Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is often undiagnosed before elective surgery and may predispose patients to perioperative complications.
A literature search of PubMed-Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, ...EMBASE, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials up to November 2010 was conducted. Our search was restricted to cohort or case–control studies in adults diagnosed with OSA by screening questionnaire, oximetry, or polysomnography. Studies without controls, involving upper airway surgery, and with OSA diagnosed by ICD-9 codes alone were excluded. The primary postoperative outcomes were desaturation, acute respiratory failure (ARF), reintubation, myocardial infarction/ischaemia, arrhythmias, cardiac arrest, intensive care unit (ICU) transfer, and length of stay.
Thirteen studies were included in the final analysis (n=3942). OSA was associated with significantly higher odds of any postoperative cardiac events 45/1195 (3.76%) vs 24/1420 (1.69%); odds ratio (OR) 2.07; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.23–3.50, P=0.007 and ARF 33/1680 (1.96%) vs 24/3421 (0.70%); OR 2.43, 95% CI 1.34–4.39, P=0.003. Effects were not heterogeneous for these outcomes (I2=0–15%, P>0.3). OSA was also significantly associated with higher odds of desaturation 189/1764 (10.71%) vs 105/1881 (5.58%); OR 2.27, 95% CI 1.20–4.26, P=0.01 and ICU transfer 105/2062 (5.09%) vs 58/3681 (1.57%), respectively; OR 2.81, 95% CI 1.46–5.43, P=0.002. Both outcomes showed a significant degree of heterogeneity of the effect among studies (I2=57–68%, P<0.02). Subgroup analyses had similar conclusions as main analyses.
The incidence of postoperative desaturation, respiratory failure, postoperative cardiac events, and ICU transfers was higher in patients with OSA.
The Cold Classical Kuiper Belt, a class of small bodies in undisturbed orbits beyond Neptune, is composed of primitive objects preserving information about Solar System formation. In January 2019, ...the New Horizons spacecraft flew past one of these objects, the 36-kilometer-long contact binary (486958) Arrokoth (provisional designation 2014 MU
). Images from the flyby show that Arrokoth has no detectable rings, and no satellites (larger than 180 meters in diameter) within a radius of 8000 kilometers. Arrokoth has a lightly cratered, smooth surface with complex geological features, unlike those on previously visited Solar System bodies. The density of impact craters indicates the surface dates from the formation of the Solar System. The two lobes of the contact binary have closely aligned poles and equators, constraining their accretion mechanism.
The Leaf Area Index (LAI) is an ecophysiology key parameter characterising the canopy-atmosphere interface where most of the energy fluxes are exchanged. However, producing maps for managing the ...spatial and temporal variability of LAI in large croplands with traditional techniques is typically laborious and expensive. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the reliability of LAI estimation by processing dense 3D point clouds as a cost-effective alternative to traditional LAI assessments. This would allow for high resolution, extensive and fast mapping of the index, even in hilly and not easily accessible regions. In this setting, the 3D point clouds were generated from UAV-based multispectral imagery and processed by using an innovative methodology presented here. The LAI was estimated by a multivariate linear regression model using crop canopy descriptors derived from the 3D point cloud, which account for canopy thickness, height and leaf density distribution along the wall. For the validation of the estimated LAI, an experiment was conducted in a vineyard in Piedmont: the leaf area of 704 vines was manually measured by the inclined point quadrant approach and six UAV flights were contextually performed to acquire the aerial images. The vineyard LAI estimated by the proposed methodology showed to be correlated with the ones obtained by the traditional manual method. Indeed, the obtained R
2
value of 0.82 can be considered fully adequate, compatible to the accuracy of the reference LAI manual measurement.
•An analysis of food anticounterfeit technologies is reported.•Case studies in food supply chains most affected by food fraud were analyzed.•New approaches and novel opportunities to counteract food ...counterfeiting.•Track and trace advanced technologies for the food supply chain.
Globalization and the increasing complexity of supply chains have allowed food fraud to expand to a great extent. Some of the most serious effects of these deceitful activities are damage to a brand’s reputation and trust, economic losses, and public health risks. The usual victims of food fraud are dairy, meat, fish, and seafood products, as well as fats/oils and alcoholic drinks. The purpose of this review paper is to present an updated analysis of the currently available anticounterfeit technologies and their application to the four most fraud-affected food supply chains. An assessment that was conducted to determine when the adoption of a combination of technologies could enhance food safety and brand protection is also provided. The obtained results indicate that electronic and data-driven technologies (RFID devices and digital traceability systems) are still in their infancy in the food sectors that are subjected the most to fraudulent activities. Research is necessary to develop innovative digital and physical technologies to “outsmart” such fraudsters and to prevent their illicit actions in the food sector.
