bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bio-Mapping Indicators and Pathogen Loads in a Commercial Broiler Processing Facility Operating with High and Low Antimicrobial Intervention Levels
Authors: De Villena Juan F. , Vargas David A. , Bueno López Rossy , Chávez-Velado Daniela R. , Casas Diego E. , Jiménez Reagan L. , Sanchez-Plata Marcos X.
Published: March 2022

The poultry industry in the United States has traditionally implemented non-chemical and chemical interventions against Salmonella spp. and Campylobacter spp. on the basis of experience and word-of-mouth information shared among poultry processors. The effects of individual interventions have been assessed with microbiological testing methods for Salmonella spp. and Campylobacter spp. prevalence as well as quantification of indicator organisms, such as aerobic plate counts (APC), to demonstrate efficacy. The current study evaluated the loads of both indicators and pathogens in a commercial chicken processing facility, comparing the “normal chemical”, with all chemical interventions turned-on, at typical chemical concentrations set by the processing plant versus low-chemical process (“reduced chemical”), where all interventions were turned off or reduced to the minimum concentrations considered in the facility’s HACCP system. Enumeration and prevalence of Salmonella spp. and Campylobacter spp. as well as indicator organisms (APC and Enterobacteriaceae—EB) enumeration were evaluated to compare both treatments throughout a 25-month sampling period. Ten locations were selected in the current bio-mapping study, including live receiving, rehanger, post eviscerator, post cropper, post neck breaker, post IOBW #1, post IOBW #2, prechilling, post chilling, and parts (wings). Statistical process control parameters for each location and processing schemes were developed for each pathogen and indicator evaluated. Despite demonstrating significant statistical differences between the normal and naked processes in Salmonella spp. counts (“normal” significantly lower counts than the “reduced” at each location except for post-eviscerator and post-cropper locations), the prevalence of Salmonella spp. after chilling is comparable on both treatments (~10%), whereas for Campylobacter spp. counts, only at the parts’ location was there significant statistical difference between the “normal chemical” and the “reduced chemical”. Therefore, not all chemical intervention locations show an overall impact on Salmonella spp. or Campylobacter spp., and certain interventions can be turned off to achieve the same or better microbial performance if strategic intervention locations are enhanced.
The Use of Electronic Nose in the Quality Evaluation and Adulteration Identification of Beijing-You Chicken
Authors: Chen Jingru , Yan Wenjie , Fu Yu , Wang Liang , Lv Xueze , Dai Ruitong , Li Xingmin , Jia Fei
Published: March 2022

The objective of this study was to reveal the secrets of the unique meat characteristics of Beijing-you chicken (BJY) and to compare the difference of quality and flavor with Luhua chicken (LH) and Arbor Acres broiler (AA) at their typical market ages. The results showed the meat of BJY was richer in essential amino acids, arachidonic acid contents, inosine monophosphate (IMP), and guanosine monophosphate (GMP). The total fatty acid and unsaturated fatty acid contents of BJY chicken and LH chicken were lower than that of AA broilers, whereas the ratios of unsaturated fatty acids/saturated fatty acids (2.31) and polyunsaturated fatty acids/monounsaturated fatty acids (1.52) of BJY chicken were the highest. The electronic nose and SPME-GC/MS analysis confirmed the significant differences among these three chickens, and the variety and relative content of aldehydes might contribute to a richer flavor of BJY chicken. The meat characteristics of BJY were fully investigated and showed that BJY chicken might be favored among these three chicken breeds with the best flavor properties and the highest nutritional value. This study also provides an alternative way to identify BJY chicken from other chickens.
Lime Peel Oil–Incorporated Rosin-Based Antimicrobial In Situ Forming Gel
Authors: Khaing Ei Mon , Mahadlek Jongjan , Okonogi Siriporn , Phaechamud Thawatchai
Published: March 2022

Localized intra-periodontal pocket drug delivery using an injectable in situ forming gel is an effective periodontitis treatment. The aqueous insoluble property of rosin is suitable for preparing a solvent exchange-induced in situ forming gel. This study aims to investigate the role of incorporating lime peel oil (LO) on the physicochemical properties of injectable in situ forming gels based on rosin loaded with 5% w/w doxycycline hyclate (DH) in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and N-methyl pyrrolidone (NMP). Their gel formation, viscosity, injectability, mechanical properties, wettability, drug release, and antimicrobial activities were evaluated. The presence of LO slowed gel formation due to the loose precipitate formation of gel with a high LO content. The viscosity and injectability were slightly increased with higher LO content for the DH-loaded rosin-based in situ forming gel. The addition of 10% LO lowered gel hardness with higher adhesion. LO incorporation promoted a higher drug release pattern than the no oil-added formulation over 10 days and the gel formation rate related to burst drug release. The drug release kinetics followed the non-Fickian diffusion mechanism for oil-added formulations. LO exhibited high antimicrobial activity against Porphyromonas gingivalis and Staphylococcus aureus. The DH-loaded rosin in situ forming gel with an addition of LO (0, 2.5, 5, and 10% w/w) inhibited all tested microorganisms. Adding 10% LO to rosin-based in situ forming gel improved the antimicrobial activities, especially for the P. gingivalis and S. aureus. As a result, the study demonstrates the possibility of using an LO amount of less than 10% loading into a rosin-based in situ forming gel for efficient periodontitis treatment.
Detection of Target Genes for Drug Repurposing to Treat Skeletal Muscle Atrophy in Mice Flown in Spaceflight
Authors: Manian Vidya , Orozco-Sandoval Jairo , Diaz-Martinez Victor , Janwa Heeralal , Agrinsoni Carlos
Published: March 2022

