Generation of Sheep Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells With Defined DOX-Inducible Transcription Factors via piggyBac Transposition

Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) have the potential to differentiate to all cell types of an adult individual and are useful for studying mammalian development. Establishing induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) capable of expressing pluripotent genes and differentiating to three germ layers will not only help to explain the mechanisms underlying somatic reprogramming but also lay the foundation for the establishment of sheep embryonic stem cells (ESCs) in vitro. In this study, sheep somatic cells were reprogrammed in vitro into sheep iPSCs with stable morphology, pluripotent marker expression, and differentiation ability, delivered by piggyBac transposon system with eight doxycycline (DOX)-inducible exogenous reprogramming factors: bovine OCT4, SOX2, KLF4, cMYC, porcine NANOG, human LIN28, SV40 large T antigen, and human TERT. Sheep iPSCs exhibited a chimeric contribution to the early blastocysts of sheep and mice and E6.5 mouse embryos in vitro. A transcriptome analysis revealed the pluripotent characteristics of somatic reprogramming and insights into sheep iPSCs. This study provides an ideal experimental material for further study of the construction of totipotent ESCs in sheep.

Doodling as Self-Expression: Building Self-Efficacy in Normally Functioning Adults

While previous studies identify doodling as a useful educational tool, this study sought to determine if doodling can build creative or emotional self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is an individual’s belief in their own capacity to express behaviors necessary to attain specific performance goals. The current study also sought to determine if doodling can be a form of self-care. Research collected was quantitative and qualitative using surveys to measure both creative and emotional self-efficacy along with a doodling activity. Ten participants were recruited through convenience sampling on social media and were included in the study after meeting the inclusion criteria of identifying themselves as a normally functioning adult. Individual times spent on doodling ranged from thirty minutes to three hours. The study took place during the Covid-19 pandemic which impacted the ability to recruit volunteer participants. The researcher collected data from the Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale (ESES) and Creative Self-Efficacy Scale (CSES). The results from this study support the use of doodling in art therapy as well as its effect on an individual’s self-expression and self-efficacy. The research also explores the use of doodling as a form of self-care. Recommendations for future research include expanding the population size and variety, as well as having a facilitator present to guide and witness the process.

Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni) new record for mainland Portugal

Brydes’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni) is a species of baleen whale known to live year-round in warm waters, although the distribution of the species in the North Atlantic Ocean is still poorly known. In this work we report the sighting of an adult individual during the summer of 2020 in the South coast of Portugal. The whale was observed 6.4 nautical miles from the shore at a depth of 50.6 metres. Initially this individual was associated with a group of bottlenose dolphins. This is the first record of this species for mainland Portugal.

Evaluation of Family Clusters of Children with SARS-CoV-2: Children Do Not Play the Leading Role

Objective The exact role of children in the household transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is not clear. In this study, we investigated the role of children with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in household transmission by identifying the index patient and contact tracing the household members. Methods A total of 103 children with COVID-19 who attended Marmara University Pendik Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, between 25th March and 27th May 2020 were included in the study. A family cluster was defined as a group of ≥two confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 in the same family, and a household contact (HHC) was defined as any person who had stayed in the same residence. Results In total, 78 family clusters and 307 HHCs belonging to these clusters were screened. In only four clusters was the index case determined to be in the pediatric age group (5.1%). Fathers, mothers, grandparents, and adult siblings were identified as the index cases in 37 (47.4%), 18 (23.0%), 8 (10.2%), and 6 (7.7%) clusters, respectively. Of the 307 HHCs, 88 were in the pediatric age group, and 39 were SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR positive. Conclusion Our data showed that SARS-CoV-2 is uncommon in children without any history of contact to a RT-PCR test positive patient. The role of children as the index patient in family clusters is 5.1%, and the actual index case is usually an adult individual who has had an outside contact.

A case of bipartite patella and vastus notch from Kneževići hillfort - Malo Libinje, Croatia

Here we present six adult patellae with superolateral concave defects observed amongst the remains of at least 28 individuals retrieved from four Late Iron Age burials from Kneževići hillfort - Malo Libinje, Croatia. The right patella of an adult individual displays a rough-edged concave defect on superolateral side of the bone called bipartite patella. Other five patellae show concave defects with smooth edges also located on superolateral side; a defect known as vastus notch. Though physically similar, the two conditions are etiologically distinct. A large amount of observed cases of vastus notch in this assemblage may indicate that these individuals frequently performed activities involving kneeling and/or squatting. This is the first documented case of joint occurrence of bipartite patella and vastus notch in a Croatian skeletal assemblage, but also the largest amount of patellae with vastus notch in an archaeological population from Croatia recorded so far.

Knowledge about Mental Health and Acceptance towards COVID-19 Vaccination in Adult Individuals of Ahmedabad

Background: The new Coronavirus disease (COVID19) emerging in China has quickly crossed borders, infected people around the world, and sparked a massive public response. Much attention has been paid to vaccination with COVID19 to control this circumstance. All of these kinds of stuff are led to a higher stratum of anxiety towards the COVID-19 vaccination Process in Adult individuals. Aims and Objective: To determine the knowledge about anxiety and acceptance towards COVID-19 vaccination in Adults individuals of Ahmedabad. Method: A cross-sectional study was carried out in adults in Ahmedabad. An online survey was carried out with a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire contains specific questions about anxiety and acceptance of the Covid-19 vaccination. A total of 10 items are rated on a 5 - point Likert scale. In which 5 items were for the anxiety component and 5 items were for the acceptance component. The data analysis was carried out with Microsoft Excel 2019. Results: Our finding suggests that from 171 respondents 85(50%) of the adult individual were not anxious, 59(34%) were mild anxious, 24(14%) were Moderately anxious, 3(2%) were severely anxious towards the Covid-19 Vaccination process. 9(28%) adult individuals were ready to accept the Covid-19 vaccination process, 115(67%) were not sure, 47(5 %) of adult individuals were refused the Covid-19 Vaccination process. Conclusion: Half of the people were having mild to severe levels of anxiety towards the Covid-19 vaccination process and most of the people are not sure about the Covid-19 vaccination process. Key words: Anxiety, Acceptance, Covid-19 vaccination, Adult Individuals, Awareness.

