Subsequent Principal Component Analysis Research Articles

Hemoparasitism in grazing cattle and risk factors associated with husbandry management in an endemic area of Eastern Colombia

Vector-borne pathogens induce hemoparasitism in cattle causing substantial economic losses in tropical and subtropical areas. Infectious cattle actively contribute to maintaining the transmission cycle, and the presence of these animals must be associated with husbandry management and environmental changes. In the present study, we conducted a cross-sectional study sampling 1,000 bovines to identify infectious cattle diagnosed by a direct technique and employed a dichotomic questionnaire for association analyses, hierarchical clustering, and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Overall prevalence with infectious cattle was 34.99%, where 97% of the farms had at least one infectious animal per genera, and the prevalence in properties ranged between 16.39 and 53.85%. Of these animals, 26.20% tested positive for Anaplasma sp., 8.40% for Babesia spp., and 1.30% for Trypanosome spp. The main co-infection showed 5% Anaplasma sp. – Trypanosome spp., followed by 4% Babesia spp. – Trypanosome spp. These bovines showed association with the use of the Jersey breed (OR = 2.016 C.I:1.188–3.419), selling animals for replacement (OR = 1.417 CI:1.022–1.965), participation in livestock exhibitions (OR = 2.009 CI:1.262–3.199), premises with burials (OR = 2,064 CR: 1.414–3.011), use of palm kernel (OR = 1.935 C.I:1.198–3.124), and the use of ivermectin (OR = 1.548 CI: 1.085–2.210) as a susceptibility. The hierarchical clustering revealed clusters among properties with different hemoparasite prevalence, with notable co-infections observed. The subsequent PCA identified that significant risk factors contributed to hemoparasitism positivity. We conclude that infectious cattle in the endemic area showed an association with husbandry management that permits the success of vector and maintenance of the enzootic or epizootic cycle in the herds.

Application of Principal Component Analysis for the Elucidation of Operational Features for Pervaporation Desalination Performance of PVA-Based TFC Membrane

Principal Component Analysis (PCA) serves as a valuable tool for analyzing membrane processes, offering insights into complex datasets, identifying crucial factors influencing membrane performance, aiding in design and optimization, and facilitating monitoring and fault diagnosis. In this study, PCA is applied to understand operational features affecting pervaporation desalination performance of PVA-based TFC membranes. PCA-biplot representation reveals that the first two principal components (PCs) accounted for 62.34% of the total variance, with normalized permeation with selective layer thickness (Pnorm), water permeation flux (P), and operational temperature (T) contributing significantly to PC1, while salt rejection dominates PC2. Membrane clustering indicates distinct influences, with membranes grouped based on correlation with operational factors. Excluding outliers increases total variance to 74.15%, showing altered membrane arrangements. Interestingly, the adopted strategy showed a high discrepancy between P and Pnorm, indicating the relevance of comparing between PVA membranes with specific layers and those with none. PCA results showed that Pnorm is more important than P in operational features, highlighting its significance in both research and practical applications. Our findings show that even know P remains a key performance property; Pnorm is critical for developing high-performance, efficient, and economically viable pervaporation desalination membranes. Subsequent PCA for membranes without specific layers (M1 to M6) and with specific layers (M7 to M11) highlights higher total variance and influence of variables, aiding in understanding membranes’ behavior and suitability under different conditions. Overall, PCA effectively delineates performance characteristics and potential applications of PVA-based TFC membranes. This study would confirm the applicability of the PCA approach in monitoring the operational efficiency of pervaporation desalination via these membranes.

Proteomic Analyses of Plasma From Patients With Fracture-Related Infection Reveals Systemic Activation of the Complement and Coagulation Cascades.

