Impact of SARS-CoV-2 on training and mental well-being of surgical gynecological oncology trainees

Introduction: The SARS-CoV-2 global pandemic has caused a crisis disrupting health systems worldwide. While efforts are being made to determine the extent of the disruption, the impact on gynecological oncology trainees/training has not been explored. We conducted an international survey of the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on clinical practice, medical education, and mental well-being of surgical gynecological oncology trainees. Methods: In our cross-sectional study, a customized web-based survey was circulated to surgical gynecological oncology trainees from national/international organizations from May to November 2020. Validated questionnaires assessed mental well-being. The Wilcoxon rank-sum test and Fisher's exact test were used to analyse differences in means and proportions. Multiple linear regression was used to evaluate the effect of variables on psychological/mental well-being outcomes. Outcomes included clinical practice, medical education, anxiety and depression, distress, and mental well-being. Results: A total of 127 trainees from 34 countries responded. Of these, 52% (66/127) were from countries with national training programs (UK/USA/Netherlands/Canada/Australia) and 48% (61/127) from countries with no national training programs. Altogether, 28% (35/125) had suspected/confirmed COVID-19, 28% (35/125) experienced a fall in household income, 20% (18/90) were self-isolated from households, 45% (57/126) had to re-use personal protective equipment, and 22% (28/126) purchased their own. In total, 32.3% (41/127) of trainees (16.6% (11/66) from countries with a national training program vs 49.1% (30/61) from countries with no national training program, p=0.02) perceived they would require additional time to complete their training fellowship. The additional training time anticipated did not differ between trainees from countries with or without national training programs (p=0.11) or trainees at the beginning or end of their fellowship (p=0.12). Surgical exposure was reduced for 50% of trainees. Departmental teaching continued throughout the pandemic for 69% (87/126) of trainees, although at reduced frequency for 16.1% (14/87), and virtually for 88.5% (77/87). Trainees reporting adequate pastoral support (defined as allocation of a dedicated mentor/access to occupational health support services) had better mental well-being with lower levels of anxiety/depression (p=0.02) and distress (p<0.001). Trainees from countries with a national training program experienced higher levels of distress (p=0.01). Mean (SD) pre-pandemic mental well-being scores were significantly higher than post-pandemic scores (8.3 (1.6) vs 7 (1.8); p<0.01). Conclusion: SARS-CoV-2 has negatively impacted the surgical training, household income, and psychological/mental well-being of surgical gynecological oncology trainees. The overall clinical impact was worse for trainees in countries with no national training program than for those in countries with a national training program, although national training program trainees reported greater distress. COVID-19 sickness increased anxiety/depression. The recovery phase must focus on improving mental well-being and addressing lost training opportunities

Genetics affects choice of academic subjects as well as achievement.

We have previously shown that individual differences in educational achievement are highly heritable throughout compulsory education. After completing compulsory education at age 16, students in England can choose to continue to study for two years (A-levels) in preparation for applying to university and they can freely choose which subjects to study. Here, for the first time, we show that choosing to do A-levels and the choice of subjects show substantial genetic influence, as does performance after two years studying the chosen subjects. Using a UK-representative sample of 6584 twin pairs, heritability estimates were 44% for choosing to do A-levels and 52–80% for choice of subject. Achievement after two years was also highly heritable (35–76%). The findings that DNA differences substantially affect differences in appetites as well as aptitudes suggest a genetic way of thinking about education in which individuals actively create their own educational experiences in part based on their genetic propensities

