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The Journal of Nutrition Apr 2023Trace metals are supplemented in cattle to prevent nutrient deficiencies. Levels supplemented to mitigate worst-case basal supply and availability scenarios can,...
BACKGROUND
Trace metals are supplemented in cattle to prevent nutrient deficiencies. Levels supplemented to mitigate worst-case basal supply and availability scenarios can, however, result in trace metal intakes far above the nutritional requirements of dairy cows with high feed intakes.
OBJECTIVES
We evaluated Zn, Mn, and Cu balance in dairy cows from late lactation through the subsequent mid-lactation, a period of 24 wk characterized by large changes in dry matter intake.
METHODS
Twelve Holstein dairy cows were housed in a tie-stall from 10 wk before to 16 wk after parturition and fed 1 unique lactation diet when lactating and a dry cow diet otherwise. After 2 wk of adaptation to the facility and diet, Zn, Mn, and Cu balances were determined at weekly intervals, by calculating the difference between total intakes and complete fecal, urinary, and milk outputs, with the latter 3 fluxes quantified over a 48-h period. Repeated measure mixed models were used to evaluate the effects on trace mineral balances over time.
RESULTS
The Mn and Cu balances of cows were not significantly different from 0 mg/d between 8 wk prepartum and calving (P ≥ 0.54), when dietary intake was the lowest of the period evaluated. However, when dietary intake was highest, between wk 6 and 16 postpartum, positive Mn and Cu balances were observed (80 and 20 mg/d, respectively, P ≤ 0.05). Cows were in positive Zn balance throughout the study except during the first 3 wk after calving during which the Zn balance was negative.
CONCLUSIONS
Large adaptations occur in trace metal homeostasis in transition cows in response to changes in dietary intake. High dry matter intakes, associated with high milk production of dairy cows, combined with current Zn, Mn, and Cu supplementation practices may exceed regulatory homeostatic mechanisms resulting in potential body accumulation of Zn, Mn, and Cu.
Topics: Female; Humans; Cattle; Animals; Trace Elements; Lactation; Copper; Zinc; Manganese; Longitudinal Studies; Diet; Milk; Postpartum Period; Homeostasis
PubMed: 36813237
DOI: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.02.022 -
Molecular Biology and Evolution Jun 2023Since the pioneering work of Dobzhansky in the 1930s and 1940s, many chromosomal inversions have been identified, but how they contribute to adaptation remains poorly...
Since the pioneering work of Dobzhansky in the 1930s and 1940s, many chromosomal inversions have been identified, but how they contribute to adaptation remains poorly understood. In Drosophila melanogaster, the widespread inversion polymorphism In(3R)Payne underpins latitudinal clines in fitness traits on multiple continents. Here, we use single-individual whole-genome sequencing, transcriptomics, and published sequencing data to study the population genomics of this inversion on four continents: in its ancestral African range and in derived populations in Europe, North America, and Australia. Our results confirm that this inversion originated in sub-Saharan Africa and subsequently became cosmopolitan; we observe marked monophyletic divergence of inverted and noninverted karyotypes, with some substructure among inverted chromosomes between continents. Despite divergent evolution of this inversion since its out-of-Africa migration, derived non-African populations exhibit similar patterns of long-range linkage disequilibrium between the inversion breakpoints and major peaks of divergence in its center, consistent with balancing selection and suggesting that the inversion harbors alleles that are maintained by selection on several continents. Using RNA-sequencing, we identify overlap between inversion-linked single-nucleotide polymorphisms and loci that are differentially expressed between inverted and noninverted chromosomes. Expression levels are higher for inverted chromosomes at low temperature, suggesting loss of buffering or compensatory plasticity and consistent with higher inversion frequency in warm climates. Our results suggest that this ancestrally tropical balanced polymorphism spread around the world and became latitudinally assorted along similar but independent climatic gradients, always being frequent in subtropical/tropical areas but rare or absent in temperate climates.
Topics: Animals; Drosophila melanogaster; Chromosome Inversion; Adaptation, Physiological; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; North America
PubMed: 37220650
DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msad118 -
Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health... Mar 2017Little is known about how strategies of retaining patients are acted out by general practitioners (GPs) in the clinical encounter. With this study, we apply Grimens'...
OBJECTIVE
Little is known about how strategies of retaining patients are acted out by general practitioners (GPs) in the clinical encounter. With this study, we apply Grimens' (2009) analytical connection between trust and power to explore how trust and power appear in preventive health checks from the GPs' perspectives, and in what way trust and power affect and/or challenge strategies towards retaining patients without formal education.
