Preliminary Study Research Articles

Abstract 281: The function of FGFR2+ cancer-associated fibroblasts on cancer stem cell expansion of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract Aims: FGFR2+ fibroblasts were reported to promote tumor progression, but the mechanisms remained unexplored in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).Methods: Multiplex immunohistochemistry (mIHC) displayed the distributions of FGFR2+ fibroblasts and cancer stem cells (CSCs). After FGFR2+ fibroblast isolation, tumor cells were stimulated with fibroblasts supernatant to assess radioresistance and CSC properties. RNA-seq analysis identified the downstream BMP5 expression.Results: In our preliminary study, the immunohistochemistry results showed that FGFR2+ fibroblasts were always represented in the area near cancer stem cells (CSCs), and FGFR2+ fibroblasts infiltration was associated with poor outcomes. When we cocultured FGFR2+ fibroblasts with tumor cells, we found the proportion of CSCs were upregulated. The results of RNA sequencing and ELISA showed that FGFR2+ fibroblasts overexpressed BMP5. Using FGFR2+ fibroblasts or BMP5 to stimulate cancer cells, the proportion of cancer stem cells was increased, the capabilities of sphere formation and survival after radiation were enhanced. Both RNA sequencing and immunoblotting results indicated that BMP5 affected H2AX phosphorylation in DNA repair pathway and activated its potential upstream pathway MAPK signaling pathway. In vivo experiments also showed that FGFR2+ fibroblasts could upregulate CSCs proportions.Conclusions: Our findings suggested that BMP5 derived from FGFR2+ fibroblasts might induce CSCs expansion and led to poor prognosis in the ESCC. Citation Format: Ying Wang, Ping Feng, Tong-chao Jiang, Xin-yuan Guan, Yun-fei Xia. The function of FGFR2+ cancer-associated fibroblasts on cancer stem cell expansion of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 281.

Abstract 3761: A modified SELEX enables the efficient identification of DNA aptamers with potential for specific cancer targeting

Abstract Background: Aptamers have sparked significant interest in cell recognition due to their superior binding specificity and biocompatibility. Cell recognition can be mediated by targeting the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) that presents short peptides derived from intracellular antigens. Although numerous antibodies have demonstrated a specific affinity for the peptide-MHC complex, the number of aptamers that exhibit comparable characteristics is limited. However, the success rate of aptamer identification is low. This is possibly due to the presence of complementary sequences or sequences rich in quinine and cytosine that are less accessible for primers. Here, we use ovalbumin model antigen to explore whether aptamers with specificity for binding to a defined peptide-MHC complex can be identified. We developed DNA aptamers with modified SELEX by employing systemic consecutive selections with minimal PCR amplification. Furthermore, the other tumour antigen, claudin-6, was also used as a target to determine whether our modification for SELEX can be used with any selection technology. Methods: To determine whether our modified SELEX has potential for selecting aptamer capable of cancer-specific targeting, we used ovalbumin presented by H-2Kb (to represent the specific antigen presented by MHC) and claudin-6 (a cancer-associated adhesion molecule) as a target for the selection of aptamers. This modified SELEX consisted of consecutive positive and negative selections with minimal PCR amplification. Meanwhile, the selection of candidate aptamers is based on their appearance in multiple rounds rather than enrichment, and is facilitated by several computational tools. The specificity and affinity of the candidate aptamer are validated by flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, and immunofluorescence analysis with cells with or without these molecules. Results: After high-throughput sequencing, a total of 211 candidate aptamers were selected for further analysis. The quadruplex forming G-rich sequences (QGRS) mapper, mFold modeling, and NUPACK web servers were used to predict the potential of G-quadruplex formation, resulting in only four potential aptamers. Using MTCQ1-OVA cells with FITC-conjugated aptamers, two aptamers showed selective binding to MTCQ1-OVA cells and had no binding specificity to MTCQ1-WT cells. The binding specificity was further validated by immunohistochemistry in tumour derived from mice inoculated with MTCQ1-WT or MTCQ1-OVA cells. In the pull-down assay, the binding affinity of these two candidate aptamers was 136.2 nM and 155.1 nM affinity. Conclusions: This preliminary study demonstrated that our modification for SELEX is effective in the selection of aptamers with promising potential for specific cancer targeting. The identification of aptamers may facilitate further application in diverse biomedical fields. Citation Format: Yang Lin, Cho-Yi Chen, Zhi-Qian Lin, Bing-Hong Chen, Yi-Chen Sun, Kai-Feng Hung. A modified SELEX enables the efficient identification of DNA aptamers with potential for specific cancer targeting [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 3761.