Prehistoric palaeodemographics and regional land cover change in eastern Iberia

Much attention has been placed on the drivers of vegetation change on the Iberian Peninsula. While climate plays a key role in determining the species pools within different regions and exerts a strong influence on broad vegetation patterning, the role of humans, particularly during prehistory, is less clear. The aim of this paper is to assess the influence of prehistoric population change on shaping vegetation patterns in eastern Iberia and the Balearic Islands between the start of the Neolithic and the late Bronze Age. In all, 3385 radiocarbon dates have been compiled across the study area to provide a palaeodemographic proxy (radiocarbon summed probability distributions (SPDs)). Modelled trends in palaeodemographics are compared with regional-scale vegetation patterns deduced from analysis of 30 fossil pollen sequences. The pollen sequences have been standardised with count data aggregated into contiguous 200-year time windows from 11,000 cal. yr BP to the present. Samples have been classified using cluster analysis to determine the predominant regional land cover types through the Holocene. Regional human impact indices and diversity metrics have been derived for north-east and south-east Spain and the Balearic Islands. The SPDs show characteristic boom-and-bust cycles of population growth and collapse, but there is no clear synchronism between north-east and south-east Spain other than the rise of Neolithic farming. In north-east Iberia, patterns of demographic change are strongly linked to changes in vegetation diversity and human impact indicator groups. In the south-east, increases in population throughout the Chalcolithic and early Bronze Age result in more open landscapes and increased vegetation diversity. The demographic maximum occurred early in the 3rd millennium cal. BP on the Balearic Islands and is associated with the highest levels of human impact indicator groups. The results demonstrate the importance of population change in shaping the abundance and diversity of taxa within broad climatically determined biomes

The burden of heat-related mortality attributable to recent human-induced climate change

Medical Research Council-UK (Grant ID: MR/M022625/1); Natural Environment Research Council UK (Grant ID: NE/R009384/1); European Union’s Horizon 2020 Project Exhaustion (Grant ID: 820655); N. Scovronick was supported by the NIEHS-funded HERCULES Center (P30ES019776); Y. Honda was supported by the Environment Research and Technology Development Fund of the Environmental Restoration and Conservation Agency, Japan (JPMEERF15S11412); J. Jaakkola was supported by Academy of Finland (Grant No. 310372); V. Huber was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (Grant ID: PCIN-2017-046) and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Grant ID: 01LS1201A2); J Kysely and A. Urban were supported by the Czech Science Foundation (Grant ID: 20-28560S); J. Madureira was supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) (SFRH/BPD/115112/2016); S. Rao and F. di Ruscio were supported by European Union’s Horizon 2020 Project EXHAUSTION (Grant ID: 820655); M. Hashizume was supported by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) as part of SICORP, Grant Number JPMJSC20E4; Y. Guo was supported by the Career Development Fellowship of the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (#APP1163693); S. Lee was support by the Early Career Fellowship of the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (#APP1109193)

Utilisation de courbes prédéterminées pour l'analyse des olivines à la microsonde électronique

The absorption and atomic number corrections involved in the electron-probe analysis of olivines, have been calculated from chemical analyses of minerals from the olivine series. The corrections for each element have been plotted graphically against iron concentration, and the use of such curves is discussed.A partir de l'analyse chimique d'une série d'olivines, on a représenté graphiquement les corrections d'absorption et de numéro atomique pour chaque élément analysé en fonction de la concentration en fer. D'après les courbes obtenues, on déduit aisément la correction de la « première approximation », pour un échantillon quelconque de la série des olivines, analysé à la microsonde électronique.Soudière J., Coy-Yll R. Utilisation de courbes prédéterminées pour l'analyse des olivines à la microsonde électronique. In: Bulletin de la Société française de Minéralogie et de Cristallographie, volume 92, 5, 1969. pp. 447-452

Estudio por CNDO/2 de poliedros de coordinación silicatos

Con la aplicación del método semiempírico CND0/2 (CompletNeglect of Differential Overlap in Two-electron Integrals and in Normalization), se han calculado las curvas de energía potencial, en función de la distancia de enlace correspondientes a los poliedros aniónicos: (SiO4)4-, (AlO4)5- (AlO5)7 y (AlO6)9, así como las correspondientes a formas polimerizadas del tipo: (Si2O7)6 (Si2O6)4-, (Si2o3)2-, (Si8O10)8-, (Al207)8- (Al2O6)6- y (Al2O5)4-.Dado el estado actual más bien precario de conocimientos sobre los efectos y relaciones que rigen la dinámica de redes cristalinas minerales, el tipo de curvas potenciales obtenidas establecen un modelo suficientemente expresivo para comprender que la estabilización del proceso de polimerización de grupos (SiO4) en la estructura de silicatos no es independiente de la totalidad de factores cristaloquímicos inherentes a este tipo de estructuras. Por otra parte, ponen también de manifiesto las serias limitaciones que pueden concurrir en la aceptación de un modelo estrictamente molecular en la tarea de predecir los modos vibracionales de las estructuras de silicatos.Finalmente, se han calculado para los grupos aniónicos: (SiO4)4-, (AlO4)5, (AlO5)7- y (AlO6)6- los valores correspondientes a la constante de fuerza k ("stretching constant force")

