Orchard Sports Injury and Illness Classification System (OSIICS) Version 15

Background:Sports medicine(injury and illnesses)requires distinct coding systems because the International Classification of Diseases is insuf-ficient for sports medicine coding.The Orchard Sports Injury and Illness Classification System(OSIICS)is one of two sports medicine coding systems recommended by the International Olympic Committee.Regular updates of coding systems are required.Methods:For Version 15,updates for mental health conditions in athletes,sports cardiology,concussion sub-types,infectious diseases,and skin and eye conditions were considered particularly important.Results:Recommended codes were added from a recent International Olympic Committee consensus statement on mental health conditions in athletes.Two landmark sports cardiology papers were used to update a more comprehensive list of sports cardiology codes.Rugby union protocols on head injury assessment were used to create additional concussion codes.Conclusion:It is planned that OSIICS Version 15 will be translated into multiple new languages in a timely fashion to facilitate international accessibility.The large number of recently published sport-specific and discipline-specific consensus statements on athlete surveillance warrant regular updating of OSIICS.

A High Resolution Convolutional Neural Network with Squeeze and Excitation Module for Automatic Modulation Classification

Automatic modulation classification(AMC) technology is one of the cutting-edge technologies in cognitive radio communications. AMC based on deep learning has recently attracted much attention due to its superior performances in classification accuracy and robustness. In this paper, we propose a novel, high resolution and multi-scale feature fusion convolutional neural network model with a squeeze-excitation block, referred to as HRSENet,to classify different kinds of modulation signals.The proposed model establishes a parallel computing mechanism of multi-resolution feature maps through the multi-layer convolution operation, which effectively reduces the information loss caused by downsampling convolution. Moreover, through dense skipconnecting at the same resolution and up-sampling or down-sampling connection at different resolutions, the low resolution representation of the deep feature maps and the high resolution representation of the shallow feature maps are simultaneously extracted and fully integrated, which is benificial to mine signal multilevel features. Finally, the feature squeeze and excitation module embedded in the decoder is used to adjust the response weights between channels, further improving classification accuracy of proposed model.The proposed HRSENet significantly outperforms existing methods in terms of classification accuracy on the public dataset “Over the Air” in signal-to-noise(SNR) ranging from-2dB to 20dB. The classification accuracy in the proposed model achieves 85.36% and97.30% at 4dB and 10dB, respectively, with the improvement by 9.71% and 5.82% compared to LWNet.Furthermore, the model also has a moderate computation complexity compared with several state-of-the-art methods.

The DUF579 proteins GhIRX15s regulate cotton fiber development by interacting with proteins involved in xylan synthesis

Cotton provides the most abundant natural fiber for the textile industry.The mature cotton fiber largely consists of secondary cell walls with the highest proportion of cellulose and a small amount of hemicellulose and lignin.To dissect the roles of hemicellulosic polysaccharides during fiber development,four IRREGULAR XYLEM 15(IRX15)genes,GhIRX15-1/-2/-3/-4,were functionally characterized in cotton.These genes encode DUF579 domain-containing proteins,which are homologs of AtIRX15 involved in xylan biosynthesis.The four GhIRX15 genes were predominantly expressed during fiber secondary wall thickening,and the encoded proteins were localized to the Golgi apparatus.Each GhIRX15 gene could restore the xylan deficient phenotype in the Arabidopsis irx15irx15l double mutant.Silencing of GhIRX15s in cotton resulted in shorter mature fibers with a thinner cell wall and reduced cellulose content as compared to the wild type.Intriguingly,GhIRX15-2 and GhIRX15-4 formed homodimers and heterodimers.In addition,the GhIRX15s showed physical interaction with glycosyltransferases GhGT43C,GhGT47A and GhGT47B,which are responsible for synthesis of the xylan backbone and reducing end sequence.Moreover,the GhIRX15s can form heterocomplexes with enzymes involved in xylan modification and side chain synthesis,such as GhGUX1/2,GhGXM1/2 and GhTBL1.These findings suggest that GhIRX15s participate in fiber xylan biosynthesis and modulate fiber development via forming large multiprotein complexes.

