bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The SDSS/APOGEE catalogue of HgMn stars
Authors: Chojnowski S Drew , Hubrig Swetlana , Hasselquist Sten , Beaton Rachael L , Majewski Steven R , García-Hernández D A , DeColibus David
Published: June 2020

We report on H-band spectra of chemically peculiar Mercury–Manganese (HgMn) stars obtained via the SDSS/APOGEE survey. As opposed to other varieties of chemically peculiar stars such as classical Ap/Bp stars, HgMn stars lack strong magnetic fields and are defined by extreme overabundances of Mn, Hg, and other heavy elements. A satisfactory explanation for the abundance patterns remains to be determined, but low rotational velocity is a requirement and involvement in binary/multiple systems may be as well. The APOGEE HgMn sample currently consists of 269 stars that were identified among the telluric standard stars as those whose metallic absorption content is limited to or dominated by the H-band Mn ii lines. Due to the fainter magnitudes probed by the APOGEE survey as compared to past studies, only 9/269 stars in the sample were previously known as HgMn types. The 260 newly identified HgMn stars represents a more than doubling of the known sample. At least 32 per cent of the APOGEE sample are found to be binary or multiple systems, and from multi-epoch spectroscopy, we were able to determine orbital solutions for at least one component in 32 binaries. Many of the multilined systems include chemically peculiar companions, with noteworthy examples being the HgMn+Ap/Bp binary HD 5429, the HgMn+HgMn binary HD 298641, and the HgMn+Bp Mn + Am triple system HD 231263. As a further peculiarity, roughly half of the sample produces narrow emission in the C i 16895 Å line, with widths and radial velocities that match those of the Mn ii lines.
Emulating the global 21-cm signal from Cosmic Dawn and Reionization
Authors: Cohen Aviad , Fialkov Anastasia , Barkana Rennan , Monsalve Raul A
Published: June 2020

The 21-cm signal of neutral hydrogen is a sensitive probe of the Epoch of Reionization (EoR), Cosmic Dawn, and the Dark Ages. Currently, operating radio telescopes have ushered in a data-driven era of 21-cm cosmology, providing the first constraints on the astrophysical properties of sources that drive this signal. However, extracting astrophysical information from the data is highly non-trivial and requires the rapid generation of theoretical templates over a wide range of astrophysical parameters. To this end emulators are often employed, with previous efforts focused on predicting the power spectrum. In this work, we introduce 21cmgem– the first emulator of the global 21-cm signal from Cosmic Dawn and the EoR. The smoothness of the output signal is guaranteed by design. We train neural networks to predict the cosmological signal using a database of ∼30 000 simulated signals which were created by varying seven astrophysical parameters: the star formation efficiency and the minimal mass of star-forming haloes; the efficiency of the first X-ray sources and their spectrum parametrized by spectral index and the low-energy cut-off; the mean-free path of ionizing photons, and the cosmic microwave background optical depth. We test the performance with a set of ∼2000 simulated signals, showing that the relative error in the prediction has an rms of 0.0159. The algorithm is efficient, with a running time per parameter set of 0.16 s. Finally, we use the database of models to check the robustness of relations between the features of the global signal and the astrophysical parameters that we previously reported.
Timing the earliest quenching events with a robust sample of massive quiescent galaxies at 2 < z < 5
Authors: Carnall A C , Walker S , McLure R J , Dunlop J S , McLeod D J , Cullen F , Wild V , Amorin R , Bolzonella M , Castellano M , Cimatti A , Cucciati O , Fontana A , Gargiulo A , Garilli B , Jarvis M J , Pentericci L , Pozzetti L , Zamorani G , Calabro A , Hathi N P , Koekemoer A M
Published: June 2020

We present a sample of 151 massive (M* > 1010 M⊙) quiescent galaxies at 2 < z < 5, based on a sophisticated Bayesian spectral energy distribution fitting analysis of the CANDELS UDS and GOODS-South fields. Our sample includes a robust sub-sample of 61 objects for which we confidently exclude low-redshift and star-forming solutions. We identify 10 robust objects at z > 3, of which 2 are at z > 4. We report formation redshifts, demonstrating that the oldest objects formed at z > 6; however, individual ages from our photometric data have significant uncertainties, typically ∼0.5 Gyr. We demonstrate that the UVJ colours of the quiescent population evolve with redshift at z > 3, becoming bluer and more similar to post-starburst galaxies at lower redshift. Based upon this, we construct a model for the time evolution of quiescent galaxy UVJ colours, concluding that the oldest objects are consistent with forming the bulk of their stellar mass at z ∼ 6–7 and quenching at z ∼ 5. We report spectroscopic redshifts for two of our objects at z = 3.440 and 3.396, which exhibit extremely weak Ly α emission in ultra-deep VANDELS spectra. We calculate star formation rates based on these line fluxes, finding that these galaxies are consistent with our quiescent selection criteria, provided their Ly α escape fractions are >3 and >10 per cent, respectively. We finally report that our highest redshift robust object exhibits a continuum break at λ ∼ 7000 Å in a spectrum from VUDS, consistent with our photometric redshift of $z_\mathrm{phot}=4.72^{+0.06}_{-0.04}$. If confirmed as quiescent, this object would be the highest redshift known quiescent galaxy. To obtain stronger constraints on the times of the earliest quenching events, high-SNR spectroscopy must be extended to z ≳ 3 quiescent objects.
Planetary nebulae with Wolf–Rayet-type central stars – I. The case of the high-excitation NGC 2371
Authors: Gómez-González V M A , Toalá J A , Guerrero M A , Todt H , Sabin L , Ramos-Larios G , Mayya Y D
Published: June 2020

