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The radius valley, i.e. a dearth of planets with radii between 1.5 and 2 Earth radii, provides insights into planetary formation and evolution. Using homogenously revised planetary parameters from Kepler 1-min short cadence light curves, we remodel transits of 72 small planets mostly orbiting low-mass stars, improving the precision and accuracy of planet parameters. By combining this sample with a similar sample of planets around higher mass stars, we determine the depth of the radius valley as a function of stellar mass. We find that the radius valley is shallower for low-mass stars compared to their higher mass counterparts. Upon comparison, we find that theoretical models of photoevaporation underpredict the number of planets observed inside the radius valley for low-mass stars: with decreasing stellar mass, the predicted fraction of planets inside the valley remains approximately constant whereas the observed fraction increases. We argue that this provides evidence for the presence of icy planets around low-mass stars. Alternatively, planets orbiting low-mass stars undergo more frequent collisions and scatter in the stars' high-energy output may also cause planets to fill the valley. We predict that more precise mass measurements for planets orbiting low-mass stars would be able to distinguish between these scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pharmacists and physicians play key roles in antimicrobial stewardship. This commentary on a case describes these health professionals' need to collaborate to optimize therapeutic use of antimicrobials in clinical settings. Prescription preauthorization is one antimicrobial stewardship strategy that can meet with some physicians' frustration and generate conflict between pharmacists and prescribing physicians, particularly when pharmacists make alternative treatment recommendations. This commentary considers interprofessional tension concerning prescription preauthorization and suggests strategies for navigating such conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Warming temperatures are altering communities and trophic networks across Earth's ecosystems. While the overall influence of warming on food webs is often context‐dependent, increasing temperatures are predicted to change communities in two fundamental ways: (1) by reducing average body size and (2) by increasing individual metabolic rates. These warming‐induced changes have the potential to influence the distribution of food web fluxes, food web stability, and the relative importance of deterministic and stochastic ecological processes shaping community assembly. Here, we quantified patterns and the relative distribution of organic matter fluxes through stream food webs spanning a broad natural temperature gradient (5–27°C). We then related these patterns to species and community trait distributions of mean body size and population biomass turnover (P:B) within and across streams. We predicted that (1) communities in warmer streams would exhibit smaller body size and higher P:B and (2) organic matter fluxes within warmer communities would increasingly skew toward smaller, higher P:B populations. Across the temperature gradient, warmer communities were characterized by smaller body size (~9% per °C) and higher P:B (~7% faster turnover per °C) populations on average. Additionally, organic matter fluxes within warmer streams were increasingly skewed toward higher P:B populations, demonstrating that warming can restructure organic matter fluxes in both an absolute and relative sense. With warming, the relative distribution of organic matter fluxes was decreasingly likely to arise through the random sorting of species, suggesting stronger selection for traits driving high turnover with increasing temperature. Our study suggests that a warming world will favor energy fluxes through "smaller and faster" populations, and that these changes may be more predictable than previously thought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Persistent pain is a common yet debilitating complication after breast cancer surgery. Given the pervasive effects of this pain disorder on the patient and healthcare system, post-mastectomy pain syndrome (PMPS) is becoming a larger population health problem, especially as the prognosis and survivorship of breast cancer increases. Interventions that prevent persistent pain after breast surgery are needed to improve the quality of life of breast cancer survivors. An intraoperative intravenous lidocaine infusion has emerged as a potential intervention to decrease the incidence of PMPS. We aim to determine the definitive effects of this intervention in patients undergoing breast cancer surgery. Methods: PLAN will be a multicenter, parallel-group, blinded, 1:1 randomized, placebo-controlled trial of 1,602 patients undergoing breast cancer surgery. Adult patients scheduled for a lumpectomy or mastectomy will be randomized to receive an intravenous 2% lidocaine bolus of 1.5 mg/kg with induction of anesthesia, followed by a 2.0 mg/kg/h infusion until the end of surgery, or placebo solution (normal saline) at the same volume. The primary outcome will be the incidence of persistent pain at 3 months. Secondary outcomes include the incidence of pain and opioid consumption at 1 h, 1–3 days, and 12 months after surgery, as well as emotional, physical, and functional parameters, and cost-effectiveness. Discussion: This trial aims to provide definitive evidence on an intervention that could potentially prevent persistent pain after breast cancer surgery. If this trial is successful, lidocaine infusion would be integrated as standard of care in breast cancer management. This inexpensive, widely available, and easily administered intervention has the potential to reduce pain and suffering in an already afflicted patient population, decrease the substantial costs of chronic pain management, potentially decrease opioid use, and improve the quality of life in patients. Trial registration: This trial has been registered on clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04874038, Dr. James Khan. Date of registration: May 5, 2021). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Brief Educational Workshops in Secondary Schools Trial (BESST) is an England-wide school-based cluster randomised controlled trial assessing the clinical and cost-effectiveness of an open-access psychological workshop programme (DISCOVER) for 16–18-year-olds. This baseline paper describes the self-referral and other recruitment processes used in this study and the baseline characteristics of the enrolled schools and participants. Method: We enrolled 900 participants from 57 Secondary schools across England from 4th October 2021 to 10th November 2022. Schools were randomised to receive either the DISCOVER day-long Stress workshop or treatment as usual which included signposting information. Participants will be followed up for 6 months with outcome data collection at baseline, 3-month, and 6-month post randomisation. Results: Schools were recruited from a geographically and ethnically diverse sample across England. To reduce stigma, students were invited to self-refer into the study if they wanted help for stress. Their mean age was 17.2 (SD = 0.6), 641 (71%) were female and 411 (45.6%) were from ethnic minority groups. The general wellbeing of our sample measured using the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ) found 314 (35%) of students exhibited symptoms of depression at baseline. Eighty percent of students reported low wellbeing on the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS) suggesting that although the overall sample mean is below the cut-off for depression, the self-referral approach used in this study supports distressed students in coming forward. Conclusion: The BESST study will continue to follow up participants to collect outcome data and results will be analysed once all the data have been collected. Trial registration: ISRCTN registry ISRCTN90912799. Registered on 28 May 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wastewater treatment plants release complex mixtures of chemicals into the aquatic environment as wastewater effluent (WWE); however, the effects of these mixtures are still poorly understood. Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) are a culturally important species in the Pacific Northwest and are a vital food resource for southern resident killer whales (Orcinus orca) that are listed as 'critically endangered' under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). Chinook populations have declined drastically in this region and have failed to show significant recovery despite regional-to-federal efforts, resulting in many populations being listed as threatened under the ESA. One source of stress to juvenile Chinook is chemical pollution from WWE during their outmigration along river corridors and residency in estuaries. In this study, we investigated effects of WWE on juvenile Chinook health in a ten-day exposure to dilutions of WWE from 0.1% to 20%. At the end of the exposure, we measured endpoints associated with endocrine disruption, brain function, osmoregulation, stress, and metabolism. Exposure to WWE significantly (a = 0.1 for all analyses) induced vitellogenesis, indicating endocrine system disruption. We saw significant reductions in plasma glucose, an indication of stress, and brain Na+/K+-ATPase (NKA) activity, an enzyme essential for neuronal signaling. Lastly, metabolism was affected as evidenced by altered total protein, cholesterol, and albumin in plasma, a drastic decrease in whole body lipid content, and a significant increase in visible liver anomalies. We compared contaminant concentrations in exposure water with effects concentrations from the literature for chemicals known to induce vitellogenin or inhibit brain NKA. For most contaminants, concentrations in exposure waters were several orders of magnitude below effects concentrations in the literature. The exception was estrogenic hormones, which were detected at similar concentrations in this study compared to concentrations in other studies that induced vitellogenin. Based on comparisons to the literature, contaminants measured in this study could not explain the inhibition of brain NKA; however, WWE mixtures contain many quantified and undetected compounds that are likely acting together to cause harmful effects in Chinook. This research highlights the need for improved wastewater treatment to improve aquatic health and mitigate effects to threatened species like Puget Sound Chinook salmon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Targeted metabolomic analysis was conducted on juvenile Chinook salmon exposed for 10 days to wastewater effluent (WWE) from a large urban treatment plant. Exposures included five dilutions of WWE (20%, 5.3%, 1.4%, 0.4%, and 0.1%) and a control with 7 replicates per treatment. Liver was extracted from fish and analyzed via liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry (LC-MS) for 361 endogenous metabolites, of which 185 were detected. Control-versus-treatment comparisons identified several metabolites that were associated with altered biochemical pathways observed for all treatments, including several that are important for energy generation and utilization. These altered pathways are crucial for fish health and may be an early indicator of potential adverse effects on growth, reproduction, behavior, and immune function. Juvenile ocean-type Chinook salmon spend several days to weeks in the nearshore estuary where they may encounter high concentrations of WWE contaminants. They are exposed to a wide range of potent pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and industrial compounds from WWE that have the potential to affect physiological homeostasis and disrupt their normal life cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The atmospheres of small, close-in exoplanets are vulnerable to rapid mass loss during protoplanetary disc dispersal via a process referred to as 'boil-off', in which confining pressure from the local gas disc reduces, inducing atmospheric loss and contraction. We construct self-consistent models of planet evolution during gaseous core accretion and boil-off. As the surrounding disc gas dissipates, we find that planets lose mass via subsonic breeze outflows which allow causal contact to exist between disc and planet. Planets initially accrete of order |$\sim 10~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| in atmospheric mass, however, boil-off can remove |$\gtrsim 90~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| of this mass during disc dispersal. We show that a planet's final atmospheric mass fraction is strongly dictated by the ratio of cooling time-scale to disc dispersal time-scale, as well as the planet's core mass and equilibrium temperature. With contributions from core cooling and radioactivity, we show that core luminosity eventually leads to the transition from boil-off to core-powered mass loss. We find that smaller mass planets closest to their host star may have their atmospheres completely stripped through a combination of boil-off and core-powered mass loss during disc dispersal, implying the existence of a population-level radius gap emerging as the disc disperses. We additionally consider the transition from boil-off/core-powered mass loss to X-ray and extreme ultraviolet (XUV) photoevaporation by considering the penetration of stellar XUV photons below the planet's sonic surface. Finally, we show that planets may open gaps in their protoplanetary discs during the late stages of boil-off, which may enhance mass-loss rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The severe late stage Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) caused by Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense (T.b.r) is characterized by damage to the blood brain barrier, severe brain inflammation, oxidative stress and organ damage. Melarsoprol (MelB) is currently the only treatment available for this disease. MelB use is limited by its lethal neurotoxicity due to post-treatment reactive encephalopathy. This study sought to assess the potential of Ginkgo biloba (GB), a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, to protect the integrity of the blood brain barrier and ameliorate detrimental inflammatory and oxidative events due to T.b.r in mice treated with MelB. Methodology: Group one constituted the control; group two was infected with T.b.r; group three was infected with T.b.r and treated with 2.2 mg/kg melarsoprol for 10 days; group four was infected with T.b.r and administered with GB 80 mg/kg for 30 days; group five was given GB 80mg/kg for two weeks before infection with T.b.r, and continued thereafter and group six was infected with T.b.r, administered with GB and treated with MelB. Results: Co-administration of MelB and GB improved the survival rate of infected mice. When administered separately, MelB and GB protected the integrity of the blood brain barrier and improved neurological function in infected mice. Furthermore, the administration of MelB and GB prevented T.b.r-induced microcytic hypochromic anaemia and thrombocytopenia, as well as T.b.r-driven downregulation of total WBCs. Glutathione analysis showed that co-administration of MelB and GB prevented T.b.r-induced oxidative stress in the brain, spleen, heart and lungs. Notably, GB averted peroxidation and oxidant damage by ameliorating T.b.r and MelB-driven elevation of malondialdehyde (MDA) in the brain, kidney and liver. In fact, the co-administered group for the liver, registered the lowest MDA levels for infected mice. T.b.r-driven elevation of serum TNF-α, IFN-γ, uric acid and urea was abrogated by MelB and GB. Co-administration of MelB and GB was most effective in stabilizing TNFα levels. GB attenuated T.b.r and MelB-driven up-regulation of nitrite. Conclusion: Utilization of GB as an adjuvant therapy may ameliorate detrimental effects caused by T.b.r infection and MelB toxicity during late stage HAT. Author summary: Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) is a lethal disease caused by Trypanosoma brucei gambiense or Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense (T.b.r) protozoan parasites. The only treatment available for the late, CNS stage due to T.b.r, is melarsoprol (MelB). Notably, MelB has an arsenic moiety, that makes it very neurotoxic, causing fatal post-treatment reactive encephalopathy in about 5% of those treated. This level of drug-induced mortality is unacceptable in this day and age. The question is, how can we block T.b.r-induced organ damage and safely administer MelB? In the late stage HAT, parasites wreak havoc by inducing severe oxidative stress, inflammation and breach of the blood brain barrier (bbb); while on the other hand, MelB is