RESUMEN

The combined application of organic material and phosphorus fertilizer is an effective method to enhance phosphorus use efficiency for plant growth. This is partly because the presence of water-soluble organic matter (WSOM) derived from different organic materials can enhance the level of available phosphorus in the soil; however, it is poorly understood how this level varies with changes in the WSOM status (i.e., decomposed, dissolved, and retained) in the soil depending on WSOM types. This study aimed to (i) understand how changes in the WSOM status enhances the available phosphorus level in the soil, and (ii) determine the WSOM type that contributes to such enhancement. The incubation test showed that fractions of 73%-92% and 8%-27% of WSOM-derived organic carbon were retained and dissolved, respectively, at the beginning of incubation, while 31%-45% was decomposed during the incubation period. The WSOM derived from cattle manure compost (CM) and sewage sludge compost (SSC) that was initially retained was maintained until the late stage of the incubation test, whereas that derived from hydrothermal decomposed liquid fertilizer (HDLF) was rapidly desorbed during the first 14 days of the incubation period. The available phosphorus level was higher under the combined application of CM- and SSC-derived WSOM than under the single phosphorus application throughout the incubation period, while it was high only during the first 3 days of incubation under the application of HDLF-derived WSOM. The amounts of retained organic carbon at each sampling point during the incubation period compared to those at the beginning were positively and linearly correlated to the available phosphorus levels that were enhanced by the WSOM present in the soil. This study for the first time provides quantitative experimental evidence that 1) the longer the WSOM continues to be retained, the higher the amount of available phosphorus remaining in the soil, and 2) the available phosphorus level decreases with WSOM sorption or decomposition. Furthermore, it was shown that highly humified WSOM has a great potential for the maintenance of higher available phosphorus levels. This study provides the insight that a combined application of highly humified organic materials with a chemical fertilizer is necessary for not only cost effective but also sustainable fertilization design.

RESUMEN

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: There are concerns about the adverse health effects of behavioral changes linked to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We conducted a survey to investigate changes in lifestyle habits, including exercise and eating, during the COVID-19 pandemic and their association with changes in weight. SUBJECTS/METHODS: We conducted a survey of 5,000 people in Hakui City, Japan, to assess their lifestyles and diets during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 3,992 complete responses were received. We also obtained pre- and post-pandemic health check-up data for 704 of the respondents. These health data were combined with the results of the questionnaire survey to identify factors associated with weight changes. Data were analyzed for 704 individuals. RESULTS: The mean body mass index was 22.5 ± 3.1 kg/m2 for respondents whose weight did not change and 25.1 ± 2.7 kg/m2 for respondents whose weight increased. The pre-pandemic mean values for abdominal circumference in females and for gamma-glutamyl transferase in males tended to be higher in those whose weight increased. Those with decreased weight tended to be older. Respondents who were already overweight were more likely to gain weight because of COVID-19-related changes in their lifestyle. In males, alcohol consumption was directly associated with weight, and in females, abdominal circumference was more important. CONCLUSION: The study found pre-pandemic overweight individuals likely gained more weight during it, with alcohol consumption being a significant factor for males. Weight loss was more crucial for those over 70, rather than weight gain.

RESUMEN

Introduction: Primary small bowel carcinoma in pregnant women is extremely rare. Small bowel cancer is difficult to diagnose because of its rarity, lack of specific clinical symptoms, and particular anatomical features. We experienced a case of primary small bowel adenocarcinoma with ovarian metastasis during pregnancy. This is the first reported case of a patient with small bowel adenocarcinoma whose pregnancy continued to term and ended in delivery. Case Presentation: A 32-year-old pregnant woman developed abdominal pain, and imaging examination revealed an ovarian tumor at 29 weeks of gestation. We performed laparotomy and resected the ovarian tumor, which was initially suspected to be primary ovarian cancer. The patient continued the pregnancy to term. A detailed examination of the abdominal cavity during cesarean delivery at 37 weeks revealed that the primary lesion was located in the small bowel. Conclusion: It is important to recognize that the small bowel may be the primary site of metastatic ovarian cancer. Detailed and careful examination is necessary to diagnose small bowel cancer during pregnancy.