Skeletal muscle atrophy is a common condition in aging, diabetes, and in long duration spaceflights due to microgravity. This article investigates multi-modal gene disease and disease drug networks via link prediction algorithms to select drugs for repurposing to treat skeletal muscle atrophy. Key target genes that cause muscle atrophy in the left and right extensor digitorum longus muscle tissue, gastrocnemius, quadriceps, and the left and right soleus muscles are detected using graph theoretic network analysis, by mining the transcriptomic datasets collected from mice flown in spaceflight made available by GeneLab. We identified the top muscle atrophy gene regulators by the Pearson correlation and Bayesian Markov blanket method. The gene disease knowledge graph was constructed using the scalable precision medicine knowledge engine. We computed node embeddings, random walk measures from the networks. Graph convolutional networks, graph neural networks, random forest, and gradient boosting methods were trained using the embeddings, network features for predicting links and ranking top gene-disease associations for skeletal muscle atrophy. Drugs were selected and a disease drug knowledge graph was constructed. Link prediction methods were applied to the disease drug networks to identify top ranked drugs for therapeutic treatment of skeletal muscle atrophy. The graph convolution network performs best in link prediction based on receiver operating characteristic curves and prediction accuracies. The key genes involved in skeletal muscle atrophy are associated with metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases. The drugs selected for repurposing using the graph convolution network method were nutrients, corticosteroids, anti-inflammatory medications, and others related to insulin.
Molecular Epidemiology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex Strains in Urban and Slum Settings of Nairobi, Kenya
Authors: Kerubo Glennah , Ndungu Perpetua , Shuaib Yassir Adam , Amukoye Evans , Revathi Gunturu , Homolka Susanne , Kariuki Samuel , Merker Matthias , Niemann Stefan
Published: March 2022

Kenya is a country with a high tuberculosis (TB) burden. However, knowledge on the genetic diversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) strains and their transmission dynamics is sparsely available. Hence, we used whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to depict the genetic diversity, molecular markers of drug resistance, and possible transmission clusters among MTBC strains in urban and slum settings of Nairobi. We analyzed 385 clinical MTBC isolates collected between 2010 and 2015 in combination with patients’ demographics. We showed that the MTBC population mainly comprises strains of four lineages (L1–L4). The two dominating lineages were L4 with 55.8% (n = 215) and L3 with 25.7% (n = 99) of all strains, respectively. Genome-based cluster analysis showed that 30.4% (117/385) of the strains were clustered using a ≤5 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) threshold as a surrogate marker for direct patient-to-patient MTBC transmission. Moreover, 5.2% (20/385) of the strains were multidrug-resistant (MDR), and 50.0% (n = 10) were part of a genome-based cluster (i.e., direct MDR MTBC transmission). Notably, 30.0% (6/20) of the MDR strains were resistant to all first-line drugs and are part of one molecular cluster. Moreover, TB patients in urban living setting had 3.8 times the odds of being infected with a drug-resistant strain as compared to patients from slums (p-value = 0.002). Our results show that L4 strains are the main causative agent of TB in Nairobi and MDR strain transmission is an emerging concern in urban settings. This emphasizes the need for more focused infection control measures and contact tracing of patients with MDR TB to break the transmission chains.
Genomic Screening to Identify Food Trees Potentially Dispersed by Precolonial Indigenous Peoples
Authors: Fahey Monica , Rossetto Maurizio , Ens Emilie , Ford Andrew
Published: March 2022

Over millennia, Indigenous peoples have dispersed the propagules of non-crop plants through trade, seasonal migration or attending ceremonies; and potentially increased the geographic range or abundance of many food species around the world. Genomic data can be used to reconstruct these histories. However, it can be difficult to disentangle anthropogenic from non-anthropogenic dispersal in long-lived non-crop species. We developed a genomic workflow that can be used to screen out species that show patterns consistent with faunal dispersal or long-term isolation, and identify species that carry dispersal signals of putative human influence. We used genotyping-by-sequencing (DArTseq) and whole-plastid sequencing (SKIMseq) to identify nuclear and chloroplast Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in east Australian rainforest trees (4 families, 7 genera, 15 species) with large (>30 mm) or small (<30 mm) edible fruit, either with or without a known history of use by Indigenous peoples. We employed standard population genetic analyses to test for four signals of dispersal using a limited and opportunistically acquired sample scheme. We expected different patterns for species that fall into one of three broadly described dispersal histories: (1) ongoing faunal dispersal, (2) post-megafauna isolation and (3) post-megafauna isolation followed by dispersal of putative human influence. We identified five large-fruited species that displayed strong population structure combined with signals of dispersal. We propose coalescent methods to investigate whether these genomic signals can be attributed to post-megafauna isolation and dispersal by Indigenous peoples.
First Description of Inheritance of a Postzygotic OPA1 Mosaic Variant
Authors: Alter Svenja , Farassat Navid , Küchlin Sebastian , Lagrèze Wolf A. , Fischer Judith
Published: March 2022

