Nutritional Disorders of Grain Sorghum

Crop Production/Industries,

Probing the circulation of ring-shaped Bose-Einstein condensates

This paper reports the results of a theoretical and experimental study of how the initial circulation of ring-shaped Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) can be probed by time-of-flight (TOF) images. We have studied theoretically the dynamics of a BEC after release from a toroidal trap potential by solving the 3D Gross-Pitaevskii (GP) equation. The trap and condensate characteristics matched those of a recent experiment. The circulation, experimentally imparted to the condensate by stirring, was simulated theoretically by imprinting a linear azimuthal phase on the initial condensate wave function. The theoretical TOF images were in good agreement with the experimental data. We find that upon release the dynamics of the ring--shaped condensate proceeds in two distinct phases. First, the condensate expands rapidly inward, filling in the initial hole until it reaches a minimum radius that depends on the initial circulation. In the second phase, the density at the inner radius increases to a maximum after which the hole radius begins slowly to expand. During this second phase a series of concentric rings appears due to the interference of ingoing and outgoing matter waves from the inner radius. The results of the GP equation predict that the hole area is a quadratic function of the initial circulation when the condensate is released directly from the trap in which it was stirred and is a linear function of the circulation if the trap is relaxed before release. These scalings matched the data. Thus, hole size after TOF can be used as a reliable probe of initial condensate circulation. This connection between circulation and hole size after TOF will facilitate future studies of atomtronic systems that are implemented in ultracold quantum gases.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figure

Screencast Feedback for Essays on a Distance Learning MA in Professional Communication

This action research explored the potential of audio-visual screencasting for assignment feedback on a distance learning (DL) course. A screencast is a combination of voice recording and screen capture, which can be played in any browser, like a video. Here it is used to capture a tutor’s editing and highlighting activities in a document, whilst simultaneously recording spoken feedback. Research suggests that audio-visual feedback may resolve some of the current problems with written feedback. A pilot study is reported which trialled screencasting for essay feedback on a master's level DL module at Sheffield Hallam University. Fourteen students participated and were randomly divided between two groups to receive either written or screencast feedback first. After receiving the first feedback type, students completed a short questionnaire online. The second type of feedback was then distributed to the students, who completed the same questionnaire for the second type of feedback. The results suggest that feedback is received more positively in the richer media of audio-visual screencasting and that this may encourage emotions more conducive to receiving and processing feedback and help to socialise students within the learning context by giving them a sense of belonging to the community. Simultaneous visual cues and explanations appear to help with understanding, and it is quicker to capture screencasts than it is to write feedback. However, preferences for written feedback were related to the holistic overview of a document, which could be scanned and revisited, and which was not confined to a linear delivery, nor time-limited. Audio-visual screencasting will therefore only be adopted for formative feedback during modules, and will be structured with spoken overviews

Suicide Ideation Among College Students in Rhode Island

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among U.S. college students and the second leading cause of death for Rhode Islanders ages 15 to 34 years. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted with data collected from the Rhode Island Young Adult Survey (RIYAS) from May through August 2022. The survey resulted in N = 1,022 young adults aged 18-25 years who lived in Rhode Island for at least part of the year. This study was approved by the Johnson & Wales University Institutional Review Board. Among this sample of college students aged 18 to 25 years in Rhode Island, 13.7% (N = 94) reported suicide ideation, 7.6% (N = 52) reported making a suicide plan, and 3.2% (N = 22) reported at least one suicide attempt. Sexual and gender minorities had 300% (95%CI: 47%, 987%) increased odds of suicide ideation relative to cisgender heterosexual males, students living on campus had 56% (95%CI: 79%, 10%) lower odds of suicide ideation compared to those living off-campus with a parent, and students with insomnia had 156% (57%, 320%) increased odds of suicide ideation relative to those without insomnia

ARL3 mutations cause Joubert syndrome by disrupting ciliary protein composition

Joubert syndrome (JBTS) is a genetically heterogeneous autosomal recessive neurodevelopmental ciliopathy. We investigated further the underlying genetic etiology of Joubert syndrome by studying two unrelated families in whom JBTS was not associated with pathogenic variants in known JBTSrelated genes. Combined autozygosity mapping of both families highlighted a candidate locus on chromosome 10 (chr10: 101569997-109106128 (hg 19)), and exome sequencing revealed two missense variants in ARL3 within the candidate locus. The encoded protein, ADP Ribosylation Factor-Like GTPase 3, ARL3, is a small GTP-binding protein that is involved in directing lipid-modified proteins into the cilium in a GTP-dependent manner. Both missense variants replace the highly conserved Arg149 residue, which we show to be necessary for the interaction with its guanine nucleotide exchange factor ARL13B, such that the mutant protein is associated with reduced INPP5E and NPHP3 localisation in cilia. We propose that ARL3 provides a potential hub in the network of encoded ciliopathy genes, whereby perturbation of ARL3 results in the mislocalisation of multiple ciliary proteins due to abnormal displacement of lipidated protein cargo