Hidrólisis del olivino a 100 graus de temperatura

Se estudia la hidrólisis de olivino de composición: SiO4 Mg1,8Fe10 a 100ºC en función de soluciones a distintos pH: 1,6, 3,18, 3,55, 3,65 y 7,9. Los resultados obtenidos permiten un ajuste según funciones exponenciales (cte. tw) donde w se aproxima 1/2. Se establece un modelo para explicar el proceso de disolución de cationes Mg24 en la superficie del olivino

Estudio termodinámico de la estructura en corona olivinopiroxeno-anfibol-espinela-plagioclasa

Las estructuras en corona o disposición anular de minerales que se observan en ciertas rocas básicas, gabros principalmente, han suscitado el planteamiento de diversas hipótesis sobre su origen y desarrollo.SHAND (1945) las interpreta como el resultado de una reacción química entre minerales contiguos de una roca plutónica en vías de consolidación. (...

Los óxidos de Fe-Ti de las rocas calco-alcalinas del sureste de España

The Fe-Ti oxides appearing in the calc-alkaline rocks from SE Spain are titanomagnetite and ilmenite, although there are also sorne crystals of maghemite resulting from the oxidation of the rnagnetite. Titanomagnetite is to be found in all petrologic types, but the second is absent from the basaltic andesites and even from the less siliceous andesites. The titanomagnetites present a low proportion of molecule ulvospinel (10.6-28.9%), because of the low content in TiO2 of these lavas . The percentage of R.O. in the ilmenites analysed is relatively small (19.7-26.5%). However, both oxides are progressively richer in the above-mentioned molecules as they pass from andesites to dacites . From the chemical composition of both coexisting oxide phases it has been estimated, using the curves of Buddington and Lidsley (1964), that the andesites crystallized at temperatures between 880°C and 855°C and under oxygen fugacities of around 10-11.2 and 10-11.4 atm., while the temperatures in the case of the dacites were between 880°C and 8l0°C, with oxygen fugacities of 10-11.4 and 10-12.3 atm. The fO2-T curve of these rocks is therefore situated above that of nickel-nickel oxide (NNO) buffer. These crystallization temperatures are somewhat lower than those determined by using the pair orthopyroxene-c1inopyroxene (Wood and Banno, 1973 and Wells, 1977). However, since it is widely considered that the titanomagnetite-ilmenite geothermometer is the most accurate, these temperatures are considered more correct than those determined from the composition of pyroxenes .Los óxidos de Fe-Ti que aparecen en las rocas calco-alcalinas del sureste de España son titanomagnetita e ilmenita, si bien también hay algunos cristales de maghemita, producto de la oxidación de la magnetita. La primera está presente en todos los tipos petrológicos existentes , pero la segunda está ausente en las andesitas basálticas e incluso en las andesitas menos silíceas. Las titanomagnetitas presentan una baja proporción de moléculas de ulvoespinela (10.6-28.9%), reflejo del bajo contenido en TiO2 de estas lavas. Asimismo, el porcentaje de R2O3 de las ilmenitas analizadas es relativamente reducido (19.7-26.5%). No obstante, tanto unas como otras muestran un progresivo enriquecimiento en dichas moléculas al pasar de las andesitas a las dacitas . A partir de la composición química de ambas fases mineralógicas, utilizando las curvas de Buddington y Lindsley (1964), se ha estimado que las andesitas han cristalizado a temperaturas comprendidas entre 880°C y 855°C y bajo fugacidades de oxígeno del orden de 10-11.2 y 10-11.4 atm., mientras que las dacitas lo han hecho a temperaturas comprendidas entre 850°C y 810°C y fugacidades de oxígeno de 10-11.4 y 10-12.3 atm . La curva fO2-T de estas rocas se sitúa, pues, por encima de la del óxido de níquel-níquel (NNO). Estas temperaturas de cristalización son algo más bajas que las calculadas utilizando el par ortopiroxeno-clinopiroxeno (Wood y Banno, 1973, y Wells, 1977). Sin embargo, puesto que existe un amplio consenso en considerar que el geotermómetro titanomagnetita-ilmenita es el más preciso, las ,temperaturas determinadas utilizando este par se consideran más correctas que las estimadas a partir de la composición de los piroxenos