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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic upended our approach to imaging community-acquired pneumonia, and this will alter our diagnostic algorithms for years to come. In light of these changes, it is worthwhile to consider several postpandemic scenarios of community-acquired pneumonia: (1) patient with pneumonia and recent positive COVID-19 testing; (2) patient with air space opacities and history of prior COVID-19 pneumonia (weeks earlier); (3) multifocal pneumonia with negative or unknown COVID-19 status; and (4) lobar or sublobar pneumonia with negative or unknown COVID-19 status. In the setting of positive COVID-19 testing and typical radiologic findings, the diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia is generally secure. The diagnosis prompts vigilance for thromboembolic disease acutely and, in severely ill patients, for invasive fungal disease. Persistent or recurrent air space opacities following COVID-19 infection may more often represent organizing pneumonia than secondary infection. When COVID-19 status is unknown or negative, widespread airway-centric disease suggests infection with mycoplasma, Haemophilus influenzae, or several respiratory viruses. Necrotizing pneumonia favors infection with pneumococcus, Staphylococcus, Klebsiella, and anaerobes. Lobar or sublobar pneumonia will continue to suggest the diagnosis of pneumococcus or consideration of other pathogens in the setting of local outbreaks. A positive COVID-19 test accompanied by these imaging patterns may suggest coinfection with one of the above pathogens, or when the prevalence of COVID-19 is very low, a false positive COVID-19 test. Clinicians may still proceed with testing for COVID-19 when radiologic patterns are atypical for COVID-19, dependent on the patient's exposure history and the local epidemiology of the virus.

Objectives: Connectedness is a cooperative network measure that describes how well players in the team bi-directionally connect and how easily reachable they are to other players. It has been associated with an increased probability of winning competitive matches in professional Australian Football (AF), although applications towards training have not been reported. Therefore, this study investigated associations between constraints manipulated by professional AF coaches and the connectedness of cooperative passing networks during a small-sided game (SSG). Design: Data were collected describing the task constraints manipulated by professional coaches across one SSG performed on multiple occasions. The SSG focused on transitioning between defence and attack and was performed fifteen times across a whole season, resulting in 36 observations of team connectedness. Method: A linear mixed-effects model was constructed to examine the collective influence of constraints manipulations made by professional coaches (e.g. field size) and team skill characteristics (e.g. kick efficiency) on connectedness scores. Results: The number of team shots on goal and the time on task both positively contributed to connectedness scores, explaining 65% of its variance. Conclusion: The findings show that the number of shots on goal and the time on task may be used to elicit higher or lower connectedness scores in AF SSGs. Skill acquisition specialists, in conjunction with coaching staff, can use these metrics to aid practice design in professional AF or indeed other invasion-style team sports.

Background: An expert/non-expert paradigm often helps understand the underpinnings of sports expertise; however, this method is scarcely extended to the complexities of collective behaviour in youth soccer. Aim: Therefore, the objectives of the current study are to investigate differences in the collective behaviour of youth soccer teams by expertise level. Methodology: Soccer players aged 15 to 20 years from high (n = 35) and low (n = 40) playing levels competed in two age-matched 5v5 small-sided games. For each game, teams’ skill involvement (shot, pass, dribble, touch), passing networks (closeness, density, betweenness), and spatiotemporal characteristics (stretch index, effective area, length (L) & width (W), LpW ratio, synchrony) were measured using video footage and GPS coordinates. Results: High level teams had more attempted (p = .009), and completed skills (p = .003), particularly for the number of passes (p = .001) and shots (p = .012-.045). However, there were no significant between-group differences for either the passing networks or spatiotemporal characteristics. Conclusion: The findings from the current research suggest that the high-level teams can quickly and effectively move the ball within existing team structures and may better optimise their afforded space to execute desired skills when compared to the low-level teams.

Objective To examine the individual experiences of injury burden in amateur Rugby players across the onset of injury, rehabilitation, and return to play. Design Qualitative. Setting Irish amateur Rugby clubs. Participants Three male and two female Rugby players who sustained a severe injury that resulted in a time loss of at least 28 days. Main outcome measures Semi-structured interviews were used to explore the injury burden experienced during the three phases of injury. Results Hierarchical content analysis revealed 36 codes representing individual injury burden, which were clustered into seven themes across personal (emotional reaction; impact on performance or involvement; lack of knowledge; severity of injury and incapacitation) and situational (exposure to others playing; negative experiences with treatment or rehabilitation; societal burden) dimensions. Conclusions The findings indicate that individual injury experiences can affect a player’s recovery and rehabilitation outcome, potentially extending the injury process and affecting player availability for the team. As such, injury management should focus on alleviating any injury-related burden experienced by players, as well as burden placed on the team, to maximise rehabilitation outcomes.

Introduction: This study sought to reduce the dimensionality of commonly reported spatiotemporal characteristics obtained from Australian Football games to facilitate their practical use and interpretability. Methods: A retrospective longitudinal design was utilised with team and individual spatiotemporal variables, measured via global navigation satellite system devices, collected during official Australian Football League matched over three seasons. Two separate principal component analyses were conducted at the team and individual level to reduce correlated spatiotemporal characteristics into a smaller set of uncorrelated components. Results: At the team level, eighteen variables were reduced to five components pertaining to dispersive coordination, lateral predictability and spacing, multidirectional synchrony, longitudinal predictability and longitudinal behaviour whilst maintaining 69% of variance in the original dataset. At the individual level, fifteen variables were reduced to four components pertaining to multidirectional and spacing synchrony, unpredictability, player movement and player positioning whilst maintaining 64% of variance. Conclusion: This study is the first to provide a simplified, novel method for analysing spatiotemporal behaviour in an Australian Football context with both the team- and individual- derived metrics revealing useful information for coaches and practitioners. Components may provide insight into behaviours that emerge and persist throughout a game and allow coaches to distinguish between different playing/behavioural styles.

