bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Musculoskeletal pain in health professionals at the end of their studies and 1 year after entry into the profession: A multi-center longitudinal study
Authors: Bucher Thomas , Volken Thomas , Pfeifer Fabian , Schaffert René
Published: February 2022

Background: Musculoskeletal pain, especially back pain, is common among health professionals (HPs). They reduce work productivity and cause high costs. This follow up study investigates the prevalence and individual course of Musculoskeletal pain among HP students at the end of their studies and one year after entering the health care workforce. Participants were asked whether their Musculoskeletal pain was related to study or work conditions.Method: Self reported one year prevalence for lower back pain, neck and shoulder pain, pain in arms or hands, and pain in legs or feet was collected by an online questionnaire at two timepoints from 1046 participating HPs. Generalized estimating equation (GEE) models of the binomial family with log link were employed to estimate adjusted prevalence and corresponding normal based 95% confidence intervals were derived using the bootstrap method with 1,000 replications. Results: Prevalence of lower back pain as well as neck and shoulder pain was very high at baseline and follow up in all students and later HPs. Prevalence for pain in arms or hands, legs or feet was lower and there were significant differences between the professions. HP associated their lower back pain and neck and shoulder pain clearly with study and work conditions; HPs linked pain in arms or hands, legs or feet strongly with work conditions only.Conclusion: The prevention of lower back pain and neck and shoulder pain must be included in the curricula of all health professions at universities. As best practice example, they should incorporate ergonomic measures and exercises as a daily routine of the formation of health professionals. The impact of physically demanding professional tasks on upper and lower extremities needs to be investigated in further studies in order to take preventive measures.
Femtosecond Pulse Generation via an Integrated Electro-Optic Time Lens
Authors: Lončar Marko , Yu Mengjie , Reimer Christian , Barton David , Kharel Prashanta , Cheng Rebecca , He Lingyan , Shao Linbo , Zhu Di , Hu Yaowen , Grant Hannah , Johansson Leif , Okawachi Yoshitomo , Gaeta Alexander , Zhang Mian
Published: February 2022

Integrated femtosecond pulse and frequency comb sources are critical components for a wide range of applications, including optical atomic clocks, microwave photonics, spectroscopy, optical wave synthesis, frequency conversion, communications, lidar, optical computing8, and astronomy9. The leading approaches for on-chip pulse generation rely on mode locking inside microresonator with either third-order nonlinearity10 or with semiconductor gain. These approaches, however, are limited in noise performance, wavelength tunability and repetition rates. Alternatively, sub-picosecond pulses can be synthesized without mode-locking, by modulating a continuous-wave (CW) single-frequency laser using a cascade of electro-optic (EO) modulators. This method is particularly attractive due to its simplicity, robustness, and frequency-agility but has been realized only on a tabletop using multiple discrete EO modulators and requiring optical amplifiers (to overcome large insertion losses), microwave amplifiers, and phase shifters. Here we demonstrate a chip-scale femtosecond pulse source implemented on an integrated lithium niobate (LN) photonic platform, using cascaded low-loss electro-optic amplitude and phase modulators and chirped Bragg grating, forming a time-lens system. The device is driven by a CW distributed feedback (DFB) chip laser and controlled by a single CW microwave source without the need for any stabilization or locking. We measure femtosecond pulse trains (520 fs duration) with a 30-GHz repetition rate, flat-top optical spectra with a 10-dB optical bandwidth of 12.6 nm, individual comb-line powers above 0.1 milliwatt, and pulse energies of 0.54 picojoule. Our results represent a tunable, robust and low-cost integrated pulsed light source with CW-to-pulse conversion efficiencies an order of magnitude higher than achieved with previous integrated sources. Our pulse generator can find applications from ultrafast optical measurement to networks of distributed quantum computers.
Digital Transformation, Green Innovation And The Solow Productivity Paradox
Authors: Sun Shujun , Guo Lin
Published: February 2022

To provide evidence at the micro level for cracking the Solow productivity paradox, this paper deeply studies the impact of enterprise digital transformation on green innovation. In terms of theoretical research, three potential mechanisms are excavated for the first time; considering empirical research, a series of strict causal effect identification strategies are carried out. The results show that enterprise digital transformation can significantly promote green innovation, and it passes a series of robustness tests and endogenous tests. According to the theoretical and empirical results, the policy suggestions mainly include four points: helping enterprises to accelerate digital transformation; strengthening the green innovation ability of enterprises; reducing internal and external costs and promoting the professional division of labor; the partial pilot implementation of digital transformation policy. It provides a reference of experience and a path for other countries to follow in implementing a digital transformation strategy and green sustainable development strategy.
Decoherence of VB- spin defects in monoisotopic hexagonal boron nitride
Authors: Haykal Angela , Tanos Rana , Minotto Noel , Durand Alrik , Fabre Florentin , Li Jiahan , Edgar James , Ivady Viktor , Gali Adam , MICHEL Thierry , Dréau Anaïs , Gil Bernard , Cassabois Guillaume , Jacques Vincent
Published: February 2022

