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Soybean seeds have long been regarded as “storehouses of high-quality proteins”. The breakdown of dietary proteins by digestive proteases is essential for achieving adequate protein digestibility in animals and humans. However, plants have evolved a diverse array of protease inhibitors that regulate or restrict protease activity. In soybean, these inhibitors are concentrated primarily within the 2S protein fraction. Trypsin inhibitors (TIs) of Kunitz trypsin inhibitor (KTI) and Bowman–Birk inhibitor (BBI) are the most impactful due to their strong anti-tryptic activity, which interferes with digestive proteases in humans and animals. Elevated TI levels render raw soybeans unsuitable for direct food or feed use unless thermal or processing inactivation treatments are applied. Elimination or reduction in KTI and BBI using classical and biotechnology-based breeding efforts is a promising strategy. Soybean germplasm harboring BBI null alleles has not been reported. Breeding only for low or null KTI content in soybean would not be sufficient for practical applications. Hybridizing IT105782 × PI 547656 and using the reported Kompetitive Allele-Specific PCR (KASP) markers represents an effective classical breeding strategy. Simultaneous CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout of key KTI and BBI genes is expected to enable the development of soybean lines with substantially reduced TI levels, an outcome that cannot be readily achieved through classical introgression of null alleles, as naturally occurring null BBI alleles have not yet been identified. Moreover, this approach avoids the linkage drag associated with donor-derived null KTI alleles. However, this approach remains challenging due to functional redundancy and compensatory effects among KTI and BBI family members, extensive sequence homology among KTI and BBI genes that complicates the minimization of off-target effects, and the genotype dependency of Agrobacterium-mediated soybean transformation. Microtiter plate AACCI/AOCS could be one practical option for measuring TIA in breeding programs in terms of precision. Potential trade-offs associated with reduced trypsin inhibitor levels, including possible effects on plant defense and stress resistance, should be investigated in future studies, as these aspects have received little attention in previous research.

Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous long-term care (LTC) homes faced restrictions that prevented face-to-face visits. To address this challenge and maintain family connections, many LTC homes facilitated the use of electronic tablets to connect residents with their family caregivers. Our study sought to explore the acceptability of this practice among staff members and managers, focusing on their experiences with facilitating videoconferencing. Methods A convergent mixed method research was performed. Qualitative and quantitative data collection through semi-structured interviews to assess the acceptability of videoconferencing in long-term care homes and to explore the characteristics of these settings. Quantitative data on the acceptability of the intervention were collected using a questionnaire developed as part of the project. The study included a convenience sample of 17 staff members and four managers. Results Managers described LTC homes’ characteristics, and the way videoconferencing was implemented within their institutions. Affective attitude, burden, ethicality, opportunity costs, perceived effectiveness, and self-efficacy are reported as per the constructs of the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability. The results suggest a favorable acceptability and a positive attitude of managers and staff members toward the use of videoconferencing in long-term care to preserve and promote contact between residents and their family caregivers. However, participants reported some challenges related to the burden and the costs regarding the invested time and staff shortage. Conclusions LTC home staff reported a clear understanding of the acceptability and challenges regarding the facilitation of videoconferencing by residents to preserve their contact with family caregivers.

In order to turn buildings into electricity producers, solutions have been proposed to integrate photovoltaics in buildings (BIPV). One way to achieve BIPV is by integrating luminescent solar concentrators (LSC) through windows in buildings. In this work, a model is proposed to simulate a LSC window. Unlike Monte-Carlo models, the approach presented in this paper is based on simple equations and mathematical operations such as integrals and convolutions. The method use generations of re-absorption and re-emission to achieve the total light emitted by the luminophore. Validation with previous approaches was made and energy fluxes were analyzed. In addition to providing the basis to calculate the solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) and electricity production of LSC windows, results showed that heat generated due to absorption may accelerate the deterioration of dyes; however, less heat is produced at places where luminophores have the highest contribution. Application of the model on Luminogen-Orange showed the distribution of energy fluxes on each optical process with a final electricity generation of 0.6%.