This study sought to reduce the dimensionality of commonly reported spatiotemporal characteristics obtained from Australian Football games to facilitate their practical use and interpretability.A retrospective longitudinal design was utilised with team and individual spatiotemporal variables, measured via global navigation satellite system devices, collected during official Australian Football League matched over three seasons. Two separate principal component analyses were conducted at the team and individual level to reduce correlated spatiotemporal characteristics into a smaller set of uncorrelated components.At the team level, eighteen variables were reduced to five components pertaining to dispersive coordination, lateral predictability and spacing, multidirectional synchrony, longitudinal predictability and longitudinal behaviour whilst maintaining 69% of variance in the original dataset. At the individual level, fifteen variables were reduced to four components pertaining toThis study is the first to provide a simplified, novel method for analysing spatiotemporal behaviour in an Australian Football context with both the team- and individual- derived metrics revealing useful information for coaches and practitioners. Components may provide insight into behaviours that emerge and persist throughout a game and allow coaches to distinguish between different playing/behavioural styles.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, causing loss of motor and nonmotor function. Diagnosis is based on clinical symptoms that do not develop until late in the disease progression, at which point the majority of the patients’ dopaminergic neurons are already destroyed. While many PD cases are idiopathic, hereditable genetic risks have been identified, including mutations in the gene for LRRK2, a multidomain kinase with roles in autophagy, mitochondrial function, transcription, molecular structural integrity, the endo-lysosomal system, and the immune response. A definitive PD diagnosis can only be made post-mortem, and no noninvasive or blood-based disease biomarkers are currently available. Alterations in metabolites have been identified in PD patients, suggesting that metabolomics may hold promise for PD diagnostic tools. In this study, we sought to identify metabolic markers of PD in plasma. Using a 1H-13C heteronuclear single quantum coherence spectroscopy (HSQC) NMR spectroscopy metabolomics platform coupled with machine learning (ML), we measured plasma metabolites from approximately age/sex-matched PD patients with G2019S LRRK2 mutations and non-PD controls. Based on the differential level of known and unknown metabolites, we were able to build a ML model and develop a Biomarker of Response (BoR) score, which classified male LRRK2 PD patients with 79.7% accuracy, 81.3% sensitivity, and 78.6% specificity. The high accuracy of the BoR score suggests that the metabolomics/ML workflow described here could be further utilized in the development of a confirmatory diagnostic for PD in larger patient cohorts. A diagnostic assay for PD will aid clinicians and their patients to quickly move toward a definitive diagnosis, and ultimately empower future clinical trials and treatment options.

Background Single-use flexible bronchoscopes eliminate cross contamination from reusable bronchoscopes and are cost-effective in a number of clinical settings. The present bench study aimed to compare the performance of a new single-use bronchoscope (Boston Scientific EXALT Model B) to a marketed single-use comparator (Ambu aScope 4), each in slim, regular and large diameters. Methods Three bronchoscopy tasks were performed: water suction and visualization, “mucus” mass (synthetic mucoid mixture) suctioned in 30 s, and “mucus” plug (thicker mucoid mixture) suction. Suction ability, task completion times, and subjective ratings of visualization and overall performance on a scale of one to 10 (best) were compared. All bronchoscopy tasks were completed by 15 physicians representing diversity in specialization including pulmonary, interventional pulmonary, critical care, anesthesia, and thoracic surgery. Each physician utilized the six bronchoscope versions with block randomization by bronchoscope and task. Results Aspirated mean mass of “mucus” using EXALT Model B Regular was comparable to that for an aScope 4 Large (41.8 ± 8.3 g vs. 41.5 ± 5.7 g respectively, p = 0.914). In comparisons of scopes with the same outer diameter, the aspirated mean mass by weight of water and “mucus” was significantly greater for EXALT Model B than for aScope 4 (p p-value range 0.001−0.029). Conclusion A new single-use bronchoscope provided strong suction capability and visualization compared to same-diameter marketed single-use comparators in a bench model simulation.

Match simulation in team sport should sample representative constraints and behaviours to those observed in competitive matches to enhance near skill transfer. This study compared task constraints (field length, field width, length per width ratio, space per player), time-standardised skill metrics (goals, shots on goal, handballs, kicks, marks, turnovers, tackles, handball proficiency, kick proficiency) and cooperative passing metrics (connectedness, indegree variability and outdegree variability) between match simulation practice and competitive Australian Football League (AFL) games for one professional team. MANOVAs identified activity-related differences for task constraints, skill metrics and cooperative passing networks. During match simulation, goals were scored more frequently, but with less passing actions per minute. Receiving and distributing passing networks were more centralised (reliance on fewer key individuals), with less turnovers and tackles per minute compared to AFL matches. If match simulation is designed to reflect competition, then player and team skill preparation may be compromised. Furthermore, the competing demands in high-performance sport may restrict the degree of representativeness that can be achieved during practice. These findings provide valuable insight and may assist practitioners and/or coaches to understand the value of match simulation practice and to maximise near skill transfer from match simulation to competition.

Despite advancements in the scale of data available for quantifying the physical and spatiotemporal characteristics of match play, there is an absence of research combining these aspects in professional sport. This study sought to differentiate between phases of play in professional Australian football using novel physical and spatiotemporal metrics. Data was obtained from Australian Football League games to provide new insight into the specific characteristics of each phase of play. A retrospective cross-sectional design was utilised with team's physical and spatiotemporal variables, measured via global navigation satellite system devices. A multinomial logistic regression was conducted to determine which physical and spatiotemporal measures were associated with each phase of play (contested play, defence, offence, set shot, goal reset, umpire stoppage). The addition of the predictors to a model that contained only the intercept significantly improved the fit between the model and data, with the logistic model correctly predicting the phase of play for 63.7% of the cases. This was the first study to concurrently examine differences in physical and spatiotemporal characteristics with respect to phase of play in an Australian football context. Differences in duration, physical and spatiotemporal properties were observed, providing new insight for coaches and subsequently providing direction for conditioning and practice design.