Spin defects in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) are promising quantum systems for the design of flexible two-dimensional quantum sensing platforms. Here we rely on hBN crystals isotopically enriched with either 10B or 11B to investigate the isotope-dependent properties of a spin defect featuring a broadband photoluminescence signal in the near infrared. By analyzing the hyperfine structure of the spin defect while changing the boron isotope, we first unambiguously confirm that it corresponds to the negatively-charged boron-vacancy center (VB-). We then show that its spin coherence properties are slightly improved in 10B-enriched samples. This is supported by numerical simulations employing cluster correlation expansion methods, which reveal the importance of the hyperfine Fermi contact term for calculating the coherence time of point defects in hBN. Using cross-relaxation spectroscopy, we finally identify dark electron spin impurities as an additional source of decoherence. This work provides new insights into the properties of VB- spin defects, which are valuable for the future development of hBN-based quantum sensing foils.
Risk Factors for Cervical Lymph Node Metastasis of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Retrospective Population–Based Study
Authors: Zhang Yamin , Yu Jing , Zhu Huiyong
Published: February 2022

BackgroundHead and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is characterized by high frequency of early cervical lymph node metastases (LNM), resulting in poor survival of patients. Few researches focused on the risk factors of LNM in HSNCC patients. MethodsHNSCC patients diagnosed from 1993 to 2013 in the TCGA database formed the derivation cohort (n=316); HNSCC patients diagnosed between 2010 and 2020 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, China, formed the validation cohort (n=531). Clinicopathological data (sex, age, tumor sites, tumor size, and grade) of patients from both cohorts were collected. Their associations with LNM were analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis.ResultsThe tumor size and grade were demonstrated to be independent risk factors for LNM of patients with HNSCC in both the derivation cohort (OR=1.669, 95% CI: 1.18~2.378, p<0.01; OR=1.85, 95% CI: 1.287~2.697, p<0.01, respectively) and the validation cohort (OR=1.338, 95% CI: 1.015~1.767, p<0.05; OR=1.936, 95% CI: 1.46~2.587, p<0.0001, respectively).ConclusionTumors with greater size and higher grade have a greater potential for lymph node metastasis, which remind us the importance of early screening and diagnosis of HNSCC.
Clinical Characteristics of Unsustainable Vertigo In Patients With Vestibular Neuritis
Authors: Tang Lu , Jiang Weiwei , Wang Xiaoshan
Published: February 2022

Background: Vestibular neuritis (VN) is the most common peripheral cause of acute vestibular syndrome. The typical features of VN are characterized by consistent vertigo or gait instability, persisting from one day to several weeks. Canal paresis of ≥25% in caloric testing is traditionally considered the hallmark of VN. However, owing to the wide application of video head impulse tests (vHITs), which precisely locate affected semicircular canals, unsustainable vertigo and instability in patients with VN have attracted interest. In this article, we retrospectively analyzed the clinical features in patients with VN and episodic vertigo, aiming to expand the atypical clinical features and effective indicator of VN.Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 57 patients with VN. Among them, patients with symptomatic (vertigo or gait instability) remission of more than 3 times per day for more than 1 hour each time were selected for unsustainable vertigo (UV) group, while subjects without significant relief period were selected for sustainable vertigo (SV) group. Demographic information, clinical manifestations and supplementary examinations of them were collected and analyzed. These patients were followed up with one year to gather prognostic information.Results: Statistical analysis revealed that the incident rate of spontaneous nystagmus (SN) and proportion of severe vertigo (Dizziness Handicap Inventory questionnaire score ≥ 60) in SV group were significantly higher than those in UV group. Pearson correlation revealed that with a longer disease course, the latency of overt saccade was shorter (p < 0.01, R2 = 0.116) and the velocity of overt saccade was slower (p < 0.01, R2 = 0.150) in all patients with VN. All the patients felt relief from their symptoms after two weeks of treatment. During the first year of follow-up, no vertigo or instability reoccurred.Conclusion: This research showed that a lower incident rate of SN and proportion of severe vertigo could explain the episodic syndrome of VN. The latency and velocity of overt saccade can be promising indicators of VN prognosis. Although the pathogenesis of paroxysmal vertigo in VN remains unknown, timely treatment will reduce the risk of vestibular sequelae and emotional disturbance.
HBx Inhibits DNA Sensing Signaling Pathway via Ubiquitination and Autophagy of cGAS
Authors: Chen Hong , Jiang Linshan , Chen Shu , Hu Qin , Huang Ying , Wu Ying , Chen Weixian
Published: February 2022

(1) Background: Cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) is a crucial DNA sensor and plays an important role in host antiviral innate immune responses. During hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, the cGAS signaling pathway can be activated to suppress HBV replication. As an important regulatory protein of HBV, hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx) may serve as an antagonistic character to the cGAS/STING signaling pathway. In this study, we aim to investigate the functional role of HBx in the cGAS/STING signaling pathway. (2) Methods: The effects of HBx on IFN-β promoter activity was measured by Dual-luciferase reporter assays. Ubiquitination and autophagy were analyzed by Western-blot and Co-immunoprecipitation assays. (3) Results: Our results shown that HBx down-regulates IFN-I production by directly promoting ubiquitination and autophagy degradation of cGAS. (4) Conclusions: HBV can antagonize host cGAS DNA sensing to promote HBV replication and provide novel insights to develop novel approaches against HBV infection.
High diversity of anatomical and hydraulic strategies of dominant Amazonian savanna woody species
Authors: Simioni Priscila F. , Emilio Thaise , Giles André L. , de Freitas Gustavo Viana , Oliveira Rafael Silva , Setime Lara , Vitoria Angela Pierre , Pireda Saulo , Silva Ivone Vieira da , Cunha Maura Da
Published: February 2022