Aims: To identify sociodemographic, clinical, and central correlates of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in DM1 patients. Methods: 200 DM1 patients had assessments of muscular impairment, CTG repeats, and intelligence. Validated instruments were used to assess sociodemographic and clinical factors as well as social support, social participation, daytime sleepiness, fatigue, personality, mood, and quality of life. Regression analysis was used to identify correlates of SF-36 physical and mental component summary scores. Results: Patients scored lower on all SF-36 physical health subscales compared with normative data but did not differ with respect to mental health function. Regression analysis revealed that psychological distress, fatigue, severe muscular impairment, emotional stability, not having worked within the last 12 months, and lower intellectual quotient were associated with lower scores in physical health function. Moreover, neuroticism, daytime sleepiness, dissatisfaction with social participation, and lower conscientiousness were associated with lower scores in mental health function. Conclusion: DM1 has an impact on SF-36 physical summary scores but not on mental summary scores. Factors such as fatigue, daytime sleepiness, psychological distress, unemployment, and social participation dissatisfaction that significantly affect HRQoL in DM1 are amenable to treatment and psychosocial interventions, namely by providing care that integrate health, social, and community services.

With the adoption of the “Act to combat poverty and social exclusion” (Act 112) in 2002, Québec had to present three action plans “[…] to guide the Government and Québec society as a whole toward a process of planning and implementing actions to combat poverty and counter social exclusion and strive toward a poverty-free society” (Québec 2002, 2). To achieve this important goal, one of the state’s strategies has been to reinforce already existing employment incentives for people considered “fit” for work and promote a more flexible workforce. This article questions the “worth” of unemployed welfare recipients “without limited capacity” for employment in the current neoliberal labour market. This research demonstrates that their “value” is directly linked to their ability to work and productivity in the state discourse on the fight against poverty, influencing thereafter the popular understanding of this polysemous socioeconomic phenomenon. Mainly by analyzing the three action plans to combat poverty and interviewing informants enrolled in employment incentives in the area of Chaudière-Appalaches, this project also underlines how the workfare model collaborates in the reproduction of poverty and the proliferation of precarious jobs in our globalized economies.

Residents’ councils in Quebec’s residential and long-term care centres have the mandate to promote the improvement of living conditions for residents, to assess their level of satisfaction, and to defend their rights. Based on two studies on the autonomy of councils, we examined how committees can express themselves on topics other than those the management is already aware of, to reveal various previously unknown aspects of the services, and to voice unexpressed concerns. We are especially interested in what makes management receptive, or not, to what the committee members say. The councils’ ability to express them selves is, in fact, inseparable from its capacity to listen to the management teams, and we seek to determine the conditions required to perform this dual capacity.

The SoyaGen project was a collaborative endeavor involving Canadian soybean researchers and breeders from academia and the private sector as well as international collaborators. Its aims were to develop genomics-derived solutions to real-world challenges faced by breeders. Based on the needs expressed by the stakeholders, the research efforts were focused on maximizing realized yield through optimization of maturity and improved disease resistance. The main deliverables related to molecular breeding in soybean will be reviewed here. These include: (1) SNP datasets capturing the genetic diversity within cultivated soybean (both within a worldwide collection of > 1,000 soybean accessions and a subset of 102 short-season accessions (MG0 and earlier) directly relevant to this group); (2) SNP markers for selecting favorable alleles at key maturity genes as well as loci associated with increased resistance to key pathogens and pests ( Phytophthora sojae , Heterodera glycines , Sclerotinia sclerotiorum ); (3) diagnostic tools to facilitate the identification and mapping of specific pathotypes of P. sojae ; and (4) a genomic prediction approach to identify the most promising combinations of parents. As a result of this fruitful collaboration, breeders have gained new tools and approaches to implement molecular, genomics-informed breeding strategies. We believe these tools and approaches are broadly applicable to soybean breeding efforts around the world.

