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College students, who actively travel in the forms of walking and/or bicycling, have shown a wide range of physical and mental health benefits. Despite the known benefits of bicycling, participation is influenced by various demographics, including gender identity, sexual orientation, and race/ethnicity. Universities have the potential to promote active travel participation to all populations. The study aimed to understand the environmental and social factors influencing female students' decision to commute via bicycle in a university setting. A volunteer sample of female college students (n=153) were surveyed to identify common themes from the participants' responses regarding why female students do not ride a bicycle to/from campus. Participants self-reported their confidence with riding a bicycle and trips to/from campus per week by mode of transportation. The most common themes noted through open-ended responses were amount of traffic (91.1%, n=82), safety concerns (63.3%, n=57), knowledge and ownership of a bicycle (33.3%, n=30), participants' preferences (15.6%, n=14), and riding conditions (13.3%, n=12). Participants (37.9%, n=58) reported feeling "somewhat unconfident" with riding a bicycle in the State College area. Participants (31.4%, n=48) also reported feeling "somewhat unconfident" with riding a bicycle on campus. Participants reported an average of 6.06 (M=6.06; SD=6.25) weekly walking trips to/from campus as compared to 0.40 (M=0.40; SD=1.57) bicycling trips to/from campus. Female college students are less likely to commute via bicycle to/from campus compared to other groups of students. Infrastructure improvements and implementing resources, such as educational programs, bicycle shares and e-bicycles, have the potential to improve female college student active travel participation.

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OBJECTIVE: Police officers are at heightened risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to frequent exposure to traumatic stressors. Early identification of PTSD symptoms is crucial for timely intervention. However, stigma and low utilization of mental health services create barriers to accessing care, which can be improved through the use of accessible, brief, and efficient screening instruments. The Primary Care PTSD for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5; PC-PTSD-5) scale is a brief, five-item self-report questionnaire demonstrating good reliability and validity in the identification of probable PTSD among veterans and civilians but has not yet been examined in first responder populations. METHOD: In this study, we assess the psychometric properties of an adapted version of the measure (PC-PTSD-5 [0-20]) in a sample of U.S. police officers (N = 394), focusing on reliability, structural validity, measurement invariance, and convergent and discriminant validity. RESULTS: Internal consistency of the PC-PTSD-5 [0-20] was good (α = .87), with uniform item-total correlations ranging from .78 to .83. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a single-factor structure (comparative fit index = 0.97, Tucker-Lewis index = 0.94, root-mean-square error of approximation = 0.12 (90% CI [.08, .16]), standardized root-mean-square residual = 0.03) that was invariant between male and female officers, χ²(9, N = 394) = 2.72, p = .974, and across years of service, χ²(9, N = 394) = 9.02, p = .436, providing evidence of construct validity. The measure also demonstrated convergent and discriminant validity, showing varying degrees of correlational strength with 20 operational stressors, the strongest of which were with traumatic stressors (r = .52, p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest the PC-PTSD-5 [0-20] may be a valuable tool for identifying PTSD symptoms in police officers, benefiting both clinical and research applications. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

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Histones are essential for maintaining chromatin structure and function. Histone mutations lead to changes in chromatin compaction, gene expression, and the recruitment of DNA repair proteins to the DNA lesion. These disruptions can impair critical DNA repair pathways, such as homologous recombination and non-homologous end joining, resulting in increased genomic instability, which promotes an environment favorable to tumor development and progression. Understanding these mechanisms underscores the potential of targeting DNA repair pathways in cancers harboring mutated histones, offering novel therapeutic strategies to exploit their inherent genomic instability for better treatment outcomes. Here, we examine how mutations in histone H3 disrupt normal chromatin function and DNA damage repair processes and how these mechanisms can be exploited for therapeutic interventions.

