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Techno-structural and 3-D geometric morphometric analysis applied for investigating the variability of Holocene unifacial tools in tropical Central Brazil
During the transition from the Pleistocene to the Holocene and in the early Holocene period, hunter-gatherer communities across tropical South America deployed a range of technological strategies to adapt to diverse environmental conditions. This period witnessed a rich tapestry of technological practices, from enduring, widely disseminated tools to local and sporadically utilized technologies, shaping a multifaceted landscape of technological traditions. Lithic technology during this period was mainly marked by localized sourcing of raw materials, the use of multifunctional tools, a variety of projectile point designs, and the frequently utilization of unifacial shaping technology. In tropical Central Brazil, the Itaparica technocomplex, with unique unifacial lithic tools like limaces, is a pivotal innovation from the Late Pleistocene through the Holocene. However, the factors influencing their morphological and structural variability remain largely unexplored, obscuring our understanding of their ergonomics and their role as mediators between humans and tropical environments. This study hypothesizes that the variability observed within and among unifacial tools from the GO-Ni sites in Central Brazil is a result of a combination of factors, including raw material availability and functional and ergonomic requirements. To test this hypothesis, a study of 67 unifacial tools from this region was conducted, employing techno-structural analysis and 3D geometric morphometrics. This approach was designed to precisely quantify tool geometry and uncover their functional potentials. The analysis revealed significant variability within the techno-structural groups, often intersecting with typological classifications. These results indicate that despite their production attributes, unifacially shaped artifacts demonstrate considerable morpho-structural diversity. The study delineated nine distinct techno-structural groups, each suggesting potentially different functional organizations and deviating from conventional typologies. These results indicate that unifacially shaped artifacts, while embodying a novel technological paradigm of production, exhibit a broader spectrum of variation mainly due to different tool functions. The combined approach adopted in this research highlights on the cultural significance of unifacial tools within Paleoamerican technological systems. It suggests probable unique tool concepts specific to the study area, challenges existing classifications, and enriches our comprehension of early lithic technology in South America.
Rifampicin and isoniazid resistance not promote fluoroquinolone resistance in Mycobacterium smegmatis
Background The emergence of drug-resistant Tuberculosis (TB) has made treatment challenging. Although fluoroquinolones (FQs) are used as key drugs in the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), the problem of FQs resistance is becoming increasingly serious. Rifampicin (RIF) resistance is considered a risk factor for FQs resistance. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of RIF and isoniazid (INH) resistance on the FQs resistance in vitro experiment. Methods FQs resistant strains were selected in vitro from RIF and/or INH resistant Mycobacterium smegmatis (M.sm). The sequencing of the gyrA gene, and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of FQs (ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin and gatifloxacin) were performed for FQs-resistant strains. Results A total of 222 FQs-resistant M.sm strains were selected, all of which had the gyrA mutation. Seven gyrA mutations were detected, with mutations at loci 90 and 94 being the most common. There were no differences in FQs resistance developed from RIF and/or INH resistant M.sm. There was a significant difference in the MIC of the gyrA mutant types to FQs. The highest resistance to FQs was observed in the Gly88Cys mutant strains. M.sm with the identical gyrA mutation showed the highest resistance to ciprofloxacin and relatively low resistance to gatifloxacin and moxifloxacin. Conclusions In this study, we found no evidence that RIF and/or INH resistance directly affects FQs resistance in M.sm in vitro experiments. Resistance profiles of different gryA mutations to the four FQs drugs were also presented. These findings provide a more comprehensive understanding of FQs resistance.
