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International Journal of Molecular... Jan 2022Due to the economic and ecological importance of forest trees, modern breeding and genetic manipulation of forest trees have become increasingly prevalent. The... (Review)
Review
Due to the economic and ecological importance of forest trees, modern breeding and genetic manipulation of forest trees have become increasingly prevalent. The CRISPR-based technology provides a versatile, powerful, and widely accepted tool for analyzing gene function and precise genetic modification in virtually any species but remains largely unexplored in forest species. Rapidly accumulating genetic and genomic resources for forest trees enabled the identification of numerous genes and biological processes that are associated with important traits such as wood quality, drought, or pest resistance, facilitating the selection of suitable gene editing targets. Here, we introduce and discuss the latest progress, opportunities, and challenges of genome sequencing and editing for improving forest sustainability.
Topics: Acclimatization; CRISPR-Cas Systems; Forests; Gene Editing; Genome, Plant; Plant Breeding; Trees; Whole Genome Sequencing
PubMed: 35055150
DOI: 10.3390/ijms23020966 -
Ear and Hearing 2021Audiologists and hearing aid users (HAUs) generally agree that an adaptation period is needed following the first hearing aid (HA) experience. The main purpose of this... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
OBJECTIVES
Audiologists and hearing aid users (HAUs) generally agree that an adaptation period is needed following the first hearing aid (HA) experience. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the acclimatization of older adult listeners with hearing loss to HAs using listening effort and behavioral measures.
DESIGN
Participants (N=47) were older adults with mild to moderately severe sensorineural hearing loss. Thirty-two participants were new HAUs and 15 participants were experienced HAUs. New HAUs were randomly assigned to one of two groups: noise reduction algorithms and directional microphones activated or noise reduction algorithms and directional microphones deactivated. Speech recognition in noise and listening effort were assessed on 8 different occasions during a 10-month period. A dual-task paradigm was used to measure the listening effort deployed to recognize speech in noise. The primary task consisted of the Hearing in Noise Test which also served as the behavioral speech in noise measure. The secondary task was a tactile pattern-recognition task in which participants had to identify a sequence of three tactile stimuli that varied in duration. The two listening effort outcomes were the proportional dual-task cost and the response time on the secondary task. Cognitive abilities, including working memory and speed of processing, were evaluated using the Reading Span Test and the Digit Symbol Substitution Test, respectively.
RESULTS
Results show a significant time*group interaction. Both groups of new HAUs showed improvement over time in speech in noise performances (change of ~2 dB signal to noise ratio) and the experienced HAUs did not improve over time. The acclimatization effect was observed over a period of 4 weeks. There was no significant change over time on both measures of listening effort. There was no association between amplitude of acclimatization and the cognitive abilities measured.
CONCLUSION
An acclimatization effect following HA experience was observed. Specifically, the new HAUs displayed a clinically significant change of 2 dB in signal to noise ratio on the Hearing in Noise Test 4 weeks following their initial fitting. The acclimatization effect is not correlated to cognitive abilities.
Topics: Acclimatization; Aged; Hearing Aids; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural; Humans; Noise; Speech Perception
PubMed: 32769437
DOI: 10.1097/AUD.0000000000000913 -
Translational Behavioral Medicine Jun 2023Racial/ethnic minority, low socioeconomic status, and rural populations are disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Developing and evaluating interventions to address...
Racial/ethnic minority, low socioeconomic status, and rural populations are disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Developing and evaluating interventions to address COVID-19 testing and vaccination among these populations are crucial to improving health inequities. The purpose of this paper is to describe the application of a rapid-cycle design and adaptation process from an ongoing trial to address COVID-19 among safety-net healthcare system patients. The rapid-cycle design and adaptation process included: (a) assessing context and determining relevant models/frameworks; (b) determining core and modifiable components of interventions; and (c) conducting iterative adaptations using Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles. PDSA cycles included: Plan. Gather information from potential adopters/implementers (e.g., Community Health Center [CHC] staff/patients) and design initial interventions; Do. Implement interventions in single CHC or patient cohort; Study. Examine process, outcome, and context data (e.g., infection rates); and, Act. If necessary, refine interventions based on process and outcome data, then disseminate interventions to other CHCs and patient cohorts. Seven CHC systems with 26 clinics participated in the trial. Rapid-cycle, PDSA-based adaptations were made to adapt to evolving COVID-19-related needs. Near real-time data used for adaptation included data on infection hot spots, CHC capacity, stakeholder priorities, local/national policies, and testing/vaccine availability. Adaptations included those to study design, intervention content, and intervention cohorts. Decision-making included multiple stakeholders (e.g., State Department of Health, Primary Care Association, CHCs, patients, researchers). Rapid-cycle designs may improve the relevance and timeliness of interventions for CHCs and other settings that provide care to populations experiencing health inequities, and for rapidly evolving healthcare challenges such as COVID-19.