Amazonian savannas are isolated patches of open habitats found within an extensive matrix of tropical rain forest. The climate of Amazonia is transitioning to a state that favors savannas over forests. Still, the hydraulic functioning of savanna species in Amazonian vegetation remains unknown and unexplored. We measured 22 leaf, wood, and hydraulic traits, including embolism resistance (as P50) and isotope-based water use efficiency (WUE), for the seven dominant woody species (75% of biomass) of Amazonian savanna. We found wide variation in resistance to embolism (-1.66 ±0.06 MPa and -5.07±0.46 MPa) with species investing in at least three different hydraulic strategies based on anatomical adjustment: (1) Species with high Gmax and low water use efficiency where leaf succulence may delay embolism onset; (2) Species that have low embolism resistance and high water use efficiency by reinforcing the walls of longer vessel elements to prevent implosion; (3) Species with high Gmax and low water use efficiency where short vessel elements and thick intervascular pit membranes may minimize the embolism spread across the plant. Our results suggest no unique dominant functional strategy among Amazonian savanna species illustrating the alternative ways to survive in a hot and seasonally dry environment.
The environmental consequences of ceasing dairy production
Authors: Simmons Aaron , Ritchie Zita , Perovic David , Roth Guy
Published: February 2022

Climate change and water scarcity are major challenges facing the planet. Agriculture generates considerable GHG emissions and consumes water from rivers, streams and lakes. Reducing consumption of agricultural products with a relatively high carbon or water footprint, such as dairy, is often promoted as a mechanism to reduce the environmental impacts of food production. Using footprints to inform decisions is problematic because they represent the impacts of current production and not the consequences of re-allocating constrained resources such as land and water when demand for products change. We used consequential life cycle assessment to assess the water and climate change consequences of replacing NSW dairy production, and co-products of dairy production, with plant-based alternatives. Ceasing dairy production required the production of 125 kt of soybeans for soymilk and tofu, 38 kt of soymeal to replace meat meal and 8 kt of vegetable oil as a cream alternative and also increased demand for agricultural land. We concluded that water savings associated with the change would be limited and emissions reductions would be ~ 70% of that as estimated by the C footprint of production. We also assessed the climate change consequences of replacing NSW dairy production with plant-based alternatives when two GHG emissions reduction strategies, enteric methane inhibitors and flaring methane from effluent ponds, were implemented across the industry. Results from this analysis suggested that replacing NSW dairy production if emissions reductions strategies are put in place will result in a net increase in GHG emissions of 0.57 Mt CO2-e. This work has important messages for setting climate change mitigation strategies including net-zero targets.
Survival Among Children Under-Five in India: A Parametric Multilevel Survival Approach
Authors: Jaiswal Ajit Kumar , Alagarajan Manoj , Meitei Wahengbam Bigyananda
Published: February 2022

BackgroundMany studies have been conducted on under-five mortality in India and most of them focused on the associations between individual-level factors and under-five mortality risks. On the contrary, only a scarce number of literatures talked about contextual level effect on under-five mortality. Hence, it is very important to have thorough study of under-five mortality at various levels. This can be done by applying multilevel analysis, a method that assesses both fixed and random effects in a single model. The multilevel analysis allows extracting the influence of individual and community characteristics on under-five mortality. Hence, this study would contribute substantially in understanding the under-five mortality from a different perspective.MethodThe study used data from the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) acquired in India, i.e., the fourth round of National Family and Health Survey (2015-16). It is a nationally representative repeated cross-sectional data. Multilevel Parametric Survival Model (MPSM) was employed to assess the influence of contextual correlates on the outcome. The assumption behind this study is that ‘individuals’ (i.e., level-1) are nested within ‘districts’ (i.e., level-2), and districts are enclosed within ‘states’ (i.e., level-3). This suggests that people have varying health conditions, residing in dissimilar communities with different characteristics.ResultsHighest under-five mortality i.e., 3.85% are happening among those women whose birth interval is less than two years. In case of parity, around 4% under-five mortality is among women with Third and above order parity. Further, findings from the full model is that ICC values of 1.17% and 0.65% are the correlation of the likelihood of having under-five mortality risk among people residing in the state and district communities, respectively. Besides, the risk of dying was increased alarmingly in the first year of life and slowly to aged 3 years and then it remains steady. ConclusionThis study has revealed that both aspects viz. individual and contextual effect of the community are necessary to address the importance variations in under-five mortality in India. In order to ensure substantial reduction in under-five mortality, findings of the study support some policy initiatives that involves the need to think beyond individual level effects and considering contextual characteristics.
Replacement Dose of Levothyroxine and Its Influencing Factors in Adults with Primary Hypothyroidism in Chongqing, China
Authors: Wang Lihua , Wang Liu , Liu Chun
Published: February 2022

