Predation is the most common cause of nest failure in birds. While nest predation is relatively well studied in general, our knowledge is unevenly distributed across the globe and taxa, with for example limited information on shorebirds breeding in sub-tropics. Importantly, we know fairly little about the timing of predation within a day and season. Here, we followed 444 nests of red-wattled lapwings (Vanellus indicus), a ground-nesting shorebird, for a sum of 7828 days to estimate a nest predation rate, and continuously monitored 230 of these nests for a sum of 2779 days to reveal how the timing of predation changes over the day and season in a sub-tropical desert. We found that 312 nests (70%) hatched, 76 nests (17%) were predated, 23 (5%) failed for other reasons and 33 (7%) had an unknown fate. Daily predation rate was 0.95% (95%CrI: 0.76% – 1.19%), which for a 30-day long incubation period translates into ~25% (20% – 30%) chance of nest being predated. Such a predation rate is low compared to most other avian species. Predation events (N = 25) were distributed evenly across day and night, with a tendency for increased predation around sunrise. Predation rate and events were distributed evenly also across the season, although night predation was more common later in the season, perhaps because predators reduce their activity during daylight to avoid extreme heat. Indeed, nests were never predated when mid-day ground temperatures exceeded 45°C. Whether the diel activity pattern of resident predators undeniably changes across the breeding season and whether the described predation patterns hold for other populations, species and geographical regions awaits future investigations.

A 70-year-old female patient with Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and secondary Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) didn’t use long-term hormone and rheumatic immune drugs for treatment, had hyponatremia and chloremia, lacked outdoor exercise, and ultimately led to heart failure.

We need to understand spatial variability in the mean concentrations and dynamics of riverine water quality for effective water quality management. Using river chemistry data for up to 578 locations across the Australian continent, we assessed the impact of climate zones on (i) interannual mean concentration and (ii) river chemistry dynamics as represented by constituent export regimes (ratio of the coefficients of variation of concentration and discharge) and export patterns (slope of the concentration-discharge relationship). We found that interannual mean concentrations vary significantly by climate zones. However, export regimes and patterns are generally consistent across climate zones. This suggests that intrinsic properties of individual constituents rather than catchment properties determine export regimes and patterns. The spatially consistent river chemistry dynamics highlights the potential to predict riverine water quality across the Australian continent, which will support national riverine water quality management.

Aim: In Traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients, a complex cascade of inflammatory responses is frequently observed following trauma. Numerous dietary agents have long been found to have potential in modulating inflammatory responses. This pilot study, designed an enteral formula with low inflammatory properties based on the dietary inflammatory index (DII®) and evaluated its effect on inflammatory and metabolic factors in critically ill TBI patients. Methods: This Single-blind randomized controlled pilot study conducted at the Neurosurgical ICU of Shahid Kamyab Hospital (Mashhad, Iran). A total of 20 TBI patients were randomly assigned to receive either low-DII-score or standard formula at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The primary outcomes of the study included clinical status, inflammatory biomarkers, APACHE II, SAPS II, SOFA, and NUTRIC scores. Results: The trial groups did not differ significantly on baseline values. Following 14 days of intervention, there was a statistically significant decrease in the APACHE II, SAPS II, and NUTRIC scores and a significant increase in GCS score in the low-DII-score formula group compared to the standard formula group. Over two weeks, high sensitivity c-reactive protein (hs-CRP) values -2.73 (95% CI: -3.67, -1.79) mg/dL in the low-DII-score formula group vs. 0.65 (95% CI: -0.29, 1.58) mg/dL in controls. Moreover, the length of hospital stay was longer for the standard formula group than for the low-DII-score formula group. Conclusion: The low-DII-score formula improves inflammatory factors (serum hs-CRP) and metabolic biomarkers (LDL-c and FBS). Furthermore, clinical outcomes, including the length of hospital stay and disease severity appear to be enhanced.

