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The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic required an immediate global clinical research response. The ACTIV (Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines)-3 trials and the ACTIV-associated Outpatient Treatment with Anti-Coronavirus Immunoglobulin trial used Good Participatory Practices (GPP) to develop materials for study implementation from a global network perspective. GPP guidelines offer a framework for engaging stakeholders throughout the research process. This paper provides an overview of the materials developed and their applicability in various settings, reports results from a survey of study site personnel on the materials’ usefulness, summarizes important lessons learned, and serves as a reference for networks eager to apply GPP. Survey results showed that flipbooks and overview videos were highly ranked. Stakeholder input was valuable in developing easily understandable participant-facing materials with culturally appropriate images. Materials should be available to submit with the initial protocol submissions to ethics committees, and in formats that accommodate a wide range of institutional resources, policies, and infection-control practices. This article emphasizes the importance of GPP, including stakeholder consultation, in developing materials that support clinical research and address language, cultural, and sociopolitical barriers during a pandemic. The findings will be used to optimize efforts and resource allocation for new and ongoing studies.
We investigate the three-dimensional (3-D) flow around and through a porous screen for various porosities at high Reynolds number $Re = {O}(10^4)$. Historically, the study of this problem has been focused on two-dimensional cases and for screens spanning completely or partially a channel. Since many recent problems have involved a porous object in a 3-D free flow, we present a 3-D model initially based on Koo & James (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 60, 1973, pp. 513–538) and Steiros & Hultmark (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 853, 2018 pp. 1–11) for screens of arbitrary shapes. In addition, we include an empirical viscous correction factor accounting for viscous effects in the vicinity of the screen. We characterize experimentally the aerodynamic drag coefficient for a porous square screen composed of fibres, immersed in a laminar air flow with various solidities and different angles of attack. We test various fibre diameters to explore the effect of the space between the pores on the drag force. Using PIV and hot wire probe measurements, we visualize the flow around and through the screen, and in particular measure the proportion of fluid that is deviated around the screen. The predictions from the model for drag coefficient, flow velocities and streamlines are in good agreement with our experimental results. In particular, we show that local viscous effects are important: at the same solidity and with the same air flow, the drag coefficient and the flow deviations strongly depend on the Reynolds number based on the fibre diameter. The model, taking into account 3-D effects and the shape of the porous screen, and including an empirical viscous correction factor that is valid for fibrous screens may have many applications including the prediction of water collection efficiency for fog harvesters.
The ultrastructure of spermiogenesis and the mature spermatozoon in Catenotaenia pusilla (Cestoda: Catenotaeniidae) is described. Spermiogenesis is characterized by the presence of a single axoneme which grows on the outside of a cytoplasmic extension at an angle of 45°. Flagellar rotation and proximodistal fusion are produced in this process. The centrioles lack striated roots and an intercentriolar body. In the mature spermatozoon four different regions are described. The anterior extremity is capped by an apical cone and presents two helical crest-like bodies of unequal length. The axoneme, of the 9 + ‘1’ pattern of the Trepaxonemata, presents a periaxonemal sheath. The cortical microtubules form a spiral pattern at an angle of about 40° to the hypothetical spermatozoon axis. The nucleus is kidney- to horseshoe-shaped in cross section. Granules and proteinaceus walls are not observed in the spermatozoon of C. pusilla.
The indicator value (Ind Val) method which combines measures of fidelity and specificity has been used in a study on wild boar parasites in Corsica during 2001–2003. Because of its resilience to changes in abundance, IndVal is a particularly effective tool for ecological bioindication. The Ind Val method showed how season can influence the occurrence of parasite species in the wild boar, and also identified parasites as bioindicators relative to host age. The randomization test identified five parasite species having a significant indicator value for the season (the ticks, Hyalomma aegyptium and Rhipicephalus sanguineus, the louse, Haematopinus suis and the nematodes Globocephalus urosubulatus and Ascaris suum and two indicator species of an age class (the nematodes G. urosubulatus and Metastrongylus sp.). Data on species composition and infection levels would help improve the monitoring and management of parasitism in Suidae populations.
We investigate the effects of different guard geometries on the currents to needle-type Langmuir probes. The results are based on particle-in-cell numerical simulations. We show that if the guard length is less than 6–8 Debye lengths there can be a significant effect on the currents to the probe. A guard radius should not be larger than the Debye length, otherwise it can also significantly affect the currents. However, since guard radii are often close to the probe radius, the second condition is usually satisfied.