A phylogenetic approach identifies patterns of beta diversity and floristic subregions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Patterns of taxonomic and phylogenetic beta diversity and their relationships with environmental correlates can help reveal the origin and evolutionary history of regional biota.The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP)harbors an exceptionally diverse flora,however,a phylogenetic perspective has rarely been used to investigate its beta diversity and floristic regions.In this study,we used a phylogenetic approach to identify patterns of beta diversity and quantitatively delimit floristic regions on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.We also examined the relationships between multifaceted beta diversity,geographical distance,and climatic difference,and evaluated the relative importance of various factors(i.e.,climate,topography and history)in shaping patterns of beta diversity.Sørensen dissimilarity indices indicated that patterns of species turnover among sites dominated the QTP.We also found that patterns of both taxonomic and phylogenetic beta diversity were significantly related to geographical distance and climatic difference.The environmental factors that contributed most to these patterns of beta diversity include annual precipitation,mean annual temperature,climatic gradients and climatic instability.Hierarchical dendrograms of dissimilarity and non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination based on phylogenetic beta diversity data identified ten floristic subregions in the QTP.Our results suggest that the contemporary environment and historical climate changes have filtered species composition among sites and eventually determined beta diversity patterns of plants in the QTP.

Feature extraction and learning approaches for cancellable biometrics:A survey

Biometric recognition is a widely used technology for user authentication.In the application of this technology,biometric security and recognition accuracy are two important issues that should be considered.In terms of biometric security,cancellable biometrics is an effective technique for protecting biometric data.Regarding recognition accuracy,feature representation plays a significant role in the performance and reliability of cancellable biometric systems.How to design good feature representations for cancellable biometrics is a challenging topic that has attracted a great deal of attention from the computer vision community,especially from researchers of cancellable biometrics.Feature extraction and learning in cancellable biometrics is to find suitable feature representations with a view to achieving satisfactory recognition performance,while the privacy of biometric data is protected.This survey informs the progress,trend and challenges of feature extraction and learning for cancellable biometrics,thus shedding light on the latest developments and future research of this area.

The anti-obesity effects of EGCG in relation to oxidative stress and air-pollution in China

Modern China,similar to most developing nations,has seen a rise in the prevalence of both obesity and diesel exhaust based air pollution.The cause of obesity is multi-factorial encompassing diet,lifestyle and social factors.Also there has been a reduction in the consumption of fruit,vegetables,and traditional medicinal foods such as polyphenol containing green tea.Replacing these,are high fat and carbohydrate based processed foods which are quickly displacing these wholefoods in the diet.This review paper proposes evidence that a potential cause of obesity is also linked to environmental stress stimuli such as air pollutants,particularly diesel exhaust fumes(DEF)of>2.5μm particulate matter,and discusses a role for a green tea catechin(EGCG)for use as a dietary defence against diet and environmentally induced obesity.China is now at a critical point of a public health pandemic with rising air-borne pollution(via car exhaust fumes DEF),industry pollution such as heavy metals,and the benzene hydrocarbon based‘2PM’particulate matter,now accepted as a major environmental issue for public health.Relevant data published in MEDLINE since 1995 has been gathered to formulate the following review.

