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Post-Acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC) is a multisystem disorder causing persistent musculoskeletal deconditioning and reduced lower extremity strength. Electrical stimulation (E-Stim) to the gastrocnemius muscle can enhance strength outcomes by increasing the frequency of muscle fiber activation. We investigated its effect on individuals with PASC. Participants were randomized into intervention (IG) or control (CG) groups. The IG self-administered daily one-hour E-Stim to both their gastrocnemius muscles using a functional device over 4-week, while the CG used a sham device. Primary outcomes were ankle dorsiflexion strength assessed via dynamometry during maximum voluntary contractions, and gastrocnemius voluntary activation (GVA) via surface electromyography. The secondary outcome assessed activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental ADL, and mobility queries. Percentage improvement was calculated. Eighteen patients were analyzed (IG = 10; CG = 8). After 4 week, the IG showed a significantly higher improvement in ankle dorsiflexion strength (222.64%) compared to the CG (51.27%, p = 0.002). Additionally, the IG's ankle dorsiflexion strength improvement significantly correlated with GVA improvement (rho = 0.782) at 4 week. The secondary outcomes did not reveal significant changes in neither group. Self-administered gastrocnemius E-Stim improves ankle dorsiflexion strength in individuals with PASC. However, larger sample sizes and longer interventions are needed to validate these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hemolytic uremic syndrome secondary to Shiga-toxin-producing Escherichia coli infection (STEC-HUS) generally shows a favorable outcome. Few cases develop extra-renal complications, since neurological involvement is an important cause of morbidity and mortality. The role of complement in STEC-HUS has been recently highlighted, and the use of eculizumab in severe cases has been communicated. HUS results from environmental and genetic factors, but the simultaneous occurrence of STEC and complement mutations remains undetermined. Methods: A pediatric case with severe STEC-HUS carrying CFH mutations, with favorable response to eculizumab is analyzed. Results: STEC-HUS was diagnosed in a 4-year-old girl with classic HUS, including low C3. Peritoneal dialysis was started due to hypertension, oligoanuria, and pleural effusion. She evolved with generalized tonic–clonic seizures and required mechanical ventilation. MRI reported multiple supra- and infratentorial ischemic lesions with laminar/striatal cortical necrosis and leukoencephalopathy. After two eculizumab doses, a significative stabilization in diuresis, blood pressure, creatinine, and C3 was achieved. At the third week, episodes of massive digestive bleeding and a life-threatening condition required a colectomy thus preserving the ileocecal valve. Due to atypical evolution, a genetic study was considered, identifying two heterozygous variants (CFH S1191L/V1197A). Conclusion: STEC-HUS in patients with a genetic predisposition has been previously reported, but the low frequency of occurrence makes it a rare disease. As in the present case, patients with atypical course might benefit from genetic analysis to evaluate early eculizumab initiation and to better understand its phenotype. A higher resolution version of the Graphical abstract is available as Supplementary information [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: This review provides a comprehensive atlas of QTLs, genes, and alleles conferring resistance to 28 important diseases in all major soybean production regions in the world. Breeding disease-resistant soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] varieties is a common goal for soybean breeding programs to ensure the sustainability and growth of soybean production worldwide. However, due to global climate change, soybean breeders are facing strong challenges to defeat diseases. Marker-assisted selection and genomic selection have been demonstrated to be successful methods in quickly integrating vertical resistance or horizontal resistance into improved soybean varieties, where vertical resistance refers to R genes and major effect QTLs, and horizontal resistance is a combination of major and minor effect genes or QTLs. This review summarized more than 800 resistant loci/alleles and their tightly linked markers for 28 soybean diseases worldwide, caused by nematodes, oomycetes, fungi, bacteria, and viruses. The major breakthroughs in the discovery of disease resistance gene atlas of soybean were also emphasized which include: (1) identification and characterization of vertical resistance genes reside rhg1 and Rhg4 for soybean cyst nematode, and exploration of the underlying regulation mechanisms through copy number variation and (2) map-based cloning and characterization of Rps11 conferring resistance to 80% isolates of Phytophthora sojae across the USA. In this review, we also highlight the validated QTLs in overlapping genomic regions from at least two studies and applied a consistent naming nomenclature for these QTLs. Our review provides a comprehensive summary of important resistant genes/QTLs and can be used as