In order to know the daily physiological replacement dose of levothyroxine sodium (L-T4) and its possible influencing factors in adults with primary hypothyroidism in Chongqing, China.A cross-sectional survey, including gender, age, height, weight, and body mass index, fat free mass (FFM), body surface area (BSA), cause of hypothyroidism, whether menopause or not (female), Chalson comorbidity index scores(CCI score), long-term oral L-T4 dose and so on, was conducted among 517 patients with hypothyroidism in Chongqing,China.The multivariate linear stepwise regression analysis model was used to investigate the correlation between these factors and the L-T4 replacement dose. The optimal scale regression model was used to understand the effect of each relevant factor on the L-T4 replacement dose.The daily physiological replacement dose of L-T4 in patients with primary hypothyroidism was 72.0±22.6μg, which was approximately equal to 1.27±0.40μg / kg / day. 34.2% of the L-T4 doses can be affected by Age, BMI, causes of hypothyroidism, and CCI scores.The effect of hyperthyroidism 131I treatment and CCI score ≥4 on L-T4 dose was statistically significant. The degree of influence of each factor was as follows: age (55.6%), BMI (15.2%), cause of hypothyroidism (14.7%), and CCI score (14.6%).The daily physiological replacement dose of L-T4 in chinese patients with primary hypothyroidism in chongqing was 72.0±22.6μg, which was approximately equal to 1.27±0.40μg / kg / day. The causes of hypothyroidism, age, BMI, and other diseases have affected the L-T4 replacement dose in some degrees, which has certain guiding significance for long-term replacement therapy for patients with clinical hypothyroidism.
The Effect of a Postbiotic Produced by Stabilized Non-Viable Lactobacilli on the Health, Growth Performance, Immunity, and Gut Status of Colisepticaemic Broiler Chickens
Authors: El-Ghany Wafaa Abd , Hosny Fouad , Quesnell Rebecca , Sakai Lisa
Published: February 2022

This work was designed to evaluate the efficacy of a postbiotic compound produced by stabilized non-viable Lactobacilli on the health, growth performance, immunity, and gut status against Escherichia coli (E. coli) challenge of broiler chickens. A total of 400, day-old broiler chicks were allocated into 4 equal groups (1-4) consisting of 100; each assigned into 2 equal replicates (50 each). Chickens in the 1st group were received the dry form of the compound at doses of 1 kg and 0.5 kg /ton feed for starter and grower, and the finisher diets; respectively. Chickens in the 2nd group were given the aqueous form of the compound in a dose of 4 ml/liter of the drinking water during the first 3 days of life and at a day before and after each vaccination. Feed and water treatments regimens were administered to chickens in the 3rd group. Group (4) was kept without treatment. Each bird in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th group was challenged with E. coli (O78) at one-week-old. All groups were kept under observation till 5-week-old. The results indicated that both treatments with the postbiotic compound induced more significant (P≤ 0.05) amelioration of a disease picture, enhancement of growth performance, boosting of immune response, improvement of bursa/body weight ratio, and reduction of intestinal coliform count in challenged chickens when compared with challenged non-treated chickens. In conclusion, the posbiotic compound either in a dry and/or an aqueous form is recommended for improving the health, performance, and immunity of colisepticaemic broiler chickens.
High-Power VLF Transmission Experiment in the Radiation Belts: Initial Result from the DSX Mission
Authors: Song Paul , Tu Jiannan , Galkin Ivan , McCollough James , Ginet Gregory , Johnston William , Su Yijun , Starks Michael , Reinisch Bodo , Inan Umran , Lauben David , Linscott Ivan , Farrell William , Allgeier Shawn , Lambour Richard , Schoenberg Jon , Gillespie William , Stelmash Stephen , Roche Kevin , Sinclair Andrew , Sanchez Jenny
Published: February 2022

Space weather phenomena threaten the space assets that bring us services via space technologies, such as the Global Positioning System, communication systems with satellite relays, and most global TV broadcast networks, which have provided unprecedented convenience to everyday life and opportunities to businesses. A hazard among phenomena1 is the population of relativistic electrons in the region called Van Allan radiation belts2. These electrons can be trapped for years once produced by either natural3 or artificial processes4 and can damage the electronics and degrade the solar panels on satellites. Intense investigations have begun with recently launched NASA satellites, Van Allen Belt Probes A and B in 20125-13. To remedy the threat and reduce the resulting damage, artificial processes can be introduced to shorten the lifetime of these particles14 with mechanisms such as pitch-angle diffusion through wave-particle interaction15-17 by transmitting very-low-frequency (VLF) waves into radiation belts. To directly transmit the VLF waves in space is an extremely challenging task, and previous theoretical and numerical predictions of the radiation impedance differ more than five orders in magnitude18-23. Here we show the measurements of radiation impedance from high-power VLF wave transmission experiments in the radiation belts to help settle the dispute of the previous studies. The measured radiation reactance disagrees with the most influential theoretical model18,19,22 and the vacuum model, but proves the plasma sheath model and simulation of the antenna-plasma interaction20,21,23. A new discovery is that the measured radiation resistance decreases as the transmission frequency increases. Our results demonstrate the possibility to transmit high power in space and validated the design and technology for further high-power space-borne VLF transmitters. The physical understanding obtained in this study will also provide a guide to laboratory whistler mode wave injection experiments24, especially in controlled fusion25.
Anion-binding aromatic pentaamide macrocycles: Synthesis, high-affinity binding, transmembrane transport, and catalysis
Authors: Cao Ruikai , Rossdeutcher Robert , Shen Yi , Miller Daniel , Zhong Yulong , B. Laura Sánchez , Ramcharan Karishma , Wu Xiangxiang , Zurek Eva , Szyperski Thomas , Shao Zhifeng , Gong Bing
Published: February 2022