脉压对颈动脉壁重构的影响——探讨Laplace定律对大血管重构的作用

目的:血管壁的增厚和功能指数正越来越多的被用作评价心血管疾病的重要指标。然而大血管的结构、功能、压力的相互关系在活体上还没有很好的确定。我们研究组对一组正常和高血压病人进行了大血管的结构-功能-压力的相互关系的交叉研究。方法:307例正常和高血压的人群被选择到此研究,其中男110例,女197例。年龄49～75岁。颈动脉内膜和中层厚度(Intima-media wall thickness,IMT)和内腔直径(Lumen diameter,LD)用Diasonic(DRF400)高分辨率超声来确定。血管壁环状压(Circumferential stress,Cs)是依据LAPLACE定律(δ=P×r/h)计算。其中压力(Pressure,P)用平均压和脉压两种方法计算。此动脉的结构和功能指数用年龄、身高和心率来校正。颈动脉压用无创压力感受器测定。结果:共有70例高血压(BP>140/90)患者。用年龄、身高和心率校正后的内中膜厚度和内腔直径在高血压组显著增加。而且IMT随着脉压的增大而增大(r=0.39,P<0.001)。内腔半径与内中膜厚度比值(R/IMT,R=LD/2)和环状压在高血压组明显增加。但是不管高血压或正常人群的R/IMT比值与脉压呈负相关关系(r=0.38,P<0.001),而与平均压无关。结论:在高血压状态下颈动脉壁重构是服从LAPLACE定律的,但颈动脉壁重构不足以抵销高血压状态下的血管壁环状压的增加。

Neurological heterotopic ossification:novel mechanisms,prognostic biomarkers and prophylactic therapies

Neurological heterotopic ossification(NHO)is a debilitating condition where bone forms in soft tissue,such as muscle surrounding the hip and knee,following an injury to the brain or spinal cord.This abnormal formation of bone can result in nerve impingement,pain,contractures and impaired movement.Patients are often diagnosed with NHO after the bone tissue has completely mineralised,leaving invasive surgical resection the only remaining treatment option.Surgical resection of NHO creates potential for added complications,particularly in patients with concomitant injury to the central nervous system(CNS).Although recent work has begun to shed light on the physiological mechanisms involved in NHO,there remains a significant knowledge gap related to the prognostic biomarkers and prophylactic treatments which are necessary to prevent NHO and optimise patient outcomes.This article reviews the current understanding pertaining to NHO epidemiology,pathobiology,biomarkers and treatment options.In particular,we focus on how concomitant CNS injury may drive ectopic bone formation and discuss considerations for treating polytrauma patients with NHO.We conclude that understanding of the pathogenesis of NHO is rapidly advancing,and as such,there is the strong potential for future research to unearth methods capable of identifying patients likely to develop NHO,and targeted treatments to prevent its manifestation.

Effect of Crossbreed on the Muscle Quality(Chemical Composition) in Yun-Ling Black Goats

Twenty castrated male goats, each of Yun-Ling Black goats （YLB goat）, N × YLB hybrid goats （Nubian ♂ ×Yun-Ling Black goats 9） and B × YLB hybrid goats （Boer ♂× Yun-Ling Black goats ♀）, were used to evaluate the effect of crossbreeding on the meat chemical composition in the YLB goats of China. After weaning of 90 days, all the experimental goats were reared on natural pasture when they were slaughtered at an age of 730 days. The longissimus dorsi （LD） and biceps femoris （BF） muscles were sampled from each carcass to determine chemical compositions. Both hybrid goats had higher protein content （P 〈 0.01） and lower fat content （P 〈 0.05） than the YLB goats in the two types of muscle. The inosinic acid contents of LD muscle for the YLB goats and the B × YLB hybrid goats were significantly higher （P 〈 0.05） than that for the N × YLB hybrid goats. The LD muscle from the YLB goats contained higher essential amino acid （P 〈 0.01）, total amino acid （P 〈 0.01）, and some individual amino acid （P 〈 0.05） than those from the hybrid goats. The concentration of unsaturated fatty acid （USFA） of LD muscle from the N × YLB hybrid goats was significantly higher than the other two goat breeds （P〈0.05） but did not differ between the other two goat breeds （P〉0.05）. The YLB goats had significantly higher （P〈0.05） concentrations of oleic acid （C18：1） and linolenic acid （C18：3） of LD muscle than the hybrid goats, had significantly higher （P 〈 0.05） proportion of mono-unsaturated （Sum for C 16：1 and C 18：1） than the B ×YLB hybrid goats, and tended to be higher than the N × YLB hybrid goats （P 〉 0.05）. In contrast, the proportion of poly-unsaturated in the YLB goats was significantly lower （P 〈 0.05） than that in the hybrid goats.