Attentional disengagement, craving, and mentalizing: a preliminary experimental study among older-aged male gamblers

IntroductionEmpirical studies have demonstrated the role that attentional bias, the mutual excitatory relationship between attentional bias and craving, and mentalizing play in problem gambling. Although problem gambling rates among older-aged adults have steadily increased in recent years, research studies among this cohort are scarce. The present study is the first to empirically investigate attentional bias, as well as the joint role of attentional bias, craving, and mentalizing among older-aged gamblers.MethodThirty-six male older-aged gamblers were administered the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS), the Gambling Craving Scale (GACS), and the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ-8) to assess gambling severity, craving levels, and mentalizing, respectively. Participants also performed a modified Posner Task to investigate attentional biases.ResultsHierarchical linear regression analysis showed that among older-aged male gamblers, GACS Anticipation and RFQ-8 Uncertainty about mental states, as well as disengagement bias at 100 ms, significantly predicted gambling severity.ConclusionThe present study provides the first empirical support for the role of attentional bias, craving, and mentalizing among older-aged gambling. More specifically, a difficult in disengaging attention away from gambling, the anticipation of pleasure deriving from gambling, and hypomentalizing predicted gambling severity among older-aged gamblers. The findings make an important contribution, by identifying the factors responsible for problem gambling among this specific age cohort and suggesting that timely interventions for mentalizing and attentional bias may be necessary to prevent problem gambling in old age.

The Impact of Cruise Controllability on the Decision Making of Schedule Construction

Nowadays, challenged by diverse uncertainties and disruptions (e.g., bad weather), as well as the strict environmental regulations imposed by authorities (e.g., on carbon emissions), airlines are struggling. How to improve their operational efficiency in such a volatile and adverse market becomes a top agenda of airlines. Among various operations, crew scheduling is fundamentally important as staffing cost is a big part of the total operational expenses. It is known that in crew scheduling, “robust crew pairing” is crucial to make the produced pairings less vulnerable in real operations. Existing studies generally construct robustness assuming that the aircraft cruise speed is fixed. However, prior studies have found that flight times exhibit significant variations due to reasons like cruise speed adjustment, and aircraft can control cruise speed for purposes like reducing delays. For crew, cruise speed controllability is also useful in hedging disruptions. For example, one flight can speed up to meet its on-time arrival even if it departs late due to crew disruptions. However, the impacts of cruise speed controllability on crew pairing robustness and the related environmental costs are under-explored. We thus propose this preliminary study to explore the possibility to use cruise speed controllability to enhance schedule robustness for crews.

E-Sports Events: A Sports Parent's Perspective

e-Sports is a rapidly growing industry, which has gained popularity in the recent years. It is estimated that the global e-sports market will have a value of $1.87 billion in 2025. e-Sports competitions and tournaments are becoming increasingly popular, especially among schoolchildren and college students. The growth of leagues, at school level, requires that parents should understand this sport and have a positive attitude towards e-sports and e-sports events, due to the likely support that parents are required to provide to participants at these events. The study is a preliminary study, which aims to understand parents' view of e-sports, as a form of sports, to determine the financial investment to participate in e-sports and parents’ experience during an e-sport event. The study used a qualitative approach, utilising a semi-structured interview schedule, with six parents interviewed at an event, as well as a focus group discussion, with 21 parents of e-sports players. The study found that parents have a positive perception of e-sports events and are fully supportive of their children participating in them. Further, it was concluded that e-sports is viewed as a form of sports and, in comparison to other ‘traditional sports’, it is actually a very affordable form of sport to partake in. Parents spend most of their money at e-sports events on food, whilst some parents will go to a restaurant after the event, to celebrate the child’s accomplishments. The results of this preliminary study will guide further studies on e-sports events and are already giving an indication to e-sports organisers what the perspectives and needs of parents are.

