[Characteristics of Phytoplankton Communities and Key Impact Factors in Three Types of Lakes in Wuhan]

To reveal the characteristics and key impact factors of phytoplankton communities in different types of lakes, sampling surveys for phytoplankton and water quality parameters were conducted at 174 sampling sites in a total of 24 lakes covering urban, countryside, and ecological conservation areas of Wuhan in spring, summer, autumn, and winter 2018. The results showed that a total of 365 species of phytoplankton from nine phyla and 159 genera were identified in the three types of lakes. The main species were green algae, cyanobacteria, and diatoms, accounting for 55.34%, 15.89%, and 15.07% of the total number of species, respectively. The phytoplankton cell density varied from 3.60×10⁶-421.99×10⁶ cell·L^-1, chlorophyll-a content varied from 15.60-240.50 μg·L^-1, biomass varied from 27.71-379.79 mg·L^-1, and the Shannon-Wiener diversity index varied from 0.29-2.86. In the three lake types, cell density, Chla, and biomass were lower in EL and UL, whereas the opposite was true for the Shannon-Wiener diversity index. NMDS and ANOSIM analysis showed differences in phytoplankton community structure (Stress=0.13, R=0.048, P=0.2298). In addition, the phytoplankton community structure of the three lake types had significant seasonal characteristics, with chlorophyll-a content and biomass being significantly higher in summer than in winter (P<0.05). Spearman correlation analysis showed that phytoplankton biomass decreased with increasing N:P in UL and CL, whereas the opposite was true for EL. Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that WT, pH, NO₃^-, EC, and N:P were the key factors that significantly affected the variability in phytoplankton community structure in the three types of lakes in Wuhan (P<0.05).

SCREENING OF POTENTIAL CORE GENES IN PERIPHERAL BLOOD OF ADULT PATIENTS WITH SEPSIS BASED ON TRANSCRIPTION REGULATION FUNCTION

ABSTRACT

Objective: The aim of the study is to screen transcription factor genes related to the prognosis of adult patients with sepsis. Methods: Twenty-three patients with sepsis and 10 healthy individuals admitted for RNA-seq. Differential factors were enriched by four transcription factor databases, and survival analysis was adopted for core factors. Then, target genes were submitted to STRING to constitute the protein-protein interaction network. Single-cell technology was used to localize cell lines. Finally, a transcription-target gene regulation network was constituted. Results: A total of 4,224 differentially expressed genes were obtained between sepsis and normal control groups. Protein-protein interaction results showed that FOXO3, NFKB1, SPI1, STAT5A, and PPARA were located in the center of the network. Target genes were related to cytokine-mediated signaling pathway and transcription regulator activity, etc. SPI1 was mainly located in monocyte cell lines, while FOXO3, PPARA, SP1, STAT3, and USF1 were expressed in monocyte cell lines, NK-T cell lines, and B cell lines. Compared with those in the control group, FOXO3, SP1, SPI1, STAT3, and USF1 were highly expressed in the sepsis group, while PPARA had low expression. Conclusions: Transcription factors, such as FOXO3, PPARA, SP1, SPI1, STAT3, and USF1, are correlated with the prognosis of sepsis patients and thus may have a potential research value. Clinical Trial Registration: The clinical trial registration number is ChiCTR1900021261.

Identifying Key Factors for Burnout Among Orthopedic Surgeons Using the Analytic Hierarchy Process Method

Objectives: To develop an evaluation model for, and identify key factors contributing to, burnout in orthopedic surgeons, providing a reference for the management of burnout among orthopedic surgeons in hospitals. Methods: We developed an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) model with 3 dimensions and 10 sub-criteria based on an extensive literature review and expert assessment. We used expert and purposive sampling and 17 orthopedic surgeons were selected as research subjects. The AHP process was then used to obtain the weights and to prioritize the dimensions and criteria for burnout in orthopedic surgeons. Results: The dimension of C ₁ (personal/family) was the key factor affecting burnout in orthopedic surgeons, and in the sub-criteria, the top four sub-criteria were C ₁₁ (little time for family), C ₃₁ (anxiety about clinical competence), C ₁₂ (work-family conflict), and C ₂₂ (heavy work load). Conclusion: This model was effective in analyzing the key factors contributing to job burnout risk, and the results can inform improved management of the levels of burnout affecting orthopedic surgeons in hospitals.