Optic atrophy 1 (MIM #165500) is caused by pathogenic variants in the gene OPA1 (OPA1 MITOCHONDRIAL DYNAMIN-LIKE GTPase, MIM *605290) and is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner. We describe a 6-year-old male patient with severe early onset manifestation of optic atrophy, whose parents are subjectively asymptomatic. OPA1-sequence analysis revealed the heterozygous missense variant NM_015560.3:c.806C>T, p.(Ser269Phe) in the patient. Segregation analysis of the parents showed that the mother carried a low-grade postzygotic mosaic of this variant, which apparently also involves germline cells. In line with this, ophthalmological investigation of the mother showed subclinical manifestation of optic atrophy 1. This is the first report of an OPA1 postzygotic mosaic that was inherited to offspring.
Occupational Therapy in Severe Mental Disorder—A Self-Controlled Quasi-Experimental Study
Authors: Valverde-Bolivar Efrén , Simonelli-Muñoz Agustín Javier , Rivera-Caravaca José Miguel , Gallego-Gómez Juana Inés , Rodríguez González-Moro María Teresa , García-Arenas José Joaquín
Published: March 2022

Severe mental disorder (SMD) produces a significant functional limitation that affects the performance of daily activities. The occupational therapist intervenes on this limitation by seeking greater autonomy of these patients through specific activities. This study aims to identify the main limitations of people with SMD and to examine whether an occupational intervention has any effect in helping to overcome or ameliorate these limitations. A quasi-experimental study including 103 participants was carried out. An evaluation using the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0) questionnaire was performed before and after the intervention. Within the activity program, those with a higher attendance rating during cognitive stimulation, cooking workshop, therapeutic walks, relaxation, and creative activities were mainly men. Both patients and professionals indicated that Understanding and Communicating, Participation in Society, and Activities of Daily Living were the main perceived limitations. Upon discharge, patients and professionals reported positive outcomes. The intervention programs carried out by occupational therapy, along with the other aspects of the treatment that SMD patients received, played an important part in improving the performance and occupational interests of these patients.
A Novel MRI Diagnosis Method for Brain Tumor Classification Based on CNN and Bayesian Optimization
Authors: Ait Amou Mohamed , Xia Kewen , Kamhi Souha , Mouhafid Mohamed
Published: March 2022

Brain tumor is one of the most aggressive diseases nowadays, resulting in a very short life span if it is diagnosed at an advanced stage. The treatment planning phase is thus essential for enhancing the quality of life for patients. The use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of brain tumors is extremely widespread, but the manual interpretation of large amounts of images requires considerable effort and is prone to human errors. Hence, an automated method is necessary to identify the most common brain tumors. Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) architectures are successful in image classification due to their high layer count, which enables them to conceive the features effectively on their own. The tuning of CNN hyperparameters is critical in every dataset since it has a significant impact on the efficiency of the training model. Given the high dimensionality and complexity of the data, manual hyperparameter tuning would take an inordinate amount of time, with the possibility of failing to identify the optimal hyperparameters. In this paper, we proposed a Bayesian Optimization-based efficient hyperparameter optimization technique for CNN. This method was evaluated by classifying 3064 T-1-weighted CE-MRI images into three types of brain tumors (Glioma, Meningioma, and Pituitary). Based on Transfer Learning, the performance of five well-recognized deep pre-trained models is compared with that of the optimized CNN. After using Bayesian Optimization, our CNN was able to attain 98.70% validation accuracy at best without data augmentation or cropping lesion techniques, while VGG16, VGG19, ResNet50, InceptionV3, and DenseNet201 achieved 97.08%, 96.43%, 89.29%, 92.86%, and 94.81% validation accuracy, respectively. Moreover, the proposed model outperforms state-of-the-art methods on the CE-MRI dataset, demonstrating the feasibility of automating hyperparameter optimization.
Russeting of Fruits: Etiology and Management
Authors: Winkler Andreas , Athoo Thomas , Knoche Moritz
Published: March 2022

