bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modelling the inactivation, survival and growth of Salmonella enterica under osmotic stress considering inoculum phase and serotype
Authors: Paganini Camila Casagrande , Longhi Daniel Angelo , de Aragão Gláucia Maria Falcão , Carciofi Bruno Augusto Mattar
Published: March 2022

Aims

This study evaluated the behaviour of the Salmonella enterica serotypes in osmotically stressful BHI broth (0.940 ≤ aw ≤ 0.960), assessing inoculum from two stages of the bacterial life cycle (exponential and stationary) and two temperatures (25°C and 35°C).

Methods and Results

Four S. enterica serotypes (Typhimurium, Enteritidis, Heidelberg and Minnesota) were grown in stressful BHI at 25°C. A mathematical model was proposed for describing the total microbial count as the sum of two subpopulations, inactivating and surviving-then-growing. When submitted to aw of 0.950 and 0.960, all strains showed a decreased count, followed by a period of unchanged count and then exponential growth (Phoenix Phenomenon). Strains inoculated at aw = 0.940 and 0.945 showed inactivation kinetics only. Cells cultivated at 25°C and inoculated from the exponential phase were the most reactive to the osmotic stress, showing a higher initial population reduction and shorter adaptation period. The proposed model described the inactivation data and the Phoenix Phenomenon accurately.

Conclusions

The results quantified the complex response of S. enterica to the osmotic environment in detail, depending on the inoculum characteristic and serotype evaluated.

Significance and impact of study

Quantifying these differences is truly relevant to food safety and improves risk analysis.
Food restriction delays breeding and affects insulin‐like growth factor‐1, oxidative damage and haematocrit value before egg‐laying in female canaries
Authors: Hargitai Rita , Boross Nóra , Tóth Zsófia , Lendvai Ádám Z.
Published: March 2022

Environmental challenges, such as fluctuations in food availability, could influence reproductive investment. If resource availability is poor, individuals need to decide in which life‐history process they invest more energy and vital compounds, which determine the cost of reproduction. In resource allocation, the physiological pathways have important roles. The aim of our study was to examine whether food availability influenced physiological traits (insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1) concentration, antioxidant capacity (OXY), level of oxidative damage (ROM) and haematocrit value) prior to egg‐laying in female canaries Serinus canaria. We also tested whether these physiological traits were associated with traits reflecting the reproductive investment in egg macro‐ (egg mass and yolk mass) and micronutrient content (eggshell biliverdin‐ and protoporphyrin‐based colouration). To test these questions we conducted a food restriction experiment with control and food‐restricted (72% of control food) groups. Our study showed that food‐restricted canary females delayed egg‐laying and the physiological traits differed between the groups. At the pre‐laying period, after 9–11 days of treatment, a reduction in plasma IGF‐1 concentration, ROM level and haematocrit value was detected in the control group, whereas in the food‐restricted group plasma IGF‐1 concentration increased, while ROM level and haematocrit value did not change. Plasma level of OXY was not influenced by treatment or breeding period. Plasma concentration of IGF‐1, haematocrit value and oxidative status before egg laying did not affect the egg characteristics. Our study highlights the importance of breeding stage when studying and interpreting the effects of food restriction on physiological traits of breeding birds. Moreover, our data suggest that nutritional limitation had an effect on the timing of egg‐laying that could be mediated by changes in physiological variables.
General formula of cooling curve for horticultural products on forced air pre‐cooling
Authors: Wang Da , Jia Binguang , Lai Yanhua , Hu Shifa
Published: March 2022

The air velocity played a key role in controlling the cooling process of forced air pre‐cooling for horticultural products. However, the present general formula of cooling curve for horticultural products on forced air pre‐cooling did not reflect the influence of the air velocity on cooling rate for horticultural products on forced air pre‐cooling. This paper aimed to find the relationships among the air velocity, lag factor and cooling coefficient so as to obtain the general formula of the cooling curve for horticultural products on forced air pre‐cooling by combining the simulation and the experiment. The results showed that the lag factor had a linear relationship with the air velocity, and the cooling coefficient had a quadratic function or power function relationship with the air velocity. These two kinds of general formulas were verified by experimental data of apples, cherries and blueberries, and were also in agreement with the literature values of apples, grapes and Dutch cucumbers. Based on the accuracy and the predictability of the general formulas, the general formula has higher accuracy and predictability when the cooling coefficient had a power function relationship with the air velocity.

Practical Applications

This paper attempted to find a general formula to describe the cooling rates of horticultural products for the different air velocities and temperatures. The general formula was only incident the air velocity and the air temperature while the other factors were considered as the unknown variations which was obtained by the functions fitting. This could contribute to reduce the cost and time of experiments and simulations during the analysis of forced air pre‐cooling and to help the operator find the optimal air velocity effectively. To find the suitable general formula, firstly we established the simulated model to find the general formulas by using least square method. Then, the general formulas had been validated by experimental data and literature results. Finally, the predictability of these general formulas had been tested.
Voices in a Sea of History: Why Study Language in the Caribbean
Authors: Wirtz Kristina
Published: March 2022

