Dupontmontoya8269
Genetic drift and admixture are driving forces in human evolution, but their concerted impact to population evolution in historical times and at a micro-geographic scale is poorly assessed. In this study we test a demographic model encompassing both admixture and drift to the case of social-cultural isolates such as the so-called "Commons."
Commons are peculiar institutions of medieval origins whose key feature is the tight relationship between population and territory, mediated by the collective property of shared resources. Here, we analyze the Y-chromosomal genetic structure of four Commons (for a total of 366 samples) from the Central and Eastern Padana plain in Northern Italy.
Our results reveal that all these groups exhibit patterns of significant diversity reduction, peripheral/outlier position within the Italian/European genetic space and high frequency of Common-specific haplogroups. By explicitly testing different drift-admixture models, we show that a drift-only model is more probable for Central Padana Commons, while additional admixture (~20%) from external population around the same time of their foundation cannot be excluded for the Eastern ones.
Building on these results, we suggest central Middle Ages as the most probable age of foundation for three of the considered Commons, the remaining one pointing to late antiquity. We conclude that an admixture-drift model is particularly useful for interpreting the genetic structure and recent demographic history of small-scale populations in which social-cultural features play a significant role.
Building on these results, we suggest central Middle Ages as the most probable age of foundation for three of the considered Commons, the remaining one pointing to late antiquity. We conclude that an admixture-drift model is particularly useful for interpreting the genetic structure and recent demographic history of small-scale populations in which social-cultural features play a significant role.
The current best practices allow for the red blood cells (RBCs) to be stored for prolonged periods in blood banks worldwide. However, due to the individual-related variability in donated blood and RBCs continual degradation within transfusion bags, the quality of stored blood varies considerably. There is currently no method for assessing the blood product quality without compromising the sterility of the unit. This study demonstrates the feasibility of monitoring storage lesion of RBCs in situ while maintaining sterility using an optical approach.
A handheld spatially offset Raman spectroscopy (RS) device was employed to non-invasively monitor hemolysis and metabolic changes in 12 red cell concentrate (RCC) units within standard sealed transfusion bags over 7 weeks of cold storage. The donated blood was analyzed in parallel by biochemical (chemical analysis, spectrophotometry, hematology analysis) and RS measurements, which were then correlated through multisource correlation analysis.
Raman bands of lactate (857 cm
), glucose (787 cm
), and hemolysis (1003 cm
) were found to correlate strongly with bioanalytical data over the length of storage, with correlation values 0.98 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.86-1.00; p=.0001), 0.95 (95% CI 0.71-0.99; p=.0008) and 0.97 (95% CI 0.79-1.00; p=.0004) respectively.
This study demonstrates the potential of collecting information on the clinical quality of blood units without breaching the sterility using Raman technology. This could significantly benefit quality control of RCC units, patient safety and inventory management in blood banks and hospitals.
This study demonstrates the potential of collecting information on the clinical quality of blood units without breaching the sterility using Raman technology. This could significantly benefit quality control of RCC units, patient safety and inventory management in blood banks and hospitals.
Vacuum package storage is commonly applied to reduce postharvest deterioration in minimally processed cassava roots. However, the influence of vacuum packaging conditions on root end-use quality is poorly understood. Hence, the effects of vacuum packaged storage at ambient, refrigerated and freezing temperatures on microflora, cassava tissue structure and starch extraction by wet milling were studied.
Vacuum packaged storage temperature strongly affected cassava root quality. Minimal adverse effects were obtained with frozen storage. With refrigerated storage, there was negligible microbial growth but some disruption of the parenchyma cell wall structure suggestive of chilling injury. With ambient temperature storage, there was considerable Lactobacilli dominated fermentation. This caused substantial cell degradation, probably due to the production of extracellular cellulolytic and other cell wall degrading enzymes. A benefit of this cell wall breakdown was that it substantially improved starch extractionwet milling applications, this could be combined with subsequent short-term ambient temperature storage as it improves starch extraction efficiency and could reduce distribution energy costs. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.This paper considers the position of the Chinese elite in both national and international contexts. I show that the Chinese elite has converged with the global elite in terms of their incomes, and that many senior Chinese executives are at least as well paid as their counterparts in rich countries. Their insertion into the global elite is further demonstrated by their increasing participation in the World Economic Forum. But this international convergence has been mirrored by national divergence economic inequality has risen within China, extending the distance between elites and the rest of the population. I show that for top income groups, the relative cost of employing a median wage worker for their personal service has plummeted, increasing their entitlements over labor and thus their capacity to dominate their compatriots. This has been accompanied by a dramatic rise in the reliance of the elite on domestic workers, a traditional symbol of social inequality. Thus the convergence of Chinese elites with their international counterparts has gone hand in hand with both rising economic inequality and rising social inequality within China.