The precise spatial positioning of functional groups in biomacromolecules leads to astonishing binding, catalytic, and transport capabilities. In contrast, synthetic frameworks capable of convergently locking functional groups with minimized conformational uncertainty are highly desirable but rare. Here we report C5-symmetric aromatic pentaamide macrocycles c5a-c synthesized in one pot from the corresponding monomers. The crystal structure of c5c reveals a fully constrained backbone that enforces ten alternating NH/CH hydrogen-bond donors and five large amide dipoles to point to the center of the macrocycle. With a highly electropositive cavity in a high-energy unbound state, macrocycles c5 bind anions in a 1:1 stoichiometry in solution, with Ka values up to 106 M-1 for halides and 108 M-1 for oxoanions. Macrocycle c5a was able to selectively transport chloride ions across lipid bilayers. The extraordinary binding of phosphate-related ions by c5 also enabled catalytic ester amidation owing to the stabilization of the corresponding transition states.
Burden and pattern of acute diarrhea in Thai children under 5 years of age: A 5-year descriptive analysis based on Thailand National Health Coverage (NHC) data
Authors: Charoenwat Busara , Suwannaying Kunanya , Paibool Watuhatai , Laoaroon Napat , Sutra Sumitr , Thepsuthammarat Kaewjai
Published: February 2022

Background: The incidence of acute diarrhea in Thai children under five years of age has increased over the last three decades. Even though mortality has significantly declined, the burden and cost of medical treatment are still high. Our objectives are to describe the burden and pattern of acute diarrhea cases that required admissions by Thai children under five years of age from 2015 to 2019.Methods: Data regarding the admission of acute diarrhea cases of Thai children with Thailand National Health Coverage (NHC) under five years of age from 2015 to 2019, recorded as International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, tenth Revision, Thai Modification (ICD-10-TM), were analyzed.Results: The incidence trend of yearly acute diarrhea in children 0-5 years of age slightly decreased over approximately the last decade (124,403 cases in 2010 to 102,941 cases from 2015 to 2019), along with the high cost of performing the medical treatment of approximately three billion baths per year. Diarrhea-related mortality had a low, constant rate of 0.95 per 100,000 population per year (range: 0.81-1.14 per 100,000 population per year). Three-fourths of the mortality rate was observed in children under 2 years of age and a regional distribution of the causative agent was also observed in Cholera, Typhoid, and Amoebiasis cases. Seasonal variations demonstrated consistency with similar patterns during the cold and rainy seasons throughout the 5-year period. A08 and A09 were the two most common causes of diarrheal diseases.Conclusions: The burden, incidence and mortality rate of acute diarrhea in Thai children under five years of age were lower than those in the past decades. A similar seasonal outbreak of acute diarrhea was seen during each examined year. The causative agent was not significant and was mainly unspecific.Trial registration: number TCTR20220117002, date of registration 17/01/2022
Effects of boron concentration on the microstructure, mechanical and tribological properties of powder-pack borided AISI 4140 steel
Authors: Silveira Luciana Leite , Pukasiewicz Anderson G. M. , de Souza Gelson B. , Soares Paulo , Torres Ricardo Diego
Published: February 2022

Three different boron amounts were used in this study to control the microstructure, mechanical, and tribological properties of borided cases on AISI 4140 steel. A single Fe2B phase was observed for the lowest boron amount, while both Fe2B and FeB phases were present on the other two boron compositions. The highest surface hardness was observed in the highest boron amount. The scratch tests revealed different cohesive failure mechanisms on the samples, such as arc and chevron tensile cracks, and even chipping was observed for all three-studied boron amounts; it appeared at lower applied loads for the highest boron amount, indicating a likely detachment of the fragile FeB layer. The borided layers presented abrasive wear during the ball-on-flat wear tests. Despite the lower specific wear rate, the surface damage was more severe in the sample with the highest boron amount, due to its brittleness, resulting in lower resistance to surface fatigue.
Fungivorous Nematodes and Collembola Alleviate Disease Incidence Caused by Pathogen Pythium Ultimum in Tomato
Authors: Zhang Pei , Zhang Weijian , Hu Shuijin
Published: February 2022

Purpose

Soil fauna are potential biological regulators of plant pathogens and soil nutrient cycles; however, the direct evidence demonstrating faunal controls over pathogens and plant diseases are still limited and the interactions between diverse faunal groups, soil-borne pathogen and microbial community remain elusive.
Methods

