A Conceptual Model for the Impact of Occupational Standing on Enterprise Outcomes Using an Inductive Content Analysis of California Lawsuits.

OCCUPATIONAL APPLICATIONSIn this paper, we provide a framework for practitioners when (re)designing tasks that historically have required standing in the workplace. While the goal is not to remove standing from all jobs, practitioners must work with management to align health and safety outcomes related to standing at work with the enterprise's main outcomes. Practitioners should also be made aware that in many of these jobs, standing has been required because, in the enterprise's judgment, it improves performance and customer service. Understanding common beliefs about customer interactions and job performance in the workplace will be vital to implementing changes that have previously been difficult to navigate.

Background: Modern office workplaces promote standing to reduce occupational sitting time; however, workers have advocated for reducing occupational standing in the retail and service industries.Purpose: To create a conceptual framework for practitioners and researchers to use when examining the use of suitable seating in the workplace compared to standing.Methods: An inductive content analysis was used to analyze class-action lawsuits filed in California related to "suitable seating." Themes were extracted and organized based on our conceptual model.Results: Justification for standing or the use of suitable seating was based on organizational policies and practices, requirements of the condition of work, health and safety, and enterprise outcomes.Conclusions: Practitioners and researchers should be aware of the business justification for standing in the workplace and the firmly held beliefs about customer service and performance implications. Future work must determine if adverse health and well-being outcomes from workplace standing negate the perceived benefits of standing.

Synthetic Studies towards the Calcium-Dependent Lipopeptide Antibiotic Cadaside B.

In the current global crisis of antimicrobial resistance, antimicrobial peptides represent a promising source of alternative antibiotics. Recently discovered cadaside B, a novel calcium-dependent antibiotic, exhibits potent antimicrobial activity towards Gram-positive pathogens including multi-drug resistant strains. These properties, coupled with a novel structure, non-cytotoxicity, and low likelihood of developing resistance render cadaside B an important synthetic target. Herein, a synthetic strategy towards cadaside B is reported with the key steps involving on-resin depsipeptide bond formation and solution-phase macrolactamization. Good agreement of the synthetic cadaside B MS/MS fragmentation pattern was observed with the natural product, but a different 1 H NMR spectrum and absence of antimicrobial activity suggest an undetected epimerization event took place during the synthesis. Herein the findings of our synthetic journey and suggestions for future directions are presented.

A Descriptive Case Study of Skilled Football Goalkeepers During 1 v 1 Dyads: A Case for Adaptive Variability in the Quiet Eye.

Evidence investigating skilled performers in sport suggests that a prominent component of skilled behavior is, in part, due to the development of more effective and efficient perception-action couplings. Further, the Quiet Eye has emerged as a useful tool in which to investigate how skilled performers regulate action through fixating on visual information within the immediate environment before the onset of a goal directed movement. However, only a few contributions to the literature have attempted to examine the individual variations within these Quiet Eye fixations in skilled participants. In this case study, we first asked how goalkeepers control their actions, via the Quiet Eye in a representative task. Second, we sought to examine whether inter- and intra- individual differences in the Quiet Eye are present in skilled goalkeepers as a functional component of skilled performance. Results were consistent with previous work on football goalkeepers, with QE fixations located at the ball and visual pivot. However, individual analysis reveals different Quiet Eye gaze patterning between (inter) and within (intra) the goalkeepers during saving actions. To conclude, we have provided a descriptive case study in attempt to understand the Quiet Eye behaviors of a skilled sample of professional goalkeepers. In doing so we have suggested how adaptive variability, founded upon an Ecological Dynamics framework, may provide further insight into the function of the Quiet Eye.

Effects of 2.4 kg of Proximal External Loading on 5-km Running Performance.