driving lethal encephalopathy. We used a HAT mouse model and sought to elucidate the potential of a standardized GB extract–a potent antioxidant anti-inflammatory, to alleviate T.b.r-driven damage to the bbb, induction of oxidative stress and inflammation; while ameliorating MelB-driven neurotoxic effects. According to the results, GB protected from lethal parasite induced organ damage, as well as MelB toxicity, providing a novel approach for development of an adjuvant therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Inhibition of the adenosine 2A receptor (A2AR) diminishes the immunosuppressive effects of adenosine and may complement immune-targeting drugs. This phase 2 study evaluated the A2AR antagonist AZD4635 in combination with durvalumab or oleclumab in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Methods: Patients with histologically/cytologically confirmed disease progressing within 6 months on ≥ 2 therapy lines were randomly assigned to either Module 1 (AZD4635 + durvalumab) or Module 2 (AZD4635 + oleclumab). Primary endpoints were objective response rate per RECIST v1.1 and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response rate. Secondary endpoints included radiological progression-free survival (rPFS), overall survival, safety, and pharmacokinetics. Results: Fifty-nine patients were treated (Module 1, n = 29; Module 2, n = 30). Median number of prior therapies was 4. One confirmed complete response by RECIST (Module 1) and 2 confirmed PSA responses (1 per module) were observed. The most frequent adverse events (AEs) possibly related to AZD4635 were nausea (37.9%), fatigue (20.7%), and decreased appetite (17.2%) in Module 1; nausea (50%), fatigue (30%), and vomiting (23.3%) in Module 2. No dose-limiting toxicities or treatment-related serious AEs were observed. In Module 1, AZD4635 geometric mean trough concentration was 124.9 ng/mL (geometric CV% 69.84; n = 22); exposures were similar in Module 2. In Modules 1 and 2, median (95% CI) rPFS was 2.3 (1.6 –3.8) and 1.5 (1.3– 4.0) months, respectively. Median PFS was 1.7 versus 2.3 months for patients with high versus low blood-based adenosine signature. Conclusion: In this heavily pretreated population, AZD4635 with durvalumab or oleclumab demonstrated minimal antitumor activity with a manageable safety profile. Clinical Trial.gov identifier: NCT04089553. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The heart is a metabolic "omnivore" and adjusts its energy source depending on the circulating metabolites. Human cardiac organoids, a three-dimensional in vitro model of the heart wall, are a useful tool to study cardiac physiology and pathology. However, cardiac tissue naturally experiences shear stress and nutrient fluctuations via blood flow in vivo, whilst in vitro models are conventionally cultivated in a static medium. This necessitates the regular refreshing of culture media, which creates acute cellular disturbances and large metabolic fluxes. To culture human cardiac organoids in a more physiological manner, we have developed a perfused bioreactor for cultures in a 96-well plate format. The designed bioreactor is easy to fabricate using a common culture plate and a 3D printer. Its open system allows for the use of traditional molecular biology techniques, prevents flow blockage issues, and provides easy access for sampling and cell assays. We hypothesized that a perfused culture would create more stable environment improving cardiac function and maturation. We found that lactate is rapidly produced by human cardiac organoids, resulting in large fluctuations in this metabolite under static culture. Despite this, neither medium perfusion in bioreactor culture nor lactate supplementation improved cardiac function or maturation. In fact, RNA sequencing revealed little change across the transcriptome. This demonstrates that cardiac organoids are robust in response to fluctuating environmental conditions under normal physiological conditions. Together, we provide a framework for establishing an easily accessible perfusion system that can be adapted to a range of miniaturized cell culture systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chaperone‐mediated autophagy (CMA) is a lysosome‐dependent degradation pathway that eliminates proteins that are damaged, partially unfolded, or targeted for selective proteome remodeling. CMA contributes to several cellular processes, including stress response and proteostasis. Age‐associated increase in cellular stressors and decrease in CMA contribute to pathologies associated with aging in various tissues. CMA contributes to bone homeostasis in young mice. An age‐associated reduction in CMA was reported in osteoblast lineage cells; however, whether declining CMA contributes to skeletal aging is unknown. Herein we show that cellular stressors stimulate CMA in UAMS‐32 osteoblastic cells. Moreover, the knockdown of an essential component of the CMA pathway, LAMP2A, sensitizes osteoblasts to cell death caused by DNA damage, ER stress, and oxidative stress. As elevations in these stressors are thought to contribute to age‐related bone loss, we hypothesized that declining CMA contributes to the age‐associated decline in bone formation by sensitizing osteoblast lineage cells to elevated stressors. To test this, we aged male CMA‐deficient mice and controls up to 24 months of age and examined age‐associated changes in bone mass and architecture. We showed that lack of CMA did not alter age‐associated decline in bone mineral density as measured by dual x‐ray absorptiometry (DXA). Moreover, microCT analysis performed at 24 months of age showed that vertebral cancellous bone volume, cortical thickness, and porosity of CMA‐deficient and control mice were similar. Taken together, these results suggest that reduction of CMA does not contribute to age‐related bone loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The HIV-1 capsid has emerged as a tractable target for antiretroviral therapy. Lenacapavir, developed by Gilead Sciences, is the first capsid-targeting drug approved for medical use. Here, we investigate the effect of lenacapavir on HIV capsid stability and uncoating. We employ a single particle approach that simultaneously measures capsid content release and lattice persistence. We demonstrate that lenacapavir's potent antiviral activity is predominantly due to lethal hyperstabilisation of the capsid lattice and resultant loss of compartmentalisation. This study highlights that disrupting capsid metastability is a powerful strategy for the development of novel antivirals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bright galaxies at submillimetre wavelengths from Herschel are now well known to be predominantly strongly gravitationally lensed. The same models that successfully predicted this strongly lensed population also predict about 1 per cent of faint 450 μm-selected galaxies from deep James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) surveys will also be strongly lensed. Follow-up ALMA campaigns have so far found one potential lens candidate, but without clear compelling evidence, for example, from lensing arcs. Here, we report the discovery of a compelling gravitational lens system confirming the lensing population predictions, with a z s = 3.4 ± 0.4 submm source lensed by a z spec = 0.360 foreground galaxy within the COSMOS field, identified through public JWST imaging of a 450 μm source in the SCUBA-2 Ultra Deep Imaging EAO Survey (STUDIES) catalogue. These systems will typically be well within the detectable range of future wide-field surveys such as Euclid and Roman , and since submillimetre galaxies are predominantly very red at optical/near-infrared wavelengths, they will tend to appear in near-infrared channels only. Extrapolating to the Euclid -Wide survey, we predict tens of thousands of strongly lensed near-infrared galaxies. This will be transformative for the study of dusty star-forming galaxies at cosmic noon, but will be a contaminant population in searches for strongly lensed ultra-high-redshift galaxies in Euclid and Roman. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the widespread use of the pour-through extraction procedure in horticultural production and research, the objective of this study was to determine if the method is biased by preferentially extracting substrate solution near the bottom of the container in both conventionally filled containers as well as intentionally stratified containers. Eight treatments were created using 2.5-L, 17.5-cm tall plastic nursery containers. The first four treatments were created by layering a conventional pine bark substrate (CONV) that was either amended (+A) or nonamended (2A) with fertilizer and lime with the following layers: amended substrate throughout the entire container profile (+A/+A); amended substrate in the top half (top 8.5 cm) over nonamended substrate in the bottom half of the container profile (+A/2A); nonamended substrate in the top half over amended substrate in the bottom half (2A/+A); and nonamended substrate throughout the profile (2A/2A). An additional four treatments were created by intentionally stratifying (STRAT) a fine pine bark substrate (FINE) over a coarse pine bark substrate (CRSE) with the same amendment combinations of +A or 2A. On 0 and 42 d after potting, substrate pH and electrical conductivity (EC) were determined on samples collected by the pour-through procedure and 1:1 water extracts of the top and bottom layers in the container. At 42 d after potting, nutrient ions (NO3 2, PO4 22, K, Ca, Mg, and SO4 22) were also measured in both pour-through and 1:1 water extracts of the top and bottom layers. At both dates and in both CONV and STRAT containers, pourthrough substrate pH and EC more closely reflected those measurements in the bottom half of the container as determined by the 1:1 water extract. At 42 d after potting, nutrient ions determined by the pour-through procedure were more highly correlated to the 1:1 water extracts from the bottom half of the container compared with the top half of the container in both CONV and STRAT substrates. Evidence herein demonstrates that the pour-through procedure is more reflective of the lower half of the container than the upper half for both CONV and stratified substrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relativistic outflows that produce long gamma-ray bursts (LGRBs) can be described by a structured jet model where prompt |$\gamma$| -ray emission is restricted to a narrow region in the jet's core. Viewing the jet off-axis from the core, a population of afterglows without an associated GRB detection can be predicted. In this work, we conduct an archival search for these 'orphan' afterglows (OAs) with minute-cadence, deep (⁠|$g\sim 23$|⁠) data from the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) taken as part of the Deeper, Wider, Faster programme (DWF). We introduce a method to select fast-evolving OA candidates within DWF data that comprises a machine learning model, based on a realistic synthetic population of OAs. Using this classifier, we recover 51 OA candidates. Of these candidates, 42 are likely flare events from M-class stars. The remaining nine possess quiescent, coincident sources in archival data with angular profiles consistent with a star and are inconsistent with the expected population of LGRB host galaxies. We therefore conclude that these are likely Galactic events. We calculate an upper limit on the rate of OAs down to |$g\lt 22$| AB mag of 7.46 deg |$^{-2}$| yr |$^{-1}$| using our criteria and constrain possible jet structures. We also place an upper limit of the characteristic angle between the |$\gamma$| -ray-emitting region and the jet's half-opening angle. For a smooth power law and a power law with core jet model, respectively, these values are |$58.3^{\circ }$| and |$56.6^{\circ }$|⁠ , for a power-law index of 0.8 and |$75.3^{\circ }$| and |$76.8^{\circ }$| for a power-law index of 1.2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Much has been written about the utility of genomic databases to public health. Within food safety these databases contain data from two types of isolates—those from patients (i.e., clinical) and those from non-clinical sources (e.g., a food manufacturing environment). A genetic match between isolates from these sources represents a signal of interest. We investigate the match rate within three large genomic databases (Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella) and the smaller Cronobacter database; the databases are part of the Pathogen Detection project at NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information). Results: Currently, the match rate of clinical isolates to non-clinical isolates is 33% for L. monocytogenes, 46% for Salmonella, and 7% for E. coli. These match rates are associated with several database features including the diversity of the organism, the database size, and the proportion of non-clinical BioSamples. Modeling match rate via logistic regression showed relatively good performance. Our prediction model illustrates the importance of populating databases with non-clinical isolates to better identify a match for clinical samples. Such information should help public health officials prioritize surveillance strategies and show the critical need to populate fledgling databases (e.g., Cronobacter sakazakii). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluations of treatment efficacy in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a rare genetic disease that results in progressive muscle wasting, require an understanding of the 'meaningfulness' of changes in functional measures. We estimated the minimal detectable change (MDC) for selected motor function measures in ambulatory DMD, i.e., the minimal degree of measured change needed to be confident that true underlying change has occurred rather than transient variation or measurement error. MDC estimates were compared across multiple data sources, representing >1000 DMD patients in clinical trials and real-world clinical practice settings. Included patients were ambulatory, aged ≥4 to <18 years and receiving steroids. Minimal clinically important differences (MCIDs) for worsening were also estimated. Estimated MDC thresholds for >80% confidence in true change were 2.8 units for the North Star Ambulatory Assessment (NSAA) total score, 1.3 seconds for the 4-stair climb (4SC) completion time, 0.36 stairs/second for 4SC velocity and 36.3 meters for the 6-minute walk distance (6MWD). MDC estimates were similar across clinical trial and real-world data sources, and tended to be slightly larger than MCIDs for these measures. The identified thresholds can be used to inform endpoint definitions, or as benchmarks for monitoring individual changes in motor function in ambulatory DMD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Le Dantec virus (LDV), assigned to the species Ledantevirus ledantec, genus Ledantevirus, family Rhabdoviridae has been associated with human disease but has gone undetected since the 1970s. We describe the detection of LDV in a human case of undifferentiated fever in Uganda by metagenomic sequencing and demonstrate a serological response using ELISA and pseudotype neutralisation. By screening 997 individuals sampled in 2016, we show frequent exposure to ledanteviruses with 76% of individuals seropositive in Western Uganda, but lower seroprevalence in other areas. Serological cross-reactivity as measured by pseudotype-based neutralisation was confined to ledanteviruses, indicating population seropositivity may represent either exposure to LDV or related ledanteviruses. We also describe the discovery of a closely related ledantevirus in blood from the synanthropic rodent Mastomys erythroleucus. Ledantevirus infection is common in Uganda but is geographically heterogenous. Further surveys of patients presenting with acute fever are required to determine the contribution of these emerging viruses to febrile illness in Uganda. Author summary: Understanding the viruses capable of human infection is important for outbreak prevention and early intervention in viral epidemics. Le Dantec virus (LDV) is a member of the viral genus Ledantevirus (Rhabodoviridae) and has previously been isolated only once previously in a child with febrile illness in Senegal in 1965. We detected the genome of LDV in blood sampled from a patient presenting with febrile illness in Western Uganda in 2012. To estimate the extent to which LDV may be causing human infection in the region, we tested stored blood samples collected in 2016 for evidence of antibodies to LDV, revealing that up to 76% of Ugandans in some areas had previously been exposed to either to LDV or a closely related virus. Seroprevalence was highest in Western Uganda, an area of high biodiversity where several other ledanteviruses have been isolated in association with