DESIGN
Data in this study were obtained through semi-structured interviews with GPs participating in an intervention project, as well as observations of clinical encounters.
RESULTS
From the empirical data, we identified three dimensions of respect: respect for the patient's autonomy, respect for professional authority and respect as a mutual exchange. A balance of respect influenced trust in the relationship between GP and patients and the transfer of power in the encounter. The GPs articulated that a balance was needed in preventive health checks in order to establish trust and thus retain the patient in the clinic. One way this balance of respect was carried out was with the use of humour.
CONCLUSIONS
To retain patients without formal education in the clinical encounter, the GPs balanced trust and power executed through three dimensions of respect. In this study, retaining patients was equivalent to maintaining a trusting relationship. A strategic use of the three dimensions of respect was applied to balance trust and power and thus build or maintain a trusting relationship with patients. KEY POINTS Little is known about how strategies for retaining patients are acted out by GPs in preventive health checks. • Retaining patients requires a balance of trust and power, which is executed through three dimensions of respect by the GPs. • Challenges of recruiting and retaining patients in public health initiatives might be associated with the balance of respect.
Topics: Adult; Attitude of Health Personnel; Educational Status; Family Practice; Female; Focus Groups; General Practitioners; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Patient Dropouts; Personhood; Physician-Patient Relations; Power, Psychological; Preventive Health Services; Qualitative Research; Trust
PubMed: 28277053
DOI: 10.1080/02813432.2017.1288811 -
Journal of Public Health in Africa Apr 2023This study's background was inspired by the current COVID-19 handling policy, which focuses on the balance of public health and social economy. However, there is a...
BACKGROUND
This study's background was inspired by the current COVID-19 handling policy, which focuses on the balance of public health and social economy. However, there is a knowledge gap on the dynamic complexity of balancing public health and social economy during the new normal period of COVID-19 handling policy. A system dynamics simulation of the COVID-19 handling policy could be used to understand that gap.
OBJECTIVE
This study aims to uncover the simulation of the COVID-19 handling policy in Indonesia.
METHODS
This study combined quantitative and qualitative modeling methods with a system dynamics tool.
RESULTS
This study revealed 3 elements in the dynamic balance of public health and social economy in the COVID handling policy system: i) COVID-19 and social-economic control; ii) COVID-19 escalation and de-escalation; iii) people's immunity enhancement. Such a mix of COVID-19-controlling policy instruments has maintained a dynamic equilibrium between easing economic suppression at the expense of worsening COVID-19 and tightening public health resolution at the expense of more economic suppression.
CONCLUSIONS
The study conclusions are as follows: i) the COVID-19 handling policy worked as a leverage factor in balancing public health resolution and economic interest during the new normal period in Indonesia; ii) experiential creativity to respond to the newly serious public health problems triggered by COVID-19 implies adding public health knowledge; iii) the study's outcomes imply re-examining the strengths and deficiencies of the entire health system for a better health system.
PubMed: 37404333
DOI: 10.4081/jphia.2023.2233 -
Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience 2022Age-related deterioration of balance control is widely regarded as an important phenomenon influencing quality of life and longevity, such that a more comprehensive...
Age-related deterioration of balance control is widely regarded as an important phenomenon influencing quality of life and longevity, such that a more comprehensive understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying this process is warranted. Specifically, previous studies have reported that older adults typically show higher neural activity during balancing as compared to younger counterparts, but the implications of this finding on balance performance remain largely unclear. Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), differences in the cortical control of balance between healthy younger ( = 27) and older ( = 35) adults were explored. More specifically, the association between cortical functional activity and balance performance across and within age groups was investigated. To this end, we measured hemodynamic responses (i.e., changes in oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin) while participants balanced on an unstable device. As criterion variables for brain-behavior-correlations, we also assessed postural sway while standing on a free-swinging platform and while balancing on wobble boards with different levels of difficulty. We found that older compared to younger participants had higher activity in prefrontal and lower activity in postcentral regions. Subsequent robust regression analyses revealed that lower prefrontal brain activity was related to improved balance performance across age groups, indicating that higher activity of the prefrontal cortex during balancing reflects neural inefficiency. We also present evidence supporting that age serves as a moderator in the relationship between brain activity and balance, i.e., cortical hemodynamics generally appears to be a more important predictor of balance performance in the older than in the younger. Strikingly, we found that age differences in balance performance are mediated by balancing-induced activation of the superior frontal gyrus, thus suggesting that differential activation of this region reflects a mechanism involved in the aging process of the neural control of balance. Our study suggests that differences in functional brain activity between age groups are not a mere by-product of aging, but instead of direct behavioral relevance for balance performance. Potential implications of these findings in terms of early detection of fall-prone individuals and intervention strategies targeting balance and healthy aging are discussed.