The skin of a fruit protects the vulnerable, nutrient-rich flesh and seed(s) within from the hostile environment. It is also responsible for the fruit’s appearance. In many fruitcrop species, russeting compromises fruit appearance and thus commercial value. Here, we review the literature on fruit russeting, focusing on the factors and mechanisms that induce it and on the management and breeding strategies that may reduce it. Compared with a primary fruit skin, which is usually distinctively colored and shiny, a secondary fruit skin is reddish-brown, dull and slightly rough to the touch (i.e., russeted). This secondary skin (periderm) comprises phellem cells with suberized cell walls, a phellogen and a phelloderm. Russeted (secondary) fruit skins have similar mechanical properties to non-russeted (primary) ones but are more plastic. However, russeted fruit skins are more permeable to water vapor, so russeted fruits suffer higher postharvest water loss, reduced shine, increased shrivel and reduced packed weight (most fruit is sold per kg). Orchard factors that induce russeting include expansion-growth-induced strain, surface wetness, mechanical damage, freezing temperatures, some pests and diseases and some agrochemicals. All these probably act via an increased incidence of cuticular microcracking as a result of local concentrations of mechanical stress. Microcracking impairs the cuticle’s barrier properties. Potential triggers of russeting (the development of a periderm), consequent on cuticular microcracking, include locally high concentrations of O2, lower concentrations of CO2 and more negative water potentials. Horticulturists sometimes spray gibberellins, cytokinins or boron to reduce russeting. Bagging fruit (to exclude surface moisture) is also reportedly effective. From a breeding perspective, genotypes having small and more uniform-sized epidermal cells are judged less likely to be susceptible to russeting.
Comparison between Germinated Seed and Isolated Microspore EMS Mutagenesis in Chinese Cabbage (Brassica rapa L. ssp. pekinensis)
Authors: Gao Yue , Qu Gaoyang , Huang Shengnan , Liu Zhiyong , Zhang Meidi , Fu Wei , Ren Jie , Feng Hui
Published: March 2022

Mutagenesis is an important tool for breeding and genomic research. In this study, the germinated seeds and isolated microspores of a double haploid line ‘FT’ were treated with EMS, respectively, with the aim of comparing the effects of the two approaches on generating mutants in Chinese cabbage. For microspore EMS mutagenesis, the isolated microspores were treated with 0.12% EMS for 20 min, a total of 1268 plantlets were obtained, and 15 M1 mutants were screened with a mutation frequency of 1.2%. For seed EMS mutagenesis, 7800 germinated seeds were treated with 0.8% EMS for 12 h, and a total of 701 M2 mutants were screened, with a mutation frequency of 18.78%. In total, 716 mutants with heritable morphological variation including leaf color, leaf shape, leafy head, bolting, and fertility, were obtained from the EMS mutagenesis experiments. Homozygous mutant plants could be screened from M1 lines by microspore mutagenesis, and M2 lines by seed mutagenesis. The mutation frequency was higher in seed mutagenesis than in microspore mutagenesis. Based on these results, we propose that seed EMS mutagenesis is more suitable to generate a large-scale mutant library, and the microspore EMS mutagenesis is conducive to rapidly obtaining homozygous mutants.
Association between Objectively Measured Sedentary Behaviour and Sleep Quality in Japanese Adults: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Kinoshita Keita , Ozato Naoki , Yamaguchi Tohru , Sudo Motoki , Yamashiro Yukari , Mori Kenta , Katsuragi Yoshihisa , Yasukawa Takuji , Murashita Koichi , Nakaji Shigeyuki , Ihara Kazushige
Published: March 2022

The association between sedentary behaviour and sleep quality (SQ) remains unclear, partly due to the limited methodology for assessing sedentary time and the influence of obesity. This study aimed to examine the association between objectively measured sedentary time and poor SQ, as well as the association of visceral fat accumulation. This cross-sectional study used health check-up data obtained from 721 Japanese adults. Sedentary time and physical activity were measured using an accelerometer for ≥7 days, with ≥10 measurement hours per day. Poor SQ was determined by a Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score of ≥ 6. Visceral fat was measured using the abdominal bioimpedance method. A logistic regression model was used to analyse the association between sedentary time and SQ. We found that higher sedentary time was associated with poorer SQ. This association remained significant after adjustment for several covariates, including visceral fat. Compared with the lowest tertile of sedentary time, the second and highest tertile had a significantly higher OR of poor SQ (Tertile 2: OR = 2.06 [95% CI 1.14,3,73]; Tertile 3: OR = 2.76 [95% CI 1.49, 5.11]). These results suggest that managing sedentary time itself might contribute to improving SQ.
Use of Auditory Cues and Other Strategies as Sources of Spatial Information for People with Visual Impairment When Navigating Unfamiliar Environments
Authors: Bilal Salih Hisham E. , Takeda Kazunori , Kobayashi Hideyuki , Kakizawa Toshibumi , Kawamoto Masayuki , Zempo Keiichi
Published: March 2022

This paper explores strategies that the visually impaired use to obtain information in unfamiliar environments. This paper also aims to determine how natural sounds that often exist in the environment or the auditory cues that are installed in various facilities as a source of guidance are prioritized and selected in different countries. The aim was to evaluate the utilization of natural sounds and auditory cues by users who are visually impaired during mobility. The data were collected by interviewing 60 individuals with visual impairments who offered their insights on the ways they use auditory cues. The data revealed a clear contrast in methods used to obtain information at unfamiliar locations and in the desire for the installation of auditory cues in different locations between those who use trains and those who use different transportation systems. The participants demonstrated a consensus on the need for devices that provide on-demand minimal auditory feedback. The paper discusses the suggestions offered by the interviewees and details their hopes for adjusted auditory cues. The study argues that auditory cues have high potential for improving the quality of life of people who are visually impaired by increasing their mobility range and independence level. Additionally, this study emphasizes the importance of a standardized design for auditory cues, which is a change desired by the interviewees. Standardization is expected to boost the efficiency of auditory cues in providing accurate information and assistance to individuals with visual impairment regardless of their geographical location. Regarding implications for practitioners, the study presents the need to design systems that provide minimal audio feedback to reduce the masking of natural sounds. The design of new auditory cues should utilize the already-existing imagination skills that people who have a visual impairment possess. For example, the pitch of the sound should change to indicate the direction of escalators and elevators and to distinguish the location of male and female toilets.
Impact of Pharmacists-Led Interventions in Primary Care for Adults with Type 2 Diabetes on HbA1c Levels: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Coutureau Claire , Slimano Florian , Mongaret Céline , Kanagaratnam Lukshe
Published: March 2022