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In this paper, we describe a biosensing instrument based on our previously developed photonic resonator absorption microscope (PRAM) that incorporates autofocus, digital representation of the gold nanoparticle (AuNP) accumulation, and the ability to gather time-series image sequences of AuNP attachment and detachment from the photonic crystal (PC) surface. The combined capabilities are used to fully automate PRAM image collection during biomolecular assays to enable tiling of PRAM images to provide millimeter-scale field of view. The instrument can also gather PRAM "movies" that enables digital showcasing and dynamic counting AuNPs as they arrive and depart from the PC surface. We utilize the capabilities in the context of two biomolecular assays for detection of protein biomarkers in a conventional AuNP-tagged sandwich format. Utilizing dynamic counting of AuNP attachment and detachment events during the assay we present a detection for microRNA-375 (miRNA-375) down to 1 aM with a 10-min, room temperature, enzyme-free approach, while revealing characteristics of the binding-rate and unbinding-rate of the biomolecular interactions. Our instrument can potentially find broad applications in multiplexed point-of-care diagnostic testing, and as a general-purpose tool for quantitative characterization of biomolecular binding kinetics with single-molecule resolution.

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The capability to predict size, composition, and transport of nuclear fallout enables public officials to determine immediate and prolonged guidance in the event of a nuclear incident. Predictive computer models of fallout can also provide useful insight for nuclear forensic response when detailed radiochemical processes can be reliably included. Current post-detonation nuclear fallout models prescribe particle size distributions empirically or semi-empirically, based on measurements across limited conditions pertaining to tests conducted primarily in Nevada and the Pacific. These empirical fallout relationships may be subject to large uncertainties in particle size and radionuclide activity distribution if used to extrapolate to other regions with different environmental conditions (e.g., urbanized areas). Replacing empirical relationships with physics-based microphysical process modeling can enable significant advances in the fidelity of predictive models simulating distributions of fallout across diverse environments. Particle microphysics describes the formation and evolution of fallout particles, as well as the interaction of radioactive material with entrained particles, which requires accounting for fundamental processes such as nucleation, condensation, and coagulation. The objective of this perspective article is to summarize computational techniques to simulate particle microphysical processes advancing the fidelity of predicting nuclear fallout. We review current empirical models for simulating post-detonation fallout and assess promising research directions moving towards physics-based predictive systems.

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Stimuli responsive optical materials are attractive for many areas, from healthcare to art design. However, creating intricate color-changing patterns for visual information is still a challenge. This work describes the preparation of mechanochromic structural colored intricate pictures imprinted in cholesteric liquid crystal elastomers by using a chiral isosorbide molecular photo-switch. The photo-switch contains a photoisomerizable cinnamate moiety and was incorporated in a main chain liquid crystal oligomer with photopolymerizable acrylate end groups. After coating, the structural colored film was irradiated with ultraviolet (UV) light in air causing E/Z isomerization of the cinnamate units leading to a redshift of the structural color of the film. A grayscale photomask was used to spatially control the photoisomerization reaction and imprint colorful pictures such as portraits and landscapes, in the cholesteric liquid crystal films with high resolution. Photopolymerization in a nitrogen atmosphere led to a mechanochromic cholesteric liquid crystal elastomer with striking structural colors that blueshift upon strain independently. The sharp details of the patterns were preserved even under deformation and the system returned to the initial state upon strain removal. Our work offers a simple photo-switch approach to prepare stimuli responsive optical polymers imprinted with color-changing pictures of unprecedented complexity.