PubMed: 35418854
DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.828474 -
Plants (Basel, Switzerland) Jan 2022'Esmeralda' is an orange fleshed peach cultivar primarily used for juice extraction and secondarily used for the fresh fruit market. Fruit yield and quality depend on...
'Esmeralda' is an orange fleshed peach cultivar primarily used for juice extraction and secondarily used for the fresh fruit market. Fruit yield and quality depend on several local environmental and managerial factors, mainly on nitrogen, which must be balanced with other nutrients. Similar to other perennial crops, peach trees show carryover effects of carbohydrates and nutrients and of nutrients stored in their tissues. The aims of the present study are (i) to identify the major sources of seasonal variability in fruit yield and qu Fruit Tree Department of Federal University of Pelotas (UFPEL), Pelotas 96010610ality; and (ii) to establish the N dose and the internal nutrient balance to reach high fruit yield and quality. The experiment was conducted from 2014 to 2017 in Southern Brazil and it followed five N treatments (0, 40, 80, 120 and 160 kg N ha year). Foliar compositions were centered log-ratio (clr) transformed in order to account for multiple nutrient interactions and allow computing distances between compositions. Based on the feature ranking, chilling hours, degree-days and rainfall were the most influential features. Machine learning models k-nearest neighbors (KNN) and stochastic gradient decent (SGD) performed well on yield and quality indices, and reached accuracy from 0.75 to 1.00. In 2014, fruit production did not respond to added N, and it indicated the carryover effects of previously stored carbohydrates and nutrients. The plant had a quadratic response ( < 0.05) to N addition in 2015 and 2016, which reached maximum yield of 80 kg N ha. In 2017, harvest was a failure due to the chilling hours (198 h) and the relatively small number of fruits per tree. Fruit yield and antioxidant content increased abruptly when foliar clr was >-5.410. The higher foliar P linearly decreased total titratable acidity and increased pulp firmness when clr > 0.556. Foliar N concentration range was narrow at high fruit yield and quality. The present results have emphasized the need of accounting for carryover effects, nutrient interactions and local factors in order to predict peach yield and nutrient dosage.
PubMed: 35161333
DOI: 10.3390/plants11030352 -
BMJ Open Apr 2016A national survey was recently conducted to explore medical education research priorities in Scotland. The identified themes and underlying priority areas can be linked... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
A national survey was recently conducted to explore medical education research priorities in Scotland. The identified themes and underlying priority areas can be linked to current medical education drivers in the UK. The top priority area rated by stakeholders was: 'Understanding how to balance service and training conflicts'. Despite its perceived importance, a preliminary scoping exercise revealed the least activity with respect to published literature reviews. This protocol has therefore been developed so as to understand how patient care, other service demands and student/trainee learning can be simultaneously facilitated within the healthcare workplace. The review will identify key interventions designed to balance patient care and student/trainee learning, to understand how and why such interventions produce their effects. Our research questions seek to address how identified interventions enable balanced patient care-trainee learning within the healthcare workplace, for whom, why and under what circumstances.
METHODS AND ANALYSIS
Pawson's five stages for undertaking a realist review underpin this protocol. These stages may progress in a non-linear fashion due to the iterative nature of the review process. We will: (1) clarify the scope of the review, identifying relevant interventions and existing programme theories, understanding how interventions act to produce their intended outcomes; (2) search journal articles and grey literature for empirical evidence from 1998 (introduction of the European Working Time Directive) on the UK multidisciplinary team working concerning these interventions, theories and outcomes, using databases such as ERIC, Scopus and CINAHL; (3) assess study quality; (4) extract data; and (5) synthesise data, drawing conclusions.
ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION
A formal ethical review is not required. These findings should provide an important understanding of how workplace-based interventions influence the balance of trainee learning and service provision. They should benefit various stakeholders involved in workplace-based learning interventions, and inform the medical education research agenda in the UK.
Topics: Delivery of Health Care; Education, Medical; Health Facilities; Health Priorities; Humans; Patient Care; Problem-Based Learning; Research Design; Students, Medical; United Kingdom
PubMed: 27118289
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-011145 -
PloS One 2022This study examines urban innovation activities from the perspective of improving the efficiency of innovation chains and explored their operational patterns. The...