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) is responsible for an important premature mortality. Pharmacists involved in community-based pharmaceutical care services could help patients with diabetes through education and management as they participate in their regular and long-term care. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the association between interventions led by pharmacists in the primary care setting and mean change in HbA1c levels. Randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies with a control group were included. Standardized mean differences (SMD) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated to compare the mean change in HbA1c values between baseline and end of the intervention in each group. Subgroup analyses were performed to explore heterogeneity. Twelve articles were included. The results showed that pharmacist’s interventions significantly reduced HbA1c compared to usual care with an overall SMD of −0.67 (95% CI = [−0.87; −0.48], p < 0.0001). Even if no significant difference between subgroups were found, the reduction of HbA1c seemed more important when baseline HbA1c was ≥8.5%, the intervention occurred monthly, in a primary care center and in countries with a lower human development index. Our results suggest that pharmacists-led interventions in the primary care setting can improve glycemic control for adults with T2D.
Analysis of Successful Behaviors Leading to Groundwork Scoring Skills in Elite Judo Athletes
Authors: Dopico-Calvo Xurxo , Iglesias-Soler Eliseo , Santos Luis , Carballeira Eduardo , Mayo Xián
Published: March 2022

The present study aimed (1) to propose an approach of observational analysis of the preceding standing judo (tachi-waza (TW)) context to a groundwork (ne-waza (NW)) grappling score (NWGS), and (2) to analyze the outcomes of applying such a model in high-level judoists. We conducted an observational analysis of 176 NW scoring actions of 794 combats observed in Baku’s World Judo Championships of 2018. Women scored more NWGS, performing more corporal controls but less segmental controls compared with the men. Moreover, NWGS were scored predominately during the second and third minutes of combat, independently of the sex or the weight category. Most NWGS occurred after an asymmetrical lateral structure, without showing associations with a particular type of NWGS. The movement structure of the attacking action during TW leading to an NWGS was predominantly techniques without turn, followed closely by techniques with turn, and barely performed after supine position techniques. Data showed that NWGS occurred more frequently after a failed TW attack (68.6%) than after a scored TW attack (31.4%). The TW attacker achieved NWGS with a higher frequency (62%) than the TW defender (38%), who mainly took advantage of a failed TW attack (98.5% vs. 1.5%, after failed vs. scored TW, respectively). The grip configurations most frequently employed during TW were dorsal-sleeve and flap-sleeve; overall, frontal grips were predominant over dorsal grips. However, no specific TW grip was related to success or grip progression before an NWGS. Our results will help judo coaches understand the influence of these factors on judo performance and optimize the planning and execution of technical–tactical content.
Distributing Summer Meals during a Pandemic: Challenges and Innovations
Authors: Bennett Brooke L. , Gans Kim M. , Burkholder Kara , Esposito Julia , Warykas Sarah Wen , Schwartz Marlene B.
Published: March 2022

The USDA summer food programs provide meals for children when school is not in session. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has created challenges for food distribution programs, many regulations have been waived, providing opportunities for new approaches to meal distribution. The aim of this study was to identify practices designed to increase program participation during the summer of 2021. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with food service directors (N = 16) in a northeastern state. Questions addressed meal distribution methods; perceptions about facilitators and barriers to family participation; communication strategies used to reach families; and engagement with community partners. The responses were analyzed using an immersion-crystallization approach and four themes emerged: new opportunities for innovation due to the waivers; the importance of collaboration with community partners to increase reach; ongoing logistical challenges due to the pandemic; and the challenge and importance of reducing the stigma of participation. These findings underscore how the USDA waivers increased food service directors’ ability to flexibly and creatively solve problems related to summer meal delivery. The FSDs believed that several of the waivers helped them increase participation in the summer meal program, suggesting that permanent changes to the summer meal regulations may be appropriate.
Sampling Low Air Pollution Concentrations at a Neighborhood Scale in a Desert U.S. Metropolis with Volatile Weather Patterns
Authors: Lothrop Nathan , Lopez-Galvez Nicolas , Canales Robert A. , O’Rourke Mary Kay , Guerra Stefano , Beamer Paloma
Published: March 2022