Metabolic and performance responses of male runners wearing 3 types of footwear: Nike Vaporfly 4%, Saucony Endorphin racing flats, and their own shoes

Purpose We compared running economy(RE)and 3-km time-trial(TT)variables of runners wearing Nike Vaporfly 4%(VP4),Saucony Endorphin lightweight racing flats(FLAT),and their habitual running(OWN)footwear.Methods Eighteen male recreational runners(age=33.5±11.9 year(mean±SD),peak oxygen uptake(VO_(2peak))=55.8±4.4 mL/kg·min)attended 4 sessions approximately 7 days apart.The first session consisted of a VO_(2peak) test to inform subsequent RE speeds set at 60%,70%,and 80%of the speed eliciting VO2peak.In subsequent sessions,treadmill RE and 3-km TTs were assessed in the 3 footwear conditions in a randomized,counterbalanced crossover design.Results Oxygen consumption(mL/kg·min)was less in VP4(from 4.3%to 4.4%,p≤0.002)and FLAT(from 2.7%to 3.4%,p≤0.092)vs.OWN across intensities,with a non-significant difference between VP4 and FLAT(1.0%-1.7%,p≥0.292).Findings related to energy cost(W/kg)and energetics cost of transport(J/kg·m)were comparable.VP43-km TT performance(11:07.6±0:56.6 mm:ss)was enhanced vs.OWN by 16.6 s(2.4%,p=0.005)and vs.FLAT by 13.0 s(1.8%,p=0.032).The 3-km times between OWN and FLAT(0.5%,p=0.747)were similar.Most runners(n=11,61%)ran their fastest TT in VP4.Conclusion Overall,VP4 improved laboratory-based RE measures in male recreational runners at relative speeds compared to OWN,but the RE improvements in VP4 were not significant vs.FLAT.More runners exhibited better treadmill TT performances in VP4(61%)vs.FLAT(22%)and OWN(17%).The variability in RE(-10.3%to 13.3%)and TT(-4.7%to 9.3%)improvements suggests that responses to different types of shoes are individualized and warrant further investigation.

Delayed atomoxetine or fluoxetine treatment coupled with limited voluntary running promotes motor recovery in mice after ischemic stroke

Currently, there is an unmet need for treatments promoting post-stroke functional recovery.The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the dose-dependent effect of delayed atomoxetine or fluoxetine therapy(starting on post-stroke day 5), coupled with limited physical exercise(2 hours daily voluntary wheel running;post-stroke days 9 to 42), on motor recovery of adult male mice after photothrombotic stroke.These drugs are selective norepinephrine or serotonin reuptake inhibitors indicated for disorders unrelated to stroke.The predetermined primary end-point for this study was motor function measured in two tasks of spontaneous motor behaviors in grid-walking and cylinder tests.Additionally, we quantified the running distance and speed throughout the study, the number of parvalbumin-positive neurons in the medial agranular cortex and infarct volumes.Both sensorimotor tests revealed that neither limited physical exercise nor a drug treatment alone significantly facilitated motor recovery in mice after stroke.However, combination of physical exercise with either of the drugs promoted restoration of motor function by day 42 post-stroke, with atomoxetine being a more potent drug.This was accompanied by a significant decrease in parvalbumin-positive inhibitory interneurons in the ipsilateral medial agranular cortex of mice with recovering motor function, while infarct volumes were comparable among experimental groups.If further validated in larger studies, our observations suggest that add-on atomoxetine or fluoxetine therapy coupled with limited, structured physical rehabilitation could offer therapeutic modality for stroke survivors who have difficulty to engage in early, high-intensity physiotherapy.Furthermore, in light of the recently completed Assessment o F Fluoxet INe In s Troke recover Y(AFFINITY) and Efficacy o F Fluoxetine-a randomis Ed Controlled Trial in Stroke(EFFECTS) trials, our observations call for newly designed studies where fluoxetine or atomoxetine pharmacotherapy is evaluated in combination with structured physical rehabilitation rather than alone.This study was approved by the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee(protocol # 16019).

