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A pilot study tracking immune cell subsets and activation profiles in adults with haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis treated with anakinra
Get PDFRobust Series Arc Detection for DC MEA Power Systems Using Windowed Fractal Dimension
Get PDFThe rapid development of more-electric transportation has led to increased use of higher voltage DC circuit architecture and battery storage. These developing technologies create a higher risk of DC arc failure resulting from component or insulation degradation. Arc faults present a risk to system reliably and safety, starting electrical fires that could prove catastrophic in transportation applications. To ensure ongoing passenger safety the development of rapid DC arc fault detection methods is necessary. This article further develops the Windowed Fractal Dimension (WFD) arc detection method for a range of linear and non-linear loads, including networks containing switching power convertors [1]. Results consistently show a substantial change in WFD at arc onset, and whilst the arc is sustained, for all load conditions. The outcome is a new method of fast DC arc detection requiring fewer calculation steps, fewer parameter settings and reduced commissioning when compared to other arc detection methods, and can be used in tandem with existing protection schemes to provide a clear and robust indication of DC arc failure and prevent circuit damage
Influence of Baseline Kidney Function on Patient and Kidney Outcomes in Patients with COVID-19: A Multi-National Observational Study
Get PDFBackground/Objectives: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), but the impact of baseline kidney function and care processes on outcomes is not well understood. We hypothesized that baseline kidney health status may influence courses and outcomes of AKI. Methods: This is a multinational, multicenter, retrospective cohort study. We included hospitalized adult COVID-19 patients with kidney disease (AKI, end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), chronic kidney disease (CKD), or kidney transplant (KT) recipients) from 1 January 2020 to 31 March 2022, across 52 centers in 23 countries. Patients with no prior kidney function information were classified as acute kidney disease (AKD) if estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at admission was <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 and as no known kidney disease (NKD) if eGFR was ≥60 mL/min/1.73 m2. We defined combined outcome as death or non-kidney recovery at hospital discharge. Multivariable binary regression models were applied. Results: Among 4158 patients, 882 had ESKD, and 3038 developed AKI. AKI patients were categorized as NKD (31.8%), AKD (38.6%), CKD (23.3%), and KT recipients (3.3%). NKD patients had higher AKI severity and more intensive care unit care needs. In the multivariable analyses, the risk of the combined outcome was higher in AKD (OR 1.459 [1.061, 2.005]) or CKD (OR 1.705 [1.206, 2.410]) patients, although the risk of in-hospital mortality was similar to NKD. Among the survivors at hospital discharge, the risk of partial or non-recovery was higher in CKD (OR 5.445 [3.864, 7.672]) or KT recipients (OR 4.208 [2.383, 7.429]) compared to NKD. These findings were consistent across income categories. Conclusions: Among AKI patients with COVID-19, nearly two-thirds had underlying kidney dysfunction, with 55% identified as having baseline AKD, which had higher risk of death or non-kidney recovery at discharge compared to NKD
Exiting the space between the rock and the hard place: An integrative managerial approach to tackling burnout in a business context
Get PDFIn the current volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous business markets, employees and managers alike struggle with mental health issues. These challenging times are reflected in a state of permacrisis impacting job market instabilities, fluctuating demand, and tight deadlines set by clients, leading to increased workplace stress and, consequently, burnout. The current literature lacks an integrative managerial approach to burnout to help companies provide a safe working environment for their employees. Therefore, this study aims to advance the current theoretical understanding of burnout in a business context. Data are collected from 27 companies to analyze different work-related practices impacting burnout. Results indicate that effective organizational interventions are often inexpensive, with the key to progress resting in an integrative approach to burnout that is constantly evaluated. This strategic approach requires prevention, support, and reintegration processes, and cognizance of their different practices and underlying mechanisms. This study contributes to the literature on burnout in business marketing while offering actionable, research-based managerial recommendations for integrative burnout management
Neuroinflammation and schizophrenia: The role of Toxoplasma gondii infection and astrocytic dysfunction