Frail Patients Undergoing Optimization Before Surgery: Preliminary Results.

It is estimated that 10% or more of patients older than 65 years are affected by frailty, a mental and physical state of vulnerability to adverse surgical outcomes. Frailty can be assessed using the Edmonton Frailty Scale: a reliable and convenient multidimensional assessment before surgery. The correlation between frailty score, presurgical optimization, and surgical outcomes was investigated in this preliminary pilot study. A retrospective study was performed on patients referred to the surgical optimization clinic and assessed for frailty from September 2020 to May 2023. Patients received presurgical optimization for reasons including diabetes, smoking cessation, prehabilitation and nutrition, and/or cardiopulmonary issues. Outcomes were evaluated whether they proceeded to surgery, were referred to the High-Risk Surgical Committee, surgical case canceled, or not scheduled. For those who proceeded to surgery, infection rates, complications, and 30-day emergency department (ED) and readmission rates were evaluated. Of 143 unique patients, 138 (men = 61, women = 77) were evaluated for this study. The average Edmonton frailty score for patients who proceeded to surgery was 7.013 (n = 78) vs 9.389 with cancelation and 9.600 for not scheduled or not optimized for surgery. Postoperative infection rates were <3%. However, 30-day ED and readmission rate was 21% (16 of 78). Patients with lower average Edmonton frailty scores were more likely to proceed to surgery, whereas those with higher average Edmonton frailty scores were more likely to have surgery canceled or delayed. Frail patients cleared for surgery were found to have a high 30-day ED and readmission rate.

Genetic Screening of FecXG Polymorphism in Saanen Goat (Capra hircus) Breed in Türkiye

Determination of fecundity gene mutations and utilizing them in farm animals programs offers the opportunity to improve productivity. The BMP15/FecX gene is one of the candidate genes with significant effects on multiple births in sheep. Studies in small ruminant have shown that BMP15 gene mutations increase the rate of multiple births, although the effect of BMP15 gene mutations varies at the breed level. Although there are many studies on sheep fecundity in Türkiye, there are no studies on goat. Therefore, the objective of the current study was to investigate FecXG mutation in the exon 2 region of BMP15 gene in Saanen goats (Capra hircus). A total of 24 samples were used to investigate the FecXG mutation in Saanen goats raised in the Muş Plain of Türkiye. A fragment of 141 bp of BMP15 gene was amplified by PCR and then products subjected to the digestion of restriction enzyme HinfI. This preliminary study’s findings showed that there is no FecXG mutation in Saanen goats.

Using multi-channel near-infrared spectroscopy to assess the effect of cupping therapy on the spatial hemodynamic response of the biceps muscle: A preliminary study.

The local hemodynamic response after cupping therapy has been considered as a contributing factor for improving muscle tissue health; however, the effects of cupping pressure and duration on the spatial hemodynamic response have not been investigated. The objective of this study was to investigate the hemodynamic response inside and outside the cupping cup under various pressures and durations of cupping therapy. A 3-way factorial design with repeated measures was used to investigate the main and interaction effects of the location (areas inside and outside the cup), pressure (-225 and -300 mmHg) and duration (5 and 10 min) on the hemodynamic response of the biceps muscle. A functional near-infrared spectroscopy was used to assess hemodynamic changes in 18 participants. A significant three-way interaction of the location, pressure, and duration factors was observed in oxyhemoglobin (p= 0.023), deoxy-hemoglobin (p= 0.013), and blood volume (p= 0.013). A significant increase was observed in oxyhemoglobin, blood volume, and oxygenation compared to pre-cupping (p< 0.05) in the area outside the cup. Our findings indicate that an appropriate combination of cupping pressure and duration can effectively affect the spatial hemodynamic response of the biceps.