Figure S1Experimental system: (A) overall view and (B) generator part.  

Suggested Time: 60 minutesOverview: Students will learn about balanced force before designing, building, and flying a kite.

Small linear dipole antennas with a multi-band characteristic are necessary for many strip or bar shaped gateway devices of the Internet of Things (IoT), for the connectivity in various communication protocols. However, the conventional methodology of designing multi-band dipole antennas is generally empirically based. More frequency bands usually mean even more arms/slots, which results in an increasingly bulky antenna. In this paper, we will introduce an algorithm of using the fewest arms to design a multi-band linear dipole antenna. This algorithm is based on sharing arms after the effective ranges of mode excitation are determined by characteristic mode analysis (CMA). By this algorithm, an exemplified designed penta-band dipole antenna is effective in covering 433, 868, 1176, 1575, and 2450 MHz bands for LPWAN, GNSS, and ISM applications, with only 2.5 pairs of arms. 50% of arms are reduced in comparison to traditional methods. This algorithm is convenient in practical dipole antenna design, and greatly simplifies the antenna structure so that they could be mounted into small IoT devices.

Background Fever in neutropenia (FN) remains a frequent complication in pediatric patients undergoing chemotherapy for cancer. There are only conflicting and weak recommendations for and against antibiotic prophylaxis during chemotherapy. Procedure Pediatric patients were observed in a prospective multicenter study (NCT02324231). A score predicting the risk to develop FN with safety relevant events (SRE; bacteremia, severe sepsis, intensive care unit admission, death) was developed using multivariate mixed Poisson regression. Its predictive performance was assessed by internal cross-validation and compared with the performance of published rules. Results In 238 patients, 318 FN episodes were recorded, including 53 (17%) with bacteremia and 68 (21%) with SRE. The risk prediction score used three variables: chemotherapy intensity, time since diagnosis and type of malignancy. Its cross-validated performance, assessed by the time needed to cover (TNC) one event, exceeded the performance of published rules. Two clinically useful score thresholds were found: a threshold of ≥11 resulted in 2.3% time at risk and 4.1 months TNC; a threshold of ≥8 in 24.9% time at risk and 12.1 months TNC. Using external information on efficacy and timing of intermittent antibiotic prophylaxis, 4.3 months of prophylaxis were needed to prevent one FN with bacteremia, and 5.2 months to prevent one FN with SRE, using a threshold of ≥11. Conclusions This score, based on three routinely accessible characteristics, accurately identifies pediatric patients at risk to develop FN with SRE during chemothearpy. The score can help to design clinical decision rules on targeted primary antibiotic prophylaxis and corresponding efficacy studies.

Emulsion electrospinning represents a tunable system for the fabrication of porous scaffolds for controlled, localized drug delivery in tissue engineering applications. This study aimed to elucidate the role of model drug interactions with emulsion chemistry on loading and release rates from fibers with controlled fiber diameter and fiber volume fraction. Nile Red and Rhodamine B were used as model drugs and encapsulation efficiency and release rates were determined from poly(caprolactone) (PCL) electrospun fibers spun either with no surfactant (Span 80), surfactant, or water-in-oil emulsions. Drug loading efficiency and release rates were modulated by both surfactant and aqueous internal phase in the emulsions as a function of drug molecule hydrophobicity. Overall, these results demonstrate the role of intermolecular interactions and drug phase solubility on the release from emulsion electrospun fibers and highlight the need to independently control these parameters when designing fibers for use as tunable drug delivery systems.

