetic properties of water to a high degree of accuracy relative to their computational cost. Here, we show that the dual descriptor (DD) measure of nucleophilicity and electrophilicity, which is sometimes used to elucidate organic chemistry reaction mechanisms, can also be used to characterize the reactivity of DFT-simulated liquid water. The DD is especially apt for understanding the reactivity of excess electrons with water as its calculation explicitly involves adding and removing...

Parental Loss and Mental Health in Post-Khmer-Rouge Cambodia.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Adverse childhood events (ACE) may have lasting consequences throughout the life course. We focus on one particular type of ACE, parental loss in Cambodia-a country that lost nearly 25% of its population during the 1975-79 Khmer-Rouge regime-and on mental health disorders, one of the potential mechanisms through which ACE may have long-term consequences. Self-reports of symptoms that map on to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (DSM) criteria for anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were collected from 4,405 adults aged 20 and over. We first assess exposure to traumatic events and the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and PTSD using the DSM and alternative criteria. Based on the DSM criteria and previously validated Likert-scale thresholds, we find a high prevalence of anxiety (56.0%), depression (42.8%), and PTSD (2.3%), and even higher levels even among KRR survivors. We then use logit models to analyze the effect of parental...

Topical review: Lactation and use of DMTs in women with MS.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

One in three females with multiple sclerosis (MS) becomes pregnant after diagnosis. In the postpartum period, there is a risk of rebound inflammatory activity. This risk can likely be reduced with breastfeeding, as well as with early initiation of effective therapies that have low therapeutic lag. To guide patients in their choices surrounding breastfeeding and MS therapies, clinicians must be familiar with how best to protect against relapses, to ensure infant safety, and to support breastfeeding choices. This topical review provides a broad framework on lactation in women with MS. It seeks to reframe guidelines around caring for the maternal-infant dyad, and for diverse populations living with MS. It also provides updated data on the effects of lactation in women with MS and the limited data on transfer of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) into breastmilk. The ultimate goal is to support informed shared decision-making between clinicians and patients regarding breastfeeding...

Relationship between tooth macrowear and jaw morphofunctional traits in representative hypercarnivores.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The mammalian adult dentition is a non-renewable resource. Tooth attrition and disease must be accommodated by individuals using behavioral, physiological, and/or musculoskeletal shifts to minimize impact on masticatory performance. From a biomechanical perspective, the musculoskeletal system becomes less efficient at producing bite force for a given amount of muscle input force over an individuals life, because tooth-food contact area increases as cusps wear. In this study we ask the question: does mandibular biomechanical performance show evidence of compensation with increasing tooth wear? We use representative taxa of three carnivoran ecomorphologies (meat specialist, scavenger, bone cracker) as a study system to compare morphofunctional data on tooth macrowear, jaw depth, bite mechanical efficiency, and jaw stress during biting. No significant shifts in adult mandibular corpus dimensions occurs in the sampled taxa as canine and carnassial teeth wear. In bone cracking spotted...

Predicting intradialytic hypotension in critically ill patients undergoing intermittent hemodialysis: a prospective observational study.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

BACKGROUND: Hypotension during dialysis arises from vasomotor tone alterations and hypovolemia, with disrupted counterregulatory mechanisms in acute kidney injury (AKI) patients. This study investigated the predictive value of preload dependency, assessed by the passive leg raising (PLR) test, and arterial tone, measured by dynamic elastance (Eadyn), for intradialytic hypotension (IDH). METHODS: In this prospective observational study conducted in a tertiary hospital ICU, hemodynamic parameters were collected from critically ill AKI patients undergoing intermittent hemodialysis using the FloTrac/Vigileo system. Baseline measurements were recorded before KRT initiation, including the PLR test and Eadyn calculation. IDH was defined as mean arterial pressure (MAP) < 65 mmHg during dialysis. Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of IDH, and Kaplan-Meier analysis assessed 90-day survival. RESULTS: Of 187 patients, 27.3% experienced IDH. Preload dependency, identified...

Neuronal alpha-Synuclein Disease integrated staging system performance in PPMI, PASADENA, and SPARK baseline cohorts.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The Neuronal alpha-Synuclein Disease (NSD) biological definition and Integrated Staging System (NSD-ISS) provide a research framework to identify individuals with Lewy body pathology and stage them based on underlying biology and increasing degree of functional impairment. Utilizing data from the PPMI, PASADENA, and SPARK studies, we developed and applied biologic and clinical data-informed definitions for the NSD-ISS across the disease continuum. Individuals enrolled as Parkinsons disease, Prodromal, or Healthy Controls were defined and staged based on biological, clinical, and functional anchors at baseline. Across the three studies 1741 participants had SAA data and of these 1030 (59%) were S+ consistent with NSD. Among sporadic PD, 683/736 (93%) were NSD, and the distribution for Stages 2B, 3, and 4 was 25%, 63%, and 9%, respectively. Median (95% CI) time to developing a clinically meaningful outcome was 8.3 (6.2, 10.1), 5.9 (4.1, 6.0), and 2.4 (1.0, 4.0) years for baseline...