In celebration of the 15th anniversary of this journal's name change, I situate recent linguistic anthropological scholarship in the Caribbean in a broader, interdisciplinary context. Caribbean ways of speaking—and especially contact languages such as creoles—have often been exceptionalised and subject to stereotypes. Taking Derek Walcott's “sea of history” as a key trope, I discuss the historical crosscurrents that have produced the diversity of Caribbean voices and their impact on the politics of language today. Attending to issues of voice and poetics demonstrates the creative mobilization of linguistic resources to impact politics, media, children's socialization, identity claims, and reclamations of deep ancestry. Such efforts contest the scholarly fragmentation of a region framed as having too much history and too shallow roots, to show productive connections with a broader anthropology of the Americas. The goal of this review is to make a compelling case for the ethnographic study of language in the Caribbean.
How does multisource feedback influence residency training? A qualitative case study
Authors: Hennel Eva K. , Trachsel Andrea , Subotic Ulrike , Lörwald Andrea C. , Harendza Sigrid , Huwendiek Sören
Published: March 2022

Introduction

Multisource feedback (MSF), also called 360‐degree assessment, is one form of assessment used in postgraduate training. However, there is an ongoing discussion on its value, because the factors that influence the impact of MSF and the main impact of MSF are not fully understood. In this study, we investigated both the influencing factors and the impact of MSF on residency training.

Methods

We conducted a qualitative case study within the boundaries of the residency training for paediatricians and paediatric surgeons at a University Hospital. We collected data from seven focus group interviews with stakeholders of MSF (residents, raters and supervisors). By performing a reflexive thematic analysis, we extracted the influencing factors and the impact of MSF.

Results

We found seven influencing factors: MSF is facilitated by the announcement of a clear goal of MSF, the training of raters on the MSF instrument, a longitudinal approach of observation, timing not too early and not too late during the rotation, narrative comments as part of the ratings, the residents' self‐assessment and a supervisor from the same department. We found three themes on the impact of MSF: MSF supports the professional development of residents, enhances interprofessional teamwork and increases the raters' commitment to the training of residents.

Conclusion

This study illuminates the influencing factors and impact of MSF on residency training. We offer novel recommendations on the continuity of observation, the timing during rotations and the role of the supervisor. Moreover, by discussing our results through the lens of identity formation theory, this work advances our conceptual understanding of MSF. We propose identity formation theory as a framework for future research on MSF to leverage the potential of MSF in residency training.
How (not) to underestimate unconscious perception
Authors: Michel Matthias
Published: March 2022

Recent work questions whether previously reported unconscious perceptual effects are genuinely unconscious, or due to weak conscious perception. Some philosophers and psychologists react by rejecting unconscious perception or by holding that it has been overestimated. I argue that the most significant attack on unconscious perception commits the criterion content fallacy: the fallacy of interpreting evidence that observers were conscious of something as evidence that they were conscious of task‐relevant features. This fallacy is prevalent in consciousness research: if unconscious perception exists, scientists could routinely underestimate it. I conclude with methodological recommendations for moving the debate forward.
One transfer to Primulina (Gesneriaceae) and amended descriptions for P. crassifolia and P. quanbaensis from northern Vietnam
Authors: Anh Tran Thi Phuong , Averyanov Leonid V. , Möller Michael , Maisak Tatiana V. , Nguyen Khang Sinh , Quang Bui Hong , Do Truong Van , Li Rui Feng , Wen Fang
Published: March 2022

We transfer Chirita crassifolia to Primulina as P. crassifolia and provide detailed amended descriptions for this species and for P. quanbaensis, both species found in the karst habitats in the Bat Dai Son mountains in Ha Giang province, northern Vietnam.
Body composition changes at 12 months following different surgical weight loss interventions in adults with obesity: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized control trials
Authors: Sylivris Amy , Mesinovic Jakub , Scott David , Jansons Paul
Published: March 2022

To determine relative lean mass and fat mass changes in adults with obesity following surgical weight loss interventions, a systematic review and meta‐analysis was conducted. The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Scopus were screened for eligible studies. Inclusion criteria included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) performed in populations with obesity (body mass index ≥30 kg/m2) aged over 18 years, who underwent any type of bariatric surgery and reported body composition measures via dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry or bio‐electrical impedance analysis. Authors conducted full text screening and determined that there were six RCTs eligible for inclusion, with data extracted at 12 months post‐surgery. Meta‐analysis revealed that, relative to gastric banding, Roux‐en‐Y gastric bypass (RYGB) led to greater total body mass loss (mean difference [MD]: −9.33 kg [95% CI: −12.10, −6.56]) and greater fat mass loss (MD: −8.86 kg [95% CI: −11.80, −5.93], but similar lean mass loss (MD: −0.55 kg [95% CI: −3.82, 2.71]. RYGB also led to similar changes in total body mass, fat mass, and lean mass compared with sleeve gastrectomy. RYGB results in greater 12‐month weight and fat loss, but similar changes in lean mass, compared with gastric banding. Further RCTs comparing body composition changes following different bariatric surgery procedures are required.
The application of arterio‐venous ratio (AVR) cut‐off values in clinic to stratify cardiovascular risk in patients
Authors: French Christian , Cubbidge Robert Peter , Heitmar Rebekka
Published: March 2022

Introduction

Cardiovascular risk calculators are a useful tool for identifying at‐risk individuals. There are standardised methods for assessing the retinal microcirculation which alters as a consequence of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study aimed to explore if a standardised retinal vessel assessment conducted in primary optometric care reflects current cardiovascular risk, as measured using two validated CVD risk calculators (QRISK 2; Mayo Clinic).