We present the analysis of the planetary nebula (PN) NGC 2371 around the [Wolf–Rayet] (WR) star WD 0722+295. Our Isaac Newton Telescope intermediate dispersion spectrograph spectra, in conjunction with archival optical and ultraviolet images, unveil in unprecedented detail the high ionization of NGC 2371. The nebula has an apparent multipolar morphology, with two pairs of lobes protruding from a barrel-like central cavity, a pair of dense low ionization knots misaligned with the symmetry axis embedded within the central cavity, and a high-excitation halo mainly detected in He ii. The abundances from the barrel-like central cavity and dense knots agree with abundance determinations for other PNe with [WR]-type central stars of PNe. We suggest that the densest knots inside NGC 2371 are the oldest structures, remnant of a dense equatorial structure, while the main nebular shell and outer lobes resulted from a latter ejection that ended the stellar evolution. The analysis of position–velocity diagrams produced from our high-quality spectra suggests that NGC 2371 has a bipolar shape with each lobe presenting a double structure protruding from a barrel-like central region. The analysis of the spectra of WD 0722+295 results in similar stellar parameters as previously reported. We corroborate that the spectral subtype corresponds with a [WO1] type.
Khoe-San Genomes Reveal Unique Variation and Confirm the Deepest Population Divergence in Homo sapiens
Authors: Schlebusch Carina M , Sjödin Per , Breton Gwenna , Günther Torsten , Naidoo Thijessen , Hollfelder Nina , Sjöstrand Agnes E , Xu Jingzi , Gattepaille Lucie M , Vicente Mário , Scofield Douglas G , Malmström Helena , de Jongh Michael , Lombard Marlize , Soodyall Himla , Jakobsson Mattias
Published: June 2020

The southern African indigenous Khoe-San populations harbor the most divergent lineages of all living peoples. Exploring their genomes is key to understanding deep human history. We sequenced 25 full genomes from five Khoe-San populations, revealing many novel variants, that 25% of variants are unique to the Khoe-San, and that the Khoe-San group harbors the greatest level of diversity across the globe. In line with previous studies, we found several gene regions with extreme values in genome-wide scans for selection, potentially caused by natural selection in the lineage leading to Homo sapiens and more recent in time. These gene regions included immunity-, sperm-, brain-, diet-, and muscle-related genes. When accounting for recent admixture, all Khoe-San groups display genetic diversity approaching the levels in other African groups and a reduction in effective population size starting around 100,000 years ago. Hence, all human groups show a reduction in effective population size commencing around the time of the Out-of-Africa migrations, which coincides with changes in the paleoclimate records, changes that potentially impacted all humans at the time.
ALMA twenty-six arcmin2 survey of GOODS-S at one millimeter (ASAGAO): Millimeter properties of stellar mass selected galaxies
Authors: Yamaguchi Yuki , Kohno Kotaro , Hatsukade Bunyo , Wang Tao , Yoshimura Yuki , Ao Yiping , Dunlop James S , Egami Eiichi , Espada Daniel , Fujimoto Seiji , Hayatsu Natsuki H , Ivison Rob J , Kodama Tadayuki , Kusakabe Haruka , Nagao Tohru , Ouchi Masami , Rujopakarn Wiphu , Tadaki Ken-ichi , Tamura Yoichi , Ueda Yoshihiro , Umehata Hideki , Wang Wei-Hao
Published: June 2020

We make use of the ALMA twenty-Six Arcmin2 survey of GOODS-S At One-millimeter (ASAGAO), deep 1.2 mm continuum observations of a 26-arcmin2 region in the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey-South (GOODS-S) obtained with Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array (ALMA), to probe dust-enshrouded star formation in K-band selected (i.e., stellar mass selected) galaxies, which are drawn from the FourStar Galaxy Evolution Survey (ZFOURGE) catalog. Based on the ASAGAO combined map, which was created by combining ASAGAO and ALMA archival data in the GOODS-South field, we find that 24 ZFOURGE sources have 1.2 mm counterparts with a signal-to-noise ratio >4.5 (1σ ≃ 30–70 μJy beam−1 at 1.2 mm). Their median redshift is estimated to be $z$median = 2.38 ± 0.14. They generally follow the tight relationship of the stellar mass versus star formation rate (i.e., the main sequence of star-forming galaxies). ALMA-detected ZFOURGE sources exhibit systematically larger infrared (IR) excess (IRX ≡ LIR/LUV) compared to ZFOURGE galaxies without ALMA detections even though they have similar redshifts, stellar masses, and star formation rates. This implies the consensus stellar-mass versus IRX relation, which is known to be tight among rest-frame-ultraviolet-selected galaxies, cannot fully predict the ALMA detectability of stellar-mass-selected galaxies. We find that ALMA-detected ZFOURGE sources are the main contributors to the cosmic IR star formation rate density at $z$ = 2–3.
Various Ages of Recycled Material in the Source of Cenozoic Basalts in SE China: Implications for the Role of the Hainan Plume
Authors: Li Yan-Qing , Kitagawa Hiroshi , Nakamura Eizo , Ma Changqian , Hu Xiangyun , Kobayashi Katsura , Sakaguchi Chie
Published: June 2020