The objective of this study was to compare plasma proteomes of patients with confirmed fracture-related infections (FRIs) matched to noninfected controls using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. This was a prospective case-control study. The study was conducted at a single, academic, Level 1 trauma center. Patients meeting confirmatory FRI criteria were matched to controls without infection based on fracture region, age, and time after surgery from June 2019 to January 2022. Tandem mass tag liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of patient plasma samples was performed. Protein abundance ratios in plasma for patients with FRI compared with those for matched controls without infection were calculated. Twenty-seven patients meeting confirmatory FRI criteria were matched to 27 controls. Abundance ratios for more than 1000 proteins were measured in the 54 plasma samples. Seventy-three proteins were found to be increased or decreased in patients with FRI compared with those in matched controls (unadjusted t test P < 0.05). Thirty-two of these proteins were found in all 54 patient samples and underwent subsequent principal component analysis to reduce the dimensionality of the large proteomics dataset. A 3-component principal component analysis accounted for 45.7% of the variation in the dataset and had 88.9% specificity for the diagnosis of FRI. STRING protein-protein interaction network analysis of these 3 PCs revealed activation of the complement and coagulation cascades through the Reactome pathway database (false discovery rates <0.05). Proteomic analyses of plasma from patients with FRI demonstrate systemic activation of the complement and coagulation cascades. Further investigation along these lines may help to better understand the systemic response to FRI and improve diagnostic strategies using proteomics. Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Personal Cognition and Implicit Constructs Affecting Preferential Decisions on Farmland Ownership: Multiple Case Studies in Kediri, East Java, Indonesia

Farmland ownership is a critical issue for sustainable agriculture since it affects short-term productivity and the long-term stability of the sector. However, existing literature largely focused on immediately simplifying individual opinions through statistical methods, neglecting how implicit values could drive preferential ownership decisions. Therefore, this study aimed to understand the driving factors underlying decisions on farmland ownership, especially when there are cognitive factors that induce hidden constructs in individual preferences. This research, to observe the cognition and implicit values leading to ownership decisions, applied the Repertory Grid Technique (RGT) with subsequent Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Taking the multiple case studies of three villages in Kediri, East Java, Indonesia, this study involved 40 farmland owners. The RGT revealed a staggering 85 constructs leading to six ownership decisions: keep farming, buying, joint farming, leasing, selling, and converting. In general, the driving forces were distinguished into landowners’ household profile, sustainability-related (community and social conditions), spatial (farmland conversion and accessibility), and economic aspects. Based on PCA, “buying” and “keep farming” shared several driving forces and led to sustainable farming. In contrast, “joint farming”, “leasing”, “selling”, and “converting” were found to threaten farming sustainability. In addition, this study offers in-depth insights into the driving factors of different preferential ownership decisions according to the cognition and implicit values of individual landowners, allowing policymakers and other stakeholders to tailor policies and strategies to context-specific farmland ownership issues in pursuing sustainable agriculture.

A Study of the Effects of Medical Dental Laser and Diamond Drill on Dentin Tissue during Dental Restoration Based on Spectral Imaging and Multivariate Analysis of Synchrotron FTIR Microspectroscopy Data

In our work, the effect of a dental Er:YAG pulsed laser and a diamond cylindrical drill with a turbine handpiece on dentin tissue was studied using spectral imaging. The combination of spectral imaging of FTIR microspectroscopy data and subsequent multivariate analysis (hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA)) was shown to unambiguously detect visually indistinguishable structural changes occurring in the hard dental tissue (dentin) depending on the method used for their pre-processing, and to classify and differentiate the identified features at the submicron level with high spatial resolution. The detectable spectral transformations indicate that the preparation of dental tissue with a dental laser leads to significant changes in the organic components of dentin, which may affect adhesion. The use of a diamond cylindrical drill with a turbine handpiece is characterized by a larger area (depth) of the altered hard tissue than in the case of a dental laser for dental cavity preparation. The observed redistribution of the phase composition of the inorganic component in the tissue is associated with the emergence of additional phases of weak calcium phosphates, and changes in the organic component with transformations in the secondary structure of proteins. Active use of the proposed integrated approach in the future will clarify the areas of its applicability to the analysis of biological tissues and pathologies in them, which will help in the clinical setting to choose the optimal personalized approach for patients.

A hybrid multifunctional physicochemical sensor suite for continuous monitoring of crop health

This work reports a first-of-its-kind hybrid wearable physicochemical sensor suite that we call PlantFit for simultaneous measurement of two key phytohormones, salicylic acid, and ethylene, along with vapor pressure deficit and radial growth of stem in live plants. The sensors are developed using a low-cost and roll-to-roll screen printing technology. A single integrated flexible patch that contains temperature, humidity, salicylic acid, and ethylene sensors, is installed on the leaves of live plants. The strain sensor with in-built pressure correction capability is wrapped around the plant stem to provide pressure-compensated stem diameter measurements. The sensors provide real-time information on plant health under different amounts of water stress conditions. The sensor suite is installed on bell pepper plants for 40 days and measurements of salicylic acid, ethylene, temperature, humidity, and stem diameter are recorded daily. In addition, sensors are installed on different parts of the same plant to investigate the spatiotemporal dynamics of water transport and phytohormone responses. Subsequent correlation and principal component analyses demonstrate the strong association between hormone levels, vapor pressure deficit, and water transport in the plant. Our findings suggest that the mass deployment of PlantFit in agricultural settings will aid growers in detecting water stress/deficiency early and in implementing early intervention measures to reduce stress-induced yield decline.