Methods

A total of 120 subjects were included in the analyses. Following a routine eye examination, participants had disc‐centred retinal photographs and systemic blood pressure taken. Retinal vessel parameters (central retinal artery and vein equivalent and arterio‐venous ratio (AVR)) were calculated using semi‐automated software. Participants were then grouped into AVR quintiles as defined by the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study (ARIC). Cardiovascular risk was calculated with the validated QRISK and Mayo Clinic health calculators.

Results

Systolic blood pressure was significantly greater in those with an AVR value falling in the lowest quintile compared to the highest quintile (150.65 mmHg vs. 132.21 mmHg [p = 0.001]). Similarly, CVD risk was significantly higher in those with the lowest AVR compared to the highest (QRISK: 14.28% vs. 9.87% [p = 0.05]; MAYO risk: 36.35% vs. 19.21% [p = 0.01]). Chi squared analyses showed a significant difference in the number of hypertensives in the lowest AVR quintile compared to those in the highest [p = 0.02].

Conclusion

Whilst the ARIC population is not directly comparable to the population used to develop the QRISK calculator, it has been shown that its application could help to identify at risk individuals using retinal vessel analyses.
Raising Awareness About the Risk of Irregular Migration: Quasi‐Experimental Evidence from Guinea
Authors: Tjaden Jasper , Gninafon Horace
Published: March 2022

In response to mounting evidence of harm inflicted on irregular migrants along their journeys from West Africa to Europe, international organizations, civil society organizations, and governments have scaled up campaigns as a tool for raising awareness about the risks of irregular migration. Campaigns aim to counter misinformation by smugglers and facilitate safe migration decisions. Despite the growing number of interventions, there is limited empirical evidence on the impact and effectiveness of such campaigns. Based on a difference‐in‐difference design, this study investigates the effect of a mobile cinema and community discussion intervention on the perceptions, knowledge, and intentions of potential irregular migrants in Northern Guinea in 2019. The results show that potential migrants who participated in events were significantly more likely to show awareness gains and less likely to report high intentions to migrate irregularly. While the relative importance of risk perceptions and their impact on migration flows remain unclear, the findings provide evidence supporting the assumption that risk awareness can be a relevant factor in the decision‐making process of potential irregular migrants. While campaigns may be an effective tool in certain contexts, effect sizes highlight the need for policymakers to keep realistic expectations.
Control of fruit softening and Ascorbic acid accumulation by manipulation of SlIMP3 in tomato
Authors: Zheng Xianzhe , Yuan Yujin , Huang Baowen , Hu Xiaowei , Tang Yuwei , Xu Xin , Wu Mengbo , Gong Zehao , Luo Yingqing , Gong Min , Gao Xueli , Wu Guanle , Zhang Qiongdan , Zhang Lu , Chan Helen , Zhu Benzhong , Li Zhengguo , Ferguson Louise , Deng Wei
Published: March 2022

Postharvest deterioration is among the major challenges for the fruit industry. Regulation of the fruit softening rate is an effective strategy for extending shelf‐life and reducing the economic losses due postharvest deterioration. The tomato myoinositol monophosphatase 3 gene SlIMP3, which showed highest expression level in fruit, was expressed and purified. SlIMP3 demonstrated high affinity with the L‐Gal 1‐P and D‐Ins 3‐P, and acted as a bifunctional enzyme in the biosynthesis of AsA and myoinositol. Overexpression of SlIMP3 not only improved AsA and myoinositol content, but also increased cell wall thickness, improved fruit firmness, delayed fruit softening, decreased water loss, and extended shelf‐life. Overexpression of SlIMP3 also increased uronic acid, rhamnose, xylose, mannose, and galactose content in cell wall of fruit. Treating fruit with myoinositol obtained similar fruit phenotypes of SlIMP3‐overexpressed fruit, with increased cell wall thickness and delayed fruit softening. Meanwhile, overexpression of SlIMP3 conferred tomato fruit tolerance to Botrytis cinerea. The function of SlIMP3 in cell wall biogenesis and fruit softening were also verified using another tomato species, Ailsa Craig (AC). Overexpression of SlDHAR in fruit increased AsA content, but did not affect the cell wall thickness or fruit firmness and softening. The results support a critical role for SlIMP3 in AsA biosynthesis and cell wall biogenesis, and provide a new method of delaying tomato fruit softening, and insight into the link between AsA and cell wall metabolism.
Child with a mild CHIME syndrome phenotype and carrying a novel p.(Asp52Asn) PIGL pathogenic variant in association with the previously reported p.(Leu167Pro) variant: A case report
Authors: Rolland Marion , Dubourg Christèle , Cospain Auriane , Droitcourt Catherine , Pasquier Laurent
Published: March 2022