ectoparasites of bats. To investigate potential ecological reservoirs of zoonotic viruses we tested blood from wild rodents inhabiting areas close to human settlements. We detected a new ledantevirus, closely related to LDV, in blood from a wild rodent Mastomys erythroleucus. Our work shows that ledanteviruses are a common cause of human infection in Uganda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quorum sensing (QS) is a regulatory mechanism used by bacteria to coordinate group behavior in response to high cell densities. During QS, cells monitor the concentration of external signals, known as autoinducers, as a proxy for cell density. QS often involves positive feedback loops, leading to the upregulation of genes associated with QS signal production and detection. This results in distinct steady-state concentrations of QS-related molecules in QS-ON and QS-OFF states. Due to the slow decay rates of biomolecules such as proteins, even after removal of the initial stimuli, cells can retain elevated levels of QS-associated biomolecules for extended periods of time. This persistence of biomolecules after the removal of the initial stimuli has the potential to impact the response to future stimuli, indicating a memory of past exposure. This phenomenon, which is a consequence of the carry-over of biomolecules rather than genetic inheritance, is known as "phenotypic" memory. This theoretical study aims to investigate the presence of phenotypic memory in QS and the conditions that influence this memory. Numerical simulations based on ordinary differential equations and analytical modeling were used to study gene expression in response to sudden changes in cell density and extracellular signal concentrations. The model examined the effect of various cellular parameters on the strength of QS memory and the impact on gene regulatory dynamics. The findings revealed that QS memory has a transient effect on the expression of QS-responsive genes. These consequences of QS memory depend strongly on how cell density was perturbed, as well as various cellular parameters, including the Fold Change in the expression of QS-regulated genes, the autoinducer synthesis rate, the autoinducer threshold required for activation, and the cell growth rate. Author summary: Bacteria use a mechanism known as quorum sensing (QS) to collaborate when their numbers are high. In various QS systems, cells detect specific signals that trigger certain genes, resulting in increased production of certain molecules in response to these signals. Interestingly, these molecules can linger even after the initial signal is gone, which can resemble a form of "memory." Our theoretical study focuses on exploring this memory and the factors that influence it. To do this, we used simulations and models to examine how history of exposure to signals can affect the future response, when signals are removed, and cell density is reduced. We found that the prior exposure to signals can influence how bacteria respond in the future, but this effect occurs under specific conditions. This research contributes to our understanding of quorum sensing and how bacteria adapt to environmental changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Open-source licenses are infrastructure that collaborative communities inhabit. These licenses don't just define the legal terms under which members (and outsiders) can use and build on the contributions of others. They also reflect a community's consensus on the reciprocal obligations that define it as a community. A license is a statement of values, in legally executable form, adapted for daily use. As such, a license must be designed, much as the software and hardware that open-source developers create. Sometimes an existing license is fit to purpose and can be adopted without extensive discussion. However, often the technical and social needs of a community do not precisely map onto existing licenses, or the community itself is divided about the norms a license should enforce. In these cases of breakdown, the community itself must debate and design its license, using the same social processes it uses to debate and design the other infrastructure it relies on and the final goods it creates. In this Article, we analyze four case studies of controversy over license design in open-source software and hardware ecosystems. We draw on Stewart Brand's How Buildings Learn, a study of how physical buildings change over time as they are adapted and repurposed to deal with new circumstances by successive generations of users. Similarly, we describe how open-source licenses are adapted and repurposed by different communities confronting challenges. Debates over license drafting and interpretation are a key mechanism of achieving the necessary consensus for successful collaboration. The resulting licenses are the visible traces of the constant political work that sustains open-source collaboration. Successful licenses, like successful buildings, require ongoing maintenance, and the record of license changes over the years is a history of the communities that have inhabited them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of salt water exposure at deep ocean depth pressures when coupled with low temperatures on the material characteristics of three unique additively manufactured polymers has been investigated through a detailed experimental approach. The polymers in the study were manufactured utilizing both Vat Photopolymerization and Material Extrusion printing techniques. The Material Extrusion process was utilized to produce material specimens of Stratasys ULTEM 9085 and Markforged Onyx while the Vat Photopolymerization process was used to produce specimens of Accura ClearVue. The ULTEM 9085 and Markforged Onyx are filament based polymers and the ClearVue is a liquid based resin. The specimens were first submerged in a high pressure, salt water bath of 3.5% NaCl solution at 34.5 MPa (5000 lb/in²) for a total exposure time of 60 days to determine the water absorption characteristics. Subsequent to the salt water exposure at high pressure, the specimens were evaluated to determine changes in tension, compression, flexure, and in-plane fracture properties. To determine the effects of water saturation and low temperature coupling, the mechanical testing was performed at temperatures of 20 °C, 0 °C and -20 °C in both dry and saturated conditions. Additionally, non-destructive testing in the form of TeraHertz and FIRT imaging was conducted to analyze the physical material changes through the thickness of the material due to the saline water absorption. To quantify the change in material storage and loss moduli properties, Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) characterization was performed on each of the AM polymers in dry and saturated states. The DMA testing also quantified changes in the Glass Transition Temperature because of salt water exposure. In summary, The current study investigates the effects of coupled long term/high pressure salt water exposure with low temperatures on the mechanical and material characteristics of three unique AM polymers by: (1) immersing the materials in a salt water solution at 34.5 MPa for 60 days, (2) Conducting post exposure mechanical testing on the materials at 0 °C and -20 °C with comparisons to 20 °C testing on dry specimens, and quantifies changes in material properties through DMA experiments. The results from all testing in the study show that high pressure salt water exposure when coupled with low temperatures has unique effects on each of the materials considered in the study and careful consideration to each parameter must be given based on the material type when components will be employed in marine operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The theory describing the evolution of offspring size often assumes that the production cost per unit volume is the same for small and large offspring. However, this may not be true if indirect costs of reproduction (e.g. material and energetic costs of supporting offspring development) scale disproportionately with offspring size. Here we show how direct and indirect costs of reproduction can be explicitly modeled within the Smith–Fretwell framework and how observations of size-number relationships can thus be used to evaluate indirect costs. We applied this analysis to measures of egg volume and fecundity for over 300 individuals of a coastal fish species and found