Cell wall response of field grown Populus to Septoria infection.

Due to its ability to spread quickly and result in tree mortality, Sphaerulina musiva (Septoria) is one of the most severe diseases impacting Populus. Previous studies have identified that Septoria infection induces differential expression of phenylpropanoid biosynthesis genes. However, more extensive characterization of changes to lignin in response to Septoria infection is lacking. To study the changes of lignin due to Septoria infection, four field grown, naturally variant Populus trichocarpa exhibiting visible signs of Septoria infection were sampled at health, infected, and reaction zone regions for cell wall characterization. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and acid hydrolysis were applied to identify changes to the cell wall, and especially lignin. FTIR and subsequent principal component analysis revealed that infected and reaction zone regions were similar and could be distinguished from the non-infected (healthy) region. NMR results indicated the general trend that infected region had a higher syringyl:guaiacyl ratio and lower p-hydroxybenzoate content than the healthy regions from the same genotype. Finally, Klason lignin content in the infected and/or reaction zone regions was shown to be higher than healthy region, which is consistent with previous observations of periderm development and metabolite profiling. These results provide insights on the response of Populus wood characteristics to Septoria infection, especially between healthy and infected region within the same genotype.

Sodium-Dependent Neutral Amino Acid Transporter 2 Can Serve as a Tertiary Carrier for l-Type Amino Acid Transporter 1-Utilizing Prodrugs.

Membrane transporters are the key determinants of the homeostasis of endogenous compounds in the cells and their exposure to drugs. However, the substrate specificities of distinct transporters can overlap. In the present study, the interactions of l-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1)-utilizing prodrugs with sodium-coupled neutral amino acid transporter 2 (SNAT2) were explored. The results showed that the cellular uptake of LAT1-utilizing prodrugs into a human breast cancer cell line, MCF-7 cells, was mediated via SNATs as the uptake was increased at higher pH (8.5), decreased in the absence of sodium, and inhibited in the presence of unselective SNAT-inhibitor, (α-(methylamino)isobutyric acid, MeAIB). Moreover, docking the compounds to a SNAT2 homology model (inward-open conformation) and further molecular dynamics simulations and the subsequent trajectory and principal component analyses confirmed the chemical features supporting the interactions of the studied compounds with SNAT2, which was found to be the main SNAT expressed in MCF-7 cells.

Psychometric Properties of an Instrument to Determine the Factors Affecting Treatment Adherence Among Patients Receiving Hemodialysis in Sri Lanka.

Nonadherence is a widespread problem among patients receiving hemodialysis, while contributing factors are underexplored due to lack of a validated instrument. The study aimed to develop and validate a new disease-specific instrument determining the factors affecting treatment adherence behaviors among patients receiving hemodialysis in a Sri Lankan hospital. The content validation process using a modified Delphi technique suggested 42-item instrument with an average Item-level Content Validity Index (I-CVI) of 0.94. Subsequent principal component analysis (PCA) revealed 5 components with 17 items (patient-centered psychological and physical factors, factors associated with health care, hemodialysis therapy-related factors, socioeconomic factors, and factors associated with the continuity of the treatment), explaining 67.24% total variance. The reliability estimate based on Mislevy and Bock for each component greater than 0.8 and overall standardized Cronbach's alpha of 0.605, indicated acceptable internal consistency reliability. Root mean square residual (RMSR) and weighted root mean square residual (WRMR) indices of 0.084 and 0.059, respectively, indicated acceptable model fit. The final 17-item instrument provides a valid measure for the factors affecting treatment adherence behaviors of the patients receiving hemodialysis in a Sri Lankan hospital.

