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Women preferentially mobilize fat stores compared with men in response to sustained, physically demanding military training, as evidenced by increased lipid metabolites and enhanced fat oxidation, which may be beneficial for mitigating loss of lean mass and lower body power.

Adults and adolescents form negative first impressions of ASD adults and children. We examined the first impression ratings of primary school children (6-9 years) of their ASD peers. 146 school children rated either silent videos, speech or transcribe speech from 14 actors (7 ASD, 7 TD). The ASD actors were rated more negatively than the typically developing actors on all three stimulus types. Children with ASD are likely to be judged more negatively than their peers at the very start of their formal education. Contrary to previous research, for primary school children, the content of the speech was judged as negatively as the delivery of the speech.

Introduction Based on the ACOSOG Z0011 trial, women who undergo breast conservation therapy (BCT) and have limited disease in the axilla on sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy do not require axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). In this study we investigate the incidence of ALND in patients undergoing elective mastectomy with limited disease in the axilla to identify how many women may have been spared additional axillary surgery if they chose BCT. Methods All women with invasive breast cancer treated at a single tertiary care breast center from 2010-2018 who were candidates for BCT but elected mastectomy and underwent SLN biopsy were identified through retrospective review of a prospectively maintained database. The primary outcome of interest was the incidence of ALND in women found to have a limited burden of disease in the axilla (1-2 positive SLNs). Results The study population comprised 151 patients with invasive breast cancer eligible for BCT who chose mastectomy. On final pathology, 34 patients had 1-2 positive SLNs, and 16 of these patients underwent completion ALND. These 16 patients out of 151 overall lumpectomy candidates electing mastectomy (10.6%) could have been spared ALND if they did not elect mastectomy. Discussion BCT candidates electing mastectomy have a 10.6% chance of undergoing more extensive axillary surgery than would have been recommended with BCT alone. The increased risk of undergoing additional axillary surgery should be incorporated into the preoperative discussion for patients choosing between BCT and mastectomy.

Background Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a global disorder that negatively affects mood and quality of life. Antidepressant medication and psychotherapy are the most commonly prescribed treatments, but prior research has called their clinical efficacy into question. These treatments may be less effective when the patient has a diagnosed comorbid disorder. Method A systematic review of the literature was conducted to investigate whether an alternative method of treatment, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), is effective for MDD with a diagnosed comorbidity. 110 articles were identified, of which 8 were included in the current review. Results Response and remission rates vary. A range of 39.5-70% of participants experienced an antidepressant response to treatment, and 16.6-76.9% of patients achieved remission from MDD. A range of 48.6-84.6% of participants responded to treatment of their comorbid disorder, and 50-84.6% achieved remission of comorbid symptoms. Limitations Limitations of the current review include small sample sizes, limited statistical power, homogenous samples, and a lack of sham or placebo-controlled studies. Conclusion Preliminary results support that TMS is effective at treating symptoms of MDD and a comorbid disorder. Additional studies are needed to confirm these results.

Ongoing permafrost thaw in the extensive peatlands of boreal western Canada may mobilize previously frozen mercury (Hg) and result in enhanced production of the neurotoxin methylmercury (MeHg). The often waterlogged conditions in thermokarst wetlands may represent ideal environments for Hg methylation to MeHg, but methylation potential could vary across distinct wetland types (i.e., nutrient-poor bogs and nutrient-rich fens) that emerge after the thawing of drier peat plateaus, depending on landscape position and groundwater connectivity. Here, we examined MeHg concentrations in twelve wetlands of varying nutrient richness in the Taiga Plains of western Canada across a 500 km permafrost gradient. We analyzed peat porewater chemistry (Hg, MeHg, dissolved organic matter composition), inferred the degree of groundwater connection (electrical conductivity, ions), and assessed the vegetation composition at each wetland. The key research objectives of this study were to 1) determine how methylmercury concentrations vary amongst wetland types in the Taiga Plains and amongst permafrost zones, and 2) understand how physicochemical characteristics and groundwater connectivity may influence methylation potential. Through this, we hope to understand the factors that lead to hotspots of MeHg production in the rapidly thawing peatlands of the Taiga Plains.