Subduction processes introduce crustal materials into the mantle, and mantle plumes return them to the surface. However, when and how the subducted materials were recorded in the plume-related basalts remains unclear. Here we investigate geochronology, bulk-rock composition, and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopes of Cenozoic basalts from Southeast China, occurring near the west Pacific subduction zone and the seismically detected Hainan plume. Volcanism beginning in the late Oligocene in the continental margin of SE China consistently becomes younger landward. Together with a compilation of published results on the synchronous basalts from the South China Sea seamounts and the Indochina peninsula, the volcanoes close to the Pacific subduction zone exhibit more radiogenic Pb and Sr isotopes associated with less radiogenic Nd isotopes compared with those of the inland volcanoes. Such spatiotemporal variations in radiogenic isotopes imply oceanic crusts of different ages in the source, each corresponding to a different geographical volcanic belt. Major-element features such as low CaO, high TiO2 and high Fe/Mn ratios imply that pyroxenite/eclogite could serve as a source lithology of the SE China basalts. Specific trace-element signatures reveal the important roles of recycled oceanic crust along with surface sediment, which was inconsistently dehydrated during subduction. A geologically, geochemically, and geophysically plausible scenario is proposed to illustrate the time–space–source correlation of the late Cenozoic basaltic lavas in SE Asia. The Hainan plume delivered the ancient subducted crust (1·5 Ga) from the core–mantle boundary and, subsequently, the subducted Pacific plate crustal materials from the mantle transition zone to the shallow mantle as a result of mantle convection induced by continuous subduction of the Pacific plate. Such recycled materials of different ages contributed to the geographical compositional heterogeneities of the late Cenozoic basaltic lavas in SE Asia.
An Adapted Chronic Constriction Injury of the Sciatic Nerve Produces Sensory, Affective, and Cognitive Impairments: A Peripheral Mononeuropathy Model for the Study of Comorbid Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Neuropathic Pain in Rats
Authors: Medeiros Priscila , dos Santos Ieda Regina , Júnior Ivair Matias , Palazzo Enza , da Silva José Aparecido , Machado Hélio Rubens , Ferreira Sérgio Henrique , Maione Sabatino , Coimbra Norberto Cysne , de Freitas Renato Leonardo
Published: June 2020

Background

Chronic constriction injury (CCI) is a model of neuropathic pain induced by four loose ligatures around the sciatic nerve. This work aimed to investigate the sensory, affective, cognitive, and motor changes induced by an adaptation of the CCI model by applying a single ligature around the sciatic nerve.

Methods

Mechanical allodynia was measured from day 1 to day 28 postsurgery by the von Frey test. The beam walking test (BWT) was conducted weekly until 28 days after surgery. Anxiety- and depression-like behaviors, and cognitive performance were assessed through the open field (OF), forced swimming (FS), and novel object recognition (NOR) tests, respectively, 21 days after surgery.

Results

The two CCI models, both Bennett and Xie’s model (four ligatures of the sciatic nerve) and a modification of it (one ligature), induced mechanical allodynia, increased immobility in the FS, and reduced recognition index in the NOR. The exploratory behavior and time spent in the central part of the arena decreased, while the defensive behavior increased in the OF. The animals subjected to the two CCI models showed motor alterations in the BWT; however, autotomy was observed only in the group with four ligatures and not in the group with a single ligature.

Conclusions

Overall these results demonstrate that our adapted CCI model, using a single ligature around the sciatic nerve, induces sensory, affective, cognitive, and motor alterations comparable to the CCI model with four ligatures without generating autotomy. This adaptation to the CCI model may therefore represent an appropriate and more easily performed model for inducing neuropathic pain and study underlying mechanisms and effective treatments.
A classical density functional theory model for fragility in the hard-sphere limit
Authors: Mondal Arijit , Das Shankar P
Published: June 2020

We study, using the classical density functional theory (DFT), the fragility and short-time elastic constants of a soft-sphere liquid. For the amorphous state, the order parameter is the inhomogeneous density function $\rho({\bf r})$ which is described in terms of Gaussian density profiles centered on a set random lattice points $\{{\bf R}_i\}$. The latter is characterized in terms of the Bernel pair function $g_\mathrm{B}(r)$. Based on the Adam–Gibbs-type relation between the $\alpha$ relaxation time $\tau_\alpha$ and the configurational entropy $\mathcal{S}_{\rm c}$, a thermodynamic fragility $m_\mathrm{T}$ for the liquid is defined. The concentration or average density of the liquid is treated as the control parameter here instead of temperature. The configurational entropy of the liquid is calculated using the DFT model. Variations in the short-range structure of the amorphous state are made with different choices for the value of $g_\mathrm{B}(r)$ at short distances, and its implications on the correlation between fragility $m_\mathrm{T}$ and the softness index $n$ are studied. The dependence of Poisson’s ratio $\nu$ on the softness index $n$ of the interaction potential is also obtained from the density dependence of the metastable state free energy. The correlation between $m_\mathrm{T}$ and $\nu$ follows.
Plant communities responding to grazing pressure by sheep in an Alpine meadow
Authors: Wu Jianping , Gong Xuyin , Yao Xixi , Casper David P
Published: June 2020

