The African Psyllid Trioza erytreae Del Guercio (1918) Is Very Sensitive to Low Relative Humidity and High Temperatures.

The African citrus psyllid, Trioza erytreae, is one of the two vectors of Huanglongbing, the most serious citrus disease worldwide. The first detection of T. erytreae in the European mainland was on the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula in 2014. Since then, the pest has spread throughout northern Spain (Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, País Vasco) and along the western Atlantic coast of Portugal (from the Douro e Minho region to the Algarve). We conducted a series of laboratory experiments on lemon plants at different temperatures (from 8 to 34 °C) and humidity conditions (from 40 to 90%) to find out the influence of extreme temperatures and relative humidities (RHs) on the mortality, development and reproduction of T. erytreae. Our results show that temperatures above 30 °C and below 10 °C are very detrimental for nymphal development and nymphs were unable to reach the adult stage. Furthermore, eggs were unable to hatch under temperatures above 33 °C and below 8 °C. Adult mortality was highest at 34 °C and killed more than 50% of the population. We also found that relative humidity is crucial for the development and survival of T. erytreae. Nymphs were unable to reach the adult stage at an RH of 90% and 40%. Also, fecundity was significantly reduced at 90 and 40% RH, and fertility was lowest at 40% RH. Nymphal mortality was highest at an RH of 40%, which was the most detrimental humidity among all tested for the survival and development of T. erytreae. Our work concludes that T. erytreae establishment and spread will be maximum in regions with a temperate and humid climate, being rare in regions where dry and hot weather conditions predominate.

Microtubule association of TRIM3 revealed by differential extraction proteomics.

The microtubule network is formed from polymerised tubulin subunits and associating proteins, which govern microtubule dynamics and a diverse array of functions. To identify novel microtubule-binding proteins, we have developed an unbiased biochemical assay, which relies on the selective extraction of cytosolic proteins from U2OS cells, while leaving behind the microtubule network. Candidate proteins are linked to microtubules by their sensitivities to the depolymerising drug nocodazole or the microtubule-stabilising drug taxol, which is quantitated by mass spectrometry. Our approach is benchmarked by co-segregation of tubulin and previously established microtubule-binding proteins. We then identify several novel candidate microtubule-binding proteins, from which we have selected the ubiquitin E3 ligase tripartite motif-containing protein 3 (TRIM3) for further characterisation. We map TRIM3 microtubule binding to its C-terminal NHL-repeat region. We show that TRIM3 is required for the accumulation of acetylated tubulin, following treatment with taxol. Furthermore, loss of TRIM3 partially recapitulates the reduction in nocodazole-resistant microtubules characteristic of α-tubulin acetyltransferase 1 (ATAT1) depletion. These results can be explained by a decrease in ATAT1 following depletion of TRIM3 that is independent of transcription.

Palliative Extubation in Pediatric Patients in the Intensive Care Unit and at Home: A Scoping Review.

Aim: This scoping review is aimed at systematically mapping the evidence on palliative extubation in the pediatric intensive care unit. Methods: MEDLINE, EBSCO, and Cochrane databases were searched for articles published between January 2018 and December 2022, in English. Critical appraisal of sources of evidence was done using the Joanna Briggs Institute tools. PRISMA guidelines for scoping reviews were followed. Results: Six studies were included, with 366 patients, from the USA (n = 4), Brazil (n = 1), and Germany (n = 1). Three were high-quality studies, two were moderate, and one was a low-quality study. Most studies were retrospective analysis; two were narrative approaches; two were evidence-based recommendation and quality improvement project; one study was a prospective intervention. Conclusion: Symptom control is crucial pre- and postextubation. A checklist (symptom management and family support) and a postdebriefing template improve team communication and staff support postextubation. Critical care transports from the hospital are feasible to provide extubation at home. A framework addressing common planning challenges and resource management is recommended for extubation at home. The provision of pediatric palliative extubation is necessary since futile measures and prolongation of suffering violate the principle of nonmaleficence. Future research on this subject will result in more benefits for patients, parents, and professionals.

Skene's gland duct cyst: three cases in female newborns.

Skene's gland duct cysts are benign, asymptomatic bulging interlabial masses that are rarely identified in female newborns. The aetiology is unknown, but it is commonly associated with in utero maternal oestrogen exposure or obstruction or stenosis of the gland duct. We report three unrelated cases of neonatal Skene's gland duct cysts that resolved spontaneously without the need for surgical intervention.

Hybrid Digital-Droplet Microfluidic Chip for Applications in Droplet Digital Nucleic Acid Amplification: Design, Fabrication and Characterization.