The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has varied over time and across the United States. This variability is likely related to external factors, such as regional differences in ASD-related resources. The study reported on here examined the links between ASD prevalence as measured by Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B child count data and four aspects of state infrastructure (health care and insurance policies, clinical resources, research infrastructure, and awareness-raising individuals/organizations). This study also investigated whether these constructs varied by geographical region. The data for this study were abstracted from publicly available databases. Information on state infrastructure was gathered from high-quality reports, resource guides, certificant registries, and databases. More comprehensive ASD-relevant insurance and health care policies, more clinical resources, and greater research infrastructure were associated with higher ASD state prevalence rates as measured by the IDEA Part B child count data. Prevalence of ASD was higher in eastern U.S. states compared with southern U.S. states, but state-level ASD resources did not statistically significantly differ across geographic regions. Implications for research, practice, and policy are discussed.

Recent work has shown that preschool children initiate more conversations than their mothers and fathers. It has also been shown that boys and girls initiate conversations at about the same rate. It is not known if children with hearing loss initiate conversations at comparable rates to their typically-developing peers, or whether boys and girls with hearing loss differ. In this work, we collected daylong audio recordings from preschoolers with hearing loss using a body-worn audio recorder. We used automatic speech processing routines on the 7600 + hours of audio to identify talkers and conversational turns in their natural family settings. We examined how children with hearing loss initiate conversations compared with their typically-developing peers. We found no difference in rate of conversation initiation by hearing status or sex. We did find that regardless of hearing status or sex, children consistently initiate more conversations with their mothers than with their fathers. Results bear on the role of conversational exchanges, joint attention, and the auditory experiences during speech and language development in children with hearing loss.

In a conversational exchange, interlocutors use social cues including conversational turn-taking to communicate. There has been attention in the literature concerning how mothers, fathers, boys, and girls converse with each other, and in particular who initiates a conversation. Better understanding of conversational dynamics may deepen our understanding of social roles, speech and language development, and individual language variability. Here we use large-scale automatic analysis of 186 naturalistic daylong acoustic recordings to examine the conversational dynamics of 26 families with children about 30 months of age to better understand communication roles. Families included 15 with boys and 11 with girls. There was no difference in conversation initiation rate by child sex, but children initiated more conversations than mothers, and mothers initiated more than fathers. Results support developmental theories of the different and variable roles that interlocutors play in a social context.

Peat accumulation makes nutrient-limited ombrotrophic bogs important carbon sinks, while enhanced atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition threatens this capacity. Here we show that the stoichiometry of peat and porewater, a control of plant growth and decomposition, has been altered in response to long-term N, phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) fertilization at Mer Bleue ombrotrophic bog in eastern Ontario, Canada. In N-fertilized peat, receiving up to an additional 6.4 g N m−2 y−1 above ambient deposition, we found N significantly (p

To determine the cutaneous effects of in utero and lactational exposure to the AHR ligand 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), pregnant C57BL/6J mice were exposed by gavage to a vehicle or 5 μg TCDD/kg body weight at embryonic day 12 and epidermal barrier formation and function were studied in their offspring from postnatal day 1 (P1) through adulthood. TCDD-exposed pups were born with acanthosis. This effect was AHR-dependent and subsided by P6 with no evidence of subsequent inflammatory dermatitis. The challenge of adult mice with MC903 showed similar inflammatory responses in control and treated animals, indicating no long-term immunosuppression to this chemical. Chloracne-like sebaceous gland hypoplasia and cyst formation were observed in TCDD-exposed P21 mice, with concomitant microbiome dysbiosis. These effects were reversed by P35. CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 expression in the skin was increased in the exposed mice until P21, then declined. Both CYP proteins co-localized with LRIG1-expressing progenitor cells at the infundibulum. CYP1B1 protein also co-localized with a second stem cell niche in the isthmus. These results indicate that this exposure to TCDD causes a chloracne-like effect without inflammation. Transient activation of the AhR, due to the shorter half-life of TCDD in mice, likely contributes to the reversibility of these effects.

Protein quality control mechanisms decline during the process of cardiac aging. This enables the accumulation of protein aggregates and damaged organelles that contribute to age‐associated cardiac dysfunction. Macroautophagy is the process by which post‐mitotic cells such as cardiomyocytes clear defective proteins and organelles. We hypothesized that late‐in‐life exercise training improves autophagy, protein aggregate clearance, and function that is otherwise dysregulated in hearts from old vs. adult mice. As expected, 24‐month‐old male C57BL/6J mice (old) exhibited repressed autophagosome formation and protein aggregate accumulation in the heart, systolic and diastolic dysfunction, and reduced exercise capacity vs. 8‐month‐old (adult) mice (all p, Aged sedentary mice exhibit reduced cardiac: steady‐state autophagy; autophagic flux; protein clearance; redox balance; mitochondria quality; and function. If aged mice initiate exercise training at the proper intensity, frequency, and duration, each of these age‐associated cardiac disruptions is mitigated.