Anticholinergic burden (prognostic factor) for prediction of dementia or cognitive decline in older adults with no known cognitive syndrome (Review)

Funding Information: National Institute on Aging, NIH Grants, and the Branta Foundation Funding Information: We followed best practice in design, conduct, and reporting of our prognosis review as detailed in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions (Higgins 2019). The review was supported by the Cochrane Prognostic Methods Group, partners within the Cochrane Mental Health and Neuroscience Network, and the UK National Institute for Health Research Complex Reviews Support Unit (NIHR CRSU). Funding Information: American Philosophical Society, the National Institute on Aging grants, and by the Illinois Department of Public Health to DAB Funding Information: This protocol was supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), via Cochrane Infrastructure funding to the Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement group. The views and opinions expressed therein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Systematic Reviews Programme, NIHR, National Health Service or the Department of Health Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2021 The Cochrane Collaboration. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Bile Acids, FXR, and Metabolic Effects of Bariatric Surgery

Overweight and obesity represent major risk factors for diabetes and related metabolic diseases. Obesity is associated with a chronic and progressive inflammatory response leading to the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes (T2D) mellitus, although the precise mechanism mediating this inflammatory process remains poorly understood. The most effective intervention for the treatment of obesity, bariatric surgery, leads to glucose normalization and remission of T2D. Recent work in both clinical studies and animal models supports bile acids (BAs) as key mediators of these effects. BAs are involved in lipid and glucose homeostasis primarily via the farnesoid X receptor (FXR) transcription factor. BAs are also involved in regulating genes involved in inflammation, obesity, and lipid metabolism. Here, we review the novel role of BAs in bariatric surgery and the intersection between BAs and immune, obesity, weight loss, and lipid metabolism genes

Are electric vehicles masculinized? Gender, identity, and environmental values in Nordic transport practices and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) preferences

In this paper, we provide a comparative and mixed methods assessment of the gendered dimensions of electric mobility and stated preferences for electric vehicles in the Nordic region. This includes the potential for such vehicles to be configured in a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) manner, where they can store energy and offer services to the grid, generating revenue and accelerating decarbonisation. Based primarily on a survey distributed to a mix of more than 5,000 respondents across five countries, research interviews, and focus groups, and supplemented with a comprehensive literature review, we examine how perceptions, attitudes, values and identities towards electric mobility differ by gender. We use this data to test, and largely confirm, with some exceptions, three hypotheses: H1: Men use cars (conventional and electric) more than women, more often own a car or EV, drive further than women, and use less public transport. H2: Women have stronger preferences for the environmentally friendly or safety attributes of vehicles (such as EVs and V2G), reflecting higher levels of environmental awareness. H3: Women attach less importance to acceleration, power, or sound, whereas men will emphasize range, sex appeal, and acceleration. In examining these hypotheses about gender, we reveal the more complex social dynamics behind how potential adopters in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden consider and calculate various aspects of conventional mobility, electric mobility, and V2G

Impact of Scotland’s comprehensive, smoke-free legislation on stroke

<p>Background: Previous studies have reported a reduction in acute coronary events following smoke-free legislation. Evidence is lacking on whether stroke is also reduced. The aim was to determine whether the incidence of stroke, overalland by sub-type, fell following introduction of smoke-free legislation across Scotland on 26 March 2006.</p> <p>Methods and Findings: A negative binomial regression model was used to determine whether the introduction of smokefree legislation resulted in a step and/or slope change in stroke incidence. The model was adjusted for age-group, sex, socioeconomic deprivation quintile, urban/rural residence and month. Interaction tests were also performed. Routine hospital administrative data and death certificates were used to identify all hospital admissions and pre-hospital deaths due to stroke (ICD10 codes I61, I63 and I64) in Scotland between 2000 and 2010 inclusive. Prior to the legislation, rates of all stroke, intracerebral haemorrhage and unspecified stroke were decreasing, whilst cerebral infarction was increasing at 0.97% per annum. Following the legislation, there was a dramatic fall in cerebral infarctions that persisted for around 20 months. No visible effect was observed for other types of stroke. The model confirmed an 8.90% (95% CI 4.85, 12.77, p,0.001) stepwise reduction in cerebral infarction at the time the legislation was implemented, after adjustment for potential cofounders.</p> <p>Conclusions: Following introduction of national, comprehensive smoke-free legislation there was a selective reduction in cerebral infarction that was not apparent in other types of stroke.</p&gt