Background: Neighborhood-scale air pollution sampling methods have been used in a range of settings but not in low air pollution airsheds with extreme weather events such as volatile precipitation patterns and extreme summer heat and aridity—all of which will become increasingly common with climate change. The desert U.S. metropolis of Tucson, AZ, has historically low air pollution and a climate marked by volatile weather, presenting a unique opportunity. Methods: We adapted neighborhood-scale air pollution sampling methods to measure ambient NO2, NOx, and PM2.5 and PM10 in Tucson, AZ. Results: The air pollution concentrations in this location were well below regulatory guidelines and those of other locations using the same methods. While NO2 and NOx were reliably measured, PM2.5 measurements were moderately correlated with those from a collocated reference monitor (r = 0.41, p = 0.13), potentially because of a combination of differences in inlet heights, oversampling of acutely high PM2.5 events, and/or pump operation beyond temperature specifications. Conclusion: As the climate changes, sampling methods should be reevaluated for accuracy and precision, especially those that do not operate continuously. This is even more critical for low-pollution airsheds, as studies on low air pollution concentrations will help determine how such ambient exposures relate to health outcomes.
Positive Mental Health in University Students and Its Relations with Psychological Vulnerability, Mental Health Literacy, and Sociodemographic Characteristics: A Descriptive Correlational Study
Authors: Teixeira Sónia , Ferré-Grau Carme , Canut Teresa Lluch , Pires Regina , Carvalho José Carlos , Ribeiro Isilda , Sequeira Carolina , Rodrigues Teresa , Sampaio Francisco , Costa Tiago , Sequeira Carlos Alberto
Published: March 2022

This study aimed to evaluate positive mental health (PMH) and its relation with sociodemographic characteristics, mental health literacy, and the psychological vulnerability scale (PVS) in Portuguese university students aged 17 to 62. A descriptive correlational study was carried out. An online survey was conducted to evaluate demographic variables, and several questionnaires were applied to evaluate positive mental health, psychological vulnerability, and mental health literacy. The data was collected from 1 November 2019 to 1 September 2020. Overall, 3405 students participated in the study. The results show that 67.8% of students revealed a high level of PMH, 31.6% presented a medium level of PMH, and 0.6% had a low level of PMH. Male students reported higher personal satisfaction (t (3170) = −2.39, p = 0.017) and autonomy (t (3170) = −3.33, p = 0.001) in PMH compared to female students. Students without a scholarship scored higher (t (3127) = −2.04, p = 0.42) in PMH than students who held a scholarship. Students who were not displaced from their home reported higher (t (3170) = −1.99, p = 0.047) self-control in PMH than those displaced from their home. University students with higher PMH results had lower PVS results and higher literacy results. The findings of this study will contribute to identifying students’ PMH intervention needs.
Understanding How and Why Alcohol Interventions Prevent and Reduce Problematic Alcohol Consumption among Older Adults: A Systematic Review
Authors: Boumans Jogé , van de Mheen Dike , Crutzen Rik , Dupont Hans , Bovens Rob , Rozema Andrea
Published: March 2022

Problematic alcohol use has been increasing in older adults (55+) in recent decades. Many of the effective interventions that are available to prevent or reduce the negative effects of alcohol consumption are aimed at adults in general. It is unclear whether these interventions also work for older adults. The objective of this review was to understand how (i.e., which elements), in which context, and why (which mechanisms) interventions are successful in preventing or reducing (problematic) alcohol consumption among older adults. A systematic review of articles published between 2000 and 2022 was performed using PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science and CHINAHL. Realist evaluation was used to analyze the data. We found 61 studies on interventions aimed at preventing or reducing problematic alcohol use. Most of the interventions were not specifically designed for older adults but also included older adults. The findings of the current study highlight three major effective elements of interventions: (1) providing information on the consequences of alcohol consumption; (2) being in contact with others and communicating with them about (alcohol) problems; and (3) personalized feedback about drinking behavior. Two of these elements were also used in the interventions especially designed for older adults. Being in contact with others and communicating with them about (alcohol) problems is an important element to pay attention to for developers of alcohol interventions for older adults because loneliness is a problem for this age group and there is a relationship between the use of alcohol and loneliness.
Urbanization Effects on Surface Wind in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area Using a Fan-Sector Method
Authors: Xia Dong , Nie Huiwen , Sun Lei , Wang Jing , Chow Kim-Chiu , Chan Kwing-Lam , Wang Donghai
Published: March 2022

Surface wind directly affects human life, wind energy utilization, the atmospheric environment, and many other aspects. The Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA) megalopolis is experiencing an accelerated progress of urbanization, which may result in the change in surface roughness and atmospheric characteristics. In this study, urbanization effects on surface wind speed (SWS) in the GBA megalopolis, particularly Zhuhai, is investigated by using long-term automatic meteorological measurements, ERA5 reanalysis, and nighttime light data. Results of the analysis show that the averaged SWS has decreased significantly at a rate of −0.53 m s−1 per decade over the past decades. With the help of observation-minus-reanalysis (OMR) method, which excludes the atmospheric circulation effects, we found that the decrease in SWS is mainly contributed by the increase in surface roughness, which may account for as much as 75.5% of the decrease. In other words, it is the rapid development of urbanization, rather than the change in large-scale circulation, that could be mainly responsible for the decrease over the GBA in the context of the increasing global SWS since 2010. In addition, a fan-sector method is established to quantitatively analyze the correspondences between urbanization and roughness changes. It is shown that the decrease in wind speed due to surface roughness change is significantly related to the increase in the nighttime light index (NLI) averaged over the 3 km upstream fan-sectors. Moreover, their correlation reaches to 0.36 (negative) when only accounting for the samples of NLI greater than 10. In general, the fan-sector method offers an additional option for assessing the urbanization effects on SWS.
Apparent Lack of Circovirus Transmission from Invasive Parakeets to Native Birds
Authors: Blanco Guillermo , Morinha Francisco , Carrete Martina , Tella José L.
Published: March 2022