The described method was developed based on the principles of magnetic levitation, which separates cells and particles based on their density and magnetic properties. Density is a cell type identifying property, directly related to its metabolic rate, differentiation, and activation status. Magnetic levitation allows a one-step approach to successfully separate, image and characterize circulating blood cells, and to detect anemia, sickle cell disease, and circulating tumor cells based on density and magnetic properties. This approach is also amenable to detecting soluble antigens present in a solution by using sets of low- and high-density beads coated with capture and detection antibodies, respectively. If the antigen is present in solution, it will bridge the two sets of beads, generating a new bead-bead complex, which will levitate in between the rows of antibody-coated beads. Increased concentration of the target antigen in solution will generate a larger number of bead-bead complexes when compared to lower concentrations of antigen, thus allowing for quantitative measurements of the target antigen. Magnetic levitation is advantageous to other methods due to its decreased sample preparation time and lack of dependance on classical readout methods. The image generated is easily captured and analyzed using a standard microscope or mobile device, such as a smartphone or a tablet.

AND KEYWORDSThere is evidence for a progressive decline of protein quality control mechanisms during the process of cardiac aging. This enables the accumulation of protein aggregates and damaged organelles that contribute to age-associated cardiac dysfunction. Macroautophagy (referred to as autophagy) is the process by which post-mitotic cells such as cardiomyocytes clear defective proteins and organelles. We hypothesized that late-in-life exercise training improves autophagy, protein aggregate clearance, and function that is otherwise dysregulated in hearts from old vs adult mice. As expected, 24-month old male C57BL/6J mice (old) exhibited : (i) repressed autophagosome formation and protein aggregate accumulation in the heart; (ii) systolic and diastolic dysfunction; and (iii) reduced exercise capacity, vs. 8-month old (adult) mice (all p< .05). Separate cohorts of 21 month old mice completed a 3-month progressive resistance treadmill-running program (old-ETR) that improved (all < .05) : (i) body composition; (ii) exercise capacity; and (iii) soleus muscle citrate synthase activity, vs. age-matched mice that did not train (old-SED). Importantly, (iv) protein expression of autophagy markers indicated trafficking of the autophagosome to the lysosome increased, (v) protein aggregate clearance improved, and (vi) overall function was enhanced (all p

Forested watersheds are a major source of drinking water for more than two thirds of Canadians. However, drinking water security is increasingly pressured by the combination of higher demands resulting from population growth and industrial development and climate change-exacerbated landscape disturbances (e.g., wildfires, hurricanes). These may lead to deteriorated, more variable source water quality that can challenge treatment operations beyond their response capacities and have the potential to cause service disruptions. The character and concentration of dissolved organic matter (DOM), as well their shifts in response to seasonal and event-based changes in streamflow, make DOM a key driver of drinking water treatment infrastructure needs and operational challenges. As part of the forWater NSERC Network, which seeks to evaluate the impacts of pre-emptive forest management approaches on drinking water treatability in Canada, the objective of this study is to characterize differences in DOM concentrations and composition in headwater streams in different forested regions, including both undisturbed and disturbed catchments, and to evaluate the implications for drinking water treatability.Our pan-Canadian study was conducted using existing long-term research sites, which span an area from 48.5° to 63° N between Canada’s east and west coasts, and represent six major forested ecozones. These ecozones exhibit significant differences in soils, vegetation, hydrological systems, and consequently surface water chemistry. At each research site, 2 to 6 headwater streams were sampled several times in 2019 and 2020 to characterize seasonal and spatial variations in water chemistry. Where relevant, both disturbed (harvested or burned) and undisturbed catchments were sampled.The spatial and temporal variability in DOM characteristics, including the effects of disturbances, were evaluated, and the links between DOM characteristics and drinking water treatability were explored. Distinct regional differences in the concentrations of major ions, dissolved organic carbon and nutrients were observed. Variations in DOM composition, as assessed through UV-vis absorbance and excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy, Fourier-transform ion cyclotron mass spectrometry (FT-ICR-MS), and asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation (AF4), were also detected. To characterize drinking water treatability, relative implications to coagulant demand, membrane fouling, and distribution system stability were evaluated. The true disinfection by-product formation potential for trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids after complete oxidation resulting from chlorination was also assessed. Collectively, the results of this study underscore the importance of better understanding and anticipating natural variations in stream DOM as well as the impacts of landscape disturbance to ensure the uninterrupted supply of safe drinking water.