The Chinese grassland ecosystem is an important national asset that not only impacts climate regulation, soil and water conservation, wind protection, and soil carbon and nitrogen fixation but is also an important contributor to maintaining grassland biodiversity while supporting livestock production. Grasslands are a key component contributing to the productivity of grazing animals but also provide basic food production via livestock grazing for herder survival. Grazing is the most basic means of grassland utilization but is considered one of the more important disturbance factors controllable by humans that has a universal and profound impact on the grassland ecosystem due to animal density and over grazing. For Alpine grasslands, it is not clear what grazing intensity (GI) can be achieved to improve plant biodiversity and vegetative nutritional value while improving sheep productivity. This field experiment was conducted for 7 yr comparing the impact of different GI on vegetation community characteristics, nutritional value, and sheep growth performance on the Alpine meadows of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. The GI measured were: Control: 0 sheep/ha; Low: 3.7 sheep/ha; Medium: 5.3 sheep/ha; and Heavy: 7.6 sheep/ha. The grazing experiment started in 2008, but experimental data collection and analyses were collected for the final 4 yr of 2015 through 2018. All grazing intensities >0 sheep/ha reduced (P < 0.05) plant height (27%, 46%, and 48%, respectively, for 3.7, 5.3, and 7.6 sheep/ha), ground coverage (16%, 24%, and 48%), and above ground biomass (2%, 42% and 53%) of the various plant communities while increasing (P < 0.05) the grass community density (individuals/m2) compared to a nongrazed Control. With increasing GI, the community height, coverage, and above-ground biomass decreased (P < 0.05), and the plant community density increased then decreased (P < 0.05) compared to Control. As GI increased, the available community biomass nutritional quality increased (P < 0.05). Comprehensive analysis showed that the community density (quantity) and nutritional quality were the highest when the GI was 5.3 sheep/ha. The higher the GI, the greater the grass’s nutritive value with lower above-ground net primary production (ANPP). When GI was the highest, the average daily gain (ADG) per hectare was the highest in the short term, but the highest GI endangers the ANPP and profitability of the grassland grazing ecosystem in the long term. Targeting a moderate GI (5.3 sheep/ha) can provide 78% of the ADG per hectare of the highest GI, which meets the requirement of maintaining a sustainable grazing grassland.
Bisexuality, Multiple-Gender-Attraction, and Gay Liberation Politics in the 1970s
Authors: Robinson Rhodes Martha
Published: June 2020

Histories of the British Gay Liberation Front (GLF) portray it as radical and inclusive, seeking alliances with counter-cultural groups, and as an early proponent of the concept of ‘queer’. However, its radical politics relied on a binary division between ‘gay’ and ‘straight’ that associated different-gender attraction with regressive politics and could not accommodate bisexuality or attraction to multiple genders. This article compares GLF’s approach to bisexuality and multiple-gender-attraction with that of the more ‘moderate’ Campaign for Homosexual Equality (C.H.E.) during the 1970s. Initially, C.H.E. was more accepting, although this declined over the course of the decade as it, too, became more associated with liberationist politics. Attention to bisexuality and attraction to multiple genders during this period therefore challenges historical narratives about the ‘queer’ inclusivity of gay liberation and of 1970s radical politics more generally.
Self-learning drift control of automated vehicles beyond handling limit after rear-end collision
Authors: Yin Yuming , Li Shengbo Eben , Li Keqiang , Yang Jue , Ma Fei
Published: June 2020

Vehicles involved in traffic accidents generally experience divergent vehicle motion, which causes severe damage. This paper presents a self-learning drift-control method for the purpose of stabilizing a vehicle's yaw motions after a high-speed rear-end collision. The struck vehicle generally experiences substantial drifting and/or spinning after the collision, which is beyond the handling limit and difficult to control. Drift control of the struck vehicle along the original lane was investigated. The rear-end collision was treated as a set of impact forces, and the three-dimensional non-linear dynamic responses of the vehicle were considered in the drift control. A multi-layer perception neural network was trained as a deterministic control policy using the actor-critic reinforcement learning framework. The control policy was iteratively updated, initiating from a random parameterized policy. The results show that the self-learning controller gained the ability to eliminate unstable vehicle motion after data-driven training of about 60,000 iterations. The controlled struck vehicle was also able to drift back to its original lane in a variety of rear-end collision scenarios, which could significantly reduce the risk of a second collision in traffic.
Characterization of Endophytic Microbial Communities in Store-Bought Kale Evaluated by Different Plant Tissue Homogenization Methods
Authors: McNees C. Ruth , Law Audrey D. , Moe Luke A.
Published: June 2020