Coloboma, congenital heart disease, ichthyosiform dermatosis, mental retardation, and ear anomalies (CHIME) syndrome is a very rare autosomal recessive neuroectodermal disorder related to PIGL gene mutations. Here, we report a patient who showed an initial delay in psychomotor development and skin abnormalities consistent with CHIME syndrome but with atypical clinical features and laboratory findings. In line with our clinical suspicion, the c.500T>C, p.(Leu167Pro) variant (found in all the previously described cases of CHIME syndrome) was found on the paternal allele. A novel “likely pathogenic” PIGL missense variant (c.154G>A, p.(Asp52Asn)) was detected on the maternal allele. This case provides new insights into the clinical spectrum of CHIME syndrome and highlights the potential for phenotypic/genotypic variations.
Effect of ischemic time on pediatric heart transplantation outcomes: is it the same for all allografts?
Authors: Dani Alia , Vu Quyen , Thangappan Karthik , Huang Bin , Wittekind Samuel , Lorts Angela , Chin Clifford , Morales David L.S. , Zafar Farhan
Published: March 2022

Background

Studies have shown that the optimal ischemia time (IT) threshold in pediatric heart transplantation (PHT) is up to 4 h, independent of other donor organ factors. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between IT and donor left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and study their impact on PHT outcomes.

Methods

This is a retrospective cohort study of PHT (<18 years) identified in UNOS between January 2000 and March 2020. Post‐transplantation survival analysis of patients receiving donor hearts with IT<4, 4–6, and >6 h was performed using Kaplan–Meier curves. Cohort was divided according to donor LVEF median value, and survival was analyzed. Cox regression was performed.

Results

Median LVEF was 65% in the study cohort (6669 PHT). Overall, IT>6 h was associated with worse survival compared to <4 h regardless of donor LVEF. For allografts with LVEF < 65%, IT = 4–6 h was associated with worse survival compared with IT < 4 h (p = .006) but had similar survival compared with IT > 6 h (p = .315). For allografts with LVEF ≥ 65%, IT = 4–6 h had similar survival compared with <4 h (p = .175) but improved survival compared with >6 h (p = .003). After adjusting for donor and recipient variables, Cox regression showed that IT = 4–6 h was not associated with increased mortality for LVEF ≥ 65%.

Conclusions

The IT threshold of 4 h does not apply to all allografts. Recipients of hearts with LVEF≥65% can tolerate an IT up to 6 h without any detriment to survival. Routine acceptance of these donor hearts could mitigate longer waiting times and poor donor availability for many candidates.
Liquidity‐poor Households in the Midst of the COVID‐19 Pandemic
Authors: Loschiavo David , Graziano Mariano
Published: March 2022

The COVID‐19 pandemic led to a huge surge in deposits, although little is known about how this was distributed. This paper overcomes the lack of timely micro‐data on households’ liquidity by looking at supervisory data, introducing a new method to estimate the trend in liquidity distribution and the percentage of liquidity‐poor households. We find that in 2020 there was a decrease both in the degree of deposit inequality among Italian households and in the share of liquidity‐poor households, alongside government support measures that allowed some households at the bottom of the liquidity ladder to save out of their declining income. The increase in households’ liquidity improved their ability to repay debts, and this could help spending patterns to rebound once confidence about the economic outlook is restored. Despite this, households with insufficient liquidity buffers still constitute a large share of population, making their debt repayment capacity dependent on the strength of the economic recovery.
Soundscapes and borderscapes: Music as a counter‐mapping discourse in the Kurdish nationalist movement
Authors: Hongur Gönenç
Published: March 2022

This article traces the ways in which Kurdish claims to national rights and borders have been structured around transnational and virtual spaces to coalesce into music. It focuses on issues such as migration, diaspora, border, ethnicity, transnationalism, and nation‐building through Kurdish music and Kurdish musicians. The concept of the borderscape provides a theoretical lens through which to understand how music has been politicized and positioned between the non‐existence of a Kurdish nation‐state and the enduring existence of Kurdish as an ethnicity, a language, and a homeland in the Middle East. By giving examples from songs, lyrics, and the virtual world of Kurdish music, the study elaborates on how Kurds reinforce the territorial imagination of ‘Kurdistan’ as the rightful homeland of a Kurdish nation. Focusing on music as a resource for political action, nationalism, and for the identification of national borders, this study thus adds to the border studies and ethnomusicological literatures by linking music to ethnicity, nationalism, and transnationalism.
Gondwana break‐up controlled by tectonic inheritance and mantle plume activity: Insights from Natal rift development (South Mozambique, Africa)
Authors: Roche Vincent , Leroy Sylvie , Revillon Sidonie , Guillocheau François , Ruffet Gilles , Vétel William
Published: March 2022

The break‐up of Eastern Gondwana started during the Early Jurassic with the separation of Antarctica and Madagascar from Africa. While margins architecture has been described along the Western Somalia Basin and the Central Mozambique, the spatial extent of rifting further south—i.e. the Natal Valley—remains poorly documented. Seismic reflection profiles interpretation, 40Ar/39Ar ages and isotopic data show the existence of a plume‐related magma‐rich margin—the Natal segment—characterized by a large volume of seaward dipping reflectors inferred to be basalts. In particular, the contrast in lithosphere rheology, probably caused by a Meso‐Neoproterozoic belt between the Kaapval and Grunehogna Archean cratons, favoured extension and upwelling from a deep mantle thermomechanical anomaly, the so‐called Karoo superplume that started at around 180 Ma. Furthermore, the presence of stretched continental crust at around 30°S implies a more southerly position of Antarctica which will need to be considered in future kinematic models.
Intensity of perioperative analgesia but not pre‐treatment pain is predictive of survival in dogs undergoing amputation plus chemotherapy for extremity osteosarcoma
Authors: Nolan Michael W. , Uzan Olivia C. , Green Noah A. , Lana Susan E. , Lascelles B. Duncan X.
Published: March 2022