Get PDFObligate intracellular pathogens such as the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii exploit host cell mechanisms to facilitate their survival and replication. While T. gondii can infect any nucleated mammalian cell, it exhibits a particular affinity for central nervous system cells, including neurons, astrocytes, and microglia. Among these, astrocytes play a pivotal role in maintaining neuroimmune balance, and their infection by T. gondii induces structural and functional alterations. Emerging evidence suggests that these changes may contribute to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia (SCZ). Although a direct causal link between T. gondii-induced astrocytic dysfunction and SCZ remains unproven, infection has been associated with increased kynurenic acid production, elevated dopamine levels, and heightened inflammatory cytokines—all of which are implicated in SCZ pathology. Additionally, T. gondii infection disrupts crucial neurobiological processes, including N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor signaling, blood-brain barrier integrity, and gray matter volume, further aligning with SCZ-associated neuropathology. This review underscores the need for targeted research into T. gondii-mediated astrocytic dysfunction as a potential factor in SCZ development. Understanding the mechanistic links between T. gondii infection, astrocytic alterations, and psychiatric disorders may open new avenues for therapeutic interventions
Stakeholders' perspectives on communicating biosecurity to encourage behavior change in farmers
Get PDFEffective communication is crucial for strengthening collaboration and ensuring the successful implementation of biosecurity measures against infectious diseases. A collaborative approach, where farmers and veterinarians play a central role in decision-making, may have a greater impact on promoting the implementation of biosecurity practices compared to a top-down approach. The objective of this study was to explore the perspectives of researchers, official services, and industry on the preferred communication methods between farmers and various on-farm stakeholders. Data were collected through four simultaneous focus groups conducted within the framework of the COST Action BETTER project: three involving researchers, and one involving official services and industry people. The data were analyzed using content analysis, which generated three main themes and 13 subthemes: (i) effective methods for communicating biosecurity messages to farmers: direct interaction and practical learning, audio-visual media and support materials, importance of personalization and coordination, and challenges and innovative solutions; (ii) designing an optimal communication system to promote behavioral change in biosecurity: initial strategies for communication: knowledge and trust, integration of technological tools, mandatory programs and coordinated campaigns, continuous training and collaborative learning, and incentives and certifications; and (iii) measuring the success of biosecurity communication programs: evaluation tools and audits, key indicators and benchmarking, measuring attitudes and behavioral changes, and participation and knowledge as additional evaluation metrics. The findings highlight the need for collaborative, personalized, and sustainable approaches to biosecurity communication. This study provides valuable insights to inform the development and implementation of communication programs that remain effective over time
A labeled Clinical-MRI dataset of Nigerian brains
Get PDFThere is currently a paucity of neuroimaging data from the African continent, limiting the diversity of data from a significant proportion of the global population. This in turn diminishes global health research and innovation. To address this issue, we present and describe the first Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) dataset from individuals in the African nation of Nigeria. This dataset contains pseudonymized structural MRI (T1w, T2w, FLAIR) data of clinical quality, with 35 images from healthy control subjects, 31 images from individuals diagnosed with age-related dementia, and 22 from individuals with Parkinson’s Disease. Given the potential for Africa to contribute to the global neuroscience community, this unique MRI dataset represents both an opportunity and benchmark for future studies to share data from the African continent
Tropical forests in the Americas are changing too slowly to track climate change
Get PDFINTRODUCTIONTropical land regions are experiencing rapid climate change, with some scenarios for the tropical Americas projecting temperature increases of up to ~4°C and precipitation reductions of close to 20% by 2100. This would expose current species assemblages to climates that they have never experienced before, potentially selecting for future plant communities adapted to such climates but unlike those currently observed. Community responses to climate change will thus likely depend on underlying mechanisms and geographical context. In the face of threats from climate change, it is both critical and urgent to understand the ability of these complex systems to adapt to change and survive. The relationships among environmental conditions, plant performance, and distribution are mediated by species’ functional traits. Therefore, a trait-based approach provides a promising framework for predicting the impacts of climate change and resilience across forest ecosystems.RATIONALEClimate change is already affecting the survival and distribution of tropical American plant communities. If species respond to climate change through migration, then we would expect montane communities to track changes in climate better than those in the lowland forests because mountains have different climate conditions occurring at shorter distances and thus are potentially easier to migrate across than lowlands. Given exposure to a