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Immunosenescence corresponds to the progressive decline of immune functions with increasing age. Although it is critical to understand what modulates such a decline, the ecological and physiological drivers of immunosenescence remain poorly understood in the wild. Among them, the level of glucocorticoids (GCs) during early life are good candidates to modulate immunosenescence patterns because these hormones can have long-term consequences on individual physiology. Indeed, GCs act as regulators of energy allocation to ensure allostasis, are part of the stress response triggered by unpredictable events and have immunosuppressive effects when chronically elevated. We used longitudinal data collected over two decades in two populations of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) to test whether higher baseline GC levels measured within the first year of life were associated with a more pronounced immunosenescence and parasite susceptibility. We first assessed immunosenescence trajectories in these populations facing contrasting environmental conditions. Then, we found that juvenile GC levels can modulate lymphocyte trajectory. Lymphocyte depletion was accelerated late in life when GCs were elevated early in life. Although the exact mechanism remains to be elucidated, it could involve a role of GCs on thymic characteristics. In addition, elevated GC levels in juveniles were associated with a higher abundance of lung parasites during adulthood for individuals born during bad years, suggesting short-term negative effects of GCs on juvenile immunity, having in turn long-lasting consequences on adult parasite load, depending on juvenile environmental conditions. These findings offer promising research directions in assessing the carry-over consequences of GCs on life-history traits in the wild.

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ABSTRACT: Rufino, HVdO, Franchini, E, Forte, LDM, da Silva, TBO, Meireles, CLS, and Soares, YM. Physiological and perceptual responses of a guard passing test and a simulated Brazilian jiu-jitsu combat: a pilot study. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2024-Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) is a grappling combat sport characterized by high-intensity efforts during the scoring actions interspersed by low-intensity actions or pause during the referee stoppage. Therefore, understanding of the physiological response to a BJJ match and BJJ-specific test can contribute to both athletes testing and training prescription. Thus, the present study aimed to compare the physiological and perceptual responses to a guard passing test (GPT) and to a simulated BJJ combat (simulated combat [SC]). For that, 7 male BJJ athletes performed a BJJ SC and the GPT at different days at random order. GPT was composed by 6 sets of all-out guard passing movements. Heart rate, blood lactate concentration ([La]), and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) were measured immediately after SC and after each set of GPT. RPE increased after sets 4, 5, and 6 compared with set 1, with no differences to SC (p < 0.001). In additionally, no differences were observed between [La] or heart rate after SC to GPT. Results suggests that GPT is an efficient training protocol that elicits similar physiological and perceptual responses to BJJ combat. Future studies should investigate GPT reliability and validity for performance assessment.

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BACKGROUND: Physical activity (PA) consists of multiple domains, including leisure-time PA (LTPA), occupational PA (OPA), and transportation PA (TPA), though limited research has examined these domains among college students. METHODS: This cross sectional, online survey asked undergraduate students to self-report demographics (gender, race/ethnicity, employment) and PA (LTPA, TPA, and OPA). Participants were categorized as meeting/not meeting current aerobic PA recommendations with only LTPA and with all domains of PA. Analyses examined differences by domain and demographics. RESULTS: For participants (n = 3732) when only considering LTPA, 79% met recommendations, while considering all forms of PA resulted in 94% of students meeting recommendations. Gender and race/ethnicity differences in the odds of meeting PA recommendations were present with only LTPA, however when considering all PA domains, some disparities were no longer present. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight how different domains of activity contribute to overall PA and the relationship with gender and race/ethnicity.

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BACKGROUND: Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a disorder of the mammalian target of the rapamycin (mTOR) pathway associated with the development of multisystem tumors, including renal angiomyolipoma (AML). These renal tumors are benign by nature but locally invasive and carry a risk for the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) to end stage kidney disease (ESKD). The frequency of subsequent renal transplantation in this population is largely uncharacterized, although single-center data suggests that 5%-15% of adult TSC patients are kidney transplant recipients. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study utilized United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) data. We included candidates waitlisted between 1987 and 2020 for a first kidney transplant with TSC-associated kidney failure. We utilized descriptive statistics to characterize the frequency of first-time kidney transplant waitlisting and transplantation among persons with TSC and the Fine-Gray subdistribution hazard model to evaluate characteristics associated with progression from waitlist. RESULTS: We identified 200 TSC-associated kidney failure patients within the waitlist cohort. Of these, 12 were pediatric patients. Two-thirds (N = 134) of waitlisted persons were female. One hundred forty patients received a transplant with a median waitlist time of 2 years. Younger age at waitlisting was associated with a greater probability of progressing to transplant (HR 0.98 [95% CI: 0.96-0.99]). 91.8% of kidney transplant recipients survived 1-year post-transplant with a functioning allograft. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of patients with TSC who are waitlisted for a kidney transplant progress onto transplantation with excellent 1-year post transplant patient and allograft survival.