The purpose of this bi‐institutional retrospective study was to determine whether, in dogs treated with limb amputation and adjunctive chemotherapy for osteosarcoma, oncologic outcomes are impacted by either: (1) baseline cancer pain severity, or (2) the approaches used for perioperative pain management. Data were extracted from the medical records of 284 dogs that underwent both limb amputation and chemotherapy (carboplatin and/or doxorubicin) between 1997 and 2017 for localized (non‐metastatic) osteosarcoma of the appendicular skeleton. Kaplan–Meier survival curves and Cox proportional hazard (PH) models were used to determine the impact that retrospectively scored baseline pain levels (high vs. low) and various analgesic and local anaesthetic treatments had on both metastasis‐free survival and all‐cause mortality. For the entire population, the median disease free interval and median overall survival times were 253 and 284 days, respectively. Baseline pain was rated as “low” in 84 dogs, and “high” in 190 dogs; pain severity had no detectable effect on either metastasis‐free survival or all‐cause mortality. When accounting for the potential influences of known prognostic factors, dogs treated with what was characterized as a high‐intensity perioperative analgesic plan (including both a non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drug [NSAID] and a bupivacaine‐eluting soaker catheter placed at the amputation site) had a higher probability of survival than dogs treated with a low‐intensity perioperative analgesic plan (neither an NSAID, nor a soaker catheter); the median overall survival times were 252 and 378 days, respectively (hazard ratio: 2.922; p = .020).
Stepwise access to safe plasma proteins in resource‐constrained countries: Local production and pathways to fractionation—Report of an International Society of Blood Transfusion Workshop
Authors: Burnouf Thierry , Epstein Jay , Faber Jean‐Claude , Smid Martin
Published: March 2022

Background and Objectives

Actions are needed to improve access to safe plasma‐derived medicinal products (PDMPs) in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs).

Materials and Methods

The International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) Working Party for Global Blood Safety organized an on‐line workshop during 21–23 September 2021 to advance access to safe plasma proteins in resource‐constrained countries, consistent with recent World Health Organization (WHO) guidance documents.

Results

The meeting drew attention to the considerable unmet needs for access to essential PDMPs in LMICs, in particular coagulation factors and immunoglobulins, and stepwise actions to address these deficits. First, improved access to safe plasma protein therapies requires blood component separation with prevention of wastage of recovered plasma. Quality and safety of collected blood and plasma must be assured so that plasma in excess of transfusion needs can be processed into safe plasma proteins. Second, local production of safe plasma proteins can be implemented using available technologies to locally obtain pathogen‐reduced plasma and prepare pathogen‐reduced cryoprecipitate and immunoglobulins from small plasma pools. Third, when a sufficient, stable volume of quality‐assured plasma is available (approximately 50,000 L/year), contract or toll fractionation by a foreign plasma fractionator can expand the supply of PDMPs. Fourth, when the national infrastructure supports high‐technology industrial production and stable volumes of quality plasma reach at least 200,000 L/year, technology transfer for domestic fractionation can be considered.

Conclusion

Action is needed including commitments of the organizations that made the workshop possible (WHO, ISBT, World Federation of Haemophilia [WFH], Plasma Protein Therapeutics Association [PPTA], International Plasma Fractionation Association [IPFA], International Patient Organization of Primary Immunodeficiencies [IPOPI] and International Federation of Blood Donor Organizations [FIODS]).
Comparison of the programmed freezer method and deep freezer method in the manufacturing of frozen red blood cell products
Authors: Fuchizaki Akihiro , Yasui Kazuta , Tanaka Mitsunobu , Mitsuhashi Hisako , Shimogaki Kazushige , Kimura Takafumi , Takihara Yoshihiro , Hirayama Fumiya
Published: March 2022

Background and Objectives

Frozen‐thawed red blood cells (FTRCs) are useful blood components to patients with rare blood phenotypes. However, frozen red blood cells (FRCs) sometimes cause significant haemolysis after thawing due to the freeze/thaw process. In this study, we aimed to focus on the former process and reduce process‐related haemolysis.

Materials and Methods

Five‐day‐old red blood cells (RBCs) (5D) or 9‐week‐old RBCs (9 W) were glycerolized, pooled and split into two aliquots. RBCs were frozen using either the programmed freezer (PF) method or the deep freezer (DF) method. After 4–8 weeks, the FRCs were thawed and washed. In vitro characteristics were compared between the PF and DF methods. Nine week were used as a starting material for FTRCs with the assumption that they can mimic disqualified FTRCs with respect to Hb recovery.

Results

The PF method resulted in a significantly higher Hb recovery rate than the DF method (5D: 85.9 ± 2.1 vs. 81.1% ± 3.5%, p < 0.001) (9 W: 56.8 ± 4.0 vs. 52.4% ± 3.5%, p < 0.001). Both 5D and 9W‐derived FTRCs immediately after preparation prepared by the PF method were more resistible to haemolysis than those prepared by the DF method. On the other hand, there were no significant differences between PF and DF methods in Adenosine 5′‐triphosphate (ATP) and 2,3‐diphosphoglycerate (2,3‐DPG).