Association between composite dietary antioxidant indices and anemia: NHANES 2003–2018
Background There is increasing acknowledgment of the potential role that diet rich in antioxidants may play in the prevention of anemia. As a significant indicator of antioxidant-rich diet, the relationship between the composite dietary antioxidant index (CDAI) and anemia has not been extensively studied. Therefore, this study aims to explore the association between CDAI and anemia. Methods Utilizing datas from the 2003–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database. The CDAI was calculated using six dietary antioxidants, based on two 24-hour dietary recall interviews, serving as comprehensive measure of the intake of these antioxidants. Weighted multivariable logistic regression and restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis was conducted to investigate the association between CDAI and anemia. Furthermore, subgroup analyses were performed to enhance datas reliability. Results A total of 33914 participants were included in the study, among which 3,416 (10.07%) were diagnosed with anemia. The unadjusted model showed negative association between CDAI and anemia (odds ratio [OR]: 0.94; 95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 0.93–0.96; P < 0.001). After adjusting for all covariates, with each increase in CDAI level linked to 3% lower risk of anemia (OR: 0.97; 95%CI: 0.95–0.98; P < 0.001). Moreover, when CDAI was categorized into quartiles, the observed trend persisted (P < 0.001). The RCS analysis revealed linear negative relationship between CDAI and anemia (P for nonlinearity = 0.619). Except for sex, smoking, diabetes and hypertension, no statistically significant interactions were found in any subgroup analysis (P < 0.05 for interaction). Conclusion Our findings suggest that CDAI levels are inversely related to the prevalence of anemia. Consequently, monitoring individuals with low CDAI scores may facilitate the timely identification of anemia and enhance clinical decision-making.
Trade deregulation and fiscal revenue in selected Pacific Island countries
This paper examines the revenue implications of trade deregulation in a panel of Pacific Island countries from 2010 to 2021. First, we undertake a cross-country analysis of tax revenue, trade, and tax structure. Secondly, we empirically analyze the effect of trade deregulation on trade tax and overall government tax revenue. We find that as the countries have become more deregulated over the decade, the trade tax revenues and direct income tax revenues have declined whereas domestic indirect tax revenues have increased. The empirical estimation reveals the potential Laffer effect for trade tax revenues with respect to trade openness. The effect of regional trade agreements also shows some support for trade tax revenues. Further, the external public debt has a significant positive effect on aggregate tax revenues, while foreign aid has been significant in explaining the decline in both aggregate tax revenues as well as trade tax revenues in the selected Pacific Island countries.
Racial/ethnic differences in mental health treatment received among people with comorbid cardiometabolic and depressive symptomology: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2017 to March 2020 Pre-Pandemic
Background Individuals with chronic physical conditions and comorbid mental illness have increased probability of adverse health outcomes. As minority populations have limited access to both medical care and culturally appropriate mental health services, having a comorbid mental health condition can further impede their ability to manage chronic conditions and widen racial disparities in health outcomes. Further, racial/ethnic disparities in treatment patterns are likely to exacerbate disparities in adverse health outcomes. Objective To identify the racial/ethnic mental health treatment patterns among individuals with cardiometabolic and depressive symptomology co-occurrence. Methods This study utilized National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data, 2017 to March 2020 Pre-Pandemic. The primary analysis was an adjusted linear logistic regression analysis of race/ethnicity, comorbidity status and mental health treatment type. Regression models were estimated to determine the likelihood of receiving counseling and medication therapy, and to determine if the likelihood is associated with race/ethnicity. Results Primary findings indicate that depressive symptomology only was the most common designation and fewer than half of persons received any mental health treatment. Across all racial/ethnic groups, receiving no mental health treatment was the most common designation. Sixty-one percent of Non-Hispanic White persons and more than three out of four Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Black persons with only depressive symptoms received no mental health treatment. Adjusted regression analyses revealed that participants with comorbid cardiometabolic and depressive symptomology have 28% lower odds of receiving combined mental health professional and medication therapy than participants with depressive symptomology only. Conclusions Simultaneously treating both mental illness and cardiometabolic symptoms properly is complicated, but there may be untapped synergies in treating both concurrently. Therefore, to achieve favorable health outcomes, policy should be implemented to optimize clinical treatment by addressing aspects of both conditions in an integrated approach and may need to be culturally tailored to be effective.
Effects of the non-native Arapaima gigas on native fish species in Amazonian oxbow lakes (Bolivia)
The introduction of non-native fish species into new environments has raised global concerns due to potential ecological impacts on recipient ecosystems. A previous study focusing on the introduced fish species Arapaima gigas in Bolivian Amazon waters showed that its isotopic niche significantly overlapped with most co-occurring native fish species, suggesting potential competition. To evaluate this hypothesis, we extended here the investigation by comparing the trophic position and isotopic niche width of eleven abundant native fish species inhabiting both colonized and non-colonized floodplain lakes. We found lower trophic positions in colonized versus non-colonized lakes only for native piscivores, mostly driven by a shift towards increased dietary proportion of detritivorous fishes. Conversely, results showed that the isotopic niche width of most fish species analyzed (i.e. 10 over 11 species) did not significantly decrease in colonized compared to non-colonized lakes. Our overall results suggest potentially low competitive interactions between A. gigas and native fishes, with the notable exception of piscivorous species. We attribute our findings to the high abundance of available resources in Amazon oxbow lakes.
