Multifactorial Studies Research Articles

An investigation into the correlation between intraperitoneal teicoplanin concentrations and treatment outcomes in peritoneal dialysis-associated peritonitis.

Peritoneal dialysis-associated peritonitis (PDAP) is a frequent complication of peritoneal dialysis. The guidelines from the International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis (ISPD) suggest administering teicoplanin through the peritoneal route to treat PDAP, but do not specify the ideal concentration for peritoneal dialysis effluent (PDE). Patients meeting the trial criteria for PDAP in our hospital between July 2022 and December 2023 were enrolled. Data on PDE white blood cell count, PDE neutrophil percentage, clinical symptoms, CRP, and PCT were gathered pre- and post-treatment. Incidences of adverse drug reaction (ADR) and case numbers during treatment were recorded. Subsequently, patients were categorized into cured and uncured groups for evaluating the relationship between PDE teicoplanin concentration and treatment effectiveness. The self-control study results on teicoplanin efficacy indicated intraperitoneal teicoplanin administration achieved an efficacy rate of 88.9% and an ADR incidence of 5.5% in treating PDAP patients. There was no observed correlation between teicoplanin blood concentration and PDE concentration. PDE teicoplanin concentrations on days 1, 3, 5, and 7 post-dosing were higher inthe cured group, with a significant contrast in PDE concentration on day 5 between the 18.98 ± 2.43mg/L of the cured group and the 12.07 ± 2.68mg/L of the uncured group. ROC curve revealed a higher likelihood of cure in patients when PDE teicoplanin concentration exceeded 15.138mg/L on day 5 post-dosing. Univariate and multifactorial studies identified 24-h urine volume and the number of daily abdominal dialysis sessions as influential factors in PDE teicoplanin concentration on day 5. A positive correlation was found between 24-h urine volume and PDE teicoplanin concentration, with PDAP patients having urine volume over 537mL showing significantly higher drug concentrations. Conversely, the number of daily PDAP sessions was negatively correlated with PDE teicoplanin concentrations, indicating that patients with 1∼3 daily PDAP sessions had notably higher PDE teicoplanin concentrations compared to those with 4∼6 sessions. Therefore, PDAP patients who use intraperitoneal teicoplanin could effectively control infection by monitoring the PDE teicoplanin concentration (>15.138mg/L) on day 5 after dosing.

Comparing postoperative proprioception of the glenohumeral joint between the open and the arthroscopic Latarjet procedure

BackgroundShoulder proprioception, in which the anterior glenohumeral capsule plays a major role, is critical to the functioning of the shoulder. Consequently, most surgeons either do not resect or reinsert the anterior capsule in shoulder stabilization surgery. In the original Open Latarjet Procedure (OLP), the anterior capsule is preserved. However, in the all-Arthroscopic Latarjet Procedure (ALP), complete anterior capsule resection is recommended for better view and access to the coracoid. This raises the question if there is a postoperative difference in proprioception between these two procedures. Therefore, the aims of this study are (1) to assess the difference in postoperative proprioception between the operated and healthy sides after the OLP and ALP, and (2) to compare the difference in postoperative proprioception on the operated side between the OLP and ALP. MethodsWe conducted a retrospective analysis including all patients who underwent a proprioception test after an OLP or ALP at our center. Collected baseline characteristics included sex, age at surgery, operated side, hand dominance, presence of a Hill-sachs lesion, and time between surgery and the proprioception test. For the test, patients were positioned 1 meter from a wall. They were blindfolded and had to point at a target with a laser pointer taped to their index finger. The laser point was marked and the errors were measured horizontally and vertically and categorized as < 4 centimeters, 4-8 centimeters, 8-16 centimeters, and >16 centimeters. ResultsBetween April 2022 and April 2024, 91 cases were identified, of which 24 underwent an OLP and 67 underwent an ALP. No significant difference was found in error distribution between the healthy and operated side after both the OLP (p = 0.30 horizontally, p = 0.67 vertically) and ALP (p = 0.20 horizontally, p = 0.34 vertically). Moreover, there was no significant difference in error distribution between the operated sides after the OLP versus ALP (p= 0.52 horizontally, p = 0.61 vertically). ConclusionOur data suggests that postoperative proprioception is not significantly different between the operated and healthy sides after both the OLP and ALP, nor between the operated sides after the OLP versus after the ALP. This might imply that completely resecting the anterior glenohumeral capsule does not have a detrimental effect on shoulder proprioception. However, these results are multifactorial and prospective studies are needed to better understand the regeneration potential of glenohumeral capsule mechanoreceptors and the importance of the anterior capsule for shoulder proprioception.