By no means has it always been the case that European readers have always believed, as did Voltaire, that the main purpose of Herodotus’ Histories was to tell the story of the clash of eastern and western ‘civilizations’.Indeed, from at least the later seventeenth century through the mid-nineteenth century, the first four books of the Histories were widely used by Christian scholars to verify sacred history with profane data.For this very large scholarly faction, Herodotus offered the earliest, and most checkable, ‘oriental’ facts, useful in combatting rationalist and pyrrhonist arguments about the untrustworthiness of ancient histories that could not be otherwise verified.Only in the later nineteenth century, when decipherments and excavations began to provide more direct and concrete testimony of the probable historical accuracy of the Hebrew Bible did Herodotus begin to lose his function as, in the words of one eighteenth-century Jesuit advocate, ‘historian of the Hebrew people, without knowing it’.
Consumption of probiotics and/or yogurt could be a solution for restoring the balance of the gut microbiota. This study examined associations of regular intake of probiotic supplements or yogurt with the gut microbiota among a diverse population of older adults (N=1,861; 60–72 years). Faecal microbial composition was obtained from 16S rRNA gene sequencing (V1–V3 region). General linear models were used to estimate the associations of probiotic supplement or yogurt intake with microbiome measures adjusting for covariates. Compared to non-yogurt consumers (N=1,023), regular yogurt consumers (≥once/week, N=818) had greater Streptococcus (β=0.29, P=0.0003) and lower Odoribacter (β=−0.33, P<0.0001) abundance. The directions of the above associations were consistent across the five ethnic groups but stronger among Japanese Americans (Streptococcus: β=0.56, P=0.0009; Odoribacter: β=−0.62, P=0.0005). Regular intake of probiotic supplements (N=175) was not associated with microbial characteristics (i.e., alpha diversity and the abundance of 152 bacteria genera). Streptococcus is one of the predominant bacteria genera in yogurt products, which may explain the positive association between yogurt consumption and Streptococcus abundance. Our analyses suggest that changes in Odoribacter were independent of changes in Streptococcus abundance. Future studies may investigate whether these microbial genera and their sub-level species mediate potential pathways between yogurt consumption and health.
Since the EU Directive (EC) No 128/2009 (SUD) was approved by the European Parliament, the establishment of a general framework aimed at securing the sustainable use of pesticides was laid down, and European Union (EU) Member States adopted National Action Plans in accordance with this Directive. Specifically, for EU Member States, pesticides, objectives and quantitative targets were created. Therefore, the EU Commission provided a methodology for risk assessment as the derivation of two harmonised risk indicators: HRI_1 and HRI_2. The present study focuses on HRI_1, as this can be implemented at the country level. Each EU Member State delivers annual harmonised risk indicators values to the Commission based on calculations using their own data and results. However, only the EU Commission can derive this HRI_1 (concatenated) indicator at the EU level. Therefore, the present study is an attempt to shed some light on the modus operandi used by the EU Commission to compile this HRI_1, and it also aims to clarify these calculations. Data originating from twenty-seven EU Member States were analysed. These data were compared to data published on the EU Commission website over time. Possible virtual developments including the modification and evolution of active substance statuses are envisaged.
Machine learning techniques are used to construct models capable of inferring plasma state variables from non-emissive (LP) and emissive (EP) cylindrical Langmuir probes under conditions in which standard analytic theories are not applicable. Synthetic data sets, consisting of plasma parameters and probe characteristics computed kinetically in the orbital motion theory framework, are used to train and test regression models to infer electron densities, temperatures, and plasma potentials. Model skill metrics are introduced to determine uncertainty margins on inferred parameters, when models are applied to test sets not involved in the model optimization process. The different scalings and transformations required to obtain optimal accuracy are described in each case considered for both LPs and EPs. Excellent inferences are made for all three parameters considered from LP characteristics, but owing to the strong dependence on the plasma potential, and weak dependences on electron temperature and density with EPs, only plasma potential inferences are reported with acceptable accuracy for this type of probe. Our findings demonstrate that the combination of kinetic simulations and machine learning techniques is a promising and practical way to infer plasma parameters efficiently from cylindrical probes, under conditions beyond, and more general than those under which commonly used analytic approximations are valid.
During the 2020 excavation campaign of the French Archaeological Mission to the Egyptian Eastern Desert (MAFDO), the team in charge of the excavation of the Roman fort of Deir el-Atrash uncovered a polychrome painting on one of the original entrance tower gates from the late 1st–early 2nd c. CE. The iconographic program includes, in the top register, a horseman genius and a caravan of dromedaries with its driver. In the lower register, a pattern of vine stalks and leaves occupies the space. This discovery is exceptional, as very few Roman paintings have been preserved in a military context. In addition to depicting a scene of everyday desert life, the supply of the fort, the scene also illustrates the power of the Empire and its presence at its borders.