The potential use of elemental content of saxicolous lichens as bioindicators of nitrogen deposition in the central and southern California mountains

High elevation and arid wilderness areas generally lack epiphytic lichen species used for air quality biomonitoring. We assessed the potential of saxicolous lichens to serve as bioindicators of nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) deposition by examining relationships among deposition, environmental variables, and elemental concentrations in the saxicolous lichens Umbilicaria phaea (n = 51), Rhizoplaca melanophthalma (n = 20), and the epiphytic lichen Letharia vulpina (n = 16) in the southern Sierra Nevada (SN) and San Bernardino Mountains (SBM) of California, USA. Lichen samples were collected between 2013 and 2019 in 31 plots between 180 and 3330 m elevation. These samples were analyzed for concentrations of 23 elements, including N and S. Signal-to-noise ratios were high comparing the variation among plots to within plots and within samples for N and S concentrations of the Umbilicaria phaea samples. While Umbilicaria phaea N and S concentrations were correlated with modeled N and S deposition estimates, Rhizoplaca melanophthalma and Letharia vulpina N and S concentrations were not. Subsequent principal components analysis and cluster analysis of the Umbilicaria phaea dataset revealed differences in elemental profiles between the SN and SBM, with the SBM samples having higher concentrations of most elements, including heavy metals. Additionally, the first two principal components explained most of the variation (61 %) in elemental content and had strong relationships to latitude, longitude, N and S deposition, and precipitation. We conclude that the elemental profile of Umbilicaria could be used to assess N and S deposition for areas in the western USA that lack suitable epiphytic lichen species.

Silent Pauses and Speech Indices as Biomarkers for Primary Progressive Aphasia.

Background and Objectives: Recent studies highlight the importance of investigating biomarkers for diagnosing and classifying patients with primary progressive aphasia (PPA). Even though there is ongoing research on pathophysiological indices in this field, the use of behavioral variables, and especially speech-derived factors, has drawn little attention in the relevant literature. The present study aims to investigate the possible utility of speech-derived indices, particularly silent pauses, as biomarkers for primary progressive aphasia (PPA). Materials and Methods: We recruited 22 PPA patients and 17 healthy controls, from whom we obtained speech samples based on two elicitation tasks, i.e., cookie theft picture description (CTP) and the patients’ personal narration of the disease onset and course. Results: Four main indices were derived from these speech samples: speech rate, articulation rate, pause frequency, and pause duration. In order to investigate whether these indices could be used to discriminate between the four groups of participants (healthy individuals and the three patient subgroups corresponding to the three variants of PPA), we conducted three sets of analyses: a series of ANOVAs, two principal component analyses (PCAs), and two hierarchical cluster analyses (HCAs). The ANOVAs revealed significant differences between the four subgroups for all four variables, with the CTP results being more robust. The subsequent PCAs and HCAs were in accordance with the initial statistical comparisons, revealing that the speech-derived indices for CTP provided a clearer classification and were especially useful for distinguishing the non-fluent variant from healthy participants as well as from the two other PPA taxonomic categories. Conclusions: In sum, we argue that speech-derived indices, and especially silent pauses, could be used as complementary biomarkers to efficiently discriminate between PPA and healthy speakers, as well as between the three variants of the disease.

Analysis of FTIR Spectra, Flavonoid Content and Anti-Tyrosinase Activity of Extracts and Lotion from Garcinia schomburgkiana by Multivariate Method