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Monitoring youth treatments requires outcome instruments sensitive to change. The Y-OQ and the Y-OQ-SR measure behavioral change during psychological treatment. The focus of this study was to compare treatment progress of youth in studies using the Youth Outcome Questionnaire (YOQ) or the Youth Outcome Questionnaire Self Report (YOQSR) in wilderness and non-wilderness treatment programs. Seventy-six manuscripts were examined. Inclusion criteria were (a) contained a version of the YOQ, (b) implemented mental health treatment, (c) contained sufficient data to obtain an effect size, and (d) had at least two data points (e.g., intake and termination). The final number of studies included for the Y-OQ was 15 and for the Y-OQ-SR was 11. Random effects model results, for studies using the YOQ, indicated a large (Cohen in Psychol Bull 112(1):155, 1992) effect size (g = .98, 95 % CIs [.71, 1.26]). The YOQ-SR results also indicated a large effect size (g = .80, 95 % CIs [.63, .96]). Treatment setting demonstrated a difference between wilderness and non-wilderness programs. For the Y-OQ (parent/guardian observation) effect sizes were higher for wilderness programs Qbetween = 91.82, df = 1, p

The ability to control the alignment and organization of cell populations has great potential for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. A variety of approaches such as nano/microtopographical patterning, mechanical loading, and nanocomposite synthesis have been developed to engineer scaffolds able to control cellular properties and behaviors. In this work, a patterned liquid crystal polymer network (LCN) film is synthesized by using a nematic liquid crystal template in which the molecular orientations are predesigned by photopatterning technique. Various configurations of polymer networks such as linear and circular patterns are created. When neural tumor cells are plated onto the templated LCN films, the cell alignment, migration, and proliferation are directed in both linear and curvilinear fashions following the pattern of the aligned polymer chains. A complex LCN pattern with zigzag geometry is also fabricated and found to be capable of controlling cell alignment and collective cellular organization. The demonstrated control of cell dynamics and organization by LCN films with various molecular alignments opens new opportunities to design scaffolds to control cultured cell organization in a manner resembling that found in tissues and to develop novel advanced materials for nerve repair, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine applications.

Our primary objective was to determine the rate of persistent Trichomonas infection among pregnant women posttreatment. The secondary objective was to determine if oral multidose metronidazole was associated with fewer cases of persistent Trichomonas compared with single-dose treatment.This is a retrospective cohort study of women diagnosed with genital Trichomonas vaginalis from 2008 to 2017. We calculated the rate of persistent Trichomonas by dividing the number of positive Trichomonas tests collected 21 days or longer posttreatment by the total number of women treated and retested. Bivariate analysis was performed to compare the rates of positive tests after single and multidose metronidazole. Multivariate logistic regression was used to evaluate factors associated with persistent infection.Five hundred forty-two women with 565 pregnancies were diagnosed with Trichomonas infection. The majority of subjects were prescribed either single-dose (n = 352) or multidose metronidazole (n = 74). Posttreatment Trichomonas tests were collected 21 days or longer in 326 subjects and 44% (143) were positive. Rates of positive Trichomonas tests among women receiving single-dose and multidose regimens were similar (45% vs. 40%, P = 0.50). Women who had ≥1 pregnancy affected by Trichomonas infection were more likely to have a positive test posttreatment (adjusted odds ratio, 20.1; 95% confidence interval, 1.9-215.3). Obese women were less likely to have a positive test posttreatment (adjusted odds ratio, 0.3; 95% confidence interval, 0.1-0.9).Given high rates of positive Trichomonas tests and increased detection with nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs), all pregnant women should be retested with NAATs approximately 3 weeks posttreatment. Further studies are needed to determine the most effective treatment of Trichomonas infection in pregnant women.

This research is designed to discover the hitherto hidden or underappreciated local knowledge, customs,cultures, and natural resources in Yamanashi Prefecture, especially in its southern Kyonan area, through the eyes of foreign students, within the framework of the international exchange program led by Yamanashi Prefectural University. It also attempts to review and assess the effectiveness of such discovery.