An update of data compilation on the biological response to ocean acidification and overview of the OA-ICC data portal

Abstract. The number of studies investigating the effects of ocean acidification on marine organisms and communities increases every year. Results are not easily comparable since the carbonate chemistry and ancillary data are not always reported in similar units and scales and are not calculated using similar sets of constants. To facilitate data comparison, a data compilation hosted by the PANGAEA Data Publisher was initiated in 2008 and is updated on a regular basis (https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.962556; Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre (OA-ICC), 2023). By November 2023, a total of 1501 datasets (over 25 million data points) from 1554 papers had been archived. To easily filter and access relevant biological response data from this compilation, a user-friendly portal (https://oa-icc.ipsl.fr, last access: 9 November 2023) was launched in 2018. Here, we present an update of this data compilation since its second description by Yang et al. (2016) and provide an overview of the OA-ICC portal for ocean acidification biological response data, launched in 2018. Most of the study sites from which data have been archived are in the North Atlantic Ocean, North Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean, and Mediterranean Sea, while polar oceans are still relatively poorly represented. Mollusca and Cnidaria are still the best-represented taxonomic groups. The biological processes most reported in the datasets are growth and morphology. Other variables that can potentially be affected by ocean acidification and are often reported include calcification/dissolution, primary production/photosynthesis, and biomass/abundance. The majority of the compiled datasets have considered ocean acidification as a single stressor, but their relative contribution has decreased from 68 % before 2015 to 57 % today, showing a clear tendency towards more data archived from multifactorial studies.

The relative impact of co-occurring stressors on the abundance of benthic species examined with three-way correspondence analysis

This paper presents a novel application of three-way correspondence analysis as a technique to analyse three-way contingency tables with abundance scores of several species. The example data analysis presented was taken from a previous mesocosm experiment and consists of a two-factor experimental design with physical disturbance and organic enrichment as factors, applied to sediment collected from the Oslofjørd, Norway. The focus of the original research was to evaluate the influence of the two factors and their interactions on the abundance of the species present in the sediment. In the current paper we demonstrate that by using a three-way correspondence approach it is possible to undertake simultaneous analysis of the species, identifying and evaluating their relative sensitivity to the environmental factors thus adding additional insight than was possible in the original analysis. In particular, this new approach allowed even relatively scarce species to be included in the analysis and evaluated together with abundant species. This paper demonstrates how three-way correspondence analysis can be a useful analytical tool in teasing out effects and interactions from multi-factorial studies.