Berry phase effects in spin systems lead to the suppression of tunneling effects when different tunneling paths interfere destructively. Such effects have been seen in several single-molecule magnets (SMMs) through measurements of magnetization dynamics, where the experimental signal may arise from the contributions of numerous energy levels. Here we present experimental measurements of Berry phase interference effects that are determined through electron-spin resonance on a four-fold symmetric SMM. Specifically, we measure transitions between tunnel-split excited states in the Ni$_4$ SMM in the presence of a transverse field in the hard plane of the crystalline sample. By using a home-built rotation apparatus, the direction of the sample can be changed \textit{in situ} so that that the field direction can be swept through the entire hard plane of the sample. When the field is in certain directions in the plane, we observe a splitting of the transition, a hallmark of Berry phase interference. The experimental results are well reproduced by theoretical predictions, and fitting of the data provides information about the effects of dipolar interactions and sample misalignment., Comment: version accepted by Phys. Rev. B. Some figures updated. Paper now has a supplement with additional information on data acquisition and analysis, and calculations. Main text: 8 pages, 8 figures. Supplement: 6 pages, 4 figures

Objectives This study aimed to provide a simplified, novel method for analysing technical skill involvements in an Australian Football context by reducing the dimensionality of commonly reported skill counts obtained from Australian Football League (AFL) games. This may facilitate their practical use and interpretability. Design Retrospective longitudinal design where individual players’ technical skill counts were collected over three seasons of official AFL games. Methods Seventy-three skill count values provided publicly by ChampionData® were collected for each match over a three-year analysis period. A principal component analysis was used to reduce the dimensionality of a large number of correlated technical skill indicators into a smaller set of uncorrelated components whilst maintaining most of the variance from the original data set. Results The principal component analysis derived four principal components pertaining to high-pressure success, low-pressure success, attacking ball movement ability and scoring ability. Conclusions This study is the first to provide a simplified, novel method for analysing technical skill counts in Australian Football. The derived metrics reveal useful information for coaches and practitioners. This may consequently ease the interpretation of skill count data available to coaches from games, guide opposition analysis, help in the design of representative practice and inform player performance ratings.

In standard electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, the frequency of an experiment is set and the spectrum is acquired using the magnetic field as the independent variable. There are cases in which it is desirable instead to fix the field and tune the frequency such as when studying avoided level crossings. We have designed and tested an adjustable frequency and variable coupling EPR probe with loop-gap resonators (LGRs) that works at a temperature as low as 1.8 K. The frequency is tuned by adjusting the height of a dielectric piece of sapphire inserted into the gap of an LGR; coupling of the microwave antenna is varied with the height of the antenna above the LGR. Both coupling antenna and dielectric are located within the cryogenic sample chamber, but their motion is controlled with external micrometers located outside the cryostat. The frequency of the LGR (∼4 GHz) can be adjusted by more than 1 GHz (>25%). To cover a wide range of frequencies, different LGRs can be designed to cover frequencies up to X-band. We demonstrate the operation of our probe by mapping out avoided crossings for the Ni4 molecular nanomagnet to determine the tunnel splittings with high precision.

Objectives Reducing the dimensionality of commonly reported complex network characteristics obtained from Australian Football League (AFL) games to facilitate their practical use and interpretability. Design Retrospective longitudinal design where individual players’ interactions, determined through the distribution and receipt of kicks and handballs, during official AFL games were collected over three seasons. Methods A principal component analysis was used to reduce the number of characteristics related to the cooperative network analysis. Results The principal component analysis derived two individual-based principal components pertaining to in- and out-degree importance and three team-based principal components related to connectedness and in- and out-degree centralisation. Conclusions This study is the first to provide a simplified, novel method for analysing complex network structures in an Australian Football context with both the team- and individual-derived metrics revealing useful information for coaches and practitioners. This may consequently guide opposition analysis, training implementation, player performance ratings and player selection.

© 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Purpose: To provide a simplified, novel method for analysing the physical demands in an Australian Football context by reducing the dimensionality of commonly reported physical characteristics obtained from match play. This may facilitate their practical use and interpretability. Methods: A retrospective longitudinal design was utilised with individual players’ physical outputs, measured via global navigation satellite system devices, collected during official Australian Football League matches over three seasons. A principal component analysis was used to reduce a large number of correlated physical characteristics related to the analysis of physical match demands into a smaller set of uncorrelated components. Results: Forty-six variables were reduced to five principal components whilst maintaining 56% of the variance in the original dataset. The principal component analysis derived five individual-based principal components pertaining to low-moderate movement volume, high speed running volume, accelerations, change of direction and impacts. Conclusions: Utilising factor loadings (eigenvectors) derived from a principal component analysis, this study is the first to provide a simplified, novel method for analysing the physical demands in an Australian Football context with the derived metrics revealing useful information for coaches and practitioners. This may consequently guide training implementation, player performance ratings and player selection. Further, these new values may facilitate the monitoring of physical player loads.

To examine associations between continued communication with a deployed parent and the adjustment of military-connected children during deployment, 180 at-home parents/caregivers of children aged 4 to 18 were surveyed. Overall quantity (frequency) and quality (deployed parent supportiveness and child's positive emotions after communicating) of communication did not differ across age groups and genders, despite age differences in a few modes of communication. In hierarchical regression analyses, the two quality of communication measures accounted for variance in children's problem behavior and health-related well-being over and above that accounted for by two family functioning variables, caregiver's marital satisfaction and perceived stress, known to predict children's adjustment during deployments. Frequency of communication, whether synchronous or asynchronous, was generally not important, except in one quantity x quality interaction. Finally, high quality communication had general, promotive effects on child adjustment rather than protective effects most evident in poorly functioning families.

© 2019, © 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Soft-tissue injuries are common in Australian football. Recently, literature has identified non-modifiable and modifiable risk factors, including vertical stiffness (Kvert). However, limitations regarding measurement frequency and duration exist; thus, further information is required about the role of Kvert as a modifiable risk factor for injury. This study examined the seasonal variation in Kvert and its relationship to soft-tissue injuries in professional Australian football. The mean Kvert and bilateral asymmetry were assessed and compared between injured and non-injured players. For the seasonal analysis, 56 players were tested across two seasons with no variation in bilateral asymmetry evident (p= 0.33). While there were generally no changes in Kvert, the value from the end of the second pre-season revealed 5% lower values than the mean of two seasons (p= 0.02). Considering the injury analysis, 21 lower-body soft-tissue injuries were recorded from 18 participants. No differences were recorded for mean Kvert between the injured and non-injured groups (p= 0.16–0.76). When assessing Kvert asymmetry, the injured group displayed a 4.5% higher value than the non-injured group at the end of the pre-season test (p= 0.03) but not at other time-points (p= 0.16–0.99). Higher Kvert bilateral asymmetry measures after the pre-season appear to be related to lower-body soft-tissue injury in professional Australian footballers. Medical and conditioning staff should consider this measure when trying to mitigate the onset of injury or identify at-risk players.