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Background: Understanding routes of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission in long-term care facilities is essential for the development of effective control measures. Methods: Between March 1, 2020, and August 31, 2023, we identified coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases among residents and employees in a Veterans Affairs community living center that conducted routine screening for asymptomatic COVID-19. Contact tracing was conducted to identify suspected transmission events, and whole genome sequencing was performed to determine the relatedness of SARS-CoV-2 samples. Results: During the 42-month study period, 269 cases of COVID-19 were diagnosed, including 199 employees and 70 residents. A total of 48 (24.1%) employees and 30 (42.9%) residents were asymptomatic. Sequencing analysis provided support for multiple events in which employees transmitted SARS-CoV-2 to co-workers and residents. There was 1 episode of likely transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from one resident to another resident, but no documented transmissions from residents to employees. Conclusions: Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in the community living center predominantly involved transmission from employees to co-workers and residents. There is a need for improved measures to prevent transmission of SARS-CoV-2 by healthcare personnel.

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BACKGROUND: Undernutrition is related to numerous childhood outcomes. However, little research has investigated the relationship between food insecurity and family dynamics. This systematic review seeks to validate the evidence for a relationship between these 2 factors. METHODS: A systematic literature review was conducted in Embase, PubMed, and Scopus. Inclusion criteria include peer-reviewed research articles published during or after 1996 in English, using standardized measures of family function and food insecurity. Exclusion criteria include measurement of parent or child characteristics without assessing household or family characteristics or demographics. Two reviewers independently voted using Covidence, and Alpha agreement was determined at each phase. RESULTS: A total of 15 studies were included for data extraction after the initial search being completed in April 2022. All included studies were found to be appropriate in numerous categories for quality assessment. Primary findings from these studies show a potential relationship exists between food insecurity and family dynamics. DISCUSSION: The findings in this review suggest that effects of food insecurity expand to various aspects of healthy family functioning. Unhealthy family dynamics in childhood can also expose children to trauma and lead to increased physical and mental health disorders in the future.

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During and after the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the use of personal care products and disinfectants increased in universities worldwide. Among these, quaternary ammonium-based products stand out; these compounds and their intermediates caused substantial changes in the chemical composition of the wastewater produced by these institutions. For this reason, improvements and environmentally sustainable biological alternatives were introduced in the existing treatment systems so that these institutions could continue their research and teaching activities. For this reason, the objective of this study was to develop an improved culture medium to cultivate ammonium oxidising bacteria (AOB) to increase the biomass and use them in the treatment of wastewater produced in a faculty of sciences in Bogotá, D.C., Colombia. A Plackett Burman Experimental Design (PBED) and growth curves served for oligotrophic culture medium, and production conditions improved for the AOB. Finally, these bacteria were used with total heterotrophic bacteria (THB) for wastewater treatment in a pilot plant. Modification of base ammonium broth and culture conditions (6607 mg L-1 of (NH4)2SO4, 84 mg L-1 CaCO3, 40 mg L-1 MgSO4·7H2O, 40 mg L-1 CaCl2·2H2O and 200 mg L-1 KH2PO4, 10% (w/v) inoculum, no copper addition, pH 7.0 ± 0.2, 200 r.p.m., 30 days) favoured the growth of Nitrosomonas europea, Nitrosococcus oceani, and Nitrosospira multiformis with values of 8.23 ± 1.9, 7.56 ± 0.7 and 4.2 ± 0.4 Log10 CFU mL-1, respectively. NO2- production was 0.396 ± 0.0264, 0.247 ± 0.013 and 0.185 ± 0.003 mg L-1 for Nitrosomonas europea, Nitrosococcus oceani and Nitrosospira multiformis. After the 5-day wastewater treatment (WW) by co-inoculating the three studied bacteria in the wastewater (with their self-microorganisms), the concentrations of AOB and THB were 5.92 and 9.3 Log10 CFU mL-1, respectively. These values were related to the oxidative decrease of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), (39.5 mg L-1), Ammonium ion (NH4+), (6.5 mg L-1) Nitrite (NO2-), (2.0 mg L-1) and Nitrate (NO3-), (1.5 mg L-1), respectively in the five days of treatment. It was concluded, with the improvement of a culture medium and production conditions for three AOB through biotechnological strategies at the laboratory scale, being a promising alternative to bio-augment of the biomass of the studied bacteria under controlled conditions that allow the aerobic removal of COD and nitrogen cycle intermediates present in the studied wastewater. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-024-03961-4.