Choroid plexus volume differentiates MS from its mimics.

This study aimed to determine whether choroid plexus volume (CPV) could differentiate multiple sclerosis (MS) from its mimics. A secondary analysis of two previously enrolled studies, 50 participants with MS and 64 with alternative diagnoses were included. CPV was automatically segmented from 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), followed by manual review to remove misclassified tissue. Mean normalized choroid plexus volume (nCPV) to intracranial volume demonstrated relatively high specificity for MS participants in each cohort (0.80 and 0.76) with an area under the receiver-operator characteristic curve of 0.71 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.55-0.87) and 0.65 (95% CI = 0.52-0.77). In this preliminary study, nCPV differentiated MS from its mimics.

A Web-Based Tool to Assess Social Inclusion and Support Care Planning in Mental Health Supported Accommodation: Development and Preliminary Test Study.

Individuals with severe mental illness living in supported accommodation are often socially excluded. Social inclusion is an important aspect of recovery-based practice and quality of life. The Social Inclusion Questionnaire User Experience (SInQUE) is a measure of social inclusion that has been validated for use with people with mental health problems. Previous research has suggested that the SInQUE could also help support care planning focused on enabling social inclusion in routine mental health practice. This study aims to develop a web-based version of the SInQUE for use in mental health supported accommodation services, examine its acceptability and perceived usefulness as a tool to support care planning with service users, determine the extent of uptake of the tool in supported accommodation settings, and develop a program theory and logic model for the online SInQUE. This study involved a laboratory-testing stage to assess the acceptability of the SInQUE tool through "think-aloud" testing with 6 supported accommodation staff members and a field-testing stage to assess the acceptability, utility, and use of the SInQUE tool over a 5-month period. An implementation strategy was used in 1 London borough to encourage the use of the SInQUE. Qualitative interviews with 12 service users and 12 staff members who used the tool were conducted and analyzed using thematic analysis. The use of the SInQUE was compared with that in 2 other local authority areas, 1 urban and 1 rural, where the tool was made available for use but no implementation strategy was used. Overall, 17 staff members used the SInQUE with 28 different service users during the implementation period (approximately 10% of all service users living in supported accommodation in the study area). The staff and service users interviewed felt that the SInQUE was collaborative, comprehensive, user-friendly, and relevant. Although some staff were concerned that particular questions might be too personal, service users did not echo this view. Participants generally felt that the SInQUE could help identify individuals' priorities regarding different aspects of social inclusion by prompting in-depth conversations and tailoring specific support to address service users' inclusion goals. Some interviewees also suggested that the tool could highlight areas of unmet or unmeetable needs across the borough that could feed into service planning. The SInQUE was not used in the comparison areas that had no implementation strategy. The online SInQUE is an acceptable and potentially useful tool that can be recommended to assess and support care planning to enable social inclusion of people living in mental health supported accommodation services. Despite this, uptake rates were modest during the study period. A concerted implementation strategy is key to embedding its use in usual care, including proactive endorsement by senior leaders and service managers.

The role and needs of family doctors in sexual medicine: contributions of a preliminary Portuguese qualitative study for a global action.