The transmission of pathogens to native species has been highlighted as one of the most important impacts of biological invasions. In this study, we evaluated the presence of psittacine beak and feather disease virus (BFDV) and other circoviruses in native bird species cohabiting with invasive populations of wild rose-ringed (Psittacula krameri) and monk parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus) that were found positive for a particular BFDV genotype in Sevilla, southern Spain. None of the 290 individuals from the 18 native bird species captured showed typical signs of disease caused by BFDV. A sample of 79 individuals from 15 native species showed negative results for the presence of the BFDV genotype previously detected in the sympatric invasive parakeets, as well as any other of the circoviruses tested. Although preliminary, this study suggests a lack of circovirus transmission from invasive parakeets to native birds at the study site. Further research is needed to determine if this apparent absence in transmission depends on the BFDV genotype present in the parakeets, which requires additional screening in other invasive and native populations living in sympatry.
IAGC: Interactive Attention Graph Convolution Network for Semantic Segmentation of Point Clouds in Building Indoor Environment
Authors: Zhai Ruoming , Zou Jingui , He Yifeng , Meng Liyuan
Published: March 2022

Point-based networks have been widely used in the semantic segmentation of point clouds owing to the powerful 3D convolution neural network (CNN) baseline. Most of the current methods resort to intermediate regular representations for reorganizing the structure of point clouds for 3D CNN networks, but they may neglect the inherent contextual information. In our work, we focus on capturing discriminative features with the interactive attention mechanism and propose a novel method consisting of the regional simplified dual attention network and global graph convolution network. Firstly, we cluster homogeneous points into superpoints and construct a superpoint graph to effectively reduce the computation complexity and greatly maintain spatial topological relations among superpoints. Secondly, we integrate cross-position attention and cross-channel attention into a single head attention module and design a novel interactive attention gating (IAG)-based multilayer perceptron (MLP) network (IAG–MLP), which is utilized for the expansion of the receptive field and augmentation of discriminative features in local embeddings. Afterwards, the combination of stacked IAG–MLP blocks and the global graph convolution network, called IAGC, is proposed to learn high-dimensional local features in superpoints and progressively update these local embeddings with the recurrent neural network (RNN) network. Our proposed framework is evaluated on three indoor open benchmarks, and the 6-fold cross-validation results of the S3DIS dataset show that the local IAG–MLP network brings about 1% and 6.1% improvement in overall accuracy (OA) and mean class intersection-over-union (mIoU), respectively, compared with the PointNet local network. Furthermore, our IAGC network outperforms other CNN-based approaches in the ScanNet V2 dataset by at least 7.9% in mIoU. The experimental results indicate that the proposed method can better capture contextual information and achieve competitive overall performance in the semantic segmentation task.
Bone Mass and Osteoblast Activity Are Sex-Dependent in Mice Lacking the Estrogen Receptor α in Chondrocytes and Osteoblast Progenitor Cells
Authors: Steppe Lena , Bülow Jasmin , Tuckermann Jan , Ignatius Anita , Haffner-Luntzer Melanie
Published: March 2022

While estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) is known to be important for bone development and homeostasis, its exact function during osteoblast differentiation remains unclear. Conditional deletion of ERα during specific stages of osteoblast differentiation revealed different bone phenotypes, which were also shown to be sex-dependent. Since hypertrophic chondrocytes can transdifferentiate into osteoblasts and substantially contribute to long-bone development, we aimed to investigate the effects of ERα deletion in both osteoblast and chondrocytes on bone development and structure. Therefore, we generated mice in which the ERα gene was inactivated via a Runx2-driven cyclic recombinase (ERαfl/fl; Runx2Cre). We analyzed the bones of 3-month-old ERαfl/fl; Runx2Cre mice by biomechanical testing, micro-computed tomography, and cellular parameters by histology. Male ERαfl/fl; Runx2Cre mice displayed a significantly increased cortical bone mass and flexural rigidity of the femurs compared to age-matched controls with no active Cre-transgene (ERαfl/fl). By contrast, female ERαfl/fl; Runx2Cre mice exhibited significant trabecular bone loss, whereas in cortical bone periosteal and endosteal diameters were reduced. Our results indicate that the ERα in osteoblast progenitors and hypertrophic chondrocytes differentially contributes to bone mass regulation in male and female mice and improves our understanding of ERα signaling in bone cells in vivo.
The Sleep-Promoting Ventrolateral Preoptic Nucleus: What Have We Learned over the Past 25 Years?
Authors: Arrigoni Elda , Fuller Patrick M.
Published: March 2022