Bacillary hemoglobinuria in beef cattle infected with Fascioloides magna in Missouri.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Bacillary hemoglobinuria (BH) is an infectious disease, mostly affecting cattle, caused by Clostridium haemolyticum (C. novyi type D), with acute hepatic necrosis and intravascular hemolysis. Cattle are typically predisposed to BH by liver injury caused by Fasciola hepatica, although cases have been reported in cattle without evidence of this parasite. Here we describe a cluster of 14 BH cases from 7 counties in north-central to central Missouri submitted to a veterinary diagnostic laboratory between December 2020 and April 2023. Postmortem examination in all cases revealed hemoglobinuria and acute hepatic necrosis with large numbers of gram-positive bacilli with terminal-to-subterminal spores. Flukes, fluke ova, and/or fluke pigment consistent with Fascioloides magna were identified in 12 of 14 cases. Sequences of the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) from one fluke had 100% identity to F. magna. C. novyi was detected by fluorescent antibody testing of liver...

Phase II trial of pembrolizumab, ipilimumab, and aspirin in melanoma: clinical outcomes and translational predictors of response.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

OBJECTIVE: Many patients with melanoma treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) do not derive response. Preclinical and retrospective studies identified that inhibition of the cyclooxygenase (COX) pathway may improve response to ICI treatment. METHODS: This prospective single site phase II trial accrued patients with advanced/metastatic melanoma. Participants underwent high-dose aspirin daily combined with pembrolizumab and ipilimumab every 3 weeks for 4 cycles followed by high-dose aspirin and pembrolizumab monotherapy. The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR). Longitudinal sampling of blood was performed to assess peripheral immune correlates. RESULTS: Twenty-seven subjects were enrolled with median follow-up of 32 months. An ORR of 62.9% was reached prior to discontinuation due to low likelihood of achieving the pre-specified ORR of 80%. 17 patients (63%) experienced a treatment-related adverse event (TRAEs) grade 3 or higher. A per-protocol analysis showed...

Time Is Money? Wage Premiums and Penalties for Time-Related Occupational Demands.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Despite research linking time-related work demands to gender inequality, the literature lacks a comprehensive analysis of wage premiums and penalties associated with differing temporal demands. Using longitudinal data and fixed-effects models that address unobserved heterogeneity among workers, we examine how various temporal constraints imposed by occupations are associated with pay. Unlike prior studies, our analysis separates an individuals working hours from an occupations expected work time. We find pay premiums attached to the requirements for long hours and meeting frequent deadlines, but we find wage penalties for occupations that require much temporal coordination and allow little work-structuring discretion. Schedule irregularity is linked to lower pay for women but higher pay for men. Thus, differing remuneration logics appear to apply to different time-related occupational demands. The analysis also indicates that the premium for the occupations work-time expectation...

Assessing the potential for successful translocation and co‐management of two endangered aquatic species

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract: Translocation programmes for endangered species typically focus on a single species, but in areas where little native habitat remains, it may be necessary to translocate multiple species to the same sites. Interactions between translocated species, such as predation and competition, are among the factors that need to be considered when planning multispecies translocations. Translocation sites for aquatic species are particularly scarce in southern California, where a limited number of sites exist for historically co‐occurring endangered mountain yellow‐legged frogs Rana muscosa and unarmoured three‐spine sticklebacks Gasterosteus aculeatus williamsoni. To determine how these species would interact if translocated to the same sites, we carried out experiments ex situ with R. muscosa tadpoles and a surrogate subspecies of stickleback (G. a. microcephalus). We found that (1) adult sticklebacks preyed on hatchling tadpoles but did not consume R. muscosa eggs or large tadpoles;...

Outcomes Using High KDPI Kidneys in Recipients Over 65 y of Age.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

BACKGROUND: Kidney transplantation has been shown to improve life expectancy when compared with remaining on dialysis. However, there is an ever-expanding shortage of available organs for transplantation. The use of high kidney donor profile index (KDPI; >85) kidneys is 1 strategy to address this shortage. The current study aims to evaluate the advantage of accepting a high KDPI versus a low KDPI kidney (KDPI ≤85) in patients 65 y or older. METHODS: A single-center retrospective review of all patients, ages 65 y or older, who underwent deceased donor kidney transplantation between 2010 and 2020 was performed. Outcomes and wait times of recipients undergoing low KDPI (KDPI ≤85) versus high KDPI (KDPI >85) kidney transplantation were compared. Significance was defined as P < 0.05. RESULTS: Four hundred ninety-two patients were identified; 317 (64.4%) were men with a median age at transplantation of 69 y. Four hundred five patients received low KDPI kidneys, whereas the...