[THE HISTORY OF THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE CONCEPT OF HEALTH]

The article gives an idea of health and diseases in various historical epochs. Depending on the historical period, there is a different amount of information about medicine, including diseases and the concept of «Health». This is due to the amount of archaeological and documentary evidence. For a long time, ideas about health have been closely linked with religion. Hippocrates and other scientists of the ancient world at the heart of health determined the state of equilibrium of the four main fluids. With the development of anatomy, physiology and medicine, the development of diseases was considered as damage to anatomical structures and disruption of their functions. In the XIV-XV centuries, a direction appeared that considers the influence of social and social factors on human health. In the XIX century, the ideas of health and disease are further developed based on physiological and anatomical studies. The German Anatomical School compared the concepts of human health and pathology, linked the development of diseases with changes in cells. During the 20th century, on the one hand, medicine became more and more molecular and submicroscopic; on the other hand, global attention to people, both healthy and sick, resumed, which gave rise to synergetic, multifaceted definitions of health. The World Health Organization in 1946 formulated the definition of health as «a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not just the absence of diseases or physical defects.» In the future, this concept was repeatedly criticized, as it considered health as an ideal and brought it closer to the concept of happiness. Today it is obvious that the concept of health is a multifactorial concept and, in addition to the medical component, is closely related to other areas of human life: sociology, ecology, cultural studies, economics, etc.

Predictors and Outcomes of Healthcare-Associated Infections among Patients with COVID-19 Admitted to Intensive Care Units in Punjab, Pakistan; Findings and Implications

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) have a considerable impact on morbidity, mortality and costs. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an appreciable number of hospitalized patients being admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) globally with a greater risk of HAIs. Consequently, there is a need to evaluate predictors and outcomes of HAIs among COVID-19 patients admitted to ICUs. A retrospective study of patients with COVID-19 admitted to ICUs of three tertiary care hospitals in the Punjab province over a five-month period in 2021 was undertaken to ascertain predictors and outcomes of HAIs. Of the 4534 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, 678 were admitted to ICUs, of which 636 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Overall, 67 HAIs were identified among the admitted patients. Ventilator-associated lower respiratory tract infections and catheter-related urinary tract infections were the most frequent HAIs. A significantly higher number of patients who developed HAIs were on anticoagulants (p = 0.003), antithrombotic agents (p < 0.001), antivirals (p < 0.001) and IL-6 inhibiting agents (p < 0.001). Secondary infections were significantly higher in patients who were on invasive mechanical ventilation (p < 0.001), had central venous access (p = 0.023), and urinary catheters (p < 0.001). The mortality rate was significantly higher in those with secondary infections (25.8% vs. 1.2%, p < 0.001). Our study concluded that COVID-19 patients admitted to ICUs have a high prevalence of HAIs associated with greater mortality. Key factors need to be addressed to reduce HAIs.

Exploration on the Core Elements of Value Co-creation Driven by AI-Measurement of Consumer Cognitive Attitude Based on Q-Methodology

Value co-creation (VCC) goes through the stage of co-production, customer experience, service-dominant logic, and service ecosystem. The integration of science and technology has become a key factor to the process of VCC. The rise and application of artificial intelligence (AI) technology has added a new driving force to VCC and began to affect its original practical logic. Based on the consumer perspective, this study uses Q-methodology to measure consumer cognitive attitude toward the use of AI technology in VCC, aiming to explore the key factors that affect VCC. The study found that content quality, information security, efficiency concern, and degree of manipulation have become the important concerns of consumers for VCC under AI integration. Moreover, their different statements have their specific focus and direction. The study demonstrates and analyzes the importance of the four factors and proposes the combination of human and non-human actors (technology and system) to shape the new model of VCC in the future, which is worth further deepening and exploring for academia and enterprises.