Topics: Humans; Ethnicity; COVID-19 Testing; Minority Groups; COVID-19; Delivery of Health Care
PubMed: 36999823
DOI: 10.1093/tbm/ibac101 -
Adapting adaptive design methods to accelerate adoption of a digital asthma management intervention.Translational Behavioral Medicine Apr 2023Investigators conducting translational research in real-world settings may experience changes that create challenges to the successful completion of the trial as well as...
Investigators conducting translational research in real-world settings may experience changes that create challenges to the successful completion of the trial as well as post-trial adoption and implementation. Adaptive designs support translational research by systematically adapting content and methods to meet the needs of target populations, settings and contexts. This manuscript describes an adaptive implementation research model that provides strategies for changing content, delivery processes, and research methods to correct course when anticipated and unanticipated circumstances occur during a pragmatic trial. The Breathewell Program included two large pragmatic trials of the effectiveness of a digital communication technology intervention to improve symptom management and medication adherence in asthma care. The first trial targeted parents of children with asthma; the second targeted adults with asthma. Adaptations were made iteratively to adjust to dynamic conditions within the healthcare setting, informed by prospectively collected stakeholder input, and were categorized retrospectively by the authors as proactive or reactive. Study outcomes demonstrated improved treatment adherence and clinical efficiency. Kaiser Permanente Colorado, the setting for both studies, adopted the speech recognition intervention into routine care, however, both interventions required numerous adaptations, including changes to target population, intervention content, and internal workflows. Proactive and reactive adaptations assured that both trials were successfully completed. Adaptive research designs will continue to provide an important pathway to move healthcare delivery research into practice while conducting ongoing effectiveness evaluation.
Topics: Adult; Child; Humans; Asthma; Delivery of Health Care; Health Services Needs and Demand; Research Design; Retrospective Studies
PubMed: 36689336
DOI: 10.1093/tbm/ibac093 -
Annual Review of Public Health May 2024The promise of adaptation and adaptive designs in implementation science has been hindered by the lack of clarity and precision in defining what it means to adapt,... (Review)
Review
The promise of adaptation and adaptive designs in implementation science has been hindered by the lack of clarity and precision in defining what it means to adapt, especially regarding the distinction between adaptive study designs and adaptive implementation strategies. To ensure a common language for science and practice, authors reviewed the implementation science literature and found that the term adaptive was used to describe interventions, implementation strategies, and trial designs. To provide clarity and offer recommendations for reporting and strengthening study design, we propose a taxonomy that describes fixed versus adaptive implementation strategies and implementation trial designs. To improve impact, () futureimplementation studies should prespecify implementation strategy core functions that in turn can be taught to and replicated by health system/community partners, () funders should support exploratory studies that refine and specify implementation strategies, and () investigators should systematically address design requirements and ethical considerations (e.g., randomization, blinding/masking) with health system/community partners.
Topics: Implementation Science; Humans; Research Design; Communication
PubMed: 37931183
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-060222-014438 -
Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) Mar 2023Isotonic exercise is the most common mode of strength training. Isotonic strength is often measured in the movement that was exercised, but isometric and isokinetic... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Isotonic exercise is the most common mode of strength training. Isotonic strength is often measured in the movement that was exercised, but isometric and isokinetic movements are also commonly used to quantify changes in muscular strength. Previous research suggests that increasing strength in one movement may not lead to an increase in strength in a different movement. Quantifying the increase in strength in a movement not trained may be important for understanding strength training adaptations and making recommendations for resistance exercise and rehabilitation programs.
OBJECTIVE
To quantify changes in non-specific strength relative to a control.
DESIGN
A systematic review and random effects meta-analysis was conducted investigating the effects of isotonic strength training on isotonic and isokinetic/isometric strength.
SEARCH AND INCLUSION
This systematic review was conducted in Google scholar, PubMed, Academic Search Premier, and MENDELEY. To be included in this review paper the article needed to meet the following criteria: (1) report sufficient data for our variables of interest (i.e., changes in isotonic strength and changes in isokinetic or isometric strength); (2) include a time-matched non-exercise control; (3) be written in English; (4) include healthy human participants over the age of 18 years; (5) the participants had to train and test isotonically; (6) the participants had to be tested isokinetically or isometrically on a device different from that they trained on; (7) the non-specific strength task had to test a muscle involved in the training (i.e., could not have trained chest press and test handgrip strength); and (8) the control group and the experimental group had to perform the same number of strength tests.
RESULTS
We completed two separate searches. In the original search a total of 880 papers were screened and nine papers met the inclusion criteria. In the secondary search a total of 2594 papers were screened and three additional papers were added (total of 12 studies). The overall effect of resistance training on changes in strength within a movement that was not directly trained was 0.8 (Cohen's d) with a standard error of 0.286. This overall effect was significant (t = 2.821, p = 0.01) and the 95% confidence interval (CI) is 0.22-1.4. The overall effect of resistance training on strength changes within a movement that was directly trained was 1.84 (Cohen's d) with a standard error of 0.296. This overall effect was significant (t = 6.221, p < 0.001) and the 95% CI is 1.23-2.4.