Endophytic microorganisms live in intercellular and vascular spaces of plants and span the continuum from beneficial to pathogenic in both plants and animals. Increasing human consumption of fruits and vegetables has placed an emphasis on identifying and studying those microbes that colonize the internal tissues of plants, with a goal of limiting populations of enteric pathogens in store-bought foods meant for raw consumption, such as leafy greens. Culture-independent (i.e., metagenomic) methods are increasingly used to obtain an accurate snapshot of plant microbial communities, yet technical hurdles limit the accuracy and throughput of these methods. This includes the low-throughput nature of plant tissue maceration, and the prevalence of plant plastid DNA in metagenomic DNA extracts, which is typically coamplified via PCR strategies that target the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. In this study, we use kale (Brassica oleracea) as a model to explore the leafy green endophytic microbiome and to compare how two tissue maceration techniques used in traditional endophyte research compare in culture-independent microbiome studies using the Illumina Miseq platform. Three different brands of store-bought kale were surface sterilized and subjected to two tissue maceration strategies: enzyme digestion and blender processing. Analysis of 16S rRNA gene amplicon libraries revealed two highly abundant operational taxonomic units present in all libraries, one classified to the genus Pseudomonas and one to the family Enterobacteriaceae. Community structure and membership were highly similar among brands and between tissue maceration strategies, suggesting that both enzyme digestion and blender processing are suitable methods. Nonetheless, enzyme digestion may increase sample throughput and minimize steps involved in sample processing.
Language Matters: It Is Time We Change How We Talk About Addiction and its Treatment
Authors: Zgierska Aleksandra E. , Miller Michael M. , Rabago David P. , Hilliard Florence , McCarthy Patty , Cowan Penney , Salsitz Edwin A.
Published: June 2020

The way we communicate about addiction, its treatment, and treatment outcomes matters to individuals affected by addiction, their families, and communities.

Stigmatizing language can worsen addiction-related stigma and outcomes. Although non-professional terminology may be used by individuals with addiction, the role of clinicians, educators, researchers, policymakers, and community and cultural leaders is to actively work toward destigmatization of addiction and its treatment, in part through the use of non-stigmatizing language. Role-modeling better approaches can help us move away from the inaccurate, outdated view of addiction as a character flaw or moral failing deserving of punishment, and toward that of a chronic disease requiring long-term treatment. Non-stigmatizing, non-judgmental, medically-based terminology and the adoption of person-first language can facilitate improved communication as well as patient access to and engagement with addiction care. Person-first language, which shifts away from defining a person through the lens of disease (eg, the term “a person with addiction” is recommended over the terms “addict” or “addicted patient”), implicitly acknowledges that a patient's life extends beyond a given disease. While such linguistic changes may seem subtle, they communicate that addiction, chronic pain and other diseases are only one aspect of a person's health and quality of life, and can promote therapeutic relationships, reduce stigma and health and disparities in addiction care. This article provides examples of stigmatizing terms to be avoided and recommended replacements to facilitate the dialogue about addiction in a more intentional, therapeutic manner.
Feeding Behaviors in Infants With Prenatal Opioid Exposure
Authors: McGlothen-Bell Kelly , Cleveland Lisa , Recto Pamela , Brownell Elizabeth , McGrath Jacqueline
Published: June 2020

Background:

Oral feeding is one of the most complex maturational skills of infancy. Difficulties with feeding require specialized attention, and if not well managed, may prolong the newborn's hospital length of stay. This is particularly true for prenatally opioid exposed (POE) infants. A paucity of literature exists characterizing feeding behaviors of POE infants, yet feeding problems are common.

Purpose:

The purpose of this integrative review was to synthesize and critically analyze the evidence that characterizes feeding behaviors in full-term, POE infants.

Methods/Search Strategy:

The electronic databases of CINAHL, PubMed, Scopus, and PsycINFO were used. Inclusion criteria were studies in English, conducted from 1970 to 2019, with participant samples consisting of infants with prenatal opioid exposure, born full-term, and between 38 and 40 weeks of gestation. Based on the inclusion criteria, our search yielded 557 articles. After further screening, only 4 studies met our full inclusion/exclusion criteria. These studies were analyzed for evidence of infant feeding behaviors, including characterization of problematic feeding behavior for POE infants.

Findings/Results:

Our findings revealed inconsistencies in characterization of feeding behaviors among POE infants. A synthesis of the most common evidence-based behaviors was constructed. Infant feeding behaviors were identified and grouped into 2 major behavior domains: (1) typical feeding behavior and (2) problematic feeding behavior.

Implications for Practice and Research:

Feeding behaviors related to sucking and behavioral states may be different in POE infants. Further examination of effective assessment methods and the categorization of infant feeding behaviors are warranted for use in the development of evidence-based, targeted intervention.
Autonomous Walking Program and High-Intensity Inspiratory Muscle Training in Individuals With Heart Failure—A Feasibility Study
Authors: Lin Suh-Jen , Ababneh Anas , Tran Vinh
Published: June 2020

Purpose:

We assessed the feasibility of a 6-week combined program of autonomous walking plus high-intensity inspiratory muscle training (IMT) in individuals with heart failure (HF) during the transitional care period.

Methods:

Individuals with HF being discharged within the past 3 months were enrolled. This was a preliminary, 2-armed randomized controlled trial with participants blinded: (1) the autonomous walking-only program with a weekly step goal; and (2) the combined program with IMT added at 60% maximal inspiratory pressure. Feasibility was assessed by frequency of participation. Average 7-day step count and PImax were determined weekly. Additional outcomes included 6-minute walk test and the Minnesota living with heart failure questionnaire (MLHFQ).

Results:

Sixteen participants were randomized (age, 56 ± 12 years), but only 8 completed the study. Seven participants had good adherence of 80% to 100% in activity and breathing exercise logs. Four participants in the combined program showed a 21% to 58% improvement based on the MLHFQ. A small sample size and the high dropout rate were addressed.