Background Utilization of the neonatal sepsis calculator published by Kaiser Permanente is rapidly increasing. This freely available online tool can be used in assessment of early-onset sepsis (EOS) in newborns 34 weeks' gestation or more based on maternal risk factors and neonatal examination. However, many hospitals lack standard guidelines for its use, leading to provider discomfort with practice change. Purpose The goal of this project was to study the antibiotic use rate for EOS at a level III neonatal intensive care unit and create standardized guidelines and staff education for using the sepsis calculator. Our ultimate goal was to decrease antibiotic use for EOS in newborns 34 weeks' gestation or more. Methods A standard quality improvement Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model was utilized with a plan to study the problem, implement the intervention, and test again for improvement. The primary outcome of interest was a decrease in the use of antibiotics for EOS in neonates 34 weeks' gestation or more. Results Over a 4-month period, prior to sepsis calculator implementation, antibiotic use for suspected EOS was 11% and blood culture was done on 14.8% of live births. After implementation of the sepsis calculator and completion of the PDSA cycle, sepsis calculator use was greater than 95%, antibiotic use dropped significantly to 5% (P = .00069), and blood culture use dropped to 7.6% (P = .00046). Implications for practice Staff education and systematic intervention using a PDSA model can significantly impact patient care, decreasing the administration of antibiotics to infants at risk for sepsis. Implications for research Future research is needed to decrease antibiotic use in premature infants less than 34 weeks' gestation with similar risk factors and clinical features.Video Abstract available at https://journals.na.lww.com/advancesinneonatalcare/Pages/videogallery.aspx?videoId=34&autoPlay=true.

Background: Previous studies linked metformin use to vitamin B12 deficiency and demonstrated that the prevalence of vitamin B12 monitoring remains low. Objective: This study aimed to assess the occurrence of monitoring vitamin B12 levels in a diverse population. Methods: This was a retrospective chart review of adult patients with type 2 diabetes on metformin doses ≥ 1000 mg for ≥ 6 months at five Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) and one Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). Charts were reviewed for occurrence of monitoring vitamin B12 levels in the past 5 years. Data collected included patient demographics, laboratory data, other potential vitamin B12 level lowering agents, active prescription for vitamin B12 supplementation, concomitant diabetes medications and metformin total daily dose. Results: Of the 322 patients included, 25% had a vitamin B12 level measured in the previous five years. Among the patients with a vitamin B12 level, 87.7% were within the normal range (>350 pg/mL), 11.1% were low (200-300 pg/mL), and only one patient (1.2%) was deficient (

Bacterial type IV secretion systems (T4SSs) are composed of two major subfamilies, conjugation machines dedicated to DNA transfer and effector translocators for protein transfer. We show here that the Escherichia coli pKM101-encoded conjugation system, coupled with chimeric substrate receptors, can be repurposed for transfer of heterologous effector proteins. The chimeric receptors were composed of the N-terminal transmembrane domain of pKM101-encoded TraJ fused to soluble domains of VirD4 homologs functioning in Agrobacterium tumefaciens , Anaplasma phagocytophilum , or Wolbachia pipientis . A chimeric receptor assembled from A. tumefaciens VirD4 (VirD4 At ) mediated transfer of a MOBQ plasmid (pML122) and A. tumefaciens effector proteins (VirE2, VirE3, and VirF) through the pKM101 transfer channel. Equivalent chimeric receptors assembled from the rickettsial VirD4 homologs similarly supported the transfer of known or candidate effectors from rickettsial species. These findings establish a proof of principle for use of the dedicated pKM101 conjugation channel, coupled with chimeric substrate receptors, to screen for translocation competency of protein effectors from recalcitrant species. Many T4SS receptors carry sequence-variable C-terminal domains (CTDs) with unknown function. While VirD4 At and the TraJ/VirD4 At chimera with their CTDs deleted supported pML122 transfer at wild-type levels, ΔCTD variants supported transfer of protein substrates at strongly diminished or elevated levels. We were unable to detect binding of VirD4 At 's CTD to the VirE2 effector, although other VirD4 At domains bound this substrate in vitro . We propose that CTDs evolved to govern the dynamics of substrate presentation to the T4SS either through transient substrate contacts or by controlling substrate access to other receptor domains. IMPORTANCE Bacterial type IV secretion systems (T4SSs) display striking versatility in their capacity to translocate DNA and protein substrates to prokaryotic and eukaryotic target cells. A hexameric ATPase, the type IV coupling protein (T4CP), functions as a substrate receptor for nearly all T4SSs. Here, we report that chimeric T4CPs mediate transfer of effector proteins through the Escherichia coli pKM101-encoded conjugation system. Studies with these repurposed conjugation systems established a role for acidic C-terminal domains of T4CPs in regulating substrate translocation. Our findings advance a mechanistic understanding of T4CP receptor activity and, further, support a model in which T4SS channels function as passive conduits for any DNA or protein substrates that successfully engage with and pass through the T4CP specificity checkpoint.

© 2018 Sporri et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Since higher vertical stiffness is related to superior athletic performance, training has traditionally been aimed at augmenting this variable to enhance neuromuscular output. However, research has linked elevated stiffness with increased injury risk, therefore, this study examined the effect of a novel training intervention on vertical stiffness and athletic performance. Vertical stiffness, jump performance and athletic performance were assessed in two randomly allocated groups, prior to, and following, an eight-week period. One group was exposed to a training intervention involving aqua-based plyometrics (n = 11) over the 8 weeks while the other acted as a control group (n = 9). The training intervention involved hopping, jumping and bounding in water at a depth of 1.2m whilst control participants performed their normal training. There were no significant changes in vertical stiffness in either group. Countermovement jump height and peak power significantly increased within the aqua plyometric group (p < 0.05). Athletic performance markers improved in the aqua plyometric group as measured using an agility and a 5-bound test exhibiting superior values at the post-test (p < 0.05). The results suggest that an aqua plyometric training program can enhance athletic performance without elevating stiffness. The increase in athletic performance is likely due to a reduction in ground reaction forces created by the buoyancy of the water, causing a shorter amortization phase and a more rapid application of concentric force. The findings from this study can inform exercise professionals and medical staff regarding the ability to enhance neuromuscular performance without elevating vertical stiffness. This has implications for improving athletic performance while concurrently minimising injury risk.