ПОБУДОВА МАТЕМАТИЧНОЇ МОДЕЛІ ПОДАЧІ ТЕХНОЛОГІЧНОЇ МАСИ В МОЛОТАРКУ ЗЕРНОЗБИРАЛЬНОГО КОМБАЙНА

Purpose of the research: to develop and research a multifactorial mathematical model of the feed of the grain harvester, taking into account several factors that influence the formation of its value. Methods and materials. The development of a mathematical model of the grain loss indicator was carried out using mathematical modeling methods; its assessment was performed using Fisher’s test. The study of the supply of technological mass was carried out at the multifactorial level depending on the technical parameters and technological modes of the harvester systems and the characteristics of the technological culture. Multifactorial experimental studies of the technological mass supply indicator were carried out during the operation of the combine in the direct combine mode. 14 combines of the same type with a drum-type thresher were included in the experiment. Results. Based on the results of the obtained statistical data analysis, it was concluded that an increase in the width of the thresher, the area of the straw shaker, the energy supply of the combine, the width of the grain header, the grain yield of the technological crop and the working speed contribute to the increase in the supply of bread mass to the thresher of the combine. A multifactorial mathematical model of the technological mass supply indicator was developed. Based on the obtained mathematical model, graphical dependences of the feed rate on the width of the harvester’s grip, the grain yield of the ear crop and the width of the thresher were developed, which determine the technological mode of operation of the combine - the supply of bread mass to threshing. Their use makes it possible to choose the necessary working speed of the combine for the thresher of specific parameters, in order to form a flow of technological mass of the required productivity - feed into the thresher. When working in the same conditions (on the same field), the productivity of combines will be determined by the amount of bread mass supplied to the combine, which is determined by the harvester, thresher, and the working speed of movement during the execution of the technological process. Conclusions. It has been established that the technological throughput capacity of the thresher for threshing bread mass is determined by its technical parameters. The use of a thresher with a significant diameter of the threshing drum (along with correspondingly increased other parameters of the threshing system) contributes to the productivity of passing/feeding and technological processing in the threshing-separating system, which serves to increase the supply of bread mass to the threshing machine and the ability of the combine to work in the mode of design productivity. It is advisable to use graphic models of the feed indicator when choosing the technological mode of the combined harvester - working speed, depending on its design productivity, the width of the harvester’s grip, and the grain yield of ear crops. Keywords: grain harvester, drum-type thresher, feed of bread mass, grain threshing, grain harvester.

Analysis of Conceptual Definitions of Agribusiness Using the Conceptual Bibliographic Method

Purpose: Agribusiness is a phenomenon of interest to science from several aspects, and this multiplicity of aspects taken simultaneously is a new way of trying to understand and explain it. Specific, unidisciplinary studies still predominate on a single element of agribusiness, such as finance, marketing, and production, among countless others. However, the trend is towards multifactorial studies because agribusiness is a phenomenon that cannot be classified solely as industry, commerce, or service or as a primary, secondary, or tertiary sector. Consolidated agribusiness is all of these things simultaneously, whose reality is delimited by science based on its conceptual definitions. Therefore, the definitions must be analyzed so that the current stage of scientific knowledge about the phenomenon can be understood, especially its limits, characteristics, and dynamics, which are the purposes of this study.&#x0D; &#x0D; Theoretical Structure: The theoretical architecture of this study consisted of seeking to understand the phenomenon of agribusiness with socio-economic development, which is its most evident externality. It was carried out interdisciplinary, highlighting its integral reality based on what appears and can be identified in the conceptual definitions available in scientific publications. The justification for this procedure was the need to understand agribusiness from multiple scientific views so that its various aspects could be understood.&#x0D; &#x0D; Design/Methodology/Approach: This study aimed to analyze the conceptual definitions of agribusiness in the scientific literature in studies published between 2015 and 2023. To this end, it established three guiding questions, which sought to identify the frontiers of knowledge about the phenomenon, its main attributes, and what logical scheme it is possible to find among its main defining characteristics. For this, the conceptual bibliographic method was used, which consists of formulating a problem and its breakdown into a response pattern, collecting data in scientific databases, organizing and analyzing data based on semantic resources, and generating responses from the diagrammatic layout of the data organization.&#x0D; &#x0D; Findings: The results showed the existence of nine approaches to agribusiness (set, sum, activity, science, practice, configuration, industry, process, and transformation) and eight groups of attributes (transnational activities, commercialization, distribution logistics, supply logistics, companies, production, services, and agroecosystem). These discoveries allowed us to understand that agribusiness has an evolutionary dynamic that begins with the professionalization of the rural output and culminates with the irradiation of the reach of this production to transnational borders.&#x0D; Research, Practical, and Social Implications: These findings fundamentally affect how agribusiness is viewed. In Brazil, in particular, the prevalent mentality tends to distinguish agribusiness as a unique and exclusive form of large rural enterprises, almost all of which are already globalized, excluding small enterprises from this coverage, almost always classified as family farming. Suppose the family farmer establishes himself as an enterprise. In that case, he often receives the entire discriminatory range intended for the large agribusiness enterprise, discouraging his professionalization, an essential corollary of the germ of agribusiness. Professionalization involves replacing improvised methods of producing and managing the enterprise with rational aspects originating from science and introducing scientifically subsidized techniques and technologies.&#x0D; &#x0D; Originality/Value: The main contribution of this study to science was the construction of an evolutionary dynamic of agribusiness, which begins with the professionalization of rural production and culminates with globalization. These findings suggest that the family farming stage needs to be broken so that the benefits of professionalization can lead to improved quality of life and desired socioeconomic development for producers and partners.

