Caregiver Outcomes in the Context of Telehealth and In-Person Applications of an Intensive Comprehension Aphasia Program

Title: Caregiver Outcomes in the Context of Telehealth and In-Person Applications of an Intensive Comprehension Aphasia Program. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore perceived stress for caregivers of stroke survivors with aphasia who participated in telehealth and in-person delivery models of a high-intensity, short duration stroke rehabilitation program, as measured by the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS; Cohen et al., 1983). Method: During in-person Intensive Comprehensive Aphasia Programs (ICAPs; Rose et al., 2013; 2021) in 2017 and 2018, and a tele-health ICAP in 2020, caregiver-reported outcomes were assessed using the PSS, a measure of perceived stress across life situations. During the ICAP intervention, caregivers participated in psychoeducation sessions, group counseling sessions, and individualized communication skill and strategy use training sessions. Interventions were delivered by a family counselor and speech-language pathologists. The PSS was administered before the caregivers began the ICAP and again after its completion (n=13 for in-person pre-ICAP, n=12 for in-person post-ICAP; n=3 for telehealth ICAP). PSS outcomes data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics to assess and interpret change scores. PSS item analyses will be conducted to assess the influence of item on pre/post change. Significance: Caregivers play a significant role during rehabilitation for stroke survivors with aphasia (i.e., a communication and language disorder). Caregivers are involved in supporting aphasia rehabilitation outside of clinical settings and are responsible for the patient’s overall wellbeing. Caregivers frequently experience third-party disability, including high levels of stress and isolation (Grawburg et al., 2013, Off et al., 2019). Caregivers should be considered as part of the treatment team as their wellbeing is intertwined with the stroke survivor’s wellbeing. This study is multifaceted: (1) it explores the changes of perceived stress for caregivers of stroke survivors with aphasia, and (2) it investigates the impact of delivery methods (i.e., in-person and telehealth) on changes of perceived stress. This study has the potential to contribute to the limited research based regarding caregiver health. References Cohen, S., Kamarck, T., & Mermelstein, R. (1983). Perceived Stress Scale. APA PsycTests. Grawburg, M., Howe, T., Worrall, L., Scarinci, N. (2013). Third party disability in family members of people with aphasia: A systematic review. Disability and Rehabilitation,35(16), 1324-1341. Off, C.A., Griffin, J.R., Murray, K.W., & Milman, L. Interprofessional Caregiver Education, Training, and Wellness in the Context of a Cohort Model for Aphasia Rehabilitation Top Language Disorders, 39(1), 5–28. Rose, M., Cherney, L., & Worrall, L. (2013). Intensive comprehensive aphasia programs: An international survey of practice. Topics in stroke rehabilitation, 20(5), 379-387. Rose ML, Pierce JE, Scharp VL, Off CA, Babbitt EM, Griffin-Musick JR, Cherney LR. (2021). Developments in the application of Intensive Comprehensive Aphasia Programs: an international survey of practice. Disability and Rehabilitation (10), 1-15. doi: 10.1080/09638288.2021.1948621

Влияние сорных растений и аммофоса на выход зерна гороха в степной зоне Южного Урала