In this study, fourier transform infrared (FTIR) study, total flavonoid content and anti-tyrosinase activity of leaf, seed and flesh extracts of Garcinia schomburgkiana and lotion formulation from the extracts were carried out. Additionally, a relationship among FTIR spectra, total flavonoid content and anti-tyrosinase activity was analysed by partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) and principal component analysis (PCA) analysis. The result indicated that the highest total flavonoid content was found in leaf ethanol extract (214.00 ± 7.32 mg rutin equivalent per mg extract). For lotion samples, lotion containing leaf ethanol extract revealed the strongest level of total flavonoid content (5.51 ± 0.04 mg rutin equivalent per mL lotion). Moreover, anti-tyrosinase activity was observed in lotion containing the extracts (1/EC50 ranged from 0.0063 to 7.2334) higher than that of aqueous, ethanol and propanediol extracts (1/EC50 ranged from 0.0099 to 0.5319). The FTIR result confirmed the presence of various function groups in different parts of G. schomburgkiana and lotion samples, which involved the structure of flavonoids namely O-H stretch, C=O bending vibrations, unsaturation bonds, phenol or tertiary alcohol (O-H bend), C-O-H deformation and C-O stretching vibrations of aromatic ethers. The PLS-SEM analysis indicated a moderate positive relationship between the total flavonoid content and FTIR data, significantly (β = 0.502, t = 2.239, p-value &lt; 0.05). The FTIR and subsequent PCA analysis could differentiate of aqueous, ethanol and propanediol extracts and lotion samples.&#x0D; HIGHLIGHTS&#x0D; &#x0D; FTIR data positively correlated with total flavonoid content&#x0D; Extract and lotion samples revealed total flavonoid content and anti-tyrosinase activity&#x0D; The PLS-SEM analysis showed significantly positive relationship between the total flavonoid content and FTIR data&#x0D; FTIR and subsequent PCA analysis differentiated extracts and lotions&#x0D; &#x0D; GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Raman microscopic spectroscopy as a diagnostic tool to detect Staphylococcus epidermidis in bone grafts

IntroductionRaman microscopic spectroscopyis a new approach for further characterization and detection of molecular features in many pathological processes. This technique has been successfully applied to scrutinize the spatial distribution of small molecules and proteins within biological systems by in situ analysis. This study uses Raman microscopic spectroscopyto identify any in-depth benefits and drawbacks in diagnosing Staphylococcus epidermidis in human bone grafts. Material and Methods40 non-infected human bone samples and 10 human bone samples infected with Staphylococcus epidermidis were analyzed using Raman microscopic spectroscopy. Reflectance data were collected between 200 cm−1 and 3600 cm−1 with a spectral resolution of 4 cm−1 using a Senterra II microscope (Bruker, Ettlingen, Germany). The acquired spectral information was used for spectral and unsupervised classification, such as principal component analysis. ResultsRaman measurements produced distinct diagnostic spectra that were used to distinguish between non-infected human bone samples and Staphylococcus epidermidis infected human bone samples by spectral and principal component analyses. A substantial loss in bone quality and protein conformation was detected by human bone samples co-cultured with Staphylococcus epidermidis. The mineral-to-matrix ratio using the phosphate/Amide I ratio (p = 0.030) and carbonate/phosphate ratio (p = 0.001) indicates that the loss of relative mineral content in bones upon bacterial infection is higher than in non-infected human bones. Also, an increase of alterations in the collagen network (p = 0.048) and a decrease in the structural organization and relative collagen in infected human bone could be detected. Subsequent principal component analyses identified Staphylococcus epidermidis in different spectral regions, respectively, originating mainly from CH2 deformation (wagging) of protein (at 1450 cm−1) and bending and stretching modes of C-H groups (∼2800-3000 cm−1). ConclusionRaman microscopic spectroscopyis presented as a promising diagnostic tool to detect Staphylococcus epidermidis in human bone grafts. Further studies in human tissues are warranted.

Pro-inflammatory and (Epi-)genetic markers in saliva for disease risk in childhood obesity

Background and aimChildhood obesity is an emerging problem often leading to earlier onset of non-communicable diseases in later life. Biomarkers to identify individual risk scores are insufficient in routine clinical practice, which is related to the need for easily sampled, non-invasive survey methods in children. We aimed to investigate and strengthen possible pro-inflammatory markers and epigenetic risk factors in saliva of obese children compared to lean controls. Methods and results19 overweight/obese (OC, 10.1 ± 1.9 years, BMI 27.7 ± 3.2 kg/m2) and 19 lean control children (CC, 9.7 ± 2.5 years, BMI 16.4 ± 1.8 kg/m2) participated in this explorative pilot study. Anthropometric measures, saliva and cheek swab samples were taken. Saliva profiles were examined for acute phase proteins (CRP and neopterin) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-17a/IL-1β/IL-6). Cheek swabs were analyzed to investigate DNA methylation differences with subsequent hierarchical cluster and principal component analyses (PCA). Saliva analysis showed significant increased CRP concentrations in OC compared to CC (p < 0.001). There were no significant differences, but high intra-individual values in neopterin, IL-17a, IL-1β and IL-6. An unsupervised PCA of CpG loci with high variance (σ/σmax > 0.2) clearly separated OC and CC according to their methylation pattern. Furthermore, a supervised approach revealed 7125 significantly differentially methylated loci, whose corresponding genes were significantly enriched for genes playing roles in e.g., cellular signalling, cytoskeleton organization and cell motility. ConclusionsCRP and methylation status determinations in saliva are suitable as non-invasive methods for early detection of risks for non-communicable diseases in children/adolescents and might be a useful supplementary approach in the routine clinical practice/monitoring.