Author Correction: Expression of A152T human tau causes age-dependent neuronal dysfunction and loss in transgenic mice.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

[Image: see text]

Advances and challenges in electrochemical CO 2 reduction processes: an engineering and design perspective looking beyond new catalyst materials

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Electrochemical CO2 reduction (CO2R) is one of several promising strategies to mitigate CO2 emissions. Electrochemical processes operate at mild conditions, can be tuned to selective products, allow modular design, and provide opportunities to integrate renewable electricity with CO2 reduction in carbon-intensive manufacturing industries such as iron and steel making. In recent years, significant advances have been achieved in the development of highly efficient and selective electrocatalysts for CO2R. However, to realize fully the potential benefits of new electrocatalysts in low cost, large scale CO2R electrolyzers requires advances in design and engineering of the CO2R process. In this review, we examine the state-of-The-Art in electrochemical CO2R technologies, and highlight how the efficiency of CO2R processes can be improved through (i) electrolyzer configuration, (ii) electrode structure, (iii) electrolyte selection, (iv) pH control, and (v) the electrolyzer's operating...

Human hippocampal and entorhinal neurons encode the temporal structure of experience.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Extracting the underlying temporal structure of experience is a fundamental aspect of learning and memory that allows us to predict what is likely to happen next. Current knowledge about the neural underpinnings of this cognitive process in humans stems from functional neuroimaging research1-5. As these methods lack direct access to the neuronal level, it remains unknown how this process is computed by neurons in the human brain. Here we record from single neurons in individuals who have been implanted with intracranial electrodes for clinical reasons, and show that human hippocampal and entorhinal neurons gradually modify their activity to encode the temporal structure of a complex image presentation sequence. This representation was formed rapidly, without providing specific instructions to the participants, and persisted when the prescribed experience was no longer present. Furthermore, the structure recovered from the population activity of hippocampal-entorhinal neurons closely...

И? Как выстраивать отношения с помощью изобретательных переговоров / (AND?: How to Build Relationships through Inventive Negotiation - Russian)

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Стив Джобс использовал этот подход, чтобы заключить более выгодную сделку с Disney. Джордж Митчелл и Мэри Робинсон применяли его, чтобы помочь положить конец многолетней войне в Северной Ирландии. А вы сможете использовать его в своей жизни и работе, чтобы добиваться лучших результатов на долгие годы. И что же это? Книга «Изобретательные переговоры» предлагает четкий набор шагов, которые помогут выстраивать долгосрочные отношения вместо затяжной вражды. Богато иллюстрированная реальными историями со всего мира, а также основанная на последних достижениях нейробиологии и поведенческой экономики, эта книга покажет вам, как получить не просто больший кусок пирога, но и инструменты для создания целой фабрики пирогов. Узнайте, что общего между переговорщиками по освобождению заложников и клоунами. Как подросток смог одержать верх над телефонной компанией. Что нужно, чтобы попасть в тюрьму в Боливии или выбраться из лагеря террористов в Колумбии. Почему в Корее важно аккуратно обращаться...

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in Mexico: A Call to Action.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is an ongoing public health crisis in Mexico, particularly in states bordering the United States. The national highest incidence and mortality of RMSF occur in this region, resulting in a case-fatality rate that ranges annually between 10% and 50%, primarily affecting vulnerable groups such as children, elderly adults, and persons living in poverty. Multiple biological, environmental, and social determinants can explain its growing presence throughout the country and how it challenges the health system and society. It is necessary to integrate resources and capacities from health authorities, research centers, and society to succeed in dealing with this problem. Through a scientific symposium, a group of academicians, U.S. health officials, and Mexican health authorities met on November 8-10, 2023, in Hermosillo, Mexico, to discuss the current situation of RMSF across the country and the challenges associated with its occurrence. An urgent call...

The Impact of Zika Emergence in Remote Communities in Northwestern Ecuador.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The Zika virus (ZIKV) epidemic in Latin America (2015-2016) has primarily been studied in urban centers, with less understanding of its impact on smaller rural communities. To address this gap, we analyzed ZIKV seroepidemiology in 6 rural Ecuadorian communities (2018-2019) with varying access to a commercial hub. Seroprevalence ranged from 19% to 54%, measured by nonstructural protein 1 blockade of binding enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We observed a decline in ZIKV seroprevalence between 2018 and 2019 that was greater among younger populations, suggesting that the attack rates in the 2015-2016 epidemic were significantly higher than our 2018 observations. These data indicate that the 2015-2016 epidemic included significant transmission in rural and more remote settings. Our observations of high seroprevalence in our area of study highlights the importance of surveillance and research in rural areas lacking robust health systems to manage future Zika outbreaks and vaccine...

Queer Mongering: The Violence of Asian American Fear on Queer Modalities

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Asian America has historically been susceptible to white supremacist national manipulation, by way of fear mongering. Recruitments of Asian America to fulfill nationalist agendas often result in enactments of violence towards the wellbeing and affectiveness of queer modalities. This further ostracizes, invalidates, and commits acts of violence upon different queer modalities: bodies, griefs, existences, acts, and desires, as well as positions such modalities as an unconsenting site for political battles. Set in the Bay Area during the 1940’s to 1990’s, this paper examines a fictional novel, lesbian Asian American activist circles, and University of California Berkeley (UCB) hiring practices. These cases serve to illustrate ways in which unconsenting queer subjects are forced to succumb to battles of national politics and demonstrate processes that further enact violence and halt efforts towards collective liberation.