Conclusions:

The combined program of autonomous walking and high-intensity IMT appeared to be feasible and beneficial after the transitional care period. Novel strategies to enhance subject recruitment and adherence are needed for future studies.
Incidence of Surgical Site Infections in Second Intention Healing After Dermatologic Surgery
Authors: Schimmel Joshua , Belcher Matthew , Vieira Carlos , Lawrence Naomi , Decker Ashley
Published: June 2020

BACKGROUND

There are few studies analyzing the surgical site infection (SSI) rate of second intention wounds after dermatologic surgery, and the results are inconclusive. Yet, the current dogma in dermatologic surgery is that wounds healed by second intention have lower infection rates.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the rate of SSI and associated pathogenic organisms of second intention wounds compared with sutured wounds after skin cancer extirpation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This was a retrospective cohort study of patients who had either Mohs micrographic surgery or wide local excision (WLE) for skin cancer extirpation between 2012 and 2016. Wounds were stratified by closure type, location, and associated organisms. Infection was diagnosed by a positive wound culture.

RESULTS

The overall infection rate was 3.9%. The infection rate for sutured and second intention wounds was 3.2% and 6.8%, respectively. Second intention wounds were associated with a significantly higher risk of infection compared with sutured wounds (odds ratio = 2.22, 95% confidence interval 1.63–2.99). The lower extremity (LE) had the highest overall infection rate (10.5%). The face had the lowest overall infection rate (2.5%).

CONCLUSION

Mohs micrographic surgery or WLE performed on the LE or lesions allowed to heal by second intention has an increased risk of SSI.
Risk of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Among Older Adults Living Near Construction and Manufacturing Sites
Authors: Rhee Jongeun , Dominici Francesca , Zanobetti Antonella , Schwartz Joel , Wang Yun , Di Qian , Christiani David C.
Published: June 2020

Background:

Construction and manufacturing sites produce airborne toxins that may affect nearby residents’ respiratory health. Living in heavy industrial sites has been linked to respiratory conditions such as asthma and pneumonia. However, limited information is available for risk of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a form of acute respiratory failure with high incidence among older adults.

Methods:

We conducted a nationwide ecologic study to investigate associations between annual ZIP code-level changes in industrial activity and annual changes in ZIP code-level hospital admission rates for older community residents. Using adjusted generalized linear mixed models, we analyzed data from nearly 30 million yearly Medicare beneficiaries for the years 2006 through 2012.

Results:

We found on average 92,363 hospital admissions for ARDS per year and 646,542 admissions over the course of 7 years. We found that an increase of 10 construction sites per year was associated with a 0.77% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.71, 0.84) increase in annual hospital admission rates for ARDS and an increase of 10 manufacturing industries per year was associated with a 1.21% (95% CI = 1.09, 1.33) increase in annual hospital admission rates for ARDS across all ZIP codes. The estimated effect of chemical product manufacturing industry on ARDS was higher than that of total manufacturing industries. Residing in ZIP codes with a high number of construction or manufacturing sites was associated with increased ARDS hospital admissions.

Conclusions:

This nationwide ecologic study of older adults suggests that residence in areas with more construction and manufacturing sites is associated with increased ARDS risk.
Gone But Not Lost: Implications for Estimating HIV Care Outcomes When Loss to Clinic Is Not Loss to Care
Authors: Edwards Jessie K. , Lesko Catherine R. , Herce Michael E. , Murenzi Gad , Twizere Christella , Lelo Patricia , Anastos Kathryn , Tymejczyk Olga , Yotebieng Marcel , Nash Denis , Adedimeji Adebola , Edmonds Andrew
Published: June 2020

Background:

In some time-to-event analyses, it is unclear whether loss to follow up should be treated as a censoring event or competing event. Such ambiguity is particularly common in HIV research that uses routinely collected clinical data to report the timing of key milestones along the HIV care continuum. In this setting, loss to follow up may be viewed as a censoring event, under the assumption that patients who are “lost” from a study clinic immediately enroll in care elsewhere, or a competing event, under the assumption that people “lost” are out of care all together.

Methods:

We illustrate an approach to address this ambiguity when estimating the 2-year risk of antiretroviral treatment initiation among 19,506 people living with HIV who enrolled in the IeDEA Central Africa cohort between 2006 and 2017, along with published estimates from tracing studies in Africa. We also assessed the finite sample properties of the proposed approach using simulation experiments.

Results:

The estimated 2-year risk of treatment initiation was 69% if patients were censored at loss to follow up or 59% if losses to follow up were treated as competing events. Using the proposed approach, we estimated that the 2-year risk of antiretroviral therapy initiation was 62% (95% confidence interval: 61, 62). The proposed approach had little bias and appropriate confidence interval coverage under scenarios examined in the simulation experiments.