Multiplexed Detection of Secreted Cytokines at near-Molecular Resolution Elucidates Macrophage Polarization Heterogeneity.

Monitoring the secretion of proteins from single cells can provide important insights into how cells respond to their microenvironment. This is particularly true for immune cells, which can exhibit a large degree of response heterogeneity. Microfabricated well arrays provide a powerful and versatile method to assess the secretion of cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors from single cells, but detection sensitivity has been limited to high levels on the order of 10,000 per cell. Recently, we reported a quantum dot-based immunoassay that lowered the detection limit for the cytokine TNF-α to concentrations to nearly the single-cell level. Here, we adapted this detection method to three additional targets while maintaining high detection sensitivity. Specifically, we detected MCP-1, TGF-β, IL-10, and TNF-α using quantum dots with different emission spectra, each of which displayed a detection threshold in the range of 1-10 fM or ∼1-2 molecules per well. We then quantified secretion of all four proteins from single macrophage cells that were stimulated toward a pro-inflammatory state with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or toward a pro-healing state with both LPS and interleukin 4 (IL-4). We found that MCP-1 and TGF-β were predominantly secreted at high levels only (>10,000 molecules/cell), while a substantial number of cells secreted IL-10 and TNF-α at lower levels that could only be detected using our method. Subsequent principal component and cluster analysis revealed that secretion profiles could be classified as either exclusively pro-inflammatory, including MCP-1 and/or TNF-α, or more subtle responses displaying both pro-healing and pro-inflammatory characters. Our results highlight the heterogeneous and nondiscrete nature of macrophage phenotypes following in vitro stimulation of a cell line. Future work will focus on expanding the multiplexing capacity by extending emission spectra bandwidth and/or spatially barcoding capture antibodies, as well as evaluating the enhanced detection sensitivity capabilities with normal and diseased immune cell populations in vitro and in vivo.

Does the Consumer Sociodemographic Profile Influence the Perception of Aspects Related and Not Related to Food Safety? A Study in Traditional Spanish Street Markets.

Street food markets are important for local economic development, but they must also meet visitors’ demands while operating. Since consumers’ trust is based on their perception on different aspects of these markets, the aim of this work was to study which factors most affected their purchase decision criteria. A total of 950 surveys were collected in 21 street markets (Canary Islands, Spain), recording data from the consumers’ estimation on food safety-related items (i.e., hygiene conditions of market installations, products, and food handlers) as well as other categories (i.e., prices and staff professionalism). The gathered data let us determine whether sociodemographic consumers variables like age, gender, or education level influenced their perceptions. The scores showed a strong correlation, the subsequent principal components analysis explained 81% of variability only with the first two components. The level of tolerance toward all items underlies in the first component, which was significantly higher for those aged 60 and older, but no significant correlation was found for gender or level of education. The youngest participants were more demanding about food safety-related aspects, while the middle-aged group was more critical of prices. This was especially true of females, who demanded better quality:price ratios. Knowing these preferences could facilitate the development of more effective marketing strategies, helping make street markets more competitive.

The earliest record of fossil solid-wood-borer larvae—immature beetles in 99 million-year-old Myanmar amber

Interactions between animals and plants represent an important driver of evolution. Especially the group Insecta has an enormous impact on plants, e.g., by consuming them. Among beetles, the larvae of different groups (Buprestidae, Cerambycidae, partly Eucnemidae) bore into wood and are therefore called wood-borer larvae or borers. While adults of these beetle groups are well known in the fossil record, there are barely any fossils of the corresponding larvae. We report here four new wood-borer larvae from Cretaceous Kachin amber (Myanmar, ca. 99 Ma). To compare these fossils with extant wood-borer larvae, we reconstructed the body outline and performed shape analysis via elliptic Fourier transformation and a subsequent principal component analysis. Two of the new larvae plot closely together and clearly in the same area as modern representatives of Buprestidae. As they furthermore lack legs, they are interpreted as representatives of Buprestidae. The other two new larvae possess legs and plot far apart from each other. They are more difficult to interpret; they may represent larvae of early offshoots of either Cerambycidae or Buprestidae, which still retain longer legs. These findings represent the earliest fossil record of larvae of Buprestidae and possibly of Cerambycidae known to date.