The effect of stress on the thyroid morphofunctional status (literature review)

The article is a literature review on the effect of stress on the thyroid morphofunctional status. The article provides the results of research regarding the effect of various stressors on the thyroid functional state. It also discusses the mechanisms of immune system dysfunction under the influence of stressors that cause autoimmune disorders. The pathophysiological connection between the action of stress hormones and thyroid hormones is described, which consists in changes in the functional state of the thyroid gland depending on the stage of stress. The article also analyzes recent multifactorial population studies on the association of elevated cortisol levels, hyperinsulinemia, hyperleptinemia, and increased neoplastic proliferative activity. The dyshormonal etiology of insulin resistance is based on hypersensitivity due to various factors, which is based on catecholaminergic and serotonergic dysregulatory pathology. As a result, hypercortisolemia occurs. Also, in response to a chronic increase in cortisol level, the expression of leptin increases. Hyperinsulinemia and hyperleptinemia develop under the influence of hypercortisolemia. Patients with obesity, dyslipidemia, hyperleptinemia, hyperinsulinemia have increased level of insulin-like growth factor-1 and other growth factors that participate in the vascular wall remodeling and in the mechanisms of stimulation of the division of various types of cells. There are isolated studies indicating an increased incidence of nodular goiter in people with a negative metabolic phenotype. The presence of hyperinsulinemia and hyperleptinemia can be a crucial marker of the boundary between physiological cell division and neoplastic proliferative activity. Insulin-like growth factor-1 plays a significant role in the regulation of cell proliferation and apoptosis in terms of energy metabolism and depends on the type of eating behavior. Chronic stress changes eating behavior. Therefore, in this difficult historical period for Ukraine, it is important to study both clinical and pathogenetic aspects of hormonal, immunological, metabolic changes that occur in the body under the influence of chronic stress and contribute to the development of thyroid pathology.

Muti-factor analysis of sport activity level after high tibial osteotomy

BackgroundAlthough many studies have shown that high tibial osteotomy is appropriate for active patients, there are limited multifactorial studies on patients’ sport activity level after HTO in general population.Methods158 patients who underwent HTO for knee osteoarthritis between January 2016 and December 2019 are included, with a 36-month follow-up. Information was collected from X-rays and questionnaire. The independent variables were age, sex, breadwinner (provide more than 50% income), sport activity level when the knee was pain-free before and after surgery, concomitant meniscal treatment history, Lysholm knee score, desire level for returning to sports. The 158 cases are divided into three groups according to their sports participation before and after operation, Chi-square tests and ANOVA analysis were adopted to identify the effect of these variables on sport activity level after HTO, and factors with statistical differences and clinical relevancies, or provided by previous research were assessed with the ordinal logistic regression analysis.ResultsAccording to sport activity level analysis, 28(17.7%) patients were categorized into the sport level-reduced group, 97(61.4%) patients into the sport level-unchanged group, and 33(20.9%) patients into the sport level-improved group. Upon ordinal logistic regression analysis, postoperative MA%, age, BMI, and preoperative Lysholm knee score were statistically significant.ConclusionsHigher postoperative MA%, younger age, lower BMI, and lower Lysholm score are associate with improvement on activity level after HTO. This finding provides valuable references in operation option and rehabilitation planning.

Childhood overweight and obesity in Bariloche, Argentina: Beyond eating habits and physical activity.

The incidence of overweight and obesity is alarming worldwide. In Argentina, multifactorial studies are scarce despite the high rates of childhood overweight and obesity (OW/OB). In this study we assessed the prevalence of childhood OW/OB and the associated risk factors from a multicausal perspective: we analyzed sleep habits, screen use, chronic stress in children and their caregivers, social relationship problems, eating habits, and physical activity. Of the 397 first and seventh graders who completed the questionnaires, 41% had childhood OW/OB. In children with obesity, a lower level of physical activity, a lower consumption of protective foods, a higher risk for sleep disorders, higher levels of chronic stress (in both children and their caregivers), and higher rates of peer rejection were observed. Widespread use of screens before bedtime was noted in most children. This study evidences the diversity of factors associated with childhood OW/OB and highlights the convenience of a multidimensional approach to address it. In addition, the results of this study suggest the need to consider lifestyle habits as a preventive and therapeutic strategy for the management of OW/OB from early stages.