Microfluidic-based platforms have become a hallmark for chemical and biological assays, empowering micro- and nano-reaction vessels. The fusion of microfluidic technologies (digital microfluidics, continuous-flow microfluidics, and droplet microfluidics, just to name a few) presents great potential for overcoming the inherent limitations of each approach, while also elevating their respective strengths. This work exploits the combination of digital microfluidics (DMF) and droplet microfluidics (DrMF) on a single substrate, where DMF enables droplet mixing and further acts as a controlled liquid supplier for a high-throughput nano-liter droplet generator. Droplet generation is performed at a flow-focusing region, operating on dual pressure: negative pressure applied to the aqueous phase and positive pressure applied to the oil phase. We evaluate the droplets produced with our hybrid DMF-DrMF devices in terms of droplet volume, speed, and production frequency and further compare them with standalone DrMF devices. Both types of devices enable customizable droplet production (various volumes and circulation speeds), yet hybrid DMF-DrMF devices yield more controlled droplet production while achieving throughputs that are similar to standalone DrMF devices. These hybrid devices enable the production of up to four droplets per second, which reach a maximum circulation speed close to 1540 µm/s and volumes as low as 0.5 nL.

Open-source tool for real-time and automated analysis of droplet-based microfluidic.

Droplet-based microfluidic technology is a powerful tool for generating large numbers of monodispersed nanoliter-sized droplets for ultra-high throughput screening of molecules or single cells. Yet further progress in the development of methods for the real-time detection and measurement of passing droplets is needed for achieving fully automated systems and ultimately scalability. Existing droplet monitoring technologies are either difficult to implement by non-experts or require complex experimentation setups. Moreover, commercially available monitoring equipment is expensive and therefore limited to a few laboratories worldwide. In this work, we validated for the first time an easy-to-use, open-source Bonsai visual programming language to accurately measure in real-time droplets generated in a microfluidic device. With this method, droplets are found and characterized from bright-field images with high processing speed. We used off-the-shelf components to achieve an optical system that allows sensitive image-based, label-free, and cost-effective monitoring. As a test of its use we present the results, in terms of droplet radius, circulation speed and production frequency, of our method and compared its performance with that of the widely-used ImageJ software. Moreover, we show that similar results are obtained regardless of the degree of expertise. Finally, our goal is to provide a robust, simple to integrate, and user-friendly tool for monitoring droplets, capable of helping researchers to get started in the laboratory immediately, even without programming experience, enabling analysis and reporting of droplet data in real-time and closed-loop experiments.

Novel Approach for a Controlled Delivery of Essential Oils during Long-Term Maize Storage: Clove Bud and Pennyroyal Oils Efficacy to Control Sitophilus zeamais, Reducing Grain Damage and Post-Harvest Losses.

Maize grains represent a significant contribution for assuring food safety all over the globe. Sitophilus zeamais (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), also known as the maize weevil, is one of the most destructive pests in stored maize, causing qualitative and quantitative losses. To control S. zeamais populations in maize storage sites, synthetical chemical insecticides are applied. However, these are often used wastefully, have environmental implications, and can induce the development of resistant populations. In this work, the insecticidal and grain protecting efficacy of an innovative macro-capsule delivery device, loaded with essential oils from Clove bud and Pennyroyal, as well as their combined solutions, was tested against naturally S. zeamais-infested maize grains. The blend of both compounds incorporated in a controlled release device reduced losses by more than 45% over a long storage period of twenty weeks, diminishing the survivability of maize weevils by over 90%. The usage of the blend at a concentration of 370 µL⋅Lair-1 with an antioxidant showed the best results, however, by halving the concentration (185 µL⋅Lair-1), a significant control of S. zeamais populations was still achieved.

Warmth and competence perceptions of key protagonists are associated with containment measures during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from 35 countries.

It is crucial to understand why people comply with measures to contain viruses and their effects during pandemics. We provide evidence from 35 countries (Ntotal = 12,553) from 6 continents during the COVID-19 pandemic (between 2021 and 2022) obtained via cross-sectional surveys that the social perception of key protagonists on two basic dimensions-warmth and competence-plays a crucial role in shaping pandemic-related behaviors. Firstly, when asked in an open question format, heads of state, physicians, and protest movements were universally identified as key protagonists across countries. Secondly, multiple-group confirmatory factor analyses revealed that warmth and competence perceptions of these and other protagonists differed significantly within and between countries. Thirdly, internal meta-analyses showed that warmth and competence perceptions of heads of state, physicians, and protest movements were associated with support and opposition intentions, containment and prevention behaviors, as well as vaccination uptake. Our results have important implications for designing effective interventions to motivate desirable health outcomes and coping with future health crises and other global challenges.