Conclusion

The PF method was more suitable for RBC freezing than the DF method in terms of Hb recovery in FTRCs. Although it was only 4%–5%, the improvement in the Hb recovery rate will contribute to a more stable supply.
Combined center of rotation of angulation‐based leveling osteotomy and tibial tuberosity transposition: An ex vivo mechanical study
Authors: Clough W. Tyler , Dycus David L. , Barnhart Matthew D. , Hulse Don A. , Litsky Alan S.
Published: March 2022

Objective

To describe the technique of combined center of rotation of angulation (CORA)‐based leveling osteotomy (CBLO) with tibial tuberosity transposition (TTT) and to compare the load to failure between CBLO combined with TTT and CBLO or TTT alone.

Study design

Ex vivo study.

Sample population

Twelve pairs of cadaveric pelvic limbs.

Methods

Six pairs of cadaveric tibia were tested in each group (CBLO‐TTT versus CBLO) and (CBLO‐TTT versus TTT) with each limb randomly assigned to a treatment group. Construct stability was determined by applying a tensile force to each patellar tendon until failure occurred. Load at failure and mode of failure were recorded for each specimen.

Results

No difference in mean load to failure was identified between CBLO‐TTT (897 N) and CBLO alone (943 N) (P = .81). There was also no difference in the mean load to failure between the CBLO‐TTT (928 N) and TTT alone (1046 N) (P = .12).

Conclusion

Performing a TTT in combination with a CBLO does not weaken the construct failure to load when compared with each procedure performed alone.

Clinical significance

A combined CBLO and TTT could be considered a viable option for concurrent management of a cranial cruciate ligament deficient stifle and medial patella luxation.
The development of ventricular fibrillation as a complication of pericardiectomy in 16 dogs
Authors: Raleigh Joseph S. , Mayhew Philipp D. , Visser Lance C. , Milovancev Milan , Kuntz Charles A. , Formaggini Luca , Chiu Hsien‐Chieh , Skinner Owen T. , Naiman Jaron H. , Oblak Michelle L. , McAnulty Jonathan F. , Hoffman Christopher L. , Brückner Michael , Singh Ameet
Published: March 2022

Objective

To describe the clinical characteristics, perioperative protocols, and outcomes in dogs diagnosed with ventricular fibrillation (VF) while undergoing pericardiectomy.

Study design

Retrospective, multi‐institutional study.

Animals

Sixteen client‐owned dogs.

Methods

Cases were accrued through a listserve request posted to 3 subspecialty veterinary societies. Dogs were included if they developed VF during a pericardiectomy performed through an open or thoracoscopic approach. Data collected included signalment, history and physical examination, surgical approach, histopathology, treatment, and outcome.

Results

Indications for pericardiectomy included idiopathic chylothorax (n = 7), neoplasia (4), idiopathic pericardial effusion (4), and foreign body granuloma (1). Surgical approaches included thoracoscopy (12), intercostal thoracotomy (3) and median sternotomy (1). Electrosurgical devices were used to complete at least part of the pericardiectomy in 15 of 16 dogs. Ventricular fibrillation appeared to be initiated during electrosurgical use in 8/15 dogs. However, in 5/15 dogs it was not obviously associated with electrosurgical use. In 3/16 dogs the timing of initiation of VF was unclear. In 7/16 dogs, cardiac arrhythmias were noted prior to the development of VF. Fourteen of 16 dogs died from intraoperative VF.

Conclusion

In most dogs ventricular fibrillation was a fatal complication of pericardiectomy. Ventricular fibrillation might be associated with the use of electrosurgical devices and cardiac manipulation during pericardiectomy although a causal link could not be established from the data in this study.

Clinical significance

Surgeons must be aware of the risk of VF during pericardial surgery. Electrosurgery might need to be used judiciously during pericardiectomy, particularly in dogs exhibiting cardiac arrythmias.
The Physical Differences Between Faster and Slower Elite Male and Female Pace Bowlers
Authors: Letter Ryan T. , Dwyer Dan B. , Drinkwater Eric J. , Feros Simon A.
Published: March 2022

Purpose: This study investigated the differences between selected physical attributes and ball release speed in slower and faster male and female elite pace bowlers. Methods: Twelve physical attributes and ball release speed were retrospectively analyzed from 63 male and 31 female elite pace bowlers over the course of 5 seasons. Pace bowlers were categorized as either fast (>122.9 km/h, males and >97.8 km/h, females) or slow (<122.9 km/h, males and <97.8 km/h, females) for each sex. Differences in physical attributes between slower and faster bowling groups were compared using Cohen d effect sizes. Results: Faster pace bowlers displayed differences in isometric midthigh-pull peak force (d = 0.25, males and d = 0.68, females) and relative peak force (d = 0.62, males and d = 0.77, females). Faster male pace bowlers displayed differences in relative (d = 0.61) and absolute (d = 0.39) countermovement jump heights. Faster female pace bowlers displayed differences in 1-repetition-maximum bench-pull strength (d = 0.45) and run-of-3 performance (relative average, d = 1.22; relative best, d = 1.12; average, d = 0.49; and best, d = 0.40). Conclusions: Anaerobic dominant physical attributes appear to be important in both male and female pace bowlers. The contribution of these physical attributes to ball release speed appears to differ slightly between males and females. Lower-body strength (males and females), lower-body power (males), relative anaerobic capacities (females), and upper-body strength (females) appear to distinguish between slower and faster elite pace bowlers.
Physiological Profiling and Energy System Contributions During Simulated Epée Matches in Elite Fencers
Authors: Yang Woo-Hwi , Park Jeong-Hyun , Shin Yun-Cheol , Kim Jun
Published: March 2022