Improvements in the spray application of plant protection products enhance agricultural sustainability by reducing environmental contamination, but by increasing food quality and human safety. ...Currently, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are raising interest in spray applications in 3D crops. However, operational configurations of UAV-spray systems need further investigation to maximise the deposition in the canopy and minimise the off-target losses.
Our experimental research focused on investigating the effects on the canopy spray deposition and coverage due to different UAV-spray system configurations. Twelve configurations were tested under field conditions in an experimental vineyard (cv. Barbera), derived from the combination of different UAV flight modes (band and broadcast spray applications), nozzle types (conventional and air inclusion), and UAV cruise speeds (1 and 3 m s−1). Also, the best treatment, among those tested, by using the UAV-spray system and a traditional airblast sprayer were compared. The data was analysed by testing the effects of the three operational parameters and their two- and three-way interactions by means of linear mixed models. The results indicated that the flight mode deeply affects spray application efficiency. Compared to the broadcast spray modes, the band spray mode was able to increase the average canopy deposition from 0.052 to 0.161 μL cm−2 (+ 309 %) and reduce the average ground losses from 0.544 to 0.246 μL cm−2 (− 54 %). The conventional airblast sprayer, operated at a low spray application rate, showed higher canopy coverage and lower ground losses in comparison to the best UAV-spray system configuration.
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•The UAV-spray system flight path plays a key role in vineyards spray applications.•Conventional nozzle combined with high UAV speed results in higher canopy deposit.•Spray applications above the canopy maximised deposition compared to broadcast ones.•Spray applications above the canopy also minimised ground losses.•Spray volume rate from UAV must be increased to guarantee a minimum deposit density.
Seismic anisotropy is a powerful tool to map deformation processes in the deep Earth. Below 660 km, however, observations are scarce and conflicting. In addition, the underlying crystal scale ...mechanisms, leading to microstructures and crystal orientations, remain poorly constrained. Here, we use multigrain X‐ray diffraction in the laser‐heated diamond anvil cell to investigate the orientations of hundreds of grains in pyrolite, a model composition of the Earth's mantle, at in situ pressure and temperature. Bridgmanite in pyrolite exhibits three regimes of microstructures, due to transformation and deformation at low and high pressure. These microstructures result in predictions of 1.5%–2% shear wave splitting between 660 and 2,000 km with reversals in fast S‐wave polarization direction at about 1,300 km depth. Anisotropy can develop in pyrolite at lower mantle conditions, but pressure has a significant impact on the plastic behavior of bridgmanite, and hence seismic observations, which may explain conflicting anisotropy observations.
Plain Language Summary
Seismologists rely on observable data to construct models that describe the dynamic state of the Earth's lower mantle. These models, however, require constraints such as mantle composition and material behavior at high pressures and temperatures, which can be provided through experimental mineral physics. In this study, we use a high pressure devices and X‐rays to impose deformation and image the state of our sample with increasing pressure and temperature. We are able to extract information of individual mineral grains within our assemblage, such as the number of grains per phase and their orientations. Using this experimental data, we identify three regimes of grain orientations in bridgmanite in the lower mantle, corresponding to transformation from lower pressure phases, and deformation at low and high pressure. With this information, we are able to make predictions about how seismic waves travel and behave based on the deformation state of the lower mantle.
Key Points
Three microstructure/anisotopy regimes in bridgmanite in the Earth's lower mantle: transformation, low‐P deformation, high‐P deformation
Effect of pressure on the active slip systems of bridgmanite with a shift at approximately 50 GPa or 1,300 km depth in the Earth's mantle
Up to 2% shear wave splitting predicted at all depth with changes in fast polarization direction for each microstructural regime
Combining high-throughput micro-CT-RGB phenotyping with genome-wide association study reveals the genetic architecture of tiller development in the indica subpopulation of rice.
Abstract
Manual ...phenotyping of rice tillers is time consuming and labor intensive, and lags behind the rapid development of rice functional genomics. Thus, automated, non-destructive methods of phenotyping rice tiller traits at a high spatial resolution and high throughput for large-scale assessment of rice accessions are urgently needed. In this study, we developed a high-throughput micro-CT-RGB imaging system to non-destructively extract 739 traits from 234 rice accessions at nine time points. We could explain 30% of the grain yield variance from two tiller traits assessed in the early growth stages. A total of 402 significantly associated loci were identified by genome-wide association study, and dynamic and static genetic components were found across the nine time points. A major locus associated with tiller angle was detected at time point 9, which contained a major gene, TAC1. Significant variants associated with tiller angle were enriched in the 3ʹ-untranslated region of TAC1. Three haplotypes for the gene were found, and rice accessions containing haplotype H3 displayed much smaller tiller angles. Further, we found two loci containing associations with both vigor-related traits identified by high-throughput micro-CT-RGB imaging and yield. The superior alleles would be beneficial for breeding for high yield and dense planting.