Kaolin particle films disrupt landing, settling behavior and feeding of Trioza erytrae on lemon plants.

BACKGROUND: The citrus greening disease or Huanglongbing (HLB) is the most devastating disease of citrus crops. Trioza erytreae is a vector of HLB. Since its introduction in Europe, the insect reached the northern region of Spain and the southern region of Portugal, threatening relevant citrus production areas. Limiting the spread of HLB vectors is mandatory to prevent this disease. In this work, we assessed the effect of kaolin, a white mineral clay, on the landing, settling behavior and feeding behavior of Trioza erytreae on lemon plants. RESULTS: After kaolin application, the number of plants on which the insect was found was significantly lower than on untreated plants in the laboratory and in the field. Moreover, there were significantly fewer T. erytreae and a shorter duration of phloem-related events on kaolin-treated than untreated plants. CONCLUSION: The use of kaolin could be a suitable and efficient tool for inclusion into integrated pest management programs or organic production to reduce populations of T. erytreae and subsequently limit the spread of HLB in citrus crops. © 2022 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Factorial invariance of Satisfaction with Family Life Scale in adolescents from Peru and Portugal.

The Satisfaction with Family Life Scale (SWFLS) is a measure of a person's satisfaction with their family life as a whole that has been used in different cultural contexts. However, its internal structure and factorial invariance have not been investigated simultaneously in culturally different samples from America and Europe. The current study aims to evaluate the internal structure and factorial invariance of the SWLFS in adolescents from Peru and Portugal, through a multi-group confirmatory factor analysis. The study was conducted on 439 adolescents from Peru (N = 232; Ageaverage = 15.50, S.D. = 0.65) and Portugal (N = 207; Ageaverage = 16.16, S.D. = 0.81). First, the confirmatory factorial analysis for each group was carried out, followed by the multi-group confirmatory factorial analyses. Results indicated that the one-factor structure of the SWLFS presents a good adjustment to the data, in addition to an adequate internal consistency. Moreover, the presence of configural, metric, scalar and strict invariance is demonstrated across culturally different samples. The SWFLS is a brief and valid measure of satisfaction with family life that is useful for intercultural comparisons between samples of adolescents from Peru and Portugal.

Dynamic modeling of bone remodeling, osteolytic metastasis and PK/PD therapy: introducing variable order derivatives as a simplification technique.

Bone is constantly being renewed: in the adult skeleton, bone resorption and formation are in a tightly coupled balance, allowing for a constant bone density to be maintained. Yet this micro-environment provides the necessary conditions for the growth and proliferation of tumor cells, and thus bone is a common site for the development of metastases, mainly from primary breast and prostate cancer. Mathematical and computational models with differential equations can replicate this bone remodeling process. These models have been extended to include the effects of disruptive tumor pathologies in the bone dynamics, as metastases contribute to the decoupling between bone resorption and formation and to the self-perpetuating tumor growth cycle. Such models may also contemplate the counteraction effects of currently used therapies, and, in the case of treatments with drugs, their pharmocokinetics and pharmacodynamics. We present a thorough overview of biochemical models for bone remodeling, in the presence of a tumour together with anti-cancer and anti-resorptive therapy, formulated as systems of first-order differential equations, or simplified using variable order derivatives. The latter models, of which some are new to this paper, result in equations with fewer parameters, and allow accounting for anomalous diffusion processes. In this way, more compact and parsimonious models, that promptly highlight tumorous bone interactions, are achieved, providing an effective framework to counteract the loss of bone integrity on the affected areas.

Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Predicts Cerebral Edema and Clinical Worsening Early After Reperfusion Therapy in Stroke.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The mechanisms linking systemic inflammation to poor outcome in ischemic stroke are not fully understood. The authors investigated if peripheral inflammation following reperfusion therapy leads to an increase in cerebral edema (CED), thus hindering the clinical recovery. METHODS: We designed a single-center study conducted at Centro Hospitalar Universitário São João between 2017 and 2019. Inclusion criteria were being adult, having an anterior circulation acute ischemic stroke, and receiving reperfusion therapy. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratios, and the systemic inflammatory response syndrome criteria were determined. The presence and grade of CED were evaluated on the computed tomography performed 24 hours following event. The clinical outcomes included early neurological deterioration and functional dependence at 90 days. Adjusted odds ratio and 95% CI were obtained by ordinal and logistic regression models. Optimal cutoff values were defined using receiver operating characteristic analysis in the training cohort and validated in an independent data set. RESULTS: Five hundred fifty-three patients were included. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte increased with higher degrees of CED at 24 hours (adjusted odds ratio, 1.34 [1.09-1.68], P<0.01) and was associated with early neurological deterioration (adjusted odds ratio, 1.30 [1.04-1.63], P<0.05) and poor functional status at 90 days (adjusted odds ratio, 1.79 [1.28-2.48], P<0.01). Platelet-to-lymphocyte was not associated with the outcomes. Systemic inflammatory response syndrome was related to CED due to altered white blood cell counts. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte was the best predictor with an area under the curve around 0.7. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ≥7 had and accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity around 60%. CONCLUSIONS: Increased systemic inflammation is linked to the severity of CED early after reperfusion therapy in stroke. Easily obtained inflammatory markers convey early warning alerts for patients at risk of severe neurological complications with an impact on long-term functional outcome. CED quantification should be included as an end point in proof-of-concept trials in immunomodulation in stroke.