a toolbox for soybean improvement. Finally, the summarized genetic knowledge sheds light on future directions of accelerated soybean breeding and translational genomics studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ecological restoration is a process that helps the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged or destroyed. The success of restoration actions depend on the understanding of the processes, mechanisms and factors that guide vegetation dynamics. The restoration of plant communities can be made by unassisted (passive restoration, where the community recover by itself) and assisted (active restoration) ecological succession. It is imperative to know the scope of both types of activities to guide future restoration actions by evaluating the properties and functioning of the intervened communities. Methods: Variance analysis of the carbon (C) stocks, basal area, canopy area, Shannon–Weaver index values, specific richness and abundance of three Tamaulipan thornscrub communities (assisted natural succession area, unassisted natural succession area and control area) was performed. Furthermore, a similarity analysis between the sampling areas using the floristic composition (abundance) was performed. Results: In total, 11 families, 17 genera and 20 species of vascular plants were registered. The richness of species and abundance ranked as follows per area: assisted ecological natural succession > control > unassisted ecological natural succession. The species composition between sampling areas showed a low number of common species between plant communities. Conclusions: The values of species richness, diversity, abundance, basal area, and canopy area of the assisted natural succession vegetal community was statistical similar to the control plan community. The values of C stocks showed that assisted ecological succession could recover not only structure and composition attributes but also this key ecosystem property. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: One anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB) is a relatively novel technique with excellent outcomes, comparable to most accepted procedures. Our aim was to compare OAGB and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) in terms of percent of excess weight lost (%EWL) and resolution of comorbidities. Methods: Thirty-three patients were randomly assigned (1:2) to two groups (OAGB = 9 and RYGB = 24). Patients were analyzed prospectively. Results: The 5-year follow-up was 85% (28 patients). Both groups were comparable preoperatively in age, weight, body mass index (BMI), and excess weight. One intraoperative complication in OAGB group and no major postoperative complications for both groups were recorded. Progressive decrease in weight, BMI, and %EWL was observed at 1, 6, 12 months, and 5 years, with no differences between groups. Regarding comorbidities, we registered complete remission in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia with OAGB. RYGB group reported complete remission in T2DM, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Mean operative time were 113.3 min ± 41.2 and 143.7 min ± 21.85 for OAGB and RYGB respectively. Mean number of reloads used was 5 for OAGB and 7 for RYGB, which demands further investigations. Postoperative pain was significantly higher in RYGB group. Hospital stay was 3 days for both groups. Conclusion: At 5-year follow-up, patients of both techniques achieved similar outcomes in terms of %EWL and resolution of comorbidities, without early or mid-term major complications and no mortality. OAGB demonstrated less use of surgical stapling and unexplainably less postoperative pain compared to RYGB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Correction to: Theoretical and Applied Genetics https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-022-04101-3 Due to the publisher's error, Table 16 was repeatedly used for "Rhizoctonia damping off and root rot" (Page 69) and "Bacteria diseases" (Page 70), while the table for "Rhizoctonia damping off and root rot" was missing. In addition, the Plant Introduction (PI) names and soybean germplasm names in the text and tables should not contain comma (for example, PI 96354 should be corrected as PI 96354; S06-13640 should be corrected as S06-13640). We apologize for any inconvenience caused by misunderstanding of the germplasm names. [Extracted from the article]

In this paper we address the problem of step reference tracking in the context of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) constrained feedback control. We study the presence of a channel model in the feedback loop either over the measurement path, between the plant and the controller, or the control path, between the controller and the plant. We start the analysis by considering the memoryless additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel model, and follow-up with the additive coloured Gaussian noise (ACGN) channel with memory model. We observe that the standard SNR constrained feedback loop configuration, when tracking step references, will result in an infinite channel SNR. We show that this situation can be ameliorated by extending the feedback loop configuration with an encoder and decoder. The proposed configurations result in a finite SNR that converges back to the infimal SNR for regulation when the amplitude of the reference signal tends to zero. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The non-extensivity approach based on the Tsallis entropy has been applied to seismicity that occurred from 1988 to 2010 along the Mexican South Pacific coast. We analyzed four different regions, characterized by different subduction patterns. Our results indicate a possible correlation between the non-extensive parameters and the seismicity pattern associated with the inclination angle of each subduction region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The research area of control over networks has attracted great interest in recent years. Inserted in this research area is the study of control feedback limitations imposed by the presence of a communication channel. In this paper we analyze the fundamental limitations in control feedback stabilizability imposed by a class of Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) constrained communication channels. We solve the SNR constrained control over network problem as a linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) optimization with loop transfer recovery (LTR). If the communication channel is located on the feedback path then the LTR is said to be performed at the output. Vice versa, if the communication channel is on the control path, then the recovery is said to be performed at the input. In the present paper we address both cases, namely the LQG optimization with LTR at the output and the LQG optimization with LTR at the input to solve an LTI SNR constrained problem. We then explore the link between these two solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this profile article, we report what we consider to be a rich learning experience which intertwines pedagogy and research: a process of community-based action research which has initiated a transition towards the sustainability of the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) food system. We call this initiative the UBC Food System Project (UBCFSP). The UBCFSP is a jointly initiated project between the Faculty of Land and Food Systems and the UBC Sustainability Office, and includes nine UBC organizational partners and one collaborator. The project emerged out of the recognition that our global, national, regional, and local food systems are increasingly characterized as socially, ecologically, and economically insecure and unsustainable. As a result, these food systems are experiencing an array of vulnerabilities, particularly those that are demonstrated by profound disruptions in our ecosystem and in a worldwide epidemic of malnutrition. The overall objective of the project is to conduct a campus-wide UBC food system sustainability assessment, where barriers that hinder and opportunities to make transitions towards food system sustainability are being collaboratively identified and implemented. This article is part of a series intending to share the experiences gathered so far through the project. The purpose of this profile is to provide a brief overview of the UBC Food System Project, including the context and significance, both the pedagogical approach and research methods, and some accomplishments to date. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Chile has been touted for developing a broad market liberalization and opening to the international economy, evidence is emerging that such neoliberal economic policies are dramatically impacting biodiversity and the natural resource base. This paper examines the evidence on the plundering of forestry and fishery resources and the damming and pollution of aquatic ecosystems. Although it may be argued that economic liberalization policies have been effective in reallocating agricultural resources toward more competitive activities, the ecological toll imposed by the expansion of export-led modern agriculture has been heavy. An effective agricultural development strategy in Chile should confront such ecological costs and should promote alternatives to high input agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The composition, structure and biological diversity of two regenerated areas after livestock activities in a Tamaulipan thornscrub vegetation from Northeast Mexico were evaluated. The regeneration of each area was evaluated with the establishment of 12 sampling sites of 50m2. From the data obtained ecological indexes such as: Importance Value Index and Diversity (alpha and beta) were evaluated. Results: A total of 17 families, 40 genera and 42 species were registered, the most representative family was Fabaceae with 11 spp. The intensive livestock area had 36 species; a Margalef index of 4.44 and a 1.24 Shannon index, while the extensive livestock area had 32 species, a Margalef index of 4.24 and a 2.16 Shannon index. The communities evaluated have a (48%) mean similarity. Conclusions: 1) Regenerated communities after livestock use showed higher richness of species and alpha diversity. 2) Evaluated communities have a mean similarity of (48%). 3) Even after 25 years of regeneration the most dominant species was Cenchrus ciliaris that is used for cattle forage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]