drying and warming climate, we could expect increased abundance of species exhibiting more drought-tolerance traits. Drought-avoidance traits, notably deciduousness, could also become more prominent in the future as an adaptation to increasing drought.It is as yet unclear how shifts in the abundance and distribution of species translate into changes in functional composition and what functional changes have occurred as a response to the onset of a warmer, drier, and more variable climate across the tropical Americas. It is uncertain if these functional shifts match the direction of climate change and, if so, whether the rate of functional trait change keeps pace with climate change or lags behind. Here, we address these knowledge gaps by analyzing tree community trait shifts that have occurred across the past 40 years in tropical forests of the Americas due to the dynamics of survivor, recruit, and fatality tree assemblages. The survivor tree assemblages consist of trees with traits potentially better suited to existing climatic conditions, and the recruit assemblages are composed of individuals with traits adapted to emerging climatic conditions. The fatality assemblages could represent individuals with less resilient traits that cause their inability to cope with climatic shifts. We also quantify if the observed changes in trait composition have been enough to track climate change to date.RESULTSOverall, we found that lowland forests show significant and larger changes in more community traits than montane forests. Across forests and for the survivor assemblages, the abundance of deciduous species is increasing, with accompanying increases in leaf photosynthetic capacity and decreases in leaf area and leaf thickness, perhaps as an adaptation to a warmer and dryer climate. However, the recruiting communities in the lowland forests have, on average, exhibited decreases in their abundance of deciduous species, in leaf carbon and nitrogen content, and in wood density. Crucially, most of these traits are changing at only a fraction of the rate required to maintain equilibrium with climate in the full tree community and survivor assemblages. The recruiting communities show the best tracking of a changing climate.CONCLUSIONOur analysis demonstrates that tree community composition is shifting to track climate change, but tree species composition and functional properties of tropical American forests (and possibly all tropical forests) are increasingly out of equilibrium with local climate. Such disequilibrium likely increases vulnerability to climate change
New High Step-Up Three-Level DC/DC Converter With Parasitical Parameters Self-Balance for AC Module Applications
Get PDFIn this article, a three-level step-up cell (TLSC) with bipolar outputs is proposed, composed of two different step-up cells (SCs) cascaded through the shared two-winding coupled inductor. The bipolar output voltages are impervious to the influence of parasitic parameters and have the ability to self-balance. By combining the TLSC with the classical Sepic converter, a novel single-switch TL step-up dc/dc converter is proposed for ac module applications, with the capability to achieve high voltage gain and bipolar outputs. As a result, the proposed converter inherits the advantages of good self-balancing performance from the TLSC, so that its bipolar output voltages can effectively resist the effect of parasitical parameters, especially switch and coupled inductor. Besides, its coupled inductor is composed of only two windings, replacing the three windings coupled inductor used in other similar converters. This eliminates the requirement for complex winding processes to mitigate the difference in parasitic parameters among different windings. The theoretical analysis and the principal operation of the proposed converter are discussed in detail. Finally, this converter is established to verify its performance
Sex-specific attenuation of constant light-induced memory impairment and Clock gene expression in brain in hepatic Npas2 knockout mice
Get PDFNPAS2 (Neuronal PAS Domain Protein 2) is a component of the core circadian clock and the coordinated activity between central brain and peripheral liver clock proteins postulated to be instrumental for linking behaviour and metabolism. We investigated a conditional liver-specific knockout mouse model (Npas2-/- or cKO) to explore its function in activity, circadian rhythms and cognition (novel object recognition-NOR). Circadian rhythms showed no genotype differences. Constant-light reduced NOR in floxxed controls but remarkably not in Npas2-/- mice, particularly females. Consistent with entrainment of systemic and central circadian biology, Npas2-/- mice showed altered expression of circadian gene Clock in frontal cortex. Sex differences independent of genotype were found in expression of circadian genes Clock, Bmal1 and Reverb-b in brain. Sex differences in Clock were absent in Npas2-/- mice. Females showed greater period length and phase response to constant light independently of genotype. The data suggest that a role for peripheral NPAS2 in constant light-induced memory impairment in females, and potential mediation by altered cortical circadian Clock gene expression, merit further investigation. These findings have implications for the interaction between peripheral and central circadian clocks, circadian sex differences and the deleterious effects of constant light on cognition
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