Evaluation of the efficiency of microwave heating of soils

One of the innovative directions of heat treatment of soil in the technologies of decontamination from pesticides, oil products and disinfection is heating in a microwave electromagnetic field. Numerical studies testify to the effectiveness of the microwave treatment method. This is due to the peculiarities of the interaction of the microwave field with dielectric materials. Unique effects arise, such as the possibility of local heating, volume heating of the material, unidirectionality of pressure and humidity gradients. This contributes to the intensification of transfer processes and the possibility of energy savings. However, the challenge at present is to determine the processing regimes, including load mass, specific microwave field power, electric field strength, material layer thickness, and processing time, under which the microwave method will be energy efficient. Conducting multifactorial experimental studies allows determining the conditions of energy feasibility of microwave soil treatment. Therefore, the object of research is the process of heating a dense layer of soil under the action of a microwave electromagnetic field. The results of studies on the effect of microwave treatment of soil contaminated with organophosphorus pesticides, contaminated with petroleum products, and under what conditions the qualitative effect was obtained, as well as the results of the effect of the microwave field on the pathogenic microflora of the soil used for growing plants, were considered. The high quality of implementation of soil treatment technologies is determined. Energy efficiency was determined on the basis of data on temperature and moisture content, analysis of thermograms of microwave heating of chernozem and clay soil, analysis of the influence of material layer thickness, influence of dielectric properties and power of the microwave field. According to the results of thermal calculations, the values of the efficiency of the microwave chamber and the intensity of the electric field were determined, which are recommended as the basis for scaling in order to transfer the experimental results to industrial installations. During the research, specific experimental methods of research under microwave heating conditions, analytical methods of thermal calculations, developed by the authors of the experimental research methodology were used. Experimental studies were carried out on the installation created by the authors. The results of the research are intended for the wide implementation into practice of technological calculations of microwave chambers for heat treatment of soils, intensification of disinfection processes under the conditions of energy efficiency of the transformation of the energy of the microwave field into the internal energy of the soil.

An integrative perspective on fish health: Environmental and anthropogenic pathways affecting fish stress

Multifactorial studies assessing the cumulative effects of natural and anthropogenic stressors on individual stress response are crucial to understand how organisms and populations cope with environmental change. We tested direct and indirect causal pathways through which environmental stressors affect the stress response of wild gilthead seabream in Mediterranean costal lagoons using an integrative PLS-PM approach. We integrated information on 10 environmental variables and 36 physiological variables into seven latent variables reflecting lagoons features and fish health. These variables concerned fish lipid reserves, somatic structure, inorganic contaminant loads, and individual trophic and stress response levels. This modelling approach allowed explaining 30 % of the variance within these 46 variables considered. More importantly, 54 % of fish stress response was explained by the dependent lagoon features, fish age, fish diet, fish reserve, fish structure and fish contaminant load latent variables included in our model. This integrative study sheds light on how individuals deal with contrasting environments and multiple ecological pressures.

Additive effects of microplastics on accumulation and toxicity of cadmium in male zebrafish

Microplastics (MPs) have emerged as contaminants of concern because of their ubiquitous presence in almost all aquatic environments. The ecological effects of MPs are complex and depend on multiple factors including their age, size and the ecological matrix. There is an urgent need for multifactorial studies to elucidate their impacts. We measured the effects of virgin and naturally aged MPs, alone, pretreated with cadmium (Cd), or in combination with ionic Cd, on the bioaccumulation of Cd, metallothionein expression, behavior, and histopathology of adult zebrafish (Danio rerio). Zebrafish were exposed to virgin or aged polyethylene MPs (0.1% MPs enriched diets, w/w) or waterborne Cd (50 μg/L) or a combination of the two for 21 days. There was an additive interaction between water-borne Cd and MPs on bioaccumulation in males but not in females. Cd accumulation increased by twofold when water-borne Cd and MPs were combined. Water-borne Cd induced significantly higher levels of metallothionein compared to MPs pre-exposed to Cd. However, Cd-treated MPs caused greater damage to the intestine and liver compared to untreated MPs suggesting that bound Cd could be released or modulate MPs toxicity. We also showed that co-exposure to water-borne Cd and MPs increased anxiety in the zebrafish, compared with water-borne Cd alone, suggesting using microplastics as a vector may increase toxicity. This study demonstrates that MPs can enhance the toxicity of Cd, but further study is needed to elucidate the mechanism.