Boundary-based registration improves sensitivity for detecting hypoperfusion in sporadic frontotemporal lobar degeneration.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

INTRODUCTION: Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) is associated with FTLD due to tau (FTLD-tau) or TDP (FTLD-TDP) inclusions found at autopsy. Arterial Spin Labeling (ASL) MRI is often acquired in the same session as a structural T1-weighted image (T1w), enabling detection of regional changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF). We hypothesize that ASL-T1w registration with more degrees of freedom using boundary-based registration (BBR) will better align ASL and T1w images and show increased sensitivity to regional hypoperfusion differences compared to manual registration in patient participants. We hypothesize that hypoperfusion will be associated with a clinical measure of disease severity, the FTLD-modified clinical dementia rating scale sum-of-boxes (FTLD-CDR). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with sporadic likely FTLD-tau (sFTLD-tau; N = 21), with sporadic likely FTLD-TDP (sFTLD-TDP; N = 14), and controls (N = 50) were recruited from the Connectomic Imaging in Familial and Sporadic...

Protocol for a randomized controlled trial with a stepped care approach, utilizing PrEP navigation with and without contingency management, for transgender women and sexual minority men with a substance use disorder: Assistance Services Knowledge-PrEP (A.S.K.-PrEP)

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Background

In the United States, most (~ 70%) annual newly diagnosed HIV infections are among substance-using sexual minority men (SMM) and gender minority transgender women (trans women). Trans women and SMM are more likely to report or be diagnosed with a substance use disorder (SUD) than their cisgender or heterosexual counterparts and the presence of an SUD substantially increases the risk of HIV infection in both groups. Although Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) is highly effective, initiation, adherence, and persistence are exclusively behavioral outcomes; thus, the biomedical benefits of PrEP are abrogated by substance use. SUD is also associated with reduced quality-of-life, and increased overdose deaths, utilization of high-cost healthcare services, engagement in a street economy, and cycles of incarceration.

Objective

To determine the optimal (considering efficacy and cost-effectiveness) strategy for advancement along the PrEP Care Continuum among trans...

Systematic assessment of long-read RNA-seq methods for transcript identification and quantification

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The Long-read RNA-Seq Genome Annotation Assessment Project Consortium was formed to evaluate the effectiveness of long-read approaches for transcriptome analysis. Using different protocols and sequencing platforms, the consortium generated over 427 million long-read sequences from complementary DNA and direct RNA datasets, encompassing human, mouse and manatee species. Developers utilized these data to address challenges in transcript isoform detection, quantification and de novo transcript detection. The study revealed that libraries with longer, more accurate sequences produce more accurate transcripts than those with increased read depth, whereas greater read depth improved quantification accuracy. In well-annotated genomes, tools based on reference sequences demonstrated the best performance. Incorporating additional orthogonal data and replicate samples is advised when aiming to detect rare and novel transcripts or using reference-free approaches. This collaborative study...

Case Report of HIV and Neurosyphilis Coinfection in a Recent Migrant: Old Diseases in New Faces

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Introduction: Coinfection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Treponema pallidum represents a unique challenge in management, with increased risk of neurological complications. Haiti is well-known for being disproportionately impacted by the HIV epidemic, with rates of infection ~6 times higher than in the United States (US). Rates of coinfection in Haiti are incompletely characterized but likely high. The US has seen a marked increase in migration from Haiti, with implications for public health and migrant health management.

Case Report: A 69-year-old male, recent Haitian migrant presented for subacute altered mental status and visual and auditory hallucinations for approximately four weeks. The patient’s neurological exam was non-focal, but laboratory evaluation showed an elevated paraprotein gap (6.7 grams per deciliter). This prompted concern for infectious etiology. The patient was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS with...

Patterns of Telemedicine Use in Primary Care for People with Dementia in the Post-pandemic Period.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

BACKGROUND: The pandemic rapidly expanded telemedicine, which has persisted as a widely available primary care modality. The uptake of telemedicine among people with dementia specifically in the primary care setting, who have more complex care needs but also benefit from more accessible primary care, is unknown. OBJECTIVE: Among people with dementia, assess uptake of telemedicine-based primary care in the post-pandemic period and determine associations with key socio-demographic characteristics. DESIGN: Retrospective observational study. SUBJECTS: People with dementia at UCSF and Kaiser Permanente Northern CA (KPNC) with at least one primary care encounter in pre- (3/1/2019-2/29/2020) or post-COVID (3/1/2021-2/28/2022) periods, post-COVID sample: N= 419 individuals (UCSF), N=18,037 (KPNC). MAIN MEASURES: Encounter modality: in-person, video telemedicine, or telephone telemedicine. Focal socio-demographic characteristics: age, limited English proficiency, socioeconomic status,...