Hospital clinical research activity, rather than staff motivational engagement, significantly links effective staff communication and favourable patient feedback; a cross-sectional study

ObjectivesHealthcare staff behaviour can impact on the performance of hospitals. Staff involvement in clinical research can have a wider positive effect on patients and hospital performance. The aim of this study was to further assess the putative positive effect of clinical research activity on patient feedback with a more recent dataset, and if staff's motivational engagement levels may impact on aspects of in-patient feedback. MethodsA retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted with (survey) data from 2019; the sample was 129 English National Health Service hospital Trusts. Sources were the national in-patient survey, national staff survey (for staff motivational engagement), and research activity (based on Trust size-corrected National Institute for Health Research records data). Spearman correlation analyses were conducted (minimum rho value 0.25, p-value<0.005), followed by principal component analysis (score cut-off 0.2). ResultsInitial correlation analyses identified eleven in-patient survey questions where better in-patient feedback was associated with increased clinical research activity, and only three questions linked with higher degree of staff motivational engagement. Subsequent principal component analysis confirmed that increased staff engagement is mainly linked to overall Trust performance such as staff levels, whereas staff in research-active hospitals provided in-patients with sufficient information – including on medication – and did well answering patient questions. ConclusionsStaff involvement in clinical research is associated with better patient feedback. Clear and thorough information provision to patients, may be a mechanism for improved patient outcomes including mortality.

Applicability of automatic image analysis in quartz-grain shape discrimination for sedimentary setting reconstruction

The quartz-grain shape is an important sedimentological attribute typically used to reconstruct depositional settings and sediment transport conditions and predict the duration of grain transport. A common assumption is that the extent and duration of eolian and fluvial transport are reflected in the increased sphericity and roundness of sand grains, and this study aims to verify this relationship. Automatic particle-shape image analysis was performed on quartz grains (0.8–1.0 mm) from three sedimentary environments: weathered with angular fresh grains (GNU), eolian with well-rounded grains (GRM), and fluvial with well-rounded grains (GEL). This enabled us to obtain four associated shape-description parameters: highly sensitive circularity (circularity HS), convexity, solidity, and aspect ratio. Subsequent principal component analysis and discriminant analysis of the parameters indicated that circularity HS (associated with the degree of roundness) best distinguished the shape of GNU, GRM, and GEL grains. However, the aspect ratio was more useful for analyzing the degree of grain sphericity. GRM and GEL grains, those with a high degree of roundness, had either low or high sphericity, which should be considered a characteristic of long-term reworking by eolian and fluvial processes. The presence of grains with low sphericity and high degree of roundness, such as those found in environments where transport prevails, should be considered a shape inheritance. Using both sphericity and roundness parameters facilitates an accurate interpretation of transport environments in terms of transport duration and sediment maturity. However, neglecting grain sphericity when analyzing these sorts of sedimentary settings may result in the misinterpretation of their true sedimentary settings.

Study of aroma compound formations and transformations during Jinxuan and Qingxin oolong tea processing

SummaryWe characterised the formation and dynamic changes in the main aroma compounds produced during the manufacturing process of Jinxuan and Qingxin oolong tea. Thirty‐five aroma compounds were investigated. Subsequent principal component and cluster analyses showed that the fresh leaves, spread leaves and rocked leaves of the two varieties of tea were distinguished from each other. Particularly, the aldehyde and ‘other’ compounds showed the highest correlation coefficients (0.71 and −0.70) among the principal. The heat map showed that the proportions of acetic acid, 3‐methylbutanal and 2‐methylbutanal significantly changed during the manufacturing process of the two tea varieties. The key amino acids (isoleucine, leucine, valine and aspartic acid) and enzymes (branched‐chain amino acid aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase) involved in the synthesis of 3‐methylbutanal and 2‐methylbutanal differed between the two varieties during manufacture. Our study reveals the characteristics of different varieties of oolong tea and their aroma formation after manufacture using the same process.