Priority Analysis of Influence Factors for Electric Vehicle Demand Response Strategies

As the penetration of renewable energy continues to increase, the demand-side resources in the grid will become more and more important. Electric vehicles (EVs) account for a relatively large proportion of demand-side resources, but individual and social factors have been less considered in multifactorial studies affecting EV participation in demand response (DR), and the multiscenario DR process has not been adequately studied. Therefore, an EV demand response strategy considering the influence of multiple factors is proposed in this paper. Firstly, a multisource charging load characteristic model is constructed by analyzing the characteristics of EV charging behavior under multiple scenarios. Secondly, the DEMATEL-AISM method is used to analyze the degree of influence of personal and social factors on users’ charging behavior under complex social environments, and the dominant factors in each scenario are identified. Finally, based on the analysis of the dominant factors in multiple scenarios, an EV regulation strategy under the influence of multiple factors is developed to achieve peak shaving. The feasibility of the proposed method is verified through simulation cases. The simulation results reveal that the revenues of aggregators and users are improved, and the stability of the power system is enhanced.

The effect of elevated CO2 on photosynthesis is modulated by nitrogen supply and reduced water availability in Picea abies.

It is assumed that the stimulatory effects of elevated CO2 concentration ([CO2]) on photosynthesis and growth may be substantially reduced by co-occurring environmental factors and the length of CO2 treatment. Here, we present the study exploring the interactive effects of three manipulated factors ([CO2], nitrogen supply and water availability) on physiological (gas-exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence), morphological and stoichiometric traits of Norway spruce (Picea abies) saplings after 2 and 3 years of the treatment under natural field conditions. Such multifactorial studies, going beyond two-way interactions, have received only limited attention until now. Our findings imply a significant reduction of [CO2]-enhanced rate of CO2 assimilation under reduced water availability which deepens with the severity of water depletion. Similarly, insufficient nitrogen availability leads to a down-regulation of photosynthesis under elevated [CO2] being particularly associated with reduced carboxylation efficiency of the Rubisco enzyme. Such adjustments in the photosynthesis machinery result in the stimulation of water-use efficiency under elevated [CO2] only when it is combined with a high nitrogen supply and reduced water availability. These findings indicate limited effects of elevated [CO2] on carbon uptake in temperate coniferous forests when combined with naturally low nitrogen availability and intensifying droughts during the summer periods. Such interactions have to be incorporated into the mechanistic models predicting changes in terrestrial carbon sequestration and forest growth in the future.

Шляхи підвищення ефективності технологій синтезу мікробних екзополісахаридів. Частина 1. Встановлення оптимальних умов біосинтезу

Conducting experiments in which only one factor is varied is the easiest way to establish the optimal conditions of producer cultivation. Usually, in such studies, a consistent determination of the nature and concentration of the carbon and nitrogen source, pH, temperature, duration of cultivation, as well as the method of inoculum preparation is carried out. Such single-factor studies remain an effective tool for the initial determination of the most critical factors which cause the greatest impact on the biosynthesis process and require additional optimization. Further optimization of producer cultivation conditions using multivariate studies involves the use of various methods of mathematical planning of experiments, one of which is the Plackett-Burman design, which allows determining the level of influence on the process of a large number of variables while conducting a smaller number of experiments. For the combined analysis of factors which have the greatest influence on the process of exopolysaccharides biosynthesis, other more complex mathematical models are usually used, in particular, the Box-Wilson method, the central composite design, or the Box-Behnken design. A significant advantage of the Box-Behnken design is that it does not contain combinations for which all factors are at the highest or lowest levels at the same time. The analyzed literature data of recent years regarding ways to increase the efficiency of microbial exopolysaccharides technologies proved the need to use an integrated approach to solve this problem. So, at the first stage, it is necessary to establish the optimal composition of the nutrient medium. At the same time, the most modern approach is to conduct multifactorial studies using complex mathematical models, which take into account the interrelationship of various studied factors and make it pos sible to more accurately establish the optimal conditions of the cultivation process, which ensure increasing the concentration of microbial exopolysaccharides by 2—10 times compared to that before optimization.