Dietary inflammatory potential assessed by the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII®) has been associated with health outcomes. However, longitudinal changes in the DII in relation to health outcomes rarely have been studied. This study aimed to examine change in the DII score over 10 years and its association with subsequent mortality in the Multiethnic Cohort. The analysis included 56 263 African American, Japanese American, Latino, Native Hawaiian and White participants who completed baseline (45–75 years) and 10-year follow-up surveys, including a FFQ. Mean energy-adjusted DII (E-DII) decreased over 10 years in men (from −0·85 to −1·61) and women (from −1·80 to −2·47), reflecting changes towards a more anti-inflammatory diet. During an average follow-up of 13·0 years, 16 363 deaths were identified. In multivariable Cox models, compared with anti-inflammatory stable individuals, risk of all-cause mortality was increased with pro-inflammatory change in men (hazard ratio (HR) = 1·13, 95 % CI 1·03, 1·23) and women (HR = 1·22, 95 % CI 1·13, 1·32). Per one-point increase in E-DII score over time, HR was 1·02 (95 % CI 1·00, 1·03) for men and 1·06 (95 % CI 1·04, 1·07) for women (P for heterogeneity < 0·001). While no heterogeneity by race and ethnicity was observed for men, the increased risk per one-point increase among women was stronger in non-Whites than in Whites (P for heterogeneity = 0·004). Our findings suggest that a change towards a more pro-inflammatory diet is associated with an increased risk of mortality both in men and women, and that the association is stronger in women, especially non-White women, than in men.
The purpose of this study was to systematically review the process for topic selection by health technology assessment (HTA) agencies around the world to provide the knowledge base for the improvement of topic selection frameworks in HTA agencies.
Methods
A systematic search was conducted in PubMed and EMBASE to identify papers up to February 2019. Gray literature was identified by screening the Web sites of HTA agencies on the nonprofit member list of the International Network of Agencies for Health Technology Assessment (INAHTA). Data were extracted for each HTA agency and synthesized, with issues including general contextual information about each agency and the process of topic selection.
Results
Out of forty-nine nonprofit members of INAHTA, a total of seventeen HTA agencies with a framework for topic selection were identified from twenty-two included papers/documents. Multiple criteria were used for topic selection in all frameworks and agencies undertook multiple steps, which could include the specification of criteria for topic selection, identification of topics, short listing of potential topics, scoping of potential topics, scoring and ranking of potential topics, and deliberation and decision on final topics for HTA. Shortcomings were found in relation to methods of scoring and ranking as well as lack of monitoring and the evaluation of the process.
Conclusions
Our study provides insights into the current practice of topic selection in HTA agencies. Multiple criteria decision analysis methodology appears highly relevant to these processes. A consensus approach for the development of methods of topic selection would be valuable for the HTA community.
Signed in 2009, the plant protection Commission Regulation EC No 1107/2009 created a new category of active substances, the low-risk substances, with specific status defined in Article 22. The initial and specific criteria, not suitable for microorganisms and natural substances, were modified in 2018, and the first low-risk substance, allocating Part D of Regulation EC No 540/2011, was granted in the same year. Since then, thirty-three low-risk substances have been granted with this specific status through approvals and renewals, while a larger list of potential low-risk substances from already-approved active substances was published. This list is only exploited during renewals, and this process would take another five years to complete. After four years of the implementation of this status, the number of such substances is still low, but is intended to increase slowly. Two more low-risk substances are already pending in 2021, which will bring the number of low-risk substances to thirty-five, while the initial list of potential low-risk substances (only renewals) included fifty-seven substances.
Neuropsychopharmacologic effects of long-term opioid therapy (LTOT) in the context of chronic pain may result in subjective anhedonia coupled with decreased attention to natural rewards. Yet, there are no known efficacious treatments for anhedonia and reward deficits associated with chronic opioid use. Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE), a novel behavioral intervention combining training in mindfulness with savoring of natural rewards, may hold promise for treating anhedonia in LTOT.
Methods
Veterans receiving LTOT (N = 63) for chronic pain were randomized to 8 weeks of MORE or a supportive group (SG) psychotherapy control. Before and after the 8-week treatment groups, we assessed the effects of MORE on the late positive potential (LPP) of the electroencephalogram and skin conductance level (SCL) during viewing and up-regulating responses (i.e. savoring) to natural reward cues. We then examined whether these neurophysiological effects were associated with reductions in subjective anhedonia by 4-month follow-up.