Psychometric properties of the Satisfaction with Job Life Scale in Portuguese workers: A systematic study based on the IRT and CFA modeling.

Job satisfaction is related to better physical and mental health, as well as to factors specifically related to work. In this context, the measurement of work satisfaction is important for organizations that profess an interest in engaged and satisfied workers. Therefore, this study aims to examine the psychometric properties of the Satisfaction with Job Life Scale (SWJLS) in Portuguese workers by combining the procedures of the Classical Test Theory (CTT) and the Item Response Theory (IRT). Specifically, internal structure of the scale was studied, its reliability (consistency), correlations with other measures of wellbeing (life satisfaction, loneliness, emotional wellbeing at work, and job satisfaction) were also estimated, and finally, the sacle waqs tested for gender measurement invariance. Participants were 404 workers, 61% women and 39% men, aged between 18 and 64 years (M = 36.85; SD = 14.50). Confirmatory Factor Analysis indicated that the one-dimensional model of the SWJLS was adequate (Robust χ2(5) = 9.89, p = .078; CFI = .993; RMSEA = .049, 90% CI [.000 - .094]; SRMR = .011.) and had good internal consistency (ω = .947, 95% CI [.936, 956]; α = .947, 95% CI [.935, .955]). Subsequent analyses revealed that the scores of the SWJLS were related to other measures of job satisfaction (r = .742), job-related emotional well-being (r = .628), satisfaction with life (r = .808) and loneliness (r = -.455). Factorial invariance suggests that the structure of the SWJLS measures the same construct (satisfaction with work-life) in both female and male workers. Moreover, IRT analysis suggests that higher levels of work-life satisfaction are needed to choose the upper response options, while a very low level of work-life satisfaction is required to increase the likelihood of choosing the lower response options. In this sense, the SWJLS is useful and reliable, especially for identifying people with low levels of job satisfaction. These findings support the validity of the SWJLS and indicate that the Portuguese version is a brief instrument with good psychometric characteristics for measuring work-life satisfaction.

Does Impedance Matter When Recording Spikes With Polytrodes?

Extracellular microelectrodes have been widely used to measure brain activity, yet there are still basic questions about the requirements for a good extracellular microelectrode. One common source of confusion is how much an electrode's impedance affects the amplitude of extracellular spikes and background noise. Here we quantify the effect of an electrode's impedance on data quality in extracellular recordings, which is crucial for both the detection of spikes and their assignment to the correct neurons. This study employs commercial polytrodes containing 32 electrodes (177 µm2) arranged in a dense array. This allowed us to directly compare, side-by-side, the same extracellular signals measured by modified low impedance (∼100 kΩ) microelectrodes with unmodified high impedance (∼1 MΩ) microelectrodes. We begin with an evaluation of existing protocols to lower the impedance of the electrodes. The poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT-PSS) electrodeposition protocol is a simple, stable, and reliable method for decreasing the impedance of a microelectrode up to 10-fold. We next record in vivo using polytrodes that are modified in a 'chess board' pattern, such that the signal of one neuron is detected by multiple coated and non-coated electrodes. The performance of the coated and non-coated electrodes is then compared on measures of background noise and amplitude of the detected action potentials. If the proper recording system is used, then the impedance of a microelectrode within the range of standard polytrodes (∼0.1 to 2 MΩ) does not greatly affect data quality and spike sorting. This study should encourage neuroscientists to stop worrying about one more unknown.

t-SNE Visualization of Large-Scale Neural Recordings.