ABSTRACT: Sharp, DW, Swain, JC, Boy, TG, Killen, LG, Green, JM, and O'Neal, EK. Effects of 2.4 kg of proximal external loading on 5-km running performance. J Strength Cond Res 36(7): 1833-1838, 2022-Racing weight is a popular topic in the running community. This study examined effects of modest loading via a ∼2.4-kg soft and malleable weighted compression garment on overground running performance. Former and current collegiate cross-country runners (5 women and 6 men) completed 2 outdoor, solo road course runs 7 days apart on a familiar training route. During the first run (CON) subjects ran as closely as possible to their goal pace for a "hard speed day" workout based on predetermined paces according to current training level. During a subsequent run, subjects attempted to match their pace with aid from global positioning system watches and splits verbally announced on the course while wearing the weighted compression garment (LOAD). Metabolic data was later assessed during 5-minute running bouts on a treadmill with CON and LOAD conditions at subject's CON run pace. LOAD was slower (p < 0.01) at the 1.6-km mark (6:03 ± 0:37 vs. 6:13 ± 0:40) and finish (18:29 ± 2:06 vs. 19:15 ± 2:16). There was no differentiation (p > 0.05) between V̇o2 (CON 3.47 ± 0.86; LOAD 3.56 ± 0.77 L·min-1) or respiratory exchange ratio (CON 1.05 ± 0.06; LOAD 1.06 ± 0.04) during the 5-minute running economy bouts. There was an inverse (r = -0.42) but nonsignificant (p = 0.22) relationship between percent difference in body mass and percent difference in performance. Metabolic variable differentiation was not detectable at race pace, but 2.4 kg of proximal loading resulted in an approximately 4% acute performance impairment.

The tryptophan connection: cyclic peptide natural products linked via the tryptophan side chain.

Covering: from 1938 up to March 2021The electron-rich indole side chain of tryptophan is a versatile substrate for peptide modification. Upon the action of various cyclases, the tryptophan side chain may be linked to a nearby amino acid residue, opening the door to a diverse range of cyclic peptide natural products. These compounds exhibit a wide array of biological activity and possess fascinating molecular architectures, which have made them popular targets for total synthesis studies. This review examines the isolation and bioactivity of tryptophan-linked cyclic peptide natural products, along with a discussion of their first total synthesis, and biosynthesis where this has been studied.

A Concise Synthetic Strategy Towards the Novel Calcium-dependent Lipopeptide Antibiotic, Malacidin A and Analogues.

Malacidin A is a novel calcium-dependent lipopeptide antibiotic with excellent activity against Gram-positive pathogens. Herein, a concise and robust synthetic route toward malacidin A is reported, employing 9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl solid-phase peptide synthesis of a linear precursor, including late-stage incorporation of the lipid tail, followed by solution-phase cyclization. The versatility of this synthetic strategy was further demonstrated by synthesis of a diastereomeric variant of malacidin A and a small library of simplified analogues with variation of the lipid moiety.

Folding and duplex formation in mixed sequence recognition-encoded m-phenylene ethynylene polymers.

Oligomers equipped with complementary recognition units have the potential to encode and express chemical information in the same way as nucleic acids. The supramolecular assembly properties of m-phenylene ethynylene polymers equipped with H-bond donor (D = phenol) and H-bond acceptor (A = phosphine oxide) side chains have been investigated in chloroform solution. Polymerisation of a bifunctional monomer in the presence of a monofunctional chain stopper was used for the one pot synthesis of families of m-phenylene ethynylene polymers with sequences ADnA or DAnD (n = 1-5), which were separated by chromatography. All of the oligomers self-associate due to intermolecular H-bonding interactions, but intramolecular folding of the monomeric single strands can be studied in dilute solution. NMR and fluorescence spectroscopy show that the 3-mers ADA and DAD do not fold, but there are intramolecular H-bonding interactions for all of the longer sequences. Nevertheless, 1 : 1 mixtures of sequence complementary oligomers all form stable duplexes. Duplex stability was quantified using DMSO denaturation experiments, which show that the association constant for duplex formation increases by an order of magnitude for every base-pairing interaction added to the chain, from 103 M-1 for ADA·DAD to 105 M-1 for ADDDA·DAAAD. Intramolecular folding is the major pathway that competes with duplex formation between recognition-encoded oligomers and limits the fidelity of sequence-selective assembly. The experimental approach described here provides a practical strategy for rapid evaluation of suitability for the development of programmable synthetic polymers.

