Emerging Field of Cardiomics: High-Throughput Investigations into Transcriptional Regulation of Cardiovascular Development and Disease

Congenital heart defects remain a leading cause of infant mortality in the western world, despite decades of research focusing on cardiovascular development and disease,. With the recent emergence of several high-throughput technologies including RNA sequencing, chromatin immunoprecipitation-coupled sequencing, mass spectrometry-based proteomics analyses, and the numerous variations of these strategies, investigations into cardiac development have been transformed from candidate-based studies into whole-genome, -transcriptome, and -proteome undertakings. In this review, we discuss several reports that have emerged from our lab and others over the last five years that emphasize the versatility of large dataset-based investigations of cardiogenic transcription factors, from phenotypic validations and new gene implications to the identification of novel roles of well-studied transcriptional regulators

Effects of Product Availability: Experimental Evidence

Product availability impacts many industries such as transportation, events, and retail, yet little empirical evidence documents the importance of stocking decisions for firm profits, vertical relationships, or consumers. We conduct several experiments, exogenously removing top-selling products from a set of vending machines and analyzing substitution patterns and profit impacts of the changed product availability using nonparametric analyses and structural demand estimation. We find substantial switching to alternate products, and evidence of misaligned incentives between upstream and downstream firms in the choice of which products to carry. We discuss the trade-offs of both empirical approaches for analyzing product availability effects generally.

Development and Evaluation of an Automated Algorithm to Estimate the Nutrient Intake of Infants from an Electronic Complementary Food Frequency Questionnaire

Background: We previously validated a four-day complementary food frequency questionnaire (CFFQ) to estimate the nutrient intake in New Zealand infants aged 9-12 months. However, manual entry of the CFFQ data into nutritional analysis software was time-consuming. Therefore, we developed an automated algorithm and evaluated its accuracy by comparing the nutrient estimates with those obtained from the nutritional analysis software.Methods: We analysed 50 CFFQ completed at 9- and 12-months using Food Works nutritional analysis software. The automated algorithm was programmed in SAS by multiplying the average daily consumption of each food item by the nutrient content of the portion size. We considered the most common brands for commercially prepared baby foods. Intakes of energy, macronutrients, and micronutrients were compared between methods using Bland-Altman analysis.Results: The automated algorithm did not have any significant bias for estimates of energy (kJ) (MD 15, 95% CI -27, 58), carbohydrate (g) (MD -0.1, 95% CI -1.2,1.0), and fat (g) (-0.1, 95% CI -0.3,0.1), but slightly underestimated intake of protein (MD -0.4 g, 95% CI -0.7,-0.1), saturated fat, PUFA, dietary fibre, and niacin. The algorithm provided accurate estimates for other micronutrients. The limits of agreement were relatively narrow.Conclusion: This automated algorithm is an efficient tool to estimate the nutrient intakes from CFFQ accurately. The small negative bias observed for few nutrients was clinically insignificant and can be minimised. This algorithm is suitable to use in large clinical trials and cohort studies without the need for proprietary software

Sustained passing performance of elite and subelite female soccer players following a female match-specific exercise protocol

Purpose: This study examined the maintenance of passing performance following soccer-specific high-intensity intermittent exercise in elite (n = 9) and subelite (n = 11) Western Australian female soccer players (19.5 [2.5] y). Methods: A total of 20 participants completed the Loughborough Soccer Passing Test (LSPT) prior to, during, and following 90 minutes of a modified, female-specific, individualized exercise protocol (Loughborough Intermittent Shuttle Test [LIST]) to simulate 2 halves of a soccer match. Performance in the LSPT was calculated by adding “raw time” to the accumulated “penalty time” for each test. Results: Elite players recorded greater distances (t58 = 4.671, P \u3c .001, effect size [ES] = 1.21) and higher derived VO2max values (t58 = 4.715, P \u3c .001, ES = 1.20) for the LIST exercise protocol over the subelite players. The total performance times for each LSPT were longer in the subelites in comparison with the elites, with a very large ES difference seen in post-LIST1 (t18 = −6.64, P \u3c .001, ES = 2.99) and post-LIST2 (t18 = −9.143, P \u3c .001, ES = 4.12). No between-groups differences were identified for “raw time” at any time point. Hence, all reported LSPT performance differences are attributed to “penalty time.” Conclusion: These data suggest that elite players can sustain their passing performance more efficiently throughout match play that can subelite female soccer players. These findings may contribute to future talent-identification testing by helping to distinguish between elite- and subelite-level players through sustained passing performance. Coaches may also use this information to better inform best-practice training methods through modification of male soccer-specific high-intensity intermittent exercise to a female cohort

Definition and classification of chyle leak after pancreatic operation: A consensus statement by the International Study Group on Pancreatic Surgery