We introduced the nematode Aphelenchus avenae, two collembolan species (Hypogastrura perplexa and Sinella curviseta) and their combinations to test their suppression effects on the soil-borne fungus Pythium ultimum in tomato seedlings, and impacts on the biomass and activities of soil microbes.
Results

The introduction of A. avenae, H. perplexa and combinations of three faunal species showed significant suppression on P. ultimum population and decreased tomato seedling damping-off incidence, and diverse soil faunal species had the greatest suppression. The suppression efficiency is significantly different among the faunal species, with A. avenae was the most efficient, followed by H. perplexa, and the suppression effects of S. curviseta were poor. This may be attributed to the non-specific feeding behavior of collembolan, different spatial niches and body size of three faunal species. Furthermore, the presence of S. curviseta and H. perplexa increased the microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen, and A. avenae increased the soil respiration in microcosms, suggesting that activities of soil fauna may promote microbial turnover and nutrient cycling to alleviate plant disease.
Conclusion

Effective management of soil fauna can facilitate the control of root pathogens and stimulate soil microbes in organic farming systems. Future sustainable agricultural management is recommended to examine the applications of soil biodiversity in maintaining plant health and soil fertility in the arable fields.
The Impact of Maternity Service Restrictions Related to Covid-19 on Women’s Experiences of Giving Birth in England During the Pandemic: A Qualitative Study and Policy Review
Authors: Irvine Lucy C , Chisnall Georgia , Vindrola-Padros Cecilia
Published: February 2022

Background
The Covid-19 pandemic led to significant changes in maternity service delivery worldwide. In England, service changes included: antenatal appointments being cancelled or held over the phone; women having to attend antenatal scans alone; partners not being allowed to accompany women during labour; visitor restrictions on postnatal wards; and limited postnatal support. On the whole, these changes negatively impacted women’s experiences of care.
Methods
We conducted semi-structured interviews with 46 women aged 18-45 who had low-risk pregnancies and delivered their babies using NHS services in England between 1st March 2020 and 1st March 2021. We also conducted a health policy review to identify guidelines developed for pregnant women and maternity healthcare delivery changes over the duration of the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK.
Results
Our thematic analysis of interview data generated key themes, four of which are discussed in depth here: the wide reaching negative impact of birth partners not being allowed to accompany women (including impacts on emotional wellbeing, birth preferences and care-seeking choices); women being more concerned about the risk of giving birth alone than of Covid-19 infection; women turning towards private care so that they could have the antenatal care and birth experience they desired; and women feeling deeply frustrated about policy variation between trusts and the inconsistent implementation of guidance.
Conclusions
Our findings add to the existing literature documenting the negative impacts of service changes on women's birth experiences during emergencies. Some of these impacts could have a positive secondary effect, such as increased uptake of homebirth services. Negative impacts must be addressed by policymakers and health service providers going forward to re-establish trust in NHS maternity care. Existing NHS guidance stating that partners should be recognised as an essential part of a woman’s care team should be implemented across all trusts, and any future service restrictions changes should be evidence-based, nationally standardised and clearly communicated to both service providers and users.
Unravelling hierarchical levels of structure in lipid membranes
Authors: Blanco-González Alexandre , Fandiño Rebeca Garcia , Piñeiro Angel
Published: February 2022

In analogy with the hierarchical levels typically used to describe the structure of nucleic acids or proteins, and keeping in mind that lipid bilayers are not just mere envelopers for biological material but directly responsible for many important functions of life, we propose and discuss here how membrane models can also be interpreted in terms of different hierarchies in their structure. Namely, lipid composition, interaction between leaflets, existence and interaction of domains arising from the coordinate behavior of lipids and their properties, plus the manifest and specific perturbation of the lipid organization around macromolecules embedded in a membrane are hereby used to define the primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary structures, respectively. Molecular Dynamics simulations are used to illustrate this proposal. The new paradigm arising from such description is expected to have significant consequences on deciphering the underlying factors governing membranes and their interactions with other molecules.
Ablation of CD8+ T-cell recognition of an immunodominant epitope in SARS-CoV-2 Omicron
Authors: Smith Corey , Swaminathan Srividhya , Lineburg Katie , Panikkar Archana , Raju Jyothy , Murdolo Lawton , Szeto Christopher , Crooks Pauline , Texier Laëtitia Le , Rehan Sweera , Ambalathingal George , Neller Michelle , Short Kirsty , Gras Stephanie , Khanna Rajiv
Published: February 2022

The emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant has raised concerns of escape from vaccine-induced immunity. A number of studies have demonstrated a reduction in antibody-mediated neutralization of the Omicron variant in vaccinated individuals. Preliminary observations have suggested that T cells are less likely to be affected by changes in Omicron. However, the complexity of human leukocyte antigen genetics and its impact upon immunodominant T-cell epitope selection suggests that the maintenance of T-cell immunity won’t be universal. In this study, we describe the impact that changes in Omicron have on recognition by spike-specific T cells. These T cells constitute the immunodominant CD8+ T-cell response in HLA-A*29:02+ COVID-19 convalescent and vaccinated individuals; however, they fail to recognize the Omicron-encoded sequence. We also failed to detect other immunodominant responses in vaccinated HLA-A*29:02+ individuals, suggesting that the Omicron variant may have an increased capacity to escape immune recognition in this population.
Triple careers of athletes: exploring the challenges of planning a pregnancy among female elite athletes using semi-structured interviews
Authors: Dietz Pavel , Legat Larissa , Sattler Matteo , Poppel Mireille
Published: February 2022