BACKGROUND/AIM To evaluate outcomes of concurrent Cox-Maze procedures in elderly patients undergoing high-risk cardiac surgery. MEHODS We retrospectively identified patients aged over 70 years with Atrial Fibrillation (AF) from 2011 to 2017 who had two or more other cardiac procedures. They were subdivided into two groups: 1. Cox-Maze IV AF ablation 2. No-Surgical AF treatment. Patients requiring redo procedures or those who had isolated PVI or LAAO were excluded. Heart rhythm assessed from Holter reports or 12-lead ECG. Follow-up data collected through telephone consultations and medical records. RESULTS There were 239 patients. Median follow up was 61 months. 70 patients had Cox-Maze IV procedures (29.3%). Demographic, intra- and post-operative outcomes were similar between groups although duration of pre-operative AF was shorter in Cox-Maze group (p=0.001). One (1.4%) patient in Cox maze group with 30-day mortality compared to 14 (8.2%) the control group (p=0.05). Sinus rhythm at annual and latest follow-up was 84.9% and 80.0% respectively in Maze group - significantly better than No-Surgical AF treatment groups (P<0.001). 160 patients (66.9%) were alive at long-term follow-up with better survival curves in Cox Maze group compared to No-Surgical treatment group (p=0.02). There was significantly higher proportion of patients in NYHA 1 status in Cox-Maze group (p=0.009). No differences observed in freedom from stroke (p=0.80) or permanent pacemaker (p=0.33). CONCLUSIONS. Surgical ablation is beneficial in elderly patients undergoing high-risk surgery - promoting excellent long-term freedom from AF and symptomatic/prognostic benefits. Therefore, surgical risk need not be reason to deny benefits of concomitant AF-ablation.

The COX-2 protein, encoded by the PTGS2 gene, is related to tumor progression in adult and pediatric cancer. In neuroblastoma (NB), COX-2 was associated with loss of heterozygosity on the long arm of chromosome 11 (Ch11q loss of heterozygosity, LOH), defining a subset of aggressive disease. The present study aimed to investigate the protein expression of COX-2 in a set of 82 pre-chemotherapy (CT) and 20 post-CT NB specimens and its correlation with clinical and genomic data. A systems biology approach elucidated the network interaction of PTGS2 and other inflammation-related genes with those codified in the Ch11q deleted regions. The results indicated a significantly higher expression of COX-2 in post-CT samples. In addition, a significant positive correlation between the presence of aberrations in Ch11q and COX-2 levels and an indirect connection between the COX-2 gene and extracellular matrix remodeling (ECM)-related proteins were observed. Our findings suggest that deregulation of ECM proteolysis in Ch11q–deleted NB could elicit stromal alterations, triggering inflammatory responses via COX-2 overexpression, ultimately supporting NB progression.

Negli ultimi decenni, l’interesse nel documentare le microplastiche nell’ ambiente è notevolmente aumentato.  La persistenza delle materie plastiche nell’ambiente è il principale motivo per cui sono state identificate come una grave minaccia. Il decadimento naturale degli oggetti di plastica nell’ambiente richiede un tempo estremamente lungo, inoltre queste micro particelle possono trasportare altri prodotti chimici, usati come additivi nella loro fabbricazione, o assorbirli attraverso la forte capacità di adsorbimento. Questo articolo si prefissa di dare un contributo alle informazioni sul campionamento, l'identificazione, l'analisi e la rimozione delle microplastiche , identificate come contaminanti emergenti, all'interno degli impianti di trattamento delle acque reflue che sono considerati   una fonte importante per l'immissione delle microplastiche nei corpi idrici e nel suolo.

Over the past few decades, large-scale phylogenetic analyses of fungus-gardening ants and their symbiotic fungi have depicted strong concordance among major clades of ants and their symbiotic fungi, yet within clades, fungus sharing is somewhat widespread among unrelated ant lineages. These symbioses are thought to be explained by a diffuse coevolution model within major clades. Understanding horizontal exchange within clades has been limited by conventional genetic markers that lack both interspecific and geographic variation. To examine whether reports of horizontal exchange was indeed symbiont sharing or an issue of employing relatively uninformative molecular markers, samples of Trachymyrmex arizonensis and Trachymyrmex pomonae and their fungi were collected from native populations in Arizona and genotyped using conventional marker genes and genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Conventional markers of the fungal symbionts generally exhibited cophylogenetic patterns that were consistent with some symbiont sharing, but most fungal clades had low support. SNP analysis, in contrast, indicated that each ant species exhibited fidelity to its own fungal subclade with only one instance of a colony growing a fungus that was otherwise associated with a different ant species. This evidence supports a pattern of codivergence between Trachymyrmex species and their fungi, and thus a diffuse coevolutionary model may not accurately predict symbiont exchange. These results suggest that fungal sharing across host species in these symbioses may be less extensive than previously thought.