Sexual health is fundamental for overall well-being and quality of life, making it the focus of intervention in Sexual Medicine (SM). Within the National Health Services, Primary Care Physicians (PCPs) guarantee comprehensive care in a biopsychosocial action, including in sexual health. This exploratory study aimed to investigate PCPs' perceptions about their role in SM and how to improve it. A cross-sectional online qualitative design was used, and a sample of 73 Portuguese PCPs was collected. Data was analyzed employing a summative content analysis. Three categories were established regarding how PCPs perceive their role in SM: "Protagonist", "Antagonist", and "Circumstantial". Concerning improving PCP's practice,two categories were identified: "Legitimizing Sexual Health" and "Enhancing Professional Development". In relation to SM,PCPs recognize themselves as institutional gatekeepers and comprehensive caregivers, resorting to familiar tasks to practice in a conditioned framework. To improve their rolein SM, PCPs highlighted education investment,making specific suggestions for educational content, resource expedition, detailed guidelines creation, and raising provider and patient awareness beyond the biomedical scope. The results stress the need for an institutional effort to uphold PCPs' crucial role in SM to ensure adequate resource use and consistent, comprehensive sexual healthcare provision, enhancing overall patient care and placing sexual health as an essential field in primary care.

Preliminary study on automatic quantification and grading of leopard spots fundus based on deep learning technology

Objective: To achieve automatic segmentation, quantification, and grading of different regions of leopard spots fundus (FT) using deep learning technology. The analysis includes exploring the correlation between novel quantitative indicators, leopard spot fundus grades, and various systemic and ocular parameters. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. The data were sourced from the Beijing Eye Study, a population-based longitudinal study. In 2001, a group of individuals aged 40 and above were surveyed in five urban communities in Haidian District and three rural communities in Daxing District of Beijing. A follow-up was conducted in 2011. This study included individuals aged 50 and above who participated in the second 5-year follow-up in 2011, considering only the data from the right eye. Color fundus images centered on the macula of the right eye were input into the leopard spot segmentation model and macular detection network. Using the macular center as the origin, with inner circle diameters of 1 mm, 3 mm, and outer circle diameter of 6 mm, fine segmentation of the fundus was achieved. This allowed the calculation of the leopard spot density (FTD) and leopard spot grade for each region. Further analyses of the differences in ocular and systemic parameters among different regions' FTD and leopard spot grades were conducted. The participants were categorized into three refractive types based on equivalent spherical power (SE): myopia (SE<-0.25 D), emmetropia (-0.25 D≤SE≤0.25 D), and hyperopia (SE>0.25 D). Based on axial length, the participants were divided into groups with axial length<24 mm, 24-26 mm, and>26 mm for the analysis of different types of FTD. Statistical analyses were performed using one-way analysis of variance, Kruskal-Wallis test, Bonferroni test, and Spearman correlation analysis. Results: The study included 3 369 participants (3 369 eyes) with an average age of (63.9±10.6) years; among them, 1 886 were female (56.0%) and 1, 483 were male (64.0%). The overall FTD for all eyes was 0.060 (0.016, 0.163); inner circle FTD was 0.000 (0.000, 0.025); middle circle FTD was 0.030 (0.000, 0.130); outer circle FTD was 0.055 (0.009, 0.171). The results of the univariate analysis indicated that FTD in various regions was correlated with axial length (overall: r=0.38, P<0.001; inner circle: r=0.31, P<0.001; middle circle: r=0.36, P<0.001; outer circle: r=0.39, P<0.001), subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) (overall: r=-0.69, P<0.001; inner circle: r=-0.57, P<0.001; middle circle: r=-0.68, P<0.001; outer circle: r=-0.72, P<0.001), age (overall: r=0.34, P<0.001; inner circle: r=0.30, P<0.001; middle circle: r=0.31, P<0.001; outer circle: r=0.35, P<0.001), gender (overall: r=-0.11, P<0.001; inner circle: r=-0.04, P<0.001; middle circle: r=-0.07, P<0.001; outer circle: r=-0.11, P<0.001), SE (overall: r=-0.20; P<0.001; inner circle: r=-0.19, P<0.001; middle circle: r=-0.20, P<0.001; outer circle: r=-0.20, P<0.001), uncorrected visual acuity (overall: r=-0.18, P<0.001; inner circle: r=-0.26, P<0.001; middle circle: r=-0.24, P<0.001; outer circle: r=-0.22, P<0.001), and body mass index (BMI) (overall: r=-0.11, P<0.001; inner circle: r=-0.13, P<0.001; middle circle: r=-0.14, P<0.001; outer circle: r=-0.13, P<0.001). Further multivariate analysis results indicated that different region FTD was correlated with axial length (overall: β=0.020, P<0.001; inner circle: β=-0.022, P<0.001; middle circle: β=0.027, P<0.001; outer circle: β=0.022, P<0.001), SFCT (overall: β=-0.001, P<0.001; inner circle: β=-0.001, P<0.001; middle circle: β=-0.001, P<0.001; outer circle: β=-0.001, P<0.001), and age (overall: β=0.002, P<0.001; inner circle: β=0.001, P<0.001; middle circle: β=0.002, P<0.001; outer circle: β=0.002, P<0.001). The distribution of overall (H=56.76, P<0.001), inner circle (H=72.22, P<0.001), middle circle (H=75.83, P<0.001), and outer circle (H=70.34, P<0.001) FTD differed significantly among different refractive types. The distribution of overall (H=373.15, P<0.001), inner circle (H=367.67, P<0.001), middle circle (H=389.14, P<0.001), and outer circle (H=386.89, P<0.001) FTD differed significantly among different axial length groups. Furthermore, comparing various levels of FTD with systemic and ocular parameters, significant differences were found in axial length (F=142.85, P<0.001) and SFCT (F=530.46, P<0.001). Conclusions: The use of deep learning technology enables automatic segmentation and quantification of different regions of theFT, as well as preliminary grading. Different region FTD is significantly correlated with axial length, SFCT, and age. Individuals with older age, myopia, and longer axial length tend to have higher FTD and more advanced FT grades.