CONCLUSION
The results of our meta-analysis suggest that strength increases in both the specific and non-specific strength tests. However, the smaller effect size associated with non-specific strength suggests that it will be difficult for a single study to meaningfully investigate the transfer of strength training adaptions.
Topics: Humans; Adult; Middle Aged; Hand Strength; Muscle, Skeletal; Muscle Strength; Adaptation, Physiological; Acclimatization; Resistance Training
PubMed: 36396899
DOI: 10.1007/s40279-022-01790-0 -
Advanced Science (Weinheim,... May 2023Integrating adaptative logic computation directly into soft microrobots is imperative for the next generation of intelligent soft microrobots as well as for the smart...
Integrating adaptative logic computation directly into soft microrobots is imperative for the next generation of intelligent soft microrobots as well as for the smart materials to move beyond stimulus-response relationships and toward the intelligent behaviors seen in biological systems. Acquiring adaptivity is coveted for soft microrobots that can adapt to implement different works and respond to different environments either passively or actively through human intervention like biological systems. Here, a novel and simple strategy for constructing untethered soft microrobots based on stimuli-responsive hydrogels that can switch logic gates according to the surrounding stimuli of environment is introduced. Different basic logic gates and combinational logic gates are integrated into a microrobot via a straightforward method. Importantly, two kinds of soft microrobots with adaptive logic gates are designed and fabricated, which can smartly switch logic operation between AND gate and OR gate under different surrounding environmental stimuli. Furthermore, a same magnetic microrobot with adaptive logic gate is used to capture and release the specified objects through the change of the surrounding environmental stimuli based on AND or OR logic gate. This work contributes an innovative strategy to integrate computation into small-scale untethered soft robots with adaptive logic gates.
PubMed: 36809583
DOI: 10.1002/advs.202206662 -
Iranian Journal of Nursing and... 2022During pregnancy, because of unique changes in the body, pregnant women need access to clothes that meet their biological needs and inspire a positive attitude toward... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
During pregnancy, because of unique changes in the body, pregnant women need access to clothes that meet their biological needs and inspire a positive attitude toward the body. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to investigate the essential criteria for healthy designing maternity clothing.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The present study was conducted as a narrative review. Searches were performed in MEDLINE, ISI Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, EMBASE, ERIC, and ProQuest databases for the documents written between 2000 and 2021 regardless of the research methodology and the employed tools.
RESULTS
The results of this study were presented in three areas including women's expectations of maternity dress design, psycho-social effects of maternity wear, and maternal clothing designs.
CONCLUSIONS
The results of this study expand the knowledge of healthy maternity wear designers and, consequently, show that maternity clothing should hold three characteristics, adaptability, comfort, and stylishness, and meanwhile minimize the protrusion of enlarged areas of the body.
PubMed: 36712297
DOI: 10.4103/ijnmr.ijnmr_143_22 -
Assistive Technology : the Official... May 2021Off-the-shelf gaming technology is designed for young, fit, and motor intact individuals. Artificial intelligence (AI) has a role in making controllers and therapeutic...
Off-the-shelf gaming technology is designed for young, fit, and motor intact individuals. Artificial intelligence (AI) has a role in making controllers and therapeutic games adaptable to the disabled. Post-stroke rehabilitation outcomes can be enhanced by gaming technology within the home to enable engaging telerehabilitation. BrightBrainer™ Grasp (BBG) is a novel therapeutic game controller designed to adapt to arm and hand impairments post-stroke. It mediates intensive arm reach, grasp and finger extension training and has the ability to track relevant outcomes. The newly designed controller uses BrightBrainer gamification system with AI technology to provide automatic adaptation, requiring minimal clinician input. This article describes the BBG design, hardware, force and movement detection and calibration, and its integration with the therapeutic games. The use of AI in adapting a library of custom therapeutic games is also described. Results of a usability study with healthy individuals and related design modifications are presented, with implications for future trials.
Topics: Artificial Intelligence; Humans; Stroke Rehabilitation; Telerehabilitation; Upper Extremity; Video Games
PubMed: 31180276
DOI: 10.1080/10400435.2019.1593260 -
Current Opinion in Plant Biology Aug 2020In the context of the global challenge of climate change, mitigation strategies are needed to adapt crops to novel environments. The main goal to address this is an... (Review)
Review
In the context of the global challenge of climate change, mitigation strategies are needed to adapt crops to novel environments. The main goal to address this is an understanding of the genetic basis of crop adaptation to different agro-ecological conditions. The movement of crops during the Colombian Exchange that started with the travels of Columbus in 1492 is an example of rapid adaptation to novel environments. Many diversification-related traits have been characterised in multiple crop species, and association-mapping analyses have identified loci involved in these. Here, we present an overview of current knowledge regarding the molecular basis related to the complex patterns of crop adaptation and dissemination, particularly outside their centres of origin. Investigation of the genomic basis of crop expansion offers a powerful contribution to the development of tools to identify and exploit valuable genetic diversity and to improve and design novel resilient crop varieties.
Topics: Acclimatization; Adaptation, Physiological; Climate Change; Crops, Agricultural; Phenotype
PubMed: 32057695
DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2019.12.011