For over a century, the role of the preoptic hypothalamus and adjacent basal forebrain in sleep–wake regulation has been recognized. However, for years, the identity and location of sleep- and wake-promoting neurons in this region remained largely unresolved. Twenty-five years ago, Saper and colleagues uncovered a small collection of sleep-active neurons in the ventrolateral preoptic nucleus (VLPO) of the preoptic hypothalamus, and since this seminal discovery the VLPO has been intensively investigated by labs around the world, including our own. Herein, we first review the history of the preoptic area, with an emphasis on the VLPO in sleep–wake control. We then attempt to synthesize our current understanding of the circuit, cellular and synaptic bases by which the VLPO both regulates and is itself regulated, in order to exert a powerful control over behavioral state, as well as examining data suggesting an involvement of the VLPO in other physiological processes.
Intraocular Delivery of a Collagen Mimetic Peptide Repairs Retinal Ganglion Cell Axons in Chronic and Acute Injury Models
Authors: Ribeiro Marcio , McGrady Nolan R. , Baratta Robert O. , Del Buono Brian J. , Schlumpf Eric , Calkins David J.
Published: March 2022

Vision loss through the degeneration of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons occurs in both chronic and acute conditions that target the optic nerve. These include glaucoma, in which sensitivity to intraocular pressure (IOP) causes early RGC axonal dysfunction, and optic nerve trauma, which causes rapid axon degeneration from the site of injury. In each case, degeneration is irreversible, necessitating new therapeutics that protect, repair, and regenerate RGC axons. Recently, we demonstrated the reparative capacity of using collagen mimetic peptides (CMPs) to heal fragmented collagen in the neuronal extracellular milieu. This was an important step in the development of neuronal-based therapies since neurodegeneration involves matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-mediated remodeling of the collagen-rich environment in which neurons and their axons exist. We found that intraocular delivery of a CMP comprising single-strand fractions of triple helix human type I collagen prevented early RGC axon dysfunction in an inducible glaucoma model. Additionally, CMPs also promoted neurite outgrowth from dorsal root ganglia, challenged in vitro by partial digestion of collagen. Here, we compared the ability of a CMP sequence to protect RGC axons in both inducible glaucoma and optic nerve crush. A three-week +40% elevation in IOP caused a 67% degradation in anterograde transport to the superior colliculus, the primary retinal projection target in rodents. We found that a single intravitreal injection of CMP during the period of IOP elevation significantly reduced this degradation. The same CMP delivered shortly after optic nerve crush promoted significant axonal recovery during the two-week period following injury. Together, these findings support a novel protective and reparative role for the use of CMPs in both chronic and acute conditions affecting the survival of RGC axons in the optic projection to the brain.
GhENODL6 Isoforms from the Phytocyanin Gene Family Regulated Verticillium Wilt Resistance in Cotton
Authors: Zhang Man , Wang Xingfen , Yang Jun , Wang Zhicheng , Chen Bin , Zhang Xinyu , Zhang Dongmei , Sun Zhengwen , Wu Jinhua , Ke Huifeng , Wu Liqiang , Zhang Guiyin , Zhang Yan , Ma Zhiying
Published: March 2022

Verticillium wilt (VW), a fungal disease caused by Verticillium dahliae, currently devastates cotton fiber yield and quality seriously, yet few resistance germplasm resources have been discovered in Gossypium hirsutum. The cotton variety Nongda601 with suitable VW resistance and high yield was developed in our lab, which supplied elite resources for discovering resistant genes. Early nodulin-like protein (ENODL) is mainly related to nodule formation, and its role in regulating defense response has been seldom studied. Here, 41 conserved ENODLs in G. hirsutum were identified and characterized, which could divide into four subgroups. We found that GhENODL6 was upregulated under V. dahliae stress and hormonal signal and displayed higher transcript levels in resistant cottons than the susceptible. The GhENODL6 was proved to positively regulate VW resistance via overexpression and gene silencing experiments. Overexpression of GhENODL6 significantly enhanced the expressions of salicylic acid (SA) hormone-related transcription factors and pathogenicity-related (PR) protein genes, as well as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and SA contents, resulting in improved VW resistance in transgenic Arabidopsis. Correspondingly, in the GhENODL6 silenced cotton, the expression levels of both phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) and 4-coumarate-CoA ligase (4CL) genes significantly decreased, leading to the reduced SA content mediating by the phenylalanine ammonia lyase pathway. Taken together, GhENODL6 played a crucial role in VW resistance by inducing SA signaling pathway and regulating the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). These findings broaden our understanding of the biological roles of GhENODL and the molecular mechanisms underlying cotton disease resistance.
The Challenge and Opportunity of NTRK Inhibitors in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Qin Haixia , Patel Manish
Published: March 2022

With the development of targeted therapy, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients could have more treatment choices if target mutation presents. The neurotrophic tropomyosin receptor kinase (NTRK) has a low prevalence in NSCLC, roughly around 0.5%. FDA had approved two first generation NTRK inhibitors, larotrectinib and entrectinib. Both medications have excellent CNS penetration. This manuscript will review available data on targeting NTRK fusions in NSCLC and mechanisms of drug resistance.