This study examines urban innovation activities from the perspective of improving the efficiency of innovation chains and explored their operational patterns. The connotation of the urban innovation chain was analyzed following the process of the innovation chain and the characteristics of urban innovation activities. The urban innovation chain can be divided into the following three stages: original, technological, and innovation transformation. An indicator system for evaluating the three capacities of the urban innovation chain was established. Furthermore, the development level of strategic emerging industries was used as an indicator to measure the chain's efficiency and analyze the relationship between these three constructed capacities in Chinese national innovative cities. Data published on the national innovative cities were used to measure the capacity of the urban innovation chain. The development of Strategic emerging industries indicates cities' innovation performance, and an inductive approach was applied to analyze the relationship between the capacity construction of the urban innovation chain and innovation performance in innovative cities. This study found that the capacity of the urban innovation chain positively affected urban innovation performance and that the balanced development of the three capacities positively affected urban innovation performance. When urban innovation performance was at its highest, the contribution of original innovation capacity to innovation performance was significantly greater than that of the other two capacities; thus, an inverted U-curve illustrates the relationship between the improvement of urban innovation performance and the balance of the three capacities of the urban innovation chain. This study's conclusions enrich the relevant theories of the innovation chain, provide a reference for the construction of the urban innovation chain, and promote the development of Strategic emerging industries.
Topics: Cities; Efficiency; Industry; China; Economic Development
PubMed: 36288268
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0274092 -
Biotechnology For Biofuels and... Nov 2023Rhodococci are studied for their bacterial ligninolytic capabilities and proclivity to accumulate lipids. Lignin utilization is a resource intensive process requiring a...
BACKGROUND
Rhodococci are studied for their bacterial ligninolytic capabilities and proclivity to accumulate lipids. Lignin utilization is a resource intensive process requiring a variety of redox active enzymes and cofactors for degradation as well as defense against the resulting toxic byproducts and oxidative conditions. Studying enzyme expression and regulation between carbon sources will help decode the metabolic rewiring that stymies lignin to lipid conversion in these bacteria. Herein, a redox proteomics approach was applied to investigate a fundamental driver of carbon catabolism and lipid anabolism: redox balance.
RESULTS
A consortium of Rhodococcus strains was employed in this study given its higher capacity for lignin degradation compared to monocultures. This consortium was grown on glucose vs. lignin under nitrogen limitation to study the importance of redox balance as it relates to nutrient availability. A modified bottom-up proteomics workflow was harnessed to acquire a general relationship between protein abundance and protein redox states. Global proteomics results affirm differential expression of enzymes involved in sugar metabolism vs. those involved in lignin degradation and aromatics metabolism. As reported previously, several enzymes in the lipid biosynthetic pathways were downregulated, whereas many involved in β-oxidation were upregulated. Interestingly, proteins involved in oxidative stress response were also upregulated perhaps in response to lignin degradation and aromatics catabolism, which require oxygen and reactive oxygen species and generate toxic byproducts. Enzymes displaying little-to-no change in abundance but differences in redox state were observed in various pathways for carbon utilization (e.g., β‑ketoadipate pathway), lipid metabolism, as well as nitrogen metabolism (e.g., purine scavenging/synthesis), suggesting potential mechanisms of redox-dependent regulation of metabolism.
CONCLUSIONS
Efficient lipid production requires a steady carbon and energy flux while balancing fundamental requirements for enzyme production and cell maintenance. For lignin, we theorize that this balance is difficult to establish due to resource expenditure for enzyme production and stress response. This is supported by significant changes to protein abundances and protein cysteine oxidation in various metabolic pathways and redox processes.
PubMed: 37986172
DOI: 10.1186/s13068-023-02424-x -
Frontiers in Psychology 2021Although the roles of exploratory and exploitative learning as alternative sales skills have been documented, there is not yet a clear consensus, and empirical evidence...
Although the roles of exploratory and exploitative learning as alternative sales skills have been documented, there is not yet a clear consensus, and empirical evidence in the online sales context is lacking. In addition, existing studies have tended to examine the two activities in parallel, without looking into the dyadic situation of balanced or imbalanced exploratory-exploitative learning. Grounded in the WeChat business context, this study explores how online sales agents' balanced and imbalanced ambidextrous learning influence customers' e-loyalty and, in turn, their patronage intention and behavior. Polynomial regression and response surface analysis are performed on 226 dyads, and the results support the hypothesized balance effect. Further, asymmetrical imbalance effects are identified, with customers exhibiting higher e-loyalty and better patronage outcomes when online sales agents adopt more exploitative learning than exploratory learning. This study helps improve understanding of the efficiency of personal selling in a virtual context.
PubMed: 34925196
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.795899