Increasing the yield of pea grain in agricultural production is an important task for modern agriculture in the Orenburg region. To expand it, long-term studies on the influence of weeds and ammophos on the yield of pea grain were carried out. The article presents the research results for 2002-2019 by weediness of crops, the content of macronutrients and the productivity of pea grain in six-field and two-field crop rotations. Among the main factors affecting the yield of pea grain such as the total number of weeds and the content of accumulated nutrients in the 0-30 cm, soil layer were considered. The total number of weeds on two nutritional backgrounds in the pea germination phase was from 102.0 to 137.0. During the ripening period, respectively, it was from 44.0 to 56.0 pcs / m2. The maximum yield of pea grain is observed in crops after soft wheat with ammophos - 1.03 t / ha, without the use of fertilizer - 0.98 t / ha. The lowest yield of peas was obtained after durum wheat in a two-field crop rotation: according to the fertilized nutrition background - 0.76, unfertilized - 0.70 t / ha. As a result of statistical data processing in the third variant of the experiment (sowing peas after soft wheat in the aftereffect of a busy fallow), it was found that the increase in the productivity of pea grain slightly depended on the weediness of crops and the share of its influence ranged from 13.98 to 18.37%. However, the decrease in the yield of peas in the fifth variant of the experiment (sowing peas in alternation with durum wheat) was largely determined by weeds and the level of their influence was from 40.21 to 54.41%. The content of accumulated nitrate nitrogen and mobile phosphorus from ammophos before all sowing of peas in crop rotations ranged from 1.4 to 2.9 mg / 100 g of soil. The increase in pea grain from mineral fertilizers for 18 years, respectively, for all predecessors was 0.07; 0.05; 0.08 and 0.06 t / ha, except for the second variant of the experiment, where peas were sown after soft wheat in the aftereffect of black steam. The results of mathematical processing of the data on the increase in grain of peas show the effect of ammophos on the increase in grain by options in the range from 55.41 to 81.88%.Повышение урожайности зерна гороха в сельскохозяйственном производстве является важной задачей для современного земледелия Оренбуржья. Для ее решения проведены длительные исследования по влиянию сорных растений и аммофоса на выход зерна гороха. В статье приведены результаты исследований за 2002–2019 гг. по засорённости посевов, содержанию макроэлементов и продуктивности зерна гороха в шестипольных и двупольных севооборотах. Среди основных факторов, влияющих на выход зерна гороха, рассмотрены такие, как общее количество сорных растений и содержание накопленных питательных веществ в слое почвы 0–30 см. В среднем за период исследований наибольшая засорённость посевов наблюдается на делянках гороха после мягкой и твёрдой пшеницы. Общее количество сорных растений на двух фонах питания составило в фазе всходов гороха от 102,0 до 137,0, а в период созревания соответственно от 44,0 до 56,0 шт/м 2. Максимальный выход зерна гороха отмечается в посевах после мягкой пшеницы с аммофосом – 1,03 т/га, без применения удобрения – 0,98 т/га. Наименьшая урожайность гороха получена после твёрдой пшеницы в двупольном севообороте: по удобренному фону питания – 0,76, неудобренному – 0,70 т/га. В результате статистической обработки данных в третьем варианте эксперимента (посев гороха после мягкой пшеницы в последействии занятого пара) установлено, что повышение продуктивности зерна гороха незначительно зависело от засорённости посевов и доля ее влияния находилась в пределах от 13,98 до 18,37%. Однако снижение урожайности гороха в пятом варианте опыта (посев гороха в чередовании с твердой пшеницей) в значительной степени определялось сорными растениями и уровень их влияния составил от 40,21 до 54,41%. Содержание накопленного нитратного азота и подвижного фосфора от аммофоса перед всеми посевами гороха в севооборотах колебалось от 1,4 до 2,9 мг/100 г почвы. Прибавка зерна гороха от минерального удобрения за 18 лет соответственно по всем предшественникам составила 0,07; 0,05; 0,08 и 0,06 т/га, кроме второго варианта опыта, где горох высевали после мягкой пшеницы в последействии черного пара. Результаты математической обработки данных прибавки урожайности зерна гороха показывают влияние аммофоса на прибавку зерна по вариантам в диапазоне от 55,41 до 81,88 %

MICU2, a Paralog of MICU1, Resides within the Mitochondrial Uniporter Complex to Regulate Calcium Handling