California's Affirmative Action Fight: Power Politics and the University of California

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

California's Affirmative Action Fight: Power Politics and the University of California

Solanum pimpinellifolium exhibits complex genetic resistance to Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst) is the causal agent of bacterial speck disease in tomatoes. The Pto/Prf gene cluster from Solanum pimpinellifolium was introgressed into several modern tomato cultivars and provided protection against Pst race 0 strains for many decades. However, virulent Pst race 1 strains that evade Pto-mediated immunity now predominate in tomato-growing regions worldwide. Here we report the identification of resistance to a Pst race 1 strain (Pst19) in the wild tomato accession S. pimpinellifolium LA1589 (hereafter LA1589), using our rapid high-throughput seedling screen. LA1589 supports less bacterial growth than cultivars, and does not exhibit a hypersensitive response to Pst19. We tested an existing set of 87 Inbred Backcross Lines (IBLs) derived from a cross between susceptible Solanum lycopersicum E-6203 and Solanum pimpinellifolium LA1589 for resistance to Pst19. Using single-marker analysis, we identified three genomic regions associated with resistance....

The structure of DNA methyltransferase DNMT3C reveals an activity-tuning mechanism for DNA methylation.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

DNA methylation is one of the major epigenetic mechanisms crucial for gene regulation and genome stability. De novo DNA methyltransferase DNMT3C is required for silencing evolutionarily young transposons during mice spermatogenesis. Mutation of DNMT3C led to a sterility phenotype that cannot be rescued by its homologs DNMT3A and DNMT3B. However, the structural basis of DNMT3C-mediated DNA methylation remains unknown. Here, we report the structure and mechanism of DNMT3C-mediated DNA methylation. The DNMT3C methyltransferase domain recognizes CpG-containing DNA in a manner similar to that of DNMT3A and DNMT3B, in line with their high sequence similarity. However, two evolutionary covariation sites, C543 and E590, diversify the substrate interaction among DNMT3C, DNMT3A, and DNMT3B, resulting in distinct DNA methylation activity and specificity between DNMT3C, DNMT3A, and DNMT3B in vitro. In addition, our combined structural and biochemical analysis reveals that the disease-causing...

Application of Differential Subsampling with Cartesian Ordering in Evaluating Left Ovarian Venous Reflux for Pretreatment Planning for Pelvic Venous Disorders.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The diagnosis of a common cause of chronic pelvic pain can be made by visualizing reflux in the ovarian veins. Fluoroscopic venography is the gold standard for diagnosing ovarian vein reflux, but it is an invasive technique that exposes patients to ionizing radiation. MRI, with its lack of ionizing radiation and capability of high-temporal and spatial-resolution vascular imaging, has the potential to provide similar diagnostic information. This retrospective report describes and assesses the utility of a dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI technique based on Differential Subsampling with Cartesian Ordering (DISCO)-MRI in 30 patients with chronic pelvic pain. Among the 14 patients who underwent both DISCO-MRI and fluoroscopic venograms, 11 (78.6%) exhibited concordant results, while 3 patients (21.4%) had discordant findings. These results suggest the potential of multiphasic contrast-enhanced DISCO-MRI as a non-invasive diagnostic tool for evaluating chronic pelvic pain.

Comment on Localized and Delocalized States of a Diamine Cation: Resolution of a Controversy.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Since its appearance in [Cheng, X.; Zhang, Y.; Jónsson, E.; Jónsson, H.; Weber, P. M. Nat. Commun. 2016, 7, 11013] and recent re-investigation in [Gałyńska, M.; Ásgeirsson, V.; Jónsson, H.; Bjornsson, R. J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 2021, 12, 1250-1255], the dimethylpiperazine cation (DMP+) has generated considerable discussion and controversy in the scientific literature over the existence of stable, local energy minima in this molecular system. Specifically, prior assumptions that the Rydberg state and radical cation of DMP are similar have led to significant confusion and debate regarding the accuracy of various quantum chemistry methods and the existence of stable configurations of DMP+ itself. The purpose of this Viewpoint is to highlight recent studies that call into question the main findings in the previously mentioned works as well as present new CCSDT (Coupled-Cluster with Single, Double, and Triple excitations) calculations to finally bring closure to this controversy.

Understanding the Impact of COVID-19 on People Who Use Drugs in Sacramento County

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

During the COVID-19 outbreak, there was a surge in overdose-related deaths with the CDC estimating a 38.4% increase in opioid-related deaths and a 26.5% increase in cocaine-related deaths during June 2019-May 2020, when compared to the 12 months prior1. With subsequent surveillance data confirming this trend, it is evident that COVID-19 had a unique impact on people who use drugs (PWUD). However, the psychosocial, socioeconomic, and biopolitical effects of the pandemic on PWUD are poorly understood. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in disruptions to illicit drug supplies in Canada, leading to increased use of contaminated and variably potent substances2. With social distancing guidelines in place, syringe service programs were deemed non-essential in many areas, effectively cutting off the supply of safe injection materials while contaminated drugs circulated. Given this background, it is necessary to better understand the ways COVID-19 has impacted the health and behaviors of PWUD....

