NuSTAR study of Hard X-Ray Morphology and Spectroscopy of PWN G21.5-0.9

We present NuSTAR high energy X-ray observations of the pulsar wind nebula (PWN)/supernova remnant G21.5-0.9. We detect integrated emission from the nebula up to ~40 keV, and resolve individual spatial features over a broad X-ray band for the first time. The morphology seen by NuSTAR agrees well with that seen by XMM-Newton and Chandra below 10 keV. At high energies NuSTAR clearly detects non-thermal emission up to ~20 keV that extends along the eastern and northern rim of the supernova shell. The broadband images clearly demonstrate that X-ray emission from the North Spur and Eastern Limb results predominantly from non-thermal processes. We detect a break in the spatially integrated X-ray spectrum at ~9 keV that cannot be reproduced by current SED models, implying either a more complex electron injection spectrum or an additional process such as diffusion compared to what has been considered in previous work. We use spatially resolved maps to derive an energy-dependent cooling length scale, $L(E) \propto E^{m}$ with $m = -0.21 \pm 0.01$. We find this to be inconsistent with the model for the morphological evolution with energy described by Kennel & Coroniti (1984). This value, along with the observed steepening in power-law index between radio and X-ray, can be quantitatively explained as an energy-loss spectral break in the simple scaling model of Reynolds (2009), assuming particle advection dominates over diffusion. This interpretation requires a substantial departure from spherical magnetohydrodynamic (MHD), magnetic-flux-conserving outflow, most plausibly in the form of turbulent magnetic-field amplification.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, 1 table, Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

How to assess eating disorder severity in males?The DSM-5 severity index versus severity based on drive for thinness

Using a male eating disorder (ED) sample, this study assessed the clinical utility of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM-5) severity indices for males with anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) and compared it to an alternative transdiagnostic severity categorisation based on drive for thinness (DT). The participants included 143 males with an ED (60 [42.0%] AN and 83 [58.0%] BN) diagnosis, who were classified using these two severity classifications. The different severity categories were then compared based on ED symptoms, general psychopathology, and personality traits. Our results revealed that the DSM-5 “mild” and DT “low” severity categories were most prevalent in the AN and BN male patients. Clinically significant findings were strongest for the DT categorisation for both AN and BN. The current findings provide initial support for an alternative transdiagnostic DT severity classification for males that may be more clinically meaningful than the DSM-5 severity indices

Characterization of L1 retrotransposition with high-throughput dual-luciferase assays

Recent studies employing genome-wide approaches have provided an unprecedented view of the scope of L1 activities on structural variations in the human genome, and further reinforced the role of L1s as one of the major driving forces behind human genome evolution. The rapid identification of novel L1 elements by these high-throughput approaches demands improved L1 functional assays. However, the existing assays use antibiotic selection markers or fluorescent proteins as reporters; neither is amenable to miniaturization. To increase assay sensitivity and throughput, we have developed a third generation assay by using dual-luciferase reporters, in which firefly luciferase is used as the retrotransposition indicator and Renilla luciferase is encoded on the same or separate plasmid for normalization. This novel assay is highly sensitive and has a broad dynamic range. Quantitative data with high signal-to-noise ratios can be obtained from 24- up to 96-well plates in 2–4 days after transfection. Using the dual-luciferase assays, we have characterized profiles of retrotransposition by various human and mouse L1 elements, and detailed the kinetics of L1 retrotransposition in cultured cells. Its high-throughput and short assay timeframe make it well suited for routine tests as well as large-scale screening efforts

Integral chain management of wildlife diseases

The chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis has caused the most prominent loss of vertebrate diversity ever recorded, which peaked in the 1980s. Recent incursion by its sister species B. salamandrivorans in Europe raised the alarm for a new wave of declines and extinctions in western Palearctic urodeles. The European Commission has responded by restricting amphibian trade. However, private amphibian collections, the main end consumers, were exempted from the European legislation. Here, we report how invasion by a released, exotic newt coincided with B. salamandrivorans invasion at over 1000 km from the nearest natural outbreak site, causing mass mortality in indigenous marbled newts (Triturus marmoratus), and posing an acute threat to the survival of nearby populations of the most critically endangered European newt species (Montseny brook newt, Calotriton arnoldi). Disease management was initiated shortly after detection in a close collaboration between policy and science and included drastic on site measures and intensive disease surveillance. Despite these efforts, the disease is considered temporarily contained but not eradicated and continued efforts will be necessary to minimize the probability of further pathogen dispersal. This precedent demonstrates the importance of tackling wildlife diseases at an early stage using an integrated approach, involving all stakeholders and closing loopholes in existing regulations