that the tradeoff was much stronger than the expected inverse (fecundity scaled with volume−1.843). Larger offspring were thus more expensive to produce. For our study species, an important indirect cost was that larger eggs were accompanied by disproportionately more ovarian fluid. Calorimetry and removal experiments were used to further measure both the energetic costs and fitness benefits of ovarian fluid. In addition, we show that indirect costs of reproduction can intensify size-number tradeoffs in a variety of fishes. Indirect costs of reproduction can be large and may therefore play an important role in the evolution of offspring size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evolutionary theory predicts that the accumulation of deleterious mutations in asexually reproducing organisms should lead to genomic decay. Clonally reproducing cell lines, i.e. transmissible cancers, when cells are transmitted as allografts/xenografts, break these rules and survive for centuries and millennia. The currently known 11 transmissible cancer lineages occur in dogs (canine venereal tumour disease), in Tasmanian devils (devil facial tumor diseases, DFT1 and DFT2), and in bivalves (bivalve transmissible neoplasia). Despite the mutation loads of these cell lines being much higher than observed in human cancers, they have not been eliminated in space and time. Here, we provide potential explanations for how these fascinating cell lines may have overcome the fitness decline due to the progressive accumulation of deleterious mutations and propose that the high mutation load may carry an indirect positive fitness outcome. We offer ideas on how these host–pathogen systems could be used to answer outstanding questions in evolutionary biology. The recent studies on the evolution of these clonal pathogens reveal key mechanistic insight into transmissible cancer genomes, information that is essential for future studies investigating how these contagious cancer cell lines can repeatedly evade immune recognition, evolve, and survive in the landscape of highly diverse hosts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Millimeter‐to‐nanometer‐sized iron‐ and nickel‐rich metals are ubiquitous on the lunar surface. The proposed origin of these metals falls into two broad classes which should have distinct geochemical signatures—(1) the reduction of iron‐bearing minerals or (2) the addition of metals from meteoritic sources. The metals measured here from the Apollo 16 regolith possess low Ni (2–6 wt%) and elevated Ge (80–350 ppm) suggesting a meteoritic origin. However, the measured Ni is lower, and the Ge higher than currently known iron meteorites. In comparison to the low Ni iron meteorites, the even lower Ni and higher Ge contents exhibited by these lunar metals are best explained by impact‐driven volatilization and condensation of Ni‐poor meteoritic metal during their impact and addition to the lunar surface. The presence of similar, low Ni‐bearing metals in Apollo return samples from geographically distant sites suggests that this geochemical signature might not be restricted to just the Apollo 16 locality and that volatility‐driven modification of meteoritic metals are a common feature of lunar regolith formation. The possibility of a significant low Ni/high Ge meteoritic component in the lunar regolith, and the observation of chemical fractionation during emplacement, has implications for the interpretation of both lunar remote‐sensing data and bulk geochemical data derived from sample return material. Additionally, our observation of predominantly meteoritic sourced metals has implications for the prevalence of meteoritic addition on airless planetary bodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant–plant interactions, often studied in the context of plant traits, are considered crucial assembly mechanisms for plant communities and offer insights into how neighbours affect growth. Three key questions regarding these interactions have theoretical importance but limited empirical support: (1) does similarity in plant traits enhance competitive interactions among species, (2) is the "competitive environment" determined through plant traits of the resident species, and (3) do greater species diversity and niche use result in increased competition among co‐occurring species. Here we use a simple experimental design to directly test these foundational questions.In a mesocosm experiment using native grassland fragments, we investigated our questions simultaneously by manipulating trait relationships among resident and colonizing plants. To assess the net impact of neighbours on plant growth, we measured the degree of suppression experienced by focal plants compared to growth in the absence of neighbours. We further tested whether trait‐function relationships are context‐dependent by modifying available resources.Contrary to the limiting similarity hypothesis, we found that reduced overall dissimilarity mitigated neighbour‐induced growth suppression, with more negative effects occurring among dissimilar neighbours. The influence of trait dissimilarity depended on nutrient context and was stronger under increased resource availability. We found little support for the idea that specific plant traits are "functional" in creating competitive environments: no community traits (community weighted means) were associated with net neighbour effects. In contrast, resource supply significantly affected species interactions, with increased resources exacerbating negative neighbour effects on plant growth.We found that plant trait dissimilarity does function in competition but is contingent on resource context. However, trait values were not inherently competitive: traits may have physiological functions but did not function in focal plants' competitive response. We provide some of the limited data directly testing the core mechanisms of community assembly. We encourage such direct experimental tests as they are essential to building an understanding of ecological processes. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experiencing existing spaces and designed environments, as well as engaging with their possibilities and production, is fundamental to students' learning in construction and built environments disciplines. Site visits serve a range of learning objectives, and offer a place and a mode to practice professional expertise. The major dislocation of learning and teaching precipitated by COVID-19 required reimagining these authentic and valuable site experiences. This article explores the design of virtual site visits (VSVs) through the lens of teaching activities and learning aims, and describes a VSV typology developed through a phenomenographic approach. The typology draws on exemplars and related interviews with designers and educators from across a built environments faculty of a comprehensive Australian university. It distinguishes between those developed to inspire and contextualize; those that demonstrate or demarcate; and those that ground abstract experiences via specific locations. This work suggests complementary roles for virtual and physical site visits within hybrid and flexible learning environments, even while much teaching returns to campus. It is relevant to academic developers who seek to frame the use of VSVs through learning rather than technical lenses, and all educators who aim to incorporate site experiences for student learning ... wherever they are. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The Open Payments Program (OPP), established in 2013 under the Sunshine Act, mandated medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers to submit records of financial incentives given to physicians for public availability. The study aims to characterize the gap in real general and real research payments between man and woman urologists. Materials and Methods: The study sample included all urologists in the United States who received at least one general or research payment in the OPP database from 2015 to 2021. Recipients were identified using the National Provider Identifier and National Downloadable File datasets. Payments were analyzed by geography, year, payment type, and years since graduation. Multivariable analysis on odds of being in above the median in terms of money received was done with gender as a covariate. This analysis was also completed for all academic urologists. Results: There was a total of 15,980 urologists; 13.6% were woman, and 86.4% were man. Compared to man urologists, woman urologists were less likely to be in the top half of total payments received (odds ratio [OR] 0.62) when adjusted for other variables. When looking at academic urologists, 18.1% were woman and 81.9% were man. However, woman academic urologists were even less likely to be in the top 50% of payments received (OR 0.55). Conclusions: This study is the first to characterize the difference in industry payments between man and woman urologists. The results should be utilized to educate physicians and industry, in order to achieve equitable engagement and funding for woman urologists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global forests are increasingly lost to climate change, disturbance, and human management. Evaluating forests' capacities to regenerate and colonize new habitats has to start with the seed production of individual trees and how it depends on nutrient access. Studies on the linkage between reproduction and foliar nutrients are limited to a few locations and few species, due to the large investment needed for field measurements on both variables. We synthesized tree fecundity estimates from the Masting Inference and Forecasting (MASTIF) network with foliar nutrient concentrations from hyperspectral remote sensing at the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) across the contiguous United States. We evaluated the relationships between seed production and foliar nutrients for 56,544 tree‐years from 26 species at individual and community scales. We found a prevalent association between high foliar phosphorous (P) concentration and low individual seed production (ISP) across the continent. Within‐species coefficients to nitrogen (N), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg) are related to species differences in nutrient demand, with distinct biogeographic patterns. Community seed production (CSP) decreased four orders of magnitude from the lowest to the highest foliar P. This first continental‐scale study sheds light on the relationship between seed production and foliar nutrients, highlighting the potential of using combined Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) and hyperspectral remote sensing to evaluate forest regeneration. The fact that both ISP and CSP decline in the presence of high foliar P levels has immediate application in improving forest demographic and regeneration models by providing more realistic nutrient effects at multiple scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hierarchical models can express ecological dynamics using a combination of fixed and random effects, and measurement of their complexity (effective degrees of freedom, EDF) requires estimating how much random effects are shrunk toward a shared mean. Estimating EDF is helpful to (1) penalize complexity during model selection and (2) to improve understanding of model behavior. I applied the conditional Akaike Information Criterion (cAIC) to estimate EDF from the finite‐difference approximation to the gradient of model predictions with respect to each datum. I confirmed that this has similar behavior to widely used Bayesian criteria, and I illustrated ecological applications using three case studies. The first compared model parsimony with or without time‐varying parameters when predicting density‐dependent survival, where cAIC favors time‐varying demographic parameters more than conventional Akaike Information Criterion. The second estimates EDF in a phylogenetic structural equation model, and identifies a larger EDF when predicting longevity than mortality rates in fishes. The third compares EDF for a species distribution model fitted for 20 bird species and identifies those species requiring more model complexity. These highlight the ecological and statistical insight from comparing EDF among experimental units, models, and data partitions, using an approach that can be broadly adopted for nonlinear ecological models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite evidence inferring muscle and contractile mode‐specific effects of high‐fat diet (HFD), no study has yet considered the impact of HFD directly on eccentric muscle function. The present work uniquely examined the effect of 20‐week HFD on the isometric, concentric and eccentric muscle function of isolated mouse soleus (SOL) and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles. CD‐1 female mice were randomly split into a control (n = 16) or HFD (n = 17) group and for 20 weeks consumed standard lab chow or HFD. Following this period, SOL and EDL muscles were isolated and assessments of maximal isometric force and concentric work loop (WL) power were performed. Each muscle was then subjected to either multiple concentric or eccentric WL activations. Post‐fatigue recovery, as an indicator of incurred damage, was measured via assessment of concentric WL power. In the EDL, absolute concentric power and concentric power normalised to muscle mass were reduced in the HFD group (P < 0.038). HFD resulted in faster concentric fatigue and reduced eccentric activity‐induced muscle damage (P < 0.05). For the SOL, maximal isometric force was increased, and maximal eccentric power normalised to muscle mass and concentric fatigue were reduced in the HFD group (P < 0.05). HFD effects on eccentric muscle function are muscle‐specific and have little relationship with changes in isometric or concentric function. HFD has the potential to negatively affect the intrinsic concentric and eccentric power‐producing capacity of skeletal muscle, but a lack of a within‐muscle uniform response indicates disparate mechanisms of action which require further investigation. What is the central question of this study?Is there a direct and muscle specific impact of dietary‐induced obesity on eccentric muscle function and to what extent is this comparable to effects on isometric and concentric activity?What is the main finding and its importance?Effects of dietary‐induced obesity on eccentric muscle function are muscle‐specific and have little relationship to changes in isometric or concentric function. Impaired eccentric function could present a significant risk to people living with obesity. Moreover, these data are valuable to inform the design of therapeutic strategies to prevent obesity‐impaired muscle health inferring distinct mechanisms account for contractile mode‐specific effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The distribution of mass in galaxy-scale strong gravitational lenses is often modelled as an elliptical power-law plus 'external shear', which notionally accounts for neighbouring galaxies and cosmic shear along our line of sight. A small amount of external shear could come from these sources, but we show that the vast majority does not. Except in a handful of rare systems, the best-fitting values do not correlate with independent measurements of line-of-sight shear: from weak lensing in 45 Hubble Space Telescope images, or in 50 mock images of lenses with complex distributions of mass. Instead, the best-fit external shear is aligned with the major or minor axis of 88 per cent of lens galaxies; and the amplitude of the external shear increases if that galaxy is discy. We conclude that 'external shear' attached to a power-law model is not physically meaningful, but a fudge to compensate for lack of model complexity. Since it biases other model parameters that are interpreted as physically meaningful in several science analyses (e.g. measuring galaxy evolution, dark matter physics or cosmological parameters), we recommend that future studies of galaxy-scale strong lensing should employ more flexible mass models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To better understand the potential impact of climate change on butterfly assemblages across a tropical island, we model the potential for taxonomic and functional homogenization and determine climate‐ and trait‐mediated shifts in projected species distributions. Location: Puerto Rico. Methods: We used thousands of museum records of diurnal Lepidoptera to model current (1970–2000) and forecast future (2061–2080) species distributions and combined these to test for taxonomic and functional homogenization. We then quantified climatic‐mediated effects on current and forecasted taxonomic and functional composition and, specifically, whether temperature was a primary driver, as predicted by the temperature–size rule