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Body temperature should be tightly regulated for optimal sleep. However, various extrinsic and intrinsic factors can alter body temperature during sleep. In a free-living study, we examined how sleep and cardiovascular health metrics were affected by sleeping for one week with (Pod ON) vs. without (Pod OFF), an active temperature-controlled mattress cover (the Eight Sleep Pod). A total of 54 subjects wore a home sleep test device (HST) for eight nights: four nights each with Pod ON and OFF (>300 total HST nights). Nightly sleeping heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) were collected. Compared to Pod OFF, men and women sleeping at cooler temperatures in the first half of the night significantly improved deep (+14 min; +22% mean change; p = 0.003) and REM (+9 min; +25% mean change; p = 0.033) sleep, respectively. Men sleeping at warm temperatures in the second half of the night significantly improved light sleep (+23 min; +19% mean change; p = 0.023). Overall, sleeping HR (-2% mean change) and HRV (+7% mean change) significantly improved with Pod ON (p < 0.01). To our knowledge, this is the first study to show a continuously temperature-regulated bed surface can (1) significantly modify time spent in specific sleep stages in certain parts of the night, and (2) enhance cardiovascular recovery during sleep.

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We report the first hybrid matter-photon implementation of verifiable blind quantum computing. We use a trapped-ion quantum server and a client-side photonic detection system networked via a fiber-optic quantum link. The availability of memory qubits and deterministic entangling gates enables interactive protocols without postselection-key requirements for any scalable blind server, which previous realizations could not provide. We quantify the privacy at ≲0.03 leaked classical bits per qubit. This experiment demonstrates a path to fully verified quantum computing in the cloud.

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Chagas' is a neglected disease caused by the eukaryotic kinetoplastid parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi. Currently, approximately 8 million people are infected worldwide, most of whom are in the chronic phase of the disease, which involves cardiac, digestive, or neurologic manifestations. There is an urgent need for a vaccine because treatments are only effective in the initial phase of infection, which is generally underdiagnosed. The selection and combination of antigens, adjuvants, and delivery platforms for vaccine formulations should be designed to trigger mixed humoral and cellular immune responses, considering that T. cruzi has a complex life cycle with both intracellular and bloodstream circulating parasite stages in vertebrate hosts. Here, we report the effectiveness of vaccination with a T. cruzi-specific protein family (TcTASV), employing both recombinant proteins with aluminum hydroxide and a recombinant baculovirus displaying a TcTASV antigen at the capsid. Vaccination stimulated immunological responses by producing lytic antibodies and antigen-specific CD4+ and CD8+ IFNÉ£ secreting lymphocytes. More than 90% of vaccinated animals survived after lethal challenges with T. cruzi, whereas all control mice died before 30 days post-infection. Vaccination also induced a strong decrease in chronic tissue parasitism and generated immunological memory that allowed vaccinated and infected animals to control both the reactivation of the infection after immunosuppression and a second challenge with T. cruzi. Interestingly, inoculation with wild-type baculovirus partially protected the mice against T. cruzi. In brief, we demonstrated for the first time that the combination of the baculovirus platform and the TcTASV family provides effective protection against Trypanosoma cruzi, which is a promising vaccine for Chagas disease.