RESUMEN

Uptake of thiosulfate ions as an inorganic sulfur source from the environment is important for bacterial sulfur assimilation. Recently, a selective thiosulfate uptake pathway involving a membrane protein YeeE (TsuA) in Escherichia coli was characterized. YeeE-like proteins are conserved in some bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes. However, the precise function of YeeE, along with its potential partner protein in the thiosulfate ion uptake pathway, remained unclear. Here, we assessed selective thiosulfate transport via Spirochaeta thermophila YeeE in vitro and characterized E. coli YeeD (TsuB) as an adjacent and essential protein for YeeE-mediated thiosulfate uptake in vivo. We further showed that S. thermophila YeeD possesses thiosulfate decomposition activity and that a conserved cysteine in YeeD was modified to several forms in the presence of thiosulfate. Finally, the crystal structures of S. thermophila YeeE-YeeD fusion proteins at 3.34-Å and 2.60-Å resolutions revealed their interactions. The association was evaluated by a binding assay using purified S. thermophila YeeE and YeeD. Based on these results, a model of the sophisticated uptake of thiosulfate ions by YeeE and YeeD is proposed.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

Young-onset dementia (YOD) occurs at <65 years of age. Individuals with YOD experience social and psychological disturbances, including a loss of employment. This economic toll affects them, their families, and their caregivers. Employers have an increasing role in supporting affected employees in remaining employed, an important component of the "fight for their dignity". This study aims to clarify the workplace support experiences of employees with YOD. To assess the experiences of employers with at least one affected employee, we interviewed personnel from eight facilities for qualitative analysis. We identified 5 unique categories and 14 subcategories encompassing the following aspects: confusion at the workplace stemming from the uncertainty of the disease, sensitivity when recommending consultation and diagnosis, creating a system that considers safety and security, building consensus among employers, supporting employees with YOD and their families, and assisting the individual with YOD with activities of daily living. Employers should be open to addressing dementia-related issues in the workplace, including obtaining information from employees' physicians so that appropriate support can be provided. Appropriate support can include work accommodations, needs-based support, and meetings with families to build consensus for continued employment. This information can facilitate the creation of new training materials for employers.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

The activities of nursing researchers have been constrained by the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the types of support and related factors that nursing researchers hope to receive from academic societies during the pandemic and to obtain suggestions for the role of academic societies in supporting nursing researchers and expanding research. An online survey was conducted with 1532 Japan Academy of Nursing Science members. The survey included 19 items of potential support from the society during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as open-ended questions. Data were analyzed statistically and qualitatively. For 9 of the 19 items, over 50% of respondents reported that they "needed" or "very much needed" support. Multivariate analysis results showed that younger respondents and those with family members requiring care were significantly more likely to report needs for some items. In the open-ended comments, there were several suggestions for activities, including "Lobbying for revision of regulations on research implementation." Nursing researchers expressed needs for support that reflect their demographic characteristics and situations, including collaboration across organizations and securing research-promotion and skill-development opportunities online.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

Understanding the available phosphorus (P) levels in the presence of water-soluble organic matter (WSOM) deriving from organic materials can be important for the improvement of the P use efficiency. This study aimed to: (i) determine which types of WSOM (deriving from the organic material) can suppress P immobilization, and (ii) understand whether plants can uptake P that the immobilization is suppressed by the presence of WSOM, as well as how the plant roots response depending on the available P levels. The P sorption test revealed that the presence of WSOM deriving from cattle manure compost (CM), sewage sludge compost (SSC), and hydrothermal decomposed liquid fertilizer (HDLF) can suppress the P sorption by 44, 44, and 24%, respectively, as compared to single P. In the incubation test, the percentage of the available P to that added as P fertilizer was found to be >21% higher in the presence of a CM- or a SSC-derived WSOM than those of single P, but the effect of the HDLF-derived WSOM was not. In the cultivation test, P uptake was found to be improved in the CM-, the SSC-, and the HDLF-deriving WSOM by 17, 13, and 11%, respectively, as compared to single P. Moreover, the root weight was found to decrease along with an increase in the amount of P uptaken by the plant. These findings provide the first experimental evidence that the presence of the WSOM deriving from CM, SSC, and HDLF simultaneously enhance the available P level in the soil and P uptake by the plant at the lab-scale test. In addition, the higher the available P levels in the presence of WSOM, the lower the root developments. The presence of WSOM, particularly of one of high maturity, can suppress the P sorption by 24-44%; as a result, >20% of the P added remains as the available P depending on the type of organic material used.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

