Public health interventions to combat COVID-19 can be viewed as an exogenous shock to the economy, especially for industries—such as leisure, recreation, and tourism—that rely heavily on human ...mobility. This study investigates whether and how exactly the economic impact of government public health policies varies over time. Focusing on the leisure and recreation industry, we use data for 131 countries/regions from February to May 2020 and employ generalized difference-in-differences models to investigate the short- and longer-term effects of public health policies. We find that stricter policies lead, on average, to an immediate 9.2–percentage-point drop in leisure and recreation participation. Even so, that industry recovers in about seven weeks after a COVID-19 outbreak in countries/regions that undertake active interventions. After thirteen weeks, leisure and recreation involvement recovers to 70% of pre-pandemic levels in a place that actively intervened but stagnates at about 40% in one that did not.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Background Stickler syndrome type I (STL1) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by ocular, auditory, orofacial, and skeletal anomalies. The main causes of STL1 are variants in the COL2A1 ...gene, which encodes a type II collagen precursor protein. The specific focus of this study was on a newborn from China diagnosed with STL1, with the aim of providing novel insights into the effects of a newly identified intronic variant in the COL2A1 gene on pre-mRNA splicing. Methods Trio whole exome sequencing was used to identify the causative variant in the family. The identified variant was validated using Sanger sequencing. Bioinformatics programs were used to predict the pathogenicity of the candidate variant. Additionally, an in vitro minigene assay was used to investigate the effects of the identified variant on RNA splicing. Results The proband with STL1 had a novel heterozygous splicing variant in the intron nine acceptor donor site of COL2A1 (c.655-2A>G). This splice junction variant resulted in aberrant COL2A1 mRNA splicing, leading to the skipping of exon 10 and the production of a shorter protein that may lack the last 18 native amino acids. Conclusion The c.655-2A>G variant in the COL2A1 gene leads to STL1 through abnormal splicing. By expanding the spectrum of variants in the COL2A1 gene, this finding improves the clinical understanding of STL1 and provides guidance for early diagnosis and disease counseling.
The recurring outbreaks of
Drupella
snails are a significant threat to coral reef ecosystems on a global scale. However, research on
Drupella
snails is currently very fragmentary. This article ...explores the ecological impacts and mitigation methods of
Drupella
snails and its outbreaks, and draws the following main conclusions. 1)
Drupella
snails inhabit the tropical oceans of the Indo-Pacific, utilizing their specialized radula to feed on coral polyps, and they predominantly spawn during summer, attaching egg capsules onto coral skeletons. 2) An outbreak of
Drupella
snails is defined by a density of > 2 ind/m
2
, but large aggregations alone do not necessarily indicate an outbreak. 3) The damage of coral reef ecosystem is the primary cause of
Drupella
snail outbreaks, with the hypotheses of “terrestrial nutrient input” and “overfishing of predator” being widely accepted but not fully explaining all outbreak events. 4) Countering
Drupella
snail outbreaks involves improving the health of coral reef ecosystems, protected areas, biological control and manual removal, though manual removal is the most direct and effective in short-term. 5) The understanding of the physiological and ecological characteristics of
Drupella
snails is inadequate at present, with larval development and population ecology being areas of particular under-investigation. 6) Studies of
Drupella
snail outbreaks have focused mainly on mid-outbreak stages, with little attention to early warnings beforehand or adverse outcomes afterwards. Despite significant challenges, addressing knowledge gaps in the biology of
Drupella
snails is crucial to determine the true causes of their outbreaks and identify corresponding solutions.
Development and application of power lithium-ion batteries are strictly restricted by their high temperature and high voltage performance, such as capacity degradation and gas swelling, which are ...related to not only the modified electrode material and battery design but also the electrolyte. Herein, tetravinylsilane（TVS） was applied as electrolyte additive to improve storage and cycling performances of LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2（NCM622）/graphite pouch cell at high cutoff voltage（4.4 V） and high temperature（45–60 ℃）. The capacity retention rate of the cell after 400 cycles（2.8–4.4 V） at 1C（1C=1.1 Ah） with mass fraction 0.5% TVS in the electrolyte is as high as 92%, compared with 82%for its counterpart without TVS. On the one hand, TVS is preferentially oxidized under high voltage, contributing to the formation of a high-temperature resistant CEI（cathode electrolyte interphase） film on the surface of NCM622particles, which effectively inhibits generation of internal cracks in NCM622 particles and dissolution of transition metal ions. On the other hand, TVS can also be preferentially reduced and polymerized, thus forming a stable SEI film on the surface of graphite anode, which inhibits the side reaction between the electrolyte and the negative electrode.