Results
Patients treated with MORE demonstrated significantly increased LPP and SCL to natural reward cues and greater decreases in subjective anhedonia relative to those in the SG. The effect of MORE on reducing anhedonia was statistically mediated by increases in LPP response during savoring.
Conclusions
MORE enhances motivated attention to natural reward cues among chronic pain patients on LTOT, as evidenced by increased electrocortical and sympathetic nervous system responses. Given neurophysiological evidence of clinical target engagement, MORE may be an efficacious treatment for anhedonia among chronic opioid users, people with chronic pain, and those at risk for opioid use disorder.
Federal grant funding to support infrastructure development of translational biomedical research centers is a form of public health intervention. Establishing rigorous methods for measuring center success and outcomes is essential to justify continued funding.
Methods:
Bibliometric data compiled from a 5-year funding cycle of neurodegeneration and translational neuroscience research center were analyzed using the package bibliometrix for open-source software R and the NIH-developed research tool iCite.
Results:
The research team and their collaborators (n = 485) produced 157 grant-citing publications from 2015–2020. The science was produced by small research teams clustered around three main communities of topics: Alzheimer’s Disease, brain imaging, and neuropsychological testing in the elderly. Using the relative citation ratio, the publications produced by the research team were found to be influential when compared to other R01-funded publications.
Conclusion:
Recent developments in bibliometric analysis expand beyond traditional measurement capabilities to better understand the characteristics, outcomes, and influences of research teams. These findings can be used to inform researchers and institutions about research team composition, productivity, and success. Measures of research influence may be used to justify return on investment to funders.
À partir d'une recherche qualitative menée auprès de femmes âgées de 60 ans et plus, l'article propose une modélisation de la citoyenneté « vécue » dans l'avancée en âge. Construites à partir des pratiques de la vie quotidienne, quatre figures de citoyenneté sont proposées. La présentation des figures met en lumière autant la description des pratiques du quotidien que les finalités d'action qui animent l'agir quotidien. Par la suite, l'analyse narrative examine les diverses formes de citoyenneté vécue des participantes dans le vieillissement. Si les citoyennetés tracées rendent compte de différentes pratiques de participation sociale et d'affiliation au collectif, elles témoignent aussi, par ailleurs, des inégalités sociales et de genre qui sont toujours à l’œuvre pour penser les rapports à la citoyenneté vécue des femmes âgées sous des modes polyphoniques.
As past usual diet quality may affect gut microbiome (GM) composition, we examined the association of the Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015 assessed 21 and 9 years before stool collection with measures of fecal microbial composition in a subset of the Multiethnic Cohort. A total of 5936 participants completed a validated quantitative FFQ (QFFQ) at cohort entry (Q1, 1993–1996), 5280 at follow-up (Q3, 2003–2008) and 1685 also at a second follow-up (Adiposity Phenotype Study (APS), 2013–2016). All participants provided a stool sample in 2013–2016. Fecal microbial composition was obtained from 16S rRNA gene sequencing (V1–V3 regions). HEI-2015 scores were computed based on each QFFQ. Using linear regression adjusted for relevant covariates, we calculated associations of HEI-2015 scores with gut microbial diversity and 152 individual genera. The mean HEI-2015 scores increased from Q1 (67 (sd 10)) to Q3 (71 (sd 11)) and APS (72 (sd 10)). Alpha diversity assessed by the Shannon Index was significantly higher with increasing tertiles of HEI-2015. Of the 152 bacterial genera tested, seven (Anaerostipes, Coprococcus_2, Eubacterium eligens, Lachnospira, Lachnospiraceae_ND3007, Ruminococcaceae_UCG-013 and Ruminococcus_1) were positively and five (Collinsella, Parabacteroides, Ruminiclostridium_5, Ruminococcus gnavus and Tyzzerella) were inversely associated with HEI-2015 assessed in Q1, Q3 and APS. The estimates of change per unit of the HEI-2015 score associated with the abundance of these twelve genera were consistent across the three questionnaires. The quality of past diet, assessed as far as ∼20 years before stool collection, is equally predictive of GM composition as concurrently assessed diet, indicative of the long-term consistency of this relation.
Following two centuries of research at Karnak, our understanding of the origins and development of this famous ancient Egyptian temple complex remains limited. Recent archaeological excavation in the Ptah temple, however, has reached its earliest levels, providing a first, securely dated stratigraphic sequence. Despite flood risks, the development of the religious complex c. 2200–2000 BC was made possible by the retreating Nile riverbank. Thus, the river and the expanding Karnak temple complex played major roles in the takeover of Egypt by the Eleventh Dynasty rulers and the growth of the new capital at Thebes, a potent combination of forces—fluvial, religious and secular—encountered among other early state powers.