Background: The challenging factors that elite athletes perceive for combining their sportive career with planning a pregnancy and motherhood need to be identified in order to develop supportive measures. Therefore, this study aimed to explore challenges associated with planning a pregnancy among female, non-pregnant elite athletes. Methods: Semi-structured skype-interviews were performed among female elite athletes (athletes competing on national or international level) aged 28 years or older. Using Mayring’s qualitative content analysis approach, anchor examples served to identify potential challenges of planning a pregnancy which were categorized independently by two researchers.Results: Interviews of 16 elite athletes (mean age 30.7 years) entered analysis. Eleven challenges of planning a pregnancy were identified, categorized into organizational / environmental, financial, personal, and physical factors.Conclusions: With regard to financial challenges, we propose mandatory maternity leave and continuation of the contracts and salary. Furthermore, mentoring programs may help to provide support and advice to new generations of female elite athletes and help to reduce concerns regarding the wish of becoming pregnant during a sportive career. In order to reduce physical concerns regarding pregnancy and exercise, we see a need for scientific studies investigating the association of sport discipline specific characteristics on sportive performance and the mother´s, fetus’ and child´s health. Finally, the results of the current study may be used in future quantitative studies to test specific hypotheses.
Evaluating Basic Two-Dimensional Echocardiography For Screening In Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Premsagar Preesha , Aldous Colleen , Esterhuizen Tonya
Published: February 2022

Background: Basic two-dimensional echocardiography (2D-echocardiography) screens for suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) by detecting impaired left ventricular function (LVF) which declines as atherosclerosis worsens. Aim: To evaluate basic 2D-echocardiography for CAD screening.Methods: CAD screening was performed with 2D-echocardiography. For global screening, left ventricular ejection fraction percentage (LVEF%) was determined and categorised into global systolic LVF. For regional screening, global average echocardiography score (GAES) was quantified, then categorised into functional impairment. After screening, high-risk patients underwent diagnostic coronary angiography. Abnormal angiography had >50% luminal stenosis. Angiography was also quantified with Coronary Intervention with Taxus and Cardiac Surgery (SYNTAX) score, then categorised. Statistical Package for Social Science 25.0 analysed data.Results: There were 471 patients screened for CAD; 154/471 (33%) underwent angiography. For angiography selection amongst 471 screened patients, GAES was higher (p<0.001) and positively correlated (Pearson’s coefficient 0.296); LVEF% was lower (p=0.002) and negatively correlated (Pearson’s coefficient -0.187). Amongst 154 patients, SYNTAX score correlated negatively with LVEF% (Pearson’s coefficient -0.276) and positively with GAES (Pearson’s co-efficient 0.180). For categories, angiography had 66/154 (42.9%) normal and 88/154 (57.1%) abnormal results. SYNTAX score had 134/154 (87.0%) low-risk and 20/154 (13.0%) medium-high-risk categories. GAES correlated positively with angiogram results (Spearman’s coefficient 0.298) and SYNTAX categories (Spearman’s coefficient 0.110). LVEF% correlated negatively with angiogram results (Spearman’s coefficient -0.307) and SYNTAX categories (Spearman’s coefficient -0.254).Conclusions: The distribution of underlying atherosclerotic vessels resulted in regional wall abnormalities being more significant than global function on 2D-echocardiography. We conclude that basic 2D-echocardiography remains useful in CAD screening.
Hypoimmunogenic Human Pluripotent Stem Cells are Valid Cell Sources for Cell Therapeutics with Normal Self-Renewal and Multi-Lineage Differentiation Capacity
Authors: Chen Yifan , Zhou Yanjie , Zhou Zhongshu , Xiong Jie , Fang Yujiang , Ma Lin , Liu Ling , Zhang Xiaoqing
Published: February 2022

Hypoimmunogenic human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are expected to serve as an unlimited cell source for generating universally compatible “off-the-shelf” cell grafts. However, whether the engineered hypoimmunogenic hPSCs still preserve their advantages of unlimited self-renewal and multilineage differentiation to yield functional tissue cells remains unclear. Here, we systematically studied the self-renewal and differentiation potency into functional tissue cells of three types of hypoimmunogenic hPSCs, established through biallelic lesion of B2M gene to remove all surface expression of classical and nonclassical HLA class I molecules (B2Mnull), biallelic homologous recombination of nonclassical HLA-G1 to the B2M loci to knockout B2M while express membrane-bound β2m-HLA-G1 fusion proteins (B2MmHLAG), and ectopic expression of soluble and secreted β2m-HLA-G5 fusion proteins in B2MmHLAG hPSCs (B2Mm/sHLAG). Our results show that hypoimmunogenic hPSCs with variable expression patterns of HLA molecules and immune compromising spectrums retain their normal self-renewal capacity and three germ-layer differentiation potency. More importantly, as exemplified by neurons, cardiomyocytes and hepatocytes, hypoimmunogenic hPSC-derived tissue cells are fully functional as of their morphology, electrophysiological properties, macromolecule transportation and metabolic regulation. Taken together, our findings indicate that engineered hypoimmunogenic hPSCs hold great promise of serving as an unlimited universal cell source for cell therapeutics.
Occurrence of microplastics in the gastrointestinal tracts of edible fishes from South Indian Rivers
Authors: Anandhan Krishnan , Tharini Kamalanathan , Thangal Said Hamid , Yogeshwaran Arumugan , Muralisankar Thirunavukkarasu
Published: February 2022