Enhancing Nonverbal Communication Through Virtual Human Technology: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study

Background: Communication is a critical component of the patient-provider relationship; however, limited research exists on the role of nonverbal communication. Virtual human training is an informatics-based educational strategy that offers various benefits in communication skill training directed at providers. Recent informatics-based interventions aimed at improving communication have mainly focused on verbal communication, yet research is needed to better understand how virtual humans can improve verbal and nonverbal communication and further elucidate the patient-provider dyad. Objective: The purpose of this study is to enhance a conceptual model that incorporates technology to examine verbal and nonverbal components of communication and develop a nonverbal assessment that will be included in the virtual simulation for further testing. Methods: This study will consist of a multistage mixed methods design, including convergent and exploratory sequential components. A convergent mixed methods study will be conducted to examine the mediating effects of nonverbal communication. Quantitative (eg, MPathic game scores, Kinect nonverbal data, objective structured clinical examination communication score, and Roter Interaction Analysis System and Facial Action Coding System coding of video) and qualitative data (eg, video recordings of MPathic–virtual reality [VR] interventions and student reflections) will be collected simultaneously. Data will be merged to determine the most crucial components of nonverbal behavior in human-computer interaction. An exploratory sequential design will proceed, consisting of a grounded theory qualitative phase. Using theoretical, purposeful sampling, interviews will be conducted with oncology providers probing intentional nonverbal behaviors. The qualitative findings will aid the development of a nonverbal communication model that will be included in a virtual human. The subsequent quantitative strand will incorporate and validate a new automated nonverbal communication behavior assessment into the virtual human simulation, MPathic-VR, by assessing interrater reliability, code interactions, and dyadic data analysis by comparing Kinect responses (system recorded) to manually scored records for specific nonverbal behaviors. Data will be integrated using building integration to develop the automated nonverbal communication behavior assessment and conduct a quality check of these nonverbal features. Results: Secondary data from the MPathic-VR randomized controlled trial data set (210 medical students and 840 video recordings of interactions) were analyzed in the first part of this study. Results showed differential experiences by performance in the intervention group. Following the analysis of the convergent design, participants consisting of medical providers (n=30) will be recruited for the qualitative phase of the subsequent exploratory sequential design. We plan to complete data collection by July 2023 to analyze and integrate these findings. Conclusions: The results from this study contribute to the improvement of patient-provider communication, both verbal and nonverbal, including the dissemination of health information and health outcomes for patients. Further, this research aims to transfer to various topical areas, including medication safety, informed consent processes, patient instructions, and treatment adherence between patients and providers

Enhancing Nonverbal Communication Through Virtual Human Technology: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study

Background: Communication is a critical component of the patient-provider relationship; however, limited research exists on the role of nonverbal communication. Virtual human training is an informatics-based educational strategy that offers various benefits in communication skill training directed at providers. Recent informatics-based interventions aimed at improving communication have mainly focused on verbal communication, yet research is needed to better understand how virtual humans can improve verbal and nonverbal communication and further elucidate the patient-provider dyad. Objective: The purpose of this study is to enhance a conceptual model that incorporates technology to examine verbal and nonverbal components of communication and develop a nonverbal assessment that will be included in the virtual simulation for further testing. Methods: This study will consist of a multistage mixed methods design, including convergent and exploratory sequential components. A convergent mixed methods study will be conducted to examine the mediating effects of nonverbal communication. Quantitative (eg, MPathic game scores, Kinect nonverbal data, objective structured clinical examination communication score, and Roter Interaction Analysis System and Facial Action Coding System coding of video) and qualitative data (eg, video recordings of MPathic–virtual reality [VR] interventions and student reflections) will be collected simultaneously. Data will be merged to determine the most crucial components of nonverbal behavior in human-computer interaction. An exploratory sequential design will proceed, consisting of a grounded theory qualitative phase. Using theoretical, purposeful sampling, interviews will be conducted with oncology providers probing intentional nonverbal behaviors. The qualitative findings will aid the development of a nonverbal communication model that will be included in a virtual human. The subsequent quantitative strand will incorporate and validate a new automated nonverbal communication behavior assessment into the virtual human simulation, MPathic-VR, by assessing interrater reliability, code interactions, and dyadic data analysis by comparing Kinect responses (system recorded) to manually scored records for specific nonverbal behaviors. Data will be integrated using building integration to develop the automated nonverbal communication behavior assessment and conduct a quality check of these nonverbal features. Results: Secondary data from the MPathic-VR randomized controlled trial data set (210 medical students and 840 video recordings of interactions) were analyzed in the first part of this study. Results showed differential experiences by performance in the intervention group. Following the analysis of the convergent design, participants consisting of medical providers (n=30) will be recruited for the qualitative phase of the subsequent exploratory sequential design. We plan to complete data collection by July 2023 to analyze and integrate these findings. Conclusions: The results from this study contribute to the improvement of patient-provider communication, both verbal and nonverbal, including the dissemination of health information and health outcomes for patients. Further, this research aims to transfer to various topical areas, including medication safety, informed consent processes, patient instructions, and treatment adherence between patients and providers. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/4660