Autosomal-dominant hyper-IgE (AD-HIES) is mainly characterized by eczematous dermatitis, staphylococcal skin abscesses, connective tissue defects, and elevated serum IgE. This disorder is largely associated with heterozygous dominant-negative mutations in STAT3 gene. Herein, we reported a patient with AD-HIES suffering from dental abnormality and allergic reactions.

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are among the most common ligament injuries having social, mental, and spiritual effects as well as physical effects, reducing the quality of life. Sexual health plays an important role inreproduction as well as in the physical, intellectual, emotional, and social aspects of life. Aims: In this study, we compare male patients with conservative and surgical treatment after ACL rupture in terms of sexual health. Methods: The sexual health statuses of 41 male patients diagnosed of ACL rupture followed by conservative or surgical treatment were evaluated before treatment, in the 6 months and at the 1 year after treatment and compared using the International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF- 5). Results: When the mean IIEF-5 scores followed with surgery and conservative treatment were compared at 6 months, it was observed that the scores of those receiving surgical treatment were significantly lower (p = 0.005). When the mean IIEF-5 scores at 1 year were compared, it was seen that the surgical treatment scores were significantly higher. (p = 0.012). Conclusions: This study has shown that surgical treatment for ACL rupture has more positive effect on male sexual life in the long term compared to conservative treatment.

The current study evaluated the rate of progression of acute kidney and hepatic injury and its associated mortality rate in patients infected with COVID-19. For this study, a total of 397 COVID-19 positive adult patients were prospectively recruited. Routine medical examination, liver function tests (LFT) and renal function test (RFT) were performed at the time of hospitalization and this procedure was repeated for every two days until the hospital stay of the patient or till the death of the patient. The upper values (data obtained from the recovered patients or died patients during course of the disease) of LFT and RFT were compared to that of baseline values (recorded at the time of hospitalization) of recovered or died patients. The baseline values of both LFT and RFT values were not significantly varied between recovered 88.41% (n=351) and died patients 11.59% (n=46) at the time of hospitalization. However, the baseline values of total serum bilirubin were significantly (P = 0.001) higher in died patients at the time of hospitalization as compared to the recovered patients. Moreover, majority (52.17%) of the died patients progressed to stage III and stage IV acute kidney injury prior to death. Furthermore, both LFT and RFT were abnormally elevated as compared to their baseline values among the died patients.  COVID-19 patients possess high risk for the development of acute kidney and liver injuries, which can substantially enhance the mortality rate.

Primary bone marrow B-cell lymphoma (PBML) is a special subtype of DLBCL which can be repeatedly sampled and evaluated by FCM and IGH rearrangement. Evaluation of early response by FCM and IGH assessments in the midpoint of treatment could be valuable for predicting treatment outcome.