Ocular biometric responses to simulated polychromatic defocus.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Evidence from human studies of ocular accommodation and studies of animals reared in monochromatic conditions suggest that chromatic signals can guide ocular growth. We hypothesized that ocular biometric response in humans can be manipulated by simulating the chromatic contrast differences associated with imposition of optical defocus. The red, green, and blue (RGB) channels of an RGB movie of the natural world were individually incorporated with computational defocus to create two different movie stimuli. The magnitude of defocus incorporated in the red and blue layers was chosen such that, in one case, it simulated +3 D defocus, referred to as color-signed myopic (CSM) defocus, and in another case it simulated -3 D defocus, referred to as color-signed hyperopic (CSH) defocus. Seventeen subjects viewed the reference stimulus (unaltered movie) and at least one of the two color-signed defocus stimuli for ∼1 hour. Axial length (AL) and choroidal thickness (ChT) were measured immediately...

A Two-Stage Non-Isolated Hybrid Switched-Capacitor Microinverter Utilizing a Fixed-Ratio Resonant DC-DC Stage with Startup Functionality and Flying Capacitor Multilevel DC-AC Stage

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

A Two-Stage Non-Isolated Hybrid Switched-Capacitor Microinverter Utilizing a Fixed-Ratio Resonant DC-DC Stage with Startup Functionality and Flying Capacitor Multilevel DC-AC Stage

Object-Centric Data Management in HPC Workflows - A Case Study

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Object-Centric Data Management in HPC Workflows - A Case Study

“I Heard of PrEP—I Didn’t Think I Needed it.” Understanding the Formation of HIV Risk Perception Among People Who Inject Drugs

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Uptake of pre-exposure prophylaxis medication (PrEP) to prevent HIV among people who inject drugs (PWID) remains extremely low in the United States. West Virginia's rising HIV incidence and highest drug overdose rate in the nation makes it an important locus for opioid use and HIV risk interaction. In this pilot study we pioneered the use of Cultural Theory among PWID to understand HIV-related risk perception arising from four contrasting modes of social organization. Carried out during an HIV outbreak, we explored PrEP uptake qualitatively as a window onto risk perception. Of the 26 interviewees, 18 were HIV- and despite the medication's free availability from the health center where recruitment took place, none had taken PrEP, half considering they were not at risk. Intimate couples who showed characteristics of 'enclaves' considered the boundary around themselves protective against HIV, creating a safe space or 'invisible risk group'. Higher HIV risk was perceived among those...

The University of California Versus The SAT: A Brief History and Contemporary Critique

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The University of California Versus The SAT: A Brief History and Contemporary Critique

Neuromorphic neuromodulation: Towards the next generation of closed-loop neurostimulation.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Neuromodulation techniques have emerged as promising approaches for treating a wide range of neurological disorders, precisely delivering electrical stimulation to modulate abnormal neuronal activity. While leveraging the unique capabilities of AI holds immense potential for responsive neurostimulation, it appears as an extremely challenging proposition where real-time (low-latency) processing, low-power consumption, and heat constraints are limiting factors. The use of sophisticated AI-driven models for personalized neurostimulation depends on the back-telemetry of data to external systems (e.g. cloud-based medical mesosystems and ecosystems). While this can be a solution, integrating continuous learning within implantable neuromodulation devices for several applications, such as seizure prediction in epilepsy, is an open question. We believe neuromorphic architectures hold an outstanding potential to open new avenues for sophisticated on-chip analysis of neural signals and AI-driven...

Site Suitability and Air Pollution Impacts of Composting Infrastructure for Californias Organic Waste Diversion Law.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Californias organic waste diversion law, SB 1383, mandates a 75% reduction in organics disposal by 2025 to reduce landfill methane emissions. Composting will likely be the primary alternative to landfilling, and 75-100 new large-scale composting facilities must be sited in the state to meet its diversion goal. We developed a strategy for evaluating site suitability for commercial composting by incorporating land-use, economic, and environmental justice criteria. In our Baseline scenario, we identified 899 candidate sites, and nearly all are within a cost-effective hauling distance of cropland and rangelands for compost application. About half of sites, mostly in rural areas, are not within a cost-effective collection distance of enough municipal organics to supply an average-sized facility. Conversely, sites near cities have greater access to organics but cause greater health damages from ammonia and volatile organic compounds emitted during the composting process. The additional...