Inoculation with Phosphate-Solubilizing Fungi Diversifies the Bacterial Community in Rhizospheres of Maize and Soybean

Application of phosphate-solubilizing microorganisms (PSMs) has been reported to increase P uptake and plant growth. However, no information is available regarding the ecological consequences of the inoculation with PSMs. The effect of inoculation with phosphate-solubilizing fungal (PSF) isolates Aspergillus niger P39 and Penicillium oxalicum P66 on the bacterial communities in the rhizospheres of maize (Zea mays L. 'Haiyu 6') and soybean (Glycine max Merr. 'Heinong 35') was examined using culture-dependent methods as well as a culture-independent method, polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE). Compared with the control, the number of culturable microbes for soybean was significantly greater with P39, whereas for maize, the same was significantly greater with P66. In addition, a greater number of microbes were found in the rhizosphere of maize compared with soybean. The fingerprint of DGGE for 16S rDNA indicated that inoculation with PSF also increased bacterial communities, with the P66 treatment having higher numbers of DGGE bands and a higher Shannon-Weaver diversity index compared with P39; the composition of the microbial community was also more complex with the P66 treatment. Overall, complex interactions between plant species and exotic PSMs affected the structure of the bacterial community in the rhizosphere, but plant species were more important in determining the bacterial community structure than the introduction of exotic microorganisms.

Resource Scheduling Strategy for Performance Optimization Based on Heterogeneous CPU-GPU Platform

In recent years,with the development of processor architecture,heterogeneous processors including Center processing unit(CPU)and Graphics processing unit(GPU)have become the mainstream.However,due to the differences of heterogeneous core,the heterogeneous system is now facing many problems that need to be solved.In order to solve these problems,this paper try to focus on the utilization and efficiency of heterogeneous core and design some reasonable resource scheduling strategies.To improve the performance of the system,this paper proposes a combination strategy for a single task and a multi-task scheduling strategy for multiple tasks.The combination strategy consists of two sub-strategies,the first strategy improves the execution efficiency of tasks on the GPU by changing the thread organization structure.The second focuses on the working state of the efficient core and develops more reasonable workload balancing schemes to improve resource utilization of heterogeneous systems.The multi-task scheduling strategy obtains the execution efficiency of heterogeneous cores and global task information through the processing of task samples.Based on this information,an improved ant colony algorithm is used to quickly obtain a reasonable task allocation scheme,which fully utilizes the characteristics of heterogeneous cores.The experimental results show that the combination strategy reduces task execution time by 29.13%on average.In the case of processing multiple tasks,the multi-task scheduling strategy reduces the execution time by up to 23.38%based on the combined strategy.Both strategies can make better use of the resources of heterogeneous systems and significantly reduce the execution time of tasks on heterogeneous systems.

Creating Prep to Play PRO for women playing elite Australian football:A how-to guide for developing injury-prevention programs

Background:Developing context-specific,evidence-informed,and implementable injury-prevention programs is challenging.Women playing in the elite Australian Football League for Women are at high risk of serious knee injuries,and no specific injury-prevention program exists.The objective of the study was to describe the collaborative process used to create a context-specific injury-prevention program.Methods:A previously used intervention-development process was modified to incorporate a partnership with the sport’s governing organization and focus on engaging program implementers.The Reach Effectiveness Adoption Implementation and Maintenance(RE-AIM)Sports Setting Matrix guided program development and implementation strategies.Results:The 7-step process,aligned with the RE-AIM Sports Setting Matrix,was applied to develop the injury-prevention program and was titled Prep to Play PRO.The steps were:(Step 1)gaining organizational support and establishing a project partnership;(Step 2)using research evidence and clinical experience;(Step 3)consulting content and context experts;(Step 4)engaging the organization,experts,program implementers,and end-users to concreate the intervention and develop implementation strategies;(Step 5)testing the intervention acceptability and feasibility;(Step 6)evaluating the intervention and implementation strategies against theory;and(Step 7)obtaining feedback from early implementers and end-users.Conclusion:Engaging critical stakeholders at multiple ecological levels(organization,team,and athlete)throughout program development and implementation planning support real-world use.The processes and activities described can guide future sports injury-prevention program development and implementation.