© 2018, © 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This study investigated the relationship between a range of neuromechanical variables in the lower- and upper-body, and golf performance. Participants were assessed for individual muscle stiffness, vertical stiffness (Kvert), flexibility, power and maximal isometric strength. Furthermore, golf performance was determined by handicap and club head speed. Pearson’s correlations quantified the relationships between neuromechanical variables and performance measures. Participants were also separated into relatively high club head speed (HC) and low club head speed (LC) groups and compared for physical characteristics. Club head speed showed positive relationships with Kvert and power and a negative relationship with hip mobility. The HC group exhibited superior Kvert and power, while strength and flexibility measures were not related to performance. Higher levels of lower-body stiffness, rate of force development and power output appear to be beneficial for generating superior club head speed. A stiffer system may reduce the time needed to remove the “slack” from the series elastic component therefore, reducing electromechanical delay and enhancing rate of force development. The large positive association with rate of force development suggests that increasing this component, along with power production may be superior focal components for training in golfers due to the short duration of the downswing.

Wolbachia pipientis is an intracellular symbiont that modifies host biology using a type IV secretion system to inject bacterial effectors into the host cytoplasm. We utilized a bioinformatics approach to predict Wolbachia effectors and cloned the candidates into an entry vector, which can be utilized for subsequent analyses.

peer-reviewed This study examined the metacognitive processes and attentional focus of recreational endurance runners. The emphasis was on understanding the metacognitive processes important to acquire, develop, and refine cognitive strategies in novice endurance exercise participants. The potential impact of metacognitive processes and cognitive strategies on longer-term endurance activity adherence was also of interest. To meet these aims, ten recreational runners were interviewed to retrospectively explore metacognitive processes and attentional focus during running. Data were analysed using deductive and inductive content analyses. The data revealed that runners engaged in a relatively limited array of metacognitive skills and may not possess a detailed knowledge of task-specific attentional strategies to regulate cognition. Few runners engaged in metacognitive planning or reviewing by themselves, for example. Cognitive strategies were developed with experience, however, and often as a consequence of unpleasant, effort-related sensory experiences. Other, more experienced runners were also influential sources for cognitive strategy acquisition. These findings are novel within an endurance activity context. Based on our interpretation of the findings, we propose that interventions to enhance metacognitive abilities and assist novice endurance participants to acquire, develop, and refine task-appropriate cognitive strategies, may be important to longer-term endurance activity adherence.

Objectives This study characterised mental health, motivation, and their interrelations among 38 elite student-athletes over a 13-week season, while monitoring and considering the influence of their athletic and academic schedules. Design Longitudinal. Method Electronically-administered questionnaires measured total mood disturbance and depressive symptoms (weekly), sleep quality and trait anxiety (monthly), and motivation, basic needs satisfaction and motivational climate (weeks one and 13). Results Thirty-seven percent of athletes reported scores indicative of mild-to-moderate depression, 32% were poor sleepers, and 8% were high trait anxious. These outcomes significantly improved over time, whereas the motivation-related variables remained stable. The athletes were predominantly intrinsically motivated, and reported high satisfaction of basic psychological needs. Task climate exceeded its ego counterpart. There were no significant sex-related differences for any mental health outcome at week one; however, autonomy and relatedness were significantly higher among females. Conclusions Collectively, these findings suggest that psychological monitoring of student-athletes, particularly over intense athletic and academic periods, is a powerful tool for identifying potential mental health and/or motivation-related issues that may influence performance and well-being.

Wolbachia pipientis is a nearly ubiquitous, maternally transmitted bacterium that infects the germ line of insect hosts. Estimates are that Wolbachia infects 40 to 60% of insect species on the planet, making it one of the most prevalent infections on Earth. However, we know surprisingly little about the molecular mechanisms used by Wolbachia to infect its hosts. We passaged Wolbachia through normally restrictive Drosophila melanogaster hosts, bottlenecking Wolbachia through stochastic segregation while simultaneously selecting for mutants that could recolonize these previously restrictive hosts. Here, we show that Wolbachia alters its behavior when passaged through heterozygous mutant flies. After only three generations, Wolbachia was able to colonize the previously restrictive hosts at control titers. Additionally, the Wolbachia organisms passaged through heterozygous mutant D. melanogaster alter their pattern of tissue-specific Wsp protein production, suggesting a behavioral response to the host genotype. Using whole-genome resequencing, we identified the mutations accumulated by these lineages of Wolbachia and confirmed the existence and persistence of the mutations through clone library Sanger sequencing. Our results suggest that Wolbachia can quickly adapt to new host contexts, with genomic mutants arising after only two generations.

Wolbachia pipientis is an intracellular symbiont of arthropods well known for the reproductive manipulations induced in the host and, more recently, for the ability of Wolbachia to block virus replication in insect vectors. Since Wolbachia cannot yet be genetically manipulated, and due to the constraints imposed when working with an intracellular symbiont, little is known about mechanisms used by Wolbachia for host interaction. Here we employed a bioinformatics pipeline and identified 163 candidate effectors, potentially secreted by Wolbachia into the host cell. A total of 84 of these candidates were then subjected to a screen of growth defects induced in yeast upon heterologous expression which identified 14 top candidates likely secreted by Wolbachia. These predicted secreted effectors may function in concert as we find that their native expression is correlated and is highly upregulated at specific time points during Drosophila development. In addition, the evolutionary histories of some of these predicted effectors are also correlated, suggesting they may function together, or in the same pathway, during host infection. Similarly, most of these predicted effectors are limited to one or two Wolbachia strains—perhaps reflecting shared evolutionary history and strain specific functions in host manipulation. Identification of these Wolbachia candidate effectors is the first step in dissecting the mechanisms of symbiont–host interaction in this important system.