Impact of occupational footwear and workload on postural stability in work safety.

BACKGROUND: The impact of occupational footwear and workload on postural stability has been studied previously to prevent fall-related workplace injuries. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of two types of occupational footwear [steel-toed (SB) and tactical (TB) work boots] on human balance, when exposed to physical workload. METHODS: Postural stability was evaluated in eighteen male participants in the following conditions: eyes open (EO), eyes closed (EC), eyes open unstable surface (EOU) and eyes closed unstable surface (ECU). Postural sway parameters were analyzed using a 2×3 repeated measures analysis of variance design [prior to (PRE) and twice post-workload (POST1 & POST2) separated by 10 minutes of rest]. RESULTS: Findings revealed that the use of SB resulted in greater postural stability, which could be attributed to the design characteristics of these footwear and that postural stability was negatively impacted immediately after the workload which could be attributed to the physical exertions during the workload. However, significant differences were limited to ECU with no visual and altered somatosensory feedback. CONCLUSION: Design features on occupational footwear can aid postural stability while physical exertional tasks can be detrimental. Findings can offer design and work-rest scheduling suggestions to improve work safety.

H-Bonded Duplexes based on a Phenylacetylene Backbone.

Complementary phenylacetylene oligomers equipped with phenol and phosphine oxide recognition sites form stable multiply H-bonded duplexes in toluene solution. Oligomers were prepared by Sonogashira coupling of diiodobenzene and bis-acetylene building blocks in the presence of monoacetylene chain terminators. The product mixtures were separated by reverse phase preparative high-pressure liquid chromatography to give a series of pure oligomers up to seven recognition units in length. Duplex formation between length complementary homo-oligomers was demonstrated by 31P NMR denaturation experiments using dimethyl sulfoxide as a competing H-bond acceptor. The denaturation experiments were used to determine the association constants for duplex formation, which increase by nearly 2 orders of magnitude for every phenol-phosphine oxide base-pair added. These experiments show that the phenylacetylene backbone supports formation of extended duplexes with multiple cooperative intermolecular H-bonding interactions, and together with previous studies on the mixed sequence phenylacetylene 2-mer, suggest that this supramolecular architecture is a promising candidate for the development of synthetic information molecules that parallel the properties of nucleic acids.

Structural Insights into the CRTC2-CREB Complex Assembly on CRE.

The cAMP response element (CRE) binding protein (CREB) is central in the transcription regulation by cAMP, and the CREB-regulated transcriptional coactivators (CRTCs) play critical roles in CREB-mediated transcription activation. Upon stimulation, CRTCs translocate into the nucleus and complex with CREB on CRE promoters to activate target gene transcription. Their physiological importance is underscored by their function in energy balance, long-term memory, longevity and other processes. The CREB binding domain on CRTCs has been mapped, which interacts with the CREB basic leucine zipper domain that also mediates interaction with CRE-containing DNA. We report here crystal structures of a complex containing the CRTC2 CREB binding domain, the CREB basic leucine zipper domain and a CRE-containing DNA. The structures revealed that CRTC and CREB form a 2:2 complex on CRE-containing DNA, and CRTC interacts with both CREB and DNA through highly conserved residues. Structure-guided functional studies revealed that both interactions are crucial for the complex assembly and CREB stabilization on DNA. Interestingly, we found that the CRTC-DNA interaction confers selectivity toward the intrinsic DNA shape, which may play a role in selective transcription activation of the CRE genes.

H-Bond Self-Assembly: Folding versus Duplex Formation.