Online classes have been provided for health-care pre-licensure learners during the novel coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of online group work in interprofessional education. A total of 209 students were assigned to 50 groups (18 medical student groups, 13 nursing student groups, and 19 mixed medical/nursing student groups). Learners performed group work during the orientation for the course, which was hosted using an online video conferencing system. The learners first performed the activity individually (10 min) and then engaged in a group discussion to reach consensus on their answers (30 min). We calculated the scores before and after the group discussion and shared the results with the students. Scores were improved after the group discussion (mean ± SEM, 23.7 ± 0.9) compared with before (37.3 ± 1.3) (P < .0001). Lower scores after the group discussion, which indicated the effect of the group discussion on making better decisions, were observed most in the mixed medical/nursing student groups, followed by the nursing student and medical student groups. We noted only 3 groups in which the group discussion showed a negative effect on decision-making: all 3 of these groups were mixed (3 of 19 groups; 16%). These data demonstrated the power of group discussion for solving tasks when the participants' professional fields were mixed. However, the small size of the interdisciplinary groups might have resulted in less effective discussion, which might be due in part to psychological barriers arising from professional differences. Online group work is effective for facilitating discussion and building consensus about decisions in interprofessional education for medical and nursing students. Potential psychological barriers may exist in about 16% of mixed group students at the start, which should be kept in mind by instructors. Abbreviations: COVID-19: coronavirus disease 2019; IPE: Interprofessional Education; NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration; SD: standard deviation; WHO: World Health Organization.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to clarify workplace recognition regarding working continuation of employees with early onset dementia. METHODS: An anonymous self-administrated questionnaire was emailed to a prefecture consisting of 1,293 workplaces with 50 or more employees. Survey items assessed demographics, workplace regulations supporting employees, coworker acceptance of employees with early onset dementia, and recognition and dealing with employees with early onset dementia. The possibility of employees with early onset dementia continuing work was compared for demographics, workplace regulations supporting employees, and cooperation in the workplace. RESULTS: Responses were received from 375 workplaces, and 273 valid responses were analyzed. In total, 133 workplaces (48.7%) answered that there was a high possibility of continuing employment for employees with early onset dementia and 135 workplaces (49.5%) were aware of early onset dementia. Less than 10% of workplaces reported examination of managing employees with early onset dementia, implementation/planning of training and information dissemination to managers or employees. Factors related to the possibility of continuing employment were number of employees (< 100, p = .015, odds ratio = 2.02), workplace regulations supporting employees with early onset dementia (p = .011, odds ratio = 2.22), and workplace coordination with occupational health staff (p = .004, odds ratio = 2.16). CONCLUSIONS: There is a general need for training and information regarding early onset dementia in the workplace. For smaller companies, external advice and support in providing systems suitable to each workplace is necessary.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

Self-replication of large chiral molecular architectures is one of the great challenges and interests in synthetic, systems, and prebiotic chemistry. Described herein is a new chemical system in which large chiral multifunctionalized molecules possess asymmetric autocatalytic self-replicating and self-improving abilities, that is, improvement of their enantioenrichment in addition to the diastereomeric ratio. The large chiral multifunctionalized molecules catalyze the production of themselves with the same structure, including the chirality of newly formed asymmetric carbon atoms, in the reaction of the corresponding achiral aldehydes and reagent. The chirality of the large multifunctionalized molecules controlled the enantioselectivity of the reaction in a highly selective manner to construct multiple asymmetric stereogenic centers in a single reaction.

RESUMEN

Preferential crystallization of amino acid derivatives by seeding a pure enantiomer into racemic amino acid solutions has been studied for many years. However, few examples of valine derivatives have been reported so far. Although there have been some reports using valine hydrogen chloride with preferential crystallization, it is difficult to obtain optical isomers for valine derivatives using preferential crystallization. In this study, repeated preferential crystallization of p-toluenesulfonate valine benzyl ester with a 20% e.e. in 2-propanol gave a 94% e.e. on sonication. Sonication accelerated crystallization rate, but there was not a big difference in e.e. between with and without sonication. However, this research demonstrates the first preferential crystallization of p-toluenesulfonate of valine benzyl esters with an acceleration of crystallization using sonication.

Asunto(s)