Purpose:The aim of this study was to investigate physiological responses and energetic contributions during simulated epée matches in elite fencers.Methods:Ten elite male fencers participated in simulated epée (direct elimination) matches. Simulated epée matches included 3 bouts of 3 minutes each with 1-minute rests between bouts. During these sessions, physiological variables such as mean and peak heart rate, peak and mean oxygen uptake (VO2peak and VO2mean), metabolic equivalents of task in VO2peak and VO2mean, and blood lactate concentrations (peak lactate concentration and delta blood lactate concentration) were measured. Furthermore, energetic contributions (oxidative [WOxi], glycolytic, and phosphagen) and time–motion variables were estimated.Results:Values of peak heart rate, mean heart rate, and WOxi(in percentages) were significantly higher in the second and third bouts compared with the first. VO2peak and metabolic equivalents of task in VO2peak were significantly higher in the first bout compared with the third bout. Values of delta blood lactate concentration and glycolytic contribution (in kilojoules and percentages) were significantly lower in the second and third bouts compared with the first. VO2mean and metabolic equivalents of task in VO2mean were significantly higher in the second bout compared with the third bout. Furthermore, WOxi(in kilojoules and percentage) was significantly higher in all bouts compared with phosphagen and glycolytic contributions. Low positive and negative correlations were seen between WOxi, VO2mean, sum of attacks and defense times, and the sum of time without attacks and defenses.Conclusions:Direct-elimination epée matches consist of high-intensity intermittent exercise, and the oxidative contribution is 80% to 90%. Improving aerobic conditioning may support high-intensity intermittent actions during entire epée matches in elite fencers.
Digital PCR Applications in the SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 Era: a Roadmap for Future Outbreaks
Authors: Nyaruaba Raphael , Mwaliko Caroline , Dobnik David , Neužil Pavel , Amoth Patrick , Mwau Matilu , Yu Junping , Yang Hang , Wei Hongping
Published: March 2022

The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has led to a global public health disaster. The current gold standard for the diagnosis of infected patients is real-time reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR).
Middle-lower crustal flow in response to the India-Eurasia collision: Structural evidence from the southern Chong Shan belt within the Sundaland block, southeastern Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Chen Xiaoyu , Liu Junlai , Qi Yinchuan , Bao Xiaoxi , Ling Chengyang
Published: March 2022

In this contribution, we present new structural, microstructural, fabrics, and geochronological data from the southern Chong Shan complex, one of the metamorphic complexes in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau that were sheared and exhumed during the India-Eurasia convergence. The NW-SE–striking complex is comprised of a central high-grade metamorphic zone (Unit I) flanked by two low-grade metamorphic zones (units II and III) on the northeastern and southwestern sides, respectively. High-grade metamorphic rocks (e.g., amphibolites, sillimanite-mica schists) of up to amphibolite facies, of the Proterozoic Chong Shan group and granitic intrusions of Permo-Triassic to Cenozoic in age in Unit I are characterized by high-temperature deformation. Units II (i.e., the Wuliangshan group) and III (i.e., the Lancang group) on both sides of the high-grade Unit I consist of metamorphic rocks of low greenschist facies (e.g., phyllites) with low-temperature deformation. The high- and low-grade units possess consistent kinematics, i.e., northwestward motion of the core rocks relative to the two limbs, and they are separated by large scale shear discontinuities. Thereby, the high- and low-grade units are kinematically linked but mechanically decoupled. Zircon laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry U-Pb dating of syn-shearing granitic dikes reveals that ductile shearing occurred from 29 to 19 Ma.

Structural analysis reveals that these units constitute an A-type dome that has long axis parallel to the stretching lineations and fold axes of outcrop-scale A-type folds. It is shown that three stages of deformation contributed to the formation of the southern Chong Shan dome, during which subhorizontal shearing were in connection with regional doming. The events occurred as the consequence of middle to lower crustal flow that led to lateral flow and vertical exhumation of crustal masses. Therefore, the lateral crustal flow was not only limited along the boundary high strain zones of the Sundaland block, but distributed within the southeastern Tibetan Plateau. We would argue that the tectonic extrusion of the Sundaland block occurred through ductile crustal flow of a viscous middle and lower crust in the plate interior combined with concurring channel flow along the block margins.
Shallow distributed faulting in the Imperial Valley, California, USA
Authors: Sahakian Valerie J. , Derosier Boe J. , Rockwell Thomas K. , Stock Joann M.
Published: March 2022