Linear oligomers equipped with complementary H-bond donor (D) and acceptor (A) sites can interact via intermolecular H-bonds to form duplexes or fold via intramolecular H-bonds. These competing equilibria have been quantified using NMR titration and dilution experiments for seven systems featuring different recognition sites and backbones. For all seven architectures, duplex formation is observed for homo-sequence 2-mers (AA·DD) where there are no competing folding equilibria. The corresponding hetero-sequence AD 2-mers also form duplexes, but the observed self-association constants are strongly affected by folding equilibria in the monomeric states. When the backbone is flexible (five or more rotatable bonds separating the recognition sites), intramolecular H-bonding is favored, and the folded state is highly populated. For these systems, the stability of the AD·AD duplex is 1-2 orders of magnitude lower than that of the corresponding AA·DD duplex. However, for three architectures which have more rigid backbones (fewer than five rotatable bonds), intramolecular interactions are not observed, and folding does not compete with duplex formation. These systems are promising candidates for the development of longer, mixed-sequence synthetic information molecules that show sequence-selective duplex formation.

Site-directed spin labeling-electron spin resonance mapping of the residues of cyanobacterial clock protein KaiA that are affected by KaiA-KaiC interaction.

The cyanobacterial clock proteins KaiA, KaiB and KaiC interact with each other to generate circadian oscillations. We have identified the residues of the KaiA homodimer affected through association with hexameric KaiC (KaiC6mer) using a spin-label-tagged KaiA C-terminal domain protein (KaiAc) and performing electron spin resonance (ESR) analysis. Cys substitution and/or the attachment of a spin label to residues located at the bottom area of the KaiAc concave surface, a KaiC-binding groove, hindered the association of KaiAc with KaiC6mer, suggesting that the groove likely mediates the interaction with KaiC6mer. The residues affected by KaiC6mer association were concentrated in the three areas: the concave surface, a lobe-like structure (a mobile lobe near the concave surface) and a region adjacent to both the concave surface and the mobile lobe. The distance between the two E254, D255, L258 and R252 residues located on the mobile lobe decreased after KaiC association, suggesting that the two mobile lobes approach each other during the interaction. Analyzing the molecular dynamics of KaiAc showed that these structural changes suggested by ESR analysis were possible. Furthermore, the analyses identified three asymmetries in KaiAc dynamic structures, which gave us a possible explanation of an asymmetric association of KaiAc with KaiC6mer.

The roles of the dimeric and tetrameric structures of the clock protein KaiB in the generation of circadian oscillations in cyanobacteria.

The molecular machinery of the cyanobacterial circadian clock consists of three proteins, KaiA, KaiB, and KaiC. The three Kai proteins interact with each other and generate circadian oscillations in vitro in the presence of ATP (an in vitro KaiABC clock system). KaiB consists of four subunits organized as a dimer of dimers, and its overall shape is that of an elongated hexagonal plate with a positively charged cleft flanked by two negatively charged ridges. We found that a mutant KaiB with a C-terminal deletion (KaiB(1-94)), which lacks the negatively charged ridges, was a dimer. Despite its dimeric structure, KaiB(1-94) interacted with KaiC and generated normal circadian oscillations in the in vitro KaiABC clock system. KaiB(1-94) also generated circadian oscillations in cyanobacterial cells, but they were weak, indicating that the C-terminal region and tetrameric structure of KaiB are necessary for the generation of normal gene expression rhythms in vivo. KaiB(1-94) showed the highest affinity for KaiC among the KaiC-binding proteins we examined and inhibited KaiC from forming a complex with SasA, which is involved in the main output pathway from the KaiABC clock oscillator in transcription regulation. This defect explains the mechanism underlying the lack of normal gene expression rhythms in cells expressing KaiB(1-94).