Mitochondrial calcium uptake is present in nearly all vertebrate tissues and is believed to be critical in shaping calcium signaling, regulating ATP synthesis and controlling cell death. Calcium uptake occurs through a channel called the uniporter that resides in the inner mitochondrial membrane. Recently, we used comparative genomics to identify MICU1 and MCU as the key regulatory and putative pore-forming subunits of this channel, respectively. Using bioinformatics, we now report that the human genome encodes two additional paralogs of MICU1, which we call MICU2 and MICU3, each of which likely arose by gene duplication and exhibits distinct patterns of organ expression. We demonstrate that MICU1 and MICU2 are expressed in HeLa and HEK293T cells, and provide multiple lines of biochemical evidence that MCU, MICU1 and MICU2 reside within a complex and cross-stabilize each other's protein expression in a cell-type dependent manner. Using in vivo RNAi technology to silence MICU1, MICU2 or both proteins in mouse liver, we observe an additive impairment in calcium handling without adversely impacting mitochondrial respiration or membrane potential. The results identify MICU2 as a new component of the uniporter complex that may contribute to the tissue-specific regulation of this channel.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (GM0077465)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (DK080261

Delegated job design

We develop a theory of delegation within organizations where agents are privately informed about whether they should be engaged in exploitation or in exploration activities. Excessive delegation lead agents to inefficiently herd into exploration in an attempt to boost their market value. The theory is consistent with both high-delegation practices and practices where agents are assigned to activities. Our main result is that an agent should be delegated more the weaker career concerns, a variable that is made endogenous through the firm's technology and its degree of transparency. The theory sheds light on empirical regularities that are previously unexplained, such as a positive relation between wages and delegation, and delegation being more prevalent in closed environments or environments with long-term employment contracts

FKBP12 Activates the Cardiac Ryanodine Receptor Ca2+-Release Channel and Is Antagonised by FKBP12.6

Changes in FKBP12.6 binding to cardiac ryanodine receptors (RyR2) are implicated in mediating disturbances in Ca2+-homeostasis in heart failure but there is controversy over the functional effects of FKBP12.6 on RyR2 channel gating. We have therefore investigated the effects of FKBP12.6 and another structurally similar molecule, FKBP12, which is far more abundant in heart, on the gating of single sheep RyR2 channels incorporated into planar phospholipid bilayers and on spontaneous waves of Ca2+-induced Ca2+-release in rat isolated permeabilised cardiac cells. We demonstrate that FKBP12 is a high affinity activator of RyR2, sensitising the channel to cytosolic Ca2+, whereas FKBP12.6 has very low efficacy, but can antagonise the effects of FKBP12. Mathematical modelling of the data shows the importance of the relative concentrations of FKBP12 and FKBP12.6 in determining RyR2 activity. Consistent with the single-channel results, physiological concentrations of FKBP12 (3 µM) increased Ca2+-wave frequency and decreased the SR Ca2+-content in cardiac cells. FKBP12.6, itself, had no effect on wave frequency but antagonised the effects of FKBP12

Comparing algorithms for automated vessel segmentation in computed tomography scans of the lung: the VESSEL12 study

The VESSEL12 (VESsel SEgmentation in the Lung) challenge objectively compares the performance of different algorithms to identify vessels in thoracic computed tomography (CT) scans. Vessel segmentation is fundamental in computer aided processing of data generated by 3D imaging modalities. As manual vessel segmentation is prohibitively time consuming, any real world application requires some form of automation. Several approaches exist for automated vessel segmentation, but judging their relative merits is difficult due to a lack of standardized evaluation. We present an annotated reference dataset containing 20 CT scans and propose nine categories to perform a comprehensive evaluation of vessel segmentation algorithms from both academia and industry. Twenty algorithms participated in the VESSEL12 challenge, held at International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging (ISBI) 2012. All results have been published at the VESSEL12 website http://vessel12.grand-challenge.org. The challenge remains ongoing and open to new participants. Our three contributions are: (1) an annotated reference dataset available online for evaluation of new algorithms; (2) a quantitative scoring system for objective comparison of algorithms; and (3) performance analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the various vessel segmentation methods in the presence of various lung diseases.Rudyanto, RD.; Kerkstra, S.; Van Rikxoort, EM.; Fetita, C.; Brillet, P.; Lefevre, C.; Xue, W.... (2014). Comparing algorithms for automated vessel segmentation in computed tomography scans of the lung: the VESSEL12 study. Medical Image Analysis. 18(7):1217-1232. doi:10.1016/j.media.2014.07.003S1217123218