Mutation of CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator) leads to cystic fibrosis (CF). Patients with CF develop abnormalities of blood platelets and recurrent lung inflammation. ...However, whether CFTR-mutated platelets play a role in the development of lung inflammation is elusive. Therefore, we intratracheally challenged wildtype and F508del (a common type of CFTR mutation) mice with LPS to observe changes of F508del platelets in the peripheral blood and indexes of lung inflammation (BAL neutrophils and protein levels). Furthermore, we investigated whether or not and how F508del platelets modulate the LPS-induced acute lung inflammation by targeting anti-platelet aggregation, depletion of neutrophils, reconstitution of bone marrow or neutrophils, blockade of P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1), platelet activating factor (PAF), and correction of mutated CFTR trafficking. We found that LPS-challenged F508del mice developed severe thrombocytopenia and had higher levels of plasma TXB2 coincided with neutrophilic lung inflammation relative to wildtype control. Inhibition of F508del platelet aggregation or depletion of F508del neutrophils diminished the LPS-induced lung inflammation in the F508del mice. Moreover, wildtype mice reconstituted with either F508del bone marrow or neutrophils developed worse thrombocytopenia. Blocking PSGL-1, platelet activating factor (PAF), or rectifying trafficking of mutated CFTR in F508del mice diminished and alveolar neutrophil transmigration in the LPS-challenged F508del mice. These findings suggest that F508del platelets and their interaction with neutrophils are requisite for the development of LPS-induced lung inflammation and injury. As such, targeting platelets might be an emerging strategy for dampening recurrent lung inflammation in cystic fibrosis patients.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator) is expressed by both neutrophils and platelets. Lack of functional CFTR could lead to severe lung infection and inflammation. Here, we found ...that mutation of CFTR (F508del) or inhibition of CFTR in mice led to more severe thrombocytopenia, alveolar neutrocytosis and bacteriosis, and lower lipoxin A4/MIP-2 (macrophage inhibitory protein-2) or lipoxin A4/neutrophil ratios in the BAL (bronchoalveolar lavage) during acute E. coli pneumonia. In vitro, inhibition of CFTR promotes MIP-2 production in LPS-stimulated neutrophils; however, lipoxin A4 could dose-dependently suppress this effect. In LPS-induced acute lung inflammation, blockade of PSGL-1 (P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1) or P-selectin, antagonism of PAF by WEB2086, or correction of mutated CFTR trafficking by KM11060 could significantly increase plasma lipoxin A4 levels in F508del relevant to wildtype mice. Concurrently, F508del mice had higher plasma platelet activating factor (PAF) levels and PAF-AH activity compared to wildtype under LPS challenge. Inhibiting hydrolysis of PAF by a specific PAF-AH (PAF-acetylhydrolase) inhibitor, MAFP, could worsen LPS-induced lung inflammation in F508del mice compared to vehicle treated F508del group. Particularly, depletion of platelets in F508del mice could significantly decrease plasma lipoxin A4 and PAF-AH activity and deteriorate LPS-induced lung inflammation compared to control F508del mice. Taken together, lipoxin A4 and PAF are involved in E. coli or LPS-induced lung inflammation in CFTR-deficient mice, suggesting that lipoxin A4 and PAF might be therapeutic targets for ameliorating CFTR-deficiency deteriorated lung inflammation.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
•As rolling speed increased, the tensile force and hardness of dough sheet decreased.•Increasing the rolling speed increased water mobility and weakened gluten network.•The gluten network and texture ...of the dough sheet in length direction was more responsive to the change in rolling speed.•In thickness direction, bubbles number decreased, from the center part to the edge.•At lower rolling speed, fewer bubbles led to higher tensile force and hardness.
To explore the influence of rolling speed on texture property of the noodle dough with 34% and 38% water additions, the water status, development of gluten network, and bubble distribution were studied. The dough sheets with 38% water addition had more uniform gluten network, and fewer bubbles, but lower hardness and tensile force because of the softening effect of water. As rolling speed increased, the water mobility increased, gluten network became weakened, and bubble number increased, leading to decreases in texture properties. Dough sheets with 38% water addition were less responsive to changes in rolling speed than that with 34% water addition because of the higher hydration of gluten. With increasing rolling speed, the total length and number of gluten network lines in length direction (rolling direction) reduced more than those in width direction, corresponding to the greater reductions in the texture properties of the dough sheet in length direction.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Climate change poses significant threats to the health of coral reefs. The detection of coral coverage is a quantitative method for assessing the health of coral reefs. Valuable insights into the ...effects of climate change on coral reef ecosystems and the trends in coral reef development can be gained through the monitoring of coral coverage. However, traditional manual methods for estimating coral coverage are time-consuming and labor-intensive, limiting the scalability and efficiency of coral surveys. The field of automated processing for coral video imagery is currently limited, impeding the development of effective techniques for comprehensive coral monitoring and further hindering progress in coral ecosystem monitoring. To cope with these challenges, there is a crucial need for automated systems to efficiently handle large volumes of video data, thereby transforming imaging devices, such as underwater robots, into autonomous sensors capable of conducting reliable and comprehensive surveys. In response to this pressing issue, this study presents a novel video analysis approach, termed the Coral Detection, Ranging, and Assessment (CDRA) algorithm, which combines cutting-edge computer vision techniques including You Only Look Once version 5 (YOLOv5) object detection, binocular stereo vision, and tracking algorithms. The CDRA algorithm aims to analyze continuous video segments of coral reefs, enabling the identification, counting, and estimation of size and location of individual coral colonies. Experimental evaluations conducted in controlled pool environments demonstrated the high accuracy of the proposed method, with an average accuracy of 90.7% in estimating coral coverage at different locations. Moreover, field trials conducted in Xidao Island of China verified the effectiveness and robustness of the CDRA algorithm under varying water quality and lighting conditions. The findings of this study represent a significant step towards the development of reliable and automated techniques for coral reef detection, contributing to the advancement of coral reef conservation efforts.
•Novel video analysis approach for continuous coral reef detection is presented.•Combine advanced computer vision algorithms and Autonomous Underwater Helicopter.•Efficacy and resilience are validated in controlled pool and field trials.•This study aids coral reef monitoring amidst climate change and human activities.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
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