Features of operation and hydraulic calculations

Issues related to the design and hydraulic calculations of the transit part of a closed tubular water supply structure of the siphon type are considered. The operating conditions of a siphon with rectangular pipes in the transition mode are estimated. Due to the formation of a hydraulic jump, the inlet section of the siphon pipes experiences increased hydrodynamic loads, leading to certain defects and destruction. The design of the siphon with two breaks along the length with a portal and a smooth inlet head or without it was modeled. As a result of modeling studies, the absence of a noticeable effect of the inlet head of the culvert on the length of the free-flow inlet section was established. It was revealed that the conditions of formation, the features of the hydraulic operation of the siphon, and the loads it experiences in the transient mode are largely determined by its design solutions. With the flooding of the inlet head, the flow of air into the pipe is hindered, and a transition mode of the second type is formed with a slight fluctuation in the water level in front of the structure upstream. The dependence of the location of the flow separation point with a decrease in the throughput of water on its value was revealed, which made it possible to obtain a graph of the dependence of the relative length of the free-flow section on the square root of the Froude number. A comparison was made with the results of studies by other authors, which showed an increase in the relative length in tubular structures of the siphon type in sections with reverse slopes at the same Froude numbers. Recommendations are given on the methodology for carrying out hydraulic calculation of tubular culverts for various purposes with minimal flow rates, and ways for further multifactorial studies of siphons on the reclamation network are indicated.

Warming offsets the benefits of elevated CO2 in water relations while amplifies elevated CO2-induced reduction in forage nutritional value in the C4 grass Megathyrsus maximus.

Tropical grasslands are very important to global carbon and water cycles. C4 plants have increased heat tolerance and a CO2 concentrating mechanism that often reduces responses to elevated concentrations of CO2 ([CO2]). Despite the importance of tropical grasslands, there is a scarcity of studies that elucidate how managed tropical grasslands will be affected by elevated [CO2] and warming. In our study, we used a combination of a temperature-free air-controlled enhancement (T-FACE) and a free-air carbon dioxide enrichment (FACE) systems to increase canopy temperature and [CO2] under field conditions, respectively. We warmed a field-grown pasture dominated by the C4 tropical forage grass Megathyrsus maximus by 2°C above ambient under two levels of [CO2] (ambient (aC) and elevated (eC - 600 ppm) to investigate how these two factors isolated or combined regulate water relations through stomatal regulation, and how this combination affects PSII functioning, biochemistry, forage nutritive value, and digestibility. We demonstrated that the effects of warming negated the effects of eC in plant transpiration, water potential, proline content, and soil moisture conservation, resulting in warming canceling the eCO2-induced improvement in these parameters. Furthermore, there were additive effects between eC and warming for chlorophyll fluorescence parameters and aboveground nutritive value. Warming sharply intensified the eCO2-induced decrease in crude protein content and increases in forage fibrous fraction and lignin, resulting in a smaller forage digestibility under a warmer CO2-enriched atmosphere. Our results highlight the importance of multifactorial studies when investigating global change impacts on managed ecosystems and the potential consequences for the global carbon cycle like amplification in methane emissions by ruminants and feeding a positive climate feedback system.

Body Composition in Multiple Sclerosis Patients and Its Relationship to the Disability Level, Disease Duration and Glucocorticoid Therapy.