Conclusions:

The proposed approach relaxes the assumptions inherent in treating loss to follow up as a censoring or competing event in clinical HIV cohort studies.
Cannabidiol disrupts conditioned fear expression and cannabidiolic acid reduces trauma-induced anxiety-related behaviour in mice
Authors: Assareh Neda , Gururajan Anand , Zhou Cilla , Luo Jia Lin , Kevin Richard C. , Arnold Jonathon C.
Published: June 2020

The major phytocannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) has anxiolytic properties and lacks tetrahydrocannabinol-like psychoactivity. Cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) is the acidic precursor to CBD, and this compound appears more potent than CBD in animal models of emesis, pain and epilepsy. In this short report, we aimed to examine whether CBDA is more potent than CBD in disrupting expression of conditioned fear and generalised anxiety-related behaviour induced by Pavlovian fear conditioning. Mice underwent fear conditioning and 24 h later were administered CBD and CBDA before testing for fear expression and generalized anxiety-like behaviour. We found that CBD and CBDA had dissociable effects; while CBD but not CBDA disrupted cued fear memory expression, CBDA but not CBD normalized trauma-induced generalized anxiety-related behaviour. Neither phytocannabinoid affected contextual fear expression. Our findings form the basis for future experiments examining whether phytocannabinoids, alone and in combination, are effective in these mouse models of fear and anxiety.
Repeated ketamine administration induces recognition memory impairment together with morphological changes in neurons from ventromedial prefrontal cortex, dorsal striatum, and hippocampus
Authors: Suárez-Santiago José Eduardo , Orozco-Suárez Sandra , Vega-García Angélica , Bautista-Orozco Luis Ángel , Picazo Ofir
Published: June 2020

Ketamine is an anesthetic agent that antagonizes N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors, inducing psychotic-like symptoms in healthy humans and animals. This agent has been used as a pharmacological tool for studying biochemical and physiological mechanisms underlying the clinical manifestations of schizophrenia. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of repeated injections of ketamine (5 and 10 mg/kg, i.p., daily for 5 days) on recognition memory and neuronal morphology in ICR-CD1 mice. This treatment induced recognition memory impairment in the novel object recognition test and a decrease in dendritic spines density in both dorsal striatum and CA1-hippocampus. Sholl analysis showed that both ketamine doses decrease the dendritic arborization in ventromedial prefrontal cortex, dorsal striatum, and CA1-hippocampus. Finally, dendritic spines morphology was modified by both doses; that is, an increase of the filipodia-type spines (10 mg/kg) and a reduction of the mushroom-type spines (5 and 10 mg/kg) was observed in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. In the dorsal striatum, the low dose of ketamine induced an increase in long thin spines and a decrease of mushroom spines. Interestingly, in CA1-hippocampus, there was an increase in the mushrooms type spines (5 mg/kg). Current findings suggest that the subchronic blockade of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor changes the neuronal plasticity of several brain regions putatively related to recognition memory impairment.
Toxic Shock Syndrome after Surgery: Case Presentation and Systematic Review of the Literature
Authors: Celie Karel-Bart , Colen David L. , Kovach Stephen J.
Published: June 2020

Background:

Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is an underrecognized but highly fatal cause of septic shock in postoperative patients. Although it may present with no overt source of infection, its course is devastating and rapidly progressive. Surgeon awareness is needed to recognize and treat this condition appropriately. In this paper, we aim to describe a case of postoperative TSS, present a systematic review of the literature, and provide an overview of the disease for the surgeon.

Methods:

A systematic review of the literature between 1978 and 2018 was performed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines using the keywords “toxic shock syndrome” and “surgery.” Variables of interest were collected in each report.

Results:

A total of 298 reports were screened, and 67 reports describing 96 individual patients met inclusion criteria. Six reports described a streptococcal cause, although the vast majority attributed TSS toStaphylococcus aureus(SA). The mortality in our review was 9.4%, although 24% of patients suffered some manner of permanent complication. TSS presented at a median of 4 days postoperatively, with most cases occurring within 10 days.

Conclusions:

Surgeons must maintain a high index of suspicion for postoperative TSS. Our review demonstrates that TSS should not be excluded despite young patient age, patient health, or relative simplicity of a procedure. Symptoms such as fever, rash, pain out of proportion to examination, and diarrhea or emesis should raise concern for TSS and prompt exploration and cultures even of benign-appearing postoperative wounds.
Automated Dicentric Aberration Scoring for Triage Dose Assessment: 60Co Gamma Ray Dose-response at Different Dose Rates
Authors: Subramanian Uma , O’Brien Brett , McNamara Maureen , Romanyukha Lyudmila , Bolduc David L. , Olsen Cara , Blakely William F.
Published: June 2020

The objective of this study was to establish radiation dose-response calibration curves using automated dicentric scoring to support rapid and accurate cytogenetic triage dose-assessment. Blood was drawn from healthy human volunteers and exposed to 60Co gamma rays at several dose rates (i.e., 1.0, 0.6, and 0.1 Gy min−1). After radiation, the blood was placed for 2 h in a 37 °C incubator for repair. Blood was then cultured in complete media to which a mitogen (i.e., phytoghemagglutinin, concentration 4%) was added for 48 h. Colcemid was added to the culture at a final concentration of 0.2 μg mL−1 after 24 h for the purpose of arresting first-division metaphase mitotics. Cells were harvested at the end of 48 h. Samples were processed using an automated metaphase harvester and automated microscope metaphase finder equipped with a suite of software including a specialized automated dicentric scoring application. The data obtained were used to create dose-response tables of dicentric yields. The null hypothesis that the data is Poisson-distributed could not be rejected at the significance level of α = 0.05 using results from a Shiny R Studio application (goodness-of-fit Poisson). Calibration curves based on linear-quadratic fits for 60Co gamma rays at the three different dose rates were generated using these data. The calibration curves were used to detect blind test cases. In conclusion, using the automated harvester and automated microscope metaphase finder with associated automated dicentric scoring software demonstrates high-throughput with suitable accuracy for triage radiation dose assessment.
Health Phenotypes and Neurobehavioral Symptom Severity Among Post-9/11 Veterans With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium Study
Authors: Bouldin Erin D. , Swan Alicia A. , Norman Rocio S. , Tate David F. , Tumminello Christa , Amuan Megan E. , Eapen Blessen C. , Wang Chen-Pin , Trevino Amira , Pugh Mary Jo
Published: June 2020

Objective:

To evaluate whether neurobehavioral symptoms differ between groups of veterans with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) classified by health characteristics.