Electrophysiology is entering the era of big data. Multiple probes, each with hundreds to thousands of individual electrodes, are now capable of simultaneously recording from many brain regions. The major challenge confronting these new technologies is transforming the raw data into physiologically meaningful signals, that is, single unit spikes. Sorting the spike events of individual neurons from a spatiotemporally dense sampling of the extracellular electric field is a problem that has attracted much attention (Rey, Pedreira, & Quian Quiroga, 2015 ; Rossant et al., 2016 ) but is still far from solved. Current methods still rely on human input and thus become unfeasible as the size of the data sets grows exponentially. Here we introduce the [Formula: see text]-student stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE) dimensionality reduction method (Van der Maaten & Hinton, 2008 ) as a visualization tool in the spike sorting process. t-SNE embeds the [Formula: see text]-dimensional extracellular spikes ([Formula: see text] = number of features by which each spike is decomposed) into a low- (usually two-) dimensional space. We show that such embeddings, even starting from different feature spaces, form obvious clusters of spikes that can be easily visualized and manually delineated with a high degree of precision. We propose that these clusters represent single units and test this assertion by applying our algorithm on labeled data sets from both hybrid (Rossant et al., 2016 ) and paired juxtacellular/extracellular recordings (Neto et al., 2016 ). We have released a graphical user interface (GUI) written in Python as a tool for the manual clustering of the t-SNE embedded spikes and as a tool for an informed overview and fast manual curation of results from different clustering algorithms. Furthermore, the generated visualizations offer evidence in favor of the use of probes with higher density and smaller electrodes. They also graphically demonstrate the diverse nature of the sorting problem when spikes are recorded with different methods and arise from regions with different background spiking statistics.

Association between traditional cardiovascular risk factors and mortality in the oldest old: untangling the role of frailty.

BACKGROUND: To date, there is no consensus regarding cardiovascular risk management in the very old. Studies have shown that the relationship between traditional cardiovascular risk factors and mortality is null or even inverted within this age group. This relationship could be modified by the presence of frailty. This study was performed to examine the effect of frailty on the association between cardiovascular risk factors and mortality in the oldest old. METHODS: The BELFRAIL study is a prospective, observational, population-based cohort study of 567 subjects aged 80 years and older. Data on cardiovascular risk factors were recorded. Frailty was assessed using three different models: the Groningen Frailty Indicator, Fried and Puts models. Participants were considered robust if they were 'not frail' according to all three models, and frail if they met the frailty criteria for one of the three models. The follow-up data on mortality and cause of death were registered. RESULTS: No cardiovascular risk factor was associated with mortality in subjects with and without cardiovascular disease. The presence of frailty was a strong risk factor for mortality [HR: 2.5, 95%CI: (1.9-3.2) for all-cause mortality; HR: 2.2, 95%CI: (1.4-3.4) for cardiovascular mortality]. In robust patients, a history of cardiovascular disease increased the risk for mortality [HR: 1.7, 95%CI: (1.1-2.5) for all-cause mortality; HR: 2.2, 95%CI: (1.2-3.9) for cardiovascular mortality]. In frail patients, there was no association between any of the traditional risk factors and mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Traditional cardiovascular risk factors were not associated with mortality in very old subjects. Frailty was shown to be a strong risk factor for mortality in this age group. However, frailty could not be used to identify additional subjects who might benefit more from cardiovascular risk management.

Validating silicon polytrodes with paired juxtacellular recordings: method and dataset.

Cross-validating new methods for recording neural activity is necessary to accurately interpret and compare the signals they measure. Here we describe a procedure for precisely aligning two probes for in vivo "paired-recordings" such that the spiking activity of a single neuron is monitored with both a dense extracellular silicon polytrode and a juxtacellular micropipette. Our new method allows for efficient, reliable, and automated guidance of both probes to the same neural structure with micrometer resolution. We also describe a new dataset of paired-recordings, which is available online. We propose that our novel targeting system, and ever expanding cross-validation dataset, will be vital to the development of new algorithms for automatically detecting/sorting single-units, characterizing new electrode materials/designs, and resolving nagging questions regarding the origin and nature of extracellular neural signals.

Bonsai: an event-based framework for processing and controlling data streams.

The design of modern scientific experiments requires the control and monitoring of many different data streams. However, the serial execution of programming instructions in a computer makes it a challenge to develop software that can deal with the asynchronous, parallel nature of scientific data. Here we present Bonsai, a modular, high-performance, open-source visual programming framework for the acquisition and online processing of data streams. We describe Bonsai's core principles and architecture and demonstrate how it allows for the rapid and flexible prototyping of integrated experimental designs in neuroscience. We specifically highlight some applications that require the combination of many different hardware and software components, including video tracking of behavior, electrophysiology and closed-loop control of stimulation.