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Introduction: Bladder cancer is a common neoplasia of the urinary tract that holds the highest cost of lifelong treatment per patient, highlighting the need for a continuous search for new therapies for the disease. Current bladder cancer models are either imperfect in their ability to translate results to clinical practice (mouse models), or rare and not inducible (canine models). Swine models are an attractive alternative to model the disease due to their similarities with humans on several levels. The Oncopig Cancer Model has been shown to develop tumors that closely resemble human tumors. However, urothelial carcinoma has not yet been studied in this platform. Methods: We aimed to develop novel Oncopig bladder cancer cell line (BCCL) and investigate whether these urothelial swine cells mimic human bladder cancer cell line (5637 and T24) treatment-responses to cisplatin, doxorubicin, and gemcitabine in vitro. Results: Results demonstrated consistent treatment responses between Oncopig and human cells in most concentrations tested (p>0.05). Overall, Oncopig cells were more predictive of T24 than 5637 cell therapeutic responses. Microarray analysis also demonstrated similar alterations in expression of apoptotic (GADD45B and TP53INP1) and cytoskeleton-related genes (ZMYM6 and RND1) following gemcitabine exposure between 5637 (human) and Oncopig BCCL cells, indicating apoptosis may be triggered through similar signaling pathways. Molecular docking results indicated that swine and humans had similar Dg values between the chemotherapeutics and their target proteins. Discussion: Taken together, these results suggest the Oncopig could be an attractive animal to model urothelial carcinoma due to similarities in in vitro therapeutic responses compared to human cells.

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In adult mammals, injured retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) fail to spontaneously regrow severed axons, resulting in permanent visual deficits. Robust axon growth, however, is observed after intra-ocular injection of particulate ß-glucan isolated from yeast. Blood-borne myeloid cells rapidly respond to ß-glucan, releasing numerous pro-regenerative factors. Unfortunately, the pro-regenerative effects are undermined by retinal damage inflicted by an overactive immune system. Here, we demonstrate that protection of the inflamed vasculature promotes immune-mediated RGC regeneration. In the absence of microglia, leakiness of the blood-retina barrier increases, pro-inflammatory neutrophils are elevated, and RGC regeneration is reduced. Functional ablation of the complement receptor 3 (CD11b/integrin-αM), but not the complement components C1q-/- or C3-/-, reduces ocular inflammation, protects the blood-retina barrier, and enhances RGC regeneration. Selective targeting of neutrophils with anti-Ly6G does not increase axogenic neutrophils but protects the blood-retina barrier and enhances RGC regeneration. Together, these findings reveal that protection of the inflamed vasculature promotes neuronal regeneration.

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Sticky-colored labels are an efficient way to communicate visual information. However, most labels are static. Here, we propose a new category of dynamic sticky labels that change structural colors when stretched. The sticky mechanochromic labels can be pasted on flexible surfaces such as fabric and rubber or even on brittle materials. To enhance their applicability, we demonstrate a simple method for imprinting structural color patterns that are either always visible or reversibly revealed or concealed upon mechanical deformation. The mechanochromic patterns are imprinted with a photomask during the ultraviolet (UV) cross-linking of acrylate-terminated cholesteric liquid crystal oligomers in a single step at room temperature. The photomask locally controls the cross-linking degree and volumetric response of the cholesteric liquid crystal elastomers (CLCEs). A nonuniform thickness change induced by the Poisson's ratio contrast between the pattern and the surrounding background might lead to a color-separation effect. Our sticky multicolor mechanochromic labels may be utilized in stress-strain sensing, building environments, smart clothing, security labels, and decoration.