Construction of Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Artificial Human Urinary Bladder: A Preliminary Study

Objective: The present study aimed to obtain the required cells and select a suitable scaffold material for constructing an artificial bladder using the tissue engineering approach. &#x0D; Materials and methods: The convenience of obtaining human adipose tissue-derived stem cells (hADMSCs) was used in this study. It was attempted to differentiate these cells into smooth muscle cells (SMC), which are present along the wall of the bladder. Urothelial cells were enzymatically isolated from tissue biopsies. Synthetic (poly-lactide co-glycolic acid, PLGA) and natural (chitosan) polymers were used in scaffold fabrication using a tissue engineering approach.&#x0D; Results: In the cellular experiments, urothelial cells couldn’t be cultured in polystyrene culture vessels in vitro and required a support material to maintain viability. Better results were obtained with the feeder layer. The hADMSCs exhibited the expected morphological changes in the serum-rich medium content in the SMC differentiation experiments. Chitosan, biocompatible and biodegradable, was mixed with PLGA as an alternative scaffold combination.&#x0D; Conclusion: This study indicated that hADMSCs-derived smooth muscle cells and biopsy-isolated urothelial cells cultured on hybrid chitosan–PLGA scaffolds with appropriate physical properties could serve as a suitable model for tissue-engineered artificial bladder construction.

Contribution of Wireless Wi-Fi Intraoral Cameras to the Assessment of Swallowing Safety and Efficiency.

Clinical evaluation of swallowing provides important clinical information but is limited in detecting penetration, aspiration, and pharyngeal residue in patients with suspected dysphagia. Although this is an old problem, there remains limited access to low-cost methods to evaluate swallowing safety and efficiency. The purpose of this technical report is to describe the experience of a single center that recently began using a wireless Wi-Fi intraoral camera for transoral endoscopic procedures as an adjunct to clinical swallowing evaluation. We describe the theoretical structure of this new clinical evaluation proposal. We present descriptive findings on its diagnostic performance in relation to videofluoroscopic swallowing study as the gold standard in a cohort of seven patients with dysphagia following head and neck cancer. We provide quantitative data on intra- and interrater reliability. Furthermore, this report discusses how this technology can be applied in the clinical practice of professionals who treat patients with dysphagia and provides directions for future research. This preliminary retrospective study suggests that intraoral cameras can reveal the accumulated oropharyngeal secretions and postswallow pharyngolaryngeal residue in patients with suspected dysphagia. Future large-scale studies focusing on validating and exploring this contemporary low-cost technology as part of a clinical swallowing evaluation are warranted.