Assessment of the methodological quality of studies on core outcome sets for respiratory diseases: A systematic review and meta-research study
Background With increasing attention to core outcome sets (COS), the number of studies on COS for respiratory diseases (COS-RD) is on the rise. However, the methodological quality is still unclear. Therefore, we conducted a study to assess the methodological quality of studies on COS-RD. Methods PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched for study protocols or original studies on COS-RD about adults, from their inception to February 23, 2024. The COMET database and Chinese databases (including China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, Chongqing VIP database, and China Biology Medicine) were also searched as a supplement. Two researchers independently screened the literature, extracted the data, and assessed the methodological quality of included studies using the Core Outcome Set-STAndardised Protocol (COS-STAP) statement, the Core Outcome Set-STAndards for Development (COS-STAD) recommendations, and the Core Outcome Set-STAndards for Reporting (COS-STAR) statement. Results A total of 27 articles (five study protocols and 22 original studies, 26 studies) were included in this study. For the assessment of study protocols using the COS-STAP statement, the item with the lowest complete reporting rate was "missing data" (Item 9, 40.0%), while "description how outcomes may be dropped/combined, with reasons" (Item 5b, 60.0%) and "dissemination" (Item 11, 60.0%) had relatively low complete reporting rates. For the assessment of original studies using the COS-STAD recommendations, the item with the highest non-reporting rate was "care was taken to avoid ambiguity of language used in the list of outcomes" (Item 11, 45.5%), while "the population(s) covered by COS" (Item 3, 31.8%) and "the intervention(s) covered by COS" (Item 4, 31.8%) had relatively high non-reporting rate. When using the COS-STAR statement to assess the original studies, the item with the lowest complete reporting rate was "protocol deviations" (Item 11, 13.6%), while “describe how outcomes were dropped/combined, with reasons (if applicable)” (Item 6b, 36.4%), "participants" (Item 5, 40.9%), "ethics and consent" (Item 10, 54.5%), "protocol/registry entry" (Item 14, 63.6%), and “outcome scoring” (Item 8, 63.6%) had relatively low complete reporting rates. Conclusion The methodological quality of studies on COS-RD needs to be further improved. The appropriate use of aforementioned international reporting standards can advance the methodological quality and reporting transparency of studies on COS-RD.
Correction: Yinzhihuang injection induces apoptosis and suppresses tumor growth in acute myeloid leukemia cells
Misbehavior or misalignment? Examining the drift towards bureaucratic box-ticking in Competency-Based Medical Education
Within competency-based medical education (CBME) residency programs, Entrustable Professional Activity (EPA) assessments endeavor to both bolster learning and inform promotion decisions. Recent implementation studies describe successes but also adverse effects, including residents and preceptors drifting towards bureaucratic / purely administrative behaviors and attitudes, although the drivers behind this tendency are not adequately understood. This study sought to examine resident and faculty experiences with implemented EPA processes to elucidate what leads them toward a ‘tick-box’ approach that has been described in the literature. The internal medicine residency program at the University of Alberta implemented a CBME pilot in 2016. From March to June 2018, a research assistant interviewed 16 residents and 27 preceptors shortly after they completed an EPA assessment. They described their goals, judgements, and actions during a recent EPA observation. Three researchers analyzed the data to identify themes following qualitative description methodology. The requirement to accrue EPA assessments turned them into currency exchanged by preceptors and residents to acknowledge clinical work. Predicaments arose when the prescriptive EPA process felt misaligned with the assessment context. The selected encounter sometimes suited formative but not summative purposes. Preceptors variably prioritized the dual formative and summative purposes and framed the message for either the resident’s or the program’s benefit. The drift toward bureaucracy in workplace-based assessments is becoming a predictable implementation pattern. Instead of solely attributing this pattern to residents and preceptors misusing the assessment process, viewing their actions as workarounds suggests that users make rational choices to overcome obstacles in the assessment system. Obstacles identified by workarounds could be targeted by design modifications.