Treatment of periodontal disease during pregnancy: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether treating periodontal disease prevents preterm birth and other major complications of pregnancy. METHODS: This single-center trial was conducted across six obstetric sites in metropolitan Perth, Western Australia. Pregnant women identified by history to be at risk (n=3,737) were examined for periodontal disease. Approximately 1,000 women with periodontal disease were allocated at random to receive periodontal treatment commencing around 20 weeks of gestation (n=542) or 6 weeks after the pregnancy was completed (controls; n=540). The treatment included mechanical removal of oral biofilms together with oral hygiene instruction and motivation at a minimum of three weekly visits, with further visits if required. RESULTS: There were no differences between the control and treatment groups in preterm birth (9.3% compared with 9.7%, odds ratio [OR] 1.05, 95% confidence interval [CI 0.7-1.58], P=.81), birth weight (3,450 compared with 3,410 g, P=.12), preeclampsia (4.1% compared with 3.4%, OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.44-1.56, P=.55), or other obstetric endpoints. There were four unexplained stillbirths in the control group and no pregnancy losses in the treated group (P=.12). Measures of fetal and neonatal well-being were similar in the two groups, including abnormalities in fetal heart rate recordings (P=.26), umbilical artery flow studies (P=.96), and umbilical artery blood gas values (P=.37). The periodontal treatment was highly successful in improving health of the gums (P<.01). CONCLUSION: The evidence provided by the present study does not support the hypothesis that treatment of periodontal disease during pregnancy in this population prevents preterm birth, fetal growth restriction, or preeclampsia. Periodontal treatment was not hazardous to the women or their pregnancies. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT00133926. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: I.

Maternal periodontal disease and perinatal mortality.

BACKGROUND: Periodontal disease has been associated with increased perinatal mortality. AIMS: To examine the association between maternal periodontal disease and perinatal mortality. METHODS: We performed a retrospective and prospective matched case-control study of women with unexplained perinatal mortality at more than 20 weeks gestational age. Women were matched for socioeconomic status, smoking status and time since delivery. All women underwent a detailed periodontal examination and completed a questionnaire describing oral health symptoms. No intervention took place. RESULTS: Fifty-three women who had experienced a perinatal death and 111 controls completed the study. Thirty-two women were recruited retrospectively and 21 women were recruited prospectively. Twenty-three (43.4%) women who had experienced a perinatal death and 27 (24.3%) controls had periodontal disease. There were no differences in oral health behaviours or symptoms between cases and controls. Perinatal death was associated with periodontal disease (odds ratio (OR) 2.34, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05, 5.47). Periodontal disease was more strongly associated with perinatal mortality due to extreme prematurity (OR 3.60, 95% CI 1.20, 12.04). Multivariate analysis showed this relationship to be consistent after inclusion of higher parity, country of birth, advanced maternal age and maternal obesity in the model (OR 4.56, 95% CI 1.25, 21.27). CONCLUSIONS: Maternal periodontal disease may contribute to perinatal mortality, especially that caused by extreme prematurity.

Creatine supplementation and cognitive performance in elderly individuals.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of creatine supplementation on the cognitive performance of elderly people. Participants were divided into two groups, which were tested on random number generation, forward and backward number and spatial recall, and long-term memory tasks to establish a baseline level. Group 1 (n = 15) were given 5 g four times a day of placebo for 1 week, followed by the same dosage of creatine for the second week. Group 2 (n = 17) were given placebo both weeks. Participants were retested at the end of each week. Results showed a significant effect of creatine supplementation on all tasks except backward number recall. It was concluded that creatine supplementation aids cognition in the elderly.

Periodontal disease and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Periodontal disease is a common infectious disease in women of reproductive age. The disease is often not diagnosed and in studies of over 10 000 women has been associated with preterm birth, small for gestational age newborns, and preeclampsia. It has been shown in a smaller number of women that treatment of periodontal disease may reduce the rate of preterm birth. The pregnancy complications of periodontal disease may be due to lipopolysaccharide from the periodontal pockets inciting prostaglandin pathways controlling parturition. Three large randomized controlled trials of treatment of periodontal disease are underway and may provide confirmation of the importance of periodontal disease in causing complications of pregnancy.