Microbial diversity in dry-cured Iberian ham: an approach to the concept of microbial terroir

Microbial terroir has been scarcely studied in the dry-cured ham industry. The microbial population and ochratoxin A (OTA) contamination in two Spanish facilities located in a specific geographical region (Salamanca) with differences in the environmental conditions used for the ham processing were evaluated for establishing the microbial terroir. Differences between the levels of Gram-positive catalase-positive cocci (GCC+), lactic acid bacteria (LAB), yeasts and moulds were found at the processing stage (post-salting, drying and cellar) and facility levels. Such variations could be responsible for the development of different flavour profiles, which indicate their potential functionality for determining the microbial terroir in the artisan dry-cured Iberian ham industry, despite the fact that this work constitutes a preliminary study. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that the differences in the microbial population throughout the processing of both sampled facilities could directly impact on one of the main concerns of the meat industry from the food safety point of view consisting of the accumulation of OTA, since differences in its levels were detected between both checked facilities. These findings could lead to the enforcement of the terroir concept in artisan dry-cured Iberian ham elaboration, resulting in a value enhancement that might be reflected in economic and social positive results for the territory. Nevertheless, microbial terroir in the dry-cured Iberian ham must be further explored by the increase of the number of studied facilities.

Designing and clinical application of caps for intramedullary pinning to manage long bone fracture in dogs

Study was carried out to design and evaluate clinical application of caps for intramedullary pinning to mange long bone fractures in dogs. Cannulated cancellous caps made of 316 L stainless steel with dimensions of 10 mm × 25 mm (length) cap for 4 mm, 4.5 mm and 5 mm steinmann pin and 8 mm × 25 mm (length) cap for 2.5 mm and 3 mm steinmann pin were designed. A total of 14 cases of dogs presented with simple transverse, short oblique fractures of long bones were equally divided into groups A and B having 7 animals in each. Simple intramedullary pinning was done in group A, whereas, in group B designed caps were fixed at entry point at trochanteric fossa after intramedullary pinning to prevent proximal migration of pins. Posture, gait, perception of pain and lameness scores were assessed during 15, 30 and 60 day, postoperatively. Caps offered rigid fixation along with intramedullary pin resulting in mild or moderate callus formation. Excellent postoperative functional recovery without any pin migration, seroma formation and valgus limb deformity were observed in group B. Results of present preliminary study suggested that designed capped intramedullary pinning offers stable internal fixation and prevented pin migration, sciatic injury and seroma formation.

Neuropsychological correlates of early grief in bereaved older adults.

Prolonged grief disorder (PGD) is associated with impairments in cognitive functioning, but the neuropsychological correlates of early grief in older adults are poorly understood. This preliminary study cross-sectionally examined neuropsychological functioning in bereaved adults with high and low grief symptoms and a non-bereaved comparison sample and further explored the relationship between multidomain cognitive measures and grief severity. A total of ninety-three nondemented older adults (high grief: n = 44; low grief: n = 49) within 12 months post-bereavement and non-bereaved comparison participants (n = 43) completed neuropsychological battery including global and multiple domain-specific cognitive functioning. Linear regression models were used to analyze differences in multidomain cognitive measures between the groups and specifically examine the associations between cognitive performance and grief severity in the bereaved, after covariate adjustment, including depressive symptoms. Bereaved older adults with higher grief symptoms performed worse than those with lower symptoms and non-bereaved participants on executive functioning and attention and processing speed measures. In the bereaved, poorer executive functioning, attention and processing speed correlated with higher grief severity. Attention/processing speed-grief severity correlation was seen in those with time since loss ≤ 6 months, but not > 6 months. Intense early grief is characterised by poorer executive functioning, attention, and processing speed, resembling findings in PGD. The putative role of poorer cognitive functioning during early grief on the transition to integrated grief or the development of PGD remains to be elucidated.