Factors of an Obesogenic Environment That Influence in Human Food Behavior

This bibliographic research sought to address environmental aspects that can influence human eating behavior. It addressed the influence of the media in the choice of food, the importance of the family as an interferer in the process of forming children’s eating habits, as well as the accessibility to foods rich in fat, sodium and sugar, which has become greater due to the growing emergence of fast food chains, making the habit of eating outside the home more constant, driving, in a way, the greater consumption of these caloric foods, which contributes to the emergence of obesity. Therefore, it is possible to conclude that it is essential that interventions are carried out in this environment that can contribute to the installation and maintenance of obesity, as the environmental scenario is considered modifiable and can influence the process of building the child’s eating habits and, consequently, of the adult individual.

Development of a Low-Cost Open-Source Measurement System for Joint Angle Estimation

The use of inertial measurement units (IMUs) is a low-cost alternative for measuring joint angles. This study aims to present a low-cost open-source measurement system for joint angle estimation. The system is modular and has hardware and software. The hardware was developed using a low-cost IMU and microcontroller. The IMU data analysis software was developed in Python and has three fusion filters: Complementary Filter, Kalman Filter, and Madgwick Filter. Three experiments were performed for the proof of concept of the system. First, we evaluated the knee joint of Lokomat, with a predefined average range of motion (ROM) of 60∘. In the second, we evaluated our system in a real scenario, evaluating the knee of a healthy adult individual during gait. In the third experiment, we evaluated the software using data from gold standard devices, comparing the results of our software with Ground Truth. In the evaluation of the Lokomat, our system achieved an average ROM of 58.28∘, and during evaluation in a real scenario it achieved an average ROM of 44.62∘. In comparing our software with Ground Truth, we achieved a root-mean-square error of 0.04 and a mean average percentage error of 2.95%. These results encourage the use of this system in other scenarios.

Recruitment facilitation in expanding forests of Mediterranean juniper is sex-biased

Despite noticeable concern about the deforestation rate worldwide, the forest surface in Europe has considerably expanded over the past centuries as a consequence of the rural exodus and abandonment of agrarian practices. Tree recruitment associated with forest regrowth is a multi-stage process influenced by several biotic and abiotic factors. Yet, it is uncertain whether their influence on recruitment patterns and dynamics varies along a gradient of forest expansion. Similarly, for dioceious species, the influence of tree sex in recruitment is not entirely understood. Here, we aim to elucidate what drives Spanish juniper recruitment in expanding forests. Specifically, we hypothesized that facilitation by conspecifics and other woody species would occur at the expanding front, where environmental conditions are harsher and that recruitment would be preferably associated to female trees because of the likelihood of mature cones produced by them germinating in the nearby area. The study was conducted in Mediterranean forests of Juniperus thurifera in central Spain. A total of 17 plots were delimited along a gradient of forest expansion including: i) old forests, ii) an intermediate zone and iii) novel forests at the expanding front. Within each plot all J. thurifera individuals (saplings and adults) were mapped. We also recorded bio-volumetric characteristics and tree sex for all adult trees and estimated the percentage of cover of woody species within the area of influence of each adult individual. We analysed the spatial pattern of J. thurifera individuals for each stand (plot). Using a novel spatial approach, we evaluated how conspecific (female and male tree sizes) and heterospecific (woody cover) vegetation influenced sapling density along a forest expansion gradient. We also studied the effects of the stage of the forest expansion gradient and the sex of adult trees on the spatial association between adults and saplings. Our results showed that sapling recruitment was negatively influenced by conspecific adult size along the whole gradient, while the effect of heterospecific woody vegetation was always positive. Conspecific facilitation of recruitment in J. thurifera forests occurred at their expanding front where saplings were associated to male adult trees. Despite having been overlooked in conservation policies, recently colonised areas in extreme environments are key targets to implement management measures aimed at achieving forest restoration, which aligns with the Aichi targets and the biodiversity policies of the European Union.

Osteology of an exceptionally well-preserved tapejarid skeleton from Brazil: Revealing the anatomy of a curious pterodactyloid clade

A remarkably well-preserved, almost complete and articulated new specimen (GP/2E 9266) of Tupandactylus navigans is here described for the Early Cretaceous Crato Formation of Brazil. The new specimen comprises an almost complete skeleton, preserving both the skull and post-cranium, associated with remarkable preservation of soft tissues, which makes it the most complete tapejarid known thus far. CT-Scanning was performed to allow the assessment of bones still covered by sediment. The specimen can be assigned to Tupa. navigans due to its vertical supra-premaxillary bony process and short and rounded parietal crest. It also bears the largest dentary crest among tapejarine pterosaurs and a notarium, which is absent in other representatives of the clade. The new specimen is here regarded as an adult individual. This is the first time that postcranial remains of Tupa. navigans are described, being also an unprecedented record of an articulated tapejarid skeleton from the Araripe Basin.