Many bacteria live as intracellular symbionts, causing persistent infections within insects. One extraordinarily common infection is that of Wolbachia pipientis, which infects 40% of insect species and induces reproductive effects. The bacteria are passed from generation to generation both vertically (through the oocyte) and horizontally (by environmental transmission). Maintenance of the infection within Drosophila melanogaster is sensitive to the regulation of actin, as Wolbachia inefficiently colonizes strains hemizygous for the profilin or villin genes. Therefore, we hypothesized that Wolbachia must depend on the host actin cytoskeleton. In this study, we identify and characterize a Wolbachia protein (WD0830) that is predicted to be secreted by the bacterial parasite. Expression of WD0830 in a model eukaryote (the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae) induces a growth defect associated with the appearance of aberrant, filamentous structures which colocalize with rhodamine-phalloidin-stained actin. Purified WD0830 bundles actin in vitro and cosediments with actin filaments, suggesting a direct interaction of the two proteins. We characterized the expression of WD0830 throughout Drosophila development and found it to be upregulated in third-instar larvae, peaking in early pupation, during the critical formation of adult tissues, including the reproductive system. In transgenic flies, heterologously expressed WD0830 localizes to the developing oocyte. Additionally, overexpression of WD0830 results in increased Wolbachia titers in whole flies, in stage 9 and 10 oocytes, and in embryos, compared to controls, suggesting that the protein may facilitate Wolbachia’s replication or transmission. Therefore, this candidate secreted effector may play a role in Wolbachia’s infection of and persistence within host niches., IMPORTANCE The obligate intracellular Wolbachia pipientis is a ubiquitous alphaproteobacterial symbiont of arthropods and nematodes and is related to the rickettsial pathogens Ehrlichia spp. and Anaplasma spp. Studies of Wolbachia cell biology suggest that this bacterium relies on host actin for efficient proliferation and transmission between generations. Here, we identified and characterized a Wolbachia protein that localizes to and manipulates the eukaryotic actin cytoskeleton, is expressed by Wolbachia during host development, and alters Wolbachia titers and localization in transgenic fruit flies. We hypothesize that WD0830 may be utilized by the bacterium to facilitate replication in or invasion of different niches during host development.

WWP1, a HECT type E3 ubiquitin ligase frequently amplified and overexpressed in breast cancer, has the potential to become a useful clinical biomarker and therapeutic target in breast cancer. Here, we performed immunohistochemical staining in formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue sections from 187 cases of primary invasive mammary carcinoma [137 ductal carcinomas (IDC) and 50 lobular carcinomas (ILC)] by using a monoclonal anti-WWP1 antibody. The normal breast epithelium and adjacent benign epithelium are essentially negative for WWP1. Cytoplasmic WWP1 immunoreactivity was observed in 76/187 (40.6%) tumors and showed a positive correlation with ERα (p = 0.05) and IGF-1R proteins (p = 0.001) in this cohort. The positive correlations between WWP1 and ER/IGF-1R were also observed in a panel of 12 breast cancer cell lines by Western blot. Interestingly, the ER levels are decreased when WWP1 is silenced in ER positive MCF7 and T47D breast cancer cell lines. Finally, WWP1 ablation collectively inhibits cell proliferation with tamoxifen in MCF7 and T47D, as measured by 3H-thymidine incorporation assays. These findings suggest that WWP1 may play an important role in ER positive breast cancer. © 2009 UICC