Background: Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) have many potential factors (spasticity, immobilization, glucocorticoids use) for the deterioration of body composition. Aim: To assess the nutritional status (by classical anthropometry and by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA)) in MS patients and to correlate it with clinical state, MS duration time and the presence of glucocorticoid therapy in anamnesis (ever used). Methods: Anthropometrical (BMI and waist and hip circumferences, waist-to-height ratio (W/HtR), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR)) and body composition (BIA) data were evaluated in 176 patients with MS. Fat mass (FM), and fat-free mass (FFM) were expressed as kilograms (kg), percentage (%) and indexes (FMI: fat mass index, FFMI: fat-free mass index) expressed in kg/m2. The median Expanded Disability Status Scale score was 4.5. Patients were then divided according to EDSS score as mild (EDSS 1.0–4.0) or moderate (EDSS 4.5–6.5) disability subgroup. Results: Waist c., WHtR, WHR, and FM% were significantly higher in the moderate MS group (p < 0.01; p < 0.001; p < 0.001; and p < 0.05, respectively). Whilst, FFM% was significantly lower (p < 0.05). BMI did not correlate significantly with any disability status score and MS time. Significant correlations were observed between EDSS, ΔEDSS and MS time and Waist c., WHtR, WHR, FM% and FFM%. WHtR had the strongest significance (p < 0.0001 vs. EDSS; p < 0.0001 vs. ΔEDSS; and p < 0.01 vs. MS time, respectively). After the adjustment to the MS time, only FM% was no longer significantly related to both EDSS and ΔEDSS. MS duration time, EDSS, ΔEDSS, WHtR, FM(kg), FM%, and FMI were significantly higher in the patients with a positive history of glucocorticoid therapy (all p < 0.05). Whilst, FFM% was significantly lower in MS patients treated with glucocorticoids (p < 0.01). Conclusions: Greater disability in MS patients is strongly related to lower fat-free mass and higher fat mass, especially with the abdominal distribution, irrespective of the duration time of the disease. Oral glucocorticoid therapy seems to have a negative impact on the body composition of MS patients. However, further prospective multifactorial studies in this field have to be done. For the proper assessment of nutritional status in MS patients, Waist c., WHtR, WHR, or body composition parameters seem to be of greater use than BMI.

Impacts of Low Oxygen on Marine Life: Neglected, but a Crucial Priority for Research.

AbstractGlobal ocean O2 content has varied significantly across the eons, both shaping and being shaped by the evolutionary history of life on planet Earth. Indeed, past O2 fluctuations have been associated with major extinctions and the reorganization of marine biota. Moreover, its most recent iteration-now anthropogenically driven-represents one of the most prominent challenges for both marine ecosystems and human societies, with ocean deoxygenation being regarded as one of the main drivers of global biodiversity loss. Yet ocean deoxygenation has received far less attention than concurrent environmental variables of marine climate change, namely, ocean warming and acidification, particularly in the field of experimental marine ecology. Together with the lack of consistent criteria defining gradual and acute changes in O2 content, a general lack of multifactorial studies featuring all three drivers and their interactions prevents an adequate interpretation of the potential effects of extreme and gradual deoxygenation. We present a comprehensive overview of the interplay between O2 and marine life across space and time and discuss the current knowledge gaps and future steps for deoxygenation research. This work may also contribute to the ongoing call for an integrative perspective on the combined effects of these three drivers of change for marine organisms and ecosystems worldwide.

Microfluidic Printing-Based Method for the Multifactorial Study of Cell-Free Protein Networks.

Protein networks can be assembled in vitro for basic biochemistry research, drug screening, and the creation of artificial cells. Two standard methodologies are used: manual pipetting and pipetting robots. Manual pipetting has limited throughput in the number of input reagents and the combination of reagents in a single sample. While pipetting robots are evident in improving pipetting efficiency and saving hands-on time, their liquid handling volume usually ranges from a few to hundreds of microliters. Microfluidic methods have been developed to minimize the reagent consumption and speed up screening but are challenging in multifactorial protein studies due to their reliance on complex structures and labeling dyes. Here, we engineered a new impact-printing-based methodology to generate printed microdroplet arrays containing water-in-oil droplets. The printed droplet volume was linearly proportional (R2 = 0.9999) to the single droplet number, and each single droplet volume was around 59.2 nL (coefficient of variation = 93.8%). Our new methodology enables the study of protein networks in both membrane-unbound and -bound states, without and with anchor lipids DGS-NTA(Ni), respectively. The methodology is demonstrated using a subnetwork of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). It takes less than 10 min to prepare 100 different droplet-based reactions, using <1 μL reaction volume at each reaction site. We validate the kinase (ATPase) activity of MEK1 (R4F)* and ERK2 WT individually and together under different concentrations, without and with the selective membrane attachment. Our new methodology provides a reagent-saving, efficient, and flexible way for protein network research and related applications.