Recent literature suggests that chyle leak may complicate up to 10% of pancreatic resections. Treatment depends on its severity, which may include chylous ascites. No international consensus definition or grading system of chyle leak currently is available. The International Study Group on Pancreatic Surgery, an international panel of pancreatic surgeons working in well-known, high-volume centers, reviewed the literature and worked together to establish a consensus on the definition and classification of chyle leak after pancreatic operation. Chyle leak was defined as output of milky-colored fluid from a drain, drain site, or wound on or after postoperative day 3, with a triglyceride content ≥110 mg/dL (≥1.2 mmol/L). Three different grades of severity were defined according to the management needed: grade A, no specific intervention other than oral dietary restrictions; grade B, prolongation of hospital stay, nasoenteral nutrition with dietary restriction, total parenteral nutrition, octreotide, maintenance of surgical drains, or placement of new percutaneous drains; and grade C, need for other more invasive in-hospital treatment, intensive care unit admission, or mortality. This classification and grading system for chyle leak after pancreatic resection allows for comparison of outcomes between series. As with the other the International Study Group on Pancreatic Surgery consensus statements, this classification should facilitate communication and evaluation of different approaches to the prevention and treatment of this complicatio

An athlete\u27s perspective: Comparing talent development environments for boys and girls in Western Australia youth soccer

This study aimed to compare the perceptions of boys and girls regarding their gender-specific talent development environments (TDEs) in state-level youth soccer. Seventy-one players (girls, n = 35; boys, n = 36) aged 11–18 years completed the Talent Development Environment Questionnaire (TDEQ-5), Sports Motivation Scale (SMS-6), Coach-Athlete Relationship Questionnaire (CART-Q), and Self-Efficacy and Outcome Expectancies (SEOE) of strength training questionnaire. Mann–Whitney U tests and Hedges’s g effect sizes were used to identify group differences. Boys scored higher for TDEQ-5 subdimensions: long-term development focus, alignment of expectations, and holistic quality preparation. For the CART-Q, boys perceived greater coach commitment, whilst girls perceived greater coach complementarity. The SMS-6 results suggested higher amotivation among girls and higher external regulation and introjected regulation among boys. Finally, boys reported greater self-efficacy and outcome expectancies related to strength training. Overall, the findings reveal significant disparities in boys’ and girls’ perceptions of their TDEs. Whilst these findings provide a more nuanced understanding of youth soccer TDEs, further research is necessary to identify the critical factors for effective athlete development regardless of gender, or with more informed considerations of gender. Stakeholders should consider the unique constraints and resources specific to their TDE to determine which strategies may best impact their functionality

A Multiscale Spatiotemporal Approach for Smallholder Irrigation Detection

In presenting an irrigation detection methodology that leverages multiscale satellite imagery of vegetation abundance, this paper introduces a process to supplement limited ground-collected labels and ensure classifier applicability in an area of interest. Spatiotemporal analysis of MODIS 250 m enhanced vegetation index (EVI) timeseries characterizes native vegetation phenologies at regional scale to provide the basis for a continuous phenology map that guides supplementary label collection over irrigated and non-irrigated agriculture. Subsequently, validated dry season greening and senescence cycles observed in 10 m Sentinel-2 imagery are used to train a suite of classifiers for automated detection of potential smallholder irrigation. Strategies to improve model robustness are demonstrated, including a method of data augmentation that randomly shifts training samples; and an assessment of classifier types that produce the best performance in withheld target regions. The methodology is applied to detect smallholder irrigation in two states in the Ethiopian Highlands, Tigray and Amhara, where detection of irrigated smallholder farm plots is crucial for energy infrastructure planning. Results show that a transformer-based neural network architecture allows for the most robust prediction performance in withheld regions, followed closely by a CatBoost model. Over withheld ground-collection survey labels, the transformer-based model achieves 96.7% accuracy over non-irrigated samples and 95.9% accuracy over irrigated samples. Over a larger set of samples independently collected via the introduced method of label supplementation, non-irrigated and irrigated labels are predicted with 98.3 and 95.5% accuracy, respectively. The detection model is then deployed over Tigray and Amhara, revealing crop rotation patterns and year-over-year irrigated area change. Predictions suggest that irrigated area in these two states has decreased by approximately 40% from 2020 to 2021

Working with Climate Projections to Estimate Disease Burden: Perspectives from Public Health

There is interest among agencies and public health practitioners in the United States (USA) to estimate the future burden of climate-related health outcomes. Calculating disease burden projections can be especially daunting, given the complexities of climate modeling and the multiple pathways by which climate influences public health. Interdisciplinary coordination between public health practitioners and climate scientists is necessary for scientifically derived estimates. We describe a unique partnership of state and regional climate scientists and public health practitioners assembled by the Florida Building Resilience Against Climate Effects (BRACE) program. We provide a background on climate modeling and projections that has been developed specifically for public health practitioners, describe methodologies for combining climate and health data to project disease burden, and demonstrate three examples of this process used in Florida

Small heat shock protein Hsp27 is required for proper heart tube formation

The small heat shock protein Hsp27 has been shown to be involved in a diverse array of cellular processes, including cellular stress response, protein chaperone activity, regulation of cellular glutathione levels, apoptotic signaling, and regulation of actin polymerization and stability. Furthermore, mutation within Hsp27 has been associated with the human congenital neuropathy Charcot-Marie Tooth (CMT) disease. Hsp27 is known to be expressed in developing embryonic tissues; however, little has been done to determine the endogenous requirement for Hsp27 in developing embryos. In this study, we show that depletion of XHSP27 protein results in a failure of cardiac progenitor fusion resulting in cardia bifida. Furthermore, we demonstrate a concomitant disorganization of actin filament organization and defects in myofibril assembly. Moreover, these defects are not associated with alterations in specification or differentiation. We have thus demonstrated a critical requirement for XHSP27 in developing cardiac and skeletal muscle tissues