Autophagy-related signaling pathways are involved in cancer (Review)

Autophagy is a self-digestion process in cells that can maintain energy homeostasis under normal circumstances. However, misfolded proteins, damaged mitochondria and other unwanted components in cells can be decomposed and reused via autophagy in some specific cases (including hypoxic stress, low energy states or nutrient deprivation). Therefore, autophagy serves a positive role in cell survival and growth. However, excessive autophagy may lead to apoptosis. Furthermore, abnormal autophagy may lead to carcinogenesis and promote tumorigenesis in normal cells. In tumor cells, autophagy may provide the energy required for excessive proliferation, promote the growth of cancer cells, and evade apoptosis caused by certain treatments, including radiotherapy and chemotherapy, resulting in increased treatment resistance and drug resistance. On the other hand, autophagy leads to an insufficient nutrient supply in cancer cells and the destruction of energy homeostasis, thereby inducing cancer cell apoptosis. Therefore, understanding the mechanism of the double-edged sword of autophagy is crucial for the treatment of cancer. The present review summarizes the signaling pathways and key factors involved in autophagy and cancer to provide possible strategies for treating tumors.

Key Factors and Coupling Relationships of Collaborative Governance for Disaster Prevention in China's Coastal Cities

In order to discover the key factors for the successful implementation of the collaborative management of disaster prevention and mitigation in coastal cities and their causal coupling, based on the hypothesis, the main factor analysis method was used to analyze the key factors of the various subsystems of disaster prevention and mitigation, and to verify the correlation between the main factors and the successful implementation of coordinated governance for disaster prevention and mitigation in coastal cities. Interpretative structural model (ISM) is used to explore the coupling relationship between subsystems and key factors within each subsystem. The results show that there have 6 factors, including emergency organization coordination, plan construction coordination, monitoring and early warning coordination, information sharing coordination, emergency command coordination, and emergency resource coordination are positively related to the successful implementation of coastal city disaster prevention and mitigation collaborative governance; emergency rescue coordination and emergency decision-making coordination are not directly related to the successful implementation of disaster prevention and mitigation collaborative governance in coastal cities. When the main factors work together, the impact on the successful implementation of disaster prevention and mitigation collaborative governance in coastal cities is not obvious. There are obvious hierarchical relationships and clear influence paths between key factors within each main factor.

Key Factors of Opening Gated Community in Urban Area: A Case Study of China

Gated communities are the most popular residential pattern in the urban areas of China. However, along with the increasing population density in urban areas, this pattern may have negative influences on people's daily lives, such as traffic jams. To avoid the negative influences, the government has encouraged residents to open their gated communities; however, few positive actions have been taken. With this background, this study aims to explore the key factors in residents' willingness to open their gated communities. To start with, a total of 26 potential factors were identified based on a comprehensive literature review. Then, a questionnaire was designed and distributed to collect empirical data. Furthermore, logistic regression was employed to analyze the collected data. Based on the derived results, it was revealed that concerns are different between male and female residents. Male residents regarded "community safety" and "property management" as having a significant impact on their decision to open a gated community, while female residents paid more attention to the factor of "proprietary equity". The results of this study could provide valuable references that enable the government to better understand residents' underlying concerns and to make relevant policy decisions.

The Influence of COVID-19 on Community Disaster Resilience

Global pandemics, such as the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), have serious harmful effects on people's physical health and mental well-being. It is imperative therefore that we seek to understand community resilience and identify ways to enhance this, especially within our cities and communities. Therefore, great emphasis is now placed on how cities prepare for and recover from such disasters, and community resilience has emerged as a key consideration. Drawing upon research on the theory of resilience, this study seeks to identify the factors that influence community resilience and to analyze their causation toward helping to manage the risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Seventeen factors from the five dimensions of social capital, economic capital, physical environment, demographic characteristics, and institutional factors are used to construct an index system. This is used to establish the structural level and importance of each factor. Data were collected using a questionnaire survey involving 12,000 members of key community groups in the city of Wuhan. An interpretative structural model (ISM) combining the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method was then used to obtain the multi-level hierarchical structure composed of direct factors, indirect factors, and fundamental factors. The results show that the income level, vulnerability of the population, and the built environment are the main factors that affect the resilience of communities affected by COVID-19. These findings provide useful guidance toward the effective planning and design of urban construction and infrastructure. The results are expected to be useful to inform future decision-making and toward the long term, sustainable management of the risks posed by COVID-19.