In recent years, there has been considerable interest in the use of biopolymer electrospun nanofibers for various food applications due to the biocompatibility, biodegradability, and high loading capacity. Herein, we fabricated and characterized novel hybrid electrospun fibers from dextran (50%, w/v) and zein (0-30%, w/v) solutions, and the effects of various zein concentrations on the properties of the hybrid electrospun fibers were investigated.
When zein was added at low concentrations (5% and 10%), dextran and zein showed poor miscibility, as reflected by significantly decreased viscosity of the solutions, and the poor mechanical properties of the derived fiber membranes. When zein was added at medium concentrations (15-25%), hydrogen bonds were formed between dextran and zein molecules, as indicated by the red shift of Fourier-transform infrared bands and β-sheet to α-helix structural transformations. The fiber membranes electrospun from a solution with 25% zein showed the most hydrophobic surface, with a water contact angle of 116.9°. The homogenous dispersion of dextran and zein resulted in improved mechanical properties for fibers electrospun from a solution with 30% zein. Curcumin encapsulating dextran/zein electrospun fibers exhibited effective radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing power, along with the desired controlled release behavior for curcumin delivery.
Food grade dextran/zein hybrid electrospun fibers demonstrated tunable properties, and appear to be promising as delivery systems for bioactive and edible antimicrobial food packaging. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.
Food grade dextran/zein hybrid electrospun fibers demonstrated tunable properties, and appear to be promising as delivery systems for bioactive and edible antimicrobial food packaging. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.
The U.S. population is aging and projected to undergo an increasing number of general surgical procedures. However, recent trends in the frequency of major abdominal procedures in older adults are currently unknown as improvements in non-operative interventions may obviate the need for major surgery. Thus, we evaluated the trends of major abdominal surgical procedures in older adults in the United States.
We performed a retrospective cohort study using the National Inpatient Sample from 2002 to 2014 with trend analysis using National Cancer Institute's Joinpoint Trend Analysis Software. We identified the average annual percent change (AAPC) in the yearly frequency of major abdominal surgical procedures in older adults (≥50 years of age).
Our cohort included a total of 3,951,947 survey-weighted discharges that included a major abdominal surgery in adults ≥50 years of age between 2002 and 2014. Of these discharges, 2,529,507 (64.0%) were for elective abdominal surgeries, 2,062,835 (52.0%) were for female cedures.
In this cohort of older adults, the frequency of emergent and elective major abdominal procedures in adults ≥65 years of age decreased with significant variation among individual procedure types. Future studies are needed to identify the generalizability of our findings to other surgical procedures.
Wheat milling by-products (germ and bran) are rich in dietary fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. In this study, wheat milling by-products (bran obtained by debranning (BOD), coarse bran, fine bran and wheat germ) were used in the production of cake at different ratios (0-30%) after treatment with xylanase. Xylanase was used to improve the technological properties of the by-products and thus improve end-product quality.
As the by-products ratio increased in cake formulation, ash, protein, fat, crude fiber, phytic acid and mineral content significantly (P < 0.05) increased. In terms of by-product type, phytic acid content of the cakes changed between 1.14 and 2.55 g kg
, and the lowest value was obtained in cakes prepared with BOD. The highest protein, Mn and Zn contents were found in cake samples containing wheat germ, whereas the addition of BOD revealed greater crude fiber, Ca and Fe levels in cake samples than the other by-products. Xylanase treatment resulted in increments in volume and decrements in hardness and color lightness values of cakes.
This study demonstrated that the use of the wheat by-products after treatment with xylanase had an improving effect on the quality and nutritive value of cakes. The results obtained in this study provided a basis for the use of xylanase in enriched cake production. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.
This study demonstrated that the use of the wheat by-products after treatment with xylanase had an improving effect on the quality and nutritive value of cakes. The results obtained in this study provided a basis for the use of xylanase in enriched cake production. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.
To evaluate the clinical utility of postoperative contrast x-ray pharyngograms (XRP) for detecting pharyngoesophageal leaks following hypopharyngeal dysphagia surgery.
Retrospective cohort study.
Medical records were reviewed of patients undergoing endoscopic (E-) or open (O-) Zenker's diverticulectomy (-ZD) with cricopharyngeal myotomy (-CPM) and CPM alone from 2008 to 2020 at one academic institution. Exclusion criteria were patients who were fed enterally or underwent repair of epiphrenic diverticula or O-CPM during laryngectomy. XRP clinical indication, impact on clinical care, and factors associated with use patterns were examined using descriptive statistics and logistic regression (LR).
Of 152 subjects, 52% underwent O-ZD, 30% O-CPM, 15% E-ZD, and 3% E-CPM. An XRP was ordered for 65% of subjects, mostly routinely (94%). Among the four clinically apparent leaks observed in this cohort, early postoperative XRP confirmed one. selleckchem It did not identify any clinically silent leaks. In univariate LR, undergoing XRP was associated with increasing day of diet advancement (odds ratio [OR] 4.