Improving Students’ English Speaking Skill through Merdeka Belajar- Kampus Merdeka” (MBKM): A Guided Question for Fifth Grade Of SDS Wahidiyah Kediri

This study is categorized as a classroom action research (CAR). This study proposed guided questions through inside outside circle as the strategy in the teaching English at the fifth grade students of SDS Wahidiyah Kediri to solve the students’ incompetency on speaking skill. As the result of the preliminary study indicated that the students’ problems toward their speaking competence can be grouped into four problems: (1) lack of vocabularies, (2) the poorness of producing utterances, (3) lack of ideas to speak, and (4) afraid to speak. Therefore, the criteria of success were directed to the mentioned problems. The results showed that by repeating conversations for many times in the activity of guided questions through inside outside circle and also demanding the students to involve actively, the students’ speaking skill improved and the students’ participation in the classroom was highly positive. 70% students gave opinions that the teaching learning activity of speaking using guided questions through inside outside circle strategy.

Application of Mass Particle Methods in the Shape Design for Scientific Balloons

This paper proposes a dynamic simulation method for solving balloon shapes. The mass-spring-damping model is used to discretize two-dimensional generatrixes and three-dimensional membrane surfaces, respectively. We solve two-dimensional/three-dimensional ascent shapes at different zero-pressure heights and numerically simulate mushroom cloud shapes that occur during the balloon ground launch. The typical rapid transition feature of the mushroom cloud shape at the waist is depicted. In addition, a preliminary numerical simulation study was conducted for the pumpkin superpressure balloon deployment instability problem. The Calladine instability critical curve for constant angle design lobes is compared and validated for different gore numbers and lobe angles. Further, simulations were carried out on fully inflated shapes of two derived superpressure balloon designs developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency/Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, namely, the Tawara intermediate cylindrical segment balloon and the diamond-shaped tendon balloon. We verify the ISAS conclusion that the diamond-shaped tendon balloon has a cylindrical shape when fully inflated. Finally, a preliminary simulation study was carried out on the deployment shape of four ballonet architectures in the superpressure balloon. The proposed method for solving various types of balloon shapes based on the mass particle method is simple and efficient, and it has been well applied in our actual balloon engineering.

Gesture profiles distinguish primary progressive aphasia variants: a preliminary study

ABSTRACT Background Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a neurodegenerative syndrome characterized by progressive language deficits. The main variants of PPA – semantic (svPPA), logopenic (lvPPA), and nonfluent (nfvPPA) – can be challenging to distinguish. Limb apraxia often co-occurs with PPA, but it is unclear whether PPA variants are associated with different gesture deficits. Prior evidence from stroke indicates that temporal lobe lesions are associated with reduced benefit from meaning in gesture performance. Temporal lesions are also associated with greater deficits in hand postures compared to arm kinematics in gesture imitation. Aims We tested the hypothesis that svPPA, who primarily exhibit temporal lobe atrophy, would differentially show this pattern. In addition, we predicted that as a group, individuals with PPA would more accurately produce meaningful than meaningless gestures and kinematic components than hand postures, as found in neurotypical adults and individuals with stroke. Methods & Procedures Participants with PPA completed meaningful and meaningless gesture imitation tasks. Performance was scored for hand posture and arm kinematic components. Bayesian mixed-effect models examined trial-level gesture imitation accuracy, while controlling for dementia severity and random effects of subjects and items. Fixed effects included an interaction between PPA variant, task condition/meaning, and gesture component. Outcomes & Results We found a critical interaction between PPA variant, meaning, and gesture component. In particular, unlike lvPPA and nfvPPA, svPPA subjects’ hand postures failed to benefit from gesture meaning. This preliminary research extends prior findings on the role of the temporal lobe in action representations associated with manipulable objects, and is among the first to demonstrate distinct gesture imitation patterns between PPA variants. Conclusions Characterizing gesture deficits in PPA may help inform diagnostics, compensatory communication strategies, and models of praxis.