In the tectonically complex Imperial Valley, California (USA), the Imperial fault (IF) is often considered to be the primary fault at the U.S.-Mexico border; however, its strain partitioning and interactions with other faults are not well understood. Despite inferred evidence of other major faults (e.g., seismicity), it is difficult to obtain a holistic view of this system due to anthropogenic surface modifications. To better define the structural configuration of the plate-boundary strain in this region, we collected high-resolution shallow seismic imaging data in the All American Canal, crossing the Imperial, Dixieland, and Michoacán faults. These data image shallow (<25 m) structures on and near the mapped trace of the Imperial fault, as well as the Michoacán fault and adjacent stepover. Integration of our data with nearby terrestrial cores provides age constraints on Imperial fault deformation. These data suggest that the Michoacán fault, unmapped in the United States, is active and likely produces dynamic or off-fault deformation within its stepover to the Dixieland fault. Together, these data support more strain partitioning than previously documented in this region.
Significance of U-Pb detrital zircon geochronology for mudstone provenance
Authors: Sylvester Paul J. , Souders A. Kate , Liu Rui
Published: March 2022

Detrital zircon U-Pb studies of mudstone provenance are rare but may preferentially fingerprint distal zircon sources. To examine this issue, Pierre Shale and Trinidad Sandstone deposited in a Late Cretaceous deltaic environment in the Raton Basin, Colorado (USA), were measured for detrital zircon U-Pb age by laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry. Two major detrital zircon age peaks at ca. 70 and 1690 Ma are found in both Pierre Shale and Trinidad Sandstone but in inversely varying proportions: 68% and 16%, respectively, for the finest zircon fraction (~15–35 μm) in the shale, and 25% and 32%, respectively, for the coarsest zircon fraction (~60–80 μm) in the sandstone. Proximal sources in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, directly west of the Raton Basin, contain coarse-grained, ca. 1690 Ma zircon, whereas distal sources in Laramide uplifts and basins in Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona contain fine-grained, ca. 70 Ma zircon. The results indicate that U-Pb zircon provenance of mudstone reflects availability of volcanic and other fine-grained source rocks rather than simply distal sources. U-Pb zircon provenance studies should routinely include mudstone units because these units may identify fine-grained zircon sources more reliably than sandstones alone.
Cumulate granites: A perspective from new apatite MgO partition coefficients
Authors: Zhan Qiong-Yao , Zhu Di-Cheng , Weinberg Roberto F. , Wang Qing , Xie Jin-Cheng , Zhang Liang-Liang , Zhao Zhi-Dan
Published: March 2022

Apatite is a powerful research tool because it is common in various rocks and incorporates many chemical elements. Understanding how elements partition between apatite and melt and the controls on the partition are critical for applications of apatite. It has been recently proposed that MgO content in magmatic apatite is proportional to that of the melt, highlighting the potential importance of this oxide as a critical parameter. A comprehensive compilation of experimental data in this study shows that the relationship between apatite MgO and melt MgO defines two distinct equilibrium trends, indicating that melt composition or, more specifically, melt polymerization strongly controls the partition of MgO. These findings have great implications for using apatite in the study of magma petrogenesis and sediment provenance. We show that when apatite MgO is plotted against host-rock MgO, volcanic and plutonic systems have different behaviors. The volcanic data plot around the experimental apatite-melt equilibrium trends, while apatites in most plutonic rocks have lower MgO than expected if they were in equilibrium with the host bulk rock. For granites with high apatite saturation temperatures, this indicates that apatites crystallized from low-MgO parent melts but later became part of a cumulate with higher MgO than the parental melt, possibly due to extraction of evolved interstitial melt. The contrast between apatite MgO in volcanic and plutonic rocks therefore can provide a new perspective on the debate about volcanic-plutonic connection.
Millennial pulses of ore formation and an extra-high Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Li Yang , Allen Mark B. , Li Xian-Hua
Published: March 2022

Quantifying the rhythms and rates of magmatic-hydrothermal systems is critical for a better understanding of their controls on ore formation and the dynamics of magmatic reservoirs that feed them. We reconstructed the evolution of ore-forming fluids using hydrothermal quartz from the 17.4 Ma Zhibula skarn, Tibet. Ion probe analysis reveals sharp and dramatic changes in quartz δ18O values between 5‰ and −9.3‰, with fluid δ18O values varying between 2.8‰ and −18.2‰, which are best explained by transient meteoric water incursion into a hydrothermal system dominated by magmatic fluids. Two pulses of magmatic fluids and a meteoric water incursion event are inferred, which operated at the millennium scale (760−1510 yr) as constrained by the aluminum diffusion chronometer. Our results indicate that magmatic reservoirs are likely water unsaturated for most of their lifetime (>105−106 yr), with transient and episodic fluid exsolutions (~103 yr) being driven by magma replenishment or crystallization-induced water saturation. With focused and efficient metal deposition, multiple pulses of metalliferous fluids favor the formation of giant deposits with high grade. Meteoric water δ18O values (−25.4 ± 2.3‰) derived from Zhibula quartz further suggest a paleo-elevation of 5.9 ± 0.3 km; this transient early Miocene surface uplift plausibly was due to break-off of the oceanic slab attached to the Indian Plate. Our research highlights that ubiquitous hydrothermal quartz in orogenic belts can probe the dynamics of magmatic-hydrothermal systems and also quantify paleo-elevations, which has significant tectonic implications.