Also investigate how the potential distribution of this species changes with the addition of new records over the decades (decade effect). Assuming that (1: hypothesis of the effect of the decade) the addition of new occurrence records over time increases the potential size of the species distribution; and (2: Wallacean distance hypothesis) over the years, the new points added are increasingly distant from the research centers. Considering the geographic knowledge gap of Histiotu velatus, our objective is to report a new record of this species and estimate its potential distribution in South America through ENMs. For this, we compiled records of occurrence of species, selected from 1900 to 2015. We used 19 bioclimatic variables available in the WorldCLim database to estimate the potential distribution of the species and we used three modeling algorithms: Maximum Entropy (MXT) Random Forest (RDF) and Support Vector Machine (SVM). We selected the main bat research centers in Brazil, using the Lattes platform for the Wallacean distance hypothesis, using the Euclidean distance calculation. To test the hypothesis of the decade effect, we used beta regression analysis, taking conservative and non-conservative approaches. The results showed that the predicted area expanded and retracted over the decades, with an improvement in the accuracy of the models with the addition of new data. Most of the records are located in the southeastern region of Brazil, but the algorithms predicted areas in countries where there were no records. Only the conservatism approach has had a positive relationship over the decades. The distance from new points does not increase over the years of research centers.

This study addresses the first-principles analysis using generalized gradient approximation (GGA), which is pillared on density functional theory (DFT), to find the effects of silver (Ag) doping on SrTiO3 structurally, electronically and optical properties. As Ag doping into SrTiO3, we see a small decrease in the volume of unit cell. Moreover, Ag-doping adds new states in SrTiO3 at Brillouin zone symmetry points, transferring host material’s indirect band gap to a direct band gap. Ag doping in SrTiO3 results in the transfer density of states to smaller energies and increase in interaction among Ag atom and its surrounding atoms. Moreover, at the conduction band, the partial density of states (PDOS) of SrTiO3 changes generally. As a result, we conclude that Ag doping has an effect on the electronic band structure of SrTiO3. SrTiO3 doping with Ag has improved optical properties and its ability of converting to direct band gap results it in a perfect choice for optoelectronic applications.

The relative effect of top-down versus bottom-up forces in regulating and limiting wildlife populations is an important theme in ecology. Untangling these effects is critical for basic understanding of trophic dynamics and effective management. We examined the drivers of moose abundance by integrating two sets of observations to create one of the largest existing spatiotemporal datasets on ungulate population dynamics globally. We documented a 20% population decline. At high density, moose were regulated by intraspecific competition. Predation primarily limited population growth, except at low density, where it was regulating. Harvest was largely additive and contributed to population decline. Our results provide strong evidence for density dependent predation, highlighting that population dynamics are context dependent and vary strongly across gradients in climate, forest type and predator abundance. These results clarify longstanding questions in population ecology and highlight the complex relationships between natural and human-caused mortality in driving ungulate population dynamics.

The Aim: This prospective, randomised controlled study aimed to investigate the efficacy and respiratory effects of postoperative pain management with erector spinae plane block (ESPB) in patients undergoing percutaneous nephrolithotomy surgery. Methods: A total of 60 ASA I-II patients aged 18–65 years, scheduled to undergo percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) were included. Patients were randomized either to the ESPB or control group. Ultrasound-guided ESPB with 15mL 0.5% bupivacaine at the T11 level was performed preoperatively using the in-plane technique in the ESP group. In both groups, 1gr of intravenous paracetamol was administered intraoperatively. Postoperative pain and agitation was evaluated using VAS, Dynamic VAS at 0, 6 and 24 hours and the Riker sedation-agitation scale at 0th Hours after surgery. Peak expiratory flow rate(PEFR) and SPO2 were measured in preoperative examination and at the 0th, 6th, 24th hours postoperatively. In the postoperative period, intravenous tramadol (100mg) was administered as a rescue analgesic when VAS ≥ 4. Time and number of the rescue analgesias, mobilization time and length of hospital stay were also recorded and analyzed. Results: A significantly lower VAS and DVAS were observed at 0th, 6th, 24th hours in the ESPB group (p < 0.05 for each timepoint). Also number of and time to rescue analgesia decreased in the ESPB group (p< 0.05 and 0.01 respectively). Postoperative/preoperative PEFR ratio was lower and there were more agitated patients in control group (p<0.05). Conclusion: ESPB may have additional clinical advantages while providing effective analgesia in patients who underwent PCNL comparing to intravenous analgesia.