Application of Sediment Traps in Global Change Research in Mountain Lakes

Representativity of biota in the biosphere also have similar significance in the lithosphere after their death. Recently, taphonomic representation of biota in the lithosphere has been widely used for minimizing the biases in palaeo-environmental reconstructions including global climate change. In September 2001, a sediment trap was installed at the central area of the Loch Coire Fionnaraich （LCFR）, a small, oligotrophic mountain loch in northwest Scotland for a taphonomic study of cladoceran zooplankton. The trap was emptied on a seasonal basis, where an average 0.14 g dry material was recovered in each season, January, May and August 2002 respectively. A sediment core was also taken from near the sediment trap location. The top 0.5 cm section, the ＇core＇ was used for a comparative study with the trap sediment samples. The planktonic Cladocera consisted of Bosmina coregoni and appeared to have excellent preservation in the trap assemblages. Moreover, some common littoral Cladocera such as Alonella excisa and Aloha guttata appear to be less well preserved in the fossil assemblages. Large littoral taxa such as Eurycercus lamellatus and Aloha quadrangularis were rare in the trap but relatively common and well preserved in the sediment-water interface. It is suggested that taphonomic processes play a dominant role on deposition of fossil remains of Cladocera and caution should be taken while inferring the past environmental changes whilst using fossil assemblages recovered from the lake centre as a representation of the entire cladoceran community in the lake.

MNN-XSS:Modular Neural Network Based Approach for XSS Attack Detection

The rapid growth and uptake of network-based communication technologies have made cybersecurity a significant challenge as the number of cyber-attacks is also increasing.A number of detection systems are used in an attempt to detect known attacks using signatures in network traffic.In recent years,researchers have used different machine learning methods to detect network attacks without relying on those signatures.The methods generally have a high false-positive rate which is not adequate for an industry-ready intrusion detection product.In this study,we propose and implement a new method that relies on a modular deep neural network for reducing the false positive rate in the XSS attack detection system.Experiments were performed using a dataset consists of 1000 malicious and 10000 benign sample.The model uses 50 features selected by using Pearson correlation method and will be used in the detection and preventions of XSS attacks.The results obtained from the experiments depict improvement in the detection accuracy as high as 99.96%compared to other approaches.

AMPK Subcellular Localisation in <i>Dictyostelium discoideum</i>

The Dictyostelium discoideum AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) snfA subcellular localization was studied in AX2 and stable HPF strains by use of AMPK antipeptide antibody and goat anti-rabbit Alexa-Flour 488-conjugated IgG antibody. The AMPK exhibited cytosolic localization patterns and uniform focalised concentrations in wild type and the strains alike. Constitutive activation and attenuation of the α subunit expression did not affect subcellular distribution of AMPK. However, snfA expression was more intense in strains in which AMPK was constitutively active compared with the AX2 but lesser in attenuation strains. The localisation of the snfA reinforced the putative standing that it had a plethora of cytoplasmic functions. Moreover, the oxidative cellular function would require a ubiquitous system and might coordinately regulate responses to metabolic requirements. Furthermore, the developmental phases of the life cycle would support the cytosolic localization;and since organelles were potentially reorganized or removed entirely during the transition from vegetative living to fruiting body morphology. This study provided insight into the subcellular distribution of AMPK in Dictyostelium discoideum. We demonstrated that AMPK localization was steady in AX2 and derived strains whether constitutively active or anti-sense inhibited depicting extreme genetic states.