Energy management strategy for methanol hybrid commercial vehicles based on improved dung beetle algorithm optimization
In order to solve the problem of poor adaptability and robustness of the rule-based energy management strategy (EMS) in hybrid commercial vehicles, leading to suboptimal vehicle economy, this paper proposes an improved dung beetle algorithm (DBO) optimized multi-fuzzy control EMS. First, the rule-based EMS is established by dividing the efficient working areas of the methanol engine and power battery. The Tent chaotic mapping is then used to integrate strategies of cosine, Lévy flight, and Cauchy Gaussian mutation, improving the DBO. This integration compensates for the traditional dung beetle algorithm’s tendency to fall into local optima and enhances its global search capability. Subsequently, fuzzy controllers for the driving charging mode and hybrid driving mode are designed under this rule-based EMS. Finally, the improved DBO is used to obtain the optimal control of the fuzzy controller by taking the fuel consumption of the whole vehicle and the fluctuation change of the battery state of charge (SOC) as the optimization objectives. Compared to traditional rule-based energy management strategies, the optimized fuzzy control using the enhanced DBO continuously adjusts the torque distribution between the engine and motor based on the vehicle’s real-time state, resulting in a 9.07% reduction in fuel consumption and a 3.43% decrease in battery SOC fluctuations.
Correction: Validation of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) emotional subscale in assessing depression and anxiety across development
A generalised catalytic model to assess changes in risk for multiple reinfections with SARS-CoV-2
Background Monitoring trends in multiple infections with SARS-CoV-2, following several pandemic waves, provides insight into the biological characteristics of new variants, but also necessitates methods to understand the risk of multiple reinfections. Objectives We generalised a catalytic model designed to detect increases in the risk of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection, to assess the population-level risk of multiple reinfections. Methods The catalytic model assumes the risk of reinfection is proportional to observed infections and uses a Bayesian approach to fit model parameters to the number of nth infections among individuals that occur at least 90 days after a previous infection. Using a posterior draw from the fitted model parameters, a 95% projection interval of daily nth infections is calculated under the assumption of a constant nth infection hazard coefficient. An additional model parameter was incorporated for the increased reinfection risk detected during the Omicron wave. The generalised model’s performance was then assessed using simulation-based validation. Key findings No additional increase in the risk of third infection was detected after the increase detected during the Omicron wave. Using simulation-based validation, we show that the model can successfully detect increases in the risk of third infections under different scenarios. Limitations Even though the generalised model is intended to detect the risk of nth infections, it is validated specifically for third infections, with its applicability for four or more infections being unconfirmed. Furthermore, the method’s sensitivity to low counts of nth infections, limits application in settings with small epidemics, limited testing coverage or early in an outbreak. Conclusions The catalytic model was successfully adapted to detect increases in the risk of nth infections, enhancing our capacity to identify future changes in the risk of nth infections by SARS-CoV-2 or other similar pathogens.
Extraction of compression indices from maternal-fetal heart rate simultaneous signals
Intrapartum asphyxia is responsible for approximately 900 000 deaths per year worldwide. These numbers show the urgency of investing in the quality of fetal health care. The heart rate signal is a complex signal and sometimes behaves unpredictably. Thus, it becomes relevant to study approaches that take into account their complexity, namely non-linear compression-based methods. In this work, feature extraction was based on two approaches: univariate and bivariate. The univariate approach is concerned with the extraction of fetal, maternal and maternal-fetal compression ratios and the bivariate approach aims to extract compression indices from maternal-fetal heart rate simultaneous signals and of each of the signals individually over time. To understand how the features calculated in this work can be useful in distinguishing acidemic and non-acidemic cases, a classifier was applied. Three different classifiers were tested, and the one that proved to be more effective was the Support-Vector Machine. Furthermore, it was also possible to conclude that the input set of variables that provides a better performance (f1-score = 0.793) of the classifier is composed of the variables of maternal-fetal compression ratio, maternal-fetal normalized relative compression and maternal-fetal normalized compression distance, obtained through trend and residual signal, which indicates that slow and fast fluctuations on the heart rate time series are important in acidemia assessment.