The idea of designing unprecedented materials made of superatomic building blocks, motivated the present study on endohedral M@C20H20 (M = Li, Na, Mg+) species. Ground and excited electronic structures of M@C20H20 (M = Li, Na, Mg+) were analyzed by means of high-level quantum calculations. In their ground states, one electron occupies a defuse superatomic s-orbital that lies around the C20H20 cage. These entities populate higher angular momentum p-, d-, f-, g-superatomic orbitals in their low-lying electronic states. The proposed superatomic Aufbau shell model for Li@C20H20 and Na@C20H20 is 1s, 1p, 1d, 2s, 1f, 2p, 2d, 1g, 2f slightly different from that of Mg@C20H20+ which is 1s, 1p, 1d, 2s, 1f, 2p, 2d, 1g, 3s, 2f, 2g, 3p. These introduced superatomic orbital series resemble the Aufbau principle of solvated electron precursors.

BACKGROUND. Histological evaluation has a crucial role in diagnosing hepatic diseases and percutaneous liver biopsy (PLB) is widely chosen for this purpose. We aim to describe its indications, the rate and severity of adverse events (AEs) in an outpatient and ultrasound (US)-guided setting over 5 years. METHODS. This observational, single-center, and retrospective study included patients submitted to PLB between 2015 and 2019. We collected age, gender, coagulation tests, comorbidities, and number of needle passes. The association between the variables and outcomes (pain, mild and serious AEs, hospital admission, surgical treatment, and death) was evaluated using the generalized estimating equations method. RESULTS. We analyzed 532 biopsies in 524 patients (55.3% male) aged 49y (13–74y). Almost 39% had cardiovascular comorbidities and 18% had overweight/obesity. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) chronic infection was the major indication for PLB (47%), followed by autoimmune hepatitis/cholestasis (12.6%), and metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) (12.1%). The number of HCV-related biopsies had a remarkable reduction, while MAFLD-related procedures have progressively raised over time. Around 54% of the patients reported pain, which was significantly associated with the female gender (p=0.0143). Serious AEs occurred in 11 patients (2.1%); hospital admission was necessary in 10 cases (1.9%), but no patient required surgical approach and there were no deaths. No significant association was found between the occurrence of AEs and the studied variables (clinical, laboratory, and number of needle passes). CONCLUSION. Real-time US-guided PLB is safe to perform in an outpatient setting and its indications have notably undergone a transition from HCV to MAFLD over the years. New strategies to prevent biopsy-related pain are still needed, especially for females.

COVID-19 has caused devastation globally mostly affecting countries in colder climates. Therefore, vitamin D is thought to be one of the contributing factors towards causation and severity. Many guidelines do not recommend vitamin D for treatment or prevention. Hence, we set out to do a global survey to understand the use and prescribing habits of vitamin D amongst clinicians. Methods: Online anonymous questionnaire was sent to clinicians enquiring in their prescribing habits of vitamin D and personal use of vitamin D. Results: 4,440 practicing clinicians were included in the analysis with majority of those that responded were from Asia followed by Europe. 82.9% prescribed vitamin D before COVID-19, more commonly amongst general practitioners (GPs) and Asian clinicians more likely to prescribe vitamin D (p<0.005). GPs were also more likely to prescribe vitamin D prophylactically to prevent COVID-19 (OR 1.47, p<0.005). Majority would also prescribe vitamin D to treat COVID-19 (72.5%; OR:1.81, p<0.005), as well as Asian clinicians (OR 4.57, p<0.005). 80.4% of respondents were taking vitamin D, more so in the 45-54 and 65-74 age groups (OR2.15 and 2.40, respectively), many of whom did so before COVID-19 (72.1%). Conclusion: Clinicians from different countries have acknowledged the role of vitamin D during the COVID-19 pandemic. This survey has shown that many clinicians would prescribe vitamin D for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. Majority also would recommend measuring vitamin D levels but not so in patients with COVID-19.