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the lives of countless members of the general population. Older adults are known to experience loneliness, age discrimination, and excessive worry. It is therefore reasonable to anticipate that they would experience greater negative outcomes related to the COVID-19 pandemic given their increased isolation and risk for complications than younger adults. This study aims to synthesize the existing research on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and associated isolation and protective measures, on older adults. The secondary objective is to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and associated isolation and protective measures, on older adults with Alzheimer disease and related dementias. A rapid review of the published literature was conducted on October 6, 2020, through a search of 6 online databases to synthesize results from published original studies regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on older adults. The Human Development Model conceptual framework-Disability Creation Process was used to describe and understand interactions between personal factors, environmental factors, and life habits. Methods and results are reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses Statement. A total of 135 records were included from the initial search strategy of 13,452 individual studies. Of these, 113 (83.7%) studies were determined to be of level 4 according to the levels of evidence classification by the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine. The presence of psychological symptoms, exacerbation of ageism, and physical deterioration of aged populations were reported in the included studies. Decreased social life and fewer in-person social interactions reported during the COVID-19 pandemic were occasionally associated with reduced quality of life and increased depression. Difficulties accessing services, sleep disturbances, and a reduction of physical activity were also noted. Our results highlight the need for adequate isolation and protective measures. Older adults represent a heterogeneous group, which could explain the contradictory results found in the literature. Individual, organizational, and institutional strategies should be established to ensure that older adults are able to maintain social contacts, preserve family ties, and maintain the ability to give or receive help during the current pandemic. Future studies should focus on specific consequences and needs of more at-risk older adults to ensure their inclusion, both in public health recommendations and considerations made by policy makers.

Our purpose was to classify acute invasive fungal rhinosinusitis (AIFR) caused by Mucor versus Aspergillus species by evaluating computed tomography radiological findings. Two blinded readers retrospectively graded radiological abnormalities of the craniofacial region observed on craniofacial CT examinations obtained during initial evaluation of 38 patients with eventually pathology-proven AIFR (13:25, Mucor : Aspergillus ). Binomial logistic regression was used to analyze correlation between variables and type of fungi. Score-based models were implemented for analyzing differences in laterality of findings, including the ‘unilateral presence’ and ‘bilateral mean’ models. Binary logistic regression was used, with Score as the only predictor and Group ( Mucor vs Aspergillus ) as the only outcome. Specificity, sensitivity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy were determined for the evaluated models. Given the low predictive value of any single evaluated anatomical site, a ‘bilateral mean’ score-based model including the nasal cavity, maxillary sinuses, ethmoid air cells, sphenoid sinus and frontal sinuses yielded the highest prediction accuracy, with Mucor induced AIFR correlating with higher prevalence of bilateral findings. The odds ratio for the model while integrating the above anatomical sites was 12.3 ( p  < 0.001). PPV, NPV, sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were 0.85, 0.82, 0.92, 0.69 and 0.84 respectively. The abnormal radiological findings on craniofacial CT scans of Mucor and Aspergillus induced AIFR could be differentiated based on laterality, with Mucor induced AIFR associated with higher prevalence of bilateral findings.

This work looks at the exploitation of large numbers of orthogonal redundant inertial measurement units. Specifically, the paper analyses centralized and distributed architectures in the context of data fusion algorithms for those sensors. For both architectures, data fusion algorithms based on Kalman filter are developed. Some of those algorithms consider sensors location, whereas the others do not, but all estimate the sensors bias. A fault detection algorithm, based on residual analysis, is also proposed. Monte-Carlo simulations show better performance for the centralized architecture with an algorithm considering sensors location. Due to a better estimation of the sensors bias, the latter provides the most precise and accurate estimates and the best fault detection. However, it requires a much longer computational time. An analysis of the sensors bias correlation is also done. Based on the simulations, the biases correlation has a small effect on the attitude rate estimation, but a very significant one on the acceleration estimation.