REACH Summer: A Case Study For Covid-19 Literacy and Vaccine Hesitancy

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

REACH (Reimagining Education to Advance central California Health) was established in 2018 and is a continuation of the former SJV Prime program (established in 2011). This Prime program was created to matriculate students with ties to the Central Valley who will train and return to underserved and underrepresented communities in the Valley. Our cohort is made up of seven natives from the Central Valley, ranging from Stockton to Bakersfield. Although we share the same preclinical curriculum with our class, our clinical training will be based in the Central Valley. Of note, we spent 4 weeks in the Central Valley getting hands-on experience. After finishing our first year, our cohort embarked on clinical, outreach, research, and mentoring efforts in the Modesto and Visalia areas of the Central Valley. This was a student-led effort to create meaningful experiences for us and the communities we met. We want to share our experience in Visalia as we teamed with an Emergency Medicine...

Molecular Characterization and Photoreactivity of Organic Aerosols Formed from Pyrolysis of Urban Materials during Fires at the Wildland-Urban Interface.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Fires at the wildland-urban interface (WUI) are increasing in magnitude and frequency, emitting organic aerosol (OA) with unknown composition and atmospheric impacts. In this study, we investigated the chemical composition of OA produced through the 600 °C pyrolysis of ten urban materials in nitrogen, which were subsequently aged under UV light for 2 h. The analysis utilized ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) separation, coupled with a photodiode array (PDA) detector and a high-resolution mass spectrometer (HRMS) for molecular characterization. Hierarchical clustering analysis demonstrated that lumber-derived OA was the most diverse and distinct in composition. Unaged and aged OA (for each urban material) did not significantly differ in chemical identities. Potential aromatic brown carbon (BrC) chromophores (based on their degree of unsaturation) constituted 13-42% of all assigned compounds. PDA chromatograms revealed multiple BrC chromophoric species that were...

PINK1-Mediated Mitochondrial Activity Confers Olaparib Resistance in Prostate Cancer Cells.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Olaparib, a PARP inhibitor, is effective against various cancers, including prostate cancer. However, resistance to olaparib poses a significant challenge. This study uncovers that mitochondrial alterations and PINK1 gene overexpression contribute to this resistance in prostate cancer cells. Enhanced mitochondrial functionality and increased PINK1 expression in olaparib-resistant cells underscore the importance of targeting mitochondrial dynamics and PINK1 to develop more effective treatments for overcoming olaparib resistance in prostate cancer.

Association of Anxiety Symptoms in Offspring of Bipolar Parents with Serotonin Transporter-Linked Polymorphic Region (5-HTTLPR) Genotype.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

OBJECTIVE: Offspring of parents with bipolar disorder (BD) have been shown to be at high risk for BD. Anxiety symptoms, even at subclinical levels, have been associated with increased risk for BD in these youth. The s-allele of the serotonin transporter-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) has been implicated in the pathophysiology of both BD and anxiety disorders and has been associated with pharmacological treatment response and increased risk for antidepressant side effects. Therefore, we aimed to explore 1) whether anxiety symptoms in offspring of BD parents were associated with presence of the 5-HTTLPR s-allele and 2) whether anxiety symptoms in the offspring of BD parents according to the 5-HTTLPR genotypes are related to antianxiety medication status. METHODS: A total of 64 offspring of BD parents (mean age: 13.7 years) and 51 healthy controls (HC) (mean age: 13.7 years) were compared genetically and on the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC). RESULTS: Offspring...

A Characterization of Induction of Labor Practices in Primiparas at a Northern California Academic Tertiary Care Center

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Induction of labor (IOL) is the process by which medications or other methods are used to initiate labor in pregnant patients. Approximately 1 in 4 women in the United States are induced, up to 1 in 10 being induced for elective reasons. There are several approaches to IOL, which can vary based on the clinical context, the institution, as well as provider preference. It is unclear whether some methods or method combinations of IOL are of more benefit than others. At UC Davis, guidelines for approaching IOL are outlined but not completely standardized, leaving room for variabilities in practice, particularly in primipara patients (those giving birth for the first time).

Sex differences in interacting genetic and functional connectivity biomarkers in Alzheimer’s disease

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

As of 2023, it is estimated that 6.7 million individuals in the United States live with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Prior research indicates that AD disproportionality affects females; females have a greater incidence rate, perform worse on a variety of neuropsychological tasks, and have greater total brain atrophy. Recent research shows that hippocampal functional connectivity differs by sex and may be related to the observed sex differences in AD, and apolipoprotein E (ApoE) ε4 carriers have reduced hippocampal functional connectivity. The purpose of this study was to determine if the ApoE genotype plays a role in the observed sex differences in hippocampal functional connectivity in Alzheimer's disease. The resting state fMRI and T2 MRI of individuals with AD (n = 30, female = 15) and cognitively normal individuals (n = 30, female = 15) from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) were analyzed using the functional connectivity toolbox (CONN). Our results demonstrated...