and the thermal melanism hypotheses. Finally, we measured wing traits important in thermoregulation (size and colour) and determined trait‐mediated changes in forecasted species distributions over time. Results: Based on ensemble model outputs, taxonomic and functional richness and turnover were predicted to vary across the island's complex topography. Our models projected an increase in taxonomic and functional richness over time, and a decrease in taxonomic and functional turnover – a signature of biotic homogenization. Under future climate scenarios, models projected a decrease in wing length and an increase in wing brightness at higher elevations. One variable, temperature seasonality, was the strongest predicted driver of both the current spatial distribution and the projected per cent change over time for not only wing traits but also taxonomic and functional richness and turnover. Main conclusions: The species distribution models generated here identify several priority regions and species for future research and conservation efforts. Our work also highlights the role of seasonality and climatic variability on diverse tropical Lepidoptera assemblages, suggesting that climatic variability may be an important, albeit overlooked, driver of climate change responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Most of the world's food crops are dependent on pollinators. However, there is a great deal of uncertainty in the strength of this relationship, especially regarding the relative contributions of the honey bee (often a managed species) and wild insects to crop yields on a global scale. Previous data syntheses have likewise reached differing conclusions on whether pollinator species diversity, or only the number of pollinator visits to flowers, is important to crop yield. This study quantifies the current state of these relationships and links to a dynamic version of our analyses that updates automatically as studies become available. Location: Global. Time Period: Present. Taxa studied: Insect pollinators of global crops. Methods: Using a newly created database of 93 crop pollination studies across six continents that roughly triples the number of studies previously available, we analysed the relationship between insect visit rates, pollinator diversity, and crop yields in a series of mixed‐effects models. Results: We found that honey bees and wild insects contribute roughly equal amounts to crop yields worldwide, having similar average flower visitation rates and producing similar increases in yield per visit. We also found that pollinator species diversity was positively associated with increased crop yields even when total visits from all species are accounted for, though it was less explanatory than the total number of visits itself. Main conclusions: Our analysis suggests a middle ground where honey bees are not responsible for the vast majority of crop pollination as has often been assumed in the agricultural literature, and likewise wild insects are not vastly more important than honey bees, as recent global analyses have reported. We also conclude that while pollinator diversity is less important than the number of pollinator visits, these typically involve many species, underscoring the importance of conserving a diversity of wild pollinators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine household food security resilience to conflict and shock in Uganda and Malawi using data from the Household Living Standards Measurement Survey. We collect data on resilience components such as education, asset ownership, dwelling characteristics, water access, and sanitation facilities. Principal component analysis is used to generate factor weights for constructing the Resilience Capacity Index, which measures overall household resilience capacity and individual resilience components. The resilience capacity is then used in regression models to assess its mitigating effects on food security during conflicts and shocks. Our results indicate that resilience capacity significantly reduces the adverse effects of conflict and shock on food security. In Malawi, household head education contributes most to food security, while in Uganda, water access is the most critical component. In Malawi, water access resilience diminishes the impact of conflict, sanitation resilience reduces the impacts of flooding, and dwelling characteristics lessen the effects of drought, although the effect size is small. In Uganda, asset ownership resilience mitigates the impacts of drought, while sanitation resilience reduces the adverse effects of conflict. These findings highlight the importance of different resilience components in enhancing food security under various adverse conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humans make decisions about food every day. The visual system provides important information that forms a basis for these food decisions. Although previous research has focused on visual object and category representations in the brain, it is still unclear how visually presented food is encoded by the brain. Here, we investigate the time-course of food representations in the brain. We used time-resolved multivariate analyses of electroencephalography (EEG) data, obtained from human participants (both sexes), to determine which food features are represented in the brain and whether focused attention is needed for this. We recorded EEG while participants engaged in two different tasks. In one task, the stimuli were task relevant, whereas in the other task, the stimuli were not task relevant. Our findings indicate that the brain can differentiate between food and nonfood items from ∼112 ms after the stimulus onset. The neural signal at later latencies contained information about food naturalness, how much the food was transformed, as well as the perceived caloric content. This information was present regardless of the task. Information about whether food is immediately ready to eat, however, was only present when the food was task relevant and presented at a slow presentation rate. Furthermore, the recorded brain activity correlated with the behavioral responses in an odd-item-out task. The fast representation of these food features, along with the finding that this information is used to guide food categorization decision-making, suggests that these features are important dimensions along which the representation of foods is organized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remains a major cause of liver related morbidity and mortality worldwide. Epidemiologic data on seroprevalence, viremia prevalence and risk factors remain limited in sub-Saharan Africa. In Ghana, HCV-related deaths are estimated to have increased since 2015. Risk factors associated with HCV infection in Ghana are not well described. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of, and risk factors associated with hepatitis C virus infection in the Upper East Region located in the northern part of Ghana. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in 9 communities in the Upper East region of Ghana. A total of 1,769 participants aged ≥12 years were screened for HCV antibody (anti-HCV) using rapid diagnostic testing (RDT). Seventy-four participants undertook HCV RNA testing after a positive anti-HCV result. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine risk factors associated with HCV seropositivity. The anti-HCV prevalence was 8.4%, with 149 out of 1,769 testing anti-HCV positive. Mean age (±SD) of seropositive persons was 45.4 (±16.3) years. The highest anti-HCV seroprevalence was amongst persons aged 60 years and above. Forty-four out of 74 (59.5%) seropositive cases had viremic infection and the estimated viremic prevalence in the screened population was 5.0%. Predictors of HCV seropositivity were age (OR 1.03 95% CI 1.01–1.04), history of female genital mutilation or circumcision (OR 1.63 95% CI 1.04–2.55), sexual activity (OR 2.57 95% CI 1.38–4.79), positive maternal HCV status (OR 10.38 95% CI 4.13–26.05) and positive HIV status (OR 4.03 95% CI 1.35–12.05). In conclusion, the Upper East Region demonstrates a high Hepatitis C antibody prevalence. Almost 60% of individuals have viremic infection, however the cost of RNA testing is a barrier to virological diagnosis. There is a need to educate the population about HCV-associated risk factors to reduce HCV transmission and burden of disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]