SUMMARY Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) lactate dehydrogenase was determined in 19 control infants without asphyxia (Group I), 24 infants with perinatal asphyxia (Group II), and 26 asphyxiated infants with seizures (Group III). Mean birthweights, gestational ages, CSF glucose, protein and red blood cells, and the âges at which the lumbar punctures were performed were not significantly different among the three groups. Mean CSF lactate dehydrogenase was significantly higher in Group III than in Groups I and II. Isoenzyme patterns indicated that the origin of the CSF lactate dehydrogenase was neuronal tissue, or a plasma transudate from increased permeability of the blood-brain barrier. There were 10 deaths due to anoxic encephalopathy in Group III, but none in Groups I or II. Follow-up of survivors at 10 to 39 months of age revealed neurological sequelae in three infants in Group I, two in Group II and five in Group III. Mean CSF lactate dehydrogenase in those with sequelae had not been significantly different from that of normal survivors; however, the mean was significantly higher in infants who died with anoxic encephalopathy compared with normal infants. These data indicate that CSF lactate dehydrogenase is significantly elevated in infants with fatal anoxic brain damage, and suggest that determinations may be of prognostic value in non-fatal cerebral hypoxia. RESUME La lactate deshydrogenase du liquide cephalo-rachidien chez les nourrissons avec asphyxie perinatale La lactate deshydrogenase du liquide cephalo-rachidien (LCR) a ete determinee chez 19 nourrissons controles sans asphyxie (groupe I), chez 24 nourrissons avec asphyxie perinatale (groupe II) et 26 nourrissons asphyxies avec crises (groupe III). La moyenne des poids de naissance, des âges de gestation, des taux de glucose, proteine et globules rouges dans le LCR et des âges auxquels la ponction lombaire a ete realisee ne differaient pas significativement entre les trois groups. La moyenne de la lactate deshydrogenase du LCR etait significativement plus elevee dans le groupe III que dans les groupes I et II. Les groupements isoenzymatiques indiquaient que l'origine de la lactate deshydrogenase du LCR etait le tissu neuronal ou un transudat plasmatique a partir d'une permeabilite accrue de la barriere cerebromeningee. Ilyaeudixmortsparencephalopathieanoxiquedanslegroupe III, aucunedanslesgroupes I et II. La surveillance des survivants de 10 a 39 mois a reveledessequelles neurologiqueschez trois nourrissons du groupe I, deux du groupe II et cinq du groupe III. Le taux moyen de la lactate deshydrogenase du LCR chez les nourrissons avec sequelles n'etait pas significativement different de celui des survivants normaux. En revanche, la moyenne etait comparativement plus elevee chez les nourrissons decedes par encephalopathies anoxiques que chez les enfants normaux. Ces donnees indiquent que la lactate dehydrogenase du LCR est significativement elevee chez les nourrissons presentant un dommage cerebral anoxique foetal et suggerent que sa determination peut avoir une valeur pronostique dans l'hypoxie cerebrale non fatale. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Laktatdehydrogenase im Liquor bei Kindern mit perinataler Asphyxie Bei 19 Kontrollkindern ohne Asphyxie (Gruppe I), 24 Kindern mit perinataler Asphyxie (Gruppe II) und 26 Kindern mit Asphyxie und Krampfanfallen (Gruppe III) wurde die Laktatdehydrogenase im Liquor bestimmt. Folgende Parameter waren bei den drei Gruppen etwa gleich: mittleres Geburtsgewicht, Gestationsalter, Liquorzucker, EiweiB und Leukocyten und das Alter, in dem die Lumbalpunktion durchgefuhrt wurde. Der mittlere Wert fiir die Laktatdehydrogenase war bei Gruppe III signifikant hoher als bei den Gruppen I und II. Isoenzymmuster wiesen darauf hin, daB die Laktatdehydrogenase vom Nervengewebe stammt oder von einem Plasmatranssudat aufgrund erhohter Permeabilitat der Blut-Hirn-Schranke. In Gruppe III wurden zehn Todesfalle aufgrund einer anoxischen Encephalopathie verzeichnet, in den Gruppen I und II dagegen keiner. Kontrolluntersuchungen der Uberlebenden im Alter von 10 bis 39 Monaten ergaben bei drei Kindern der Gruppe I, zwei Kindern der Gruppe II und fiinf Kindern der Gruppe III neurologische Folgeer-scheinungen. Der mittlere Wert fiir die Liquorlaktatdehydrogenase bei den Kindern mit Folgeerscheinungen unterschied sich nicht wesentlich von dem der gesunden Uberlebenden, jedoch war er bei Kindern, die an einer anoxischen Encephalopathie starben, signifikant hoher als bei gesunden Kindern. Diese Daten zeigen, daB die Liquorlaktatdehydrogenase bei Kindern mit todlichem anoxischen Hirnschaden signifikant erhoht ist. Somit kann die Bestimmung der Liquorlaktatdehydrogenase fiir eine todliche cerebrale Hypoxie prognostisch von Bedeutung sein. RESUMEN Lactodesidrogenasa en el liquido cefalorraquideo en lactantes con asfixia perinatal La lactodesidrogenasa en el liquido cefalorraquideo (LCR) fue determinada en 19 nifios control sin asfixia (Grupo I), 24 nifios con asfixia perinatal (Grupo II) y 26 lactantes asfixiados con convulsiones (Grupo III). Los pesos de nacimiento promedios, las edades gestacionales, la glucorraquia, la proteinemia y el contagio de celulas rojas en sangre y las edades en las cuales se realizaban las funciones lumbares no eran significativamente diferentes entre los tres grupos. La lactodesidrogenasa del LCR era significativamente mas alta en el Grupo III que en los Grupos I y II. Los esquemas de isoencimas indicaban que el origen de la lactodesidrogenasa del LCR era el tejido neuronal o bien un transurado plasmatico producido por el aumento de la permeabilidad de la barrera hematoencefalica. Hubo 10 muertes debidas a encefalopatia anoxica en el Grupo III pero ninguno en los Grupos I o II. El curso posterior de los supervivientes a los 10 y 39 meses de edad revelaron secuelas neuroldgicas tres nifios de Grupo I, dos en el Grupo II y cinco en el Grupo III. El promedio de lactodesidrogenasa en LCR en aquellos nifios con secuelas no era significativamente diferente de los supervivientes normales; sin embargo el promedio era significativamente mas alto en los lactantes que murieron con encefalopatia noica en comparacion con los lactantes normales. Estos datos indicaban que la lactodesidrogenasa en el LCR esta elevada significativamente en lactantes con anoxia natal y dafio cerebral, y sugiere que las determinaciones pueden ser de valor prondstico en la hipoxia cerebral no fatal.

Bilirubin determinations were obtained at weekly intervals from 1 to 6 weeks of age in 27 breast-fed and 12 formula-fed term, average size infants. Mean bilirubin levels were significantly higher in breast-fed infants at each age studied. The highest mean bilirubin level in each group was present at 1 week of age, 10.6 (+/- SD 4.6) mg/dl in breast-fed and 4.7 (+/- SD 3.0) mg/dl in formula-fed infants. Thereafter, values gradually fell in both groups. Mean birthweight was not different between the two groups; however, breast-fed infants lost significantly more weight (4.8%) by the time of discharge than formula-fed infants (2.2%). Breast-fed infants remained significantly lighter in weight at 6 weeks of age. Analysis of variance and covariance revealed no significant correlation between body weight, weight change in grams or percent weight change, and bilirubin levels in either group. These data indicate that mean bilirubin levels are significantly higher in breast-fed infants compared with formula-fed infants from 1 to 6 weeks of age. Breast-fed infants also have a significantly greater weight loss during the first four days of life and remain lighter at 6 weeks of age; however, there is no relationship of weight loss to bilirubin levels.

A spatial multigrid algorithm for isotropic neutron transport is presented in x-y geometry. The linear system is obtained using discrete ordinates in angle and corner balance finite differencing in space. Spatial smoothing is accomplished by a four-color block-Jacobi relaxation, where the diagonal blocks correspond to 4-cell blocks on the spatial grid. A bilinear interpolation operator and its transpose are used for the grid transfer operators. Good convergence factors were observed for homogeneous material properties. Heterogeneous material properties prove more difficult, especially the case of a vacuum region surrounded by a thick, diffusive region. In this case, a small amount of absorption, or “effective absorption” in a time-dependent problem, restores good convergence. Numerical results are presented.