The association of tree species with particular soil types contributes to high β diversity in forests, but the mechanisms producing such distributions are still debated. Soil nitrogen (N) often limits growth and occurs in differentially available chemical forms. In a Bornean forest where tree species composition changes dramatically along a soil gradient varying in supplies of different N-forms, we investigated whether tree species’ N-uptake and soil specialization strategies covaried. We analyzed foliar 15N natural abundance for a total of 216 tree species on clay or sandy loam (the soils at the gradient’s extremes) and conducted a 15N-tracer experiment with nine specialist and generalist species to test whether species displayed flexible or differential uptake of ammonium and nitrate. Despite variation in ammonium and nitrate supplies and nearly 4 ‰ difference in foliar δ15N between most soil specialists and populations of generalists on these soils, our 15N tracer experiment showed little support for the hypothesis that soil specialists vary in N-form use or the ratios in which they use these forms. Instead, our results indicate that these species possess flexible capacities to take up different inorganic N forms. Variation between soil specialists in uptake of different N forms is thus unlikely to cause the soil associations of tree species and high β diversity characteristic of this Bornean rain forest. Flexible uptake strategies would facilitate N-acquisition when supply rates of N-forms exhibit spatiotemporal variation and suggest that these species may be functionally redundant in their responses to N gradients and influences on ecosystem N-cycles.

After many charge-discharge cycles of showing little to no capacity fade, Li-ion cells can undergo rapid degradation in capacity that occurs over relatively few cycles [1]. We refer to this sudden, accelerated capacity loss as “rollover” failure. “Rollover” failure should be concerning to manufacturers and academics alike, because it can be difficult to predict when it will occur and can require years of cycling to verify. In some instances, “rollover” failure can be caused by impedance growth during cycling that eventually limits the available lithium inventory at a particular charging current due to an ohmic voltage drop. This impedance growth is followed by true loss of lithium inventory by lithium plating. We show that the impedance growth of the cell during cycling is, among many other factors, strongly tied to the concentration of salt used in the electrolyte. Using more salt (up to a reasonable limit) reduces cell impedance at all frequencies, provides better impedance control during cycling and extends the number of cycles until “rollover” failure. Ultra-High Precision Coulometry and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy combined with post failure electrolyte analysis by Li-ion Differential Thermal Analysis, Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry and Inductively Couple Plasma Mass Spectrometry provide clues of how the cell and electrolyte change with varying salt concentration, and as the cell fails. Finally, we propose a means of testing to accelerate “rollover” failure. Cycling protocols with long constant voltage segments at the top of charge are shown to accelerate impedance growth and “rollover” failure. Using this cycling protocol on cells with electrolytes containing low salt concentrations can reduce the time to “rollover” to a few months. With traditional cycling and good cells, containing electrolytes with 1M – 1.2M salt concentrations and good electrolyte additives, this can take years. We believe that cycling with long periods at high potential, of cells with low salt concentration electrolytes is an accelerated means of testing to quickly screen electrolyte additives, electrode coatings and other cell material choices. Figure 1 shows the discharge capacity and ΔV (difference between average charge and discharge voltages) versus cycle number of cells the follow our prescribed method to accelerate “rollover”. The cells contained electrolytes with varying salt concentrations and spend 24 hours at 4.4V every second charge-discharge cycle. Figure 1 clearly shows that lifetime is increased with increased LiPF6 concentration. Similarly, Figure 1 shows that use of the electrolyte additive LiPO2F2 (LFO) extends lifetime when compared to the combination of fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) and dioxathiolane-2,2-dioxide (DTD). Cells with longer lifetimes show better impedance control, as evidenced by ΔV. Figure 2 shows discharge capacity and ΔV versus cycle numbers for cells that are tested using typical CCCV cycling to 4.3V. The comparison between FEC and DTD versus LFO is the same as in Figure 1, but the data in Figure 2 took 8 months to collect and distinguish the two additive systems. This is eight times longer than it took to distinguish the two additive systems using cells with 0.2 M LiPF6 that were held at 4.4V for 24h every second charge, as shown in Figure 1. “Rollover” failure can be prevented by ensuring that cell impedance remains constant. Increasing LiPF6 concentrations appears to control impedance, as does avoiding extended times at high voltage. Doing the opposite results in a high throughput screening method than can quickly distinguish the lifetime benefit of small changes in cell chemistry, like electrolyte additives. [1] J. C. Burns, A. Kassam, N. N. Sinha, L. E. Downie, L. Solnickova, B. M. Way, J. R. Dahn, J. Electrochem. Soc., 160, A1451-A1456 (2013). Figure 1

This Delphi study examines environmental sustainability (ES) in sport facility management. The study includes three questionnaire iterations with 31 expert participants from 16 major North American...