The occurrence of microplastics MPs in the gastrointestinal (GI) tracts of the five different fish species (Chanos chanos, Chanda nama, Chelon macrolepis, Gerrus filamentosus, and Carangoides malabaricus) from the Kollidam River and Vellar River of Tamil Nadu, Southern India were evaluated. A maximum of 23 individual fishes was sampled from both Rivers and alkaline digestion was performed to extract the MPs in the GI tract of fishes. The results revealed that a total of 315 MPs were isolated from the GI tracts of all fishes sampled from both Rivers with fibres and fragments. The average size of ingested MPs was ranged between 108.72 to 129.11 µm and 181 to 284 µm in the fishes sampled from Kollidam and Vellar River respectively. In the morphological examination of MPs, fishes from both Rivers showed the maximum level of fibres, followed by fragments. The colour pattern of the ingested MPs was dominated by blue, transparent, red and other colours in both rivers. In this study, MPs in the GI tract of fishes indicated that the MPs pollution in studied Rivers can cause significant threats to aquatic fauna.
Prostate-specific antigen density as the best predictor of low- to intermediate-risk prostate cancer: A cohort study
Authors: Park Dae Hyoung , Kim Jae-Yoon , Cho Dae Yeon , Sung Luck Hee , Yu Ji Hyeong
Published: February 2022

Background: Evaluation of prostate cancer (PCa) when serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level is vaguely elevated is complicated. This is because serum PSA levels only reflect the number of prostate epithelial cells. We aimed to compare PSA and various prostate volume-related factors to determine which one can best predict PCa in patient with a PSA level of 2.5–20 ng/mL.Methods: Patients who underwent transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided prostate biopsy at the Inje University Sanggye Paik Hospital between January 2018 and July 2021 and who had a PSA level of 2.5–20 ng/mL were retrospectively identified (n = 275). Among them, based on biopsy results, patients were divided into cancer group and non-cancer groups, and age, PSA, total prostate volume (TPV), peripheral zone volume (PZV), peripheral zone PSA density (PZ-PSAD), transitional zone-PSAD (TZ-PSAD), and PSAD were compared and analyzed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and univariate analyses.Results: The areas under ROC curves (AUCs) for age, total PSA, TPV, PZV, PZ-PSAD, TZ-PSAD, and PSAD for predicting PCa in patients with a PSA level of 2.5–20.0 ng/mL were 0.678, 0.680, 0.671, 0.639, 0.731, 0.736, and 0.764, respectively. In univariate analysis, all categorical variables were divided based on the cut-off value and used to predict PCa. Those with a PSAD of ≥0.218 ng/mL2 were found to be at an increased risk of PCa than those with a PSAD of <0.218 ng/mL2 (odds ratio [OR] 8.16, 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.612–14.419), which was the best result, followed by TZ-PSAD with a cut-off value of 0.353, PZ-PSAD of 0.368, TPV of 34.50, PSA of 6.315, age of 68.5, and PZV of 19.85 mL. At a PSAD level of 0.218 ng/mL2, 85.0% of the PCa group could avoid unnecessary biopsy and 61.4% of the non-PCa group could reduce missed diagnosis when the TRUS findings were inaccurate.Conclusions: PSAD may inform biopsy decisions as the best predictor of PCa when TRUS findings are ambiguous in patients with a PSA level of 2.5–20.0 ng/mL.
Large-scale identification of recurrent RNA edits in human embryos suggests their role in enhancing maternal mRNA clearance
Authors: Ding Yang , Zheng Yang , Wang Junting , Li Hao , Zhao Chenghui , Tao Huan , Li Yaru , Xu Kang , Huang Xin , Gao Ge , Bo Xiaochen , Chen Hebing
Published: February 2022

Posttranscriptional modification plays an important role in key embryonic processes. Adenosine-to-inosine RNA editing, a common example of such modifications, is widespread in human adult tissues and has various functional impacts and clinical consequences. However, whether it persists in a consistent pattern in most human embryos, and whether it supports embryonic development, are poorly understood. To address this problem, we compiled the largest human embryonic editome from 2,071 transcriptomes and identified for the first time thousands of Recurrent Edits (REs; >=50% chances of occurring in a given stage) for each early developmental stages. We found that these REs prefer exons consistently across stages, tend to target genes related to DNA replication, and undergo organized loss in abnormal embryos and embryos from elder mothers. In particular, REs are likely to enhance maternal mRNA clearance by introducing more microRNA binding sites to the 3'-untranslated regions of clearance targets. This study suggests a potentially important, if not indispensable, role of RNA editing in key human embryonic processes such as maternal mRNA clearance; the identified editome can aid further investigations.