Assessment of Factors Associated with Molecular Quantification of Stubby Root Nematode Paratrichodorus allius from Field Soil DNA

Factors relating to SYBR Green-based quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) quantification of stubby root nematode Paratrichodorus allius using soil DNA were evaluated in this study. Soils used were loamy sand from potato fields in North Dakota and Idaho. Results showed that the largest nematode individuals (body length >720 µm) produced significant lower Cq values than the smallest individuals (<359 µm), indicating more total DNA amount in the largest nematodes. Soil pre-treatments showed that autoclaved field soil had significantly reduced DNA amount and quality. The air- or oven-dried soil yielded a lower amount of DNA with similar purity, compared with natural field soil. PCR inhibitors were detected in soil DNA substrates targeting pBluescript II SK(+)-plasmid DNA. Al(NH₄)(SO₄)₂ treatment during DNA preparation significantly reduced the inhibitors compared with post-treatment of soil DNA with polyvinylpolypyrrolidone column. The effect of PCR inhibitors on qPCR was suppressed by bovine serum albumin. Quantification results did not significantly change when increasing the number of DNA extractions from three to six per soil sample when soil grinding and grid sampling strategies were used. Two standard curves, generated from serial dilutions of plasmid DNA containing P. allius ITS1 rDNA and soil DNA containing known nematode numbers, produced similar correlations between Cq values and amount of targets. The targets in soil DNA quantified by qPCR using either standard curve correlated well with microscopic observations using both artificially and naturally infested field soils. This is the first study for assessing various factors that may affect qPCR quantification of stubby root nematodes. Results will be useful during the setup or optimization of qPCR-based quantification of plant-parasitic nematodes from soil DNA.

Key Factors Identification and Risk Assessment for the Stability of Deep Surrounding Rock in Coal Roadway

In order to evaluate the stability of deep surrounding rock, all of the affecting factors should be theoretically identified. However, some factors have slight impacts on the stability of deep surrounding rock compared with others. To conduct an effective risk assessment, key factors should be first extracted. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and grey relation analysis (GRA) methods are integrated to determine the key factors. First, the AHP method is applied to sort the factors by calculating the weights of them. Seven out of fifteen factors are extracted as the key factors, which account for 80% of the weights. Further, the GCA method is used to validate the effects of these key factors by analyzing the correlation between the performance of each factor and that of the reference. Considering the influence of these key factors and experts' judgements, the multilevel fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method is adopted to obtain the risk level of the deep surrounding rock stability. Finally, the risk assessment of the deep surrounding rock in the E-Zhuang coal mine of Chinese Xinwen Mining Area illustrates the operability of the proposed method.

Technical and Tactical Discriminatory Factors Between Winners and Defeated Elite Karate Athletes

Purpose: To assess the technical and tactical demands of elite karate athletes in relation to 3 match sequences (ie, advantage, disadvantage, and drawing) and match outcome (ie, win/defeat). Methods: One hundred twenty elite seniors' (60 men and 60 women) World Karate Federation combats were analyzed during 2 World Championships (2012 and 2014). Specific karate attributes (strategy, technique, tactic, target, and effectiveness) were evaluated and classified into 3 sequences: advantage, disadvantage, and drawing. Results: Karatekas performed more combination techniques in disadvantage sequences than in drawing sequences (P = .011). A higher number of timed-attack actions were reported during advantage sequences than during drawing sequences (P = .048). Winners of the whole combat had higher lower-limb technique rate (1.0 [0.9] vs 0.1 [0.3]; P = .044) and less rate of timed attack (0.3 [0.5] vs 0.6 [1.0]; P = .030) than defeated karatekas during advantage and drawing sequences, respectively. Conclusions: Winners used higher lower-limb technique and less timed-attack rates than defeated karatekas in advantage and drawing sequences, respectively. Indeed, using lower-limb technique during advantageous situations could be a powerful strategy to increase the lead. Therefore, it seems fundamental for coaches of top elite karatekas to put their athletes in simulated situations and push them to increase their use of lower-limb techniques.