Lattice Boltzmann Simulation of Magnetic Field Effect on Electrically Conducting Fluid at Inclined Angles in Rayleigh-Bénard Convection

The magneto-hydrodynamics(MHD)effect is studied at different inclined angles in Rayleigh-Bénard(RB)convection inside a rectangular enclosure using the lattice Boltzmann method(LBM).The enclosure is filled with electrically conducting fluids of different characteristics.These characteristics are defined by Prandtl number,Pr.The considered Pr values for this study are 10 and 70.The influence of other dimensionless parameters Rayleigh numbers Ra=10^(3);10^(4);10^(5);10^(6) and Hartmann numbers Ha=0,10,25,50,100,on fluid flow and heat transfer,are also investigated considering different inclined anglesφof magnetic field by analyzing computed local Nusselt numbers and average Nusselt numbers.The results of the study show the undoubted prediction capability of LBM for the current problem.The simulated results demonstrate that the augmentation in heat transfer is directly related to Ra values,but it is opposite while observing the characteristics of Ha values.However,it is also found thatφhas a significant impact on heat transfer for different fluids.Besides,isotherms are found to be always parallel to the horizontal axis at Ra=10^(3) as conduction overcomes the convection in the heat transfer,but this behaviour is not seen at Ra=10^(4) when Ha>25.Furthermore,at Ra=10^(6),oscillatory instability appears but LBM is still able to provide a complete map of this predicted behavior.An appropriate validation with previous numerical studies demonstrates the accuracy of the present approach.

Protocol for a Respondent-Driven Sampling Study Exploring the Roles of Peer Norms in HIV-Related Practices of Gay Men

Introduction: Sexual behaviour among gay and other men who have sex with men (GMSM) is influenced by the shared understanding of HIV/STI risk and peer norms regarding sexual behaviour. However, there is little research evidence to support this relationship. The unique geographic spread of Australian communities, the history of Australian HIV epidemic and the different patterns in risky sexual practices and HIV diagnoses across Australia present an opportunity to explore the role of social norms and GMSM behaviours in shaping different patterns of HIV epidemics. We describe the protocol of the study of contemporary norms in networks and communities of GMSM (CONNECT) which investigates gay community behavioural norms and practices. Methods: CONNECT is aimed to 1) identify the patterns of connections between individuals in GMSM communities and assess how they shape HIV-related behaviours;2) describe the relationship between social norms and sexual practices;and 3) compare the norms and patterns of behaviour in geographically and epidemiologically distinct GMSM populations in three Australian states New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia, in order to identify local community norms and barriers to effective HIV prevention. This quantitative cross-sectional study uses respondent-driven sampling (RDS) for recruitment. Results: Analyses will be carried out on individual and community level and will investigate the relationship between community-level behavioural norms and associated practices of individuals. Conclusion: CONNECT is anticipated to inform HIV prevention services to better target and increase the effectiveness of the current health promotion for GMSM in the context of increasing HIV/STI incidence.

Oceans and COVID-19:Perspectives,Reflections,Recovery and Regulatory Frameworks

COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented public health crisis,taken about 1.4 million lives so far,infected almost 70 million people around the world,battered the global economy and paralyzed the normal activity.This situation is evolving so rapidly that the data on numbers of infections and deaths are changing daily and the economic impacts are difficult to evaluate at this stage and probably will not be exactly known in the near future.It is important to determine the genesis of the outbreak to understand the root causes of COVID-19 and to prevent such pandemics from occurring in the future.It is believed that the virus originated in a seafood market in Wuhan(China)that was also trading in wildlife for human consumption.Such practices are associated with the habitat degradation and biodiversity loss,leading to an imbalance of the natural ecosystems.The zoonotic spillover of this infectious outbreak is a reflection of the impairment of natural systems.Scientific and anecdotal evidences demonstrate the significance of marine critical habitats in combating and containing human diseases.There are many other ways in which the oceans can help in human health.In addition to providing an analysis of the COVID-19 outbreak,this paper also suggests knowledge-based and informed measures that need to be applied to prevent a repeat of such catastrophic events while highlighting the role of oceans in this context.Plans and strategies for recovering the global economy and ensuring its resilience will require incorporating nature-based solutions and ecosystem restoration.The sustainability of the ocean is a key consideration in the development of a framework for post-COVID-19 recovery and this aspect is the major focus of this paper.