Charming CP Violation and Dipole Operators from RS Flavor Anarchy

Recently the LHCb collaboration reported evidence for direct CP violation in charm decays. The value is sufficiently large that either substantially enhanced Standard Model contributions or non-Standard Model physics is required to explain it. In the latter case only a limited number of possibilities would be consistent with other existing flavor-changing constraints. We show that warped extra dimensional models that explain the quark spectrum through flavor anarchy can naturally give rise to contributions of the size required to explain the the LHCb result. The D meson asymmetry arises through a sizable CP-violating contribution to a chromomagnetic dipole operator. This happens naturally without introducing inconsistencies with existing constraints in the up quark sector. We discuss some subtleties in the loop calculation that are similar to those in Higgs to \gamma\gamma. Loop-induced dipole operators in warped scenarios and their composite analogs exhibit non-trivial dependence on the Higgs profile, with the contributions monotonically decreasing when the Higgs is pushed away from the IR brane. We show that the size of the dipole operator quickly saturates as the Higgs profile approaches the IR brane, implying small dependence on the precise details of the Higgs profile when it is quasi IR localized. We also explain why the calculation of the coefficient of the lowest dimension 5D operator is guaranteed to be finite. This is true not only in the charm sector but also with other radiative processes such as electric dipole moments, b to s\gamma, \epsilon'/\epsilon_K and \mu\ to e\gamma. We furthermore discuss the interpretation of this contribution within the framework of partial compositeness in four dimensions and highlight some qualitative differences between the generic result of composite models and that obtained for dynamics that reproduces the warped scenario.Comment: 14 page

The Influence of Physiological Status on age Prediction of Anopheles Arabiensis Using Near Infra-red spectroscopy

Determining the age of malaria vectors is essential for evaluating the impact of interventions that reduce the survival of wild mosquito populations and for estimating changes in vectorial capacity. Near infra-red spectroscopy (NIRS) is a simple and non-destructive method that has been used to determine the age and species of Anopheles gambiae s.l. by analyzing differences in absorption spectra. The spectra are affected by biochemical changes that occur during the life of a mosquito and could be influenced by senescence and also the life history of the mosquito, i.e., mating, blood feeding and egg-laying events. To better understand these changes, we evaluated the influence of mosquito physiological status on NIR energy absorption spectra. Mosquitoes were kept in individual cups to permit record keeping of each individual insect’s life history. Mosquitoes of the same chronological age, but at different physiological stages, were scanned and compared using cross-validations. We observed a slight trend within some physiological stages that suggest older insects tend to be predicted as being physiologically more mature. It was advantageous to include mosquitoes of different chronological ages and physiological stages in calibrations, as it increases the robustness of the model resulting in better age predictions. Progression through different physiological statuses of An. arabiensis influences the chronological age prediction by the NIRS. Entomologists that wish to use NIR technology to predict the age of field-caught An. gambiae s.l from their study area should use a calibration developed from their field strain using mosquitoes of diverse chronological ages and physiological stages to increase the robustness and accuracy of the predictions.\u

Synthetic Lethality of Chk1 Inhibition Combined with p53 and/or p21 Loss During a DNA Damage Response in Normal and Tumor Cells

Cell cycle checkpoints ensure genome integrity and are frequently compromised in human cancers. A therapeutic strategy being explored takes advantage of checkpoint defects in p53-deficient tumors in order to sensitize them to DNA-damaging agents by eliminating Chk1-mediated checkpoint responses. Using mouse models, we demonstrated that p21 is a key determinant of how cells respond to the combination of DNA damage and Chk1 inhibition (combination therapy) in normal cells as well as in tumors. Loss of p21 sensitized normal cells to the combination therapy much more than did p53 loss and the enhanced lethality was partially blocked by CDK inhibition. In addition, basal pools of p21 (p53 independent) provided p53 null cells with protection from the combination therapy. Our results uncover a novel p53-independent function for p21 in protecting cells from the lethal effects of DNA damage followed by Chk1 inhibition. As p21 levels are low in a significant fraction of colorectal tumors, they are predicted to be particularly sensitive to the combination therapy. Results reported in this study support this prediction