Participants:

A total of 71 934 post-9/11 veterans with mTBI from the Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium Epidemiology warfighter cohort.

Design:

Cross-sectional analysis of retrospective cohort.

Main Measures:

Health phenotypes identified using latent class analysis of health and function over 5 years. Symptom severity measured using Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory; domains included vestibular, somatic, cognitive, and affective.

Results:

Veterans classified as moderately healthy had the lowest symptom burden while the polytrauma phenotype group had the highest. After accounting for sociodemographic and injury characteristics, polytrauma phenotype veterans had about 3 times the odds of reporting severe symptoms in each domain compared with moderately healthy veterans. Those veterans who were initially moderately healthy but whose health declined over time had about twice the odds of severe symptoms as consistently healthier Veterans. The strongest associations were in the affective domain. Compared with the moderately healthy group, veterans in other phenotypes were more likely to report symptoms substantially interfered with their daily lives (odds ratio range: 1.3-2.8).

Conclusion:

Symptom severity and interference varied by phenotype, including between veterans with stable and declining health. Ameliorating severe symptoms, particularly in the affective domain, could improve health trajectories following mTBI.
Introducing the ImPACT-5: An Empirically Derived Multivariate Validity Composite
Authors: Erdodi Laszlo , Korcsog Kassandra , Considine Ciaran , Casey Joseph , Scoboria Alan , Abeare Christopher
Published: June 2020

Objective:

To create novel Immediate Post-Concussion and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT)-based embedded validity indicators (EVIs) and to compare the classification accuracy to 4 existing EVI
ImPACT
.

Method:

The ImPACT was administered to 82 male varsity football players during preseason baseline cognitive testing. The classification accuracy of existing EVI
ImPACT
was compared with a newly developed index (ImPACT-5A and B). The ImPACT-5A represents the number of cutoffs failed on the 5 ImPACT composite scores at a liberal cutoff (0.85 specificity); ImPACT-5B is the sum of failures on conservative cutoffs (≥0.90 specificity).

Results:

ImPACT-5A ≥1 was sensitive (0.81), but not specific (0.49) to invalid performance, consistent with EVI
ImPACT
developed by independent researchers (0.68 sensitivity at 0.73-0.75 specificity). Conversely, ImPACT-5B ≥3 was highly specific (0.98), but insensitive (0.22), similar to Default EVI
ImPACT
(0.04 sensitivity at 1.00 specificity). ImPACT-5A ≥3 or ImPACT-5B ≥2 met forensic standards of specificity (0.91-0.93) at 0.33 to 0.37 sensitivity. Also, the ImPACT-5s had the strongest linear relationship with clinically meaningful levels of invalid performance of existing EVI
ImPACT
.

Conclusions:

The ImPACT-5s were superior to the standard EVI
ImPACT
and comparable to existing aftermarket EVI
ImPACT
, with the flexibility to optimize the detection model for either sensitivity or specificity. The wide range of ImPACT-5 cutoffs allows for a more nuanced clinical interpretation.
Comorbid Conditions Differentiate Rehabilitation Profiles in Traumatic Versus Nontraumatic Brain Injury: A Retrospective Analysis Using a Medical Database
Authors: Rajesh Aishwarya , Daugherty Ana M. , Jain Sanjiv , Henry Dawn , Barbey Aron K. , Rubin Rachael D.
Published: June 2020

Purpose:

We examined the relationship between comorbid medical conditions and changes in cognition over the course of rehabilitation following acquired brain injury. In particular, we compared outcomes between traumatic brain injury (TBI) and non-TBI using a retrospective inpatient rehabilitation dataset. We hypothesized that differences by diagnosis would be minimized among subgroups of patients with common comorbid medical conditions.

Materials and Methods:

We used the Functional Independence Measure (FIM)-cognition subscale to index changes in cognition over rehabilitation. A decision tree classifier determined the top 10 comorbid conditions that maximally differentiated TBI and non-TBI. Ten subsets of patients were identified by matching on these conditions, in rank order. Data from these subsets were submitted to repeated-measures logistic regression to establish the minimum degree of commonality in comorbid conditions that would produce similar cognitive rehabilitation, regardless of etiology.

Results:

The TBI group demonstrated a greater increase in ordinal scores over time relative to non-TBI, across all subscales of the FIM-cognition. When both groups were matched on the top 3 symptoms, there were no significant group differences in rehabilitation trajectory in problem-solving and memory domains (Cohen'sdrange: 0.2-0.4).

Conclusion:

Comorbid medical conditions explain differences in cognitive rehabilitation trajectories following acquired brain injury beyond etiology.