Wolbachia pipientis is a ubiquitous, maternally transmitted bacterium that infects the germline of insect hosts. Estimates are that Wolbachia infect nearly 40% of insect species on the planet, making it the most prevalent infection on Earth. The bacterium, infamous for the reproductive phenotypes it induces in arthropod hosts, has risen to recent prominence due to its use in vector control. Wolbachia infection prevents the colonization of vectors by RNA viruses, including Drosophila C virus and important human pathogens such as Dengue and Chikungunya. Here we present data indicating that Wolbachia utilize the host actin cytoskeleton during oogenesis for persistence within and transmission between Drosophila melanogaster generations. We show that phenotypically wild type flies heterozygous for cytoskeletal mutations in Drosophila profilin (chic221/+ and chic1320/+) or villin (qua6-396/+) either clear a Wolbachia infection, or result in significantly reduced infection levels. This reduction of Wolbachia is supported by PCR evidence, Western blot results and cytological examination. This phenotype is unlikely to be the result of maternal loading defects, defects in oocyte polarization, or germline stem cell proliferation, as the flies are phenotypically wild type in egg size, shape, and number. Importantly, however, heterozygous mutant flies exhibit decreased total G-actin in the ovary, compared to control flies and chic221 heterozygous mutants exhibit decreased expression of profilin. Additionally, RNAi knockdown of profilin during development decreases Wolbachia titers. We analyze evidence in support of alternative theories to explain this Wolbachia phenotype and conclude that our results support the hypothesis that Wolbachia utilize the actin skeleton for efficient transmission and maintenance within Drosophila., Author Summary The world’s most common intracellular infection, Wolbachia pipientis, infects 40% of insect species and is currently used to prevent transmission of Dengue by mosquitoes. The bacterium targets the germline of insects, where it is faithfully transmitted to the developing oocyte and the next generation. Here we identify host cytoskeletal proteins required by Wolbachia in order to be efficiently transmitted between Drosophila melanogaster generations. We show that after only two generations in a phenotypically wild type, heterozygous mutant fly, Wolbachia infections are cleared or reduced in titer. Characterization of the mutants suggests that Wolbachia is sensitive to the regulation of actin in the ovary and that actin may be used by Wolbachia to both target and proliferate within host tissues and to be faithfully, maternally transmitted.

OBJECTIVE. A multicycle, quality improvement method was used to standardize nasal cannula O2 administration and weaning in the NICU.METHODS. A 2-armed nasal cannula standardized order form (nasal cannula for stable O2 arm and nasal cannula for stable flow arm) was developed after review of the literature, surveying of the practice of NICU physicians and nurse practitioners, and development of consensus among these providers. Outcomes were measured by tracking the distribution of protocol arm chosen, days on O2, weeks on nasal cannula, and disposition of infants who were supported by nasal cannula. Data were collected in an SPSS statistical data set.RESULTS. Of the 90 infants evaluated, 12 were supported on the stable O2 arm and 53 on the stable flow arm for their entire nasal cannula course. Twenty-five infants switched between arms of support. Patients who were on the stable flow arm of the standard order set for their entire nasal cannula course experienced fewer O2 days but more days on nasal cannula. A subpopulation of infants were supported on nasal cannula flow 0.5 to 1.0 L, with fraction of inspired O2 of 21%. When data from the first 10 weeks of observation were compared with that of the second 10 weeks, the rate of discharge on O2 had decreased from 13 (30%) of 44 to 3 (7%) of 39.CONCLUSIONS. The multiple steps of literature review, practice surveys, and consensus-building resulted in enthusiastic reception of the nasal cannula standardized order form. The 2-armed nasal cannula protocol forced caregivers to consider which method of support was most beneficial for each infant who was on nasal cannula and allowed a subpopulation of NICU patients to be supported with a lower fraction of inspired O2 than previously used in the NICU.

Multigrid methods are ideal for solving the increasingly large-scale problems that arise in numerical simulations of physical phenomena because of their potential for computational costs and memory requirements that scale linearly with the degrees of freedom. Unfortunately, they have been historically limited by their applicability to elliptic-type problems and the need for special handling in their implementation. In this paper, we present an overview of several recent theoretical and algorithmic advances made by the TOPS multigrid partners and their collaborators in extending applicability of multigrid methods. Specific examples that are presented include quantum chromodynamics, radiation transport, and electromagnetics.

Only limited information is available concerning the effects of low-shear modeled microgravity (LSMMG) on cell function and morphology. We examined the behavior of Saccharomyces cerevisiae grown in a high-aspect-ratio vessel, which simulates the low-shear and microgravity conditions encountered in spaceflight. With the exception of a shortened lag phase (90 min less than controls; P < 0.05), yeast cells grown under LSMMG conditions did not differ in growth rate, size, shape, or viability from the controls but did differ in the establishment of polarity as exhibited by aberrant (random) budding compared to the usual bipolar pattern of controls. The aberrant budding was accompanied by an increased tendency of cells to clump, as indicated by aggregates containing five or more cells. We also found significant changes (greater than or equal to twofold) in the expression of genes associated with the establishment of polarity ( BUD5 ), bipolar budding ( RAX1 , RAX2 , and BUD25 ), and cell separation ( DSE1 , DSE2 , and EGT2 ). Thus, low-shear environments may significantly alter yeast gene expression and phenotype as well as evolutionary conserved cellular functions such as polarization. The results provide a paradigm for understanding polarity-dependent cell responses to microgravity ranging from pathogenesis in fungi to the immune response in mammals.

Unicellular algae are the predominant microbial mat-forming phototrophs in the extreme environments of acidic geothermal springs. The ecology of these algae is not well known because concepts of species composition are inferred from cultivated isolates and microscopic observations, methods known to provide incomplete and inaccurate assessments of species in situ. We used sequence analysis of 18S rRNA genes PCR amplified from mat samples from different seasons and different temperatures along a thermal gradient to identify algae in an often-studied acidic (pH 2.7) geothermal creek in Yellowstone National Park. Fiber-optic microprobes were used to show that light for algal photosynthesis is attenuated to Cyanidioschyzon merolaesequence was predominant at temperatures of ≥49°C. AChlorella protothecoidesvar.acidicolasequence and aParadoxia multisita-like sequence were predominant at temperatures of ≤39°C.

Objective. Six neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) that are members of the Vermont Oxford National Evidence-Based Quality Improvement Collaborative for Neonatology collaborated to reduce infection rates. There were 7 centers in the original focus group, but 1 center left the collaborative after 1 year. The objective of this study was to develop strategies to decrease nosocomial infection rates in NICUs.Methods. The process included a comprehensive literature review, internal practice analyses, benchmark studies, and development of practical experience through rapid-cycle changes, subsequent analysis, and feedback. This process led to 3 summary statements on potentially better practices in handwashing, approach to nosocomial sepsis evaluations, and central venous catheter management.Results. These statements provide a basis for an evidence-based approach to lowering neonatal intensive care unit nosocomial infection rates.Conclusions. The 2-year process also led to changes in the culture and habits of the institutions involved, which should in turn have long-term effects on other aspects of quality improvement.