•Design and implementation of a RFID system for single cheese wheel traceability.•Testing of LF, HF and UHF technologies.•Transponders were directly applied to cheese, comparing different methods.•HF ...system can be adopted at all different steps of cheese production process.•UHF technology is reliable only after 60days ripening.
In the food industry, radio-frequency identification systems could be exploited for traceability, logistics as well as for anti-counterfeit purposes. In this paper, a complete item-level radio-frequency (RF) traceability system is presented for a high-value, pressed, long-ripened cheese. The main contribution of this paper consists in experimenting with different techniques for fixing tags to the cheese and solutions for automatic identification adapted to handling procedures as implemented in a dairy factory. All item movements are thus automatically recorded during the production, handling in the maturing room and warehouse, delivery, packing and selling phases.
Fixed and mobile RF devices operating at low, high and ultra-high frequency bands were considered for both static and dynamic identification of single/multiple cheese wheels. Factors such as tag type and shape, required power, antennas polarization and orientation, fixing method and ripening duration were considered in order to verify their effect on reading performance and system reliability.
Objective
To assess the incidence of infections leading to hospitalization, the mortality rate related to infections, and the determinants of these factors in patients with giant cell arteritis ...(GCA).
Methods
In total, 486 patients with GCA (75% women) were enrolled at the time of diagnosis. All patients fulfilled the American College of Rheumatology criteria for GCA. As controls, age‐ and sex‐matched subjects were randomly selected from the general population and matched to patients at the time of diagnosis of GCA. Both groups were prospectively followed up over a 5‐year period.
Results
Severe infections were more frequent among patients with GCA during the first year after diagnosis, compared to general population controls (incidence rate ratio 2.1, 95% confidence interval 95% CI 1.2–3.4; incidence rate 11.1/100 patient‐years 95% CI 8.3–14.6 in patients with GCA versus 5.9/100 patient‐years 95% CI 4–8.4 in controls). Specifically, septic shock and infectious colitis were more frequent among the patients with GCA. Mortality caused by infections was higher in patients with GCA compared to controls (P < 0.0001 by log rank test). In analyses adjusted for age, among patients with GCA, a diagnosis of diabetes (hazard ratio HR 3.3, 95% CI 1.4–7.7) and a corticosteroid dosage that was >10 mg/day after 12 months of treatment (HR 4.61, 95% CI 1.38–15.36) were associated with death attributed to severe infection. The observed overall incidence of mortality was increased in patients with GCA during the early period of enrollment in the study (before 1997) (P = 0.0001 by log rank test), but thereafter was the same as that in the general population controls.
Conclusion
Frequencies of severe infections and rates of infection‐related mortality are increased during the first year after the diagnosis of GCA. The risk of infection increases in GCA patients with older age or in the presence of diabetes, or is greater when the dosage of corticosteroids has been increased to >10 mg/day after 12 months of treatment.
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive cancer that has remained clinically challenging to manage. Here we employ an RNAi-based in vivo functional genomics platform to determine ...epigenetic vulnerabilities across a panel of patient-derived PDAC models. Through this, we identify protein arginine methyltransferase 1 (PRMT1) as a critical dependency required for PDAC maintenance. Genetic and pharmacological studies validate the role of PRMT1 in maintaining PDAC growth. Mechanistically, using proteomic and transcriptomic analyses, we demonstrate that global inhibition of asymmetric arginine methylation impairs RNA metabolism, which includes RNA splicing, alternative polyadenylation, and transcription termination. This triggers a robust downregulation of multiple pathways involved in the DNA damage response, thereby promoting genomic instability and inhibiting tumor growth. Taken together, our data support PRMT1 as a compelling target in PDAC and informs a mechanism-based translational strategy for future therapeutic development.Statement of significancePDAC is a highly lethal cancer with limited therapeutic options. This study identified and characterized PRMT1-dependent regulation of RNA metabolism and coordination of key cellular processes required for PDAC tumor growth, defining a mechanism-based translational hypothesis for PRMT1 inhibitors.
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