Optimizing CuO nanoparticle synthesis via walnut green husk extract utilizing response surface methodology

Sun, 24 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Optimizing CuO nanoparticle synthesis via walnut green husk extract utilizing response surface methodology

Arab-Jewish ‘neighbourly relations’ in rural Mandatory Palestine: the case of Khirbat ʿAzzun – Raʿanana

Sun, 24 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This article explores Arab-Jewish intercommunal interactions in Rural Mandatory Palestine. The relations between Zionist settlers and Arab inhabitants in Palestine is an oft-told story of mostly-tense encounters that peaked in the War of 1948 and the Nakba. Starting with the settlement of the Arab villagers of Khirbat ʿAzzun and the Zionist colonists of Raʿanana in Palestine’s coastal plain, this article offers close, mutually contradictory yet complementary perspectives on these neighborly interactions. Such micro-historic inspection casts a focused light on the fine threads that made up the fabric of Arab-Zionist relations in Palestine’s extensive rural areas during the decades before the Nakba and the foundation of the State of Israel. It shows how common interests encouraged dynamic instability and delicate coexistence, while considerable gaps triggered confrontations. These confrontations, however, were a local matter, not a national one, unpleasant but bearable in the context...

Screening of BindingDB database ligands against EGFR, HER2, Estrogen, Progesterone and NF- κ B receptors based on machine learning and molecular docking

Sun, 24 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Breast cancer, the second most prevalent cancer among women worldwide, necessitates the exploration of novel therapeutic approaches. To target the four subgroups of breast cancer "hormone receptor-positive and HER2-negative, hormone receptor-positive and HER2-positive, hormone receptor-negative and HER2-positive, and hormone receptor-negative and HER2-negative" it is crucial to inhibit specific targets such as EGFR, HER2, ER, NF-κB, and PR. In this study, we evaluated various methods for binary and multiclass classification. Among them, the GA-SVM-SVM:GA-SVM-SVM model was selected with an accuracy of 0.74, an F1-score of 0.73, and an AUC of 0.92 for virtual screening of ligands from the BindingDB database. This model successfully identified 4454, 803, 438, and 378 ligands with over 90% precision in both active/inactive and target prediction for the classes of EGFR+HER2, ER, NF-κB, and PR, respectively, from the BindingDB database. Based on to the selected ligands, we created a...

Assessing Overheating Risk and Energy Impacts in California's Residential Buildings

Sun, 24 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Extreme heat causes more weather-related deaths in the United States than any other natural hazard, and these events are projected to increase in frequency, intensity, and duration. As a result, it is critical to ensure safe thermal conditions in homes while minimizing excessive cooling energy use. In California, where the median age of homes is 45 years and nearly 40% lack mechanical cooling, this deficiency undermines one of the most essential goals of housing: to shelter people from outdoor weather of a warming planet. We aim to quantify the overheating risk in the housing sector to support the development of public policies related to maximum safe indoor thermal limits and building energy use. Using the ResStock modeling framework, we created over 52,000 building models to represent California's residential housing stock and assessed overheating risks by simulating indoor temperatures and analyzing the energy impacts of adding cooling systems.Our findings reveal significant...

Size-Dependent Nascent Sea Spray Aerosol Bounce Fractions and Estimated Viscosity: The Role of Divalent Cation Enrichment, Surface Tension, and the Kelvin Effect.

Sat, 23 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Viscosity, or the thickness, of aerosols plays a key role in atmospheric processes like ice formation, water absorption, and heterogeneous kinetics. However, the viscosity of sea spray aerosols (SSA) has not been widely studied. This research explored the relationship between particle size and viscosity of authentic SSA particles through particle bounce, atomic force microscopy analysis, and predictive viscosity modeling from molecular composition. The study found that 40 nm SSA particles had estimated viscosities around 104 Pa·s and bounce fractions three times higher than 100 and 200 nm particles with less than 102 Pa·s at a relative humidity (RH) of 60%. Additional studies revealed the Kelvin effect and particle density, influenced by particle size, have a greater impact on size-dependent bounce fractions than changes in RH across impactor stages. While changes in the level of surfactants can impact particle bounce, the increased viscosity in smaller SSA is attributed to the...

Type 1 Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV-1) Incidence, Adherence, and Drug Resistance in Individuals Taking Daily Emtricitabine/Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate for HIV-1 Pre-exposure Prophylaxis: Pooled Analysis From 72 Global Studies

Sat, 23 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Background

Oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (F/TDF) has high efficacy against HIV-1 acquisition. Seventy-two prospective studies of daily oral F/TDF PrEP were conducted to evaluate HIV-1 incidence, drug resistance, adherence, and bone and renal safety in diverse settings.

Methods

HIV-1 incidence was calculated from incident HIV-1 diagnoses after PrEP initiation and within 60 days of discontinuation. Tenofovir concentrations in dried blood spots (DBS), drug resistance, and bone/renal safety indicators were evaluated in a subset of studies.

Results

Among 17 274 participants, there were 101 cases with new HIV-1 diagnosis (.77 per 100 person-years; 95% confidence interval [CI]: .63-.94). In 78 cases with resistance data, 18 (23%) had M184I or V, 1 (1.3%) had K65R, and 3 (3.8%) had both mutations. In 54 cases with tenofovir concentration data from DBS, 45 (83.3%), 2 (3.7%), 6 (11.1%), and 1 (1.9%) had average...